CHAP. IV.

How the relations reconciled John and his sister Peg, and what return Peg made to John's message *.

JOHN BULL, otherwise a good-natured man, was

very hardhearted to his sister Peg, chiefly from an aversion he had conceived in his infancy. While he flourished, kept a warm house, and drove a plentiful trade, poor Peg was forced to go hawking and pedling about the streets, selling knives, scissars, and shoebuckles: now and then carried a basket of fish to the market; sewed, spun, and knit for a livelihood, till her fingers-ends were sore, and when she could not get bread for her family, she was forced to hire them out at journeywork to her neighbours. Yet in these her poor circumstances she still preserved the air and mien of a gentlewoman, a certain decent pride, that extorted respect from the haughtiest of her neighbours; when she came into any full assembly she would not yield the pas to the best of them. If one asked her, are not you related to John Bull? "Yes," says she, "he has the honour to "be my brother." So Peg's affairs went, till all the relations cried out shame upon John for his barbarous usage of his own flesh and blood; that it was an easy matter for him to put her in a creditable way of living, not only without hurt, but with advantage to himself, being she was an industrious person, and might be serviceable to him in his way of business.

*The treaty of Union between England and Scotland.

"Hang her, jade, quoth John; I can't endure her,

as long as she keeps that rascal Jack's company. They told him, the way to reclaim her was to take her into his house; that by conversation the childish humours of their younger days might be worn out. These arguments were enforced by a certain incident. It happened that John was at that time about making his will and entailing his estate*, the very same in which Nic. Frog is named executor. Now his sister Peg's name being in the entail, he could not make a thorough settlement without her consent. There was, indeed, a malicious story went about, as if John's last wife had fallen in love with Jack as he was eating custard on horsebackt: that she persuaded John to take his sister into the house, the better to drive on the intrigue with Jack, concluding he would follow his mistress Peg. All I can infer from this story, is, that when one has got a bad character in the world, people will report and believe any thing of one, true or false. But to return to my story; when Peg received John's message, she huffed and stormed like the devil: "My brother John, quoth she, is grown "wondrous kind-hearted all of a sudden, but I mei"kle doubt whether it be not mair for their own con"veniency than for my good: he draws up his writs "and his deeds, forsooth, and I must set my hand to

* The succession to the crown having been settled by act of parliament in England, upon the house of Hanover, and no such act having passed in Scotland, then a separate kingdom, it was thought a proper time to complete the union which had been often attempted, and which was recommended to the Scots by king William III.

A presbyterian lord mayor of London.

The Scots expressed their fears for the presbyterian government, and of being burdened with the English national debts.

«them,

them, un ight, unseen. I like the young man he has settled upon well enough, but I think I ought "to have a valuable consideration for my consent. "He wants my poor little farm, because it makes a "nook in his park-wall: ye may e'en tell him, he "has mair than he makes good use of: he gangs up "and down drinking, roaring, and quarrelling, through "all the country markets, making foolish bargains in "his cups, which he repents when he is sober; like "a thriftless wretch, spending the goods and gear "that his forefathers won with the sweat of their "brows; light come, light go, he cares not a far

"the hose, and mend the linen.

thing. But why should I stand surety for his con"tracts; the little I have is free, and I can call it my "awn; hame's hame, let it be never so hamely. I "ken him well enough, he could never abide me, " and when he has his ends, he'll e'en use me as he "did before. I am sure I shall be treated like a poor drudge: I shall be set to tend the bairns, dearn Then there's no mother; she rails "at Jack, and Jack's an honester man than any of "her kin: I shall be plagued with her spells and her “Pater-nosters, and silly old-world ceremonies: I "mun never pair my nails on a Friday, nor begin a journey on Childermas-day, and I mun stand becking and binging, as I gang out and into the hall. "Tell him he may e'en gang his get; I'll have no"thing to do with him; I'll stay, like the poor coun

living with that old carline his

try mouse, in my awn habitation." So Peg talked ; but for all that, by the interposition of good friends, and by many a bonny thing that was sent, and many more that were promised Peg, the matter was concluded, and Peg taken into the house upon certain

articles: one of which was that she might have the freedom of Jack's conversation*, and might take him for better and for worse, if she pleased; provided always he did not come into the house at unseasonable hours, and disturb the rest of the old woman, John's mother.

CHAP. V.

Of some quarrels, that happened after Peg was taken into the family t·

IT is an old observation, that the quarrels of relations are harder to reconcile than any other; injuries from friends fret and gall more, and the memory of them is not so easily obliterated. This is cunningly represented by one of your old sages, called Æsop, in the story of the bird, that was grieved extremely at being wounded with an arrow feathered with his own wing: as also of the oak, that let many a heavy groan, when he was cleft with a wedge of his own timber.

There was no man in the world less subject to rancour than John Bull, considering how often his goodnature had been abused; yet I don't know how, but he was too apt to hearken to tattling people, that carried tales between him and his sister Peg, on purpose to sow jealousies, and set them together by the ears. They say that there were some hardships put

The act of toleration.

+ Quarrels about some of the articles of Union, particularly the peerage.

upon

upon Peg, which had been better let alone; but it was the business of good people to restrain the injuries on one side, and moderate the resentments on the other; a good friend acts both parts; the one without the other will not do.

The purchase money of Peg's farm was ill paid *; then Peg loved a little good liquor, and the servants shut up the wine-cellar; for that Peg found a trick, for she made a false key †. Peg's servants complained, that they were debarred from all manner of business, and never suffered to touch the least thing within the house; if they offered to come into the warehouse, then straight went the yard slap over their noddle! if they ventured into the counting-room, a fellow would throw an ink bottle at their head; if they came into the best apartment, to set any thing there in order, they were saluted with a broom; if they meddled with any thing in the kitchen, it was odds but the cook laid them over the pate with a ladle; one that would have got into the stables, was met by two rascals, who fell to work with him with a brush and a currycomb; some climbing up into the coachbox, were told that one of their companions had been there before that could not drive: then slap went the long whip about their ears.

On the other hand it was complained, that Peg's servants were always asking for drinkmoney ; that

* By the xvth article of the treaty of Union, it was agreed that Scotland should have an equivalent for several customs and excises to which she would become liable, and this equivalent was not paid,

+ Run wine.

By the test act, dissenters are excluded from places and employments.

Endeavoured to get their share of places.