There were street ballads, of course, such as The Hubble Bubbles, A Ballad, by Mr D’Urfey, and one which I give in extenso. A South-Sea Ballad: or, Merry Remarks upon Exchange Alley Bubbles. To a new tune, call’d The Grand Elixir: or The Philosopher’s Stone discovered:
In London stands a famous Pile,
And near that Pile, an Alley,
Where Merry Crowds for Riches toil,
And Wisdom stoops to Folly:
Here, Sad and Joyful, High and Low,
Court Fortune for her Graces,
And, as she Smiles, or Frowns, they show
Their Gestures and Grimaces.
Here Stars and Garters do appear,