The Fleet: Its Rivers, Prison, and MarriagesAshton, John
History
The Fleet: Its Rivers, Prison, and Marriages
Ashton, John
Fleet Prison (London, England); Fleet, River (England)
"Since midsummer last, a young lady of birth and fortune, was deluded
and forced from her friends, by the assistance of a very wicked,
swearing parson, married to an atheistical wretch, whose life is a
continual practice of all manner of vice and debauchery. And, since
the ruin of my relation, another lady of my acquaintance had like to
have been trapanned in the following manner:--
"This lady had appointed to meet a gentlewoman at the Old Play-house
in Drury Lane; but extraordinary business prevented her coming. Being
alone, when the play was done, she bade a boy call a coach for the
City. One drest like a gentleman helps her into it, and jumps in after
her. 'Madam,' says he, 'this coach was called for me: and since the
weather is so bad, and there is no other, I beg leave to bear you
company; I am going into the City, and will set you down wherever
you please.' The lady begged to be excused; but he bade the coachman
drive on. Being come to Ludgate hill, he told her his sister, who
waited his coming, but five doors up the Court, would go with her in
two minutes. He went, and returned with his pretended sister, who
asked her to step in one minute, and she would wait upon her in the
coach.
"Deluded with the assurance of having his sister's company, the poor
lady foolishly followed her into the house, when, instantly, the
sister vanish'd; and a tawny fellow in a black coat and black wig
appeared. 'Madam, you are come in good time, the doctor was just a
going.' 'The doctor,' says she, horribly frighted, fearing it was a
madhouse; 'What has the doctor to do with me?' 'To marry you to that
gentleman: the doctor has waited for you these three hours, and will
be payed by you or the gentleman before you go.' 'That gentleman,'
says she, recovering herself, 'is worthy a better fortune than mine.'
And begged hard to be gone. But doctor WRYNECK swore she shou'd be
married; or, if she wou'd not, he would still have his fee, and
register the marriage from that night. The lady, finding she could not
escape without money or a pledge, told them she liked the gentleman so
well, she would certainly meet him to-morrow night, and gave them a
ring as a pledge: which, says she, 'was my mother's gift on her
deathbed, injoining that if ever I married, it should be my wedding
ring.' By which cunning contrivance, she was delivered from the black
doctor, and his tawny crew.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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