The honour of the taylors, or, The famous and renowned history of Sir John Hawkwood, Knight containing his many rare and singular adventures, witty exploits, heroick atchievements, and noble performances relating to love & arms in many lands : in the series of which history are contained likewise the no less famous actions and enterprizes of others of the same art and mystery : with many remarkable passages relating to customs, manners &c., ancient and modern : illustrated with pictures and embelished with verses and songs wonderfully pleasant and delightful : to which, as an appendix, is added a brief account of the original of the Worshipful Company of Merchant-Taylors, as to their being incorporated &c., ...

CHAP. X.

How Gaspero packed away the Ruffians beyond the Seas; And how he was terrified with the Comical Adventure of a naked Wench, which he supposed to be Hawk∣wood's Ghost; And many other pleasant matters that befell on this occasion.

BY this time the two pretended Mirmidons being pretty well recovered, and much recruited with good Dyet, Gaspero was desirous to be rid of their company, lest by words they might let fall, the supposed Murther should come to light: But then he considered, if they were abroad, and hankered thereabout, it might be the same thing; and therefore, what to do in this case, he found himself at a loss; but considering something must be done, he at last came to a conclusion: That if they were sent beyond the Seas, his fears would by their absence be removed; and about this he resolved to confer with them, not despairing to have it done with their own liking, for that he found their fortune was as good in one place as another; and to have it better'd by a good Sum of Money, in a distant Country, might be acceptable. Nor (as Luck would have it) did they less jump in quill; for just as he was debating this matter with himself, they came down to him, and besought him that he would dismiss them, for that considering all the circumstances that attended the Intreague, their long tarriance in his House might breed a suspition; and that, although they were very seldome seen, yet one or other of the Servants might scatter words that mig••t discover them; and seeing they were men of Fortune, if he could set them

over Sea, so that when they came there, they might have something to subsist on, till they had opportunity to recruit, it would do very well. This was on both hands agreed on, without any further controversie; and they making a vow never to return, unless forced to it by some extraordinary accident, he gave them (to be sure that they should go) a Bill to receive Fifty Spanish Dollers, at Bruxelles, in one of the Flemish Provinces, and somewhat to bear their Charges by the way; and so packing them on board an outward-bound Ship, he bid his two Champions farewel.

Thus (as he supposed) being revenged, and freed from all fear of discovery, he began to carress himself in his security; yet sometimes, when he reflected on the imagined Transaction, he found a damp upon his Spirits, but mostly in the night, for through multitude of business in the day he was diverted from it; but in the end a Comical accident fell out, that overwhelmed him with a thousand fears; & was in this manner:

It so happened, that Gaspero having a pleasant Orchard, or Garden, belonging to his House, and it being in Autumn when the pregnant Earth produces the effects of her teeming labour in their full perfection; the Douvigha, or Governante, (for so I may properly call the old Woman, who was his House-keeper) hearing her Daughter, a plump red-headed wench, was to be married to a jolly blade, a Coachman, her fel∣low-Servant, she sent in the Evening for her, when Gaspero was gone abroad; whe∣ther to give her Instructions, or to what other purpose, I leave to the construction of the Reader; but however, that she might be more charming to her Bridegroom, she admonished her to go to the Spring in the Orchard, (or rather, for its pleasantness, might be termed a Fountain) and there to wash her self, directing her to unstrip her self, and leave her Clothes in an Arbor a little beyond it. The Wench took this for a kind of an odd Prank; but her Mother, for many weighty reasons, urging it, and she being favoured by the light of the Moon, no longer disputed her Commands, who promised to watch the mean while, that no body should come in at the Garden-Gate to interrupt her, the Boy being gone out with his Master; and as for any other Invasions, she doubted not, but the walls would secure her against them; and so she proceeded to do what she was commanded.

Now it so unluckily fell out, that a young fellow of the Town, having by the help of a Ladder gotten over the Wall, to possess himself of some of the delicate Fruit that grew in the Orchard, &c. was at that very Iuncture gotten upon a Tree that hung over the Spring, with its spreading branches laden with Fruits, rin'd with Vermi∣lion and Gold; or, as the Poet has it, in Relation to the Garden of the Hesperides:

With Golden Fruits the laden Boughs did bend; On whom a wakeful Dragon did attend. &c.

Now whether the Fellow, who perceived the Lass approaching, had this whim in his Head, to fancy her the Dragon that kept the Orchard, I submit it to the Iudg∣ment of the Reader. But if this story be true, (as I would not have you doubt it, seeing it is in Print) he lay snug upon one of the branches, not only till she unclad her self, but when she entred timerously by degrees, as either by reason of her ••••ing a stranger to the place, or fearing the depth, (being no great Artist, I supp••••e, at swimming on her Face) or that she meant thereby not to cool all at once; but in the end growing bolder, she fell (the better to make quick-work on't) to dashing spat••er∣ing, dabbling, and scrubbing her self at a strange rate: When (O the danger of too much curiosity!) our Youngster in the Clouds reaching his Head too low, (upon what account is doubtful, tho' some may be apt to guess it was out of humility, by this time

fancying her to be Diana) he lets go his hold, and down he drops, Apples and all; giving a dash as great as Jupiter's Logg, whom Aesop tells us, was thrown to the Frogs, together with the further account he gives of it in his Fable, &c. This sudden noise not only troubled the Waters, but made the Lass (like a River-Nymph, with dropping Hair, disorderly hanging, some on her Breasts, and some on her Shoulders) haste thence, & unmindful (through sudden fear) of returning for her Clothes, in her native Livery of Nakedness, spring out of the Fountain, and with speed (not inferiour to Attalanta) haste to the House for shelter. Now, as if Mis∣chief had this Night set all her Engines on work, the old Woman had just let in Gaspero, who (having sent his Foot-Boy about further business) was returned alone; and had scarce entred the Hall-door, and about to shut it, but in burst the Wench upon him, and with the violence overthrew him, where he lay crying out for help; whilst our Governante (to colour the business the better) letting her Candle drop, (as you must suppose, through fear, though indeed to hide her Daughters naked∣ness, till she escaped into some corner of the House, for further relief): Whilst the Governante, I say, having dropped her Candle, came to his relief, and by woful ex∣perience, upon enquiry, found that his Guts (by reason of the fright this Apparition put him into) were fallen very low in his Breeches; and further, that not only a deadly paleness had covered his Face, but he was taken with such a fit of trembling, that his Ioints seemed of no more use to support him, than if they had been made of a Quaking Pudding: Nor could she in a long time (though she strove what in her lay) bring him to his right Wits; and when that Little Sense he had left was returned, he still trembled, and with a gnashing of his Teeth, and a wild kind of a Countenance, desired to be conveyed to a Cousin's House of his, not far distant from his own; charging her withal, upon her Life, not to say any thing of what she had seen.

Glad of this opportunity was our Douvignia, that she might in time return to en∣quire into, and calm her Daughters fears, who (poor Wench) stood shivering and shaking on the Stair-head, as not being capable of entering any of the Chambers, by reason of their being locked: Nor stayed she, after Gaspero was safely lodged in the hands of his Friends; but leaving him to make his Apology for perfuming the House, she abruptly took her leave; and coming home, struck a Light, where she found the poor Girl, as aforesaid, who revealed to her all that happened, intreating her to fetch her Clothes, and suffer her speedily to depart; which she accordingly did; the Fellow (before her coming) having scrambled out of the Water, and recovered (by the help of his Ladder) the other side of the Wall; but by leaving (for haste) his Bag of Apples behind him, that plainly demonstrated the purpose of his coming. This, upon her Mothers returning with the Clothes, the Daughter was informed, and soon after became satisfied; though at first she imagined it to be no less than the Prince of the Air turned Madg-howlet, who supposing her (at a distance) to be a Sea-pye, or young Duckling, had stooped to make her his Prey. But being again clad, and dismissed, she vowed, if her Husband was not contented with the white∣ness of her skin, he should scrub it himself with his Horse-Cloth; for she'd venture no more by Moon-light on that occasion.

The old Woman having dismissed her Daughter with Motherly Advice, rela∣ting to Marriage-af••airs, and the Boy being by this time come to keep house, she returned to her former Charge, by the way framing an excuse for her absence; (as who doubts, but w••m n have t••em at their fingers ends on all occasions, especially Gover∣nants) As for he that doubts this, let me tell him by the way, it will be hardly worth

his while to give himself an experimental satisfaction, the matter being so com∣mon.

Gaspero by this time being pretty well recovered, and having refreshed himself, was perswaded to go home, but he would by no means hea••ken to it, fancying (it seems) that this naked Lass was no other than the Ghost of Hawkwood, imagining in that consternation, that the red Hair that hung in Rats-tails, by reason of its being wet, to be the bloody Cuts and Slashes that had been given to dispatch him. Such powerful effects have fear to delude the Eyes and Senses; though it might probably happen, that (to heighten the delusion) the Lass might through the same effect of fear, be reduced to a Ghostly paleness: But however, the old Woman being silent, for her Daughters credit, and not attempting to convince him of the mistake, his sickly fancy presented such Ideas for the future, that he soon removed (to the no small wonder of the Inhabitants, who knew not the cause) from that House, though a very pleasant Seat, to another in a distant Village, and there continued for a while in much Antiety; but the Ghost appearing no more, he by degrees was recon∣ciled to himself: Where I shall leave him, and return to young Hawkwood; from whom (for the better contexture and pleasantness of History in this kind) I have been too long absent.