23
so bed-ridden, this rots their children in the brewing, and buries then in the bringing up; yea some mothers are so beastly, as to water the bed and blame the child therefore, yet such lazy wives live long, and their children soon die; their far fetched feigned sickness, moon render the husband to the substance of one sixpence, he becomes poor and hen-peck't under such petticoat government.
But when I Janet was a Janet, and had the judgement of my own house, my husband was
thrice happy, I never held him down, he was above me day and night, I sat late and raise early, kept a fu' house and rough back, when summer came we minded winter's cauld, we had peace ay at porich-time, and harmony through the day, we supp'd our sowens at supper-time with a seasonable heat, and went to bed good bairns, kend naething but stark love and kindness, we wrought for riches, and our ages and earthly stores increased a- like, we hated pride and loved peace, he died with a good name, I let you ken I live, but not as many do, not so lordly of my brain ae, some are of their belly and was not my life strange by that now practised? Come help yourselves you hillokat liveas and avoid it.
Now after a', if a poor man want a perfect wife, let him wale a weel blooded hissie, wi' braid shouders an thick about the haunches, that has been lang servant in ae house, tho'
twice or thrice awa' and ay fied back, that's weel liked by the bairns and the bairn's
