The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-06-05

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,n upon the occasion of whose
death the author of 'Hudibras" wrote a
Pindaric 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 quality, visited him nprison
and Interceded for his pardon, and not a
few accompanied him to the gallOws,
under their wizards, with swollen eyes
and blubbered cheeks"
OF him it is told that one day, on hear
ing news of a knight and his lady travel
ling into the country with e400 in their
coach, he and three others spurred after
them, and by-and-by came up with them
upon a lonely heath little way out of
the town. The coach was stopped, and
when the knight looked out of the win
dow he saw a wicked looking scamp in a
wizard mask at the horses heads another
holding the cold rim of pistol against
his coachman's ear, and still another
standing over the position.
A polite gentleman, most excelently
well dressed, rode up to the coach upon
fine horse, and doifed his hat with an
air that was worth coming that distance
to see; for, be it mentioned, the lady in
the coach was "a fine sprightly creature"
The polite gentleman was Monsieur
Claude Duval.
"Sir," said he to the knight, 81 make
no doubt that your lady dances excellent
ly 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 isn said the knight, lifting his
hat with an air almost equal to that of
the other-"there is no refusing such a
polite request, sir. You seem to be a
man of generosity, and that which you
ask is perfectly reasonable"
Thereupon the footman was called, the
steps were dropped, the door opened and
the knight clambered out. Duval him
self handed the lady down.
"It 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 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
piper"
His worship pulled ON long face, but
there was no help for it. Out from under
the seat of the coach he pulled bag con-
tanning a 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 hare sdued you the
other $500 Which you hare IN the coach
,oiM you.." For the rogue had knowl-
edge of every farthing 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 to dance
$500 of it away in heavy pair of riding
boots on grassy heath with fine lady
of quality.
Such is one of legion of similar chap
book stories, all ringing with certain