THE Rev, Mr. Thom, riding home
from Paisley, on a particular occasion, came up with two gentlemen,
heritors of his parish, who had lately been made justices of the peace.
They, seeing him well mounted as usual, were determined to pass a joke
on him, and one of them accosted him thus:
"Well, Mr. Thom you are very
unlike your master, for He was Content to ride an ass:" To which Mr.
Thom rejoined:
"An ass! there’s no sic a beast to be gotten
nowadays." The justice then asked:
"Ay, Mr. Thom, how’s that?" To which the reverend
wit replied:
"Because they now make them a’
justices of the peace."