Suffer me however once more to repeat, sir, that though my young lady
has kindly offered to furnish me with money, I still think it wrong
that you should permit me to accept her offer; having as I am well
convinced the means to supply me liberally yourself. I assure you, sir,
I would forbear to go, or to lay myself under the necessity of asking
you for money, were I not fully persuaded of its propriety. In order to
perform my duty in the world, I ought to understand its inhabitants,
its manners, and principally its laws, with the effects which the
different legislation of different countries has produced. I believe
this to be the highest and most useful kind of knowledge.
Could I fortunately induce you to think as I do, you certainly would
not refuse my request. Thirty pounds to you would be but a trifle. But
from my late failure I have so little hope, that I rather write to
execute a duty, than with any expectation of success.
I submit this to your consideration, and have the greatest desire to
prove myself your dutiful and affectionate son,
F. HENLEY
LETTER XVI
_Abimelech Henley to Frank Henley_
_Wenbourne-Hill_
Here's a hippistle! Here's tantarums! Here's palaver! Want to pick my
pocket? Rob me? And so an please ee he's my dutyfool and fekshinait
son! Duty fool, indeed? I say fool--Fool enough! And yet empty enough
God he knoweth! You peery? You a lurcher? You know how to make your 3
farthins shine, and turn your groats into guineas?--Why you're a noodl!
A green horn! A queezee quaumee pick thank pump kin! A fine younk lady
is willin to come down with the kole, and the hulver headed hulk wants
to raise the wind on his own father! You face the philistins! Why they
will bite the nose off a your face!
Thirty pounds too! The mercy be good unto me! Me thirty pounds! Where
must I get thirty pounds! Does the joult head think I coin? Would he
have me go on the highway? Who ever giv'd me thirty pounds? Marry come
up! Thirty pounds? Why I came to Wenbourne-Hill with thrums immee
pouch. Not a brass farthin more. And now show me the he or the
hurr--Shiner for shiner--Hool a cry hold first?--Thos as to the matter
of that, younker, why that's a nether here nor there; that's a nothink
to you dolt. I never axt you for nothink. Who begottee and sentee into
the world but I? Who found ee in bub and grub but I? Didn'tee run about
as ragged as any colt o' the common, and a didn't I find duddz for ee?
And what diddee ever do for me? Diddee ever addle half an ounce in your
life without being well ribb rostit? Tongue pad me indeed! Ferrit and
flickur at me! Rite your hippistles and gospels! I a butturd my
parsnips finely! Am I a to be hufft and snufft o' this here manner, by
a sir jimmee jingle brains of my own feedin and breedin? Am I to be
ramshaklt out of the super nakullums in spite o' my teeth? Yea and go
softly! I crack the nut and you eat the kernel!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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