nd sat down, crying, and
trying to curry favour with me and the coachman; presently, however,
putting on a confidential look, he began to talk of the Popish house, and
of the doings there, and said he supposed as how we were of the party,
and that it was all right; and then he began to talk of the Pope of Rome,
and what a nice man he was, and what a fine thing it was to be of his
religion, especially if folks went over to him; and how it advanced them
in the world, and gave them consideration; and how his master, who had
been abroad and seen the Pope, and kissed his toe, was going over to the
Popish religion, and had persuaded him to consent to do so, and to
forsake his own, which I think the scoundrel called the 'Piscopal Church
of Scotland, and how many others of that church were going over, thinking
to better their condition in life by so doing, and to be more thought on;
and how many of the English Church were thinking of going over too--and
that he had no doubt that it would all end right and comfortably. Well,
as he was going on in this way, the old coachman began to spit, and
getting up, flung all the beer that was in his jug upon the ground, and
going away, ordered another jug of beer, and sat down at another table,
saying that he would not drink in such company; and I too got up, and
flung what beer remained in my jug, there wasn't more than a drop, in the
fellow's face, saying, I would scorn to drink any more in such company;
and then I went to my horses, put them to, paid my reckoning, and drove
home."
The postillion having related his story, to which I listened with all due
attention, mused for a moment, and then said, "I dare say you remember
how, some time since, when old Bill had been telling us how the
Government a long time ago, had done away with robbing on the highway, by
putting down the public-houses and places which the highwaymen
frequented, and by sending a good mounted police to hunt them down, I
said that it was a shame that the present Government did not employ
somewhat the same means in order to stop the proceedings of Mumbo Jumbo
and his gang now-a-days in England. Howsomever, since I have driven a
fare to a Popish rendezvous, and seen something of what is going on
there, I should conceive that the Government are justified in allowing
the gang the free exercise of their calling. Anybody is welcome to stoop
and pick up nothing, or worse than nothing, and if Mumbo Jumbo's people,
after the
|