Book II. Chap. V. Of degrees of people in the commonwealth of England.

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Vnto this sort also may our great swarmes of idle seruing men be referred,1 of whome there runneth a prouerbe; Yoong seruing men, old beggers: bicause seruice is none heritage. These men are profitable to none, for if their condition be well perused, they are enimies to their masters, to their freends, and to themselues: for by them oftentimes their masters are incouraged vnto vnlawfull exactions of their tenants, their freendes brought vnto pouertie by their rents inhanced, and they themselues brought to confusion by their owne prodigalitie and errors, as men that, hauing not wherewith of their owne to mainteine their excesses, doo search in high waies, budgets, cofers, males, and stables, which waie to supplie their wants.2

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Book II. Chap. XI. Of sundrie kinds of punishments appointed for malefactors.

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And thus much in part of the administration of iustice vsed in our countrie, wherein notwithstanding that we doo not often heare of horrible, merciles, and wilfull murthers, (such I meane as are not sildome seene in the countries of the maine,) yet now and then some manslaughter and bloudie robberies are perpetrated and committed, contrarie to the lawes, which be seuerelie punished3 ... Certes there is no greater mischeefe doone in England than by robberies, the first by yoong shifting gentlemen, which oftentimes doo beare more port than they are able to mainteine.4 Secondlie by seruingmen, whose wages cannot suffice so much as to find them breeches; wherefore they are now and then constreined, either to keepe high waies,5 and breake into the wealthie mens houses with the first sort, or else to walke vp and downe in gentlemens and rich farmers pastures, there to see and view which horsses feed best, whereby they manie times get something, although with hard aduenture: it hath beene knowe by their confession at the gallowes, that some one such chapman hath had fortie, fiftie, or sixtie stolne horsses at pasture here and there abroad in the countrie at a time, which they haue sold at faires and markets farre off, they themselues in the meane season being taken about home for honest yeomen, and verie wealthie drouers, till their dealings haue been bewraied. ...

Our third annoiers of the common-wealth are roges, which doo verie great mischeefe in all places where they become.6 For wheras the rich onelie suffer iniurie by the first two, these spare neither rich nor poore: but whether it be great gaine or small, all is fish that commeth to net with them;7 and yet I saie, both they and the rest are trussed vp apace. For there is not one yeare commonlie, wherein three hundred or foure hundred of them are not deuoured and eaten vp by the gallowes in one place and other.

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Book II. Chap. XVI. Of armour and munition.

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I might here speake of the excessive staues which diuerse that trauell by the waie doo carrie vpon their shoulders, whereof some are twelue or thirteene foote long, beside the pike of twelue inches:8 but as they are commonlie suspected of honest men to be theeues and robbers, or at the leastwise scarse true men which beare them; so by reason of this and the like suspicious weapons, the honest traueller is now inforced to ride with a case of dags at his sadle bow, or with some pretie short snapper, whereby he may deale with them further off in his owne defense, before he come within the danger of these weapons.9 Finallie, no man trauelleth by the waie without his sword, or some such weapon, with vs; except the minister, who commonlie weareth none at all, vnlesse it be a dagger or hanger at his side.10 Seldome also are they or anie other waifaring men robbed, without the consent of the chamberleine, tapster or ostler where they bait & lie,11 who feeling at their alighting whether their capcases or budgets be of anie weight or not,12 by taking them downe from their sadles, or otherwise see their store in drawing of their purses, do by and by giue intimation to some one or other attendant dailie in the yard or house, or dwelling hard by, vpon such matches, whether the preie be worth the following or no.13 If it be for their turne,14 then the gentleman peraduenture is asked which waie he trauelleth, and whether it please him to haue another ghest to beare him companie at supper, who rideth the same waie in the morning that he doth, or not. And thus if he admit him, or be glad of his acquaintance, the cheate is halfe wrought. And often it is seene that the new ghest shall be robbed with the old, onelie to colour out the matter and keepe him from suspicion. Sometimes when they know which waie the passenger trauelleth, they will either go before, and lie in wait for him, or else come galloping apace after, wherby they will be sure, if he ride not the stronger, to be fingering with his purse. And these are some of the policies of such shrews,15 or close booted gentlemen, as lie in wait for fat booties by the high waies, and which are most commonlie practised in the winter season about the feast of Christmas, when seruing men and vnthriftie gentlemen want monie to plaie at the dice and cards, lewdlie spending in such wise whatsoeuer they haue wickedlie gotten, till some of them sharplie set vpon their chevisaunces, be trussed vp in a Tiburne tippet, which happeneth vnto them commonlie before they come to middle age.16

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Book III. Chap. XVI. Of our innes and thorowfaires.

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If [the traveller] loose oughts whilest he abideth in the inne, the host is bound by a generall custome to restore the damage, so that there is no greater securitie anie where for trauellers than in the gretest ins of England. Their horsses in like sort are walked, dressed, and looked vnto by certeine hostelers or hired seruants, appointed at the charges of the goodman of the house, who in hope of extraordinarie reward will deale verie diligentlie after outward appeerance in this their function and calling.17 Herein neuerthelesse are manie of them blameworthie, in that they doo not onelie deceiue the beast oftentimes of his allowance by sundrie meanes, except their owners looke well to them; but also make such packs with slipper merchants which hunt after preie (for what place is sure from euill & wicked persons) that manie an honest man is spoiled of his goods as he trauelleth to and fro, in which feat also the counsell of the tapsters or drawers of drinke, and chamberleins is not seldome behind or wanting.18 Certes I beleeue not that chapman or traueller in England is robbed by the waie without the knowledge of some of them; for when he commeth into the inne, & alighteth from his horsse, the hostler forthwith is verie busie to take downe his budget or capcase in the yard from his sadle bow, which he peiseth slilie in his hand to feele the weight thereof: or if he misse of this pitch, when the ghest hath taken vp his chamber, the chamberleine that looketh to the making of the beds, will be sure to remooue it from the place where the owner hath set it, as if it were to set it more conuenientlie some where else, whereby he getteth an inkling whether it be monie or other short wares,19 & therof giueth warning to such od ghests as hant the house and are of his confederacie, to the vtter vndoing of manie an honest yeoman as he iournieth by the waie. The tapster in like sort for his part dooth marke his behauiour, and what plentie of monie he draweth when he paieth the shot, to the like end: so that it shall be an hard matter to escape all their subtile practises. Some thinke it a gay matter to commit their budgets at their comming to the goodman of the house: but thereby they oft bewraie themselues. For albeit their monie be safe for the time that it is in his hands (for you shall not heare that a man is robbed in his inne) yet after their departure the host can make no warrantise of the same, sith his protection extendeth no further than the gate of his owne house: and there cannot be a surer token vnto such as prie and watch for those booties, than to see anie ghest deliuer his capcase in such maner.

William Harrison

Notes

• Vnto this sort: that is, ‘the fourth and last sort of people’: labourers, small tenant farmers, small retailers, and craftsmen.  [return]
• budgets: wallets, pouches. | males: bags, packs.  [return]
• the maine: the Continent.  [return]
• beare more port: live in a more lavish style.  [return]
• keepe high waies: lie in wait on the highways for travellers to rob.  [return]
• roges: homeless vagrants.  [return]
• all is fish, &c: proverbial.  [return]
• pike: spike, blade. This was a footman’s weapon, and could be used to terrifying effect against a man on horseback.  [return]
• case of dags: pair of small pistols. | snapper: pistol.  [return]
• hanger: short curved sword.  [return]
• bait and lie: take refreshment and stay the night.  [return]
• capcases: small travelling bags.  [return]
• vpon such matches: waiting for such meetings.  [return]
• for their turne: worth their attention.  [return]
• shrews: wretches.  [return]
• chevisaunces: evil gains. | a Tiburne tippet: the hangman’s halter; Tyburn was the place of common execution for London and Middlesex.  [return]
• extraordinarie reward: a good tip.  [return]
• packs: plots. | slipper: slippery.  [return]
• short wares: valueless goods (as opposed to a sum in heavy gold).  [return]