eased him to grant me priuate
audience. With me young _Wilton_ quoth he, marie and shalt: bring vs a
pint of syder of a fresh tap into the three cups here, wash the pot, so
into a backe roome he lead mee, where after hee had spit on his finger,
and pickt off two or three moats of his olde moth eaten veluet cap, and
spunged and wrong all the rumatike driuell from his ill fauoured Goates
beard, he badde me declare my minde, and there vpon he dranke to me on
the same. I vp with a long circumstance, alias, a cunning shift of the
seuenteenes, & discourst vnto him what entire affection I had borne him
time out of mind, partly for the high discent and linage from whence
he sprung, & partly for the tender care and prouident respect he had of
poore soldiers, that whereas the vastitie of that place (which afforded
them no indifferent supplie of drinke or of victuals) might humble them
to some extremity, and so weaken their hands, he vouchsafed in his own
person to be a victualer to the campe (a rare example of magnificence &
honorable curtesie) and diligently prouided, that without farre trauel,
euery man might for his money haue syder and cheese his bellyfull, nor
did he sell his cheese by the way onely, or his syder by the great, but
abast himselfe with his owne hands, to take a shoomakers knife (a homely
instrument for such a high personage to touch) and cut it out equally
like a true iusticiarie, in little pennyworthes, that it woulde doo a
man good for to looke vpon. So likewise of his syder, the pore man might
haue his moderate draught of it (as there is a moderation in all things)
as well for his doit or his dandiprat, as the rich man for his halfe
souse or his denier. Not so much, quoth I, but this tapsters linnen
apron, which you weare before you, to protect your appareil from the
imperfections of the spigot, most amply bewrais your lowly minde. I
speake it with teares, too fewe such humble spirited noble men haue we,
that will draw drinke in linen aprons. Why you are euerie childs felow,
any man that comes vnder the name of a souldier and a goodfellowe, you
will sitte and beare companie to the last pot, yea, and you take in
as good part the homely phrase of mine host heeres to you, as if one
saluted you by all the titles of your baronie. These considerations,
I saie, which the world suffers to slippe by in the channell of
carelesnes, haue moued me in ardent zeale of your welfare, to forewarne
you of some dangers that haue