t in her hands, and she know the business you come about, without
consulting the stars, I can assure you it will be employed very much to
the detriment of your person. Sir, cries he, bowing with great civility,
I perceive extreme grief for the loss of the Doctor disorders you a
little at present, but early in the morning I'll wait on you with all
necessary materials. Now I mention no Mr. Bickerstaff, nor do I say,
that a certain star-gazing 'squire has been playing my executor before
his time; but I leave the world to judge, and if he puts things and
things fairly together, it won't be much wide of the mark.

Well, once more I got my doors clos'd, and prepar'd for bed, in hopes of
a little repose after so many ruffling adventures; just as I was putting
out my light in order to it, another bounces as hard as he can knock;
I open the window, and ask who's there, and what he wants? I am Ned the
sexton, replies he, and come to know whether the Doctor left any orders
for a funeral sermon, and where he is to be laid, and whether his grave
is to be plain or bricked? Why, sirrah, says I, you know me well enough;
you know I am not dead, and how dare you affront me in this manner?
Alack-a-day, replies the fellow, why 'tis in print, and the whole town
knows you are dead; why, there's Mr. White the joiner is but fitting
screws to your coffin, he'll be here with it in an instant: he was
afraid you would have wanted it before this time. Sirrah, Sirrah, says
I, you shall know tomorrow to your cost, that I am alive, and alive like
to be. Why, 'tis strange, sir, says he, you should make such a secret
of your death to us that are your neighbours; it looks as if you had a
design to defraud the church of its dues; and let me tell you, for one
that has lived so long by the heavens, that's unhandsomely done. Hist,
Hist, says another rogue that stood by him, away Doctor, in your flannel
gear as fast as you can, for here's a whole pack of dismals coming to
you with their black equipage, and how indecent will it look for you
to stand fright'ning folks at your window, when you should have been
in your coffin this three hours? In short, what with undertakers,
imbalmers, joiners, sextons, and your damn'd elegy hawkers, upon a late
practitioner in physick and astrology, I got not one wink of sleep that
night, nor scarce a moment's rest ever since. Now I doubt not but this
villainous 'squire has the impudence to assert, that these are entirely
strang