HORSE-DEALERS AND STEALERS 201 



lodged a complaint before the Bath magistrates against a 

 clergyman who was also a bit of a horse-coper. The 

 Frenchman's version of the transaction was as follows : — 



" I go to buy a horse of him, and he ask me 40 guineas. 

 I say ' No, by gar, I will not give that ! ' ' Well,' says 

 the clergyman, 'you shall have him for 35 guineas, but 

 d n my eye you shall have him no less.'" 



Here the magistrate interrupted with, "You could not 

 surely think of dealing with a clergyman who was so 

 ready to swear ? " To which the Frenchman replied : — 



" I thought a clergyman would not swear to anything 

 but truth, so I paid him the money. Veil, I got the horse, 

 and he so beautiful. Then I put him in Bell's stables, and 

 I ride him next day, but he go upon three legs ; and then 

 I give him a doctor. But then he valk upon his knee, and 

 I say, ' By gar, if you valk upon your knee, I do not valk 

 upon your back ! '" 



"You mean the horse was unsound," suggested the 

 Bench. 



" Otii, out ; he got the gout." 



" The gout ! Horses do not have the gout." 



" But he was a clergyman's horse, and they both have 

 gout : the horse's leg was so swelled, and so was the 

 clergyman's." 



" Well, I suppose you sent back the horse ? " 



" No ; the clergyman said, * D n his eye if he would 



have him back'; so I asked Mr Bell to buy him for 35 

 guineas ; but he said, ' No, he would not give more than 

 £$ ' ; so I keep him in the stable for twelve weeks, and 

 then I sent him to be sold, and how much do you think 

 I got?" 



" Perhaps £^ ? Well, I think you received more than 

 you might have expected." 



'^Receive! I receive nothing. I got ;^I5 to pay for 

 de dinner." 



" Dinner? " 



" For my horse's dinner for twelve weeks in Mr Bell's 

 stable ! " 



Roars of laughter greeted the unfortunate Frenchman. 

 The magistrate declared that he could not help him, 



