But harkee me chit! Mind what I be about to say to ee, Simon the
simple, and mayhap thinks may become to be komparissuble and parallel
to the yellow hammers and the chink, for all of all this here rig
royster. For why? I can put a spoke in the wheel of the marriage act
and deed. Madam Clifton wonnot a budge a finger, to the signin and
sealin of her gratification of applause, whereby as if so be as that
the kole a be not a forth cummin, down on the nail head. And where now
might Timothy Tipkin sifflicate that it may behappen to be for to come
from? Pummel thy pumkin, and a tell me that, Peter Grievous. Where, but
out of my pouche, Gaby? That is, I first havin and holdin the
wherewithalls, and the whys, and the wherefores. Do you take me now? So
that forsooth, some folks may behappen to cry peccavi.
Whereby mind what I do tell ee. For why? I've as good as a told Sir
Arthur the wind is a not to be raised for any of a sitch of a flammbite
of a tale of a tub. Whereby I a told'n a bit of my mind. And if so be
as if a will wince, a mayhap it may come to pass that I can kick. A
shall find I was not a bred and a born and a begotten yesterday. An a
champ upon it, let'n. An a will run rusty, mayhap a may belike to get
his head in a hedge. So mind what I do say to ee; and tell 'em that
they may a behappen to find that your father is somebody, and that you
are his son. A tell 'em that.
So do you strike up to Missee boldly. Mind what ee be at; and let 'em
like it or leave it. For if so be as when a man has a got the
Marygolds, why then let'n begin to speak for himself. Why not?
Whereby I have now once again given the costard monger his pees and his
cues. So that if so be as if a do find that sweet sauce be good for
goose, why let'n a give his tongue an oilin. But if so be as a do find
a be Sir Arthur Crabvarjus o'the high ropes, why then says you, look ee
me says you, honest Aby is my father; and when a man has a got the
wherewithalls, why a begins to be somebody, and mayhap a's as good as
another. A tell 'em that.
And so no more at present; a savin and exceptin of the all bountifool
glory of the everlastin praise of joys eternal, livin and hopin for
time to repent us of all our manifold sins, and of a dyin in peace and
charity with all men. Whereby we shall be sure to partake of the
resurrection of the just sheep, and of the virgin oil in our lamps, and
of the martyrs and of the profits and of the saints everlastin rest.
ABIMELECH HENLEY
LETTER LXVII
_Frank Henley to Oliver Trenchard_
_London, Grosvenor Street_
Oliver, it is not half an hour since I ended writing one of the most
undutiful and bitter Philippics, that ever was addressed by a son to
his father. I say undutiful, because this wise world has decreed that
to abhor, reprove, and avoid vice in a father, instead of being the
performance of a duty, is offensive to all moral feeling.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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