Selected quad for the lemma: master_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A41837
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The Graves-end tilt-boat
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1699
(1699)
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Wing G1606; ESTC R4953
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21,400
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50
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THE GRAVES-END Tilt-Boat LONDON Printed in the Year 1699. THE GRAVES-END Tilt-Boat BUsiness like the Goddess Diana is the Idol that all the World Worships and all pretend to it even from the King to the Beggar And is a thing of so much Reputation that they that have none make it their Business to seek some and are as busie in looking after Business as a Hen that scrapes for a whole Brood of Chickens This thing call'd Business is divided and diversify'd into all sorts and sizes and admits of more Variety than the colours of the Rainbow It was Business that brought me to the Graves-End Tilt-Boat as it did several others for we were a whole Boat full and every one pretended Business and tho' every Mans Business differ'd yet it was all our Business to go to Graves-End And the Weather being Warm and the bright Eye of the World appearing in its Meridian Lustre invited us to sit very orderly upon the Benches and not to lie hickle-de-pickle-de which is the Allamode-posture of the Tilt-Boat Passengers And whilst each one was Endeavouring by some Discourse or other to while away the time and divert the tediousness of our Passage there was one Person who had the Mein of a Gentleman but both his Garb and Looks sufficiently declar'd him a decay'd one who sat as Melancholly as an old Cat and gave every one cause enough to suspect that blind Fortune like a very Jilt as she is had severely bent her Brows and frown'd upon him and that he labour'd under the Malevolent Influences of some unkind Stars whose dire Aspects he was Unable to Ward off Which really touch'd my Foolish heart with so much pity that I cou'd not but sympathize with him in his unknown Sorrows Which that I better might divert him from Directing my Discourse to him What all-a-mort Sir says I If you have met with Troubles trouble your self no more about 'em there 's still a Morning to the Darkest Night nor was the Sky ever so over-cast with Blackness but that the all-Enlivening Sun shot forth his bright Corruscant Beams again and dry'd up all those Tears the Clouds had wept of which this lovely Day is a sufficient demonstration and since this Company nay and all Nature smiles why shou'd a Cloud be seen upon your Brows The Gentleman who had till now held down his head in a disponding posture and look'd as Meagre as the Picture of old Envy on the Monument at this rais'd himself up and said Ah Sir I thank you for your good Advice but did you know my Griefs as well as I do you 'd say they were too great to hope a Cure and there is scarce a Day that passes but makes 'em yet more desperate and me more hopeless Nor is it for my self alone that I am troubled for I cou'd bear the worst of Ills my self and dare my Angry Fate to pour down all its Curses on my head might I alone be made the Object of 'em and no one suffer else But 't is another's Fate for whom I mourn who from the greatest height of Happiness the World cou'd give him is now become an Abject and made the very Tennis-Ball of Fortune You have said I for ought I know reason for your Grief and wou'd you but relate the Story of your Sorrows it wou'd at least I do perswade my self have this Effect that by a generous sympathy we shou'd Commiserate your Fate and have a fellow-feeling of your Sufferings and 't is you know some Ease but to be pitied and have Companions in Affliction You Speak so generously reply'd the Melancholy Gentleman That tho' to answer your Request be to renew my Grief I 'll give you the sad Story of my Troubles as briefly as I can Upon this there was a general silence for we had all a Mind to hear him whilst he thus began The First Tale. The Vnnatural Children I Had once the Honour to be none of the meanest Servants to a Gentleman of the first Quallity in England and one not more remarkable for Greatness than for Goodness for he Excell'd in every thing and was the most tender of all Husbands to his Wives for he has had two the most Indulgent Father to his Children the kindest Master to his Servants and the best of Landlords to his Tennants whom he Endear'd to him by so much Kindness and Freedom that they seem'd to be the Family of Love I have already told you that my Master had two Wives by the first of which he had two Daughters who had they been as Vertuous as they were fair no Father in the World could have been happier in his Children But alas The Case was far otherwise For they both prov'd very Undutiful to their Father especially the Eldest who was Proud and Imperious looking upon all others to be below her and beholding 'em with scorn and contempt so haughty she was she cou'd not Endure to be contradicted and naturally of an Aspiring Temper desiring to be possess'd of her Father's Estate which altho' if he had dy'd without a Son she wou'd certainly have enjoy'd yet she wou'd rather have her Father turn'd out of doors than tarry till that time came In which Attempt her Youngest Sister who lov'd her Father best of the two was yet drawn in to joyn with her and so was her Husband also tho' otherwise a quiet good natur'd Gentleman who if he might but enjoy his Pleasure was willing to let the World go as it wou'd Being far unlike the Eldest Daughter's Husband who was Proud and haughty and Ambitious beyond Measure of a bold and daring Spirit but withal very Malicious and Revengeful and one that wou'd stick at nothing to bring about his own Designs Making great pretences to Vertue and Religion which serv'd only as a Cloak to his Ambition and as a Blind whereby he might conceal his Wicked Purposes looking upon Justice Honesty Truth and Right as things invented to keep Fools in awe and those that he chiefly hugg'd in his Bosom and made Privy to his Designs were men of the same Profligate Principles with himself by whose advice and counsel he was always sway'd And then his Covetousness was as great as his Ambition which made him esteem every thing lawful that he thought wou'd prove Profitable for Right or Wrong were things that never troubled him Now this being the Character of my Masters Children it was not likely that things shou'd prove much better than afterwards they fell out Whilst things continu'd thus my Master's Eldest Brother dy'd and having no lawful Issue of his own left all his Estate to him with an encrease of Power as well as Riches for he was Lord of several large and Wealthy Mannors All which my Master us'd with so much Lenity and Moderation as made him still better belov'd by every one And in a short time after his Lady who was a Gentlewoman of a high Descent and inrich'd with many great and Noble Vertues was
brought a Bed of a Young Son which caus'd no little Joy amongst us all especially my Master who now had got an heir to all his great Estate and this Young Gentleman was look'd upon to be the growing hopes of all the Family But O the Fickleness of Fortune and the Unconstancy of sublunary things How quickly was our Joy turn'd into Mourning And our Rejoycing into Grief and Sorrow My Master's Eldest Daughter altho she had no Children of her own who had always flatter'd her self with the hopes of enjoying her Father's Estate but now seeing a Young Heir was born to put her Nose quite out of Joynt and cutting off her self and Sister too from the Inheritance was mightily afflicted at this News being as I have said a Woman of a very haughty and Imperious Temper and cou'd not forbear publickly to shew her Resentment But her Husband finding on a sudden all his great Expectations come to nothing and that this Heir wou'd deprive him of the Inheritance he fretted fum'd and storm'd like a Mad-man giving out that the Young Son was Spurious and surreptitious and only a Trick of his Mother-in-Law's to cheat him of his Right saying his Father was either Impos'd upon or joyn'd in the confederacy against him with many other Extravagant things of that Nature resolving however to run through all obstacles to gratifie his Pride and Ambition And because he knew his Father-in-law to be of a Religion differing from the Publick Profession he gave out that he had a design to introduce his own Religion in all places where he had to do and that all those who would not profess it shou'd be turn'd out of their Farms and their Leases become forfeited And if at any time any difference happened between my Master and the Tenants he wou'd be still interposing by his Spies For he had corrupted several of my Masters Menial Servants and amongst others his Secretary who still sent him word of all Occurrences that happened in his Family and likewise one of his Pages bred up by him from a Child who tho' he pretended not to like my Masters Religion was of an Ill Church himself or else he wou'd never have forsook his Master as he did and like his Predecessor Absalom of old wou'd seem to pity the Tenants because there was none to do 'em Justice setting himself up for a Patriot in a Place where he had nothing to do for his Estate lay in another County By these and such-like Clandestine Proceedings he had so far alienated the hearts of my Masters Tenants from him and many of his own Servants likewise that his Interest was very great among ' em And my Master happening to lop down some over-grown Trees that stood before his Mansion-house and hinder'd his Prospect his Son-in-law caus'd it to be insinuated among the Tenants that this was a Breach of the Fundamental Constitution that by the Laws of the Mannor it cou'd not be done but was an Arbitrary thing and tended to the destruction of the Tenants all whose Woods he might cut down upon the same Pretence And then pretending for the Security of their Religion and Liberties to assist them against these Encroachments which were occasion'd by some Evil Servants of his Father's which ought to be removed he raises the Posse Comitatus of the County where he liv'd and having got several of the Tenants to joyn with him comes upon the Estate turns my Master his Lady and Son out of Doors and seizes on all that was Valuable there commiting so great a Ravage and Havock upon the Estate that a hundred years will hardly make good again turning all his Servants out of Doors having first Stript them of what they had except such as were in his Interest for the only Crime of being Faithful to our Master Whose Disconsolate Circumstances now in his Old Age troubles me more than my own He has indeed one Friend at the Expence of whose generous Charity he has been supported ever since he was dispossess'd of his Estate This Friend commenc'd a Suit at Law with my Masters Son-in-Law for the Recovery of his Estate and said he wou'd never give over till he had accomplish'd it which gave us all great hopes of seeing good Days again But after a Law-Suit of Ten Years continuance first in one Court and then in another my Master's Friend being almost ruin'd by it his Son-in-Law having the largest Purse being in Possession and Feeing high and Corrupting all the Judges with Bribes he forc'd him at last for all his great Boasts to my Master to comply with him so that there is an Agreement made between 'em and he now owns the Son-in-Law for the Right Landlord and all the Tenants have acknowledg'd him for such and pay their Rents to him and all this without any Provision made for my Old Master or his Young Son or any of his Servants So that now all our hopes of help are become hopeless and we have nothing left us but a Prospect of certain Ruine as you may see by the following Scheme of our present Condition A knagged Staff is our Companion our Inn is at Beggars Bush Duke Humphry is our Hoste and Mother Need our Hostess our Bed is the Earth the Air serves us for Curtains and the Sky for a Canopy Our Meat is only Sighs our Drink is our Tears our Sauce Hunger and our Physick Patience which being forc'd is only a Medicine for a Mad Dog Judge now Gentlemen continu'd this Antiquated Servant if I have not great reason in such a hopeless State to be Melancholly Being reduc'd to so low an Ebb of Fortune and depriv'd of that whch is the Relief of the most Miserable I mean Hope which as I said in our present Circumstances is become hopeless This is indeed a Melancholly Story said another of the Passengers that sat by him but sure there must be something more in it Why shou'd the Son turn his Father-in-Law out of Doors and raise the Posse Comitatus without any Provocation What signify'd the cutting down of a few Trees That cou'd be no great matter Besides they were his own and who cou'd hinder him To this Mr. Melancholly reply'd You mistake the Case Sir it was not so much the Cutting down the Trees that was only a Pretence It was the Young Son that was the Provocation for he being the Heir the Hopes of the Inheritance was thereby cut off Had it not been for this my Master might have cut down all the Trees on the Ground if he wou'd The Case was truly hard Reply'd the Passenger again for a Father to be turn'd out of Doors thus by his Children and shews 'em to be Extreamly Unnatural But pray what became of the Youngest Daughter for you don't tell us what concern she had in the matter The Youngest Daughter reply'd the Old Gentleman always liv'd with her Father and so lov'd him the best of the two but being Inveigl'd by her Brother and