es in choisi, sapor omnibus fishibus qui habuerunt finnos et
scalos, claws, shells, et talos, qui swimmare in freshibus, vel saltibus
reveris lakos, pondis, canalibus et well-boats, sive oysteri, prawni,
whitini, shrimpi, turbutus solus_;" that is, not turbots alone, but
turbots and soals both together. But now comes the nicety of the law;
the law is as nice as a new-laid egg, and not to be understood by
addle-headed people. Bullum and Boatum mentioned both ebb and flood to
avoid quibbling; but, it being proved that they were carried away
neither by the tide of flood, nor by the tide of ebb, but exactly upon
the top of high water, they were nonsuited; but, such was the lenity of
the court, upon their paying all costs, they were allowed to begin
again, _de novo_.

{92}This is one of those many thousand Heads [_takes the head_] who
swarm in and about London, whose times and minds are divided between
the affairs of state and the affairs of a kitchen. He was anxious after
venison and politics; he believed every cook to be a great genius; and
to know how to dress a turtle comprehended all the arts and sciences
together. He was always hunting after newspapers, to read about battles;
and imagined soldiers and sailors were only made to be knock'd on the
head, that he might read an account of it in the papers. He read every
political pamphlet that was published on both sides of the question, and
was always on his side whom he read last.

{93}And then he'd come home in a good or ill temper and call for his
night-cap, and pipes and tobacco, and send for some neighbours to sit
with him, and talk politics together. [_Puts on a cap, and takes the
pipes and sits down._]

"How do you do, Mr. Costive? Sit down, sit down. Ay, these times are
hard times; I can no more relish these times than I can a haunch of
venison without sweet sauce to it; but, if you remember, I told you we
should have warm work of it when the cook threw down the Kian pepper.
Ay, ay; I think I know a thing or two; I think I do, that's all. But,
Lord, what signifies what one knows? they don't mind me! You know I
{94}mentioned at our club the disturbances in America, and one of the
company took me up, and said, 'What signifies America, when we are all
in a merry cue?' So they all fell a laughing. Now there's Commons made
Lords, and there's Lords made the Lord knows what; but that's nothing to
us; they make us pay our taxes; they take care of that; ay, ay, ay, they
a