ve the money, I brought my governess with me,
dressed like an old duchess, and a gentleman very well dressed, who we
pretended courted me, but I called him cousin, and the lawyer was only
to hint privately to him that his gentleman courted the widow.

He treated us handsomely indeed, and paid the money cheerfully enough;
so that it cost him #200 in all, or rather more. At our last meeting,
when all was agreed, the case of the journeyman came up, and the mercer
begged very hard for him; told me he was a man that had kept a shop of
his own, and been in good business, had a wife, and several children,
and was very poor; that he had nothing to make satisfaction with, but
he should come to beg my pardon on his knees, if I desired it, as
openly as I pleased. I had no spleen at the saucy rogue, nor were his
submissions anything to me, since there was nothing to be got by him,
so I thought it was as good to throw that in generously as not; so I
told him I did not desire the ruin of any man, and therefore at his
request I would forgive the wretch; it was below me to seek any revenge.

When we were at supper he brought the poor fellow in to make
acknowledgment, which he would have done with as much mean humility as
his offence was with insulting haughtiness and pride, in which he was
an instance of a complete baseness of spirit, impious, cruel, and
relentless when uppermost and in prosperity, abject and low-spirited
when down in affliction. However, I abated his cringes, told him I
forgave him, and desired he might withdraw, as if I did not care for
the sight of him, though I had forgiven him.

I was now in good circumstances indeed, if I could have known my time
for leaving off, and my governess often said I was the richest of the
trade in England; and so I believe I was, for I had #700 by me in
money, besides clothes, rings, some plate, and two gold watches, and
all of them stolen, for I had innumerable jobs besides these I have
mentioned. Oh! had I even now had the grace of repentance, I had
still leisure to have looked back upon my follies, and have made some
reparation; but the satisfaction I was to make for the public mischiefs
I had done was yet left behind; and I could not forbear going abroad
again, as I called it now, than any more I could when my extremity
really drove me out for bread.

It was not long after the affair with the mercer was made up, that I
went out in an equipage quite different from any I had