I frequently stroll thro’ the town, with my Invisible Belt close girt about me, not always with a view of making any discoveries, but merely to enjoy the freedom of my thought, without being interrupted by the impertinent how-d'ye's of some who might meet and know me by day, and to be safe from the salutation of the stand and deliver, – investors of the street by night, with whom I was no less inclined to engage in combat, than I am to comply with their unreasonable and unjust demands.

In these unmeaning rambles I sometimes stumbled upon adventures no less entertaining than many of those I had sought after, and took so much pains to explore the hidden source of.

I will not, however, pretend to promise that this I am now about to recite is either so improving or so pleasing as several others presented to the public in this work; but be that as it shall happen, – the candid reader will accept of things as they fell under my observation, and content himself with such as are less agreeable, for the sake of those he shall find much more to his taste.

I was going through a narrow lane one day, and saw a great concourse of the meaner sort of people gather'd together about a little door, which then seem'd to me, and I afterwards found, was the avenue to some stables or coach-house; as I did not imagine that persons of the appearance these were could be assembled on any matter worthy of my attention, I should scarce have stopp'd to make any enquiry into it, if, just as I came near the place where they stood, they had not been join'd by some others, whose interrogatories awaken'd my curiosity.