Gilpin's Rig

"Running a rig"  or "running such rig" is a phrase often associated with the 18th century poem The Diverting History of John Gilpin by William Cowper, meaning to play a trick, engage in a frolic, or suffer a ridiculous, chaotic, or unexpected adventure. 

In the poem, John Gilpin is a linen draper, who goes on a disastrous horse ride, of which the narrator says, "He little dreamt, when he set out, of running such a rig. A rig here means a sportive trick, a frolic, or a rowdy mocking or deceptive act. 

It describes someone experiencing an, unexpected, messy, or embarassing situation. A young person, an urchin etc. 

In Far From The Madding Crowd the situation that Bathsheba Everdene faces when he went in search of Sergeant Francis Troy to inform him of Boldwood's Fury and warn him of some untoward incidents to Gilpin's Rig.

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