There was a poore Gardener amongst the rest, which bought me for the
summe of fifty pence, which seemed to him a great price, but he thought
to gayne it againe by the continuall travell of my body. The matter
requireth to tell likewise, how I was handled in his service. This
Gardener accustomed to drive me, every morning laded with hearbes to
the next Village, and when he had sold his hearbes, hee would mount
upon my backe and returne to the Garden, and while he digged the ground
and watered the hearbes, and went about other businesse, I did nothing
but repose my selfe with great ease, but when Winter approached with
sharpe haile, raine and frosts, and I standing under a hedge side, was
welnigh killed up with cold, and my master was so poore that he had no
lodging for himselfe, much lesse had he any littor or place to cover me
withall, for he himselfe alwayes lay under a little roofe shadowed with
boughes. In the morning when I arose, I found my hoofes shriveled
together with cold, and unable to passe upon the sharpe ice, and frosty
mire, neither could I fill my belly with meate, as I accustomed to doe,
for my master and I supped together, and had both one fare: howbeit it
was very slender since as wee had nothing else saving old and unsavoury
sallets which were suffered to grow for seed, like long broomes, and
that had lost all their sweet sappe and juice.
It fortuned on a day that an honest man of the next village was
benighted and constrained by reason of the rain to lodge (very lagged
and weary) in our Garden, where although he was but meanely received,
yet it served well enough considering time and necessity. This honest
man to recompence our entertainment, promised to give my master some
corne, oyle, and two bottels of wine: wherefore my master not delaying
the matter, laded me with sackes and bottels, and rode to the Towne
which was seaven miles off.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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