QUARTER SESSIONS. 227 



to appear ; but, latterly, he became so regular an attendant, as to 

 summon himself. And as he had once been compelled to pay four 

 and sixpence, he now voluntarily appeared j and if he was not called 

 upon, would step out, and say, " If you please, Sir Charles, your 

 honour's worship, I want that four and sixpence back, as I was robbed 

 on, for saying ' bumble-foot' one day to mysen, as I walked along the 

 street. Now, your worship knows as I've said ' bumble-foot' more 

 scores of times since, wehaut paying four and sixpence ; and I don't 

 think it's right to be done out o' my money for nought, when it 

 would buy me ten quarts of ale." " Ask Jerroms for it," Sir Charles 

 would answer." This Jackey never failed to do, meet him when he 

 would. 



The next two characters were Mathew Hardcastle and John Tre- 

 vor. Meet when they would, neither of them would yield the wall 

 but by main force ; and they have often been known to stand arguing 

 about the right each had to it for three or four hours, which they at 

 last generally terminated by trying the strength of each other's sticks. 

 Let them be passing up or down Bridge-street when they would, and 

 but get the sight of one another in the distance, they would then im- 

 mediately commence muttering to themselves like dogs, until they at 

 length met, and made a dead stand. This, one day, happened exactly 

 in the front of old Trown's door, so that his customers could neither 

 get in or out, until he had cleared the way with a strong broomstick, 

 which he found no easy matter ; for, although they were both bitter 

 enemies on all occasions, in this they united to attack what they 

 thought their common foe. 



Old Arnall was another regular attendant. He had been a pauper 

 nearly all his life, and had several times resided in the workhouse. 

 He was what they termed rather cracked, and, on one occasion, when 

 the mistress of the poor-house was in a gay mood, she gave her hand 

 to him in pretended marriage, while one of the overseers read some 

 kind of a ceremony from his parish book. Farmer Duckies, also, as 

 he said, had given him a large farm-house and forty acres of land. 

 Thus he attended every " justice-day," to demand his wife and pro- 

 perty, and had long seemed pacified by being told that both his cases 

 were going on prosperously in the court of chancery. He would 

 sometimes point to Miss Charlton, as she passed, and say, " Hey, 

 that's my wife, if ever woman was married ;" or take those whom he 

 could persuade to look at his property, and show them what altera- 

 tions he intended making when it was out of chancery. 



Old Lawcock was another oddity, he was the landlord of a yard 

 of houses, which was very appropriately called c< Scolding Yard;" 

 and seldom a week passed without his turning some of his tenants into 

 the yard, taking out their windows, and nailing up, or putting 

 padlocks on their doors. He never appeared happy but when 

 engaged in some measure or other for their annoyance. True, he but 

 rarely got any rents, for none would take his houses who could afford 

 to pay others ; so that when rent day came, they made a rule of 

 fighting it out, as well as they could: and it was no uncommon 

 sight, to see landlord and tenant engaged in battle, armed with mop 

 and broom, or sometimes emptying pails of water on each other, for 



