382 THE HISTORY OF NEWMARKET. [Book XIII. 



Having carefully observed the handsomest women in their 

 vicinity, they invited such of their neighbours as had wives 

 and daughters of that description to frequent feasts, where 

 the men were plied hard with good liquor, and the women 

 sufficiently warmed to make as little resistance as would be 

 agreeable to their inclinations. By this stratagem they were 

 frequently enabled to effect their guilty purpose, and it is 

 difficult to say whether it be possible for two men to live to 

 a worse end. 



It is natural to imagine that this kind of life could not be 

 of long duration. Entertainments so frequently repeated, 

 and for which no payment was ever required or accepted, 

 could not fail to excite a strong suspicion either that the 

 innkeepers would not be long able to keep their house open, 

 or that their customers were greatly superior to the occu- 

 pation they had adopted. Of this the two profligate noble- 

 men were fully sensible ; but they were not much concerned 

 about it, as they had no intention to pursue the same kind of 

 adventures except during the spring and autumn meetings 

 at Newmarket, variety being the life of their enjoyments. 

 It was on those occasions when the presence of the court and 

 the popularity of the races attracted such large and promiscuous 

 customers to their inn that they exulted in these novel 

 escapades. 



Among other adventures of this nature, the two noblemen 

 resolved to accomplish a favourite object. In the neighbour- 

 hood lived an old miser who had a very pretty young wife. 

 He watched her with as much care as he did his money, and 

 never trusted her out of his sight but under the protection of 

 an old maiden sister, who had never herself experienced the 

 joys of love, and bore no great affection to such of her sex as 

 were young and handsome. The noble innkeepers had no 

 doubt that he would accept a treat like many others, especially 

 as he was fond of good living when it cost him nothing : and, 

 except on such occasions, he was the most temperate and 

 abstemious man alive. But then they could never prevail 

 upon him to bring his wife ; notwithstanding they urged the 

 presence of so many females of character in the neighbour- 



