e town.

Nor was he the least afraid of the town, or the county either, or even
of the General himself, as he now intended to show him.

So there he stood manfully in front of Vertessy, twirling his crooked
moustache from end to end, and banging his musket on the ground as
violently as if he meant to smash its butt end to pieces. Then he
cleared his throat, and in a hoarsely strident voice gave expression to
the following sentiments:

"My Lord General, whereas it has happened, so to speak, that our human
masses in this comitavus[18] have attained to extraordinary dimensions,
and inasmuch as the honourable imposteratus[19] has decided in
consequence thereof that this is not a right state of things at all, far
from it, and right they are too, say I, for the members of the city
guilds have far too many qualifications; but, on the other hand, they
are quite wrong, inasmuch as our journeymen are in countlessly small
number therein, therefore we have resolved that as everyone is talking
about it, so it must be, and not otherwise. For great is the desire of
the enemy to make an impulse in this kingdom. Moreover, as for the
avoidance and confirmation thereof, the plenipotentiaries have
furthermore resolved that the 'pothecaries are concocting a certain
miasma, by which decree we men are to be kept within salutary
boundaries. Such finally being the case, and the people having
cognisance thereof, the secular inhabitants of the neighbouring
districts and sequestrations have arisen, and want to know what it is
all about and wherefore. I myself am not able to say a word there anent,
inasmuch as I wish not to apprehend it; but so much I can say for
certain, that one of my journeymen on his way to the fair had his feet
twisted double with cramp, and I know what I know. If, therefore, my
Lord General so wishes it, and considers it seasonable that men for the
common good of the kingdom should make a revolution, therefore we most
humbly and respectfully petition for the same. And we are not fools
either."

[Footnote 18: _I.e._, "Comitatus" county.]

[Footnote 19: _I.e._, "Compossessoratus," a local committee of landed
proprietors for assessing taxation, &c.]

During this brilliant and particularly lucid harangue, the bolder masses
of the mob had pushed right forward, and it seemed highly probable that
within the next few moments the arguments of the great popular orator
would be emphasized by fist-law. Vertessy, on the other hand,