Page:History of John Cheap, the Chapman (7).pdf/9

9 I did, upon her promising never to deny a hungry traveller meat nor drink, whether they had money to pay for't or not; and never to serve the poor with the old proverb, "Go home to your own parish," but give them less or more as you see them in need. This she faithfully promised to do while she lived, and with milk we drank to the eow'scow's [sic] good health and her own, not forgetting her husband's and the bull's, as the one was goodman of the house, and the other of the byre; and away we eamecame [sic] in all haste, lest some of a more understanding nature should come to hear of it, and follow after us.

In a few days thereafter we came to an alehouse in a muir, far distant from any other, it being a sore day of wind and rain, we eouldcould [sic] not travel, but were obliged to stay there; and the house being very throng, we eouldcould [sic] get no beds but the servant lass's, which we were to have for a penny worth of pins and needles, and she was to lie with her master and mistress. But as we were going to bed, in eomescomes [sic] three Highland drovers on their way from England; the landlord told them that the beds were all taken up but one, that two ehapmenchapmen [sic] were to lie in: one of them swore his broad sword should fail him if a chapman lay there that night. They took our bed, and made us sit by the fire all night; I put an a great many peats, and when the drover were fast asleep I put on a big brass pan full of water, and boiled their brogs therein for the spaeespace [sic] of half an hour, then lays them as they were, every pair by themselves; so when they rose, every one began to ehidechide [sic] another, saying, "Hup, pup, ye shewing a brog:" for not one of them would serve a child ten years old, being so boiled in. The landlord persuaded them