160 A Bailiff outwitted, an uncommon inftance of polite. nefs in a Scotch Baronet of confiderable fortune, who, to gratify the curiofity of an English friend, who had never feen the ceremony of marriage, according to the form of the Kirk of Scotland, actually agreed, "when hot with the Tufcan grape, and high in blood," to perform the part of the bridegroom. A lady was foon found, who had no ob. jection to perform the part of the bride, and an accommodating parfon being fent for, the whimfical couple were in a few mi nutes tacked together in the ma. trimonial bond. Next morning the Baronet expreffed a hope, that it would be confidered as a frolic, but it feems the lady refolutely claimed him as her lawful husband! A reverend gentleman, Dr. Hugh Thomas, mafter of Chrift's -College, Cambridge, died a few years ago, poffeffed of the followings good things of this world:-He was at once a Dean, a Mafter of a College, an Archdeacon of one Diocefe, a Chancellor of another, and a treafurer of the third; he had four Prebendal Stalls in different churches, two Rectories in Yorkshire, and a Sinecure in Wales!Though fome people might have thought this reverend gentleman little better than an ecclefiaftical cormorant, in having fwallowed fo many churches, yet others may think it a mark of extenfive godlinefs and charity in one fingle hepherd taking under hisHENEVER we have to chriftian care fuch a multitude of Sheep. Seriously fpeaking how the practice of piety can be promoted by giving one man twelve livings, to boil his pot, whilft eleven others have barely a pot to boil, reafon and candour will beft judge. In this refpect the Church is not unlike a child in the rickets its chief fuftenance goes to enlarge the head! MATRIMONIAL ACCIDENT. The tea-tables of Edingburgh are at prefent much enlivened by The forlorn Benedict immediately took a poft-chaife, and fet out for London, leaving his love to "figh alone, and think on what was paft?" in which the no doubt very fympathetically participates. A BAILIFF outwitted. relate the calamities of any of that valuable and amiable clafs of men called bailiffs and sheriff's officers, we feel the neceffity of apologizing to our sporting friends. We are forry to excite the fighs of fympathy, or the tears of tenderness, but still we must proceed: Fidelity demands the record. Captain L-n, a gentleman whofe name is no stranger to our Calendar, is now railing a company of foldiers for his majesty's fervice, and has his rendezvous at a houfe in Covent-garden. He was, fome time fince, making merry one Old Nick; a Sporting Character. merry with his recruits, when a fheriffs' officer in that neighbourhood, thought proper to join the party, and whifpered the captain that he had a writ against him. The circumftance was provoking enough, but the officer fuppreffed his indignation for the moment, and knowing the trim of his vifitor, gave him to understand, that a civility douceur fhould be paid for not enforcing the writ at that time. The captain then addressed him in the prefence of his men, faying, "You are a well-looking fellow, and fit to ferve his Majefty a foldier's occupation is honourable that of a bailiff is degrading: if you will adopt the one, and forego the other, here is a guinea for you, and you fhall be enlifted in my company." The bailiff admiring the delicacy with which the civility money was, as he thought, conveyed, chearfully accepted the propofal, and pocketed the guinea. : In a day or two after, the bailiff called again, either to enforce the writ, or lay the captain under fresh contributions. His reception was fo hofpitable, that the captain refufed to part with his valuable recruit, who is now at Chatham barracks, receiving an education which may qualify him for nobler employment in Flanders! 161 will readily appear that he deferves the praife of industry, though his labours have not been fo well rewarded as those of more fortunate adventurers, who may have as much of the devil about them, though lefs of his addrefs. With talents never queftioned for rowing in the boat, our hero has not the vanity of rolling in bis carriage. In fact, he has every appearance of being rather in a hard-run fituation, though the variety of his occupations would feem to promife a more ample reward for fuch industry and talents. A bufhy wig, grave demeanor, puritanical countenance, and volubility of language are qualifications of which Ol Nick does not neglect to avail himself; and therefore he is frequently to be found in Moorfields, and other outskirts of the capital, where he is in the greateft vogue as a methodistical preacher, and furrounded by admirers, os whom he levies contributions. Purified, no doubt, by the religious exercifes of the morning, he paffes the remaining part of the day in dropping into publichouies; when, if any are disposed to play at cards, dice, head or tail, odd or even, chalking num bers, or any other rational amufe. ment of this kind, he is sure to find his account by making one of the party. Billiard-tables, Skittle-grounds, boruling greens, &c. give diverfity to his lounges; but his principal revenue is drawn from a hazardtable, of which he has long been the proprietor; and where, if a Atranger makes his appearance, he is fure to be treated with fuch hofpitality as it would be ingratitude not to remember. It would be doing great injuftice to the character of Old Nick to suppose that the harvest of a lottery 162 Old Nick; a Sporting Character. Jottery could efcape the fickle of his genius. * Oft did that harvest to his fickle yield." the account given of the time of his nativity. In the way of confolation, he then gives him another chance of ruining himself completely. "Go, (fays the wizard) into fuch a ftreet, at fuch an hour in the evening, and take the number of the first coach which you fee pass, and insure it, but take care that it be at the first office you come to in that ftreet." The reader will eafily understand, that in this fame ftreet, the fage has himself two or three offices, by which he reaps, in a double way, the profits of credulity. The caufe of failure is afterwards readily accounted for. The office at which the infurance was made turns out not to be exactly the nearest to the fpot where the number of the coach was taken. Thefe, however, are but a few of the expedients fuggefted by the prolific fancy of our hero. Having a partnership in a number of insurance-offices, he takes a very extraordinary, but fuccessful method of bringing "grift to his mill." Before the commencement of the drawing of every lottery, he diftributes handbills through the town, announcing the refidence of a learned conjuror in Westminster; who, befides telling fortunes, will alfo fortel the numbers to be drawn each day during the lottery. Half-a-crown every confultation. By this means he draws in an incredible number of flats, before whom the natty fage appears with cap of knowledge, gown, beard, wand, and all the paraphernalia of a profound aftrologer. The applicant being admitted after depofiting the preliminary requifites, the conjuror has tometimes the boldness to mention one, two, or three numbers, all which are to be drawn within three days, at fartheft, but probably all on the next day. general, however, he proceeds. upon a more Delphic, equivocal plan. He, demands the ages of the enquirers, and the times of their births; upon hearing which, he immediately calculates their nativity. He then defires them to insure such a number, multi-plied in perfon to the winner, to plied by whatever figure firft prefents itfelf to him. As the chances are, perhaps, more than a hundred to one against the infurer, it is no wonder that he in moft cafes mifcarries. On depofiting a fecond half-crown, he has an opportunity of reprefent. ing his disappointment to the wife man, who gravely attributes In it to fome minute inaccuracy in Newmarket has lately to boast but very little of the company of our adventurer, who has been eftranged to it for fome time, on account of fome engagements in the Levant trade, which have been a bar to his attendance. An accident or two will farther illuftrate this curious character. Having once stripped a young man at cards of about 100l. with which he was intrusted, in order to pay a bill for a certain Duchefs, her grace ap refund the whole, or, at least a part of his booty. Old Nick's anfwer was witty: "To make fport, madam, do you now fit down with me at cards, and play for all you have about you: after I win your fmock, fo far from refunding, J'll fend you home bare-to your DUKE, my dear." One of his friends being under trial for a very ferious charge, Remarkable Race: having no defence left but his character, produced Old Nick, in order to defcribe it. Our hero's ready eloquence reprefented him. as the most amiable and innocent of the creation. The counfel for the prosecution having Smelt a rat, began to ply him with fuch queftions as he pofitively refufed to anfwer. Being asked the reafon, he anfwered honeftly for once in his life: "My bufinefs here was to give the man a good character, and you—you flat, imagine that I'm come to give him a bad one. Martin; Mr. Dumfries, Mr. R. Ramfay Litchfield, George Hand, Elq. Newton, Mr. Claughton Penrith, Mr. J. Buchannan Richmond, John Robinson, Efq. Salisbury, Mr. Bacon, of Netherhampton Shrewsbury, Mr. Ralphs An 164 Ancient Manner of Hunting in Wales. An Account of the Antient Manner, of the fportfmen, and compre of HUNTING in WALES, and of the LAWS relative thereunto; from PENNANT's Journey to Snowdon. HE Welth had ani hended the fox, the hare, and the roe. The method of hunting was either with hounds, or greyhounds, which they let flip at the animals, holding the dogs in leafhes. No one was to his THE mals, were the of the chace; fuch as y Carw, or the ftag: kaid wenyn, a fwarm of bees; and y gleifiad, or the falmon. Yr arth, the bear; y dringhedydd, climbing animals, I fuppofe wild cats, martins, and fquirrels; and ceiling coed, or cock of the wood. And the laft divifion was, y llwynog, the fox; Yfgyfarnog, the hare; and yr ywrch, the roe. Some of the above come very improperly under our idea of hunting, yet were comprehended in the code of laws relative to the diverfion, formed, as is fuppofed, by Gryffyd ap Cynan. I fufpect alfo, that the otter was an object of diverfion; there being a cylch dyfrgwn, or an annual payment, by the Welch for the prince's water dogs. The three firft were heifa Gyffredyn, or the common hunt. The flag, because he was the nobleft animal of the chafe; and because every body who came by at his death, before he was kinned, might claim a fhare in him. The next animals were, belfa gyfarthfa, or the animals which could be brought to bay, fuch as the bear, &c. which were hunted with hounds till they afcended a tree. The bird mentioned here, is the cock of the wood, whofe nature it is to fit perched on a bough, where they will gaze till they are fhot, as they were, in old times, by the bow, or cross-bow. The third divifion was helfa ddolef, or the fhouting chafe, because attended by the clamour in chafe, unless he had a hound in the pack, on penalty of having the greyhound ham-ftrung: neither was it allowed to kill any animal of chace on its form, or at reft, on pain of forfeiting his bow and arrow to the lord of the manor. When several greyhounds, the property of different perfons, were flipt at any animal, the perfon whofe dog was nearest the beast, when laft in fight, claimed the fkin. A bitch was excepted, unless it was proved he was pregnant by a dog which had before won a skin. Every perfon who carries a horn, muft give a fcientifical account of the nine objects of the chafe, or else he will be looked on as a pretender, and forfeit his horn. The fame penalty attends the cynllafan, or leafh; he is never again to wear it round his middle, on pain of forfeiture; but then he is fuffered to wear it round his arm. The ancient Welch held the flesh of the ftag, hare, wild boar, and the bear, to be the greatest delicacies among the beafts of chafe. The prince had his pencynwydd, or chief huntfman. He was the tenth officer of the court. He had for his own fupper one difh of meat; and after it three horns of mead, one from the king, another from the queen, the third from the fteward of the houfhold. He was never to fwear, but by his horn and his leafh. He had the third of the fines and heriots of all the other huntf |