The English Rogue: Continued in the Life of Meriton Latroon, and Other Extravagants: The Fourth PartHead, Richard
General
The English Rogue: Continued in the Life of Meriton Latroon, and Other Extravagants: The Fourth Part
Head, Richard
Rogues and vagabonds -- England -- Fiction
and for the same practice, whom whosoever marries, hath got a wife with
a treble Trade, a Whore, a Thief, and a Stockin-mender; but fearing lest
if I handle her, I shall offend your Noses, I shall pass her by, and
present your Nostrils with the perfume of
_An Orange-Wench_.
_Fair Oranges,——Fine Lemmons_, a cunning Slut, who by a fifteen years
practice, had got her trade to her fingers end! She used that cry in the
streets of _London_ at first, to get her a livelihood; but her Face had
so cryed her up, that her Gallants would have decryed her Trade, as too
mean a thing for her to follow; but she would not be perswaded to it,
fearing she should be abridged of her Liberty. For whilst she had the
liberty of roving every where, she had the priviledge and freedom to go
boldly into a Tavern, where she not only sold her Ware, but had the
convenience to truck for a Commodity of another sort. She was witty, and
very well furnisht with a drolling Common-Place-Book, out of which she
could suit any merry discourse whatsoever. By which means her company
was so generally coveted, that she could not pass the streets, but that
some or other out of a Tavern-Window would call her up, who would empty
her Basket, fill her skin with Wine, only that they might make some
sport with her. A wealthy old Widower, an Ale-house-keeper, knowing how
generally she was belov’d, cared not much to be made a Cuckold, so that
he could but increase his Trade, which he knew he should do, if he
married her, which he did by a very expensive Courtship, she not caring
if he had spent every groat.
* * * * *
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