By ancient common law and English law real property never ascended, that is, was never inherited by a father or mother from a child; but in absence of husband, wife, or lineal descendant passed on to the "next of kin," which might be a distant cousin. By general interpretation the Province Laws substituted the so-called civilian method of counting kinship, by which the father could inherit.
Twice defeated in the courts, Dr. Ames boldly pushed his case in 1748 before the "Superior Court of Judicature, etc., of the Province of Massachusetts Bay," himself preparing unaided both case and argument, and he triumphed. By the Province Laws he was given full possession of the property inherited by his infant child from the mother--thus the inn became Ames Tavern.
[Illustration: Drawing for Ames' Sign-board.]
Nervous in temperament, excited by his victory, indignant at the injustice and loss to which he had been subjected; he was loudly intolerant of the law's delay, and especially of the failure of Chief Justice Dudley and his associate Lynde, to unite with the three other judges, Saltonstall, Sewall, and Cushing, in the verdict; and in anger and derision he had painted for him and his tavern a new and famous sign, and he hung it in front of the tavern in caricature of the court.
The sign is gone long ago; but in that entertaining book, _The Almanacks of Nathaniel Ames 1726-1775_, the author, Sam Briggs, gives an illustration of the painting from a drawing found among Dr. Ames' papers after his death, a copy of which is shown on the foregoing page. On the original sketch these words are written:--
"Sir:--I wish could have some talk on y{ e} above subject, being the bearer waits for an answer shal only observe M{ r} Greenwood thinks y{ t} can not be done under £40 Old Tenor."
This was a good price to pay to lampoon the court, for the sign represented the whole court sitting in state in big wigs with an open book before them entitled _Province Laws_. The dissenting judges, Dudley and Lynde, were painted with their backs turned to the book. The court, hearing of the offending sign-board, sent the sheriff from Boston to bring it before them. Dr. Ames was in Boston at the time, heard of the order, rode with speed to Dedham in advance of the sheriff, removed the sign, and it is said had allowance of time sufficient to put up a board for the reception of the officer with this legend, "A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, but there shall no sign be given it."