or purse can procure. I seek of you only that you will truly tell me who was my father."

"What dost come a worrying me of thy father?" asked the scrivener, with a disturbed countenance, as he quickly caught hold of some parchments that were nigh unto him, and placed them at once in the chest. "I know naught of him that be worth the knowing; he was some paltry fellow or other-a very mean person."

"Was he married to my mother?" enquired his nephew, more earnestly.

"Prythee question me not," replied the old man, seemingly taking it very uneasily. "It matters not at all; I cannot be answering of thy unprofitable queries. It be of no consequence whether he had her in marriage or otherwise, for he was a monstrous paltry fellow at all events."

"Indeed it be of vital consequence to me," cried the youth, in an increasing agitation; "I pray you, uncle, tell me the truth."

"Well then, if thou wilt have it, I will tell thee," answered the scrivener, "I have kept it from the world, and given out otherwise, for the sake of my sister's reputation; but I can tell thee of a certainty that thou art illegitimate."

"Ah! I feared 'twere so," exclaimed Master Francis, as the colour mounted to his cheek, and he hid his face in his hands, for very shame. The which seeing, Gregory Vellum regarded only with a sort of smile, that made his leaden physiognomy not a whit more pleasant than ordinary, and continued the counting of his money. "Was he one Holdfast, and did he live in noted bad character?" asked the other, suddenly, as if with a kind of desperation. "Ay-very like-very like," replied the old man. "If I remember me, his name was Holdfast, or something exceeding near it; and that he was a notorious villain is out of all question."

"Then I know the worst," said he, calmly, but with a great pale

ness of face, "and I will now take my leave of you."

"Stop awhile!" bawled out the miser, hastily coming up to his nephew as he was approaching the door. The latter, on this, did stay his steps.

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Hast taken nothing whilst I was in the swoon?" he asked, gazing on the other with a monstrous suspicious countenance.

Nay, this is too bad," said Master Francis, in no mood to be so spoken to, and moving off.

"But thou shalt not go till I have searched thee," sharply added Gregory Vellum, as he laid hold on him to make him stay "I am sure, by thy wanting to be gone with such speed, that thou hast stolen something."

"Away! you are past bearing!" cried the youth, as he pushed him back, and walked out of the room.

"Francis! Francis!" the old miser bawled out as his nephew closed the door upon him. "Prythee leave me not alone with these dead men! I will not search thee, I do not think thou hast robbed me of anything. Nay, go not away till the house be rid of these corpses! Francis! Francis, I say!" and he came down the stairs after him in great alarm.

The unhappy youth by this time was into the street, pacing along with a most woeful heart. Indeed he had much to trouble him. He knew that his patron, Sir Walter Raleigh, whom he had begun to love exceedingly, was a prisoner in the Tower; when he could get out, no man could say all that he had dreaded to learn of his parentage seemed now put beyond the possibility of question; at the which he felt so cast down as scarce to know what he was a doing; and the late behaviour of his miserly kinsman, though nothing more than he might expect of his disposition, in the humour in which he was, did irritate him all the more. After passing along a little way in extreme despondency of mind, he bethought him of visiting his be loved Joanna, whose reception of him, he doubted not, would presently relieve him of his miserable feelings; yet when he came to think of the tone of her letters not coming up to his expectations, in the peculiar mood in which he then was, he straight began to have suspicions that she regarded him less than he would have her; but in a few minutes there came to his recollection numberless kindnesses she had done him, which to him were as positive proofs of the sincerity of her affection. The remembrance of these things did assure him somewhat, and became to him of such great comfort, that for the time it clean drove all unpleasant thoughts out of his head.

At this moment there came on a very smart shower of rain, and he, wishing to save his new doublet a wetting, hastened for shelter under a gateway close at hand. Passing beneath here, he spied an open door at one side, for which he made, but presently desisted of his purpose on hearing voices that of a certainty came from it. He was about to content himself with the shelter of the gateway as far as might be from the door, when he recognised the voice of Joanna, that did at once fix him to the spot.

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'Nay, nay, my lord," said she, "it may please you to affirm this, but I doubt you affect me so much as you say."

"O' my life, adorable Joanna!" answered one, very urgently, whom Master Francis instantly knew, by the manner of speaking, to be my Lord Cobham, whom he had often heard. "I swear to you I do love you exceedingly. In truth, your infinite loveliness is of such a sort, that never expect I to find aught so worthy of the steadfast and most perfect devotedness with which I do regard you." Speech like this, it may be believed, Master Francis liked not at all.

"Methinks you are but trifling with me," observed the other.

"Nay-my heart's treasure! believe me, I never was in such earnest!" replied her companion. "Take this ring-'tis a ruby of great price; yet should it be inestimable to come up with my estimation of your worthiness, exquisitely beautiful Joanna! Here-let me place it on your most delicate finger."

At this Master Francis began to be much troubled that she, whom he so loved, should accept gifts from one who, to his knowledge, was noted for his gallantries.

"I scarce think it be right of me to take your gift, my Lord"said Joanna. "Yet to refuse it might seem discourteous of me-so I will e'en accept of it."

"And grant of me in return but one precious favour," added the Lord Cobham in an entreating voice, that did much increase the disturbance, of Master Francis. "It be but to press that tempting lip, compared with which, the ruby must seem but pale."

"Indeed, that I can never do," replied she.-"Nay, hold me not so closely, my lord, I entreat of you."

This put Master Francis in a perfect tremble, and he suddenly felt the blood a rushing to his cheek-yet was he like one chained to the spot; for though he felt desperately inclined to disturb them, he was so affected by the unexpectedness of what he had heard, that he had not the power of moving.

"Turn not away that exquisite countenance, admirable Joanna!" exclaimed the Lord Cobham, while a rustling was heard as if he was a struggling with her, which did increase Master Francis' disorder mightily: "and strive not to move from arms so eager to hold so perfect a creature in their fond embrace. In good truth, I must sweetest."

"Have done, my lord, I pray you! You hurt me, indeed, you do. Nay, some one will be a coming! How you tease! Well, if you will, it must needs be," was all that Joanna said in reply; and Master Francis, thinking from what she spoke, that she liked not my Lord Cobham's advances, with one desperate effort was about to break in upon him, when he heard the consent given, and immediately followed by the close smacking of lips, which moved him so against her, that he rushed from the gateway on the instant.

CHAPTER XIV.

I cannot hold; good rascal, let me kiss thee:

I never knew thee in so rare a humour.

BEN JONSON.

A part to tear a cat in-to make all split.

SHAKSPEARE.

Sir Toby. Come thy ways, Signior Fabian! Fabian. Nay, I'll come. If I lose a scruple of this sport let me boiled to death with melancholy.-IBID.

We hope to make the circle of your eyes
Flow with distilled laughter.

BEN JONSON.

Now must I transport the courteous reader, who hath followed me along hitherto with admirable patience, and I hope with some pleasure, into the shop of a noted barber chirurgeon, alluded to in the preceding pages, as living over against the jolly mercer's in Eastcheap. He was called Martin Lather and sometimes Master Lather by those who would seem to hold him in some respect; and he had for an ap

prentice one Harry Daring-a sturdy boy of some fifteen years or so; of both of whom more anon. First to describe the shop, which was of no little repute among the citizens. On a projecting window there were divers notices to acquaint the passengers of what Master Lather was skilled in: some of these were in rhyme, for he did pride himself mightily on his scholarship. As for instance

"Beards trimmed neatly;

And teeth extracted completely."

And mayhap close upon it would be found

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I breathe a vein

For a little gain;

And on moderate terms

I cure the worms."

While in another place the gazer should meet―

"Hair cut and curled

As well as any where in the world;
And in bald places made to grow,
Whether it will or no."

About there were some few shelves, having on them bundles of herbs, jars of ointment, and the like-(very famous in the cure of many disorders); and elsewhere in the shop were some drawers, shelves with gallipots, and bottles containing different coloured liquors, and some with powders in them. A lot of ballads and broadsheets were against the wainscot. Over the fire-place was framed a large writing, having for the title, very conspicuous, "Forfeits," which ran thus

"He that must needs be served out of his turn,
Shall pay a penny, and better manners learn.
He that the master would stay in his calling,
Or dispute in such terms as will lead to a brawling,
Or meddle with what he hath had no occasion,
He shall pay two-pence to his great vexation.
He that doth swear, or doth say any scandal,

Or prate of such things that be not fit to handle,

Or from the ballads shall tear or take any,

Straightway from his pouch there must come forth a penny.
And he that shall seek for to play any tricks,

With the pricking of pins, or the poking of sticks;

Or chalk on a doublet-or foul any hat,

Without doubt shall he forfeit a penny for that.
Likewise if against the queen's grace say he aught,
He shall, as 'tis fitting, be made pay a groat,
And ask pardon all round-the which to his pain
Will keep him from talking such treason again."

A large black cat was cleaning of its skin upon a three-legged stool, nigh unto a table standing by the side of the fire-place, on which were sundry combs, brushes, scissors, phials, a pestle and mortar, and instruments for the pulling out of teeth; and a little closer to the

light, there sat in a huge high backed chair, an exceeding serious looking old man, rather short of stature, with some few grey hairs on his head, and a small peaked beard of the like sort; wearing on his nose, which was of the longest and of an excellent fine point, a pair of famous large spectacles, through which he was gazing upon what he was about. He was trimly dressed, with everything formal and grave about him. In one hand he held a lancet, and in the other a cabbage leaf. A boy stood before him seemingly very attentive. He was thickset and short of his age, with an honest plump face, and eyes that looked as if ever intent upon some mischief or another. In truth, it was a countenance that was not easy to be described, saving that it was a very dare-devil-care-for-naught-full-of-tricks sort of face as ever boy had. He had on a leather jerkin and breeches of the same, partly covered with an apron of linen, that looked as if he had been rolling on the floor in it-which was like enough. He wore yellow hose, and thick shoes of leather. These two were Master Lather, the barber chirurgeon, and his apprentice Harry Daring.

"Methinks you know pretty well by this time how to dress hair," observed the barber to his pupil with a monstrous grave countenance, "seeing that you have been curling of the old mop for some time past: the which be an admirable way for the learning of that part of our craft -for if you singe it, then shall no man rate you for the burning of his pate: which maketh good the saying of Aristotle, 'Ante illum imperatorem!' which meaneth, 'hurt no one and he shall not cry out."" "I promise you," replied the boy, seeming as if regarding his master with great attention, "without doubt I be as clever at it as any 'prentice in the city; and upon the strength of my skilfulness at the mop, I did essay to frizzle up the locks of Gammer Griskin, who wanted them done in a hurry when you were from home, at the which I succeeded marvellously."

"I remember me well," said the old man, increasing in the gravity of his features, "when next I dressed the old woman I found one-half of her hair scorched to a cinder, and enquiring of her what she had done to her head, did hear that you had been practising on it-whereupon I said nothing-remembering what is written in Epicurus, Nihil reliqui fecit,' the which translated is, 'hold thy tongue, and thy prating shall do thee no harm.' However, you are at least well skilled in the practice of shaving, seeing that you have put the razor over the scalded pig's head pretty often, and with a proper degree of cunning."

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6

'Ay, master, that have I," answered the apprentice quickly. "Indeed I have tried my skilfulness on others besides the chaps of dead pigs; for be it known to you, Gaffer Gravestone coming one morning before you were up, with a beard of a week's growth, to get rid of which he was in too great a hurry to wait your coming down, I took upon me to lather and shave him to a nicety."

"True," observed the barber chirurgeon with additional solemnity, "the sexton did complain to me, with a face covered with plaisters, that as well as slicing of a piece off his chin as big as a rose noble, and gashing of his cheek in three several places, you had completely cut