boys, that he heard my father's man say, that he would advise his sons to get gold-lace on their coats, as soon as ever they could procure money to buy it. By G— that is very true, cries the other[1]; I remember it perfectly well, said the third. And so without more ado they got the largest gold-lace in the parish, and walked about as fine as lords.
A while after there came up all in fashion a pretty sort of flame-coloured sattin[2] for linings; and the mercer brought a pattern of it immediately to our three gentlemen: An please your worships, said he, my lord C——— and Sir J. W. had linings out of this very piece last night; it takes wonderfully, and I shall not have a remnant left, enough to make my wife a pin-cushion, by to-morrow morning at ten a clock. Upon this they fell again to rum-
- ↑ When the papists cannot find anything which they want in Scripture, they go to oral tradition: thus Peter is introduced dissatisfied with the tedious way of looking for all the letters of any word, which he has occasion for in the will; when neither the constituent syllables, nor much less the whole word, were there in terminis. W. Wotton.
- ↑ This is Purgatory, whereof he speaks more particularly hereafter; but here, only to show how Scripture was perverted to prove it, which was done, by giving equal authority with the canon to Apocrypha, called here a codicil annexed.
It is likely the author, in every one of these changes in the brother's dresses, refers to some particular errour in the church of Rome, though it is not easy, I think, to apply them all: but by this of flame-coloured sattin, is manifestly intended Purgatory: by gold-lace may perhaps be understood, the lofty ornaments and plate in the churches; the shoulder-knots and silver fringe are not so obvious, at least to me; but the Indian figures of men, women, and children, plainly relate to the pictures in the Romish churches, of God like an old man, of the Virgin Mary, and our Saviour as a child.
