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 so I meddled with nothing, and a justice of the peace coming by, being called, cleared me with flying colours.

Another time, going into a sempstress’ shop in Cheapside, and cheapening half a dozen of very good holland shifts, I doubted the length of them upon which, the sempstress slipt on of the smocks upon her, which gave me the advantage to pin it with two or three pins to her petticoat, and taking up the rest, with other parcels of muslin, ran away out of the shop. The sempstress then endeavouring to pull off the smock, pulled up her clouts and running after, cried, stop thief stop thief! with all she had exposed to the public; who taking her for a mad woman, 1 got clear off with my booty and the sempstress was bantered to her dying day, besides losing to the value of fifty pounds worth of muslin.

But, after happening to steal some brocaded silk from a mercer’s shop, was apprehended and being carried before a justice, was committed to Newgate, the place of my nativity, where