Page:Mad pranks of Tom Tram, son-in-law to Mother Winter (1).pdf/4

 4 THE MAD PRANKS that end it ſhould be ſafe brought home, ac- cording to his mother's charge, he goes and buys one penny worth of ſoap, and hired two men with a hand barrow to carry the ſoap, and four men with brown bills to guard it along to her, giving them the ele- ven-pence for their pains, which made his mother in great fury, go to the mayor of the town, who committed him to priſon: Now, the priſon window joining cloſe to the may- or's chamber window, Tom, and ſome other merry priſoners like himſelf, getting a cup of good liquor in their heads, began to fug and roar and domoneer, in ſo much that the mayor heard them that night, and charged then they ſould leave off drinking and ſinging of bawdy ſongs, and ſing good pſalms. Tom told him, That he ſhould hear that he would amend his life, if he would pardon his fault. The mayor ſaid that for their miſdemeaners, they ſhould be that night in priſon, and upon amendment, be- ing neighbours, he would releaſe them in the morning. They thanked the mayor, and Tom Tram prevailed ſo far with a friend of his that he borrowed three ſhillings; which three ſhillings he ſpent upon his fel- low priſoners, which made the poor men be ruled by him, and do what he enjoined them to do; ſo when the mayor was gone to bed, the priſon window, as before obſerved, be- ing cloſe to the chamber window, they be- gun tə ſing pſalms ſo-loud, that the mayor