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
One day, as he was begging in the town of Maiden Bradley, from door to
door, as a poor shipwrecked seaman, he saw on the other side of the
street a mendicant brother-sailor, in a habit as forlorn as his own,
begging for God’s sake, just like himself. Seeing Mr. Carew, he crossed
the way, came up to him, and in the cant language, asked where he lay
last night, what road he was going, and several other questions; then,
whether he would brush into a boozing-ken and be his thrums; to this he
consented, and away they went; where, in the course of their
conversation, they asked each other various questions concerning the
country, the charitable and uncharitable families, the moderate and
severe justices, the good and queer corporations. This new acquaintance
of Mr. Carew’s asked him if he had been at Sir Edward Seymour’s? He
answered, yes, and had received his alms: the stranger, therefore, not
having been there, left him at the alehouse, and went thither himself,
where, having received the same alms that his new companion had, he
returned to him again.
The next day they begged through the town, one on one side of the street,
and the other on the other, each on his own separate story and account:
they then proceeded to the houses of several gentlemen in the
neighbourhood, both in one story, which was that of the stranger. Among
many others, they came to Lord Weymouth’s, where it was agreed that Mr.
Carew should be spokesman: upon their coming up to the house, the
servants bid them begone, unless they could give a good account of
themselves and the countries in which they pretended to have been, for,
should Lord Weymouth come and detect them in any falsehood, he would
horse-whip them without mercy, which was the treatment to all those whom
he found to be counterfeits met with from him, and he had detected great
numbers of them, having been abroad himself. Our travellers were not the
least daunted, Mr. Carew being conscious in himself that he could give a
satisfactory account of Newfoundland, and the other affirming that he had
been at Rome, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, &c. and could give as good
a description of those countries as his lordship himself. Therefore up
they went to the kitchen door, and Mr. Carew broke ice, telling the
deplorable story of their misfortune in his usual lamentable tone. The
housekeeper at first turned a deaf ear to their supplication and
entreaty; but Mr. Carew, at the instigation of his companion, redoubled
his importunity, kneeling on one knee, and making use of all the methods
of exciting charity, of which he was capable; so that at last the
housekeeper gave them the greatest part of a cold shoulder of mutton,
half a fine wheaten loaf, and a shilling, but did it with great haste and
fear, lest his lordship should see her, and be angry. Of the butler they
got a copper of good ale, and then, both expressing their thankfulness,
departed.—Having reached some distance from the house there arose a
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