The Surprising Adventures of Bampfylde Moore Carew, King of the Beggars: Containing his Life, a Dictionary of the Cant Language, and many Entertaining Particulars of that Extraordinary ManUnknown
General
The Surprising Adventures of Bampfylde Moore Carew, King of the Beggars: Containing his Life, a Dictionary of the Cant Language, and many Entertaining Particulars of that Extraordinary Man
Mr. Carew therefore approached him, and planted himself close by the
horse, and, wetting his fingers with the spirits, rested his hand upon
the steed, as an unconcerned person might have done; at the same time
putting aside the hair, he rubbed the turpentine upon the bare flesh,
which immediately beginning to burn and smart, the afflicted quadruped
began to express his sense of pain, by flinging his hinder legs, gently
shaking himself, and other restless motions, which made the poor
mountebank wonder what had befallen his horse; but the pain increasing,
the disorderly behaviour of the steed increased proportionably, who now
began to kick, prance, stand on end, neigh, immoderately shake himself,
utterly disregarding both his bridle and rider, and running a tilt
against the stalls of oranges, gingerbread, gloves, breeches, shoes, &c.,
which he overthrew and trampled under foot; this occasioned a scramble
among the boys for the eatables, and there were some who were but too
unmerciful to the scattered goods of the poor shoemakers and glovers,
who, enraged by their several losses, began to curse the doctor and his
Rosinante, who was all this while capering, roaring, and dancing among
their oranges, panniers of eggs, &c., to the entire ruin of the
hucksters, who now began to deal very heavy blows, both on the
unfortunate horse and his distressed master. This odd spectacle and
adventure attracted the eyes and attention of the whole fair, which was
all in an uproar, some laughing, some crying, (particularly the poor
suffering pedlars,) some fighting, and others most unmercifully cursing
and swearing; to make short of the story, the doctor rode about the fair,
without either hat or wig, at the pleasure and discretion of his horse,
among the ruined and overturned stalls and the dissipated mob, who
concluded both the quack and the steed to be either mad or bewitched, and
enjoyed their frolicsome situation.
The doctor, being no longer able to keep his seat, fell headlong into the
miry street; the horse ran into a river, and rolled himself over several
times, to the entire confusion and ruin of the inestimable pills and
plasters; the doctor employed a good farrier, and after some time the
horse came to himself again. The reader may very easily judge what
glorious diversion this was for the apothecary and Mr. Carew, who were
spectators of the whole scene. He was treated handsomely upon this
account, not only by the apothecary, but all others of the same
profession in the town, and several other gentlemen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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