THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 115 



There bid good morning to next day ; 



There meditate my time away; 

 And angle on ; and beg to have 

 A quiet passage to a welcome grave. 



When I had ended this composure, I left this place, and saw 

 a brother of the angle sit under that honeysuckle hedge, one 

 that will prove worth your acquaintance. I sat down by him, 

 and presently we met with an accidental piece of merriment, 

 which I will relate to you ; for it rains still. 



On the other side of this very hedge sat a gang of gipsies ; 

 and near to them sat a gang of beggars. The gipsies were then 

 to divide all the money that had been got that week, either by 

 stealing linen or poultry, or by fortune-telling, or legerdemain ; 

 or, indeed, by any other sleights and secrets belonging to their 

 mysterious government. And the sum that was got that week 

 proved to be but twenty and some odd shillings. The odd 

 money was agreed to be distributed amongst the poor of their 

 own corporation : and for the remaining twenty shillings, that 

 was to be divided unto four gentlemen gipsies, according to 

 their several degrees in their commonwealth. 



And the first or chiefest gipsy was, by consent, to have a 

 third part of the 20s. which all men know is 6s. 8d. 



The second was to have a fourth part of the 20s. which all 

 men know to be 5s. 



The third was to have a fifth part of the 20s. which all men 

 know to be 4s. 



The fourth and last gipsy was to have a sixth part of the 

 20s. which all men know to be 3s. 4d. 

 As, for example, 



3 times 6s. 8d. is 20s. 

 And so is 4 times 5s. . . 20s. 

 And so is 5 times 4s. . 20s. 

 And so is 6 times 3s. 4d. . 20s. 



And yet he that divided the money was so very a gipsy, that 

 though he gave to every one these said sums, yet he kept one 

 shilling of it for himself. 



As for example, s. d. 

 6 8 

 5 

 4 

 3 4 



make but 19 



But now you shall know, that when the four gipsies saw 

 that he had got one shilling by dividing the money, though not 



