Quotations and Authors:
Why don’t you snap your oars, you rascals? Bite something, you dogs! So, so, so, then:—softly, softly! That’s it—that’s it! long and strong. Give way there, give way! The devil fetch ye, ye ragamuffin rapscallions; ye are all asleep. Stop snoring, ye sleepers, and pull. Pull, will ye? pull, can’t ye? pull, won’t ye? Why in the name of gudgeons and ginger-cakes don’t ye pull?—pull and break something! pull, and start your eyes out! Here!” whipping out the sharp knife from his girdle; “every mother’s son of ye draw his knife, and pull with the blade between his teeth. That’s it—that’s it. Now ye do something; that looks like it, my steel-bits. Start her—start her, my silver-spoons! Start her, marling-spikes!”
Moby Dick Melville, Herman 1851
Ragamuffin in Melville.
A critical little girl eyed our couple curiously and made some remark to her ragamuffin friend.
“Not them,” said the ragamuffin friend, “They’ve only been askin’ questions.”The ragamuffin friend was no judge of faces.
Love and Mr. Lewisham Wells, Herbert George 1900
Ragamuffin in Wells.
Though I could ’scape shot-free at London, I fear the shot here; here’s no scoring but upon the pate.—Soft! who are you? Sir Walter Blunt: there’s honour for you! here’s no vanity! I am as hot as molten lead, and as heavy too: God keep lead out of me! I need no more weight than mine own bowels. I have led my ragamuffins where they are peppered: there’s not three of my hundred and fifty left alive; and they are for the town’s end, to beg during life. But who comes here?
Henry the Fourth, Part 1 Shakespeare, William 1597
Ragamuffins in Shakespeare.
‘My boy!’ said he, ‘amidst this motley crew
Don Juan Byron, George Gordon 1824
Of Georgians, Russians, Nubians, and what not,
All ragamuffins differing but in hue,
With whom it is our luck to cast our lot,
The only gentlemen seem I and you;
So let us be acquainted, as we ought:
If I could yield you any consolation,
‘T would give me pleasure.–Pray, what is your nation?’
When Juan answer’d–‘Spanish!’ he replied,
‘I thought, in fact, you could not be a Greek;
Those servile dogs are not so proudly eyed:
‘Between Bloody Marys, and blue cockades, and glorious Queen Besses, and no Poperys, and Protestant associations, and making of speeches,’ pursued John Grueby, looking, as usual, a long way off, and taking no notice of this hint, ‘my lord’s half off his head. When we go out o’ doors, such a set of ragamuffins comes a-shouting after us, “Gordon forever!” that I’m ashamed of myself and don’t know where to look. When we’re indoors, they come a-roaring and screaming about the house like so many devils; and my lord instead of ordering them to be drove away, goes out into the balcony and demeans himself by making speeches to ‘em, and calls ‘em “Men of England,” and “Fellow-countrymen,” as if he was fond of ‘em and thanked ‘em for coming. I can’t make it out, but they’re allmixed up somehow or another with that unfort’nate Bloody Mary, and callher name out till they’re hoarse. They’re all Protestants too–every manand boy among ‘em: and Protestants are very fond of spoons, I find, andsilver-plate in general, whenever area-gates is left open accidentally.I wish that was the worst of it, and that no more harm might be to come;but if you don’t stop these ugly customers in time, Mr Gashford (and Iknow you; you’re the man that blows the fire), you’ll find ‘em grow alittle bit too strong for you. One of these evenings, when the weathergets warmer and Protestants are thirsty, they’ll be pulling Londondown,–and I never heard that Bloody Mary went as far as THAT.’
…
‘Why where would you have him go! Damme, he’s not as safe anywhere as among the king’s troops, is he? What WOULD you do with him? Would you hand him over to a pack of cowardly civilians, that shake in their shoes till they wear the soles out, with trembling at the threats of the ragamuffins he belongs to?’
Barnaby Rudge Dickens, Charles 1841
Ragamuffins in Dickens.
He suffered from his fellowship in evil with them too much. He crossed the
Nostromo Conrad, Joseph 1904
Plaza unmolested. The Amarilla Club was full of festive ragamuffins. Their frowsy heads protruded from every window, and from within came drunken shouts, the thumping of feet, and the twanging of harps. Broken bottles strewed the pavement below. Charles Gould found the doctor still in his house.
Ragamuffins in Maugham
Ragamuffins in Joyce.