You must
know, gentlemen, I suffered such losses by insuring vessels during
the war, that I was obliged to stop payment, though my expectations
were such as encouraged me to manage one branch of business, without
coming to an immediate composition with my creditors. and, in short,
I received consignments from abroad as usual, that I might not be
subject to the visits of those catchpoles, I never stirred abroad;
but, turning my first floor into a warehouse, ordered all my goods
to be hoisted up by a crane fixed to the upper story of my house.
Divers were the stratagems practised by those ingenious ferrets,
with a view of decoying me from the walls of my fortification.
I received innumerable messages from people, who wanted to see me
at certain taverns, upon particular business. I was summoned into
the country, to see my own mother, who was said to be at the point
of death. A gentlewoman, one night, was taken in labour on my
threshold. At another time I was disturbed with the cry of murder
in the street; and once I was alarmed by a false fire.
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