And now come we to the final "action" in this concaten_ation_ of litig_ation_, one that gave constern_ation_ to the poor "parish clerk," be it understood. We have spoken of the "actions" at the first Kirton Sessions; namely, the Perpetual Curate _versus_ the Female Ambuscaders, and the Perpetual Curate _versus_ the Cudgellers in the dark: then spoke we of the "action" at the next sessions, Clerk Spurr, the Parson's Clerk, _v._ Clerk William Middleton, the son of Clerk Gervase, the Parish Clerk: then of the _petit_ "action" before the Gainsborough Justices--Ellis _v._ Skill: then of the greater "action" at assize--Skill _v._ Ellis: then of the "action" before the Lincoln magistrates for recovery of value for broken church-windows--the Churchwardens of Stow _v._ the Parson's Clerk: lastly, of the _threatened_ action by the parishioner of the long purse, which the Perpetual Curate avoided by rescinding his presumptuous "order" for levelling the graves:--but now come we to the final "action"--the action of actions: that to which all the rest formed but a petty preface: that wherein the Perpetual Curate departing from all by-ways of attack, undisguisedly assumed a position of legal and spiritual antagonism against the foe whom he esteemed as the chief author of his ills, the disturber of his projected schemes, that would, so many months before, have issued in subjugating the rebels, and consuming heresy in his parish,--against the old, hereditary, gentle, moral, upright parish clerk, Clerk William Middleton, the son of Clerk Gervase. And _where_ was the action commenced?--Before the county magistrates,--or at sessions,--or at assize? Pooh! nonsense!--that was not the way to finish Middleton's business as the parson intended to finish it. Where then? In the Queen's Bench, or the Common Pleas, or the Exchequer? No. What then, in the Vice Chancellor's Court, or the Court of Chancery itself? Not one of 'em, sir; but in a more awful court than any of 'em, or all of 'em put together: in the SPIRITUAL COURT, sir!