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"I remember to have read in wills of a codicil annexed, which is
indeed a part of the will, and what it contains hath equal authority
with the rest. Now I have been considering of this same will here
before us, and I cannot reckon it to be complete for want of such a
codicil. I will therefore fasten one in its proper place very
dexterously. I have had it by me some time; it was written by a
dog-keeper of my grandfather's, and talks a great deal, as good luck
would have it, of this very flame-coloured satin." The project was
immediately approved by the other two; an old parchment scroll was
tagged on according to art, in the form of a codicil annexed, and
the satin bought and worn.
Next winter a player, hired for the purpose by the Corporation of
Fringemakers, acted his part in a new comedy, all covered with
silver fringe {78b}, and according to the laudable custom gave rise
to that fashion. Upon which the brothers, consulting their father's
will, to their great astonishment found these words: "Item, I
charge and command my said three sons to wear no sort of silver
fringe upon or about their said coats," &c., with a penalty in case
of disobedience too long here to insert. However, after some pause,
the brother so often mentioned for his erudition, who was well
skilled in criticisms, had found in a certain author, which he said
should be nameless, that the same word which in the will is called
fringe does also signify a broom-stick, and doubtless ought to have
the same interpretation in this paragraph. This another of the
brothers disliked, because of that epithet silver, which could not,
he humbly conceived, in propriety of speech be reasonably applied to
a broom-stick; but it was replied upon him that this epithet was
understood in a mythological and allegorical sense. However, he
objected again why their father should forbid them to wear a broom-
stick on their coats, a caution that seemed unnatural and
impertinent; upon which he was taken up short, as one that spoke
irreverently of a mystery which doubtless was very useful and
significant, but ought not to be over-curiously pried into or nicely
reasoned upon. And in short, their father's authority being now
considerably sunk, this expedient was allowed to serve as a lawful
dispensation for wearing their full proportion of silver fringe.
A while after was revived an old fashion, long antiquated, of
embroidery with Indian figures of men, women, and children {79a}.
Here they had no occasion to examine the will. They remembered but
too well how their father had always abhorred this fashion; that he
made several paragraphs on purpose, importing his utter detestation
of it, and bestowing his everlasting curse to his sons whenever they
should wear it. For all this, in a few days they appeared higher in
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