of Peter’s, and Martin’s, and Jack’s receipt-books, and of this medley or
hodge-podge made up a dispensatory of their own, strictly forbidding any
other to be used, and particularly Peter’s, from which the greatest part
of this new dispensatory was stolen. How the lady, farther to confirm
this change, wisely imitating her father, degraded Peter from the rank he
pretended as eldest brother, and set up herself in his place as head of
the family, and ever after wore her father’s old cap with the fine
feather he had got from Peter for standing his friend, which has likewise
been worn with no small ostentation to this day by all her successors,
though declared enemies to Peter. How Lady Bess and her physicians,
being told of many defects and imperfections in their new medley
dispensatory, resolve on a further alteration, to purge it from a great
deal of Peter’s trash that still remained in it, but were prevented by
her death. How she was succeeded by a North-Country farmer {162a}, who
pretended great skill in the managing of farms, though he could never
govern his own poor little farm, nor yet this large new one after he got
it. How this new landlord, to show his valour and dexterity, fought
against enchanters, weeds, giants, and windmills, and claimed great
honour for his victories. How his successor, no wiser than he,
occasioned great disorders by the new methods he took to manage his
farms. How he attempted to establish in his Northern farm the same
dispensatory {162b} used in the Southern, but miscarried, because Jack’s
powders, pills, salves, and plasters were there in great vogue.
How the author finds himself embarrassed for having introduced into his
history a new sect different from the three he had undertaken to treat
of; and how his inviolable respect to the sacred number three obliges him
to reduce these four, as he intends to do all other things, to that
number; and for that end to drop the former Martin and to substitute in
his place Lady Bess’s institution, which is to pass under the name of
Martin in the sequel of this true history. This weighty point being
cleared, the author goes on and describes mighty quarrels and squabbles
between Jack and Martin; how sometimes the one had the better and
sometimes the other, to the great desolation of both farms, till at last
both sides concur to hang up the landlord {162c}, who pretended to die a
martyr for Martin, though he had been true to neither side, and was
suspected by many to have a great affection for Peter.
A DIGRESSION ON THE NATURE, USEFULNESS, AND NECESSITY OF WARS AND
QUARRELS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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