The second part of conny-catching Contayning the discouery of certaine wondrous coosenages, either superficiallie past ouer, or vtterlie vntoucht in the first. ... R.G.

A pleasant Tale of a Horse, how at Vxbridge, hee coosened a Conny-catcher, and had like to brought him to his Neckuerse.

IT fortuned that not long since certaine Conny-catchers met by hap a Prancar or hors steale at Uxbridge, who took vp his inne wher those honest cruel lodged, & as one vice follows another, was as redy to haue

a cast at cardes as he had a hazard at a horse, the Conny-catchers who supt with him, féeling him pliāt to receiue the blow, began to lay the plot how they might make him stoope all the money in his purse, & so for a pint of wine drew him in at cards, by degrees as these rakehels do, Lento gradu, mea∣sure all things by minutes, he fell from wine to money, and from pence to pounds, that hee was stript of all that euer he had, as well Crownes, ap∣parell, as Iewels, that at last to maintain the main and to checke v•…•…es with reuies he laide his horse in the hazard and lost him, when the Priggar had smoakt the game, and perceiued he was bitten of all the bite in his bung, and turned to walke peny∣lesse in M•…•…rke lane, as the old prouerbe is, he be∣gan to chase, and to sweare, and to rap out goggs Nownes, and his pronouns, while at voluntarye he had sworne through the eight parts of speech in the Accidence, auowing they had coosened him both of his money and horse. Whereuppon the grosse Asse more hardy then wise, vnderstanding the Con∣ny-catchers were gone, went to the Constable and made hue & cry after them, saying: They had robde him of his horse, at this the head Boroughs follow∣ed amaine, and by chaunce met with an other hue and cry that came for him that had stollen, which hue and cry was serued vpon the horse stealer, and at that time as farre as I can either coniecture or calculate, the Conny-catchers were taken suspici∣ous for the same horse, and the rather for that they were found loose liuers & could yéeld no honest me∣thode or meanes of their maintenance, vppon this for the horse they were apprehended, & bound ouer to the Sessions at Westminster, to aunswer what

might be obiected against them in her maiasties be∣half. Well the horse stealer brake from his keepers and got away, but the rest of the rascall crue; the Conny-catchers I mean, were brought to the place of iudgement, and there like valiaunt youths they thrust twelue men into a corner, who founde them guiltlesse for the fact, but if great fauor had not bin showen they had ben condemned & burnt in the ears for rogues. Thus the horse stealer made hue & cry after the Conny catchers, and the man that had lost the horse he pursued the horse stealer, so that a dou∣ble hue and cry passed on both sides, but the Cony∣catchers had the worse, for what they got in the bri∣dle they lost in the saddle, what they coosened at cardes had like to cost them their necks at the Ses∣sions, so that when they were frée and acquited, one of the Conny-catchers in a merry vaine, said, he had catcht many Connies, but now a horse had like to caught him, and so déepely quoth he, that Miserere mei had like to haue beene my best mattins. Thus we may see Fallere fallentem non est fraus, euery deceipt hath his due, he that maketh a trap falleth into the snare him selfe, and such as couet to coosen all, are •…•…rost them selues often times almost to the crosse, and that is the next neighbor to the gallows. Well Gentlemen thus I haue bewraied much and gotten little thankes, I mean of the dishonost sort, but I hope such as measure vertue by hir honours, will iudge of me as I deserue Marry the good men Conny-catchers, those base excrements of dishone∣sty, they in their huffes report they haue got one ( ) I will not bewray his name, but a scholler they say he is, to make an inuectiue against me, in that he is a fauourer of those base reprobates, but

let them, him, and all know, the proudest peasant of them all, dare not lift his plumes in disparage∣ment of my credit, for if he doe, I will for reuenge onely appoint the Iakes farmers of London, who shall caze them in their filthy vesselles, and carrye them as dung to manure the barrain places of Ti∣bourne, and so for Conny-catchers an end.