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A Rufflar.
THe Rufflar, bicause he is first in degre of this odious order: and is so called in a statut made for the punish¦ment of vagabonds: In the xxvij. yeare of king Hen∣ry the eight late of most famous memory: He shalbe first placed as the worthiest of this vnraly rablemēt. And he is so called when he goeth first abroad, either he hath serued in the warres, or els be hath ben a seruing man and weary of well doing, shaking of all payne, dooth chuse him this ydle lyfe, and wretchedly wanders about the most shyres of this realme. And with stout audacity h•• demaundeth where he thinketh he may be bolde, and circumspecte ynough, as he seeth cause to aske charity, rufully and lamentably, that it would make a fiynty hart to relent, and pitte his miserable estate, how he hath bene maymed and brou∣sed in the warres, & peraduenture some will shew you som outward wounde, which he gotte at some dronken fraye, eyther haltinge of some pre••y wounde ••estred with a fylthy firy flankard. For be well assured that the hardiest souldiers be eyther slayn or maymed, either if they escape all hassardes, and retourne home agayne, if they bee without reliefe of their friends, they wil surely desperatly robbe and steale, or eyther shortly bee hanged or miserably dye in pryson, for they be so much ashamed and disdayne to beg or aske charity, that rather they wil as desperately fight for to lyue and mainteyne them selues as manfully, and valiantly they ventred them selues in the Princes quarell. Now, these Rufflars the outcastes of seruinge men when begginge or crauinge fayles, then they picke and pylfer from other inferiour beggers that they mée••e by the way, as Roges, Pal∣••yardes, Mortes, and Dores: yea if they méete with a woman alone ridinge to the market, eyther old man or boye, that hée well know∣eth will not resiste, such they filche and spoyle. These Rufflars af∣ter a yeare or two at the farthest become vpright men, vnlesse the•• be preuented by twinde ••empe.
I had of late yeares an old man to my tenant, who customablye a great tyme, went twise in the wéeke to London, eyther with fruit or with pescodes, when time serued therefore. And as hee was com∣ming homewarde on blacke heathe, at the ende thereof next to shoo∣ters hill, he ouertoke two Rufflars, the one manerly waiting on ye other, as one had ben the maister, and the other the man or seruant