gaped like a furnace. He was a roaring roystering madcap; who upon occasion would try the strength of his conscience by filching his customers' corn, and giving them false tales.[1] Yet, withal, he had 'a thumb of gold,' as the old saying goes respecting honest millers; and I believe was no worse than his brethren. He wore a white coat with a blue hood, and a sword and buckler at his side. He was a performer on the bagpipe, and with it marshalled us out of town.
There was a gentle Manciple, who was a pattern to all caterers and purchasers of provision; for whether he paid in ready money or went upon credit, he always so managed his accounts as to have a surplus of cash in hand. Now, this appears to me like a special gift from heaven, that an ignorant man of this stamp should be able to outwit a whole bevy of learned clerks. He had more than thirty masters, acute in the law, a dozen of whom were fit to be stewards to any nobleman in the
