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

 pence, and charged him to bring it home ſafe. Tom told her it ſhould be ſo; and to that end it ſhould be ſafe brought home, according 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 eleven-pence for their pains, which made his mooher great fury, go to the mayor of the town, who committed him to priſon: Now, the priſon window joining cloſe to the mayor's chamber-window, Tom, and ſome other merry priſoners like himſelf, getting a cup of good liquor in their heads, began to ſing and rear and demoneer, inſo much that the mayor heard them that night, and charged them they ſhould 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, being 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 fellow-priſoners, which made the poor men be ruled by him, and do what he enjoined them to do; ſo when the maysrmayor [sic]