well understood that fundamental principle so strongly laid down in the institutes of the learned Rochefoucault; by which the duty of self-love is so strongly enforced, and every man is taught to consider himself as the centre of gravity, and to attract all things thither. To speak the truth plainly, the justice was never indifferent in a cause, but when he could get nothing on either side.

Such was the justice, to whose tremendous bar Mr. Gotobed the constable, on the day above-mentioned, brought several delinquents, who, as we have said, had been apprehended by the watch for divers outrages.

The first who came upon this trial, was as bloody a spectre as ever the imagination of a murderer or a tragic poet conceived. This poor wretch was charged with a battery by a much stouter man than himself; indeed the accused person bore about him some evidence that he had been in an affray, his clothes being very bloody, but certain open sluices on his own head sufficiently shewed whence all the scarlet stream had issued; whereas the accuser had not the least mark or appearance of any wound. The justice asked the defendant, What he meant by breaking the king's peace ?To which he answered- Upon my shoul I do love the king very well, and I have not been after breaking any thing ' of his that I do know; but upon my shoul this man hath brake my head, and my head did brake his 'stick; that is all, gra.' He then offered to produce several witnesses against this improbable accusation; but the justice presently interrupted him, saying, Sirrah, your tongue betrays your guilt. You are an Irishman, and that is always sufficient 'evidence with me.'

The second criminal was a poor woman, who was taken up by the watch as a street-walker. It was alleged against her, that she was found walking the streets after twelve o'clock, and the watchman declared he believed her to be a common strumpet.

She pleaded in her defence (as was really the truth) that she was a servant, and was sent by her mistress, who was a little shopkeeper, and upon the point of delivery, to fetch a midwife; which she offered to prove by several of the neighbours, if she was allowed to send for them. The justice asked her, Why she had not done it before? to which she answered, She had no money, and could get no messenger. The justice then called her several scurrilous names; and declaring she was guilty within the statute of street-walking, ordered her to Bridewell for a month.

A genteel young man and woman were then sct forward, and a very grave looking person swore he caught them in a situation which we cannot as particularly describe here, as he did before the magistrate: who, having received a wink from his clerk, declared with much warmth, that the fact was incredible and impossible. He presently discharged the accused parties, and was going, without any evidence, to commit the accuser for perjury; but this the clerk dissuaded him from, saying, he doubted whether a justice of peace had any such power. The justice at first differed in opinion; and said, 'He had seen a man stand in the pillory about perjury; nay, he had known a man in gaol for it too; and how came he there, if he was not com"mitted thither?' 'Why that is true, Sir,' answered the clerk; and yet I have been told by a very 'great lawyer, that a man cannot be committed for perjury before he is indicted; and the reason is, I believe, because it is not against the peace 'before the indictment makes it so.' Why that may be,' cries the justice, and indeed perjury is but scandalous words, and I know a man cannot haye a warrant for those, unless you put for rioting them into the warrant.'

*

Opus est interprete. By the laws of England abusive words are not punishable by the magistrate; some commissioners of the

The witness was now about to be discharged, when the lady whom he had accused, declared she would swear the peace against him; for that he had called her a whore several times. Oho! you will sware the peace, madam, will you?' cries the justice, 'Give her the peace, presently; and pray, Mr. Constable, secure the prisoner, now we have him, while a warrant is made to take him up.' All which was immediately performed, and the poor witness, for want of sureties, was sent to prison.

A young fellow, whose name was Booth, was now charged with beating the watchman, in the execution of his office, and breaking his lanthorn. This was deposed by two witnesses; and the shattered remains of a broken lanthorn, which had been long preserved for the sake of its testimony, were produced to corroborate the evidence. The justice, perceiving the criminal to be but shabbily drest, was going to commit him without asking any further questions. At length, however, at the earnest request of the accused, the worthy magistrate submitted to hear his defence. The young man then alleged, as was in reality the case, That as 'he was walking home to his lodging, he saw two 'men in the street cruelly beating a third, upon ' which he had stopt and endeavoured to assist the person who was so unequally attacked; that the 'watch came up during the affray, and took them 'all four into custody; that they were immediately carried to the roundhouse, where the two origi 'nal assailants, who appeared to be men of fortune,

peace therefore, when one scold hath applied to them for a warrant against another, from a too eager desire of doing justice, have construed a little harmless scolding into a riot, which is in law an outrageous breach of the peace committed by several persons, by three at the least, nor can a less number be convicted of it. Under this word rioting, or riotting (for I have seen it spelt both ways,) many thousands of old women have been arrested and put to expense, sometimes in prison, for a little intemperate use of their tongues. This practice began to decrease in the year 1749.

6

found means to make up the matter, and were discharged by the constable; a favour which he himself, having no money in his pocket, was un' able to obtain. He utterly denied having assault'ed any of the watchmen, and solemnly declared, that he was offered his liberty at the price of ' half a crown,'

Though the bare word of an offender can never be taken against the oath of his accuser; yet the matter of this defence was so pertinent, and delivered with such an air of truth and sincerity, that had the magistrate been endued with much sagacity, or had he been very moderately gifted with another quality very necessary to all who are to administer justice, he would have employed some labour in cross-examining the watchmen; at least he would have given the defendant the time he desired to send for the other persons who were present at the affray; neither of which he did. In short, the magistrate had too great an honour for Truth to suspect that she ever appeared in sordid apparel; nor did he ever sully his sublime notions of that virtue, by uniting them with the mean ideas of poverty and distress.

There remained now only one prisoner, and that was the poor man himself in whose defence the last mentioned culprit was engaged. His trial took but a very short time. A cause of battery and broken lanthorn was instituted against him, and proved in the same manner; nor would the justice hear one word in defence: but though his patience was exhausted, his breath was not; for against this last wretch he poured forth a great many vollies of menaces and abuse.

The delinquents were then all dispatched to prison, under a guard of watchmen; and the justice and the constable adjourned to a neighbouring alehouse to take their morning repast.

CHAP. III.

Containing the Inside of a Prison.

MR. BOOTH (for we shall not trouble

you

with

the rest) was no sooner arrived in the prison, than a number of persons gathered round him, all demanding garnish; to which Mr. Booth not making a ready answer, as indeed he did not understand the word, some were going to lay hold of him, when a person of apparent dignity came up and insisted that no one should affront the gentleman. This person then, who was no less than the master or keeper of the prison, turning towards Mr. Booth, acquainted him, that it was the custom of the place for every prisoner upon his first arrival there, to give something to the former prisoners to make them drink. This, he said, was what they called garnish; and concluded with advising his new customer to draw his purse upon the present occasion. Mr. Booth auswered, That he would very readily comply with this laudable custom, was it in his power; but that in reality he had not a shilling in his pocket, and, what was worse, he had not a shilling in the world.-Oho! if that be the case,' cries the keeper, it is another matter, and I have nothing to say.' Upon which he immediately departed, and left poor Booth to the mercy of his companions, who, without loss of time, applied themselves to uncasing, as they termed it, and with such dexterity, that his coat was not only stript off, but out of sight in a minute.

Mr. Booth was too weak to resist, and too wise to complain of this usage. As soon, therefore, as he was at liberty, and declared free of the place, he summoned his philosophy, of which he had no inconsiderable share, to his assistance, and resolved