John put his cause in Sir Roger's hands, desiring him to make the
best of it. The news had no sooner reached the ears of the lawyers,
but they were all in an uproar. They brought all the rest of the
tradesmen upon John.** Squire South swore he was betrayed, that he
would starve before he compounded; Frog said he was highly wronged;
even lying Ned the chimney-sweeper and Tom the dustman complained
that their interest was sacrificed; the lawyers, solicitors, Hocus
and his clerks, were all up in arms at the news of the composition:
they abused him and his wife most shamefully. "You silly, awkward,
ill-bred country sow," quoth one, "have you no more manners than to
rail at Hocus that has saved that clod-pated numskulled ninny-hammer
of yours from ruin, and all his family? It is well known how he has
rose early and sat up late to make him easy, when he was sotting at
every alehouse in town. I knew his last wife: she was a woman of
breeding, good humour, and complaisance--knew how to live in the
world. As for you, you look like a puppet moved by clockwork; your
clothes hang upon you as they were upon tenter-hooks; and you come
into a room as you were going to steal away a pint pot. Get you
gone in the country, to look after your mother's poultry, to milk
the cows, churn the butter, and dress up nosegays for a holiday, and
not meddle with matters which you know no more of than the sign-post
before your door. It is well known that Hocus has an established
reputation; he never swore an oath, nor told a lie, in all his life;
he is grateful to his benefactors, faithful to his friends, liberal
to his dependents, and dutiful to his superiors; he values not your
money more than the dust under his feet, but he hates to be abused.
Once for all, Mrs. Minx, leave off talking of Hocus, or I will pull
out these saucer-eyes of yours, and make that redstreak country face
look as raw as an ox-cheek upon a butcher's-stall; remember, I say,
that there are pillories and ducking-stools."*** With this away