The Notorious Impostor (1692); Diego Redivivus (1692)Settle, Elkanah
General
The Notorious Impostor (1692); Diego Redivivus (1692)
Settle, Elkanah
Morrell, William, -1692 -- Fiction
But to return to our Rover: By the sale of Cart and Team, ten pound in
Cole the last lump, and the price of his Kine the other, his Pockets
were pretty well lined; and considering this spot might soon grow too
hot for him, he thinks it wisest to shift the Scene, and thereupon
dismissing, for some time, his Man _Tom_, who had pretty well lick'd
his Fingers in so profitable a Service, our Grasier now transmogrifies
into a Spark, and very sprucely rigg'd, takes a ramble Westward, where
meeting with no Adventure worth recital, in some small time he gets to
_Ludlow_. There taking up the first Night at an Inn, his Garb (though
unattended by Servants) soon made him good Reception; his first enquiry
was to learn out the Eminentest People in the Town, of which being
readily inform'd by the Drawers; he learnt, amongst other Relations,
that there was a Substantial Wealthy Tradesman, had two pretty
Marriageable Daughters: Being directed to the House, he addresses to
the Father, telling him he was a _Barkshire_ Gentleman, and intending
to make some small abode in _Ludlow_, he did not think fit to continue
in a Publick House, but would gladly gain admission to some private
Family. The Tradesman (whose name we will not mention) being a Widower,
and taken with the manner of his Discourse, kindly invited him to his
own House, which our Travelling Gallant as kindly embracing,
Accommodation was made, and he was lodged that very Night at this
private Landlords.
His entrance here gave him the opportunity of daily conversing with no
mean wit and charms in the two sweet Daughters of the Family; and our
Gallant, very apt to take fire at but a small matter of Beauty,
especially with a Portion at the Tail of it, felt no little wamblings
at the extraordinary accomplishments of the elder, somewhat the sweeter
Creature. But this new Adventure was not an enterprise so easie as the
last; this Sire of some fashion, was so far above the Education and
Extract of his former Father-in-Law, a Man of Mortar and Trowel; and
his Daughters of a reach and understanding so much beyond the others
humbler capacity; that measures must be quite alter'd here from those
that he took before. Accordingly now his discourse was always upon
Foreign subjects, himself and his own affairs the least part of his
talk; and if any inquisitive question, either by Father or Daughters
were made relating to his Family or Concerns, he answered with that
Modesty, and almost silence to all demands of that kind, that he left
their curiosity still in the dark; and which indeed was so much a
heightning to the favourable imaginations they had conceived of him;
that they doubted not in the least, but he was of eminent Quality; and
what any boasting Vanity would have made 'em rather suspect, his
Modesty on the contrary confirm'd. 'Twas some few days before they
inquired his name, for which he had ready at his Tongue's end, the
name of a very great Family in _Barkshire_; but not descending to
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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