Her fourth was a man of grace,
Who was for heaven bent;
His name was Pious William,
He read his Testament.
Her fifth, too, was a pious Knave,
And ’tis our firm belief,
He once did rob the Hungary Lads
Of hard-earned bread and beef.
These were Dame Europe’s deputies,
In whom she put her trust,
To keep her Lodging-House at peace,
In case eruption burst.
For many a time a row took place,
While sharing out the scran;
But John and Louis soon stepp’d in,
And cleared the padding can.
Once, Alex. Russ’s father, Nick,
A bit before he died,
Did roughly seize a little Turk,
And thought to warm his hide.
But John and Louis interfered,
Declaring it foul play;
And made old Nick remember it
Until his dying day.
Now all Dame Europe’s deputies,
They made themselves at home;
And every lodger knew his bed,
Likewise his sitting room.
They took great interest in their beds,
And kept them very clean;
Unlike some other padding cans,
So dirty and so mean.
The best and choicest bed of all,
Was occupied by Johnny;
Because the Dame did favour him,
He did collect her money.
And in a little bunk he lived,
Seal’d up with oak, and tarr’d;
He would not let a single one
Come near within a yard.