I now thought of amusing myself in the country; accordingly set out for Bath, Bristol, &c. in the first of these cities I took a room for myself in a widow-gentlewoman’s house, who kept a shop in the drapery way; she had a daughter, a neat, pretty, genteel girl, whom I courted more for the sake of being free with her, than any real love; then the mother began to trust me, and place great confidence in me, upon her daughter’s account, which continued to the mutual satisfaction of us all, till I found an opportunity to make off with between twenty-five and thirty pounds-worth of goods, taken out of the shop, and retired to Bristol, where I dealt a little among the milliners: returned for London, but being taken ill on my journey thither, I stopt two or three days at the Castle at Marlborough, where I observed a great quantity of plate, and other things of value lie very carelessly about, I only borrowed a silver tankard, and six table spoons, to assist in defraying my expences on the road: at Brentford I sold the tankard and spoons for five pounds ten shillings, and stole two pair of silver paste buckles, proceeding directly for London. I committed about fifty other robberies in the small way, which, as being trifles, are not worthy of farther mention. I have sometimes, for the sake of variety, gone to dyers and scourers shops, in the character of a gentleman; on seeing none but a woman there, I asked for my servant, who came there for my cloaths; being told there had been none, then on asking if my cloaths were done, (they not knowing but that I had some there) shewed me several suits, clean, and not clean, but I never took a cleaned suit, always pretending they should be wore once more before cleaned, desiring my servant might be sent home as soon as ever he came; so tying them up in a handkerchief, left the poor dyers and scourers to lament their folly and precipitation. I used to serve the hatters in the same manner, both in gold and silver laced hats, without being in the least suspected.