Is this a hoax? The earliest known edition of 'Pills to Purge Melancholy' was I-1698 (postdated 1699), II-1700, III (lost)-1706, IV-1706, and the largest known edition was the 6 volume one of 1719-20. All known editions are indexed in Day and Murrie's 'English Songbooks: 1651-1702

The 1st half of the tune of "Tom o' Bedlam" is in 'Pills to Purge Melancholy' for two songs, one of which is "Mad Maudlin, To find my Tom of Bedlam", the other unconnected to Tom o' Bedlam.

An early copy of "Tom o' Bedlam" is in an old thread here, and an ABC of the complete tune is B467 among the broadside ballad tunes on my website: www.erols.com/olsonw

I think I noted in the old thread what I am pretty sure is the origin of the song "Tom o' Bedlam".