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76 The Adventures of Roderick Random chapter xv. Strap moralizes——presents his purse to me——we inform our landlord of my misfortune; he unravels the mystery——I present myself to Cringer——he recommends and turns me over to Mr. Staytape——I become acquainted with a fellow-dependant, who explains the characters of Cringer and Staytape——and informs me of the method to be pursued at the Navy-office and Surgeon’s-hall——Strap is employed. In our way to our lodging, after a profound silence on both sides, Strap with a hideous groan observed, that we had brought our pigs to a fine market.1 To this observation I made no reply, and he went on: “God send us well out of this place, we have not been in London eight and forty hours, and I believe we have met with eight and forty thousand misfortunes.—We have been jeered, reproached, buffeted, pissed upon, and at last stript of our money: and I suppose by and by we shall be stript of our skins.—Indeed as to the money-part of it that was owing to our own folly; Solomon says, Bray a fool in a mortar, and he will never be wise.2 Ah! God help us, an ounce of prudence is worth a pound of gold.” This was no time for him to tamper with my disposition , already mad with my loss, and inflamed with resentment against him, for having refused me a little money to attempt to retrieve it. I therefore turned towards him with a stern countenance, and asked, “Who he called fool!” Being altogether unaccustomed to such looks from me, he stood still and stared in my face for some time; then, with some confusion, uttered “Fool!—I called no body fool but myself;—I am sure I am the greatest fool of the two, for being so much concerned at other people’s misfortunes;— but Nemo omnibus horis sapit.3 —that’s all—that’s all.”—Upon which a silence ensued that brought us to our lodging, where I threw myself upon the bed in an agony of despair , resolved to perish, rather than apply to my companion or any other body for relief ; but Strap, who knew my temper, and whose heart bled within him at my distress, after some pause, came to the bed-side, and putting a leathern-purse into my hand, burst into tears, crying, “I know what you think: but I scorn your thoughts.—There’s all I have in the world, take it, and I’ll perhaps get more for you before that be done.— If not, I’ll beg for you, steal for you, go through the wide world with you, and starve with you, for though I be a poor cobler’s son, I am no scout.”4 —I was so touched with the generous passion of this poor creature, that I could not refrain from weeping also, and we mingled our tears together for some time.—Upon examining the purse, I found in it two half guineas and half a crown, which I would have returned to him, saying, he knew better than I how to manage it; but he absolutely refused my proposal, and told me, it was more reasonable and decent that he should depend upon me who was a gentleman, than that I should be controuled by him. Volume One, Chapter XV 77 After this friendly contest was over, and our minds more at ease, we informed our landlord of what had happened to us, taking care to conceal the extremity to which we were reduced: He no sooner heard the story, than he assured us we had been grievously imposed upon by a couple of sharpers, who were associates; and that this polite, honest, friendly, humane person, who had treated us so civilly, was no other than a rascally Money-dropper, who made it his business to decoy strangers in that manner, to one of his own haunts, where an accomplice or two were always waiting to assist in pillaging the prey he had run down.—Here the good man recounted a great many stories of people who had been seduced, cheated, pilfered, beat,—nay, even murdered by such villains. I was confounded at the artifice and wickedness of mankind, and Strap lifting up his eyes and hands to heaven, prayed that God would deliver him from such scenes of iniquity; for surely the devil had set up...

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