by giving either him or his horfe fome strong purgative, or other, in fome drink, the day before. An accident, however, happened, that for a while prevented John Gilpin from coming out of doors, for going one evening to the playhoufe, and putting his great coat on the feat by him in the two shilfing gallery, where, in imitation of the great he ufed fometimes to fit incog, a wag had for fome time kept an eye on it, and determined to make it his own. Accordingly John Gilpin having fallen faft afleep about the third act of the play, he found means to wafer his own name in the inside of the great coat, fo that when John Gilpin laid hold of it at the conclufion of the entertainment, the wag very feriously afked him, "What he was going to do?" Poor Gilpin replied, "That he was going to put on his great coat." “You are a very impudent fellow (cried the other) and if I had a conftable near at hand, I would certainly have you made an example of." These words were like a clap of thunder to John Gilpin, and it now became became a question, in which the greatest part of the gallery interfered, whofe coat it really was. "If it belongs to you (cried John Gilpin, addreffing himself to the ftranger) tell these Gentlemen, (looking round to the Company) How you know it ?" "By the name: of Jofeph Sharp, which, if my coat, (cried he) will be found un-der the cape." The coat was immediately examined, and the name: being found as mentioned, it was declared to belong to the ftranger,. and poor Gilpin, unable to be heard: in his defence, was fo roughly: treated, under the idea of his being a cheat, that he was very glad to get away with a broken head, that actually confined him for fom etime to his room. CHAP. VIII. HOW HE ENDEAVOURED ON ALL OCCASIONS ΤΟ PLEASE MRS. GILPIN, AND HIGHLY OFFEN- OHN GILPIN now found him JOHN felf the father of a family of three children, all females, the oldest of whom, Mifs Gilpin, a very promifing girl, he fent, at the age of thirteen, to a very capital boarding-fchool in the neighbourhood of Hackney. It |