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Swift, Jonathan, 1667-1745

"A Tale of a Tub"

How
he attempted to establish in his Northern farm the same dispensatory
{162b} used in the Southern, but miscarried, because Jack's powders,
pills, salves, and plasters were there in great vogue.
How the author finds himself embarrassed for having introduced into
his history a new sect different from the three he had undertaken to
treat of; and how his inviolable respect to the sacred number three
obliges him to reduce these four, as he intends to do all other
things, to that number; and for that end to drop the former Martin
and to substitute in his place Lady Bess's institution, which is to
pass under the name of Martin in the sequel of this true history.
This weighty point being cleared, the author goes on and describes
mighty quarrels and squabbles between Jack and Martin; how sometimes
the one had the better and sometimes the other, to the great
desolation of both farms, till at last both sides concur to hang up
the landlord {162c}, who pretended to die a martyr for Martin,
though he had been true to neither side, and was suspected by many
to have a great affection for Peter.


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