The English Rogue: Continued in the Life of Meriton Latroon, and Other Extravagants: The Second PartHead, Richard
General
The English Rogue: Continued in the Life of Meriton Latroon, and Other Extravagants: The Second Part
Head, Richard
Rogues and vagabonds -- England -- Fiction
I now began to bethink my self of what I had bin, and what more I was to
be, and run through: I found that I was already at the second degree,
and that in short time, I must follow my late companion to the third,
and be enforced to go home to our _Madona’s_ house, and there prostitute
my self to every drunken fellow that brought mony in his hand; to be
flabbered, tumbled and tossed, as he pleased: this I say went against my
stomack, & I was much troubled at it; nay, I saw that some who had bin
in as high a place and degree as my self, were in bad condition enough;
for there was one, who was my late companions bedfellow before I came,
and was at that time called into the house to make room for me, this
woman being very frolick, and withal negligent of our _Madona’s_
commands: which were to Sweat, Bath, and Purge, and use other remedies,
to drive away all distempers; she I say being negligent, & wanton, and
keeping an open stable for all Horses, gave entertainment to a running
Nag, which so paid her that she was soundly pepper’d, not with a Horse
Pox, but as bad, or a worse disease: which stuck to her so soundly, that
notwithstanding our _Madona’s_ diligence, she was fain to go under the
Surgeons hands. Nay, and those that did Escape this, were in time put to
bad offices, as to attend the rest, and when their money was gone, they
served the Grooms, and Skip-kennels that attended their Masters to our
house.
These considerations, I say, made me think of a remedy to take in time;
and therefore I was resolved to order my matters so, as never to come
into our _Madona’s_ house but provide for my self before it should come
to that point; and therefore I purposed to accept of the offers of the
next good customer that came, that would take me from the condition I
was in, and to provide for me; for it was a usual thing, that we had
many offers by several persons to take us away; and keep and maintain us
privately.
I had now every day more variety of servants, then formerly; for now I
had done trafficking for my Maidenhead, I was more free and open, and to
be courted and treated at a cheaper rate; and now I was at my own
dispose, whereas before I was still watched by our _Madona_, or my
Companion, who had it in charge from her, to give an account of all my
actions; and the same charge had I given me over my new-come Bedfellow.
All that was expected from me, was always to be ready at my Lodging, to
come when sent for; but I had this in general, and so had all the rest
of our Companions, not to permit any man to exceed kissing and feeling,
till 3 or 4 Bottles of Wine were first drank.
These, and many other Maxims we were instructed in, which I shal omit,
and only give you an account of two or three frolicks I was a party in,
whilst I professed this quality, and so conclude.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account