The Merry Past 



following Sunday, when these godly men indulged 

 themselves, as godly men will sometimes do, in all the 

 good things of this world, and drank to intoxication. 

 He then told them he had submitted cheerfully to 

 their customs when within their jurisdiction, and that 

 they must now submit to his, one of which was to 

 punish drunkenness. Accordingly the boatswain was 

 ordered up, and he took leave of each of his guests 

 with a round dozen. 



A more decorous joker was Sir Roger Curtis, who 

 having received orders, whilst in London, to take the 

 command of a squadron, and hoist his flag on board 

 the ** Formidable," at Portsmouth, travelled for dis- 

 patch without servants, plainly dressed, in the mail- 

 coach. As frequently happened in this sort of con- 

 veyance, the passengers were unknown to each other, 

 and Sir Roger found himself in company with a 

 young man who appeared, by his uniform, to be a 

 mate belonging to one of the Indiamen lying at the 

 Mother Bank. On the way, this young officer pulled 

 out some bread and cheese from a bundle and invited 

 his fellow-travellers to eat. During that repast he 

 entertained them with sea-phrases, which induced 

 the admiral jocosely to ask him many simple questions 

 relating to nautical tactics. Among others, he 

 demanded how sailors could see at night, and whether 

 they were not compelled to tie the ship to a post or 

 tree till morning. The mate was not backward in 

 bestowing a few hearty curses upon the ignorance 

 and lubberly lingo of the admiral, who laughed 

 heartily at the joke. Not only did he bear the rough 



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