Page:Fun upon fun, or, The comical merry tricks of Leper the taylor (2).pdf/4

 had - he reſtrained his roguiſh tricks might have done very well. He and his lads being employed to work in a farmer’s houſe, where the goodwife was a great miſer, and not very cleanly in making ready of meat, and ſnivel’d greatly when ſhe ſpoke. In the morn-ing ſhe went to make their pottage, ſhe made a faſh-ion of waſhing the pot, which by appearance ſeemed to him to be amongſt the firſt pot, that had been made; then ſhe ſet it down before the fire till ſhe went to the well, in which time Leper looking into it, ſees two great holes in the bottom ſtopped with clouts, he takes up his gooſe, and holds it as high as his head, then lets it fall into the pot, which knocked out the bottom of it; preſently in comes the wife with the water, and pours it into the pot, which ſet the fire-ſide all in a dam, for ſtill as ſhe poured it in, it ran out, the wife being ſhort-lighted, or what they call ſand-blind, looks into the pot, holds up both her hands and cries, “The loſh preſerve me, ſirs, for the grip atween the holes is broken;” ſays Leper, the pot was old enough, but do you not ken that taylor’s pot-tage is heavier than other mens: indeed lad, ſaid ſhe, I believe it is ſae, but they ſay ye’re a Warlock, it's Wedneſday a’ the warld o’er, and a woful Wedneſday to me indeed, my pot might have laſted me this fifty year, a ſae wad it een. This ſport diverted Leper and his lads thro’ the day, and after ſupper, knowing he was to get but ſome dirty bed, as the cows and the people-lived all in one apartment, he chuſed rather to go home; and knowing the moon was to riſe a little after midnight, they ſat long by the fire, told them many a fine fiery to drive away the time, and bade the wife go and make their bed to ſee how it might be; to ſave candle ſhe made it in the dark, directly on the floor behind where they ſat, ſhaking down two bottles of ſtraw; a calf which chanced to be lying on that