18 Glymmerars are such as travel up and down with licences to beg, because their houses have been consumed with fire, for Glymmer in the Canting tongue signifies fire. They use a very sad tone in their begging, and tell a lamentable story how the fire destroyed their Barns, Stables, &c. by which lying tales they get store of Loure to buy Bub at the Bowsingken.
19 Curtals are so called because they wear short Cloases, being of the same nature as the Rogues described before.
20 The last ranck of this Rambling Crew are termed Kinchin Co’s, being little Boys, whose Parents were formerly Beggars, but are now dead, or else such as have run away from their Masters, and instead of a trade to live by, follow this kinde of life to be lowsie by. The first thing they` do is to learn how to Cant, and the onely thing they practice is to creep in at windows or Cellar doors.
Thus have I given you a brief description of the men, by which you may give a shrewd guess of the women; for you cannot imagine if the one were Devils, that the other would be Saints, take them therefore in their own Character.
1. Of this sort the first of them are called Kinchen Morts, their Mothers carry at their backs in their Slates, id est, sheets. When the Morts beg, they use to prick these Kinchens with pins, that by their crying they may move people to a speedier distribution of their alms.
2. Dells are young wenches that have not lost their maiden-heads, but being once deflowred, (which commonly is when they are very young) they then change the name of Dell into Doxy, even as maids when they come to be married, loose that appellation, and are called women.
3. Doxeys are such as have been deflowred by the Upright-men, and are after common to any of the Brotherhood. They will if they see convenient for a small piece of money prostitute their bodies to any that will deal with them, and do too often murther those Infants which are so gotten. They have one special badge to be known by, for most of them go working of laces and shirt-strings, or such like stuff, onely to give colour to their idle wandring.
4. A walking Mort is one that hath increased the world with Lullaby-cheats or young Children, yet was never married; they are very dangerous Queans to meet withal, being cunning in dissembling, and without all fear of God and good laws; and are kept in awe onely by the Upright-men, who oftentimes rifle them of all that they have.
5. An Autem Mort is another sort of these she-devils, and differs onely from a walking Mort in that she is married; for Autem in the Canting tongue signifies a Church, although that be a place she seldom comes at. They commonly walk with their Wallets on their shoulders, and Slates or sheets at their backs, and will pilfer any thing that lies carelesly about houses, which they call in their language Nilling of the ken. Their Husbands commonly are Rufflers, Upright-men, Wilde Rogues, &c.