beset you & your barrels. At the name of
dangers hee start up, and bounst with his fist on the boord so hard,
that his Tapster ouerhearing him, cried anone anone sir, by and by, and
came and made a low leg and askt him what he lackt. Hee was readie to
haue striken his Tapster, for interrupting him in attention of this his
so much desired relation, but for feare of displeasing me he moderated
his furie, and onely sending him for the other fresh pint, wild him
looke to the barre, and come when hee is cald with a deuilles name.
Well, at his earnest importunitie, after I had moistned my lips, to make
my lie runne glib to his iourneies end, forward I went as followeth. It
chaunced me the other night, amongst other pages, to attend where the
king with his Lords, and many chiefe leaders sate in counsel, there
amongst sundrie serious matters that were debated, and intelligences
from the enemy giuen vp, it was priuily informed (no villains to these
priuie informers) that you, euen you that I now speak to, would I
had no tongue to tell the rest, by this drink it grieues me so I am not
able to repeate it. Nowe was my dronken Lord redie to hang himself for
the end of the ful point, and ouer my necke he throws himselfe verie
lubberly, and intreated me as I was a proper young Gentleman, and euer
lookt for pleasure at his hands, soone to rid him out of this hell of
suspence, & resolue him of the rest, then fell hee on his knees, wrong
his handes, and I thinke, on my conscience, wept out all the syder that
he had dronke in a weeke before, to moue me to haue pitie on him, he
rose and put his rustie ring on my finger, gaue me his greasie purse
with that single money that was in it, promised to make mee his heire,
& a thousand more fauours, if I would expire the miserie of his
vnspeakable tormenting vncertaintie. I being by nature inclined to
_Mercie_ (for indeed I knew two or three good wenches of that name) bad
him harden his eares, & not make his eyes abortiue before their time,
and he should haue the inside of my brest turnd outward, heare such a
tale as would tempt the vtmost strength of life to attend it, and not
die in the middest of it. Why (quoth I) my selfe, that am but a poore
childish welwiller of yours, with the verie thought, that a man of
your desert and state, by a number of pesants and varlets should be so
iniuriously abused in hugger mugger, haue wept al my vrine vpward. The
wheele vnder our Citie bridge, carries not so m