A number of years bygone, a black man, named Peter Cooper, happened to
marry one of the fair towns-women of Greenock, who did not use him with
that tenderness that he conceived himself entitled to. Having tried all
other arts to retrieve her lost affections in vain, Peter at last
resolved to work upon her fears of punishment in another world for her
conduct in this. Pretending, therefore, to awake one morning
extravagantly alarmed, his helpmate was full of anxiety to know what was
the matter; and having sufficiently, as he thought, whetted her
curiosity, by mysteriously hinting that “he could a tale unfold,” at
length Peter proceeded as follows:--“H--ll ob a dream last night. I
dream I go to Hebben and rap at de doa, and a gent’man com to de doa wid
black coat and powda hair. Whoa dere?--Peeta Coopa.--Whoa Peeta Coopa?
Am not know you.--Not knowa Peeta Coopa! Look de book, sa.--He take de
book, and he look de book, and he could’na find Peeta Coopa.--Den I say,
Oh! lad, oh! look again, finda Peeta Coopa in a corna.--He take de book,
an he look de book, an at last he finda Peeta Coopa in lilly, lilly
(little) corna.--‘Peeta Coopa,--cook ob de _Royal Charlotte_ ob
Greenock.’ Walk in, sa.--Den I walk in, and dere was every ting--all
kind of vittal--collyflower too--an I eat, an I drink, an I dant, an I
ting, an I neva be done; segar too, by Gum.--Den I say, Oh! lad, oh!
look for Peeta Coopa wife. He take de book, an he look all oba de book,
many, many, many a time, corna an all; an he couldna finda Peeta Coopa
wife. Den I say, Oh! lad, oh! look de black book; he take de black book,
an he look de black book, and he finda Peeta Coopa wife fust
page,--‘Peeta-Coopa-wife, buckra-woman, bad-to-her-husband.’”[291]
[291] Times, July 7, 1827, from Greenock Advertiser.
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