Warren Fahey

Source: London Labour and the London Poor
Henry Mayhew (1861)

Of the Experience of a Chaunter

The Pope, sir, was as one-sided to chaunt as to patter, in course. We had the Greeks (the lately-arrived Irish) down upon us more than once. In Liverpool-street, on the night of the meeting at Guildhall about the Papal Aggression, we had a regular skrimmage. One gentleman said: Really, you shouldn't sing such improper songs, my men. Then up comes another, and he was a little orusted with port wine, and he says: What, against that cove the Pope! Here, give me half a dozen of the papers. Of course we has no feeling either for or agin the Pope. We goes to it as at an election. Some of the tunes - there's no act of parliament about tunes, you know, sir - was stunners on the fiddle; as if a thousand bricks was falling out of a cart at once. I think `The Pope and Cardinal Wiseman,' one of the first of the songs, did as well as any. This verse was greatly admired: -

Now Lord John Russell did so bright, To the Bishop of Durham a letter write
Saying while I've a hand I'll fight,
The pope and cardinal wiseman,
Lord John's ancestor as I tell,
Lord William Russell then known well
His true religion would not sell,
A martyr he in glory fell,
And now Lord John so bold and free,
Has got a rope as we may see,
To hang up on each side of a tree,
The Pope and Cardinal Wiseman.

This finishing verse, too, was effective, and out came a few browns: -

Now we don't care a fig for Rome,
Why can't they let the girls alone,
And mind their business at home,
The pope and cardinal wiseman.
With their monsical red cardinals hat,
And lots of wafers in a sack,
If they come here with all their clack,
We'll wound them fil fal la ra whack,
In England they shall not be loose,
Their hum bugging is all no use,
If they come here we'll cook their goose,
The pope and Cardinal Wiseman.
Monks and Nuns and fools afloat,
We'll have no bulls shoved down our throat
Cheer up and shout down with the Pope,
And his Bishop Cardinal Wiseman.

Then there wasn't no risk with Haynau - I told you of the Pope first, 'cause he was most chaunted. I've been threatened with dark nights about the Pope, after the Greeks has said: Fat have you to say agin the holy gintleman? To the divil wid all the likes o' ye. Haynau was a fair stage and no favour. This werse was best liked: -

The other day as you must know,
In Barclay's brewhouse he did go
And signed his bloody name `Haynau.'
The fellow that flogged the women.
Baron Rothchild did him shend,
And in the letter which he penn'd
He shaid the sheneral wash his friend,
And so good a man he could not mend.
Rumpsey bumsy - bang him well -
Make his back and sides to swell
Till he roars aloud with dreadful yell,
The fellow that flogged the women.

The women bought very free; poor women, mostly; we only worked him to any extent in the back drags. One old body at Stepney was so pleased that she said, O, the bloody-minded willain! Whenever you come this way again, sir, there's always 1d. for you. She didn't pay in advance though. Then it ended, sir, with a beautiful moral as appeals to every female bosom: -

That man who would a female harm, Is never fit to live.

We always likes something for the ladies, bless 'em. They're our best customers. What do you think of the Great Exhibition, sir? I shall be there. Me and my mates. We are going to send in a copy of werses in letters of gold for a prize. We'll let the foreigners know what the real native melodies of England is, and no mistake.