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
My Mistress not continuing the Trade, I was turned over to a Baker, at
which I rejoyced exceedingly, being heartily desirous to be dealing with
Belly-timber, remembring how I was full fed when as I lived before with
the Cook. Here I found the Maxim to be still true, that there is
_knavery in all Trades_, for as my last Master theived from peoples
backs, so this robbed their bellies; and was in one sort worse than a
Taylor, for Taylors commonly filch their Cabadge only from the rich, who
can the better spare it; but a Baker by making his bread lesser than it
should be, stealeth it out of the poor peoples bellies, for doing which
he deserveth the same fate to attend on him as did on _Pharaohs_ Baker,
viz. hanging; or at leastwise to look through an oaken planck, and shew
the people a knaves head.
He would be sure to be in fee with the Clark of the Market, and
pretended great love to him, though he hated him as his Executioner. By
this meanes he had always timely notice of my _Lord Mayors_ going about,
when he would be sure to have his bread full weight stand at his window;
and if at any time he chanc’d to be catcht, oh how he would repine at
his forc’d charity, to see his bread given away to the poor, hating
Justice it self for the _weigh-scales sake_, though it did the Beggars
as much good as their dinner, to see his basket sent to the prison.
When we had any stale mouldy bread, such as we could not sell our
selves, or was returned us again by our customers, we used to soak it in
water, and so mould it up again in our dough, which in Summer time at
four days end would roap so, that if you pul’d it in pieces it would
appear as if it were all Cobwebs, which made us always to sell such
bread new. Now what other _Knaveries_ he used in his trade, I was not
there long enough to know them: for because I used to forget to rise
betimes in a morning, my Master would remember me with a good ashen wand
which he always kept in store by him, wherewith he would beat me as your
Sea-men do Stock-fish, in so much that my flesh had on it all the
colours in the Rain-bow, _viz._ black, blew, green, red, yellow, white,
_&c._ above all things in the world I liked not beating, wherefore I
resolved to march off, yet before I went I purposed to be in part
revenged on him for those many blows he had given me. Now so it was that
he lay above stairs, and I below, and when he came down, if he found me
not up and about my business, he would so rib-roast me, that I could
have felt no cold although it had been frosty weather. Against that
morning I intended to be gone, I had parched some pease in the oven,
that they were almost as hard as leaden bullets; them did I strow here
and there upon the stairs against my Masters coming down, and so having
put up my things, and made my self ready, I staid expecting what the
event would be, anon my Master called me at the stairs head, I heard him
very well, but made him no answer, wherefore he supposing I was asleep,
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