Is wholly devoted¹ to a full and faithful Report of the memorable² Trial of Bardell against Pickwick

‘I wonder what the foreman of the jury, whoever he’ll be, has got for breakfast,’ said Mr. Snodgrass, by way of keeping up a conversation on the eventful morning of the fourteenth of February.

‘Ah!’ said Perker, ‘I hope he’s got a good one.’ ‘Why so?’ inquired Mr. Pickwick.

‘Highly important — very important, my dear Sir,’ replied Perker. ‘A good, contented³, well-breakfasted juryman is a capital thing to get hold of. Discontented or hungry jurymen, my dear sir, always find for the plaintiff.’

‘Bless my heart,’ said Mr. Pickwick, looking very blank, ‘what do they do that for?’

‘Why, I don’t know,’ replied the little man coolly; ‘saves time, I suppose. If it’s near dinner-time, the foreman takes out his watch when the jury has retired⁴, and says, “Dear me, gentlemen, ten minutes to five, I declare! I dine at five, gentlemen.” “So do I,” says everybody else, except two men who ought to have dined at three and seem more than half disposed to stand out in consequence. The foreman smiles, and puts up his watch:—“Well, gentlemen, what do we say, plaintiff or defendant⁵, gentlemen? I rather think, so far as I am concerned, gentlemen — I say, I rather think — but don’t let that influence you — I RATHER think the plaintiff’s the man.” Upon this, two or three other men are sure to say that they think so too — as of course they do; and then they get on very unanimously and comfortably. Ten minutes past nine!’ said the little man, looking at his watch.‘Time we were off, my dear sir; breach⁶ of promise trial-court is generally full in such cases. You had better ring for a coach, my dear sir, or we shall be rather late.’

Mr. Pickwick immediately rang the bell, and a coach having been

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