208 FETTERS. 



imprisonment. I remonstrated with the 

 jailer against the ornaments that then 

 adorned their limbs. He replied that it 

 was so ordered by the Mayor. I then 

 waited on his worship, whom I knew, as 

 he had migrated from my native county, 

 and was in full practice at St. Albans 

 as a surgeon. From him I got no re- 

 dress, as he could only in such a case 

 refer me to his legal adviser, the town- 

 clerk, but he believed the practice was 

 quite correct. The town-clerk soon con- 

 vinced me, by taking down a book and 

 turning to the statute, that such a de- 

 gradation was sanctioned by the Eng- 

 lish law. Consequently the men retained 

 those inconvenient appurtenances to their 

 dress for six months, when they were tried 

 at Hertford, and received as their sen- 

 tence the utmost extent of punishment 

 for their offence viz., twelvemonths fur- 

 ther incarceration in the county jail ; but 



