Well, said he, let us be going from hence, and make you your bargain with her as you ride along by the way, and I will take such care in the business that you shall be entertained as man and wife at my quarters, and there lie together. I was infinitely glad of this his kind proffer, and thankfully accepted thereof, and so after some little longer stay, we again mounted our steeds and put forwards: according to his instruction I courted my Mistress, and without much difficulty obtained her promise to permit me to lie with her, and so we rid on till we arrived at the Troopers quarters, where he told his Landlady, that he had brought her some guests; for this young man and his wife, (said he) pointing to us, will stay here all night: they shall be welcom, said the Hostess, and so a supper was provided; for as we did eat and drink with a very good appetite, and my Landlady did accompany us, who I found was very well respected, and familiar with the Trooper; and bed-time being come, which I had much desired, I and my Lady went to bed, neither did the Trooper lie alone, for our Landlady was his bed-fellow; how he spent the night I know not, but I am sure for our parts we slept but little, for it was the first time that I ever enjoy’d a woman naked in my arms all night, and I was ravished with delight, never having had so much pleasure. My bed-fellow was well enough contented with the entertainment I gave her; we discoursed of one anothers fortunes, but whether she told me the truth of hers, I know not, but I disguised mine wholly from her, not thinking it fit to make her acquainted with my late adventures; she told me, that the occasion of her late travel was this, that she and two women more of her acquaintance had been perswaded by three Gentlemen to a Ramble, and had gone down to such a City in a Coach, that they had for some time continued together as three men and wives at an Inn, and there had enjoyed a full plenty of every thing; but at length the three Gentlemen had basely left them to pay a great reckoning in a strange place, and all they had would not make the one half of it, that they had for some time waited in expectation of the return of their friends, but in vain, so that at last it was agreed, that one of us, said she, should go for London, and procure mony to redeem the rest, and the lot falling on me I have prosecuted the journey, and hopes to raise money to relieve, and redeem my companions. I hearing this story was sensibly troubled thereat, and offered her my assistance, and she so far prevail’d with me, that I lent her five pound to send to her companions, she promising me to continue either there, or at any other place with me so long as I should please, and at our coming to her quarters at London, to repay me my mony with many thanks. To all this I agreed, and the next day she conveyed most part of the mony to her companions by a Coach that travelled thither: and thus did I enjoy this Lady for many nights together, and lying at Rack and Manger: the horse I sent back at the directions of the Trooper, who likewise continued with his Hostess, and only my purse paid for all; but indeed we lived sparingly enough, the Trooper being one of the honestest Travellers that I ever met with. The Coach-man who carried the money to the afflicted and distressed Damoyselles, returned, and with him the Ladies, very glad of their safe return, and very thankful were they, not only to their companions who sent it, but also to me of whom, she said, she procured it, and now we all thought of removeing to London, but one night more we lay at our old quarters, where I had the greatest frollick I was ever guilty of, for that night I kist with all three of the women, and pleased them round, by giving each of them a tryal of my skill. What now could I desire to enjoy further? I thought my self to be as brave a fellow as the great Turk in his Seraglio, he having but his choice of Women, which I now enjoyed to my full content. But morning coming, we took leave of our Hostess and the Trooper, and all four taking Coach, soon came to London, where I took up my Quarters with my three Damsels, who made very much of me, and indeed they were the honestest Wenches, and I had the best frollick that I ever had in my life, but in time I was weary of this life, for what man can last out alwayes? And I finding my pocket begin to shrink, bethought me that it was fit to leave off in time, for all my Silver was gone, and ten pound of my twenty pound in Gold: but I selling my Watch and Rings raised ten pound more; with this stock of twenty pound I was resolved to retire, and fit my self for some employment. My three Ladies never offered to return me the five pound I had lent them, neither indeed could I handsomly expect it; for they had been very liberal in their expences, and had declined all other company to accommodate me. They heard of their three Gentlemen who had trapan’d them in the Country, and so wisely plaid their Cards that they gained all their money again, I assisting them, and pretending the man of the house had assigned the money to me. I scorned to pocket any of it, but gave it amongst them; and so being resolved to take another course of life, I retired my self from them: and to the end that I might be fitted for an employment, I hired one who was well known therein, to teach me to write more perfectly than I could formerly, as also Arithmatick: I likewise hired several Books of a Stationer, for which I gave him so much per week; These being chiefly Knight-Errantry and Romances, I took much pleasure therein. I had a mind to diversion, and went to visit my Damoyselles, and thus did I live the pleasantest life in the world; but I had so much reason as to think that things would not last long as they were, and I had no inclination to stealing, more virtuous thoughts had now possessed me, and therefore a Trade being the only thing that would maintain me, I enquired for one, and setled my self, as you shall hear in the next Chapter.
The Extravagant Prentices with their Lasses at a Taverne Frollick.
CHAP. XVIII.
He being now come to London, puts himself Prentice to a Taylor; he gets acquaintance with Prentices of all sorts, is with them at their Tavern-frolicks: he is employed by a Scrivener to make Cloathes for a Wench, he goes with him to her, and returning, the Scrivener promises him an account of that Trade.
Being now come to London, I was resolved not to be idle, but settle my self to some one Trade, that I might be able to get a living; and having already had tryal of several, at first a Barber-Surgeon, then a Tapster, a Cook, a Lock-smith, Taylor, Baker, and Plaisterer; and being still forced for some reason or other to leave them all, did now resolve to fix upon one that should do my business, and whereby I might at all times, and in all places, be able to live by my hands, for Lands I had none. I considered of all the Trades I had already been a practitioner in, and many others, none suited so well with my humour, as that of a Taylor; wherefore I sought for several Masters, but they were all unwilling to take me for less than seven years, it being the custom of London that none can be bound for less time, nor be made a Free-man till they have served so long. I was unwilling to bind my self on those tearms, knowing my temper was variable, and did believe, I should not hold out to serve such a tearm: but after several enquiries and tryals, I did light upon a Master, who was willing to take me for five years, only this I perswaded him to do in regard I already had a good hand in working, and being industrious in my imployment, so that though I was bound for seven years, yet I had a Writing under my Masters hand, that the last two years I should dispose of my self as I pleased, and yet he could make me a Free-man at seven years end.
My Master was not only a Taylor, but kept a Brokers shop, wherein he sold all sorts of Clothes new and old: He lived in one of the principallest Streets in the City, and was in good esteem with his neighbours, who were all persons of some quality, not of the meaner sort, but substantial Tradesmen, as Gold-smiths, Grocers, Drugsters, Scriveners, Stationers, &c. and I (being now well fitted with Clothes, and having my pockets pretty well lined with money which I had still kept by me) was a fit and welcome Companion to the best sort of Apprentices, in whose society I did soon insinuate my self, and having money to spend equal with the best, I came acquainted with a whole Gang of such Blades, that all my former knowledge was nothing in comparison to what I soon experimented from them; for their Masters being of the wealthiest sort of Citizens, and keeping Countrey-houses at Newington, Hackney, Stepney, &c, they often had opportunity in their absence to meet, and keep their Club or general Randezvous, which was commonly every other night, at one of the Taverns near adjoyning: and my Master (who did well enough understand that I was frequently abroad, and in what Company I spent my time) did not in the least oppose or contradict me therein; for I soon found that these young Jovial Blades, though Apprentices, yet they were my Masters best Customers, for there was none of them but had a Sute or two of Clothes A la mode, which commonly lay at our house, which they put on when they had any frollick out of Town, either at Christmas, Easter, or Whitsontide, or at any other time, when they pretending some urgent occasions, they would give their Masters the slip.