| E. Cobham Brewer 18101897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898. |
| | | Dunmow Flitch. | | |
The oath administered was in the doggerel subjoined:
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| You shall swear, by the custom of our confession |
| That you never made any nuptial transgression |
| Since you were married man and wife, |
| By household brawls or contentious strife; |
| Or, since the parish clerk said Amen, |
| Wished yourselves unmarried again; |
| Or, in a twelvemonth and a day, |
| Repented not in thought any way. |
| If to these terms, without all fear, |
| Of your own accord you will freely swear, |
| A gammon of bacon you shall receive, |
| And bear it hence with our good leave. |
| For this is our custom at Dunmow well known |
| The sport is ours, out the bacon your own. | |
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