The wilye Treacher, beeing maister of his trade, would not let slippe
this opportunitie, but courteouslie stepping to the Mistresse (who
loving her maid wel, because indeed shee had been a very good servant,
and from her first comming to London had dwelt with her, tould her
husband therof) coyned such a smooth tale unto them both, fronting it
with the Gammon of Bacon and the Cheese sent from their maides Father,
and hoping they would giue her leaue at Whitsontide to visit the
countrey, as they with verie kinde words entertained him, inuiting him
the next night to supper, when he promised to bring with him the
Gammon of Bacon and the Cheese. Then framing an excuse of certaine
busines in the town, for that time he tooke his leaue of the Maister
and Mistresse, and his new Cosen Margaret, who gave many a looke after
him (poore wench) as he went, ioying in her thoughts to haue such a
kinsman.

On the morrow hee prepared a good Gammon of bacon, which he closed up
in a soiled linnen cloth, and sewed an old card vpon it, whereon he
wrote a superscription vnto the Maister of the Maide, and at what
signe it was to be deliuered, and afterward scraped some of the
letters halfe out, that it might seeme they had bin rubd out in the
carriage. A good Cheese he prepared likewise, with inscription
accordingly on it, that it could not be discerned, but that some
unskilfull writer in the country had done it, both by the grosse
proportion of the letters, as also the bad ortographie which amongst
plaine husbandmen is verie common, in that they haue no better
instruction. So hiring a Porter to carrie them betweene flue and fire
in the evening he comes to the cittizens house, and entring the shop,
receives them of the Porter, whome the honest meaning Cittizen would
have paid for his pains, but this his maids new-found Cosen sayd hee
was satisfied alreadie, and so straining courtesse would not permit