Fizkin, Esquire, of Fizkin Lodge, and his friends, waxed fierce and

furious; until at last Horatio Fizkin, Esquire, of Fizkin Lodge, begged

to ask his opponent, the Honourable Samuel Slumkey, of Slumkey

Hall, whether that band played by his consent; which question the

Honourable Samuel Slumkey declining to answer, Horatio Fizkin,

Esquire, of Fizkin Lodge, shook his fist in the countenance of the

Honourable Samuel Slumkey, of Slumkey Hall; upon which the

Honourable Samuel Slumkey, his blood being up, defied Horatio

Fizkin, Esquire, to mortal combat. At this violation of all known rules

and precedents of order, the mayor commanded another fantasia on

the bell, and declared that he would bring before himself, both Horatio

Fizkin, Esquire, of Fizkin Lodge, and the Honourable Samuel

Slumkey, of Slumkey Hall, and bind them over to keep the peace.

Upon this terrific denunciation, the supporters of the two candidates

interfered, and after the friends of each party had quarrelled in pairs,

for three-quarters of an hour, Horatio Fizkin, Esquire, touched his hat

to the Honourable Samuel Slumkey; the Honourable Samuel Slumkey

touched his to Horatio Fizkin, Esquire; the band was stopped; the

crowd were partially quieted; and Horatio Fizkin, Esquire, was

permitted to proceed.

The speeches of the two candidates, though differing in every other

respect, afforded a beautiful tribute to the merit and high worth of the

electors of Eatanswill. Both expressed their opinion that a more

independent, a more enlightened, a more public- spirited, a more

noble-minded, a more disinterested set of men than those who had

promised to vote for him, never existed on earth; each darkly hinted

his suspicions that the electors in the opposite interest had certain

swinish and besotted infirmities which rendered them unfit for the

exercise of the important duties they were called upon to discharge.

Fizkin expressed his readiness to do anything he was wanted:

Slumkey, his determination to do nothing that was asked of him. Both

said that the trade, the manufactures, the commerce, the prosperity of

Eatanswill, would ever be dearer to their hearts than any earthly

object; and each had it in his power to state, with the utmost

confidence, that he was the man who would eventually be returned.

There was a show of hands; the mayor decided in favour of the

Honourable Samuel Slumkey, of Slumkey Hall. Horatio Fizkin,

Esquire, of Fizkin Lodge, demanded a poll, and a poll was fixed

accordingly. Then a vote of thanks was moved to the mayor for his

able conduct in the chair; and the mayor, devoutly wishing that he

had had a chair to display his able conduct in (for he had been

standing during the whole proceedings), returned thanks. The

processions reformed, the carriages rolled slowly through the crowd,

and its members screeched and shouted after them as their feelings or

caprice dictated.

The Pickwick Papers