CARDING A TITHE PROCTOR.


In Ireland, carding the tithe proctors was occasionally resorted to by
the White Boys, and was performed in the following manner:---

The tithe proctor was generally waked out of his first sleep by his door
being smashed in; and the _boys_ in white shirts desired him "never to
fear," as they only intended to _card_ him this bout for taking a
quarter instead of a tenth from every poor man in the parish. They then
turned him on his face upon the bed; and taking a lively ram cat out of
a bag which they brought with them, they set the cat between the
proctor's shoulders. The beast, being nearly as much terrified as the
proctor, would endeavour to get off; but being held fast by the tail, he
intrenched every claw deep in the proctor's back, in order to keep up a
firm resistance to the White Boys. The more the tail was pulled _back_,
the more the ram cat tried to go _forward_; at length, when he had, as
he conceived, made his possession quite secure, main force convinced him
to the contrary, and that if he kept his hold he must lose his tail. So,
he was dragged backward to the proctor's loins, grappling at every pull,
and bringing away here and there strips of the proctor's skin, to prove
the pertinacity of his defence.

When the ram cat had got down to the loins he was once more placed at
the shoulders, and again _carded_ the proctor (_toties quoties_)
according to his sentence.

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