Hi, Brian. I have a great deal of material on both "Tom Boleyn" and "Brian O'Linn." Too much to manage. I'll post bits of it here and on other threads now and then.

The title page of Wager's play reads, "A very mery and Pythie Commedie, called The longer thou liuest, the more foole thou art." No date is given. Libraries date it to 1568 or '69, but it may have been written a decade earlier.

Nothing seems to be known about "W. Wager" beyond his works.

There's only one stanza of "Tom a Lin." It is part of a medley of foolish songs sung in the opening scene of the play by the character Moro. The stage directions read,

"Here entereth Moros, counterfaiting a vaine gesture and a foolish countenance, Synging the foote of many Songes, as fooles were wont."

He sings (no tune is given):

Tom a Lin and his wife, and his wives mother
They went over a bridge all three together,
The bridge was broken and they all fell in,
The Deuill go with all quoth Tom a Lin.


So it's the same song.