might  be  fiurly  raised  as  to  the  propriety  of
Dr.  RcBsoDo^s  appealing  with  three  backers,
while  I  had  but  one.  The  objection  was,  thore-
fore,  urged  on  my  part,  I  hope  in  a  modest
and  conciliatory  manner.  In  rsply,  my  Lord
Chattmno  obaored,  it  was  true  the  protocol
spoke  in  general  terms  of  mutual  supporters,
'^  but  if  Sir  John  Goldencalf  would  be  at  the
trouble  of  rrfmring  to  the  instrument  itself,
he  would  see  that  the  backers  of  Dr.  Reasono
were  mentioned  in  the  plural  number,  while
that  of  Sir  John  himsdf  was  alluded  to  only
in  the  simguUar  number.**

**  Perfectly  true,  my  lord ;  but  you  will,
however,  permit  me  to  remark,  that  two  moni*
kins  would  completdy  fulfil  the  conditions  in
favour  of  Dr.  Reasono,  while  he  appears  here
with  three :  there  certainly  must  be  some  limits
to  this  plurality,  or  the  Doctor  would  have  a
right  to  attend  the  interview  acoMnpanied  by
all  the  inhabitants  of  Leaphigh.**

**  The  olgection  is  highly  ingenious,  and


THE  lIONI£IN8«  S51

oeditaUe  in  tlie  .last  degree  to  the  diplomatic
ftfailitiet  of  Sk  Jobn  ♦Goldmicalf ;  but,  among
mffifthwj  Iwo  females  are  deemed  equal  to
enly  cne  nude,  in  the  ^ye  of  the  law.  Thus,
hi  eaacs  wUch  require  two  witttettes^  as  in
cooTejances  of  real  estate,  two  male  monikins
ocsuficient;  whereas  it  would  be  necessary
to  hane  four  female  signatures,  in  order  to  give
the  instrument  validity.  In  the  legid  sense,
thsKcfiDR,  I  conceive  that  Dr.  Reasono  is  at-
tended by  only  two  monikins.^

Captain  Poke  hereupon  observed  that  this
peovisicm  in  the  law  of  Leaphigh  was  a  good
one ;  Cor  he  had  often  had  oooaslon  to  remark
that  women,  quite  half  the  time,  did  not  know
what  tbey  were  about;  and  he  thought,  in
general,  that  they  require  more  ballast  than


^  This  reply  would  completdy  cover  the
case,  my  lord,^  I  answered,  *^  were  the  protocol
purely  a  monikin  docum^t,  and  this  assem-
bly  purely  a  monikin  assemUy.     But  the  facts


252  THE    MONIKINS.
