the highwayman. The idea struck Turpin, that the restless mass of particoloured shreds and patches, of vivid hues and varied tintings, singularly, though accidentally disposed to produce such an effect, resembled an immense tiger-moth, or it might be a Turkey carpet, spread out upon the grass !

The scene was a joyous one. It was a brilliant sunshiny morning. Freshened and purified by the storm of the preceding night, the air breathed a balm upon the nerves and senses of the robber. The wooded hills were glittering in light; the brook was flowing swiftly past the edge of the verdant slope, glancing like a wreathed snake in the sunshine-its "quiet song" lost in the rude harmony of the mummers, as were the thousand twitterings of the rejoicing birds; the rocks bared their bosoms to the sun, or were buried in deep-cast gloom; the shadows of the pillars and arches of the old walls of the Priory were projected afar, while the rose-like ramifications of the magnificent marigold window were traced, as if by a pencil, upon the verdant tablet of the sod.

The overture was finished. With the appearance of the principal figures in this strange picture the reader is already familiar. It remains only to give him some idea of the patrico. Imagine, then, an old superannuated goat, reared upon its hind legs, and clad in a white sheet, disposed in folds like those of a simar about its limbs, and you will have some idea of Balthazar, the patrico. This resemblance to the animal before mentioned, was rendered the more striking, by his huge, hanging goat-like under-lip, his lengthy white beard, and a sort of cap, covering his head, which was ornamented with a pair of horns, such as are to be seen in Michael Angelo's tremendous statue of Moses. Balthazar, besides being the patrico of the tribe, was its principal professor of divination, and had been the long-tried and faithful minister of Barbara Lovel, from whose secret instructions he was supposed to have derived much of his magical skill.

Placing a pair of spectacles upon his "prognosticating nose," and unrolling a vellum skin, upon which strange characters were written, Balthazar, turning to Turpin, thus commenced, in a solemn voice:

Thou who wouldst our brother be,
Say how we shall enter thee?

Name the name that thou wilt bear,
Ere our livery thou wear? *

"I see no reason why I should alter my designation," replied the noviciate; "but as popes change their titles on their creation, there can be no objection to a scampsman following so excellent an example. Let me be known as the Night Hawk."

"The Night Hawk-good," returned the hierophant, proceeding to register the name upon the parchment. "Kneel down," continued he.

After some hesitation, Turpin complied.

"You must repeat the salamon,' or oath of our creed, after my dictation," said the patrico; and Turpin, signifying his assent by a nod, Balthazar propounded the following abjuration: :

OATH OF THE CANTING CREW.

I, Crank-Cuffin, swear to be

True to this fraternity;

That I will in all obey
Rule and order of the lay.
Never blow the gab, or squeak;
Never snitch to bum or beak;
But religiously maintain
Authority of those who reign
Over Stop-Hole Abbey green,
Be they tawny king, or queen.
In their cause alone will fight;

Think what they think, wrong or right;
Serve them truly, and no other,
And be faithful to my brother;
Suffer none, from far or near,
With their rights to interfere;
No strange Abram, ruffler crack,
Hooker of another pack,

Rogue or rascal, frater, maunderer,
Irish toyle, or other wanderer;
No dimber-damber, angler, dancer,
Prig of cackler, prig of prancer;

No swigman, swaddler, clapperdudgeon;
Cadge-gloak, curtal, or curmudgeon;
No whip-jack, palliard, patrico;
No jarkman, be he high or low;
No dummerar, or romany;
No member of "the Family;
No ballad.basket, bouncing buffer,
Nor any other, will I suffer;
But stall-off now and for ever,
All outliers whatsoever;

And as I keep to the fore-gone,
So may help me, Salamon !*

* Perhaps the most whimsical laws that were ever prescribed to a gang of thieves, were those framed by William Holliday, one of the prigging community, who was hanged in 1695:

Art. I. directs-That none of his company should presume to wear shirts, upon pain of being cashiered.

II. That none should lie in any other places than stables, empty houses, or other bulks.

III. -That they should eat nothing but what they begged, and that they should

"So help me, Salamon!" repeated Turpin, with emphasis. "Zoroaster," said the patrico to the upright man, "do thy part of this ceremonial."

Zoroaster obeyed; and, taking excalibur from the knight of Malta, bestowed a hearty thwack with the blade upon the shoulders of the kneeling highwayman, assisting him afterwards to arise.

The inauguration was complete.

6

"Well," exclaimed Dick, "I'm glad it's all over. My leg feels a little stiffish. I'm not much given to kneeling. I must dance it off;" saying which, he began to shuffle upon the boards. "I tell you what," continued he, "most reverend patrico, that same salmon' of yours has a cursed long tail. I could scarce swallow it all, and it's strange if it don't give me an indigestion. As to you, sage Zory, from the dexterity with which you flourish your sword, I should say you had practised at court. His majesty could scarce do the thing better, when, slapping some fat alderman upon the shoulder, he bids him arise Sir Richard. And now, pals," added he, glancing round," as I am one of you, let's have a booze together ere I depart, for I don't think my stay will be long in the land of Egypt."

This suggestion of Turpin was so entirely consonant to the wishes of the assemblage, that it met with universal approbation; and upon a sign from Zoroaster, some of his followers departed in search of supplies for the carousal. Zoroaster leaped from the table, and his example was followed by Turpin, and more leisurely by the patrico.

It was rather early in the day for a drinking bout. But the canting crew were not remarkably particular. The chairs were

give away all the money they got by cleaning boots among one another, for the good of the fraternity.

IV. That they should neither learn to read nor write, that he may have them the better under command.

V. That they should appear every morning by nine, on the parade, to receive necessary orders.

VI. That none should presume to follow the scent but such as he ordered on that party.

VII. That if any one gave them shoes or stockings, he should convert them into money to play.

VIII.That they should steal nothing they could not come at, for fear of bringing a scandal upon the company.

IX.That they should not endeavour to clear themselves of vermin, by killing or eating them.

X.-That they should cant better than the Newgate birds, pick pockets without bungling, outlie a Quaker, outswear a lord at a gaming table, and brazen out all their villainies beyond an Irishman.

removed, and the jingling of glasses announced the arrival of the preliminaries of the matutine symposion. Poles, canvass, and cords, were next brought; and in almost as short space of time as one scene is substituted for another in a theatrical representation, a tent was erected. Benches, stools, and chairs, appeared with equal celerity, and the interior soon presented an appearance like that of a booth at a fair. A keg of brandy was broached, and the health of the new brother quaffed in brimmers.

Our highwayman returned thanks. Zoroaster was in the chair, the knight of Malta acting as croupier. A second toast was proposed-the tawny queen. This was drunk with a like enthusiasm, and with a like allowance of the potent spirit; but as bumpers of brandy are not to be repeated with impunity, it became evident to the president of the board that he must not repeat his toasts quite so expeditiously. To create a temporary diversion, therefore, he called for a song.

The dulcet notes of the fiddle now broke through the clamour; and in answer to the call, Jerry Juniper volunteered the following:

To the spout 12 with the sneezers 13 in grand array,
No dummy hunter 14 had forks 15 so fly;

Nix my doll palls, fake away.

1 Cell. 2 Newgate. 3 A woman whose husband has been hanged. 4 A dancing master. "Nothing, comrades, on on," supposed to be addressed by a thief to his confederates. 6 Thus Victor Hugo, in Le Dernier Jour d'un Condamné, makes an imprisoned felon sing:

J'le ferai danser une danse

Où il n'y a pas de plancher.

7 Thieves in prison. 8 Shoplifter. 9 Pickpocket. 10 Handkerchiefs. 11 Rings. 12 To the pawnbroker. 13 Snuff boxes. 14 Pickpocket. 15 The two fore-fingers used in picking a pocket.

Much laughter and applause rewarded Jerry's attempt to please; and though the meaning of his chant, even with the aid of the numerous notes appended to it, may not be quite obvious to our readers, we can assure them that it was perfectly intelligible to the canting crew. Jerry was now entitled to a call; and happening, at the moment, to meet the fine dark eyes of a sentimental gipsy, one of that better class of mendicants who wandered about the country with a guitar at his

16 Pickpocket. 17 Pick a pocket. 18 No inside coat pocket, buttoned up. 19 Scissors. 20 Steal a pocket-book. 21 Best-made clothes. 22 Thief. 23 With my hair dressed in the first fashion. 24 With several rings on my hands. 25 Seals. 26 Gold watch. 27 Laced shirt. 28 Gentlemanlike. 29 Easily then forged notes could I pass. 30 Favourite mistress. 31 Police. 32 Taken at length. 33 Cast for transportation, 34 Fetters. 35 Turnkey. 36 Gipsy.