] 34 COACHING. 



Avitli a cart ; the man was immediately sum- 

 moned to surrender, which he did without resist- 

 ance ; part of the lading of this prize proved 

 to be several hampers of wine. 



Elated by the success of the evening, the 

 highwaymen opened the hampers, seized the 

 bottles, and emptied many in repeated healths 

 to the owner of the liquid, which expanding 

 the generous nature of the six, they insisted 

 upon the stage coachman and his passengers 

 solacing themselves for their misfortunes by 

 repeated applications to the favourite beverage 

 of the "Rosy God;" then presenting each with 

 two bottles, they were dismissed on their 

 journey in a state nearly approaching intoxi 

 cation. 



A horseman coming by, they robbed him of 

 his palfrey, but plied him so hotly with their 

 liquor that he seemed very little sensible of 

 his loss ; so that stumbling to his inn in his 

 boots, with a bottle in each hand, he made all 

 that he found in the kitchen drink of his 

 wine, and gave them no small diversion by 

 acting the story and knocking down several of 

 the company, as the thieves did him. 



The person who afforded this diversion to 

 his auditor and spectators on the memorable 



