cunning knave as ever was born. Having done
what we had to do there, my Lord carried me and set
me down at the New Exchange, where I staid at Pottle’s
shop till Betty Michell come, which she did about
five o’clock, and was surprised not to ‘trouver
my muger’ I there; but I did make an excuse good
enough, and so I took ‘elle’ down, and
over the water to the cabinet-maker’s, and there
bought a dressing-box for her for 20s., but would require
an hour’s time to make fit. This I was
glad of, thinking to have got ‘elle’ to
enter to a ‘casa de biber’, but ‘elle’
would not, so I did not much press it, but suffered
‘elle’ to enter ‘a la casa de uno
de sus hermanos’, and so I past my time walking
up and down, and among other places, to one Drumbleby,
a maker of flageolets, the best in towne. He
not within, my design to bespeak a pair of flageolets
of the same tune, ordered him to come to me in a day
or two, and so I back to the cabinet-maker’s
and there staid; and by and by Betty comes, and here
we staid in the shop and above seeing the workmen
work, which was pretty, and some exceeding good work,
and very pleasant to see them do it, till it was late
quite dark, and the mistresse of the shop took us
into the kitchen and there talked and used us very
prettily, and took her for my wife, which I owned and
her big belly, and there very merry, till my thing
done, and then took coach and home . . . But
now comes our trouble, I did begin to fear that ‘su
marido’ might go to my house to ‘enquire
pour elle’, and there, ‘trouvant’
my ’muger’—[wife in Spanish.]—at
home, would not only think himself, but give my ‘femme’
occasion to think strange things. This did trouble
me mightily, so though ‘elle’ would not
seem to have me trouble myself about it, yet did agree
to the stopping the coach at the streete’s end,
and ’je allois con elle’ home, and there
presently hear by him that he had newly sent ‘su
mayde’ to my house to see for her mistresse.
This do much perplex me, and I did go presently home
Betty whispering me behind the ‘tergo de her
mari’, that if I would say that we did come home
by water, ‘elle’ could make up ‘la
cose well satis’, and there in a sweat did walk
in the entry ante my door, thinking what I should say
a my ‘femme’, and as God would have it,
while I was in this case (the worst in reference a
my ‘femme’ that ever I was in in my life),
a little woman comes stumbling to the entry steps
in the dark; whom asking who she was, she enquired
for my house. So knowing her voice, and telling
her ‘su donna’ is come home she went away.
But, Lord! in what a trouble was I, when she was
gone, to recollect whether this was not the second
time of her coming, but at last concluding that she
had not been here before, I did bless myself in my
good fortune in getting home before her, and do verily
believe she had loitered some time by the way, which
was my great good fortune, and so I in a-doors and
there find all well. So my heart full of joy,
I to the office awhile, and then home, and after supper
and doing a little business in my chamber I to bed,
after teaching Barker a little of my song.