The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-04-13 00:00:00, page 1

A TA L E.
A CERTAIN man died and left two sons, the elder
succeeded by right of primogeniture to the manor,
which had remained in the family several centuries,
to the greatest part of his father's goods, and to all
his fteck in trade. The younger, with the fmati portion that
fell to his share, went into a far country, and in an inhospi
table wilderness fettled a farm, secured it against savage ene
mies, towhofe incursions it was exposed ; and cultivated and
improved it so that in a ihort time it yielded abundantly
more than was fufficient to- sustain himfelf, and his wife,
and their numerous offspring. Of what he could spare he let
his brother, for whom he had a tender affe&ion, take as much
as he wanted at his own price, and fold the rest to others ;
but all the money he received for it, he laid out with his bro
ther, for whose goods he had such a prediledion that he
would not wear a coat or other garment bought of any body
else, although it might not cost so much by half. There hap
pened several l&wfuits between the elder brother and a neigh
bour, who had encroached upon the manor. The disputes
were very expensive. The elder brother always applied to
the younger for his assistance in them, which he granted cheer
fully and liberally. The lawsuits ended as both the brothers
wished. The intruder was not only ejected, but obliged to
make over some extensive and valuable tracts of ground, by
way of indemnification and security. The elder brother,
having by a continued series of good fortune acquired im
mense wealth, indulged himfelf in luxurious and riotous liv
ing ; was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sump
tuously every day ; and entertained about him some idle
worthless parasites, who are of no other use but to consume
the fruits of the earth. By these means the expences of his
houlehold, when the accounts of them were fettled, with the
enormous wages and embezzlements of his Reward and other
servants, were found Vastly to exceed his income ; upon which
he demands a tribute of his younger brother; who was
frmewhat alarmed at it. He alledged that he could not dis
cover by their father's will, or by any other record, that he
was bound to pay tribute to any one ; reminded his elder bro
ther that whenever he wanted money to carry on bis law suits
he had requested, not demanded, it.; and advised him to dis
card from his retinue thole harpies who would certainly ruin
him, and to practice that parsimony and frugality which his
father's example had recommended, and his own experience
. formerly had proved the utility of ; alluring him, ifhe would
do so, that the rents of his manor, and the gains of his trade
would in a short time set his affairs to rights again. But he
had not prudence enough to profit by this salutary counfcl,
nor magnanimity enough to bear his prosperity. Swoln with
pride, he peremptorily ordered the tribute to be paid. Re
monstrances and expoitulations only exasperated this haughty
imperious lordly brother. He anfweredthem with obloquy,
gave his younger brother hard names, calling him rebei'and
.trAor. 66 You vile catiff, do you not know (fays he, in
the language of blasphemous Ackland) that you are the
^ creature of my hands ? (adding) Your firm and all that
..y°u possess are mine, and you yourfelf are my bond-days.
The PENNSYLVANIA EVENING POST-
Vol. lI.J
Price only Tyco Coppers. Published every Puefday, Thursday, and Saturday Evenings.
SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 1776.
185
Let me hear no more of your muttering or murmuring; but
do as I bid you, or ic shall be the worse for you."
The younger brother, upon this, plucked up so much cop.
rage as to tell him, his farm was as much his property as the
manor was the others; and that they were the children of the
fame father and mother, and equally free ; and not only're
fufed to pay the tribute exaded, but declared that so lon?as
the demand of it was persisted in, his brother Ihould have no
more of the produce of his farm ; and that^he would defend his
liberty and property against any who should attempt to deprive
him of them, to the lait drop of his blood ; intimating that he
doubted not he might have help from others, if it (haull be
necessary. This enraged the elder brother, so that he deter
mined to do all the mifehief he could to the younger. For
this purpose he procured a huge wild Caledonian boar, from
a mountain in a ebrner of the manor, which he let loose in
one part of the farm, where the monster, with a multitude
of animals of the fame mangy species ever following its foot
heps, trampled down the hedges, and spoiled fields
rooting up the plants and vines. He also collected a great
number of Englilh maftiffi, Irilh wolves, and Ruffian bears
which he dispersed in several parts of the farm, arid which
scattered, worried, and devoured the flocks and herds. He
moreover sent thither many fiery dragons, amphibious crea
tures, which, belching flames from their mouths, buried to
the ground several fair villas that flood near the water ; and
all of them deflroyed the children and hufbindmen of the
younger brother, wherever they met with them. At length,
provoked by such outiages, the younger brother, in whom
with the patience of Job, the valor and strength of Sampson
were joined, arming himfelf with a large ciub, hunted after
these beads of prey, and coming up with'them laid about him
in such a manner that he knocked some on the head; forced
others to slink, sneak, and fee away, whining, howling
growling, groaning and grunting ; and the few remaining
retired to sadnesses, where they would Portly have periled
by famine. Thus delivered from the pelts that had so much
annoyed him, the younger brother might have enjoyed Secu
rity and ease; but he had a foible which prevented it. He
was.ftrangely addicted to magic, necromancy, and other oc
cult science, and conversed with few persons but such as pro
faffed them. Amougd these, two or three soothsayers pre
tended to have difeovered by their skill in the black art, that
unless he fhouldbe reconciled to his brother, he would foog
lun mad, and kill himfelf. This notion they incessantly in
culcated, and infufed into his mind, so that he was at length
perfuaaed of the truth of it, and could not beconvinced bv
his friends, that those who would impose it upon him were
impoftcn, his enemies, and interested in deceiving him. He
determined to recover his brother's favour, let it celt what it
w ° u 't Accordingly he went and fell at his feet, refining
himfelf to his will and pleasure. He was immediately seized
by fix and thirty men, who were charged with the business
and was chained and bound to a rock, like Prometheus, where
A i continually, corroded with the reflexion, for he is now
jo his senses, that for fear of dying by his own
hands, c: which there was not theleatt danger, he had volunta
r'Y precipitated himfelf into evils to which death is preferable
[Num. 192.