"VICKELER DISEASE/' 141 



still to wait for the bailiff. The victim eyed the horse 

 from head to heel, but, like the Irishman once said, the 

 more he saw him the worse he liked him. While he 

 VoS looking at him, the coper who had been left behind 

 came walking up, in a contrary direction (having, by a 

 cross cut, come into the main road some distance ahead 

 of the Welshman). 



"Is that horse for sale?" said he. The Welshman, 

 whose heart was fast failing him, thought there would 

 be no harm in selling him, especially if he could make a 

 profit. 



" Yes," said he. 



"How much ?" said the coper. 



" A hundred pounds/' said the Welshman. 



" Of what ?" enquired the coper. " I suppose you 

 mean soap, at 6d. per lb., for that would be 2 10s., 

 and more than he's worth.'* 



Welshman. " More than he's worth ! What do you 

 mean ? Why, I have given more than seventy sovereigns 

 for him." 



Coper. " Then you've been jockied. Why, the horse 

 is a roarer, I am sure. I can tell by the unnatural width 

 of his nose ; look how wide the air passages are from his 

 nostrils upwards; and, well I declare> I'll bet any 

 amount of money that he's been been nerved, too, for 

 ' vickeler disease.' " 



Welshman. " What do you mean by being nerved for 

 'vickeler' disease?" 



Coper. " Why, you take him back to Chester and 



