Part 7 (1/2)
The next person who presented hireen apron, who told the knight that he had kept a public-house in town for a dozen years, and enjoyed a good trade, which was in a great round, in which the best people of the place diverted theed at his refusing to part with a gelding which he had bred for his own use, first of all shut up the skittle-ground; but, finding the publican still kept his house open, he took care that he should be deprived of his licence, on pretence that the nureat, and that this man had been bred to another e thus deprived of his bread, was obliged to try the stay business, to which he had served an apprenticeshi+p; but being very ill qualified for this profession, he soon fell to decay and contracted debts, in consequence of which he was now in prison, where he had no other support but what arose froone to service
The next prisoner who preferred his coe was a poacher, at whose practices Justice Gobble had for some years connived, so as even to screen hiath he was disappointed by accident His lady had invited guests to an entertainment, and bespoke a hare, which the poacher undertook to furnish He laid his snares accordingly overnight, but they were discovered, and taken away by the gaed All the excuses the poacher couldthe resent thus disconcerted Measures were taken to detect the delinquent in the exercise of his illicit occupation; he was cos, was passed to her husband's settlement in a different part of the country
A stout squat fellow, rattling with chains, had just taken up the ball of accusation, when Sir Launcelot was startled with the appearance of a woe indicated the most piteous distress She seee, tall, thin, weather-beaten, and wretchedly attired; her eyes were infla, and her looks displayed that wildness and peculiarity which denote distraction Advancing to Sir Launcelot, she fell upon her knees, and, clasping her hands together, uttered the following rhapsody in the enerous, and august emperor; here let my knees cleave to the earth, until thou shalt do orge my substance which he hath devoured; let hiht of my eyes, the prop of my life, the staff of my sustenance, whom he hath torn from my embrace, stolen, betrayed, sent into captivity, andwounds upon his lovely breast! see how they ive me my child, barbarians! his head shall lie upon his Suky's bosoe him in the deep!--shall hty emperor! justice upon the villain who hath ruined us all! May Heaven's dreadful vengeance overtake him! may the keen storm of adversity strip him of all his leaves and fruit! may peace forsake his mind, and rest be banished from his pillow, so that all his days shall be filled with reproach and sorrow, and all his nights be haunted with horror and re by jealousy without cause, and e without the hted and consurow up to curse his old age, and bring his hoary head with sorrow to the grave, as he himself has proved a curse tothe knight extremely shocked at her misery and horrid imprecation, removed her by force from his presence, and conveyed her to another rooitation, and could not for some minutes compose himself so well as to inquire into the nature of this wretched creature's calamity
The shopkeeper, of whoave hientlewoman, and had been well educated; that shesurvive his nuptials, and afterwards became the wife of one Oakley, a farmer in opulent circumstances That after twenty years' cohabitation with her husband, he sustained such losses by the diste the cattle, as he could not repair; and that this reverse of fortune was supposed to have hastened his death That the , being a woe the far youth, as already contracted in hter of another wealthy far the affairs of her family, when all her hopes were dashed and destroyed by a ridiculous pique which Mrs Gobble conceived against the young far woger of the parish acted as master of the ceremonies, was called out to dance before Miss Gobble, who happened to be there present also with her mother The circumstance was construed into an unpardonable affront by the justice's lady, who abused the director in the most opprobrious ter in a storainst the saucy entility with Miss Gobble The justice entered into her resent Oakley, was pressed for a soldier Before his e, he was hurried away to the East Indies, by the industry and contrivance of the justice Poor Suky wept and pined until she fell into a consu thus deprived of her son, was overwhelerwent backwards; she ran in arrears with her landlord; and the prospect of bankruptcy aggravated her affliction, while it added to her incapacity In the midst of these disastrous circumstances, news arrived that her son Greaves had lost his life in a sea engages almost instantly deprived her of reason Then the landlord seized for his rent, and she was arrested at the suit of Justice Gobble, who had bought up one of her debts in order to distress her, and now pretended that her ned
When the naed colour; and, now the story was ended, asked, with er emotion, if the name of the woman's first husband was not Wilford When the prisoner answered in the affir his breast, ”Good heaven!” cried he, ”the very woman atched over my infancy, and even nourished me with her milk! She was my mother's hurieve to see her favourite in this miserable condition” While he pronounced these words, to the astonishment of the hearers, a tear stole softly down each cheek Then he desired to know if the poor lunatic had any intervals of reason; and was given to understand that she was always quiet, and generally supposed to have the use of her senses, except when she was disturbed by some extraordinary noise, or when any person touched upon her misfortune, or mentioned the name of her oppressor, in all which cases she started out into extravagance and frenzy They likewise ireat part of the disorder to the want of quiet, proper food, and necessaries, hich she was but poorly supplied by the cold hand of chance charity Our adventurer was exceedingly affected by the distress of this woman, whom he resolved to relieve; and in proportion as his coainst the miscreant, who seemed to have insinuated himself into the commission of the peace on purpose to harass and oppress his fellow-creatures
Thus animated, he entered into consultation with Mr Tho the steps he should take, first for their deliverance, and then for prosecuting and punishi+ng the justice In result of this conference, the knight called aloud for the jailor, and deht know the cause of his imprisonment, and offer bail; or, in case that he should be refused, move for a writ of Habeas Corpus The jailor told hi But after he had waited some time, and repeated the demand before witnesses, it was not yet produced Mr Clarke then, in a soleave the jailor to understand, that an officer refusing to deliver a true copy of the commitment warrant was liable to the forfeiture of one hundred pounds for the first offence, and for the second to a forfeiture of twice that su his office
Indeed, it was no easy matter to coranted, nor was it now in the power of the justice to remedy this defect, as Mr Ferret had taken hi conation of the prisoner A circu to the jailor, as he perceived the extraordinary respect which Mr Clarke and the captain paid to the knight, and was now fully convinced that he would be dealt with according to law Disordered with these reflections, he imparted them to the justice, who had in vain caused search to be made for Ferret, and was now extreht and his friends at liberty, though he did not at all suspect the quality and importance of our adventurer He could not, however, resist the te the authority of his office, and therefore ordered the prisoners to be brought before his tribunal, that, in the capacity of a ive them a severe reproof, and proper caution with respect to their future behaviour
They were accordingly led through the street in procession, guarded by the constable and his gang, followed by Crabshaho had by this time been released from the stocks, and surrounded by a crowd of people, attracted by curiosity When they arrived at the justice's house, they were detained for so the constable to bring in the prisoners, and they were introduced to the hall of audience, where Mr Gobble sat in judght-cap on his head; and on his right hand appeared his lady, puffed up with the pride and insolence of her husband's office, fat, frouzy, and not over-clean, well stricken in years, without the least vestige of an agreeable feature, having a rubicund nose, ferret eyes, and imperious aspect The justice hi, who endeavoured to sole an air of consequence, in which pride, iely blended He aspired at nothing so much as the character of an able spokes forth at vestry and quarter sessions, as well as in the administration of his office in private He would not, therefore, let slip this occasion of exciting the admiration of his hearers, and, in an authoritative tone, thus addressed our adventurer:--
”The laws of this land has provided--I says as how provision is made by the laws of this here land, in reverence to delinque's peace is upholden by we istrates, who represents his ious nation under the sun; but, howsoistrate's authority cannot be adequably and identically upheld, if so be as how criminals escapes unpunished Now, friend, you must be confidentious in your own mind, as you are a notorious criain the laws on divers occasions and iour of the law, according to the authority ith I am wested, you and your companions in iniquity would be sewerely punished by the statue; but we ate the sewerity of justice, and so I am contented that you should be mercifully dealt withal, and even disht replied, with a soleht, I a a notorious criminal; but nevertheless you are contented to let me escape with impunity If I aistrate, to bring n punishment; and if you allow a criminal to escape unpunished, you are not only unworthy of a place in the couilt, and, to all intents and purposes, socius criminis With respect to your proffered ence at your hands, for, depend upon it, I shall show noyou to justice I understand that you have been long hackneyed in the ways of oppression, and I have seen so monuments of your inhumanity--of that hereafter I ned I have been treated with indignity, and insulted by jailors and constables; led through the streets like a felon, as a spectacle to the e, and afterwards branded with the name of notorious criminal--I now demand to see the information in consequence of which I was detained in prison, the copy of the warrant of commitment or detainer, and the face of the person by whom I was accused I insist upon a coes of a British subject; and if it is refused, I shall seek redress before a higher tribunal”
The justice seemed to be not a little disturbed at this peremptory declaration; which, however, had no other effect upon his wife, but that of enraging her choler, and infla her countenance ”Sirrah! sirrah!”
cried she, ”do you dares to insult a worshi+pful istrate on the bench?
--Can you deny that you are a vagram, and a dilatory sort of a person?
Han't the man with the satchel made an affidavy of it?--If I was my husband, I'd lay you fast by the heels for your resuain, unless you could give a better account of yourself--I would”
Gobble, encouraged by this fillip, resumed his petulance, and proceeded in this ht, as Mrs Gobble very justly observes, trounce you for your audacious behaviour; but I scorn to take such advantages Howsoive an account of yourself and your co, and all in a story, and perhaps you may be found one day in a cord--What are you, friend? What is your station and degree?”--”I alish for a sorry fellow,” said the justice ”Every idle vagabond, who has neither hoentleman But I must kno you live?”--”Upon my means”--”What are your means?”--”My estate”
”Whence does it arise?”--”From inheritance”--”Your estate lies in brass, and that you have inherited from nature; but do you inherit lands and tenements?”--”Yes”--”But they are neither here nor there, I doubt
Co you about presently” Here the exaeon, who chancing to pass, and seeing a crowd about the door, went in to satisfy his curiosity
CHAPTER TWELVE
WHICH SHOWS THERE ARE MORE WAYS TO KILL A DOG THAN HANGING
Mr Fillet no sooner appeared in the judg him by the hand, exclaimed, ”Body o' me!
Doctor, thou'rt co about--We're a little in the stays here--but howsoood pilot, who knows the coast; and can weather the point, as the saying is
As for the enemy's vessel, she has had a shot or two already athwart her forefoot; the next, I do suppose, will strike the hull, and then you will see her taken all a-back” The doctor, who perfectly understood his dialect, assured hi to the knight, accosted him in these words: ”Sir Launcelot Greaves, your most huht of finding you within, treated with such indignity--yet I can't help being pleased with an opportunity of proving the esteem and veneration I have for your person and character--You will domy best services”
Our adventurer thanked him for this instance of his friendshi+p, which he told him he would use without hesitation; and desired he would procure immediate bail for him and his two friends, who had been ined
During this short dialogue, the justice, who had heard of Sir Launcelot's faer to his person, was seized with such pangs of terror and co mind may be supposed to have felt in such circumstances; and they seemed to produce the same unsavoury effects that are so huarth, in his print of Felix on his tribunal, done in the Dutch style Nevertheless, seeing Fillet retire to execute the knight's commands, he recollected himself so far as to tell the prisoners, there was no occasion to give themselves any farther trouble, for he would release the all the insolence fro an aspect of the ht ten thousand pardons for the freedonorance of Sir Launcelot's quality