Sailor's Frolic, The (Tit for Tat)

DESCRIPTION: A sea captain lusts after the wife of one of his sailors. He offers her 50 guineas to sleep with him while he supposes her husband is away. The sailor, as they are in bed, steals the captain's clothes and makes love to the captain's wife.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1841 (broadside Bodleian Harding B 25(1920)); reportedly copied by Thomas Nixon in 1780 (so Lane/Gosbee-SongsOfShipsAndSailors)
KEYWORDS: sailor trick adultery sex disguise
FOUND IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Palmer-OxfordBookOfSeaSongs 55, "A New Song, called the Frolicsome Sea Captain, or Tit for Tat" (1 text)
Lane/Gosbee-SongsOfShipsAndSailors, pp. 26-27, "The Sailor and the Sea Captain" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #12545
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 25(1920), "Tit for tat; or, The sailor's frolic," J. Jennings (London), 1790-1840; also Johnson Ballads 993, "Tit for Tat," J. Pitts (London), 1819-1844; Douce Ballads 3(93b)=Douce Ballads 4(14) [Firth c.12(433) (mostly illegible) ?], "Tit for tat; or The merry wives of Wapping," Powell & Sympson (?) (London), n.d.; Johnson Ballads 2817, "The Sailor's Frolic," unknown, n.d.
File: PaSe055

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