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
The Maid (like the rest of the worst of House-wives, who work in the
night and play in the day,) was making at that time a Smock for her
self, and as I guess sate up somewhat the later, because she would
completely finish it; I had made my self familiar with her, and taking
this advantage to raise some petulant discourse; _Is this your Smock?_
said I, _Yes,_ she replyed, _then sure,_ said I, _you are very lavish of
your Cloth to make it so wide; I will lay you five shillings, and you
shall hold stakes, that it will contain us both, and to spare: How,_
said she, _I will lay you that wager if I never engage in another_; but
the difficulty lay in this, that she saw there was a necessity that she
must uncase as well as my self, and therefore seemed very unwilling so
to do; But that she must lose the Crown if she did not, so she
consented: having the Smock on, I crept into it, and absolutely cased my
Arms in the same sleeves; hers were in before, my head peeping out at
the bosom; but endeavouring to dis-ingage by the same means we had
intangled our selves, we found it impossible, our Arms being extended
like the wings of a _Spread Eagle_, nor could we contract or draw them
to our bodies, in this plight we were in a good while, not knowing what
to resolve on. At length with one joint consent we raised our Arms to
the Tenter-hooks of the Shelf, (for though I was young, I was tall, and
so was she,) and hanging the Sleeve thereon, we pull’d, thinking to draw
it off that way; but striving with what strength we had left, we pull’d
the shelf down, and all the Pewter ratling about our ears: This noise
awakened the man of the House, and thinking to jog his Wife, found no
such thing beside him; this startled him more; however he was resolved
to see what it was, and therefore struck a light; but recalling himself
as he was descending the stairs, he returned, thinking it would be safer
(if Theeves were below,) to take my Master with him, and therefore goes
to his Chamber door, which he found open, and entring the room, found
his wife in bed with him fast asleep; whilst he was about to waken them,
we below were struggling to get loose, and stumbling upon the shelf
fallen, we fell over it upon the Dishes, which made as great a noise as
the former; this hastned him to wake them, reproving his Wife for her
carelesness more than looseness, and telling them there were Thieves in
the House; my Master got up and went down with his Landlord to see what
the matter was in the Kitchen: They had no sooner entred the door but
they were strangely amazed to see one Body with two Heads; approaching
nearer, my Master knew one Head to be his mans, and the other to be his
Landlords Maids: with much difficulty they they took this Flesh Pudding
out of the Bagg; it being midnight we were not examined then, but
deferred till the next morning: in the mean time they consulted
together; and it was agreed upon between the Landlord and his Wife, that
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