Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	london_n	mayor_n	name_n	9,578	5	7.9009	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02140	A notable discouery of coosenage Now daily practised by sundry lewd persons, called connie-catchers, and crosse-byters. Plainely laying open those pernitious sleights that hath brought many ignorant men to confusion. ... With a delightfull discourse of the coosenage of colliers. By R. Greene, Maister of Arts.	Greene, Robert, 1558?-1592.	1592 (1592)	STC 12280; ESTC S105834	25,497	32

conditionallie beside that they would pay the sixtéene shillinges h●e had spent in charges which they also performed The Gentleman stept his way and said you may sée the olde prouerbe fulfilled Fallere fallentem non est fraus Thus haue I deciphered an odious practise not worthy to be named and now wishing al of what estate soeuer to beware of filthy lust and such damnable stale● as drawes men on to inordinate desires and rather to spend their coine amongest honest companie then to bequeath it to such base cros-biters as praie vpon men like rauens vpon dead carcases I end with this praier that Cros-biting and Conny-catching may be as little knowen in England as the eating of swines flesh was amongst the Iewes Farewel Nas●imur pro patria FINIS A PLEASANT DISCOVERIE of the cosenage of Colliars ALthough courteous Readers I did not put in amongst the lawes of c●sening the law of Legering which is a deceit that Colliars abuse the Commonwealth withall in hauing vnlawfull sacks yet take it for a petty kind of craft or mysterie as preiudiciall to the poore as any of the other two for I omitted diuers other diuelish vices as the n●ture of the Lift the black arte and the Curbing law which is the filchers and theeues that come into houses or shops and lift away any thing or picklocks or hookers at windowes although they b● a● species and branches to the table be●ore rehearsed But omitting them againe to our law of Legering Know therefore that there be inhabiting in and about London ce●t●ine caterpillers Coll●ers I should say that terme themselues ●mongest themselues by the name of Legers who for that the honourable the L. Mayor of the city of London and his officers looke straitly to the measuring of coles doe to preuent the execution of his iustice plant themselues in and about the Suburbs of London as Shordich White chappel Southwarke and such places and there they haue a house or yarde that hath a back g●te because it is the more conuenient for their cosening purpose and the reason is this the Leger the craftie Collier I mean riseth very early in the morning and either goeth towards Croyden Whetstone Greenewich or Romford and there meeteth with Country colliers who bring coles to serue the m●rket there in a forestalling m●n●er this Leger bargaineth with the country colliar for his coles and payeth for them nineteen or twenty shillings at the most but commonly fifteen or sixteen and there is in the lode 36 sacks so th●t they pay for euery couple about fourteen pence Now hauing bought 〈◊〉 euery sack conteyning full four bushels he carryeth the countrey colliar home to his legering place and there at the ●ack gate causeth him to vnloade and as they say shoot the coles down As soone as the country collier hath dispatcht and is gone the leger who hath three or foure hired men vnder him bringeth foorth his owne sacks which ●re long ●nd narrow holding at the most not three bushels so t●●t i● the change of euery sack they gaine a bushel Tush yet this were somewhat tollerable although the gaine and ●surie is m●●strous but this s●fficeth not for they fill not these sacks full by farre but put into them some tw● b●shels ●nd a h●l●e laying in the mouth of the sack certaine choise coles which they call ●ill●●s to ma●e the sack shew faire though the re●t be al sm●ll willow cole and h●lfe d●osse Wh●● they haue not thus halfe fill●d their sacks but thrust co●les into them that 〈◊〉 they L●y vppermost is best-filled to make the greater shew then a tall 〈…〉 that is all ragd and d●rty 〈◊〉 his legs as though he c●me out of the countre● ●or they du●ty their hose and shoo● vp●n purpose ●o make themselues 〈◊〉 country colliars Thus with two s●cks a peec● they eyther go out at the back 〈◊〉 or steale out at the street side and so go vp and down the Suburbs and sell their coles in summer for fourteen and sixteen pence the couple and in winter for eighteen or twenty The poore Cool●s and other Citizens that buy the● ●●●nke they be country Colliers that haue left som● coales of their load and would gl●dly haue monie supposing as the Statute is they be good and lawfull 〈…〉 thus o●s●ned by the Legers and h●ue but two bushels and a halfe for foure bushels and yet extremely rackt in the price which is not onely a great hinderaunce to her Maiesties poore 〈◊〉 but greatly preiudicial to the master colliers that bring sacks and measure out of the country Then consider gentle Readers wh●t a kinde of cosenage these legets vse that can make of thirty sacks some fifty sixe which I haue 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 eyes for I haue set down with my pen how many turns they haue made of a load and they made twenty eyght turnes euery turne being two sacks so that they haue gotten an intollerable gaine by their false measure I could not be silent seeing this abuse but thought to reueale it for my countries commoditie and to geue light to the worshipfull Iustices and other her Maiesties Officers in Midlesex Surrey and els-where to looke to such a gross● cosenage as contrary to a direct sta●ute dooth defraud and impouerish her Maiesties poore commons Wel may the Honorable and W●rshipf●l of London flourish who carefully looke to the Country coles and if they find not four Bushels in euery sack● sel them to the poore as forfet and distribute the mony to such as haue need burning the sacks and honouring or rather dishonouring the pillery with the Colliers durty faces And wel may the Honourable and Worshipful of the Suburbs liue and pr●sper if they looke in iustice to these Legers who deserue more punishment then the Statute ●ppoynts them which is whipping at a carts tayle or with fauer the pillerie For fewel or fiering● being a thing necessary in a Common-wealth and Charcole vsed more then any other the poore not able to buy by the load are fayn to get in their fire by the sack and so are greatly cosened by the retayle Seeing therefore the c●reful L●wes her Maiestie hath appoynted for wealth of her Commons and succour of the poore I would humbly intreat all her Maiesties Officers to l●oke into the life of these legers and root them out that the poor● feel n●t the b●●t●en of their vnconscionable gaynes I heard with mine eares a poore woman of Shordi●h who h●d bought coles of a Leger with weeping teares complaine and r●yle against him in the streete in her rough eloquence calling hi● cose●ing knaue s●ying Tis no m●ruel villen quoth she if men compare you colliers to the deuil seeing your consciences are worser then the deuils for he takes none but those soules whom God h●tes and you vndoe the poore whom God doeth loue Wh●t is the matter good wise quoth I that you vse such inuectiue worde● ag●inst the Collyar A c●lli●r sir quoth she he is a thee●e and a

Cony offering him no shew of cosenage nor once to drawe him in for a pint of wine the more to shadow their villanie but now begins the sport as thus they sit tipling comes the Barnacle thrustes open the dore looking into the room where they are and as one bashful steps back againe saying I cry you mercie gentlemen I thought a frend of mine had been here pardon my boldnes no harm saith the verser I pray you drink a cup of wine with vs and welcome in comes the barnacle and taking the cup drinks to the cony and then saith what at cards gentlemen wer it not I should be offensiue to the companie I would play for a pinte til my frend come I look for Why sir saith the verser if you wil sit down you shalbe taken vp for a quarte of wine with al my heart saith the barnacle what wil you play at Primero primo visto Sant one and thirtie new cut or what shalbe the game Sir saith the verser I am but an ignorant man at cards you haue them at your fingers end ile play with you at a game that hath no deceit called mumchance at cards and it is thus you shal shufle and ile cut you shal cal one card and this honest yeoman shal cal another for me and which of our cards comes first shal win here you see is no deceit and at this ile play No truely saith the Conie me thinkes there can be no great craft in this Wel saith the barnacle for a pint of wine haue at you so they play as before fiue vp and the verser winnes This is hard luck saith the barnacle and I beléeue the honest man spies some card in the bottom therefore I will make this alwaies to prick the bottom card content saith the verser and the cony to cloake the matter saith● sir you offer me iniurie to think that I can call a card when I neither touch them ●hufle cut nor draw them Ah sir saith the barnacle geue losers leaue to speake wel to it they go again then the barnacle knowing the çame best by chopping a card winnes two of the fiue but lets the verser win the set then in a chaf● he sweareth tis but his il luck and he can sée no deceit in it therfore he wil play xii d a cut The verser in cōtent and wins ii or iii. s. of the barnacle whereat he chafes and saith I came bether in an il houre but ile win my monie again or lose al in my purse with that he draws out a purs with some thrée or four pound and claps on the boord the verser asketh the conie secretlie by signes if he wil be his halfe he saies yea and straight séekes for his purse The Barnacle shufles the cardes throwlie and the verser cuts as before the barnacle when hee hath drawen one card saith ile either winne something or lose something therfore ile vie and reuie euerie card at my pleasure til either yours or mine come out therfore xii d vpon this card my card comes first No saith the verser and saith the Connie I durst laie xii d more I hold it saith the barnacle so they vi● and reuie til some ten shillings be on the stake ●nd then next comes foorth the versers card that the conie called and so the barnacle los●th This flesheth the conie the swée●nes of gaine makes him ●ro●ike and none more redy to vie and reuie then he Thus for thrée or four times the barnacle loseth At last to whet on the conie he striketh his chopt card and winneth a good stake away with the witch cries the barnacle I hope the cards wil turne at last Much thinks the conie twas but a chance you askt so right one of the fiue that was cut off there was fourtie to one on my side and ile haue you on the lurch anon So stil they vie reuie and for once that the barnacle winnes the conie gets fiue at last when they mean to shaue the conie cleane of al his coine th● barnacle chafeth and vpon a pawn boroweth monie of the tapster and sweares he will vie it to the vttermost Then thus hé● chops his card to cros-bite the conie he first looks on the bottom card and shufles often but stil kéeping that bottom card which he knowes to be vppermost then sets he downe the cards and the verser to encourage the conie cuts off but thrée cards wherof the barnacles card must needes be the vppermost Then hée shewes the bottom card of the other heap cut off to the connie sets it vpō the barnacles card which ●e knowes so that of ●orc● the card that was laid vpermost must c●me foorth first and then the barnacle cals that card They draw a card and they y e barnacle vies and the countriman vies vpon him for this is y e law● as oft as one vies or reuies the other must sée it els hee looseth the stake Wel at last the barnacle plies it so that perhaps hée vies more monie then the conie hath in his purse Upon this the conie knowing his card is the third or fo●rth card and that he hath fortie to one against the barnacle pawnes his rings if he haue anie his sworde his cloake or els what hee hath about him to maintein the vie and when he laughs in his sléene thinking he hath fléest the barnacle of all then the barnacles carde comes foorth and strikes such a cold humor to his heart that hé● sits as a man in a traunce not knowing what to doe sighing while his heart is redie to breake thinking on the monie that he hath lost Perhaps the man is very simple and patient and whatsoeuer he thinkes for feare goes his way quiet with his losse while the Connicatchers laugh and deuide the spoile and being out of dores poore man goes to his lodging with a heauie heart pensiue and sorowful but too late for perhappes his state did depend on that monie and ●o he his wife and children his familie are brought to extreame miserie Another perhappes more hardie and subtle smokes the connicatchers and smelleth cosenage and saith they shal not haue his monie so but they answere him with braues and though hee bring them before an officer the Knaues are so fauoured that the man neuer recouereth his monie and he is let slip vnpunisht Thus are the poore conies robbed by these base minded Caterpillers thus are seruingmen oft entised to play and lose all thus are prentises induced to be connies and so are cosened of their masters monie yea yong gentlemen marchants other are fetcht in by these damnable rakehels a plague as ill as hell which is present losse of monie and insuing miserie A lamentable case in England when such vipers are suffered to br●ede and are not cut off with the sword of iustice This enormity is not onlie in London but now generallie dispersed through all England in euerie Shire Citie