Vol.1 f.017 recto

as a boy-- that there's nothing now between a male baby and a man --
and that all the boys went out with his [Re??? of] blessed Majesty King George the Second."
Roby "That's a very so[??] true observation, always excepting the young princes," said
the parish clerk, who, as the representative of the church and state in that
company, fe[??] was [???] w[??] fel[?] held himself bound to the [??] nicest
loyalty. "If it's godly and righteous for boys, being of the ages of boys, to behave themselves like boys, then the young princes must be boys and cannot be otherwise."
" Did you ever hear tell of mermaids, sir?" said Mr Willet.
" Certainly I have," replied the clerk.
"Very good," said Mr Willet. "According to the constitution of mermaids, so much of a mermaid as is not a woman must he a fish. According to the constitution of young princes, so much of a young prince (if anything) as is not actually an angel, must be godly and righteous. Therefore if it's becoming and godly and righteous in the young princes (as it is at their ages) that they should be boys, they are and must be boys, and cannot by possibility be anything else."
This elucidation of a knotty point being received with such marks of approval as to put John Willet into a good humour, he contented himself with repeating to his son his command of silence, and addressing the stranger, said:
"If you had asked your questions of a grown-up person -- of me or any of these