Sister Peg

Sister Peg Synopsis

Scholars have known for some years that in 1760 Hume write a humorous satire against William Pitt the Elder. Mr Raynor argues that this hitherto unlocated work is Sister Peg, an anonymous publication which has been traditionally ascribed to Adam Ferguson. This witty and occasionally malicious Scriblerian piece was composed as a sequel to Dr John Arbuthnot's famous History of John Bull (1712). Hume's satirical allegory recounts the relations between England (John Bull of Bull-hall) and Scotland (Sister Peg of Thistledown) from earliest times until April 1760 when a bill to extend the militia to Scotland was defeated in parliament due to the opposition of the Duke of Newcastle, Hardwicke, and King George II. The first part of the satire places this debate in historical perspective. The final chapters are an imaginary reconstruction of the militia debate in parliament. Apart from the satire's intrinsic interest and biographical significance, it is an important document for the interpretation of Hume's political theory.