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TO the effecting of this base villany of Prigging or horse stealing, ther must of necessity be two at the least, and that is the Priggar and the Martar. The Priggar is he that steales the horse, and the Martar is he that re∣ceiues him, and chops and chaungeth him away in any Faire, Mart, or other place where a∣ny good vent for horses is: and their methode is thus.
The Priggar if he be a Launce man, that is, one that is already horst, then he hath more followers with him, and they ride like Gentlemen, and commonly in the fourme of Drouers, & so comming into pasture grounds or inclosures, as if they ment to suruey for Cattle, doe take an especiall and perfect view where Prankers or horses be, that are of worth, and whether they be tra∣meld or no that is whether they haue horselocks or no, then lie they houering about till fit oportunity serue, and in the night they take him or them away, and are skilfull in the blacke Art, for picking open the tramels or sockes, and so make hast til they be out of those quar∣ters. Now if the Priggars steale a horse in Yorkeshire, commonly they haue vent for him in Surrey, Kent, or Sussex, and their Martars that receiue them at his hand, chops them away in some blind Faires after they haue kept them a moneth or two, till the hue and cry be ceast and past ouer. Now if their horse be of any great valure and sore sought after, and so branded or eare markt, that they can hardlie sell him without extreame daunger, either they brand him with a crosse brand vp∣pon the former, or take away his eare mark, and so keep him at hard meat til he be hole, or else sell him in Corn∣wall or Wales, if he be in Cumberland, Lincoln-shire, Northfolke or Suffolke, but this is if the horse bée of great valour and worthy the kéeping: Marry if he bee onely coloured and without brands, they will straight spotte him by sundry pollicies, and in a blacke horse, marke saddle spots, or starre him in the forehead and change his taile, which secretes Iomit least I shoulde giue too great a light to other to practise such lewd villa∣nies. But againe to our Launce men Priggars, who as before I said, cry with the Lapwing farthest from their nest and from their place of residence, where there most abode is, furthest from thence they steal their hor∣ses, and then in another quarter as farre of they make sale of them by the Martars meanes, without it be som
base Priggar that steales of méere necessity, and beside is a Trailer. The Trailer is one that goeth on foote, but meanely attired like some plaine gran of the Countrey, walking in a paire of bootes without spurres, or else without bootes, hauing a long staffe on his necke, and a blacke buckram bag at his backe, like some poore Cli∣ent that had some writing in it, and there he hath his saddle, bridle and spurs, stirhops and stirhop leathers, so quaintly and artificially made that it may bee put in the slop of a mans hose, for his saddle is made without any tree, yet hath both cantle & boulsters, only wrought artificially of cloth and bombast, with foulds to wrap vp in a short roome, his stirhops are made with vices and gins that one may put them in a paire of gloues, and so are his spurres, and then a little white leather headstal and raines with a small Scotish brake or snaffle, all so feately formde, that as I said before they may be put in a buckram bag. Now this Trailer he bestrides the horse which he priggeth, and saddles and bridles him as orderly as if he were his own, and then carries him far from the place of his bréede, and there sels him. Oh will some man say, it is easier to steale a horse then to sell him, considering that her Maiesty and the honoura∣ble priuy Counsaile, hath in the last Act of Parliament made a strikt Statute for horse stealing, and the sale of horses, whose Prouiso is this: That no man may buy a horse vntould, nor the toule be taken without lawfull witnesses, that the party that selleth the horse is the true owner of him, vppon their oath and special knowledge, and that who buieth a horse without this certificate or proofe, shall be within the natue of Fellony, as well as the party that stealeth him. To this I aunswere that there is no Act, Statute, nor Lawe so strickt conueyed, but there be straight found starting holes to auoide it, as in this. The Priggar when he hath stollen a horse and hath agreede with his Martar, or with any other his confederate, or with any honest person to sell the horse,
bringeth to the touler, which they call the rifler two ho∣nest men eyther apparelled like citizens, or plain coun∣trey yeomen, and they not onely affirm, but offer to de∣pose, that they know the horse to be his, vpon their pro∣per knowledge, although perhaps they neuer saw man nor horse before, and these periurd knaurs be common∣ly old knightes of the post, that are soisted off from be ing taken for bale at the kings bench, or other places, and seeing for open periuries they are refused, there they take that course of life, and are wrongly called Querries, but it were necessarie and verie much expe∣dient for the common-wealth, that such base roagues should be lookt into, and be punisht as well with the pillorie, as the other with the halter. And thus haue I reuealed the nature of Priggars, or horse-stealers briefly, which if it may profit, I haue my desire, but that I may recreate your mindes with a pleasant historie, marke the sequeale.