The display of the dead cock, and the emotion exhibited by the poor widow for the loss of her darling bantam, caused great laughter, instead of the sympathy it was evident she expected from all who heard her complaint. 'Well madam,' inquired Mr. Chambers, how came your cock in that condition, with its head cut off Applicant, still weeping, Your worship, the poor thing's head was struck off by Mr. Glasscock, my next door neighbour, with a sabre, while his cock and my cock were fighting together; and I want to know if I cannot obtain redress for so diabolical an act, for I can call it nothing else.' Mr. Chambers inquired how the cocks came to engage with one another; whether they had been matched to fight by the applicant? The applicant said that her cock got over the wall into Mr. Glasscock's yard, and then the two cocks began at one another, when, in the midst of the fight, Mr. Glasscock ran out with a drawn sword in his hand, and with one blow severed the head off her cock. A voice here from amongst the crowd listening to the case called out, Well, old lady, you can have cock broth now as soon as you please.' The applicant, hearing the words, said, 'Me eat this poor cock-no, not for a thousand pounds. My poor mother, who died at ninety-six years of age, reared the poor bird, and out of respect for her memoryfor I know she was fond of it-I was anxious to keep it as long as I lived, had it not been for my cruel neighbour, Mr. Glasscock, who deserved to have his head cut off for serving out the poor bird in this manner. (The applicant here gazed at the dead cock, and, smoothing down the feathers on its back, said, 'Well, it had as pretty a plumage as any cock in the kingdom, and could fight well, too, but I did all in my power to prevent any thing of the kind.') Mr. Chambers, Well, madam, I have listened very patiently to all you have had to say relative to the dead cock, and now must inform you that I can afford you no redress. You can summon Mr. Glasscock to the Court of Requests for the value you set upon your cock, and that is all the advice I can give you.' The applicant here dropped a low curtsey, and while engaged in tying up the body of her cock in a pocket handkerchief, she shook her head over it, and exclaimed aloud, on leaving the office, I shall never, never more, see its like again.' was suddenly interrupted in his pursuit by a NEWMARKET IN THE REIGN OF QUEEN ANNE A gentleman who made a very extensive tour in the eastern parts of this island, in the reign of queen Anne, and published his remarks in that of George I., speaking of Newmarket, says " Being there in October, I had the opportunity to see the horse-races, and a great concourse of the nobility and gentry, as well from London as from all parts of England; but they were all so intent, so eager, so busy upon the sharping part of the sport, their wagers and bets, that to me they seemed just so many horse-coursers in Smithfield, descending, the greatest of them, from their high dignity and quality, to the picking one another's pockets, and biting one another as much as possible; and that with so much eagerness, as it might be said they acted without respect to faith, honor, or good manners. "There was Mr. Frampton, the oldest, and, as some say, the cunningest jockey in Eng land; one day he lost 1000 guineas, the next he won 2000; and so alternately. He made as light of throwing away £500 or £1000 at a time, as other men do of their pocket money, and was as perfectly calm, cheerful, and unconcerned, when he had lost £1000 as when he had won it. On the other side there was sir R. Fagg, of Sussex, of whom fame says he has the most in him, and the least to show for it, relating to jockeyship, of any man there; yet he often carried the prize. His horses, they said, were all cheats, how honest soever their master was; for he scarcely ever produced a horse but he looked like what he was not, and was what nobody could expect him to be. If he was as light as the wind, and could fly like a meteor, he was sure to look as clumsy as a cart-horse, as all the cunning of his master and grooms could make him; and just in this manner he bit some of the greatest gamesters in the field. "I was so sick of the jockeying part, that I left the crowd about the posts, and pleased myself with observing the horses; how the creatures yielded to all the arts and management of their masters; how they took their airings in sport, and played with the daily heats which they ran over the course before the grand day; but how, as not knowing the difference equally with their riders, they would then exert their utmost strength, as much as at the time of the race itself, and that to such an extremity, that one or two of them died in the stable, when they came to be rubbed after the first heat. "Here I fancied myself in the Circus Maximus at Rome, seeing the ancient games, and, under this deception, was more pleased than I possibly could have been among the crowds of gentlemen at the weighing and starting posts; or at their meetings at the coffeehouses and gaming-tables, after the races were over. Pray take it with you as you go, that you see no ladies at Newmarket, excepting a few of the neighbouring gentlemen's families, who come in their carriages to see a race, and then go home again." CURIOUS BOND. The following Bond, given for breaking of a setter, shows the price of such labour upwards of a century ago, and the nature of the contract to perform it. Ribbesford, Oct. 7, 1685. "I JOHN HARRIS, of Wildore, in the parish of Hartlebury, in the county of Worcester, yeoman, for and in consideration of ten shillings of lawful English money, this day received of Henry Hurbert, of Kibbesford, in the said county, Esq., and of thirty shillings more of the like money by him promised to be hereafter paid me, do hereby covenant and promise to and with the said Henry Hurbert, his executors and administrators, that I will from this day of the date hereof, until the tirst day of March next, well and sufficiently maintain and keep a Spanish bitch, named Quand, this day delivered into my custody by the said Henry Hurbert, and will, before the first day of March next fully and effectually train up and teach the said bitch to set partridges, pheasants, and other game, as well and exactly as the best setting dogs usually set the same. And the said bitch, so trained and taught, I shall and will deliver to the said Henry Hurbert, or to whom he shall appoint to receive her, at his house in Ribbesford, aforesaid, and on the first day of March next. And if at any time after the said bitch shall, for want of use or practice, forget to get game as aforesaid, I will, at my costs and charges, maintain her for a month, or longer, as often as need shall require, to train up and teach her to set game, as aforesaid, and shall and will fully and effectually teach her to set game, as well and exactly as is above mentioned. "Witness my hand and seal, the day and year first above written. "JOHN HARRIS. his mark.' "Sealed and delivered in the presence of "H. PAYNE. his mark." DR. FRANKLIN'S ADVICE TO A YOUNG SPORTS MAN. A gentleman of this description, from a too eager pursuit of the follies of high fashion, had spent the last guinea of his patrimony. At length, after receiving insults from those whom he had protected, and being denied a meal by those whom he had once fed, fortune, in one estate, more valuable than the first. Upon the possession of it, young Nimrod waited upon the late celebrated Dr. Franklin, who had been the friend of his father, to beg his advice. "What were the causes of their late misfortunes?" enquired the doctor. “Lawyers, quacks, gamesters, and footmen," replied the applicant. "The four greatest parts of your metropolis," rejoined Franklin. "Butpoisons (continued the doctor) in the political, as well as medical world, nay, when judiciously applied, become antidotes to each other; my advice, therefore, is, that you remember the past conduct of the lawyers; this remembrance will teach you to go to law, and by this you will preserve your new-acquired property from chicanery; the practice of the quacks should teach you to live temperately, and by this you will escape the miseries created by those mercenary monsters; the gamester may show you the necessity of forbearance, and remind you of the old proverb, that only knaves and fools are adventures; and by this your vigilance will be excited to take care of your ready money: as to the idleness and insolence of footmen, these will teach you the pleasures of waiting upon yourself, in which you will be sure to escape the mortification of paying for torment in your own house. Go, son of my friend, ponder these antidotes, and be happy." TheFINISH" of TOM MOODY-the crack Huntsman ! One favor bestow-'tis the last I shall crave, Give a rattling view halloo, thrice over my grave! NATURE makes us poor, only when we want necessaries, observed the late Dr. Johnson, but custom gives the name of Poverty to the want of superfluities. The biography of huntsmen, in general, independant of their feats in the chase, might almost be contained in the space of a few nut shells. From the best information that we could obtain from a very old Shropshire huntsman, respecting the late TOM MOODY, we understand that for upwards of thirty years he had been the 6 whipper-in' to Squire Forrester's pack of hounds in Shropshire; and also that he died in the service of that gentleman. It is said of the late Tom Moody, that he was one of the happiest fellows in the kingdom; and likewise that he had not a spark of envy in his whole composition; indeed, generally speaking, he was happier than his monarch, or the whole race of kings, if the statement of the Poet be any thing like correct, that Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown! It is true that Tom Moody now and then went to bed with rather a funny nob,' but it was not distracted with the cares of the world; in truth, he had nothing to rifle his thoughts; to plague his mind; or to put him on the fret respecting his finances. Day light opened G upon Tom with pleasure, and the evening brought him mirth and harmony; indeed his life was one complete steady course he had his regular employment for the Summer; and the sports of the field occupied his time throughout the Winter. Tom Moody was completely provided for-as the term goes-he had no taxes to pay, his master made that sort of troublesome affair to most folks' all right' to him; and the idea of getting over a tailor's bill never alarmed the crack huntsman' all that he cared about Mr. Snip was, that the latter gave to his toggery a regular sporting cut; well knowing that the Squire made-the ninth part of a man all happiness' at Christmas, on the cash account. Tom Moody was generally called by his acquaintances a deep one;' but he was quite out of the hunt as to anything like a politician, and he had, individually, as much respect for the Outs as the Inns; but, nevertheless, as if by instinct, he had a very great respect for the high-sounding character of a Parliament man; and Tom always appeared to stand in great awe when in the presence of such a person; indeed, he had been taught from his cradle to have a most inviolable respect for his "BETTERS!" Tom Moody never soared in society above the idea of a serving man, and he felt contented and happy in his situation; but he was very anxious to be called a good whipper-in;' and also to have the character of being an excellent huntsman. He was a jolly companion, and quite feature' in the village contiguous to the 'Squire's Estate'-' and the name of TOM MOODY the whipper-in,' was well known for miles round the country. a It was whispered that, in his early days, Tom was very fond of the company of the fair sex; but, nevertheless, he always had the reputation of being too sound a sportsman to attempt anything like poaching on the manors of other persons; yet a present now and then of a partridge, pheasant, or any other little article of game, always rendered Tom Moody a welcome visitor at the house of his friends; indeed, whenever he could spare any time from the sports of the field, he used frequently to declare to his brother sportsmen, that he never felt happier than when engaged in a little small talk' with the fair daughters of the creation. The actions of Tom Moody were simplicity itself: and if he did not feel the expressions of Anacreon, Moore's celebrated song in praise of Lovely Woman,' or he could not give so elegant a turn to the verses contained in the ballad as some of the high-bred swells, yet Tom was equally alive to the milk of human kindness' possessed by the softer sex, and entered into all the spirit of the words with as much gallantry : Dear creatures we can't do without 'em, But, at the village ale-house, Tom was quite * at home!' and if, perchance, he let his score run to a greater length from accident or other circumstances, making rapid progress towards Chalk Farm, it operated considerably more upon his feelings until the sponge had performed its useful office, than the accumulation of the National Debt did on the minds of our alarming financiers. Tom, it should seem, had made up his mind to live all the days of his life;' and although not addicted to drinking, and very far from the character of a Sot, yet he was by no means viewed as an abstemious man; indeed, on the contrary, he was fond of a glass of grog; and as to choice, Tom preferred it being made stiff-ish than otherwise; and he could also take off a pint or two of humming October,' without moving a muscle or winking his eye. The constitution of Tom Moody was as sound as a roach-" a pleasant, cheerful glass or two," said Tom to his friends, "will never hurt any body, provided they do as I do-to get up early in the morning and snuff the fragrant gale-take plenty of exercise in the open air; and a day's hunting is sure to put any little excess over night to rights, without the aid of Old Drench'em, the apothecary. ་ Better to hunt in fields for health unbought, Than fee the doctor for his nauseous draught. Tom never troubled his friends that he was out of sorts, or that he was labouring under the complaint of the head-ache! He was always happy to meet his acquaintances in the evening to recount over the sports of the day; and it was quite a treat to hear Tom Moody give the view halloo !' He was a merry fellow and fond of hearing a good chaunt at all times, but he preferred those songs which related to sporting; neither was Tom in the least degree backwards when called upon to add to the harmony of the evening. The following ballad was a great favorite with him, and the spirit and character which he infused into it, rendered the above song not only a crack affair in its way, but it frequently produced for Tom a very loud encore; so much satisfaction did this chaunt give to the members of the club : THE PLEASURE OF THE CHASE. Leave off your chat, see the cover appear The hound that strikes first, cheer him without fear; Drag on him! ah, wind him, my steady good hounds Drag on him! ah, wind him, the cover resounds. "Chalk Farm." A cant phrase for credit at a public-house: showing the extent of a customer's orders by the number of chalks scored against his name behind the door inside the bar, or upon a slate; At likewise points out the good faith possessed by the landlord towards his debtor. How complete the cover and farze they draw! Away we fly, as quick as thought; The new-sown ground soon makes them fault; Cast round the sheep's train, cast round, cast round, Try back the deep lane, try back, try back, Hark! I hear some hound challenge in yonder spring Comfort bitch hits it there, in that old thick hedge. A stormy sky, o'ercharg'd with rain, Both hounds and hunstsmen opposes; In vain on your mettle you try, boys, in vain. Each moment now the sky grows worse Pick through the plow'd ground, pick through, pick Well hunted, good hounds, well hunted, well hunted, Tallio! tallio, there! across the green plain; Thus we ride, whip, and spur, for a two hours' chase, He's jumping and dangling in every bush; Tom Moody used frequently to go to the 66 saucers dancing!" "I am not at all surprised Amongst the oddities, who visited the club at the Stag's Head, was "Old Amen," the parish clerk, one of the Caleb Quotem sort of folks in society: |