HE xiijth chapter is about the Voppers. These beggars are for the most part women, who allow themselves to be led in chains as if they were raving mad; they tear their shifts from their bodies, in order that they may deceive people. There are also some that do both, VOPPERY and DUTZING, together. This is VOPPING, viz. when one begs for his wife’s or any other person’s sake and says she has been possessed of a devil (tho’ there is no truth in it), and he has vowed to some Saint (whom he names), and must have xij pounds of wax or other things whereby the person will be delivered from the power of the devil. These are called Dutzing-Voppers.
Conclusio: This is a wicked and false way of begging. They sing,—
A beggar’s (BREGAR) wench (ERLATIN) will cheat,
And lie (VOPPEN) and be full of deceit (FERBEN):
And he kicks and beats her with his shoe.
There are also some Vopperinae, id est, women, who pretend that they have diseases of the breast. They take a cow’s spleen, and peel it on one side, and then lay it upon their bosom—the peeled part outside—besmearing it with blood, in order that people may think it is the breast. These are the Vopperinae.
