Cony-Catching - A table of the words of art, used in the effecting these base villainies.

Cony-Catching - A table of the words of art, used in the effecting these base villainies.

A table of the words of art, used in the effecting these base villainies.

Wherein is discovered the nature of every term, being proper to none but to the professors thereof.

1 High law	Robbing by the highway side.
2 Sacking law	Lechery.
3 Cheating law	Play at false dice.
4 Cross-biting law	Cozenage by whores.
5 Cony-catching law	Cozenage by cards.
6 Versing law	Cozenage by false gold.
7 Figging law	Cutting of purses, & picking of pockets.
8 Barnard's law	A drunken cozenage by cards.

These are the eight laws of villainy, leading the high way to infamy.

In high law.	The thief is called a high lawyer. He that setteth the watch — a scrippet. He that standeth to watch — an oak He that is robbed — the Martin When he yieldeth — stooping.
In sacking law.	The bawd, if it be a woman — a pander The bawd, if a man — an apple squire The whore — a commodity The whore house — a trugging place.
In cheating law.	Pardon me gentlemen,for although no man could better than myself discover this law and his terms,and the name of their cheats, barddice, flats, forgers, langrets, gourds, demies,and many other, with their nature, & the crosses and contraries to them upon advantage, yet for some special reasons, herein I will be silent.
In cross-biting law	The whore — the traffique The man that is brought in — the simpler. The villains that take them — the cross-biters.
In cony-catching law	The party that taketh up the cony — the setter. He that playeth the game — the verser He that is cozened — the cony He that comes in to them — the barnacle The money that is won — purchase
In versing law.	He that bringeth him in — the verser The poor countryman — the cozen And the drunkard that comes in — the suffier
In Figging law.	He that bringeth him in — a nip He that is half with him — the snap The knife — the cuttle bung The pickpocket — a foin He that faceth the man — the stall Taking the purse — drawing Spying of him — smoking The purse — the bung The money — the shells The Act doing — striking
In Barnard's law.	He that fetcheth the man — the taker He that is taken — the cozen The landed man — the verser The drunken man — the Barnard And he that makes the fray — the rutter.

Cum multis aliis quæ nunc præscribere longum est. <8>

These quaint terms do these base arts use to shadow their villainy withal: for, multa latent quæ non patent,<9> obscuring their filthy crafts with these fair colours, that the ignorant may not espy what their subtlety is: but their end will be like their beginning, hatched with Cain, and consumed with Judas: and so bidding them adieu to the devil, and you farewell to God, I end. And now to the art of cross-biting.

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