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
For I that could not live without Roguery no more then a fish without
water, still continued my trade notwithstanding all their threats. One
day whilest I was watching for my prey, thorow the hole of the
glass-window aforesaid, there came by a man with a basket of
drinking-glasses on his head; scarce was he past me, when I saluted him
with a dirt-bullet on the Calf of his leg, which made him give such a
leap, that down came the basket with the glasses clattering upon the
stones, making such a murther amongst them, that never was a Citizen
(though he owed ten thousand pound more then he was worth) so much
broken as they. The fellow seeing his glasses thus mortified, cursed
most bitterly, breathing forth nothing but revenge, if he did but know
who it was that did it. I who was conscious of my own guilt, hearing him
so to thunder, thought some of his anger might lighten on me, and
therefore to prevent the worst, I ran up the stairs, and hid my self
under the bed; but he that hath a bad name is worse then half hang’d,
the shoomakers who I had mischiefed before, right or wrong, said
positively that it was I, urging him on to revenge hiself on my Uncles
glass-windows; the fellow who was easily induced to believe what they
said, and to act accordingly, made no more adoe but up with his empty
basket, and to revenge his quarrel made such havock of the windows, that
there was scarcely ever a quarrel left. O how did my Uncle look, and my
Aunt scold to see their house thus metamorphosed into the shape of a
Bawdy-house; but it was in vain for them to complain, every one took the
mans part, and laid all the blame of the mischief upon me; hereupon was
a privy search made all the house over for me, and being found my poor
buttocks paid full dearly for the breaking of the windows, my Aunt
standing by all the while to see execution done upon me, and urging my
Uncle on to beat me, for which I cursed her in my heart most bitterly.
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CHAP. VII.
_He discovers his Aunts playing loose with a Shopkeeper, his Vncles
invective against women._
My Aunts unkindness to me vexed me to the heart, so that I vowed to my
self to be revenged on her; the print of the rod did not stick so fast
on my buttocks as the remembrance of her words did stick in my minde; I
was not so watched by _Argus_ as I watched her, for I knew that women
were subject to many faults, and my Aunt as subject as any of the rest;
One Shopkeeper used constantly to haunt our house, not a day passed in
which we had not his company; This man my uncle entertained with very
much respect, for what reason I know not, unless it were that of the
Poets.
_Experience plainly doth unto us shew,
Cuckolds are kind to them that make them so._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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