Legal Adulteration
SEVERAL publicans being assembled at Malton, in Yorkshire, in order to
renew their licenses to retail beer, the worthy magistrate addressed one
of them (an old woman), and said he trusted she did not put any
pernicious ingredients into the liquor; to which she immediately
replied: I'll assure your worship there's naught pernicious put into
our barrels that I know of, but the exciseman's stick.