Page:Fun upon fun, or, The comical merry tricks of Leper the taylor (4).pdf/5

 5 man's dog, which had the rope in his teeth, they all cried out, "The de'il is in the dog, the de'il is in the dog,' and took up ſtones and fell'd poor colley, and the de'il got the blame of making the dog ring the bell, this ſpread Leper's fame for being one of the wiſeſt and moſt couragious taylors that was in all the kingdom; and many ſhaking their heads, ſaid, 'It was a pity he was a taylor, but a captain or general of an army, as the devil could not fear 'him'?

After this, a farmer in the neighbourhood, hearing the fame of Leper, how he had frighted the de'il frae being a bell-man, ſent for him to an ale-houſe, and drank with him very heartily, and told him that he was ſadly born down with the ſpirit of jealouſy againſt his wife, on ſuſpicion of being too free with a ſervant-lad she had before, and if he would keep it ſecret, and learn him how to find it out, he would give his mother a load of meal, to which Leper and him agrees, he gave the poor ſuppoſed cuckold inſtructions how to behave. So home he gees and feigns himſelf to be very ſick, and every day worſe and worſe, taking death to him, bleſſes his three ſmall children, and charges his wife not to marry until his children could do ſomething for themſelves: This hypocritical woman takes the roaring, a ha, marry, ſhe would never marry! No, no, there ſhould never man ly by her ſide, nor kiſs her lips after thee, my lamb Johnny —— Then he acted the dying man as well as poſſibly he could, the neighbours were called in, and he's fair o'erſeem as the old ſaying is, Before good neighbours; the ſorrowful widow made a fad lament, wrung her hands, and tearing her hair,——the reverend women about began to dreſs the corpſe, aſked her for a ſhirt, Ay, ay, ſaid ſhe, He has twa new linen ſarks, and there is an awld ane in the bottom of the