Law Report. majesty, under the following re. gulations: The judges appointed to fit in this tribunal, determine every caufe by the plurality of votes, and no appeal is allowed after their decifion. Any officer, or gentleman, ftriking his equal, in any manner whatsoever, is declared infamous, and confined in a fortress for life. If the perfon who received the blow, fhould happen to be the aggreffor, by any fort of outrage, he is confined for three or fix years, according to the aggravation of his offence; and if an officer, he is ftruck off, befides the imprisonment. Perfons fending, or accepting a challenge, instead of applying to this court, are confined in a fortress for three or fix years. A duel taking place, and one of the parties being killed, the furvivor is confidered as an affaffin, and punished with death. And if none of the parties fall, both are imprifoned in a fortrefs for ten years, and even for life, Perfons laying hold of a weapon in a private quarrel, though making no ufe of it, are confined for three years. Any perfon threatening another with a duel, or fome ma terial injury, is confidered as a violator of the public peace, and confined for one or two years, Any perfon flying his country, after fighting a duel, forfeits his eftate during his life, and his effigy is ftuck to the pillory Any perfon acting in a duel as fecond, is punished with five years confinement in a fortrefs; and a life being loft, the confinement of the fecond extends to ten years. Any perfon abetting, or enticing another to demand fatisfaction by means of a duel, is punished with one, or several years imprifonment. The fame punishments to be inflicted on any one cafting 139 a reflection on, or fhewing a pointed difrefpect for a perfon applying to this court. The offender, in this cafe, is likewife deprived of his employments and titles of honour. Any difpute, attended with extraordinary cir cumftances, is referred to the throne. How greatly would it contribute to the happiness of many noble and refpectable families in this kingdom, were a mode of punishment (in fome inftances fimilar to the above) adopted for the prevention of this inhuman practice. W. T. LAW REPORT, COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. ADAM V. RICHARDS. THIS - HIS was a caufe (highly interesting to all perfons concerned in the fale of horses) wherein Adam, Efq. a merchant of the city of London, was plaintiff, and Richards, a refpectable ftable keeper of: Oxford-ftreet, defendant." The action was brought to recover the fum of ninety guineas, paid for a pair of horfes in December 1794, and returned to the defendant in July 1795, as not going fteady in barnefs. The learned judge, in fumming up the evidence, very forcibly ad dreffed the jury; wherein he explained to them, that, were a verdict given for the plaintiff, an impending cloud would be ever hanging over the head of every individual concerned in the fale of horfes. In the cafe then before them, it was the most un, precedented he ever heard of; that, after the plaintiff had had the ufe of the horfes feven months, 140 The Feast of Wit; or Sportsman's Hall. to attempt to make a return. When, after a trial of near four hours, a verdict was given for the defendant, to the great fatisfaction of a crowded court, Poft-horfe Duty. Dec. 3 IN the course of last week, feveral perfons from the neighbourhood of Stevenage, Baldock, and Hitchin, in the county of Herts, were convicted before the Rev. Mr. Baker, at Stevenage, for letting horfes to hire for the purpose of travelling poft, without being licensed fo to do, according to act of parliament; one licenfed poft-mafter was alfo convicted for letting a horse to hire, and neglecting to iffue a ftampoffice ticket, thereby defrauding the farmers of the faid duty. ture, the farmers of the pofthorfe duty withdrew the faid profecutions. THE FEAST OF WIT: OR, SPORTSMAN'S HALL. THE RECORDER'S ANECDOTE OF Na contefted election for And, in the fame week, two perfons were convicted at St. Neots, in the county of Hunting. don, before the Rev. Mr. Cole, for letting horfes to draw fingle-look, and availing himself of the horfe chaifes, without being licepfed fo to do, according to act of parliament. And on Monday, before the Mayor, at Huntingdon, two unlicensed persons were alfo convicted, and one poft-mafter, for not iffuing a ftamp-office ticket, as the act directs. Similar convictions alfo took place before the Rev. Benjamin Hutchinson, at St. Ives, for the like offences. circumftance of Mifs F's red locks, turned upon his heel, and, in his usual dry way, faid-God blefs the man that has to butter your carrots ! A country-man, in a neighbouring county, being a few days ago requested to fign a petition to his Majefty, asked "what's it for?" to turn out bad Minif. ters," was the answer." Egod in, then, I'll foign," fays he, " for the Minister of our church is a d-d bad one." Two profecutions were com menced again ft a turn-pike man, in the county of Huntingdon, for wilfully neglecting to afk, A late writer, on the fubject of demand, and receive, the ftamp-education, after a variety of re office tickets for horfes and car. riages, let to hire; but, in confideration of his acknowledging his offence, and promifi ng never to offend in the like manner in fu marks on the abfolute neceffity of ftrict and severe difcipline in every well ordered school, concludes by affuring us, that he has found by long experience that, The Feast of Wit; or Sportsman's Hall. without a liberal ufe of the rod,, it is impoffible ever to make boys Smart. So vaft is art, fo narrow human wit.' Laft fummer, an old German was exhibiting, for the entertainment of the ladies and gentlemen of Hartlepool, a fort of pafticcio, in which was the favourite fcene of the traveller and the broken bridge. The part of the dialogue fupported by the veteran himself, was highly ri diculous: his finging-refponfes to the traveller's interrogatories, derived additional humour, not only from the awkward imitation of the tune, but from the broken English with which they were ga nifhed-for inftance, the reply in the following lines: • The ducks and geefe ev'ry day come over, fal-dc-ral, &c. very humourously tranf. was formed into 141 addreffing the exhibitor, enquired "how long he had been in England?"-" Two and forty years, was the answer." You feem to have made a very small progress in the language," rejoined the plied the German," vat can a gentleman." Lart! Save," reman lain in two and forty years ?" EARL OF DORSET. One Captain Beale ferved my lord with hats, which he prized at high and exceffive rates; his lordfhip, understanding by his steward the rate of his bills, sent for his haberdafher: "Sir," quoth my lord, "what is your meaning to fet me fuch prizes in which there is no confcience ?" "Why, my lord," quoth Captain Beale, we citizens must balance accounts; if you do not pay me, then you cheat me; but if you do, then I cheat your lordship." BON MOT. An illuftrious tar once took up his refidence in the column at the Haymarket theatre, which was originally defigned for the prompter. A few evenings after, the manager fat in the fame fituation, when Jack Bannister archly obferved, "Well, I fee the manager is in diftiefs, otherwife we should not behold him in -Duke's Place!" CONBURY PARK. The Earl of Leicefter, favorite to Queen Elizabeth, was making a large chace about Conbury, Park, intending to inclofe it with pofts and rails, and one day was cafting up his charge what it De dukfhs and de geefh vas ev'ry day would come to ; a gentleman come over de vaters ;" and every other part was delivered with equal propriety. After the performance, a gentleman, ftanding by, (a free fpoken man) faid to my lord upon the fudden, " methinks your lordship goeth not the cheapest way to work." 142 work." "Why, Sir," faid my Jord "In troth, my lord," faid he "count you but upon the pofts, for the country will and you railing. The Feast of Wit; or Sportsman's Hall. A PIKE. It is known of what voracity pikes are, being called the ty rants of the rivers: once a cubfox drinking out of the river Arnus in Italy, had his head feized on by a mighty pike, fo that neither could free themselves, but were engrappled together: in this conteft a young man run into the water, takes them both out alive, and carries them to the Duke of Florence, whose palace was near thereunto. The porter would not admit him without the promife of fharing his full half in what the Duke (hould give him, to which he, hopeless otherwise of entrance condefcended: the Duke highly affected with the raraity, was on giving him a good reward, which the other refufed, defiring his Highnefs would appoint one of his guard to give him a hundred lashes, that fo the porter might have fifty, according to his compofition. LORD CHANCELLOR HATTON, In his time, when the counfellors of two parties fet forth the limits and boundaries of the Jand in question by the plat; and the counsel of one party faid, We lie on this fide, my lord; and the counsel of the other part faid, And we lie on this fide.The Lord Chancellor arofe and faid, If you lie on both fides, whom will you have me to believe? A gentleman of oppofition principles, happening, the other evening, to fall into the company of fome of the loan-jobbers at Lloyd's, obferved, that, if mi nifters were aware of the confequences attending this disastrous war, they would change their note; upon which, a bye-ftander archly replied, that whatever might be their opinion, he was firmly perfuaded, a continuance of the prefent meafures would toon deprive them of the means of having a note to change. While Sir Nicholas Bacon the Lord Keeper, lived, every room in Gorhambury was ferved with a pipe of water from the ponds diftant about a mile from thence; toon after, during the habitation of Mafter Anthony Bacon, eldest son of Sir Nicholas, in the fame houfe, the water ceafed. Mafter Anthony dying, and my Lord Verulam inheriting it, the water could not be recovered without incurring a great expence. Being made Lord Chancellor, he thereupon built Verulam Houfe, clofe by the pond. yard, for a place of recess and privacy when he was to do any important bufinefs. Being one time afked, why he built that house there? he answered, That fince he could not carry the was ter to his houfe, he would carry his house to the water. King James with some of his nobles having loft their way in a fo reft, in the purfuit of a deer, came at laft an hungered, to the fide of the fame foreft, where they efpied a little house; thither hied the king, and demanded, first, what victuals in the houfe, then with fome comfortable leis fure, the way. The good wife fets before the king, a rare piece of powdered beef, and a bag pudding; the king and his followers fell to eat heartily, and having contented his hoftefs, rode away by the road fide, at fome diftance, a boy prefents himfelf fcraping Biographical Sketches of the Life of Dick En-l-nd. 143 decided by the fit or the stick, and was dreaded and envied as an invincible hero wherever he appeared. fcraping with his legs, bare-whether the combat was to be headed, whereon was a thick fcald. Sirrah, faid the lords, cover your head, have you never a cap? Where do you dwell? In yonder cottage an't please you, (pointing to the place where the king had dined), I had a cap yesterday, but to day my mother made ufe of it for a pudding-bag! Quoth the king, it did me no harm in the eating, it hall do me lefs in thinking of it; come put on, and let us jog it down; but it ftirred the ftomachs of his train. Dick's affection for gambling be came confpicuous in early youth, and before he attained manhood, he was confidered an excellenc player at rackets, but few enter. ed the lifts with him, as is fe rocity often forced payment which his skill had not acquired; for whenever he loft, he was fure to quarrel, none of the markers ever daring to difpute the arbitrary dictates with which he ruled their judgments. His infults, however, being generally accompanied with blows, he did not always pafs with impunity, the law frequent cuniary fatisfaction for the wan. ton abuse of his hands. At one feffions he was tried on fixteen indictments for affaults, and fined for thofe on which he was convicted in a confiderable sum, which, to the aftonishment of every perfon prefent, who looked for his immediate commitment to goal, he paid inftantly into court. For this money he was obliged to the affection of a woman, who kept a house of amarous rendezvous to which Dick was prote&tor, not only by preventing impofi. tions on the hoftefs, but by fe curing from infults of bucks and bloods fuch votaries as came to pay their devotions to the me. retricious Venus, to whofe temple he was guardian, and his lady prieftefs. At this time Dick was extremely intimate with a man named F a fellow, whofe dif pofition was congenial to his own, and whofe occupations in life were exactly the fame, With this worthy companion he fre. |