To conclude, having lost all my money, I began to grow miserably poor, to prevent the further increase of my wants I sought out my old Master whom I found upon the Royal Exchange, upon our going off for joy to see me, carryed me to a Tavern where I acquainted him with all my Land Travels since my leaving him, and assuring him I was weary of living longer ashore, he advised me to go with him, and he would make me his mate, I gladly contented and in that quality I sail’d with him for Guinney.
Our Captain had thus far proceeded in recounting the memorable passages of his life, as we were making ready to cast Anchor, we being at that time not above a league from Naples overjoy’d at the succesfulness of this our petty Voyage, we made ourselves all ready to go ashore; landing, our greatest care was to get convenient Lodgings, with some difficulty we obtain’d them, and having settled our selves in them, immediately got our Bills of Exchange accepted, till they came due we fitted our selves with all things both necessary and pleasurable, yet for some important Reasons for a while we laid an imbargo on our accustomed profest Extravagancies, keeping a strict rein on our head-strong wills and desires, but having received our Money we no longer dallied with our delights, but gave them leave to court us in what pleasant shapes they judged most convenient for our satisfaction.
Every day produced its new divertisement, every hour each of us studied how we might appear Rivals to the most Epicurean critical pallated Poleanate of the Universe, for since we were sailing in the Ocean of Senseless Security under a stiff gale of Plenty, we shaped our course for the Port of Sensuality. The time being expired we had our Money paid us to a Doit, with as much respect as if we had been the greatest Merchants in Europe, desiring our further acquaintance and correspondence, which we promised not so much to traffick with them as to play some tricks upon them.
As our Lodgings were large and sumptuous sparing no cost for their furniture, so were our habits very rich (modo Neapolitano) wearing about us as many precious stones dayly as would have been a good return for a young Merchant after a three years sweating expectation: the gloriousness of our outward appearances made us no less a wonder to the Neapolitan Inhabitants than we were to our selves, for we now began to admire one another having totally forgotten what once we were. Mr. Goose-quill the Scrivener strutted the Streets strangely whose garb and gait flourisht like the Capital T of This Indenture, the state of his present Condition made him receive many an Obligation, which he always generously cancel’d and continually obliged others on valuable considerations. The Drugster notwithstanding all his striving, to seem otherwise, yet still showed himself to be a Chip of the old Block, a rasp of Log-wood, and scented strongly of his old occupation. His habit prompted him to personate the Spaniard; which he did so scurvily that never did thing appear more prepostorous, had you seen him walk you would have sworn all his Members were in an uprore or about to revolt from their Principal; for his Whiskers tilted his eyes, and they again being inraged to be confined within such narrow limits by their staring seemed to strive to come out that they might check the insolency of that audacious beard; and as for his arms and legs there was not the least correspondency; for his hands were in a continual motion being every minute imploy’d in cocking his Beaver upon one side, but his legs moved so slowly and stately, that they seemed to be offended at their slavish Office, showing their loathness by their slowness to be Porters to a burden of so little worth. Doll as she had been conversant amongst the Gentry, so in her deportment she behaved her self as well as any of the best education; but for Jenny I could hardly forbear laughing, to see how the proud Minks would jut it as she went, her Milking-Pail, and dragled tail, were clean out of her remembrance, so was her being a Motly-Wast-coteer, there being not the least track of her former condition discoverable, she resolved to make others esteem of her by the value she did put on her self, not rating her condition as she was the quondam off-spring of Curds and Cream, but prizing it as one of Fortunes darlings, whom neither Cloaths nor Money could make more splendid, and as for an haughty spirit now unmatchable; I took upon me (as well I thought I might) to check her for giving six hundred Crowns for a Locket, she smartly took me up, what said she though I was born in the Ebb of Fortune, will you now intrench and wound the liberty my better stars have conferred upon me? To be plain I will not have my desires and pleasures circumscribed and taught me since I have enough and will enjoy it. Sir if you once begin to be narrow minded, you will be a Thief both to the esteem and enjoyment you may have in the world, I will not be limited to please your fancy as for my delights I will pursue them in what shapes I fancy both at home and abroad, I will spare no cost that may engage wide mouth’d report to proclaim the boundlessness of my pleasures and gallantry; all the Wits of the City I will ingage with Sack and Money to write Panegyricks on my Gaudy and Witty superfluities, not a Cavaleero in Naples, but shall vail his bonnet at my Balcony, and when I please the splendor of my habit shall fix my Gazers as Statues in the place they stand. I thought she was mad till she smilingly took me by the hand, saying you see Latroon I have a Soul as if Nobility had waited on my Cradle, however, my will shall alwayes be in subordination to yours.
As for the Captain he was a Man well read, and having seen the world, the novelty of a place never alter’d him, he had a good natural genius, and very facetious in discourse which appears sufficiently by the witty narrative of his Life, the relation whereof, did infinitely please us, but most especially my Jenny, who would often repeat to me some passages, but one day after dinner being altogether she took occasion to speak of the Captains gaming and other Extravagancies, and having drawn several good Observations from them, she desired the Company to give her audience, and she would give an account of a notable Extravagant, a young Man of her acquaintance, but as an introduction to her story, she begg’d leave to speak something of his Father first, and thus she began.
CHAP. XIX.
A Brewers-Clerk cheating his Master, is taken in the manner: Afterwards, he having buried his Master, by a politick Project is married to his Mistress; he buries her, and is married to a Countrey-maid; who understanding her Husbands Riches, puts him to great expences in new furnishing the House, and extravagantly fitting her against, and in her lying in.
I Remember (said Mrs. Jane) when I lived in London, there was a jolly old Blade, who was then the Aldermans Deputy of the Ward, and who was reported to be worth the better part of 10000 lib. that had in his youth been a notable Gamester, and many tricks he had used before his Mercury was fix’d, and became settled in the World. He had Travelled and Rambled many years by Sea and Land, and had tried and tasted all Fortunes and Conditions; and Fortune had alwayes been so much his friend, as to bring him off without a scratch’d face, no great, no sensible disaster; at length, being somewhat weary of the Ramble, he resolved to take up and follow some imployment. He was fitted for any imployment, and yet not rightly fitted for none. But being of a good Capacity, he was entertained by a Brewer to be his desperate Clerk, that is to say, to gather up the desperate Debts. This was an Imployment very fit for him, for it gave him large convenience to Ramble; for the Brewer, who had been a great dealer, had Money oweing him by several people, some whereof lived at one end of the Town, and some at the other; so that all parts of that great City, especially the out-parts, his business lay in. He discharged this imployment indifferently well, for his Masters profit, and very well for his own; for he had power if he could not get all, to compound with any of the debtors for a part. And although his allowance, being three shillings in the pound, was considerable, yet he much augmented it by the tricks he had; for although he received a Debt of five pound or more, he would tell his Master, that he could get but half; and sometimes, although he received all, yet he would keep all to himself; and by this means he raised to himself a pretty fortune: and these tricks were usual with him, especially if the people with whom he made this profitable Bargain lived remote, or at any considerable distance from his Masters habitation. Among others that he thus compounded with, there was an honest old Blade who lived near the Tower, and had run 10 lib. in his Master the Brewers debt; and through some misfortunes that had befallen him, he left that end of the Town, and went to dwell as far as St. James’s near Westminster; some while he had dwelt there without being known or inquired after; and now our Clerk being imployed to look after him, among others, was upon the hunt to find him: upon a strict and diligent inquiry, he heard that he dwelt at St. James’s. Wherefore the next time his occasions call’d him that way, he there inquired for him; after much inquiring, he heard that the party had lived there, but was removed to Clarkenwel; he therefore went thither, and there, with as much trouble as before, he again heard that he had dwelt there, but he had some time since removed from thence to Lyme-house; he made the same inquiry, and still heard of another removal to Lambeth; and I think from thence to two or three places; but in fine, he found him, but it was in Redriff.