ut a piece of
dirty paper in my hand; summoned me to appear at some dog-hole or
another, I forget where. Not understanding the business, I enclosed it
to a legal friend, who returned an answer, that it was a summons to the
Court of Rights; that no gentleman could go there; and that I had better
let the thing take its course. I had forgotten all about it, when, in a
few days, a piece of paper was brought to me, by which I found that the
Court adjudged me to pay 1 pound, 2 shillings, 6 pence, for damages and
costs. I asked who brought it, and was told it was the son of the
potato-merchant, accompanied by a tipstaff. I requested the pleasure of
their company, and asked the legal gentleman what it was for.

"`Eighteen shillings, for ten rabbits destroyed by your dog, and 4
shillings, 6 pence, for costs of court.'

"`Ten rabbits!' exclaimed I; `why he only killed one.'

"`Yes, sir,' squeaked out the young potato-merchant; `but it was a doe
rabbit, in the family way; we counted nine young ones, all killed too!'

"`Shameful!' replied I. `Pray, sir, did your father tell the Court that
the rabbits were not born?'

"`No, sir; father only said that there was one doe rabbit and nine
little ones killed. He asked 4 shillings, 6 pence, for the old one, but
only 1 shilling, 6 pence a-piece for the young ones.'

"`You should have been there yourself, sir,' observed the tipstaff.

"`I wish Caesar had left the rabbit alone. So it appears,' replied I,
`he only asked 3 shillings, 6 pence, at first; but by this _Caesarean
operation_, I am nineteen shillings out of pocket.'--Now, sir, what do
you think of that?"

"I think that you should exclaim against the dishonesty of the
potato-merchant, rather than the judgment of the Court. Had you
defended your own cause, you might have had justice."

"I don't know that. A man makes a claim against another, and takes his
oath to it; you must then either disprove it, or pay the sum; your own
oath is of no avail against his. I called upon my legal friend, and
told him how I had been treated, and he then narrated the following
circumstance, which will explain what I mean:--

"He told me that he never knew of but one instance in which a
respectable person had gained his cause, and in which, he was ashamed to
say, that he was a party implicated. The means resorted to were as
follows:--A Jew upholsterer sent in a bill to a relation of his for a
chest of drawers, which had never been pur