of beings.
In speaking to them, however, they always used the most abject language,
and the most humble tone and posture--'PLEASE YOUR HONOUR; AND PLEASE
YOUR HONOUR'S HONOUR,' they knew must be repeated as a charm at the
beginning and end of every equivocating, exculpatory, or supplicatory
sentence; and they were much more alert in doffing their caps to those
new men than to those of what they call GOOD OLD FAMILIES. A witty
carpenter once termed these middlemen JOURNEYMEN GENTLEMEN.]

But still it went. Rents must be all paid up to the day, and afore;
no allowance for improving tenants, no consideration for those who had
built upon their farms: no sooner was a lease out, but the land was
advertised to the highest bidder; all the old tenants turned out, when
they spent their substance in the hope and trust of a renewal from
the landlord. All was now let at the highest penny to a parcel of poor
wretches, who meant to run away, and did so, after taking two crops out
of the ground. Then fining down the year's rent came into fashion
[See GLOSSARY 16]--anything for the ready penny; and with all this and
presents to the agent and the driver [See GLOSSARY 17], there was no
such thing as standing it. I said nothing, for I had a regard for the
family; but I walked about thinking if his honour Sir Kit knew all
this, it would go hard with him but he'd see us righted; not that I had
anything for my own share to complain of, for the agent was always very
civil to me when he came down into the country, and took a great deal of
notice of my son Jason. Jason Quirk, though he be my son, I must say was
a good scholar from his birth, and a very 'cute lad: I thought to make
him a priest [See GLOSSARY 18], but he did better for himself; seeing
how he was as good a clerk as any in the county, the agent gave him his
rent accounts to copy, which he did first of all for the pleasure of
obliging the gentleman, and would take nothing at all for his trouble,
but was always proud to serve the family. By and by a good farm bounding
us to the east fell into his honour's hands, and my son put in a
proposal for it: why shouldn't he, as well as another? The proposals
all went over to the master at the Bath, who knowing no more of the land
than the child unborn, only having once been out a-grousing on it before
he went to England; and the value of lands, as the agent informed him,
falling every year in Ireland, his honour wrote over in all haste a bit