selves, they are digging a pit for their own reception, and hastening the approach of that evil day which they fear. A man may he wheedled out of his property, but he will never submit to have it beat out of his possession, and no per son will more readily believe that the Parsons have a divine right to the tenth of his income, because he has nearly had his brains battered out by a folio Bible. In this shameful contest the suckling Parsons have shown their contempt of the laws of the land, and the rights of the subject, and "done that which appeared right in their own eyes," and yet, whilst they trample upon the laws at their pleasure, they have only them to appeal to on the claim they have against those who live under the law; they have moreover brought disgrace--additional disgrace upon their sacred calling, where, at least, decency of deportment in language and deeds should be used-if not from conscientious-from political motives. Priest-craft will find that it has gone too far, when it proceeds to throw the mask of decency aside, and leave its pillars exposed to the shock of every rude invader. We will advise the old and the young, who have been engaged in the above contest, to consider that all crafts are now well understood, and even priest-craft no longer a secret.

We will use our best endeavours to destroy it wherever it appears-labour seems light to us in such a cause-and toil sweet, when the reward gained is the approbation of the good and wise.

Tenderness for youth misled by wicked example, deters us from giving the names of "Suckling Parsons" engaged in this outrage upon an unoffended people; we wait to see the effects of this admonition, and hope we never again may have cause to say, "cursed be their anger for it was fierce, and their wrath for it was-cruel."

W. B.

THE HONOURABLE PARSON ANSON.

Swindler.

“Cursed is he that removeth his neighbour's landmark.”

The only difference betwixt a swindler in red, and one in a black coat is, that the one is really what he appears to be, the other appears to be what he really is not. Of the first you can be aware, but the second, by his grave deportment and religi-, ous conversation, insinuates himself into your very heart's core, and poisons the fountain of your existence before you suspect that he is a disguised serpent, an emissary of Satan, shrouded in the dark habiliments of hypocrisy to accomplish the work of destruction. The one is an open and brutal rogue, the other a disguised and infernal villain.

The honourable Parson Anson had an immortal ancestor. who sailed round the world in search of science. The Parson has also circumnavigated the world of vice," and sounded all the depths and shoals of dishonour;" he had an excellent education, a lively spirit, and a handsome person to start him as a candidate in the race of clerical ambition.

He had sufficient sagacity to keep on the right side of a go vernment post, and he was so nimble in his movements, and quick sighted, it was not probable he would want spurring to gain a prize.

He took a degree at College, as the sons of great men usually do, from especial favour, and when he was placed as incumbent on the livings of Grayston, in Cumberland, he carried with him as pretty a housekeeper, and as fine a set of horses as any black-coat (we mean black-leg) in or out of the church could boast. He was a young and hearty fellow, and in a sporting county soon made his company agreeable to all round the Rectory. A Mr. Thomson kept a pack of fox-hounds in the same village, and the Parson acted as his "whipper in." The

tithes of the parish had always been received in kind by the late Rector: Parson Anson, though a judge of horses, was no judge of farming, and he leased the tithes for his own life to his friend Thompson, at £400 per annum: on the whole, the farmers who were drunk with a long war's prosperity were satisfied, and Parson Anson; popular it is true, some of the better sort objected to receiving his housekeeper at their tables, whom he described as his niece: though she made annual journeys to London, and always returned with the loss of her "country bumpkin," (fatness) and the gain of an infant nephew or niece, which her sister, or Providence, had sent to be taken care of by Parson Anson.

These scruples were soon put an end to. A Noble Lord, the Parson's relative, came to attend Carlisle races, and he led off the race ball with Parson Anson's niece, this at once stamped her innocence, and the honour of her company was solicited by the most prudish "madams" in the county. The Archdeacon, who had himself a housekeeping niece, entertained Miss Mary Anson at his Castle of Banbro, and thus bore testimony to her integrity.

"The foxes have holes, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head." Mr. Parson Anson's head was one sabbath morning found laying (from mistake or otherwise) on the bosom of a farmer's wife. The farmer, who made the discovery (and was by the enamoured pair supposed to be miles distant) commenced club-law with the but end of his horse whip. The Parson jumped up, and changed the scene by giving him a thrashing, which employed a doctor for a month to cure. The farmer, in the meantime, for wise reasons, found it was useless "to kick against the pricks," he became a " chosen vessel to go amongst the gentiles" and preach the innocence of the man who had made him a cuckold, and was partially believed.

Parson Anson now ran his horses at every course, and lost and won with eclat. A Mr. Randson, a brazier, rich and old, had lent the Parson some money, and finding no hint was made at payment, he demanded it rather abruptly. In a few days after this affront, 'Parson Anson waited upon him at his shop in

Benbow, Printer, 9, Castle Street, Leicester Square, London.

Carlisle, accompanied by Mr. Lowther the agent, and paid him the debt in gold, amounting to three hundred guineas; they then proceeded to exercise the law of the stronger, and inflicted upon poor Randson a sound horsewhipping.

There is an old saying, "never attack a parson, for he has the church on his side," and another of Rabelais : "Beware of a woman before-a mule behind-a cart sideways-and a priest on all sides:" these sayings were probably known to Mr. Randson, so he let the horse whipping die away, employing the money to heal his stripes. Nevertheless Mr. Randson circulated the story much to the Parson's discredit, and one day when the Parson was haranguing the mob at the Carlisle election, a wag stuck up in large letters against the carriage, on the roof of which he was mounted," Alexander the coppersmith did I much evil, the Lord reward me according to my works." This bit of fun caused much merriment, and the house of Randson was robbed, or found to have been robbed about that time of some hundred old guineas, and other etcetras. A young woman was taken up on suspicion, but finally it appeared Mrs. Randson had robbed her husband, and the guineas with which Parson Anson paid his debt, were a part of the lost property. Mr. Randson did not prosecute, be declared he did not believe his wife had robbed him, he did not doubt the Parson's ignorance of the transaction, and in a little time, he did not (although a Methodist) refuse the appointment of collector of the window tax, and surcharger of the county.

If the way of a ship in the sea, and the way of a maid after marriage, were things not known in days of olden time, we are sure it is more difficult now to understand the ways of a taxgatherer and a parson, such as these we have alluded to. A transaction occurred at the Tontine inn, Whiteheaven, wherein Parson Anson was detected in bribing a jockey to lose a race he was expelled the assembly, and actually refunded several hundred pounds to evade prosecution. His name appeared in the public papers for having sold a horse warranted sound for two hundred pounds, which was proved to have been lame, with his knowledge, at the time of sale; he was cast, with costs, and

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the same year he suffered judgment to go by default about a bill of exchange for seventy pounds, his character was blown up, and every one avoided him-he threw down a hedge adjoining his rectory, and blocked up a cart way by so doinghis neighbour, a Mr. Singleton, tried it at the assizes, it came out, that he, Parson Anson, had caused two boundry stones which were usually covered with nettles to be removed in the night into such a situation that they gave him a claim to fifty yards of his neighbour's ground; he was cast in three hundred pounds damages, and probably the same wag that exposed him at Carlisle, wrote on the door of the parish church" cursed is he that removeth his neighbour's land-mark." Mr. Parson Anson having lost all credit in the country, ventured upon "Life in London ;" and amongst the solitary few that ever gained a shilling by" Howard and Gibbs," we are told he was fortunate by giving them bad security.

After all his swindling transactions, he applied to a late celebrated vice-president of a Provident Life Annuity Office, near Blackfriar's-bridge, for a loan of £1200, he got the cash, and secured the payment upon his living of Grayston; when the time came for receiving the first instalment, the money-lender found to his horror, that not only had the revenues of Parson Anson been sequestered for two years, but that the honourable Parson had himself winged his flight to another clime; an old worn-out hunter, and a polite letter, were all the ex-vice president ever received for his £1200. Parson Anson's niece sold off all his furniture and effects in defiance of the claims of creditors, and then sailed to join her paramour, who holds a living in one of the colonies, and a civil appointment together, making £1300 per annum. We are not inclined to be too severe upon a man because he is a parson, but in no station of life should a common swindler meet with delicate treatment; had Parson Anson been a tradesman-nay, even a cobbler, the first instance of his guilt would have been followed by instant expulsion from society, but his sacred character permitted him to continue longer in evil, than a less religious one would have been able to do with impunity. In his discharge of religious