A great Robbery IN THE NORTH, Near Swanton in Yorkshire; Showing How one Mr. TAILOR was Rob by a Company OF CAVALIERS, July 12.  
LONDON: Printed for George Temlinson. July 28. 1642.   

A great Robbery in the North.  
AT a loan house near Wetherby in Yorkshire, there dwelled a rich Gull (by name Tailor) whose wealth was so abundant, that he is known all about those Coasts by the name of Rich Tailor, but it seems by the story, that he was as it were wedded to his riches, and thought it more Religion to adore his Gold than his God, insomuch that his parsimony was such, that he had even choked his chests, with his store; but God will not thus be cheated of his honour, but he will show himself to be a God, and a jealous God, not failing to punish the offenders, to some purpose: it thus therefore happened, Our most gracious Sovereign which now is (I beseech the Heavens to bless him, and send him long to reign) stood in great need of money to pay his Soldiers which he had levied against the Scots, and was fain to borrow money of some good meaning men, amongst the rest, an hundred pounds were required from this fattened Boar, which took such delight to wallow in his silver dirt, but he would part with his eyes as soon as with his money, as soon the one as the other, and at last gave a flat denial, saying, that he neither could nor would spare it, and so dismissed the messenger. O Cur! that any man should adore dirt and dross so much, that he would not spare a doit to so good a purpose; surely, like a greedy rascal as he is, he doth think he shall never have enough, just like to the Rich man in the Gospel, he was forced to pull down his old Barns and build new, because the old was too little to contain his store, and yet never contented: or like the Horseleech, he still cries, Give, give, and yet his guts are ready to break. I hope the devil loves him so well, that ere it be long he will give him his guts full of no goodness: but my pious rogue hath caused me to digress, for he was not long without a match.  
The Soldiers hearing what a mass of money this scraping wretch had gleaned up together, and how il-natured he was, that he was unwilling to spare an hundred pounds, which was (as it were) but a mite, in comparison of his store, thus plotted it, that they might be revenged of this griping, beastlike man.  
A company of Troopers about eight or nine agreed together to go to this Tailor, and to search and see what money he had so wickedly gathered together; well, they all agreed, and each man taking his Horse, to the house of this rich Tailor they ride, and all things were very fit and convenient for them, for it was about twelve of the clock at night when they came thither; when they came thither, they found only a man and a maid besides rich Tailor himself, these three they took and bound, each man drawing his sword and putting it to his breast, vowing to kill him, if he told them not where his Gold was, he straightways desired them that they would spare his life, and then he began to bid them look in the till of such a chest, and there they might satisfy themselves: the chest by relation was at the least three yards long, and when they had opened it, they sound it as full crammed with silver as one piece could lie to another, which made them almost amazed, than they opened the till of the chest, where they found two thousand pounds in Gold, that they took in the first place, and so much of the Silver that it amounted in all to the value of sourteen thousand pounds. Now you must here understand, that the ringleader in this act was one Knowles, who was heretofore a dancer on the ropes, and also a jester to Master John Punteus the French Mountebank, which traveled throughout this Kingdom; who (when they had gotten the money) began to show his feats of activity, upon the table, reling Master Tailor, that he would not take his money for nothing, he should have some sport for it, and after that done, they each man to his Horse again, got as fast as they could, and away they went to shift for themselves. They had not been long gone, but Tailor got himself lose, and unbound his man and his maid, and with all speed sent his man to make hue and cry after these Troopers which had rob him, but they were not so foolish as to be taken, for every man sought to shift for himself, and they did it most completely; but this by the way.  
It seems by the sequel, that their eyes were more than their bellies, and that they had taken more than they could well tell what to do with, therefore they cast a bag with two hundred pounds in it into a bush, and so hied away. Now it chanced that two men were at plough together, and he that held the plough going that way where the bush stood, and espied the bag with the two hundred pounds in it, he had no sooner cast his eyes upon the money, but he called to his man to shoot off, for he would work no more that day, his man began to grumble and grudge 〈◊〉, saying, I see not shoot off, nor Ise not lief my days work not I: his master answered, I say, thou shalt not, for I will pay thee thy wages, as also to give thee thy supper; Marry, God's blessing on your heart master, said the man, and so they ganged along together to the next Alehouse, which was not far from them, and there they began to call for their liquor about them, and in a while they bespoke meat for their suppers; which incontinently they had, and to it they fell and fed hearty, but the old proverb saith, That sweet meat must have sour sauce, and so it had indeed, too sour for the poor harmless men who were as innocent in the knowledge of the robbers, as the child which was but even then borne. And thus it came to pass.  
Old Tailor having sent Hue and Cry after the Troopers which had taken his fourteen thousand pounds from him, had this accident by the way,  
The Hue and Cry chanced to come into the same house where these two poor plough men were which had found the two hundred pounds, where they poor innocent men were taken for suspected persons, to he of the Robbers, and also the money which they had, old Tailor knew very well to be his, for there were nothing but half Crowns in the bag, and they had diminished but twelve shillings of it in beer, and their supper, the rest was all told, and found to be right; well, these men were suspected fellows, old Tail thought, and he swore he would hang them if it cost him half his estate. Accursed rogue, that will spend more to cast away an innocent man, than he will lend to his King; well, to the Goal they were conveyed, whilst the offenders reveled abroad in security, for some slipped over into France, some into Ireland, some to this place, and some to that place, where they all knew themselves to be in security; but God will never suffer the poor and innocent to perish, for after they had been a while away, they with unanimity wrote to the King for a pardon, showing the cause that they did this deed, because they had not their Pay, and that iron-bound rogue would not give a Soldier a cup of drink, if he should come and crave it at his gate: when our King had understood how the cause stood, and that it was (as it were) but equity to do as they had done, desired the Parliaments consent, and so pardoned them all; now they came powdering back again, when they heard how graciously our King had dealt with them, and this Knowles with old Tailors money hath bought a place at Court, and lives most gently; but those two poor ploughmen they were enforced to stay in Prison till Goal-delivery, and indeed I think that they had done well to have allotted the two hundred pounds to those two poor men which found them, whereby they have suffered all this wrong.  
Thus have you heard the true relation of old Tailor, of his riches, how he was rob by Knowles and his company, how they fled, and how they were pardoned, how two poor plough men were taken and apprehended for finding what they had cast away, and (the more is pity) they lie in durance for it at this time, and shall till a Goal-delivery, and in my foolish conceit, old Tailor was served well enough, I pray God it may be a warning to all such griping villainies. The Troopers they sped well, but I would not wish men to attempt the like, lest they fall short of their fortunes.  
For if the Fates do once begin to frown,  
They'll kick the stoutest, and the strongest down.  
FINIS.