"Now fetch me my brethren, and fetch them with

speed,"

The Surgeon affrighted said;

"The Parson and the Undertaker,

Let them hasten or I shall be dead."

The Parson and the Undertaker

They hastily came complying,

And the Surgeon's Prentices ran up stairs
When they heard that their master was dying.

The Prentices all they enter'd the room,

By one, by two, by three,

With a sly grin came Joseph in,

First of the company.

The Surgeon swore as they enter'd his door, 'Twas fearful his oaths to hear,..

"Now send these scoundrels out of my sight,

He foam'd at the mouth with the rage he felt, And he wrinkled his black eye-brow,

“That rascal Joe would be at me, I know,

But zounds let him spare me now !"

Then out they sent the Prentices,

The fit it left him weak,

He look'd at his brothers with ghastly eyes, And faintly struggled to speak.

"All kinds of carcasses I have cut up,

And the judgement now must be;

But, brothers, I took care of you,

So pray take care of me.

"I have made candles of infants' fat,
The Sextons have been my slaves,
I have bottled babes unborn, and dried
Hearts and livers from rifled graves.

"And my Prentices now will surely come

And carve me bone from bone,

And I who have rifled the dead man's grave
Shall never have rest in my own.

"Bury me in lead when I am dead, My brethren, I entreat,

And see the coffin weigh'd I beg,

Lest the Plumber should be a cheat.

"And let it be solder'd closely down, Strong as strong can be, I implore,

And put it in a patent coffin,

That I may rise no more.

"If they carry me off in the patent coffin

Their labour will be in vain,

Let the Undertaker see it bought of the maker,

"And bury me in my brother's church,

For that will safer be;

And I implore, lock the church door,
And pray take care of the key.

"And all night long let three stout men The vestry watch within,

To each man give a gallon of beer,
And a keg of Holland's gin;

"Powder and ball and blunderbuss,

To save me if he can,

And eke, five guineas if he shoot

A resurrection man.

"And let them watch me for three weeks,

My wretched corpse to save,

For then I think that I may stink

Enough to rest in my grave."

The Surgeon laid him down in his bed,

His eyes grew deadly dim,

Short came his breath and the struggle of death every limb.

Did loosen

They put him in lead when he was dead,

And shrouded up so neat,

And they the leaden coffin weigh,

Lest the plumber should be a cheat.

They had it solder'd closely down,
And examined it o'er and o'er,
And they put it in a patent coffin
That he might rise no more.

For to carry him off in a patent coffin,

Would, they thought, be but labour in vain,

So the Undertaker saw it bought of the maker,