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THE BARON COURT OF LITTLE BROUGHT-IN. 



BY THE GHOST OF SWIFT. 

 CHAP. I. COMPOSITION op THE COUMT. 



. " Let the devil upon the roof, 

 If the devil be thunder-proof, 

 With a poker fiery red, 

 Crack the stones and melt the lead, 

 And drive them down on every skull, 

 When the den of thieves is full." 



SWIFT, of the Manor Court of Fury field. 



THE many important questions which come on for discussion in full 

 assemblage of the Baron Court of LITTLE BROUGHT-IN, and the 

 opinions which are thereupon delivered by the several members, in 

 language elsewhere unparalleled in the annals of public debating, 

 ancient or modern, are above all admiration. 



But before stating the nature and reporting the proceedings of 

 these all-engrossing cases, it may be necessary to say something of the 

 forms, functions, and functionaries, of the high and honourable as- 

 sembly, who sit upon them with most maternal incubation. The Barony 

 of Little Brought-in is composed of three distinct manors, Hangfield, 

 Heathjield, and Furyfield. The first of these gets its name from a 

 certain gentle slope on its surface, which, though occasionally a little 

 disastrous to the unwary, is yet understood to be of great service in 

 the way of drainage. The second is named simply after its physical 

 aspect, which is, however, beautifully expressive in an intellectual 

 and moral sense. The third is named from the peculiar fact, that in 

 that manor friendship and fighting mean exactly the same thing. 

 As illustrative of this it may be mentioned, that it requires nothing 

 more than the display of a certain pocket handkerchief to set all the 

 clod-hoppers of the manor together by the ears. This pocket-handker- 

 chief is called the" and Blood Flag," probably because it is orange 



on the one side and purple on the other, and it is inscribed in the 

 church character " fear and fighting," it being understood that the 

 orange is symbolical of the effects of the first, and the purple of the 

 effects of the second. So much for the three manors which compose 

 the Barony of Little Brought-in, which also contains a few out-farms, 

 but the folks upon these are never called upon to attend the Baron 

 Court. 



Next we must say a little of the persons" of whom this court is 

 made up. In the first place there is the Baron himself, who is always 

 " the Baron" whatever other title he may have, and he is not under- 

 stood to take any part in the proceedings of the court, further than 

 bidding the members do as little as ever they can, before they begin, 

 and thanking them for their perfect obedience when all is over. 



The members consist of persons from all the three manors, great 

 part of whom are called "delicates" no doubt from there being no 



