talking of shuting, hav you seen ubbard’s new guns like wauking sticks—there a cappital defence agin cappital offences; as you may ether stick a feller or shute him; or boath together. i wish farmer gale had carrid one last friday, for he was rob’d cuming from markit by a foot paddy irish man, that knockd him
[pg 175]
down to make him stand. luckly he had nothing on him when stopd but sum notes of the barnsby bank that had bin stopd the weak afore.
in the fishing line i am quite dead bait, tho i have had manny a good run in my tim, partickler when the keeper spide me out were i hadent got leaf. the last tim i went i could hardly un do my rod for roomatiz in my joints, and i got the lumbago verry bad wen i cum back, and its atax i doant like. beside wich i found very little big fish on a count of the pochers, who kil em al in colde blood. i used sumtims to float and sumtims to fli, but our waters is so over fished theres no fish to be had, and as i am very musicle, i dont like trolling without a catch, the last jack i caut was with my boot, and was only a foot long.
fly fishing.
as for raceing, i never cared much a bout it, and in regard of betting, i am better with out it, tho i al ways take the feeld wen i am able, and suport the farmer’s plate with al my mite.
our wist club is going of, some of the members go on so; two of em are perpetuly quareling like anny thing but double dummies, for one plays like hoyle and the other like vinegar.
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the young men hav interduced shorts, but i doant think theyle last long. they are al so verry sharp at the pints, and as for drinking, i never se sich liquorish chaps in my life. they are al ways laying ods, even at super, when theyle bet about the age of a roosted foul, with they cal chicken hazzard, or about the wait of a curran py, with they cal the currancy question. they al so smoke a grate manny seagars, but they cant put the old men’s pips out, wich it wood be a burning shame if they did. i am sorry to say politicks has crept in; sum is al for reform, and some is al for none at al, and the only thing they agre in is, that the land lord shant bring in no bil. there is be sides grate dis-cushins as to the new game laws, sum entertaning douts wen sum peple go out a shuting, wether even acts of parliament will inable them to shute anny game.
the crickit club is going on uncomon wel. they are 36 members with out rekoning the byes; our best man at wickit is captin batty—he often gets four notches running; and our best boler is use ball, tho we sumtims get dr. pilby to bolus. as for the crickit bal, it is quit wore out, wich the gals say they are verry sory for it, as they took a grate intrest in our matches.
my lads are boath of em marred, wich mayhap you have herd,—and if the gals are not, i believe its no falt of theres. they hope youle cum to the wake, wich is next sunday weak, for they say there will be high fun, al tho i think it is rather low. the only use of waking that i can see, is to pervent folkes sleeping, and as for there jumping and throwing up their heals, i see no pleasur in it. if they had the roomatiz as bad as i have, they woudent be for dancing there fandangoes at that rat, and kicking for partners.
our county member, sir william wiseacre, is going to bring in a bil “for the supression of the barbarus past-time of bul beating, and for the better incorigement of the nobul art of cockin,” by wich al buls, wether inglish or irish, are to be made
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game of no longer, and al such as are found at anny ring or stake are libel to be find. they cal it here the cock and bul act, wich i think is a very good name. it has causd grate diversion in manny peple’s opinions, but most of us think the cocks is quite as bad as the buls. the same barrownet as tried to interduce forkenry, but the first atempts as been verry hawkward. the forkens flu at a herin, who tried to be above there atax, for the more they pecked him the more they maid him sore, but a boy flying a kite skared em al away togither.
