Hippocras, than had ever been known since the days
of the Merry Mayor, who swore that King Charles the Second should take
t'other bottle. He was a Parliament man, too, and had a Borough in his
Pocket, for the which he kept a Warming-Pan member,--more's the
shame,--besides one to serve him as a cushion to sit on.

This enormously rich man had a fine House in Bishopsgate Street, with as
many rogues in blue liveries as a Rotterdam Syndic that has made three
good ventures in Java. When we poor wretches, chained together, had been
brought up in Carts from Aylesbury to London, on our way to be Embarked,
nothing would serve this Haughty and Purse-proud Citizen but that our
ragged Regiment must halt before his peddling Palace; and there the
varlets in blue that attended upon him brought us out Loaves and Cheese,
and Blackjacks full of two-thread Beer, which, with many disdainful
gestures and uncivil words, they offered to our famished lips. And my
Lady Hopwood, and the fine Madams her daughters,--all laced and
furbelowed, and with widows' and orphans' tears, and the blood-drops of
crimped seamen and kidnapped children, twinkling in their Stomachers for
gems,--were all set at their Bowery window, a pudding-fed Chaplain
standing bowing and smirking behind them, and glozing in their ears no
doubt Praises of their exceeding Charity and Humanity to wretches such
as we were. But this Charity, Jack, says I to myself, is not of the
Shapcott sort, and is but base metal after all. My troth, but we wanted
the Bread and Cheese and Swipes; for we had had neither Bite nor Sup
since we left Aylesbury Gaol seven-and-twenty hours agone. So, after a
while, and the mob hallooing at us for Gallows-birds, and some Ruffians
about the South-Sea House pelting us with stones,--for Luck, as they
said,--we were had over London Bridge,--where with dreadful admiration I
viewed the Heads and Quarters of Traitors, all shimmering in the coat of
pitch i' the Sun over the North Turret,--and were bestowed for the
night in the Borough Clink. And hither we were pursued by the Alderman's
Agents, who straightway began to drive Unholy Bargains with those among
us that had Money. Now 'twas selling them Necessaries for the voyage at
exorbitant rates; or promising them, for cash in hand, to deliver them
Luxuries, such as Tobacco, playing-cards, and strong waters, at the Port
of Embarkation. Now 'twas substituting Light for Heavy Fetters, if the
Heaviness could be Assuag