" "But, instead of riding armed in affray of the peace,"
resumed the other, "I ride in preservation of the peace; and gentlemen
are allowed by the law to wear armour for their defence. Some ride with
blunderbusses, some with pistols, some with swords, according to their
various inclinations. Mine is to wear the armour of my forefathers.
Perhaps I use them for exercise, in order to accustom myself to fatigue,
and strengthen my constitution; perhaps I assume them for a frolic."

"But if you swagger, armed and in disguise, assault me on the highway, or
put me in bodily fear for the sake of the jest, the law will punish you
in earnest," cried the other. "But my intention," answered the knight,
"is carefully to avoid all those occasions of offence." "Then," said
Ferret, "you may go unarmed, like other sober people." "Not so,"
answered the knight; "as I propose to travel all times, and in all
places, mine armour may guard me against the attempts of treachery; it
may defend me in combat against odds, should I be assaulted by a
multitude, or have occasion to bring malefactors to justice."

"What, then," exclaimed the philosopher, "you intend to co-operate with
the honourable fraternity of thief-takers?" "I do purpose," said the
youth, eyeing him with a look of ineffable contempt, "to act as a
coadjutator to the law, and even to remedy evils which the law cannot
reach; to detect fraud and treason, abase insolence, mortify pride,
discourage slander, disgrace immodesty, and stigmatise ingratitude, but
the infamous part of a thief-catcher's character I disclaim. I neither
associate with robbers and pickpockets, knowing them to be such, that, in
being intrusted with their secrets, I may the more effectually betray
them; nor shall I ever pocket the reward granted by the legislature to
those by whom robbers are brought to conviction; but I shall always think
it my duty to rid my country of that pernicious vermin, which prey upon
the bowels of the commonwealth--not but that an incorporated company of
licensed thieves might, under proper regulations, be of service to the
community."

Ferret, emboldened by the passive tameness with which the stranger bore
his last reflection, began to think he had nothing of Hector but his
outside, and gave a loose to all the acrimony of his party rancour.
Hearing the knight mention a company of licensed thieves, "What else,"
cried he, "is the majority of the nation? What is your standing army