owever, he sent up
his pass, as a shipwrecked seaman, by one of the servants, who presently
returned with half-a-crown. As he had been always wont to receive a
large present from Sir Thomas, whenever he had applied to him, he thought
there was some unfair practice at the bottom; he therefore asked the
footman for a copper of ale to drink the family's health, hoping Sir
Thomas might come down by that time; the servant pretended to be in so
great a hurry, that he could not attend to draw any, but he was of too
humane a nature to permit the poor sailor to suffer by his hurry, so gave
him a shilling out of his own pocket to drink at the next public-house.
This extraordinary generosity of the footman increased Mr. Carew's
suspicion; he therefore kept loitering about the door, and often looking
up at the window, in hopes of seeing Sir Thomas, which accordingly
happened, for at length he flung up the sash, and accosted him in a free
familiar manner, called him Brother Tar, and told him he was very sorry
for his misfortunes, and that he had sent him a piece of money to assist
him in his journey towards Bristol. Heaven bless your honour, replied
he, for the half-crown your honour sent me; upon which Sir Thomas ran
down in his morning gown, and with great passion seized the footman by
the throat, and asked him what he had given the sailor. The fellow was
struck dumb with this, and indeed there was no need for his tongue on the
present occasion, as his looks, and the trembling of his limbs,
sufficiently declared his guilt; however he at last owned it with his
tongue; and excused himself by saying, he knew there was an ill use made
of the large bounties his honour gave. Sir Thomas, enraged at the
insolence of his servant, bestowed upon him the discipline of the
horse-whip, for his great care and integrity in not seeing his bounty
abused; adding, he now saw by whose villany he had lost his boots. He
then made the footman return the whole guinea to the sailor, and
discharged him from any further service in his family; upon which Mr.
Carew took his leave with great thankfulness, and went his way, highly
pleased with his good success in this adventure.--Here we cannot forbear
wishing that there was no higher character in life than Sir Thomas's
footman, to whose hands gold is apt to cling in passing through them;
that there was no steward who kept back part of his master's rent,
because he thinks he has more than he knows what to do