Page:History of the haveral wives, or, The folly of witless women displayed.pdf/3

( 3 ) ter then, but prieſts, meſs Johns, black friars and white rs, monks, abbots and biſhops, they had nae wives, yet e beſt o' them wad a ſpoken bawdy language and kifs'd laſſes; fickle fykin bodies they were, unco ill to pleaſe; y wad baith curs’d folk and bleſs'd them juſt paid m: a deed they were unco greedy o' the penny, and yed ay to the dead-folk and gard the living pay them t; and tho' they had play'd the loon wi' a poor hizzy durſt nae ſpeak o't for her very life, for they could ony body o'er to the de'il when they like T y eager folk learn to read and pray like on new mini- s, thump on your breaſt, ſtrike your fingers o'er aboon ar noſe, tell your beads and rin barfit amang hard ſtanes icauld ſnaw.

Mag. Hech woman! and wad they had carnal dealings the women, and them fae good and haly

Jan, Hout, ye daft gowk! do ye think their gudeneſs ded them tho' they had nae wives? There was a great o' them they ca'd cardonals, that ay when twa young dies were married they bit to ha'e the firſt night o' the de.

Mag Wae worth the filthy hoorin dogs, if I wadna bet them myſel'; I wonder that the gentle folk and ds them do the like o' that.

Jan. A dear woman! the gentle folks and the lairds pray in wi' them, for they ſaid they had the command the de'il and the dead folk, and the gentles durſtna caſt wi' them, for they got a their ſins pardoned for the s filler.

Mag. A wow woman? What's come o' them a' now? n ſure the like o' that folk that had ſae muckle power ed neither die nor yet be ſick; they wad live a' their ys,

Jan. A wat well did they, for the maiſt o' them is ad and rotten, and the reſt o' them gaed awa' to Italy, here the auld Pope their father, the de'il, the witches, rownies and fairies dwall; and then we gat anither ſort goſpel folk they ca'd curits, a fine ſort o' dainty, honeſt odies they were, but gay and greedy; they dinna like