igious difference between
his debts and his assets], he said that he had been persuaded originally
to join with some of the parishioners in indicting his neighbour, Mr.
Frog, for keeping a disorderly house; that they had engaged to bear
their part of the expenses, but had all sneaked off one by one, and left
him to pay the whole, and carry on the proceedings. It had at last,
after being moved from one court to another, become a suit in Chancery;
and he had been advised by the gentleman whom he had always consulted on
these matters, and who was now dead, to go on and persevere, for that he
would be sure to get a final decree in his favour, and all the costs. He
had at last, in fact, got a decree in his favour, about two years since,
before Lord Chancellor Wellington, and for the costs; but not a farthing
had ever been paid, nor was it likely to be; on the contrary, Mr. Frog
had surrendered himself, and gone to prison, where he was now living at
this moment, at his [Mr. Bull's] expense. Besides, the house in question
was now opened again under a new license, granted by the magistrates of
the district ... or rather, a renewal of the old one, in favour of the
brother of the person who had kept it formerly, ... and the new
landlord had taken down the late sign of the Bee Hive, and put up the
old one of the _Fleur-de-lis_; but it was nearly as disorderly as ever,
and the magistrates were obliged to keep up a great number of special
constables to preserve the peace of the neighbourhood."[76]

John Bull, in his best blue coat and white waistcoat, and suffering
under an attack of gout is going through the ordeal of his public
examination before the judge. In front of this functionary is the
bankrupt's schedule, on which we read the following items:--

"Amount of Income L24,000,000
Expenditure 80,000,000
Dr. Nick Frog 10,000,000
Paul Bruin 1,000,000
Frank Force-child 8,000,000
Will Eagle Eye 6,000,000
Ferd. Faithless 30,000,000."

In the body of the court, and separated from the commissioner by a
wooden enclosure, the upper edge of which is lined with bayonets
pointing inwards, are a number of the bankrupt's wretched creditors,
whom Death, clothed in a red coat and armed with a mace, vainly strives
to keep quiet. "Ck. fect." in such faint letters that they might easily
escape detection, is appended to this remarkable composition.