Page:History and comical transactions of Lothian Tom (4).pdf/5

 let him go, for, if he was taken back, he was ſure to be hanged; and would not be perſuaded Tom was alive, until they forced him back and he ſaw him, but he would be Tom's teacher no longer; ſo Tom's father had to ſeek another maſter for him.

PART II.

There was a young woman servant to Tom's fa- ther, whom Tom had offended by ſome of his tricks, and the, to be up with Tom again, one night ſpread a handful of ſhort nettles in his bed, between the ſheets, which ſtung his legs and thighs ſo much, that he was obliged to quit his bed for ſome part of the night; for which he reſolved to be revenged, whenever a proper opportunity offered. It happened in a few days after, that the was invited to a wedding, where the dancing and diverſion induced her to flay all night; and on coming home in the morning, her miſtreſs ſet her to waſh ſome clothes. But ſhe, being fatigued with her night's diver- ſion, and for want of reſt, fell faſt aſleep with her hands extended in the tub, and ſtanding on her feet with her belly leaning on the tub; Tom perceiving this, lips her petticoats and ſmock over her head, letting the ſun ſhine on her bare backſide, which faced the highway. Several people paſſing by, while ſhe continued in this poſture, ſome of them were diverted, and others a- Thamed at the fight. But a poor cadger had the mil- fortune to be coming on the road at the time, and his horſe, taking fright at this unuſual fight, threw off the creels, and broke the poor man's eggs all to ſmaſh, which ſo enraged him, that he laſhed her buttocks with his whip, in ſuch an unmerciful manner, that with the ſmart and ſhame together, ſhe had not the leaſt inclina- tion to ſleep for the remaining part of that day. Tom, being grown up the years and age of a man, thought himſelf wiſer and flyer than his father; and there were ſeveral things about the houſe he liked better than to work, ſo he turned to be a dealer amongſt the brutes, a cowper of horſes and cows, &c. and even wet ware