DOI issue:
January to June, 1844
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16519#0084
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. 87
THE COMIC BLACKSTONE.
much occupied in trying actions between ladies and gentlemen and their
late menials.
The master is amenable, to a certain extent, for the act of his servant:
and, therefore, if a servant commit a trespass by order of his master—
OURTEENTH.-OF MASTER AND SERVANT. such as if a gentleman riding by a field were to order his groom to
aving commented on the people in their jump over into it and pull up a turnip—the master, though he did not
public relations, we now come to private eat the whole of the turnip, or any of it, would be liable for the
relations, including Master and Servant, trespass. If an innkeeper's servant rob a guest, the innkeeper is liable,
Husband and Wife,—which, by the bye, is a on the principle of like master like man ; for the law very reasonably
relation something like that of master and thinks that, if the servant is a thief, the master very likely may be.
Bervant. for the wife is often a slave to the If I usually pay my tradesman ready money, I am not liable if he
husband,—Parent and Child, and Guardian i trusts my servant ; but if I do not usually pay him any money at all,
and Ward—the latter being a sort of rela- I then I am liable to pay the money— when he can get it out of me.
This is on the authority of Noy's Maxims—and a maxim is always sup-
posed to contain the maximum of wisdom.
By an old statute, called "An Act for the better and more careful use
of the Frying-pan," it is provided that any servant who sets the house on
tionship which is "seen upon the stage,
where a choleric old man with a stick is
always thwarting the affections of a young
lady in white muslin.
We shall begin with Master and Servant ! fire bv carelessness shall forfeit 100/., or go to the workhouse, where
—showing how such relationship is created
and destroyed. There is now no such thin"-
as pHre and proper slavery in England; so
that a servant of all-work who says, " Hang
that door-bell,—I am a perfect slave to it," has recourse to a fiction.
England is so repugnant to slavery, that directly a negro sets his foot on
they would forfeit so many pounds of flesh by the spareness of the diet ;
and this act, savouring too much of the spirit of Shylock, is now seldom
acted on. A master is liable if anything is thrown from the window of a
house ; but it has been decided that if a house should be on fire, and a
servant should throw himself on the indulgence of the public by jumping
amongst the crowd, and should hurt any one, the master would not be
English ground he is free ; but if he has lost both his legs, he cannot of1 liable, for this would not be wilful damage
course put his foot on British soil, and would remain a slave to circum- j If a pea-shooter be discharged from the garret, and the pea enter the
stances. A menial servant is so called from the word moenia, which sig- eye of a passenger, the pater-familias, or master of the house, is, in the
nifies walls, and arises probably from the practice of brushing down eye of the law, answerable for the pea in the eye of the stranger ; for it is
cobwebs from the mosnia, or walls, with a Turk's-head, or hair-broom. | a common law right, inherent in every one. to protect his own pupil.
The old doctrine of a month's wages or a
month's warning is always acted on in London,
except when a servant refuses to obey his
master's orders, when it seems the master may
give the servant kicks—and kick him out— in-
stead of halfpence.
Another species of servants are called Ap-
prentices, from the word apprendre, to learn ;
and thus a barber's apprentice learns to shave
on the faces of poor people, who, in consideration
of their paying nothing, allow themselves to be
practised on by beginners who have never
handled the razor.
Next come the Labourers, whose wasres were
formerly settled by justices of the peace at ses-
sion, or the sheriff; but now the master settles
the wages, or, if he does not settle, he is a very
shabby fellow for failing in doing so.
Stewards, Porters, and Bailiffs come next ;
but no one would think of having a bailiff as
his servant, unless there were an execution in
the house, and the bailiff were thrust into livery
to save appearances.
A master may correct his apprentice for
negligence ; and if a grocer's apprentice neglects
to sand the sugar, the master may give him the
cane, for neglecting his business.
A master may maintain or assist his servant
in an action at law ; and if one's footman hap-
pens to be a rightful heir in disguise, the master
may lend him the money to go to law against
the wrongful heir, for the purpose of recovering
the property.
A master may assault a man for assaulting
his servant, on the principle, probably, that in
a row, as in everything else, the more the
merrier.
" If any person do hire my servant," says F. N. B. 167, 168—but! Such are the leading features of the law of master and servant. The
whether F. N. B. is a policeman or what, it is impossible to say, for j modern tiger has not been regarded by the ancient Constitution ; but we
we only find him alluded to in the books as F. N. B. 167, 168—" if j find in Petersdorffs Abridgment a quaint allusion to the legs of footmen,
any person do hire my servant," says he, " I may have an action for j some of whom, he says, appear to be regularly calved out for the pro-
damages against both the new master and the servant, or either of them." i minent situations they" occupy.
This glorious old privilege is rather obsolete, for we do not find the courts i
Sfje JttoneD ifflarfcet.
The Government broker has been again busy, but with what view we
are unable to say, for we do not pretend to be in the secrets of the Bank
parlour, though we made a violent effort to peep over the blind to see
what was going forward. The Governor seemed to be in the chair (which
was an easy one), and appeared to be occupied in adding to the rest, for
he had a pocket-handkerchief thrown over his face, and with a foot on
each hob he was taking it very easily. That the coffers of the Bank are
fuller than ever of bullion, is the general belief; and indeed they must be
overstocked, for we observed half a sovereign—to say nothing of some
loose silver—lying carelessly on the chimney-piece. Capitalists are of
course anxious to lodge as much as possible with the Bank ; but unless
the Directors are inclined to throw open the Bank parlour, we do not see
how the lodging can be effected.
USELESS LEARNING.
Some of our contemporaries have expressed much useless indignation
that the Poor-Law Officers of Norwood do not teach the pauper children
the principles of Christianity. Why not as well require them to be taught
the belles lettres and painting on velvet ? Why should Poor-Law autho-
rities teach paupers the theory of Christianity, when, indeed, they are to
see nothing of its cractice ?
THE COMIC BLACKSTONE.
much occupied in trying actions between ladies and gentlemen and their
late menials.
The master is amenable, to a certain extent, for the act of his servant:
and, therefore, if a servant commit a trespass by order of his master—
OURTEENTH.-OF MASTER AND SERVANT. such as if a gentleman riding by a field were to order his groom to
aving commented on the people in their jump over into it and pull up a turnip—the master, though he did not
public relations, we now come to private eat the whole of the turnip, or any of it, would be liable for the
relations, including Master and Servant, trespass. If an innkeeper's servant rob a guest, the innkeeper is liable,
Husband and Wife,—which, by the bye, is a on the principle of like master like man ; for the law very reasonably
relation something like that of master and thinks that, if the servant is a thief, the master very likely may be.
Bervant. for the wife is often a slave to the If I usually pay my tradesman ready money, I am not liable if he
husband,—Parent and Child, and Guardian i trusts my servant ; but if I do not usually pay him any money at all,
and Ward—the latter being a sort of rela- I then I am liable to pay the money— when he can get it out of me.
This is on the authority of Noy's Maxims—and a maxim is always sup-
posed to contain the maximum of wisdom.
By an old statute, called "An Act for the better and more careful use
of the Frying-pan," it is provided that any servant who sets the house on
tionship which is "seen upon the stage,
where a choleric old man with a stick is
always thwarting the affections of a young
lady in white muslin.
We shall begin with Master and Servant ! fire bv carelessness shall forfeit 100/., or go to the workhouse, where
—showing how such relationship is created
and destroyed. There is now no such thin"-
as pHre and proper slavery in England; so
that a servant of all-work who says, " Hang
that door-bell,—I am a perfect slave to it," has recourse to a fiction.
England is so repugnant to slavery, that directly a negro sets his foot on
they would forfeit so many pounds of flesh by the spareness of the diet ;
and this act, savouring too much of the spirit of Shylock, is now seldom
acted on. A master is liable if anything is thrown from the window of a
house ; but it has been decided that if a house should be on fire, and a
servant should throw himself on the indulgence of the public by jumping
amongst the crowd, and should hurt any one, the master would not be
English ground he is free ; but if he has lost both his legs, he cannot of1 liable, for this would not be wilful damage
course put his foot on British soil, and would remain a slave to circum- j If a pea-shooter be discharged from the garret, and the pea enter the
stances. A menial servant is so called from the word moenia, which sig- eye of a passenger, the pater-familias, or master of the house, is, in the
nifies walls, and arises probably from the practice of brushing down eye of the law, answerable for the pea in the eye of the stranger ; for it is
cobwebs from the mosnia, or walls, with a Turk's-head, or hair-broom. | a common law right, inherent in every one. to protect his own pupil.
The old doctrine of a month's wages or a
month's warning is always acted on in London,
except when a servant refuses to obey his
master's orders, when it seems the master may
give the servant kicks—and kick him out— in-
stead of halfpence.
Another species of servants are called Ap-
prentices, from the word apprendre, to learn ;
and thus a barber's apprentice learns to shave
on the faces of poor people, who, in consideration
of their paying nothing, allow themselves to be
practised on by beginners who have never
handled the razor.
Next come the Labourers, whose wasres were
formerly settled by justices of the peace at ses-
sion, or the sheriff; but now the master settles
the wages, or, if he does not settle, he is a very
shabby fellow for failing in doing so.
Stewards, Porters, and Bailiffs come next ;
but no one would think of having a bailiff as
his servant, unless there were an execution in
the house, and the bailiff were thrust into livery
to save appearances.
A master may correct his apprentice for
negligence ; and if a grocer's apprentice neglects
to sand the sugar, the master may give him the
cane, for neglecting his business.
A master may maintain or assist his servant
in an action at law ; and if one's footman hap-
pens to be a rightful heir in disguise, the master
may lend him the money to go to law against
the wrongful heir, for the purpose of recovering
the property.
A master may assault a man for assaulting
his servant, on the principle, probably, that in
a row, as in everything else, the more the
merrier.
" If any person do hire my servant," says F. N. B. 167, 168—but! Such are the leading features of the law of master and servant. The
whether F. N. B. is a policeman or what, it is impossible to say, for j modern tiger has not been regarded by the ancient Constitution ; but we
we only find him alluded to in the books as F. N. B. 167, 168—" if j find in Petersdorffs Abridgment a quaint allusion to the legs of footmen,
any person do hire my servant," says he, " I may have an action for j some of whom, he says, appear to be regularly calved out for the pro-
damages against both the new master and the servant, or either of them." i minent situations they" occupy.
This glorious old privilege is rather obsolete, for we do not find the courts i
Sfje JttoneD ifflarfcet.
The Government broker has been again busy, but with what view we
are unable to say, for we do not pretend to be in the secrets of the Bank
parlour, though we made a violent effort to peep over the blind to see
what was going forward. The Governor seemed to be in the chair (which
was an easy one), and appeared to be occupied in adding to the rest, for
he had a pocket-handkerchief thrown over his face, and with a foot on
each hob he was taking it very easily. That the coffers of the Bank are
fuller than ever of bullion, is the general belief; and indeed they must be
overstocked, for we observed half a sovereign—to say nothing of some
loose silver—lying carelessly on the chimney-piece. Capitalists are of
course anxious to lodge as much as possible with the Bank ; but unless
the Directors are inclined to throw open the Bank parlour, we do not see
how the lodging can be effected.
USELESS LEARNING.
Some of our contemporaries have expressed much useless indignation
that the Poor-Law Officers of Norwood do not teach the pauper children
the principles of Christianity. Why not as well require them to be taught
the belles lettres and painting on velvet ? Why should Poor-Law autho-
rities teach paupers the theory of Christianity, when, indeed, they are to
see nothing of its cractice ?