The Providence Journal, And Town And Country Advertiser

FOR THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL.
The Adelphiad, No. XVIII.
CRITICAL COURT,

Mr. Rhymesrer
of
cular in his attentions to her. That she had
for some time smiled upon him and encouraged
his addresses. That he, being naturally of a
frolicksome turn, was always given to dancing,
and taught her and the said James to move
with peculiar grace and agility. That for a long
time they lived in a state of perfect harmony to-
gether. But that afterwards, the said James
gave himself up to such singular notions, and
shewed such a cruel and barbarous disposition,
as to render her further residence with him ve-
ry painful and perilous. That the said James
had contracted a notion, that a certain step call-
ed the acrostic step, was the most graceful in
dancing. That the said dance was made in a
strange kind of an instrument, like a Chinese
shoe, which cramped the feet and disturbed the
harmony and grace of her measure. That the
said James constantly insisted on her wearing the
said instrument, which made her hobble so un-
gracefully, as to become an object of laughter
and ridicule to all the bystanders. That in con-
sequence of this cruel treatment, she had in a
great measure lost the natural freedom of her
gait, &c.
There was no need of producing witnesses to
prove the fact, as the said James very cavalier-
ly admitted it in open court. Being called up.
on to alledge what he could in his defence.
he observed, that he had an undoubted right to
try the acrostic step if it was his will and plea-
sure so to do. That it was entirely optional
with him to say, what kind of dance his partner
should perform, and under what restrictions she
should perform it. That every art and science
was made better by trial. That if he had required
her to dance upon one foot, she was bound in du-
ty to her sovereign lord to make the experiment.
He instanced a number of her former admirers,
who had compelled her to undergo the same pe-
nalty, by which they thought her gait very
much improved. As soon as their names were
mentioned, Miss Poetry was observed to faint
away, and it was a long time before she recov-
ered the use of her senses. This the said James
asserted was a mere tale artifice, to work upon
the feelings of the court. That she had, on
such occasions, fallen into hysterics,
which time his favourite dance was very well
performed. During the time that the said James
was making his defence, the countenance of the
Chief Justice was observed to turn into all the
colours of the rainbow. At length, after it
had settled down into a composed gravity, he
delivered the opinion of the court. He observ-
ed that this complaint was of a very singular and
extraordinary nature. That so cruel, hardened
and deliberate an act of tyranny very seldom
fell within the compass of his knowledge. That
he had some acquaintance with the fair com-
plainant himself, and he was bold to say that no
conduct of hers could warrant such excessive
barbarity. That the said James had no more
right to make use of such experiments by way
of improvement, than a physician had to take
out the lungs of a man to aid him in breathing.
--He therefore felt himself in duty bound to
impose a perpetual injunction on the said James,
to renounce all kind of communication and cor-
respondence with the complainant, and that this
renunciation should be made in open court--
which was accordingly done. After which the
said James, with a disconsolate, vinegar counte-
nance, left the court, much to the satisfaction
of all the spectators.

O.