ds were something out of
my way, having never bought any in that country before. However, it
happened that I had frequently bought and imported brandies in England,
and had some judgment in them, so much that I ventured to buy without
taking a cooper with me, which was not usual in that place. The first
parcel of brandy I saw was very good, and I bought freely to the value
of about L600, and shipped them for England, where they gave very good
satisfaction to my employer. But I could not complete my commission to
my mind in that parcel. Some days after, some merchants, who had seen me
buy the other, and thought me a novice in the business, and that I took
no cooper to taste the brandy, laid a plot for me, which indeed was such
a plot as I was not in the least aware of; and had not the little
judgment which I had in the commodity prevented, I had been notoriously
abused. The case was thus:--They gave me notice by the same person who
helped me to the sight of the first brandy, that there was a cellar of
extraordinary good brandy at such a place, and invited me to see it.
Accordingly I went in an afternoon, and tasted the brandy, being a large
parcel, amounting to about L460.

I liked the goods very well; but the merchant, as they called him, that
is to say, the knave appointed to cheat the poor stranger, was cunningly
out of the way, so that no bargain was to be made that night. But as I
had said that I liked the brandy, the same person who brought me an
account of them, comes to my lodgings to treat with me about the price.
We did not make many words: I bade him the current price which I had
bought for some days before, and after a few struggles for five crowns
a-tun more, he came to my price, and his next word was to let me know
the gage of the cask; and as I had seen the goods already, he thought
there was nothing to do but to make a bargain, and order the goods to be
delivered.

But young as I was, I was too old for that too; and told him, I could
not tell positively how many I should take, but that I would come in the
afternoon, and taste them again, and mark out what I wanted. He seemed
uneasy at that, and pretended he had two merchants waiting to see them,
and he could sell them immediately, and I might do him a prejudice if I
made him wait and put them off, who perhaps might buy in the mean time.

I answered him coldly, I would not hinder him selling them by any means
if he could have a better chapman, that I cou