Page:Oration on the virtues of the old women, and the pride of the young (1).pdf/8

 alike, we hated pride and loved peace, he died with good name, I let you ken I live, but not as many do not ſo lordly of my brain as ſome are of their belly and was not my life ſtrange by that new practiſed Come help yourſelves you hillokat livers and avoid it.

Now aftar all, if a poor man want a perfect wife let him wale a well-blooded hiſſie, wi' bread ſhoulders and thick about the haunches, that has been lang ſervant in ae houſe, tho' twice or thrice away and aye ſied back, that's well liked by the bairns and the bairns' mither, that's nae way cankard to the cats nor kicks the colley-dogs amang her feet, that was let a' brute beaſts live, but rats, mice, lice, flaes, neet and bugs, that bites the wee bairns in their cradles that carefully combs the young things' heads, waſhe their faces and claps their cheeks, ſnites the ſnotte frae their noſe as they were a' her ain, that's the laſ that will make a good wife, for them that dauts the young bairns will ay be kind to auld fouks an they had them.

And ony hale hearted wholeſome hiſſie that want to halter a good huſband, never take a widow's ae fo for a' the wifely gates in the warld will be in him, ſo want of a father to teach him manly actions ; neither take a fourlooking ſumſ wila muckle mouth, and a wide guts, who will eat like a horſe and ſoſs like a ſow ſuffer none to ſup but himſelf, eat your meat and the bairns' baith; when hungry angry, when fu' full o pride, ten ſecks will not hold his ſauce, though a pea ſhap will hold his ſilver: But go take your chance, and if cheated chaner not on me, for faſhionable folk flee to faſhionable things, for luſt is brutiſh blind, and fond love is blear eye'd. I add no more, ſays Janet to be it, ſaid Humphray the Clerk.