Musa Pedestris
When Harrison Ainsworth, in his preface to Rookwood, claimed tobe "the first to write a purely flash song" he
was very wide of themark. As a matter of fact, "Nix my doll, pals, fake away!" had beenanticipated, in its
treatment of canting phraseology, by nearly three centuries, and subsequently, by authors whose names stand
high, in other respects, in English literature.
When Harrison Ainsworth, in his preface to Rookwood, claimed tobe "the first to write a purely flash song" he
was very wide of themark. As a matter of fact, "Nix my doll, pals, fake away!" had beenanticipated, in its
treatment of canting phraseology, by nearly three centuries, and subsequently, by authors whose names stand
high, in other respects, in English literature.