de them scratch one the other, as if they had been cats. Candles being
lighted again, they all were friends, and fell again to dancing, and after
to supper.

Supper being ended, a great posset was brought forth: at this Robin
Good-fellow's teeth did water, for it looked so lovely that he could not
keep from it. To attain to his wish, he did turn himself into a bear: both
men and women (seeing a bear amongst them) ran away, and left the whole
posset to Robin Good-fellow. He quickly made an end of it, and went away
without his money; for the sport he had was better to him than any money
whatsoever. The fear that the guests were in did cause such a smell, that
the bridegroom did call for perfumes; and instead of a posset, he was fain
to make use of cold beer.

HOW ROBIN GOOD-FELLOW SERVED A TAPSTER FOR NICKING HIS POTS

There was a tapster, that with his pots' smallness, and with frothing of
his drink, had got a good sum of money together. This nicking of the pots
he would never leave, yet divers times he had been under the hand of
authority, but what money soever he had [to pay] for his abuses, he would
be sure (as they all do) to get it out of the poor man's pot again. Robin
Good-fellow, hating such knavery, put a trick upon him in this manner.

Robin shaped himself like to the tapster's brewer, and came and demanded
twenty pounds which was due to him from the tapster. The tapster, thinking
it had been his brewer, paid him the money, which money Robin gave to the
poor of that parish before the tapster's face. The tapster praised his
charity very much, and said that God would bless him the better for such
good deeds: so after they had drank one with the other, they parted.

Some four days after the brewer himself came for his money: the tapster
told him that it was paid, and that he had a quittance from him to show.
Hereat the brewer did wonder, and desired to see the quittance. The tapster
fetched him a writing, which Robin Good-fellow had given him instead of a
quittance, wherein was written as followeth, which the brewer read to him--

I, Robin Good-fellow, true man and honest man, do acknowledge to have
received of Nick and Froth, the cheating tapster, the sum of twenty
pounds, which money I have bestowed (to the tapster's content) among
the poor of the parish, out of whose pockets this aforesaid tapster had
picked the aforesaid sum, not after the manner of foisting, but after
his excellent