The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 360: what you’re looking at

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_ and depa THE MYSTERIES, “Well, young woman,” remarked the magistrate, ‘‘we shall see what your father says presently. And now answer me one or two questions. Did Sneaksby know how you came by the ten pounds that you gave him?” “To be sure he did, your worship,” was the reply. “ J told him that aunt gave it to me, and he said the Lord had need of it. So I handed it over to him. He'd such power over me then, he had!” “ And has he ever paid you any portion of it back again ?” inquired the magistrate. * Not a farthing, your worship,—although he’s had plenty of money since, from Salem and other places. And, what's more, the New Lights are building him and Brother Paxwax both beautiful houses ——” “Tf this isn’t a reason to make your worship send these rascals to prison, I’ll be hanged if I know what would,” exclaimed Mr. Jones. “ As for my daughter, I'll take her home again and forgive her this time———” “ And I won’t do it no more, father,” cried Ann, furning in an appealing manner towards her parent. “ But will mother forgive me?” * Yes, yes—it shall be all right,” answered her father. ‘Come, don’t cry, my love,” whispered Mrs. Piggleberry, in a soothing tone. ‘I know it was all my fault for taking you to Salem and throwing you in the way of them New Lights. A precious state of grease they've brought you to after all.” ‘* Now, one more question, young woman,” said the magistrate. “Was the prisoner Paxwax cog- nisant of the affair of the ten-pound note t” - ¢ Be knew all about it, your worahip,” replied Ann Jones ; “ in fact, it was him that went and changed it the moment J gave it to them.” ‘¢ That will do,” observed the magistrate ; “ we need not go into the case of the umbrella. Now, prisoners, what have you to say in your defence 2” “ Verily, the young woman hath spoken falsely,” said the Reverend Nathaniel Sneaksby, in his habitual canting drone; “and thou, O nighteous judge! wilt not be swayed by Satan to do evil unto me. Never received I aught from the young woman ; neither shekels of gold, nor shekelsa of silver; and as toucheth her chastity, if she bo not 2 virgin, of a surety it ia not I that have defiled her. I took her as mine handmaiden, to serve and minister unto me, at a wage of three pounds for each fourth part of a year. And forasmuch as she hath not yet tarried with me so long a period as three months, verily is her wage not due till the term cometh. She is wroth against me, because I have rebuked her for her too great forwardness touching a certain ungodly vessel whom men do call the pot-boy at the public- house which is nearest unto my abode. But I yield her my forgiveness: nay, more—I will even pay her her wage, albeit though not yet due——and I will send for Brother Unthank Snag and Brother Crick, and bid them come with money in their hands that they may present unto this widow the ten shekels which her niece aid take from her. This will I do, thou interpreter of the law!” added Mr. Sneaksby, apostrophizing the magistrate; “ so that there may be peace between us and I may gird up my loins rt } 93 “ Amen!” said Ichabod Paxwax, in a deep solemn tone. ** Have you anything to urge iu your own behalf?” demanded the magistrate of this latter individual. CUED 2 ene 349 “T have said it,” was the response, “Then shall [ proceed to adjudicate summarily in this matter,” continued the magistrate. “It is through the vile hypocrisy, the wretched cant, and the foul immoralities of such men as yourselves, that the cause of true religion is injured. I care not whether an individual be a member of the Esta- blished Church, a Dissenter, or a Catholic: so long as he is sincere, honest, and true in his professions and his practice, he is worthy of esteem and respect. Indeed,I am well aware that taking the whole body of Dissenters generally, they are in every way deserving of admiration and praise. But there are hypocrites, Maw-worms, false prophets, and canting impostors in all sects and all creeds; and under the respectable cloak of Dissent, do cheats and counterfeits like you, prisoners at the bar, succeed in preying upon the cre- dulous and unwary, the weak-minded and the igno- rant. Your offence against society is all the greater, because you are the real wolves in sheep’s clothing of whom the holy scriptures speak. You assume the most sacred characters, in order to conceal the most depraved courses and the most dissolute lives. Society must be protected against such men—true religion shall not be outraged with impunity. I therefore sentence you each to three months’ impri- eonment as rogues and vagabonds. Clear the court!" The Reverend Mr. Sneakaby thfew up his arms in dismay, while Brother Paxwax fell on his knees and began to blubber like a school-boy. But the magis- trate was inexorable; and the two influential leaders of the New Lights were lugged out of the office and locked up in a cell until all the cases of the day were disposed of. They were then conveyed in a hackney-coach to the House of Correction, where we shall leave them to deplore their unhappy fate and curse the day on which they undertook to bring Ann Jones to a state of grace! But ete we conclude this chaper we must avail ourselves of the opportunity to declare that, in de- picting such characters as Sneaksby and Paxwax, we aim only at exposing the Maw-worms and the hypo- critical reprobates who make a trade of religion; and that we have never harboured the slightest intention of ridiculing or maligning the honest, sincere, and conscientious pastors who do their duty to their flock. We are well aware that in the Dissenting Ministry there are thousands of excellent, amiable, and truly pious men; and we therefore delineate Mr. Sneaksby as a type of the exceptions to the rule, and not of the class itself. We will even declare our positive con- viction that for morality, useful learning, and dis- interested zeal, the Dissenting Ministers are incom- parably superior to the bigotted, narrow-minded, selfish, and dissipated clergy of the Established Church. CHAPTER CCXYV. AN INTERVIEW IN NEWGATE. NEARLY two months and a half had now elapsed since the Honourable Arthur Eaton was com- mitted to Newgate, to await his trial on the charge of murdering his valet William Dudley. We must remind our readers that when the investigation of that dark and mysterious tragedy took place at Bow Street, Mr. Eaton addressed the magistrate in the following manner :—“ J can mee LL a FES SS Saf SS A a - ElOOO® SS