-■«.' 1*1 I . II .1 ^ , 
 
 The Adventures 
 
 OF A 
 
 COMMONLY CALLED A 
 
 irmingham Halfpenny 
 
 — " '■ " T» 
 
 BANBURY: 
 
 Frinled and Sold by J. G. Ru^heR} 
 
 ' ' BRIDGE-STREET. 
 
 -■'*.''"■ 
 
 Price Oiie Penny, 
 
TOE FOLLOWING LITTLE BOOK^ 
 
 and maay others, 
 
 Adorned with a great number of Cuts, 
 
 Arc just Printed and Sold by 
 
 3. G. RUSHER, BANBURY. 
 
 jjisto.ry of a. Banbury Cake Price Id 
 
 History of Johu Gilpin Id 
 
 TheGpod Farmer, of History of ) fjjl 
 
 Thomas Wiseman ) 
 
 Galloping Gt;ide to the A BC Id 
 
 Adventures of Sir Richard Whit-} . ; 
 
 tington and his Cat . ) 
 
 lliddler's Riddle Book, by Peter > w 
 
 PuzsJecap, Esq. y 
 
 The Children in the Wood, inverse id 
 
 The New House that Jack Built Id 
 
 Short Stories, or Treasures of Truth Id 
 
 Anecdotes for Good Children Id 
 
 The Adventures of a Counterfeit, ) - , 
 
 6r Birmingham Halfpenny £ 
 
 Pretty Poems for young Folks Id 
 
 Any of which, and a variety of others, 
 
 in ay fee hAd 4 <if th« persaft wfes sails tbw« 
 
 ■ 
 
 1 1 
 

 I 
 
 > 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 illil 
 
 mm 
 
 - Here's something new, 
 Dear Child, for'you, 
 
 'Twill please you in a trice ; 
 A Halfp'ny chuse, 
 Now don't refuse, 
 
 A penny is the price, 
 
 Tho' basely born, 
 Pray do not scorn, 
 
 A tale not worse than many ; 
 For I'm afraid, 
 More say in trade, 
 
 A Halfp'ny's made a penny. 
 
 
 *pk 
 
 m 
 
 u 
 
 ■ 
 
rusher's icornoN. 
 
 I was transported from Birmingham, 
 with many of my brethren, of different 
 dates, characters, and configurations^ to 
 a Jew Pedlar, in Dukes-place, who paid 
 for us scarce a fifth part of our nominal 
 value. 
 
 Seethe 8th Page* 
 
THE ADVENTURES 
 
 0¥ A 
 
 HALFPENNY* 
 
 COMMONLY CALLED A 
 
 Birmingham Halfpenny, 
 
 oa 
 
 COUNTERFEIT; 
 
 AS RELATED BY ITSELF 
 
 «*« «£* ftto sr« stfs «£»*#«*£« %£« §£«*&3 *)**.%*« a^o 9#* s£s $?o £££»»*• •£« **# 
 
 BANBURY s 
 
 Printed and Sold by J. G. Rusher 
 
 % 
 
 BRIDGE-STREET. 
 
 *— -<«>®— 
 
 Price One Penny. 
 
 I 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The adulteration of the copper-coin, 
 as it is highly pernicious to trade in ge- 
 neral, so it more immediately affects the 
 itinerate brandies of it. Among these, 
 at present, are to be found the only cir- 
 culators of base metal ; and, perhaps, 
 the only dealers who are obliged to take 
 such counterfeits, as will find a currency 
 no where else; rat age not allowed to 
 raise the price of their commodities. 
 
 A Tyburn execution, a duel, a most 
 terrible fire, or a horrid, barbarous, 
 bloody, criie}, and inhuman murder, was 
 wont to bring in vast revenues to the 
 lower class of pamphleteers, who get 
 their livelihood by vending these diurnal 
 records publicly in the. streets; but 
 since half- pence have been valued at no 
 more than rune. pence the pound weight, 
 these occasional pieces hardly answer the 
 expenees of printing and paper ; and the 
 servant maid, who used to indulge her 
 taste for polite literature^ Sy purchasing 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 fifty new play-house son**, or a Whole 
 poetical sheet of the Yorkshire garland, 
 or Gloucestershire tragedy, for a half- 
 penny, can now scarcely procure more 
 than one single slip of I love Sue, or 
 the Lover's complaint. 
 
 It is also observable, that the public 
 walks no longer echo with the shrill cry 
 of " Toothpicks ! Take you six, your 
 honour, for a half-penny," as it did 
 when half-pence were half-pence worth. 
 
 But the greatest sufferers are undoubt- 
 edly the numerous fraternity of beggars ; 
 for, as things are circumstanced, it 
 would be almost as profitable to work 
 as to beg, were it not that many of the 
 uncharitable are now induced to deal 
 out their charity in what is of no other 
 use to themselves, in the hope of receiving 
 sevetufold in return. Indeed, since the 
 usual donation has been so much lessened 
 in ils value, the beggars have been ob- 
 served to be more vociferous and impor- 
 tunate. One of these orators, who takes 
 his station at VauxhalLGardens, now eru 
 
fl 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 forces his piteous complaint, with u Good 
 Christians, one good half-penny to the 
 stone blind ;" and another, who tells you 
 he has lost the use of his precious limbs, 
 addresses your compassion by shewing a 
 bad half-penny, and declaring that he is 
 ready to perish with hunger, having tried 
 it in vain at twenty-three places to buy 
 a bit of bread. Farthings, we are told, 
 were formerly called in by the beggars, 
 Us they threatened the ruin of their com- 
 munity ; [ should'not wonder, therefore, 
 if this public-spirited people were also 
 to put a stop to the circulation of bad 
 half-pence, by melting them down from 
 
JNTllOfiUCTlOX. 
 
 • • 
 
 til 
 
 time to time as they come into their hands. 
 The experiment is worth making; and 
 1 am assured, (hat, for some end or other, 
 orders wiil be issued out from the king 
 of the beggars, to bring all their adulte- 
 rated copper to their mint in theBorough, 
 or their founder y in Moorfields. 
 
 I was led to the consideration of this 
 subject by some halfpence I had just re- 
 ceived in change : among which, one in 
 particular attracted my regard, that 
 seemed once to have borne the profile of 
 King William, now scarcely visible, as it 
 was verv much battered, and besides other 
 marks of ill usage had a hole through the 
 middle. As i.l happened to be the even. 
 ing of a daj oi some fatigue, my reflec- 
 tions did not much interrupt my propen* 
 s{ty to sleep, and I insensibly fell into a 
 kind of half-slumber ; when to imagina- 
 tion the halfpenny, which then lay before 
 me upon the table, erected itself upon 
 its rim, and from the royal lips stamped 
 ort its surface, articulately uttered the 
 following narration, 
 
>• 
 
 Adventures of a Halfpenny, 
 
 « Sin, 
 iC TT SHALL not pretend to conceal 
 
 i 
 
 from yon the illegitimacy of 
 my birth, or the baseness of my ex- 
 traction : and though I seem to bear 
 the marks of old age, I received my 
 being at Birmingham not six months 
 ago. From thence 1 was transported, 
 with manyof my brethren, of different 
 dates, characters, and configurations, 
 to a Jew-pedlar* in Dukes-place, who 
 paid for us scarce a fifth part of our 
 nominal value. We were soon after 
 separately disposed of, at a more 
 moderate profit, to coffee-houses, 
 chop- houses, chandler- shops, and 
 gin-shops. 
 
 " I had not been long in the world, 
 before an ingenious transmitter of 
 
 * Sec the Frontispiece, 
 
 r- '?*"'''. 
 
Adventures. 
 
 9 
 
 metals laid violent hands on me ; and 
 observing my thin shape and flat 
 surface, by the help of a little quick- 
 silver exalted mc into a shilling. Use, 
 however, soon degraded me again to 
 my native low station ; and I unfor* 
 tunately fell into the possession of an 
 
 urchin just breeched, who received me 
 as a Christmas-box of his god-mother, 
 u I now lost the very essence of my 
 being, ix\ the custody of this hopeful 
 disciple of avarice and folly; and 
 was kept only to be looked at and ad- 
 

 10 Adventures of a 
 
 mired : but a bigger boy, after a while,* 
 snatched me from hini$ and released 
 me from my confinement. 
 
 " I now underwent various hard- 
 ships among his play-fellows, and 
 was kicked about, hustled, tossed up, 
 and chucked into holes ; which very 
 much battered and impared me t but 
 I suffered most by the pegging of 
 
 tops, the marksof which I have borne 
 about me to this day. 1 was in this 
 state the unwitting cause of strife, en- 
 vy, and re venire. At length 1 was dis- 
 missed from their service, by a throw 
 with a barrow-woman for an orange. 
 
 -A. TV * _lL 
 
Counterfeit Halfpenny. 1 1 
 
 a From her it is natural to con- 
 clude,' I posted to the gin-shop; 
 where, indeed, it is probable I should 
 have immediately gone, if her hus- 
 
 band, had not wrested me from her, 
 at the ex pence of a bloody nose, black 
 eye, scratched face, and torn clothes. 
 By him J was carried to the Mall iu 
 St. James's Park; where — I am 
 ashamed to tell how I parted from 
 him— Let it suffice,, that 1 was soon 
 after safely deposited in a night-cellar. 
 u From hence 1 <rot into the coat- 
 pocket of a Blood, and remained 
 
 - . \.<Ti ■■, . ;-; ■-•/; • ■"-■ - -«-■..■'... ' " ;'■' ,: 
 
 
12 
 
 Idveuturcs of a 
 
 there with several of my brethren for 
 some davs unnoticed. But one even- 
 big, as he was reeling'home from the 
 tavern, he j irked a whole handful of 
 us through a sash-window, into the 
 dining-room of a tradesman, who lie 
 remembered had been so unmannerly 
 to him the day before, as to desire 
 payment of his bill, We reposed in 
 soft ease on a fine. Turkey carpet, till 
 the next morning, when the maid 
 swept us up ; and some of us were 
 allotted to purchase tea, some to buy 
 
t:- 
 
 Counterfeit Halfpenny . 13 
 
 snuff, and I myself was immediately 
 trucked away at the door for the 
 Sweetheart's Delight. 
 
 u It is not my design to enumerate 
 every little accident that has befallen 
 me, or to dwell upon trivial and in* 
 different circumstances, as is the prac- 
 tice of those important egotists, who 
 write narratives, memoirs, and travels. 
 The king, God bless- him, has many 
 
 worse subjects than I, for as useless to 
 the community as my single self may 
 appear to be, I have been the iustr u* 
 
 

 ' 
 
 14 Adventures of a 
 
 rnent of much <rood and evil in the 
 intercourse of mankind : I have con- 
 tributed no small sum to the revenues 
 of \hv crown, by my share in each 
 newspaper, and in the consumption 
 of tobacco, spirituous liquors, and 
 other taxable commodities. If I have 
 encouraged debauchery, or supported 
 extravagance ; I have also rewarded 
 the labours of industry, and relieved 
 the necessities of indigence. The poor 
 acknowledge me as their constant 
 friend; and the rich, though they 
 aifect to slight me, and treat me with 
 contempt, are often reduced by their 
 follies to distresses which it is even in 
 my power to relieve. 
 
 u The present exact scrutiny into 
 our constitution has, indeed, very 
 much obstructed and embarrassed my 
 travels ; though I could not but re- 
 joice in my condition last Shrove 
 'Tuesday, as I was debarred having 
 
 v 
 
 I 
 
 
Co unicrft it Half pen ny. 1 5 
 
 any share in maiming, bruising, and 
 destroying: the innocent victims wf 
 vulgar barbarity ; 1 was happy m 
 being confined tothe mock-encounters 
 with feathers and stuffed leather; a 
 childish sport, badly calculated to 
 initiate tender minds in arts of cruelty, 
 and prepare them for the exercise of 
 inhumanity on helpless animals ! 
 
 u f shall conclude, Sir, with in* 
 forming you by what means J came 
 to you in the condition vou see. A 
 Choice Spirit, a member of the 
 Kill-Care Club, broke a link-boy's 
 pate with me last night, as a reward 
 for lighting him across the kennel. 
 The lad wasted half his tar- flambeau 
 in looking for me ; but I escaped his 
 search, being lodged snugly against 
 a post. This morning a parish girl 
 picked me up, and carried me with 
 raptures to the next baker's shop te 
 purchase a roll. The master ex- 
 
 u/ 
 
 
 V I 
 
 ill 
 

 i 
 
 16 Counterfeit Halfpenny. 
 
 amined me with great attention, and 
 then, gruffly threatening Iter with 
 Bridewell for putting off bad-money, 
 knocked a nail through my middle, 
 and fastened me to the counter : but 
 the moment the poor hungry child 
 was gone, he whipt me up again, and 
 sending me away with others, in 
 'change to the next customer, gave 
 me this opportunity of relating my 
 adventures to you. 55 
 
 When I awaked, I found mvself 
 so much invigorated by my nap, that 
 I immediately wrote down the strange 
 story which I had just heard ; and 
 as it is not to tail v destitute of use 
 and entertainment, I have consented 
 to permit that by this means it may 
 be communicated to the public. 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your humble Servant, 
 
 Tim. Turnpenny. 
 
r^ 
 
 THE FOLLOWING BOOKS, 
 and many athev% 
 
 Are Printed and' Sold by 
 
 J. G. RUSHER, BANBtJR\ 
 
 The Filial Remembrancer, or CoL 
 lection of the mueji admired 
 Poems, u My Father, My Mo- 
 ther, My. Brother* My Sister, 
 &c." with Originals . Price 
 
 Rusher's Reading made most Easy 6d 
 
 Rusher's Royal Primer Improved 3d 
 
 ilistory of Beiisa, Orsames, and) w. 
 Julia, with Frontispiece J 
 
 History of Rustan and Mirza* &c. ) ^ * 
 anu Anna, with r rontispiece 
 
 Wit and Humour, or a Collection 
 
 of jests, Witty Sayings, &c. ^ 6d 
 with Frontispiece 
 
 History and Misfortunes of Fa. 
 tyma, and of Olyropia, with 
 Inkle and Yarico, in Vem; 
 with Frontispiece 
 
 The Gleaner, or new Selection of 
 
 Songs, very small sfee, embel-S* 6& 
 -: listed with many Eogf avings 
 
 AxitbAietitfl Tables 
 
 6d 
 

 Pify the plaiui of lame and h'iiuj, 
 Who oft your ch&riry implore!,' 
 r ho cannot work their food to find* 
 Nor else than beg from door to door. 
 
 FT* 
 
 hus this blind man. u ith. dog and stringy 
 Most piteoiLs cries, Your alms besto w } 
 Ilk tale of grief does say or kpg^ 
 A Halfpenny %&£*> relieve my wde.