CK]; a
walking morte; a doxe; a dell; a kynchin morte; and a kynchen co."

From such a list, several instances of the tricks, as well as specimens of
the language of the thieves of the day, might with ease be extracted, did
not the limits of my little volume compel me to refrain from entering at
large into this history of rogues; a restriction I the more regret, from
its containing several passages illustrating the manners of that period,
and which would be found of material use towards explaining many of the
allusions met with in our early English dramas and now but imperfectly
understood.

"[P] Prygger of Prauncers. (Sign. C. iii. b.)

"A prigger of Prauncers be horse stealers, for to prigge signifieth in
their language to steale, and a prauncer is a horse, so beinge put
together, the matter is plaine. These go commonly in jerkins of leather or
of white frese, & carry little wandes in their hands, and will walke
through grounds and pasturs, to search and se horses mete for their
purpose. And if thei chaunce to be met and asked by the owners of the
grounde what they make there, they fayne straighte that they have loste
theyr waye, and desyre to be enstructed the beste way to suche a place.
These will also repayre to gentlemens houses, and aske theyr charitye, and
will offer theyr seruice. And if you aske them what they can doe, they wil
saye that they can kepe two or three geldinges, and waite vppon a
gentleman. These haue also theyr women that, walkinge from them in other
places, marke where and what they see abrode, and sheweth these priggars
therof, when they meete, whych is wythin a weeke or two. And loke, where
they steale any thynge, they conuey the same at the leaste three score
miles of, or more. There was a gentleman, a verye friende of myne, rydynge
from London homewarde into Kente, hauinge within three myles of his house
busynesse, alyghted of his horse, and hys man also, in a pretye village,
where diuers houses were, and looked about hym where he myghte haue a
conuenyent person to walke his horse, because he would speak we a farmer
that dwelte on the backe side of the sayde village, little aboue a quarter
of a myle from the place where he lighted, and had his man to waight vpon
hym, as it was mete for his callynge: espieng a priggar there standing,
thinkinge the same to dwel there, charging this prity prigginge person to
walke his horse well, and that they might not stande still for takynge of
colde, an