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HOW THE RELATIONS RECONCILED JOHN AND HIS SISTER PEG,
AND WHAT RETURN PEG MADE TO JOHN’S MESSAGE

From the ‘History of John Bull,’ Part I.

John Bull, otherwise a good-natured man, was very hard-hearted 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 peddling about the streets selling knives, scissors, and shoe-buckles; 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 journey-work to her neighbors.  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 neighbors.  When she came in to any full assembly, she would not yield the pas to the best of them.  If one asked her, “Are you not related to John Bull?” “Yes,” says she, “he has the honor 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, seeing she was an industrious person, and might be serviceable to him in his way of business.  “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 humors 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 horseback; 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 anything of them, true or false.  But to return to my story.

When Peg received John’s message she huffed and stormed:—­“My brother John,” quoth she, “is grown wondrous kind-hearted all of a sudden, but I meikle doubt whether it be not mair for their own conveniency than for my good; he draws up his writs and his deeds, forsooth, and I must set my hand to them, unsight, 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