The Merry Past 



few godly books. If your honour will shorten sail 

 and lay me alongside, you shall overhaul my stores. 

 Thus did many a maimed hero eke out a living, 

 though not a few sailors who had been lucky in 

 coming in for a good share of prize-money, might, had 

 they been prudent, have made ample provision for their 

 old age. A provident sailor was, however, unheard of, 

 and when flush of money men-of-war's-men were wont 

 to indulge in wild extravagance. One Jack Tar, 

 desirous of getting up to London from Deptford, 

 thought it only seemly for a sailor who had just been 

 paid off, and had plenty of money, to have a whole 

 coach to himself ; of course, he took all the places, 

 seating himself at the same time upon the top. The 

 coach was about to set off when a gentleman appeared, 

 who was holding an altercation with the coachman, 

 on the absurdity of his insisting that the seats were 

 all taken, and not a person in the coach. Jack, over- 

 hearing high words, thought, as he had paid full 

 freight, he had a right to interfere, and enquired what 

 was the matter. On being told that the gentleman 

 was much disappointed at not getting a seat, he re- 

 plied : " You lubber, stow him away in the hold ; but 

 I'll be d — d if he shall come upon deck ! " 



It was, indeed, no uncommon sight to see a coach 

 full of sailors and their girls driving about the streets 

 singing : " There's a sweet Httle cherub that sits up 

 aloft," which the rubicund old driver on the box, as a 

 rule, seemed to construe as a compliment to himself. 



Sailors, indeed, were very fond of the pleasures of 

 the road. A party of tars just paid off from their 



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