panion to be the perfons against whom the complaint had been lodged; and understanding his quality from Mr. Clarke, whom he had known in London, he was come to wait on him, and, if poffible, effect an accommodation.

Our adventurer, having thanked him for the polite and obliging manner in which he proceeded, frankly told him the whole ftory, as it had been juft related by the captain; and Mr. Elmy had no reafon to doubt the truth of the narrative, as it confirmed every circumftance which Clarke had before reported. Indeed, Tom had been very communicative to this gentleman, and made him acquainted with the whole hiftory of Sir Launcelot Greaves, as well as with the whimfical refolution of his uncle, captain Crowe. Mr. Elmy now told the knight, that the perfons whom the captain had ftopped were farmers, returning from a neighbouring market, a fet of people naturally boorish, and at that time elevated with ale to an uncommon pitch of infolence: that one of them, in particular, called Prickle, was the moft quarrelfome fellow in the whole county; and fo litigious, that he had maintained above thirty law-fuits, in eight and twenty of which he had been condemned in cofts. He faid the others might be eafily influenced in the way of admonition; but there was no way of dealing with Prickle, except by the form and authority of the law: he therefore propofed to hear evidence in a judicial capacity, and, his clerk being in attendance, the court was immediately opened in the knight's apartment.

By this time Mr. Clarke had

made fuch good ufe of his time in explaining the law to his audience, and displaying the great wealth and unbounded liberality of Sir Launce let Greaves, that he had actually brought over to his fentiments the conftable and the commonalty, tag, rag, and bob-tail, and even ftaggered the majority of the farmers, who, at first, had breathed nothing but defiance and revenge. Farmer Stake, being first called to the bar, and fworn, touching the identity of Sir Launcelot Greaves and captain Crowe, declared, that the faid Crowe had ftopped him on the king's highway, and put him in bodily fear: that he afterwards faw the faid Crowe with a pole or weapon, value three pence, breaking the king's peace, by committing affault and battery against the heads and fhoulders of his majesty's liege fubjects, Geoffrey Prickle, Hodge Dolt, Richard Bumpkin, Mary Fang, Catherine Rubble, and Margery Litter; and that he faw Sir Launcelot Greaves, baronet, aiding, affifting, and comforting the faid Crowe, contrary to the king's peace, and againft the form of the statute.

Being asked if the defendant, when he ftopped them, demanded their money, or threatened violence, he answered, he could not fay, inafmuch as the defendant spoke in an unknown language. Being interrogated if the defendant did not allow them to pafs without using any violence, and if they did not pass unmolested, the deponent replied in the affirmative: being required to tell for what reafon they returned, and if the defendant Crowe was not affaulted before he began to use his weapon, the deponent made no answer. The depofitions of farmer Bump

Bumpkin and Muggins, as well as of Madge Litter and Mary Fang, were taken much to the fame purpofe; and his worship earnestly exhorted them to an accommodation, obferving, that they themselves were in fact the aggreffors, and that captain Crowe had done no more than exerted himself in his own defence.

They were all pretty well difpofed to follow his advice, except farmer Prickle, who, entering the court with a bloody handkerchief about his head, declared, that the law should determine it at next 'fize; and in the mean time infifted, that the defendants should find immediate bail, or go to prifon, or be fet in the stocks. He affirmed, that they had been guilty of an affray, in appearing with armour and weapons not usually worn, to the terror of others, which is in itself a breach of the peace: but that they had, moreover, with force of arms, that is to fay, with fwords, ftaves, and other warlike inftruments, by turns, made an affault and affray, to the terror and disturbance of him and divers fubjects of our lord the king then and there being, and to the evil and pernicious example of the liege people of the faid lord the king, and againft the peace of our faid lord the king, his crown, and dignity.

This peafant had purchased a few law-terms at a confiderable expence, and he thought he had a right to turn his knowledge to the annoyance of all his neighbours. Mr. Elmy, finding him obftinately deaf to all propofals of accommodation, held the defendants to very moderate bail, the landlord and the curate of the parish freely offering themselves as fureties. Mr. Clarke,

with Timothy Crabfh, against whom nothing appeared, were now fet at liberty; when the former, advancing to his worship, gave information against Geoffrey Prickle, and declared upon oath, that he had feen him affault captain Crowe, without any provocation; and when he, the deponent, interpofed to prevent further mifchief, the faid Prickle had likewife affaulted and wounded him the deponent, and detained him for fome time in falfe imprifonment, without warrant or authority.

In confequence of this information, which was corroborated by divers evidences, selected from the mob at the gate, the tables were turned upon farmer Prickle, who was given to understand, that he muft either find bail, or be forthwith imprisoned. This honeft boor, who was in opulent circumstances, had made fuch popular use of the benefits he poffeffed, that there was not an houfekeeper in the parish who would not have rejoiced to fee him hanged. His dealings and connections however were fuch, that none of the other four would have refused to bail him, had not Clarke given them to understand, that, if they did, he would make them all principals and parties, and have two separate actions against each. Prickle happened to be at variance. with the inn-keeper, and the curate durft not disoblige the vicar, who at that very time was fuing the farmer for the final tythes. He offered to depofit a fum equal to the recognizance of the knight's. bail; but this was rejected as an expedient contrary to the practice of the courts. He fent for the attorney of the village, to whom he

had been a good cuftomer; but the lawyer was hunting evidence in another county. The exciseman prefented himself as a furety; but he not being an housekeeper, was not accepted. Divers cottagers, who depended on farmer Prickle, were fucceffively refused, because they could not prove that they had payed fcot and lot, and parish taxes.

The farmer, finding himself thus forlorn, and in imminent danger of vifiting the infide of a prifon, was feized with a paroxyfm of rage; during which he inveighed against the bench, reviled the two adventurers errant, declared that he believed, and would lay a wager of twenty guineas, that he had more money in his pocket than e'er a man in the company; and in the fpace of a quarter of an hour fwore forty oaths, which the juftice did not fail to number. "Before we proceed to other matters, (faid Mr. Elmy) I order you to pay forty fhillings for the oaths you have fwore; otherwise I will cause you to be fet in the ftocks, without further ceremony."

Prickle, throwing down a couple of guineas, with two execrations more to make up the fum, declared, that he could afford to pay for fwearing as well as e'er a juftice in the county; and repeated his challenge of the wager, which our adventurer now accepted, protesting, at the fame time, that it was not a step taken from any motive of pride, but intirely with a view to punish an infolent plebeian, who could not otherwife be chaftifed without a breach of the peace. Twenty guineas being depofited on each fide in the hands of Mr. Elmy, Prickle, with equal confidence and difpatch,

produced a canvas bag, containing two hundred and feventy pounds, which, being spread upon the table, made a very formidable fhew, that dazzled the eyes of the beholders, and induced many of them to be. lieve he had enfured his conquest.

Our adventurer, asking if he had any thing further to offer, and being answered in the negative, drew forth, with great deliberation, a pocket-book, in which there was a confiderable parcel of bank-notes, from which he selected three of one hundred pounds each, and exhibited them upon the table, to the astonishment of all prefent. Prickle, mad with his overthrow and lofs, faid it might be neceffary to make him prove the notes were honestly come by; and Sir Launcelot started up, in order to take vengeance upon him for this infult; but was withheld by the arms and remonstrances of Mr. Elmy, who affured him that Prickle defired nothing fo much as another broken head, to lay the foundation of a new prosecution.

The knight, calmed by this interpofition, turned to the audience, faying, with the most affable deportment, "Good people, do not imagine that I intend to pocket the fpoils of fuch a contemptible rascal. I fhall beg the favour of this worthy gentleman to take up these twenty guineas, and diftribute them as he fhall think proper, among the poor of the parish: but, by this benefaction, I do not hold myself acquitted for the fhare I had in the bruifes fome of you have received in this unlucky fray; and therefore I give the other twenty guineas to be divided among the fufferers, to each according to the damage he or she fhall appear to have fuftained; and

I fhall

At the close of this address, the whole yard and gate-way rung with acclamation: while honeft Crowe, whofe generofity was not inferior even to that of the accomplished Greaves, pulled out his purfe, and declared that as he had begun the engagement, he would at least go share and share alike in new caulking their feams and repairing their timbers. The knight, rather than enter into a dispute with his novice, told him he confidered the twenty guineas as given by them both in conjunction, and that they would confer together on that subject hereafter.

This point being adjusted, Mr. Elmy affumed all the folemnity of the magiftrate, and addressed himfelf to Prickle in these words: "Farmer Prickle, I am both forry and afhamed to fee a man of your years and circumstances so little respected, that you cannot find sufficient bail for forty pounds; a fure teftimony that you have neither cultivated the friendship, nor deferved the goodwill of your neighbours. I have heard of your quarrels and your riots, your infolence, and litigious difpofition; and often wished for an opportunity of giving you a proper tafte of the law's correction. That opportunity now offers-You have in the hearing of all these people poured forth a torrent of abuse against me, both in the character of a gentleman and of a magiftrate: your abufing me perfonally, perhaps I fhould have overlooked with the contempt it deferves; but I fhould ill vindicate the dignity of my office as magiftrate, by fuffering you

Prickle, the firft tranfports of his anger having fubfided, began to be pricked with the thorns of compunction. He was indeed exceedingly mortified at the profpect of being fent to jail fo difgracefully. His countenance fell, and, after a hard internal struggle while the clerk was employed in writing the mittimus, he said he hoped his worship would not fend him to prifon. He begged pardon of him and our adventurers for having abused them in his pasfion, and obferved, that as he had received a broken head, and payed two and twenty guineas for his folly, he could not be faid to have efcaped altogether without punishment, even if the plaintiff should agree to exchange releases.

Sir Launcelot, feeing this ftubborn ruftic effectually humbled, became an advocate in his favour with Mr. Elmy and Tom Clarke, who forgave him at his requeft, and a mutual release being executed, the farmer was permitted to depart. The populace were regaled at our adventurer's expence; and the men, women, and children, who had been wounded or bruifed in the battle, to the number of ten or dozen, were defired to wait upon Mr. Elmy in the morning to receive the knight's bounty. The juftice was prevailed upon to spend the evening with Sir Launcelot and his two companions, for whom fupper was bespoke; but the first thing the cook prepared was a poultice for Crowe's head, which was now enlarged to a monftrous exhibition. Our knight, who was

all