Page:Mad pranks of Tom Tram, son-in-law to Mother Winter (1).pdf/8

 8 THE MAD PRANKS to ply the man with drink; whiſft he, in the mean time, went to the hoſt, and told him, They came to be merry, and money was ſhort with him and deſired he would lend him ten ſhillings upon his horſe. The hoſt having ſo good a pawn, lent' is him, know- ing it would be ſpent in his houſe. So Tom went and gave the man five ſhillings for the hire of the horſe, and ſpends the other five fillings freely upon him: by that time the day was very nigh ſpent, ſo that the man could get no further that night, but Tom and his companions took their leaves and returned home and he man went his way to bed little ſuſpecting the trick Tom had put upon him. In the morning, the man riſing betimes, thinking to be gone, could have but one horſe, unleſs he paid ten ſil- lings, for Tom had left word with his hoſt, that paying the money, he ſhould have both horſes. The man ſeeing himſelf cozened a- gain by tom, paid the ten ſhillings, and wiſhed all ſuch cheating knaves were hang- ed, ſo away he went fretting and foaming, to ſee himſelf abuſed.

C H A P. - V. How Tom ſerved a Company of Gentlemen.

IT happened that a company of gentlemen being diſpoſed to create mirth, rode ſome miles from home to be merry, one of them would needs have Tom to wait upon him,