[49] I am myself responsible for these few words in italic, which I have
supplied from conjecture.
+ _Of the gentylman that bare the sege borde on hys necke._ xxiv.
+ A CHANDELER beynge a wydower, dwellynge at Holborne, _neere_ London,
had a fayr doughter whom a yonge gentelman of Dauys Ynne[51] woyd[52]
sore to haue hys pleasure of her, whyche by longe sute to her made, at
the last graunted hym, and poynted hym to com upon a nyghte to her
faders hous in the euenynge, and she wold conuey hym into her chamber
secretly, which was an inner chamber within her faders chamber. So
accordynge to the poyntment all thynge was performed, so that he lay
wyth her all nyght, and made good chere tell about foure a clocke in the
mornynge, at whyche tyme it fortunyd this yonge gentylman fell a
coughynge, whych cam vpon hym so sore that he could not refrayn. Thys
wench, than fering her fader that lay in the next chamber, bad hym go
put hys hede in the draught, lest that her fader shold here hym: whych
after her councel rose in his shyrte, and so dyd. But than because of
the sauour of the draught it causyd hym to coughe moche more and louder,
that the wenchys fader herde it, and askyd of hys daughter what man it
was that coughed in her chamber. She aswered and said: no body. But euer
this yong man coughed styll more and more, whom the fader herynge sayd:
by Goddes body! hore, thou lyest; I wyll se who is there;--and rose out
of his bedde. Thys wenche perceyued her fader rysinge, [and] cam to the
gentylman and sayde: take hede syr to your selfe: for my fader comyth.
This gentylman, sodeynly therwyth abasshyd, wolde haue pullyd his hede
oute of the draughte hole, which was [so] very streyghte for hys hede
that he pullyd the sege borde vp therwyth, and, [it] hangyng about his
neck, ran vpon the fader beynge an olde man, and gaue hym a great fall
and bare _him to the ground_.
_8 lines wanting._
here was two or thre skyttysh horses whych, when they se this gentylman
ronnyng, start[ed] asyde and threwe downe the cart wyth colys, and drew
_backe_ and brake the carte rope, wherby the colys fell out, some in
one place and _some in_ another; and after the horses brake theyr tracys
and ranne, some towarde Smythfelde and som toward Newgate. The
colyar[53] ran after them, and was an houre and more, or[54] euer he
coulde gette his horses to gyder agayne; by which tyme the people of the
strete were rysen and cam to the _place_, and saw yt strawyn with colys.
Euery one for hys parte gaderyd vp _the colys, tyll the_ most parte of
the colys were gone, or the colyar had got his horses _agayne_. _Duryng
thys_ whyle the gentylman went thrugh Seynt Andrews _Chyrch Yarde
towarde_ Dauys Inne, and there met with the sexten commynge to attend to
_ring the bell for_ morow mas: whych, whan he saw the gentylman in the
_Chyrche Yarde in hys_ shyrt wyth the draught borde[55] about his neck,
had wend[56] _it had ben a spryt, and_ cried: alas, alas, a spryt! and
ran back again to his house almost atte b * * for fere was almoste out
of his wytte that he was the worse _a long time after_. This gentilman,
than, because dauys inne gatys were not open, _ranne to the ba_cksyde
and lept ouer the garden wal; but, in lepyng, the draught-bord so
troubled hym, that he fell downe into the gardyn and had almoste broken
his necke: and ther he lay styll, tyll that the pryncypall cam into the
garden; which, wan he saw hym lye there, had wente some man had ben
slayne and there caste ouer the wall, and durst not come nye him, tyll
he had callyd vp hys companye which, when many of the gentylmen[57] wer
com to gether loked well vppon hym, and knewe hym, and after releuyd
hym; but the borde that was about hys necke caused his hed so to swell,
that they coulde not gette it of, tyll they were mynded to cutte it of
with hatchettys. Thus was the wenche well iaped,[58] and for fere she
ranne from her fader; her faders arme was hurte; the colyar lost his
coles; the sexton was almost out of hys wyt; and the gentylman had
almost broke his necke.