Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-06-28
GENTLEMEN OF THE ROAD.
The Gallant Thieves and Robbers of King
Charles Time.

In the days OF King Charles the Second
there lived one of the most noted gentle
men of the road, Claude Duval, as gallant
and pretty fellow as ever danced upon
| nothing at all under the three trees at
Tyburn," upon the occasion of whose death
the author of {. Hudibras" wrote Pinda-
ric ode, and who had such taking way
with the women that in his last hours, as
Captain johnson tells us, abundance of
ladies, and those not of the meanest quail
ity, visited BIN in prison, and interceded
for his pardon, and not few accompanied
him to the gallows under their wizards,
with swollen eyes and blu5bered cheeks"
OF him it is told that one day, on hearing
news of a knight and his lady travelling
into the country with e4Q0 in their coach,
he and thee others spurred after them,
and by-and by came up with them upon
lonely heath little way out of the town.
The coach was stopped, and when the
knight looked out of the window he saw a
wicked. looking scamp in wizard mask at
the horses heads, another holding the cold
rim of pistol against his coachman's ear.
and still another standing over the pos
tilion.
A polite gentleman, most excellently
well dressed, rode up to the coach upon a
fine horse, and dotted his hat with an air
that was worth coming that distance to
see for, be ii mentioned, the lady in the
coach was " a fine, sprightly creature"
The polite gentleman was Monsieur
Claude Duval.
Sir" said he 70 the knight, ~ make
no doubt that your lady dances excellently
well. VIII you be pleased to step out of
the coach and let me have the honor of
dancing one courant with her upon the
heath ?"
There is" said the knight, lifting his
hat with an air almost equal to that Of the
other" there is no refusing such polite
request, sir. You seem to he man of
generosity, and that which you ask is per-
fectly reasonable"
Thereupon the footman was called. the
steps were dropped, the door opened and
the knight clambered out. Duval himself
handed the lady down.
1t was" bursts forth the old chronicle
that speaks of this-''it was surprising to
see how gracefully he moved upon the
heath. Scarce dancing-master in Lon
don but would have been proud to have
shown such agility in pair Of dancing
pumps as Duval showed in a great pair Of
French riding boots"
At last the dance was ended, and he
handed the lady back into the coach again
with all the gallantry conceivable. But
as the knight was about to follow, sir"
said he, "you have forgot to pay the pi-.
per-"
His worship pulled long face, but
there was no help for it. Out from under
the seat of the coach he pulled bag con-
tanning hundred guineas and handed it
to Duval, who received it with bow that
was almost worth the money to see.
Sir" said he, your generosity and
liberality are only exceeded by your noble
behavior, and have saved you the other
$500 which you have in the coach with
you For the rogue had knowledge of
every farthiDg of the money and where it
was hidden, and might have had it all,
had he not, by some sudden quirk of his
crazy wits, been pleased 10 dance $500 of
1t away in heavy pair of riding boots on
a grassy heath with fine lady of quality.
Such is one of legion of similar chap
book stories, all ringing with a certain
feeling of open-handed generosity, and all
of counterfeit metal for as in this the poor
good knight lost one hundred guineas of
honest money, so in them all some limo.
cent victim suffers. But always he is rich
or powerful, and so chapbook literature sees
nothing Of the smart he suffers; it is blind
upon that side.-H0pagd Pyle IN Harper's
Nd0dzine.