The Mysteries of London; or, Revelations of the British Metropolis — page 141: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

OF LONDON. | 139 perty. The elder brother became a powerful lord: Brian, on the contrary, was reduced to a state bordering on mediocrity. _ The two brothers never had been very enthu- siastically fond’ of each other, and after their father’s death, Brian, who considered himself as La “> OR robbed of his just rights, cherished a rankling hatred against his elder brother. Upon the re- suit of the law suit he violently burst forth, and Brian swore he would make war upon his brother to the very death. And he kept his word. The weapons which he used were strange ones, but he handled them so skilfuliy, and struck with such determined aim, that the wounds he inflicted never closed. The | earl then bitterly repented having driven a man to desperation, whom the favour of the fashiona- ble world rendered powerful, and who, without passing certain limits, and as it were in mere playfulness, heaped mounds. of bitterness upon him ; but his repentence came too late, The earl tried a new system. He offered, at first, to allow Brian a small income, then a larger one,and at last some thousandsa year. Brian demanded the one half of his income; the earl refused, and the war was then carried on with. renewed vigour; a wonderful war, for the weak attacked the strong, and always came off victori- ous; & war, in which one of the combatants, armed with a pin, was constantly pricking an _ adversary, reduced toimmobility. Theearl became afflicted with the spleen, and was the most un- happy manin the three kingdoms. One of the most extraordinary features of this war consisted * CONnnitelxool KS eon