'leave him.' Upon this the Gentlemen got out of
the Coach; and Jofeph begged them to have
Mercy upon him: For that he had been robbed, *
and almost beaten to Death. 'Robbed,' cries an
old Gentleman; Let us make all the hafte ima-
'ginable, or we fhall be robbed too. A young
'Man, who belonged to the Law answered, He
wished they had paffed by without taking any
Notice: But that now they might be proved to
have been laft in his Company; if he fhould die,
they might be called to fome account for his Mur-
'der. He therefore thought it advisable to save
'the poor Creature's Life, for their own fakes,
if poffible; at leaft, if he died, to prevent the
Jury's finding that they fled for it. He was there-
"fore of Opinion, to take the Man into the Coach,
' and carry him to the next Inn.' The Lady in-
fifted, "That he should not come into the Coach.
That if they lifted him in, fhe would herself
alight for fhe had rather stay in that Place to
• all Eternity, than ride with a naked Man.' The
• Coachman objected, That he could not suffer
him to be taken in, unless fomebody would pay
a Shilling for his Carriage the four Miles.
Which the two Gentlemen refused to do. But
the Lawyer, who was afraid of fome Mischief
happening to himself if the Wretch was left be-
hind in that Condition, faying, no Man could be
too cautious in these Matters, and that he remem-
bred very extraordinary Cafes in the Books, threat-
ened the Coachman, and bid him deny taking him
up at his Peril; for that if he died, he should be
indicted for his Murder; and if he lived, and
brought an Action against him, he would willingly
take a Brief in it. Thefe Words had a fenfible
Effect on the Coachman, who was well acquainted
with

I

4

with the Person who spoke them; and the old Gentleman abovementioned, thinking the naked Man would afford him frequent Opportunities of fhewing his Wit to the Lady, offered to join with the Company in giving a Mug of Beer for his Fare; till partly alarmed by the Threats of the one, and partly by the Promises of the other, and being perhaps a little moved with Compaffion at the poor Creature's Condition, who ftood bleeding and shivering with the Cold, he at length agreed; and Jofeph was now advancing to the Coach, where feeing the Lady, who held the Sticks of her Fan before her Eyes, he abfolutely refused, miferable as he was, to enter, unless he was furnished with fufficient Covering, to prevent giving the leaft Offence to Decency. So perfectly modeft was this young Man; fuch mighty Effects had the spotless Example of the amiable Pamela, and the excellent Sermons of Mr. Adams wrought upon him.

Though there were feveral Great Coats about the Coach, it was not eafy to get over this Difficulty which Jofeph had ftarted. The two Gentlemen complained they were cold, and could not fpare a Rag; the Man of Wit saying, with a Laugh, that Charity began at home; and the Coachman, who had two great Coats spread under him, refused to lend either, left they should be made bloody; the Lady's Footman defired to be excufed for the fame Reason, which the Lady herself, notwithstanding her Abhorrence of a naked Man, approved: and it is more than probable, poor fo Seph, who obftinately adhered to his modeft Refolution, muft have perished, unless the Poftilion, (a Lad who hath been fince transported for robbing a Hen-rooft) had voluntarily ftript off a great Coat,

his only Garment, at the fame time fwearing a great Oath (for which he was rebuked by the Pasfengers) That he would rather ride in his Shirt all his Life, than fuffer a Fellow-Creature to lie in fo miferable a Condition.'

Jofeph, having put on the great Coat, was lifted into the Coach, which now proceeded on its Journey. He declared himself almost dead with the Cold, which gave the Man of Wit an occafion to ask the Lady, if she could not accommodate him with a Dram. She anfwered with fome Refentment, She wondered at his asking her fuch < a Question; but affured him she never tasted 6. any fuch thing.'

The Lawyer was enquiring into the Circumftances of the Robbery, when the Coach ftopt, and one of the Ruffians putting a Pistol in, demanded their Money of the Paffengers; who readily gave it them; and the Lady, in her Fright, delivered up a little filver Bottle, of about a half-pint Size, which the Rogue, clapping it to his Mouth, and drinking her Health, declared held fome of the best Nantes he had ever tafted this the Lady afterwards affured the Company was the Miftake of her Maid; for that fle had ordered her to fill the Bottle with Hungary · Water.

As foon as the Fellows were departed, the Lawyer, who had, it feems, a Cafe of Pistols in the Seat of the Coach, informed the Company, that if it had been Day-light, and he could have come at his Piftols, he would not have fubmitted to the Robbery; he likewife fet forth, that he had often met Highwaymen when he travelled on Horfeback, but none ever durft attack him; concluding, that if he had not been

D

more afraid for the Lady than for himself, he should not have now parted with his Money fo eafily.

As Wit is generally obferved to love to refide in empty Pockets; fo the Gentleman, whose Ingenuity we have above remark'd, as foon as he had parted with his Money, began to grow wonderfully facetious. He made frequent Allufions to Adam and Eve, and said many excellent Things on Figs and Fig-Leaves; which perhaps gave more Offence to Jofeph than to any other in the Company.

The Lawyer likewife made feveral very pretty Jefts, without departing from his Profeffion. He faid, If Jofeph and the Lady were alone, he would be more capable of making a Conveyance to her, as his Affairs were not fettered ⚫ with any Incumbrance; he'd warrant, he foon • fuffered a Recovery by a Writ of Entry, which

was the proper Way to create Heirs in Tail; ⚫ that for his own part, he would engage to make fo firm a Settlement in a Coach, that there fhould be no Danger of an Ejectment;' with an Inundation of the like Gibberish, which he continued to vent till the Coach arrived at an Inn, where one Servant-Maid only was up in readiness to attend the Coachman, and furnish him with cold Meat and a Dram. Jofeph defired to alight, and that he might have a Bed prepared for him, which the Maid readily promifed to perform; and being a good-natur'd Wench, and not fo fqueamish as the Lady had been, fhe clapt a large Faggot on the Fire, and furnishing Jofeph with a great Coat belonging to one of the Hoftlers, defired him to fit down and warm himself, whilft fhe made his Bed. The Coachman, in the mean

time, took an Opportunity to call up a Surgeon, who lived within a few Doors: after which, he reminded his Paffengers how late they were, and after they had taken Leave of Jofeph, hurried them off as fast as he could.

The Wench foon got Jofeph to Bed, and promised to use her Intereft to borrow him a Shirt; but imagined, as fhe afterwards faid, by his being fo bloody, that he must be a dead Man: fhe ran with all speed to haften the Surgeon, who was more than half dreft, apprehending that the Coach had been overturned and some Gentleman or Lady hurt. As foon as the Wench had informed him at his Window, that it was a poor Foot Paffenger who had been ftripped of all he had, and almoft murdered; he chid her for difturbing him fo early, flipped off his Clothes again, and very quietly returned to Bed and to fleep.

Aurora now began to fhew her blooming Cheeks over the Hills, whilft ten Millions of feathered Songfters, in jocund Chorus, repeated Odes a thousand times fweeter than those of our Laureat, and fung both the Day and the Song; when the Mafter of the Inn, Mr. Tow-woufe, arofe, and learning from his Maid an Account of the Robbery, and the Situation of his poor naked Gueft, he shook his Head, and cried, "Good-lacka-day! and then ordered the Girl to carry him one of his own Shirts.

Mrs. Tow-woufe was juft awake, and had ftretched out her Arms in vain to fold her departed Husband, when the Maid entered the Room. "Who's there? Betty? Yes Madam.' Where's "your Mafter?' He's without, Madam; he hath fent me for a Shirt to lend a poor naked D 2

• Man,

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