Page:History of John Cheap, the chapman (8).pdf/13

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John Cheap the Chapman.
13

to which ſhe anſwered, John Swine; I was thinking ſo, ſaid I, he has ſuch dirty faſhions; but whether was yon his mother or his ſiſter I lay with theſe two nights.

All that day I travelled the country weſt from Haddington, but could get no meat; when I aſked if they had any to ſell, they told me, they never did ſell any bread, and I found by ſad experience, they had none to give for nothing. I came into a little country village, and went through it all, houſe after houſe, and conld get neither bread nor ale to buy: at last I came into a poor weaver's house, and aſked him if he would lend me a hammer? Yes, ſaid he, what are you going to do with it? Indeed, ſaid I, I am going to knock out all my teeth with it, for I can get no bread to buy in all this country, for all the ſtores and ſtacks, you have in it: What, ſaid he, was you in the miniſter's? I know not, ſaid I, does he keep an ale-houſe?. O na, ſaid he, he preaches every Sunday ; and what does he preach, Said I? is it to harden your hearts? haud well together? have no charity? hate ſtrangers? hunger the poor? eat and drink all yourſelves? better burſt your bellies, than give it to beggars, or let good meat ſpoil: If your miniſter be as naughty as his people, I'm poſitive he'll drive a louse to London for the hide and tallow. Here I bought the weaver's dinner for twopence, and then ſent out again, keeping my course weſtward It being now night, I came to a farmer's houſe, ſouth from Dalkeith; the goodman being very civil and deſirous of news, I related the whole paſſages of the two days and nights by-paſt, whereat he was greatly diverted, and ſaid, I was the firſt he heard of, that ever that man give quarters to before, though he was an elder of the pariſh So the goodman and I fell ſo thick, that he ordered me to be laid in a ſhakedown-bed beyond the fire, where I