Bagshot had dried his tears and applied himself to his favourite drink — which, by the way, was "blue ruin," — the work of division took place. The discretion and impartiality of the captain in this arduous part of his duty, attracted universal admiration: and each gentleman having carefully pouched his share, the youthful president hemmed once, and the society became aware of a proposed.

"Gentlemen!" began Clifford, — and his main supporter, the sapient Augustus, shouted out "Hear!" — "Gentlemen, you all know that when, some months ago, you were pleased, — partly at the instigation of Gentleman George, — God bless him! — partly from the exaggerated good opinion expressed of me by my friends,
— to elect me to the high honour of the command of this aristocracy, I myself was by no means ambitious to assume that rank, which I knew well was far beyond my merits, and that responsibility, which I knew, with equal certainty, was too weighty for my shoulders. Your voices, however, overruled my own; and as Mr. Judd, the great metaphysician in that excellent paper the Asinium, was wont to observe, 'the susceptibilities, innate, extensible, incomprehensible, and eternal, existing in my bosom, were infinitely more powerful than the shallow suggestions of reason — that ridiculous thing which all wise men and judicious Asinians sedulously stifle."

"Plague take the man, what is he talking about?" said Long Ned, who we have seen was of an envious temper, in a whisper to Old Bags. Old Bags shook his head. 