Though the waggoner was so charitable as to let him walk up by the side of the waggon for nothing, he took care not to know him when he came to town, and the poor boy was, in a little time, so cold and so hungry, that he wished himself in a good kitchen, and by a warm fire in the country.
In this distress he asked charity of several people, and one of them bid him “Go work for an idle rogue.”— "That I will,” says Whittington, “with all my heart: I will “work for you, if you will let me.”
The man who thought this favoured of wit and impertinence, (tho’ the poor lad intended only to shew his readiness to work) gave him a blow with a stick, which broke his head, so that the blood ran down. In this situation and fainting for want of food, he laid himself down at the door of one Mr Fitzwarren, a merchant, where the cook saw him, and being an ill-natured hussey, ordered him to go about his business, or she would scald him. At this time Mr Fitzwarren came from the Exchange, and began also to scold at the poor boy, bidding him to go to work.
Whittington answered, That he should be glad
