IanC says:

"
By the way, Holloway and Black state quite clearly that almost all of the broadsides in their book are

... from the 18th Century, and have been reprinted from contemporary or near contemporary broadsides in the Madden Collection.

This collection is currently housed in Cambridge University Library, for which day readers cards are fairly easily obtainable. I'll look for it, given time, if you don't beat me to it.
"

Whee!!! Missed that. I've a reader's ticket to CUL, but I don't get there as often as I'd like. So that DOES give a lock into a primary text of the Buck ... Sheesh ...

"
As another PS, I've seen it stated somewhere that the song is in "Pills to Purge Melancholy". I don't believe this. The source I saw (can't remember where) said it was in D'Urfey's 1719/20 1st Edition. I know this isn't true 'cos I spent 2 hours looking through it and it ain't there.
"

I ought to be able to track this -- never read it, but it's an 18thC miscellany, right? (I'm better at 16C miscellanies.) I've the Chadwych-Healey English Poetic Text Database on CD, and that OUGHT to have it. (Though C-H are a bit dicey when it comes to anthologies or miscellanies -- there was a total mess around this when they put the collection together.)

I think I may call in a favour on this -- I've a friend who's based in Cambridge, with a full Reader's Ticket. On the other hand, it might be easier to pull a copy from microfilm. I doubt if Cambridge would allow photocopying. Malcolm, do you know if the BL have Madden on Microfilm? It's actually easier for me to hit the BL than CUL.

Thanks everybody == this is magic.

Sorry, my head's a little elsewhere at the moment. Anyone got an opinion on 1.iv.74 of Ben Jonson's _Silent Woman_, and the long/short ess distinction? When is a wind-sucker a wind-fucker? Yes, I KNOW ... but it's really bloody irritating.

Sometimes, I just so hate editors ...

Incidentally, is any of this likely to be on Early English Books Online? Cambridge subscribe to this but the BL (I think) doesn't. Stoopid microfilms there ...

Robin

Just googled CUL:

Madden [16,000]

18th-19th century broadside ballads, collected by Sir Frederic Madden and mounted in guard-books. To be consulted on microfilm. Card catalogue by title in corridor leading to Munby Rare Book Reading Room.

So CUL has them on micro. Really AM going to call in a favour on this. Presumably, CUL would allow a reader to pull a print from the micro ... ?

R.