e, but still
alive to his father. Hereupon my heart was moved; and I resolved to
interfere. The thief with the pistol began to count, as I crossed the
floor very quietly, while the old Earl fearfully gazed at the muzzle,
but clenched still tighter his wrinkled hand. The villain, with hair all
over his eyes, and the great horse-pistol levelled, cried "three," and
pulled the trigger; but luckily, at that very moment, I struck up the
barrel with my staff, so that the shot pierced the tester, and then
with a spin and a thwack I brought the good holly down upon the rascal's
head, in a manner which stretched him upon the floor.

Meanwhile the other two robbers had taken the alarm, and rushed at me,
one with a pistol and one with a hanger; which forced me to be very
lively. Fearing the pistol most, I flung the heavy velvet curtain of the
bed across, that he might not see where to aim at me, and then stooping
very quickly I caught up the senseless robber, and set him up for a
shield and target; whereupon he was shot immediately, without having the
pain of knowing it; and a happy thing it was for him. Now the other two
were at my mercy, being men below the average strength; and no hanger,
except in most skilful hands, as well as firm and strong ones, has
any chance to a powerful man armed with a stout cudgel, and thoroughly
practised in single-stick.

So I took these two rogues, and bound them together; and leaving them
under charge of the butler (a worthy and shrewd Scotchman), I myself
went in search of the constables, whom, after some few hours, I found;
neither were they so drunk but what they could take roped men to prison.
In the morning, these two men were brought before the Justices of the
Peace: and now my wonderful luck appeared; for the merit of having
defeated, and caught them, would never have raised me one step in the
State, or in public consideration, if they had only been common robbers,
or even notorious murderers. But when these fellows were recognised,
by some one in the court, as Protestant witnesses out of employment,
companions and understrappers to Oates, and Bedloe, and Carstairs, and
hand in glove with Dangerfield, Turberville; and Dugdale--in a word, the
very men against whom His Majesty the King bore the bitterest rancour,
but whom he had hitherto failed to catch--when this was laid before the
public (with emphasis and admiration), at least a dozen men came
up, whom I had never seen before, and prayed