Strange and wonderful history and prophecies of Mother Shipton/Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
How Ursula married a young Man named Tobias Shipton; and how strangely she discovered a Thief.
OUR Ursula was now arrived at the four and twentieth year of her age and though she was none of the prettiest maids in the town, as you may remember by her defcription, yet she longed for a husband as well as the best of them, and at last obtained her desire för whether she used any love powder or charms to enamour her, or whether the hopes of getting a little money, which she was reported to have, though no body could tell how she got it, caused him to court her, as there are some men that would not only marry the devil's daughter, but his dam too for money, I cannot certainly inform the reader; but a sweetheart she had, named Tobias Shipton, by trade a carpenter, to whom she was shortly after married, and very comfortably they lived together, but never had any children. It happened about a month after her marriage, one of her neighbours leaving her doors carlesly open, had a smock and petticoat stolen away, while she was telling a gossip's tale of an hour long, at the next door, where she went to fetch fire, which misfortune much troubled her: she made her moan to mother Shipton, who did not go about like our little silly conjur ors with their schemes and figures, to give a blind desription of they know not whom; but roundly told her such a one by name had stolen the things, adding, that she would make her restore them with shame to her; and so indeed she did, for the market-day, before all the people, the woman could not avoid putting on the smock over her clothes, and the petticoat in her hand, and so marched through the croud in the market-place where the other was, by Mother Shiptons's directions, io receive them singing these words.—
I stole my neighbour's smock and coat, I am a thief and here I shew'.
So when she came to the owner, she pulled off the smock and petticoat, and gave her them with a reverend courtesy, asked her pardon, and so departed.