Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 17.djvu/192

186 better sort; that the world was now sufficiently acquainted with John Bull, and interested itself in his concerns. He answered, with a smile, that he had indeed some trifling things to impart, that concerned John Bull's relations and domestic affairs; if these would satisfy me, he gave me free leave to make use of them, because they would serve to make the history of the lawsuit more intelligible. When I had looked over the manuscript, I found likewise some farther account of the composition, which perhaps may not be unacceptable to such as have read the former part.

OHN had a mother, whom he loved and honoured extremely, a discreet, grave, sober, good conditioned, cleanly old gentlewoman as ever lived; she was none of your crossgrained, termagant, scolding jades, that one had as good be hanged as live in the house with, such as are always censuring the conduct, and telling scandalous stories of their neighbours, extolling their own good qualities, and undervaluing those of others. On the contrary, she was of a meek spirit, and as she was strictly virtuous herself, so she always put the best construction upon the words and actions of her neighbours, except where they were irreconcilable to