,,memoirs ,,of ,,extraordinary ,,popular
 ,,delusions  ,by ,charles ,mackay      
,author ,of  ,the ,thames ,and ,its     
,tributaries1 ,the ,hope ,of ,the       
,world1 ,etc4  ,il est bon de connaitre 
les delires de l'esprit humain4 ,chaque 
people a ses folies plus ou moins       
grossieres4 ,,millot   ,,vol ,i4        
,,london3 ,,richard ,,bentley1 ,,new    
,,burlington ,,street4 ,,publisher ,,in 
,,ordinary ,,to ,,her ,,majesty4 #ahda4 
,,contents ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,volume  
,,the ,,mississippi ,,scheme   ,,the    
,,south ,,sea ,,bubble   ,,the          
,,tulipomania   ,,relics   ,,modern     
,,prophecies   ,,popular ,,admiration   
,,for ,,great ,,thieves   ,,influence   
,,of ,,politics ,,and ,,religion ,,on   
,,the ,,hair ,,and ,,beard   ,,duels    
,,and ,,ordeals   ,,the ,,love ,,of     
,,the ,,marvelous ,,and ,,the           
,,disbelief ,,of ,,the ,,true           
,,popular ,,follies ,,in ,,great        
,,cities   ,,the ,o4 ,p4 ,,mania   ,,the
 ,,thugs1 ,,or ,,phansigars             

,,national ,,delusions4       ,n'en     
deplaise a ces fous nommes sages de     
,grece2      ,en ce monde il n'est point
 de parfaite sagesse2      ,tous les    
hommes sont fous1 et malgre tous leurs  
soins1      ,ne different entre eux que 
du plus ou du moins4       ,,boileau4   
,in reading the history of nations1 we  
find that1 like individuals1 they have  
their whims and their peculiarities2    
their seasons of excitement and         
recklessness1 when they care not what   
they do4 ,we find that whole communities
 suddenly fix their minds upon one      
object1 and go mad in its pursuit2 that 
millions of people become simultaneously
 impressed with one delusion1 and run   
after it1 till their attention is caught
 by some new folly more captivating than
 the first4 ,we see one nation suddenly 
seized1 from its highest to its lowest  
members1 with a fierce desire of        
military glory2 another as suddenly     
becoming crazed upon a religious        
scruple1 and neither of them recovering 

its senses until it has shed rivers of  
blood and sowed a harvest of groans and 
tears1 to be reaped by its posterity4   
,at an early age in the annals of       
,europe its population lost their wits  
about the ,sepulchre of ,jesus1 and     
crowded in frenzied multitudes to the   
,holy ,land3 another age went mad for   
fear of the ,devil1 and offered up      
hundreds of thousands of victims to the 
delusion of witchcraft4 ,at another     
time1 the many became crazed on the     
subject of the ,philosopher's ,stone1   
and committed follies till then unheard 
of in the pursuit4 ,it was once thought 
a venial offence in very many countries 
of ,europe to destroy an enemy by slow  
poison4 ,persons who would have revolted
 at the idea of stabbing a man to the   
heart1 drugged his pottage without      
scruple4 ,ladies of gentle birth and    
manners caught the contagion of murder1 
until poisoning1 under their auspices1  
became quite fashionable4 ,some         
delusions1 though notorious to all the  

world1 have subsisted for ages1         
flourishing as widely among civilized   
and polished nations as among the early 
barbarians with whom they               
originated1--that of duelling1 for      
instance1 and the belief in omens and   
divination of the future1 which seem to 
defy the progress of knowledge to       
eradicate entirely from the popular     
mind4 ,money1 again1 has often been a   
cause of the delusion of multitudes4    
,sober nations have all at once become  
desperate gamblers1 and risked almost   
their existence upon the turn of a piece
 of paper4 ,to trace the history of the 
most prominent of these delusions is the
 object of the present pages4 ,men1 it  
has been well said1 think in herds2 it  
will be seen that they go mad in herds1 
while they only recover their senses    
slowly1 and one by one4  ,in the present
 state of civilization1 society has     
often shown itself very prone to run a  
career of folly from the last-mentioned 
cases4 ,this infatuation has seized upon

 whole nations in a most extraordinary  
manner4 ,france1 with her ,mississippi  
madness1 set the first great example1   
and was very soon imitated by ,england  
with her ,south ,sea ,bubble4 ,at an    
earlier period1 ,holland made herself   
still more ridiculous in the eyes of the
 world1 by the frenzy which came over   
her people for the love of ,tulips4     
,melancholy as all these delusions were 
in their ultimate results1 their history
 is most amusing4 ,a more ludicrous and 
yet painful spectacle1 than that which  
,holland presented in the years #afce   
and #afcf1 or ,france in #agai and      
#agbj1 can hardly be imagined4 ,taking  
them in the order of their importance1  
we shall commence our history with ,john
 ,law and the famous ,mississippi scheme
 of the years above mentioned4     ,,the
 ,,mississippi ,,scheme       ,some in  
clandestine companies combine2          
,erect new stocks to trade beyond the   
line2      ,with air and empty names    
beguile the town1      ,and raise new   

credits first1 then cry 'em down2       
,divide the empty nothing into shares1  
,and set the crowd together by the ears4
       ,defoe4   ,the personal character
 and career of one man are so intimately
 connected with the great scheme of the 
years #agai and #agbj1 that a history of
 the ,mississippi madness can have no   
fitter introduction than a sketch of the
 life of its great author1 ,john ,law4  
,historians are divided in opinion as to
 whether they should designate him a    
knave or a madman4 ,both epithets were  
unsparingly applied to him in his       
lifetime1 and while the unhappy         
consequences of his projects were still 
deeply felt4 ,posterity1 however1 has   
found reason to doubt the justice of the
 accusation1 and to confess that ,john  
,law was neither knave nor madman1 but  
one more deceived than deceiving2 more  
sinned against than sinning4 ,he was    
thoroughly acquainted with the          
philosophy and true principles of       
credit4 ,he understood the monetary     

question better than any man of his day2
 and if his system fell with a crash so 
tremendous1 it was not so much his fault
 as that of the people amongst whom he  
had erected it4 ,he did not calculate   
upon the avaricious frenzy of a whole   
nation2 he did not see that confidence1 
like mistrust1 could be increased1      
almost ad infinitum1 and that hope was  
as extravagant as fear4 ,how was he to  
foretell that the ,french people1 like  
the man in the fable1 would kill1 in    
their frantic eagerness1 the fine goose 
he had brought to lay them so many      
golden eggs8 ,his fate was like that    
which may be supposed to have overtaken 
the first adventurous boatman who rowed 
from ,erie to ,ontario4 ,broad and      
smooth was the river on which he        
embarked2 rapid and pleasant was his    
progress2 and who was to stay him in his
 career8 ,alas for him6 the cataract was
 nigh4 ,he saw1 when it was too late1   
that the tide which wafted him so       
joyously along was a tide of            

destruction2 and when he endeavoured to 
retrace his way1 he found that the      
current was too strong for his weak     
efforts to stem1 and that he drew nearer
 every instant to the tremendous falls4 
,down he went over the sharp rocks1 and 
the waters with him4 ,he was dashed to  
pieces with his bark1 but the waters1   
maddened and turned to foam by the rough
 descent1 only boiled and bubbled for a 
time1 and then flowed on again as       
smoothly as ever4 ,just so it was with  
,law and the ,french people4 ,he was the
 boatman and they were the waters4      
,john ,law was born at ,edinburgh in the
 year #afga4 ,his father was the younger
 son of an ancient family in ,fife1 and 
carried on the business of a goldsmith  
and banker4 ,he amassed considerable    
wealth in his trade1 sufficient to      
enable him to gratify the wish1 so      
common among his countrymen1 of adding a
 territorial designation to his name4   
,he purchased with this view the estates
 of ,lauriston and ,randleston1 on the  

,frith of ,forth on the borders of ,west
 and ,mid ,lothian1 and was thenceforth 
known as ,law of ,lauriston4 ,the       
subject of our memoir1 being the eldest 
son1 was received into his father's     
counting-house at the age of fourteen1  
and for three years laboured hard to    
acquire an insight into the principles  
of banking1 as then carried on in       
,scotland4 ,he had always manifested    
great love for the study of numbers1 and
 his proficiency in the mathematics was 
considered extraordinary in one of his  
tender years4 ,at the age of seventeen  
he was tall1 strong1 and well made2 and 
his face1 although deeply scarred with  
the small-pox1 was agreeable in its     
expression1 and full of intelligence4   
,at this time he began to neglect his   
business1 and becoming vain of his      
person1 indulged in considerable        
extravagance of attire4 ,he was a great 
favourite with the ladies1 by whom he   
was called ,beau ,law1 while the other  
sex1 despising his foppery1 nicknamed   

him ,jessamy ,john4 ,at the death of his
 father1 which happened in #afhh1 he    
withdrew entirely from the desk1 which  
had become so irksome1 and being        
possessed of the revenues of the        
paternal estate of ,lauriston1 he       
proceeded to ,london1 to see the world4 
,he was now very young1 very vain1      
good-looking1 tolerably rich1 and quite 
uncontrolled4 ,it is no wonder that1 on 
his arrival in the capital1 he should   
launch out into extravagance4 ,he soon  
became a regular frequenter of the      
gaming-houses1 and by pursuing a certain
 plan1 based upon some abstruse         
calculation of chances1 he contrived to 
gain considerable sums4 ,all the        
gamblers envied him his luck1 and many  
made it a point to watch his play1 and  
stake their money on the same chances4  
,in affairs of gallantry he was equally 
fortunate2 ladies of the first rank     
smiled graciously upon the handsome     
,scotchman--the young1 the rich1 the    
witty1 and the obliging4 ,but all these 

successes only paved the way for        
reverses4 ,after he had been for nine   
years exposed to the dangerous          
attractions of the gay life he was      
leading1 he became an irrecoverable     
gambler4 ,as his love of play increased 
in violence1 it diminished in prudence4 
,great losses were only to be repaired  
by still greater ventures1 and one      
unhappy day he lost more than he could  
repay without mortgaging his family     
estate4 ,to that step he was driven at  
last4 ,at the same time his gallantry   
brought him into trouble4 ,a love       
affair1 or slight flirtation1 with a    
lady of the name of ,villiers ,miss     
,elizabeth ,villiers1 afterwards        
,countess of ,orkney exposed him to the 
resentment of a ,mr4 ,wilson1 by whom he
 was challenged to fight a duel4 ,law   
accepted1 and had the ill fortune to    
shoot his antagonist dead upon the spot4
 ,he was arrested the same day1 and     
brought to trial for murder by the      
relatives of ,mr4 ,wilson4 ,he was      

afterwards found guilty1 and sentenced  
to death4 ,the sentence was commuted to 
a fine1 upon the ground that the offence
 only amounted to manslaughter4 ,an     
appeal being lodged by a brother of the 
deceased1 ,law was detained in the      
,king's ,bench1 whence1 by some means or
 other1 which he never explained1 he    
contrived to escape2 and an action being
 instituted against the sheriffs1 he was
 advertised in the ,gazette1 and a      
reward offered for his apprehension4 ,he
 was described as ,captain ,john ,law1 a
 ,scotchman1 aged twenty-six2 a very    
tall1 black1 lean man2 well shaped1     
above six feet high1 with large         
pockholes in his face2 big nosed1 and   
speaking broad and loud4 ,as this was   
rather a caricature than a description  
of him1 it has been supposed that it was
 drawn up with a view to favour his     
escape4 ,he succeeded in reaching the   
,continent1 where he travelled for three
 years1 and devoted much of his         
attention to the monetary and banking   

affairs of the countries through which  
he passed4 ,he stayed a few months in   
,amsterdam1 and speculated to some      
extent in the funds4 ,his mornings were 
devoted to the study of finance and the 
principles of trade1 and his evenings to
 the gaming-house4 ,it is generally     
believed that he returned to ,edinburgh 
in the year #agjj4 ,it is certain that  
he published in that city his ,proposals
 and ,reasons for constituting a        
,council of ,trade4 ,this pamphlet did  
not excite much attention4  ,in a short 
time afterwards he published a project  
for establishing what he called a       
,land-bank ,the wits of the day called  
it a sand-bank1 which would wreck the   
vessel of the state41 the notes issued  
by which were never to exceed the value 
of the entire lands of the state1 upon  
ordinary interest1 or were to be equal  
in value to the land1 with the right to 
enter into possession at a certain time4
 ,the project excited a good deal of    
discussion in the ,scottish parliament1 

and a motion for the establishment of   
such a bank was brought forward by a    
neutral party1 called the ,squadrone1   
whom ,law had interested in his favour4 
,the ,parliament ultimately passed a    
resolution to the effect1 that1 to      
establish any kind of paper credit1 so  
as to force it to pass1 was an improper 
expedient for the nation4  ,upon the    
failure of this project1 and of his     
efforts to procure a pardon for the     
murder of ,mr4 ,wilson1 ,law withdrew to
 the ,continent1 and resumed his old    
habits of gaming4 ,for fourteen years he
 continued to roam about1 in ,flanders1 
,holland1 ,germany1 ,hungary1 ,italy1   
and ,france4 ,he soon became intimately 
acquainted with the extent of the trade 
and resources of each1 and daily more   
confirmed in his opinion that no country
 could prosper without a paper currency4
 ,during the whole of this time he      
appears to have chiefly supported       
himself by successful play4 ,at every   
gambling-house of note in the capitals  

of ,europe1 he was known and appreciated
 as one better skilled in the           
intricacies of chance than any other man
 of the day4 ,it is stated in the       
,biographie ,universelle that he was    
expelled1 first from ,venice1 and       
afterwards from ,genoa1 by the          
magistrates1 who thought him a visitor  
too dangerous for the youth of those    
cities4 ,during his residence in ,paris 
he rendered himself obnoxious to        
,d',argenson1 the lieutenant-general of 
the police1 by whom he was ordered to   
quit the capital4 ,this did not take    
place1 however1 before he had made the  
acquaintance in the saloons1 of the     
,duke de ,vendome1 the ,prince de       
,conti1 and of the gay ,duke of         
,orleans1 the latter of whom was        
destined afterwards to exercise so much 
influence over his fate4 ,the ,duke of  
,orleans was pleased with the vivacity  
and good sense of the ,scottish         
adventurer1 while the latter was no less
 pleased with the wit and amiability of 

a prince who promised to become his     
patron4 ,they were often thrown into    
each other's society1 and ,law seized   
every opportunity to instil his         
financial doctrines into the mind of one
 whose proximity to the throne pointed  
him out as destined1 at no very distant 
date1 to play an important part in the  
government4  ,shortly before the death  
of ,louis ,,xiv1 or1 as some say1 in    
#agjh1 ,law proposed a scheme of finance
 to ,desmarets1 the ,comptroller4 ,louis
 is reported to have inquired whether   
the projector were a ,catholic1 and1 on 
being answered in the negative1 to have 
declined having anything to do with him4
 ,this anecdote1 which is related in the
 correspondence of ,madame de ,baviere1 
,duchess of ,orleans1 and mother of the 
,regent1 is discredited by ,lord ,john  
,russell1 in his ,history of the        
principal ,states of ,europe1 from the  
,peace of ,utrecht2 for what reason he  
does not inform us4 ,there is no doubt  
that ,law proposed his scheme to        

,desmarets1 and that ,louis refused to  
hear of it4 ,the reason given for the   
refusal is quite consistent with the    
character of that bigoted and tyrannical
 monarch4  ,it was after this repulse   
that he visited ,italy4 ,his mind being 
still occupied with schemes of finance1 
he proposed to ,victor ,amadeus1 ,duke  
of ,savoy1 to establish his land-bank in
 that country4 ,the ,duke replied that  
his dominions were too circumscribed for
 the execution of so great a project1   
and that he was by far too poor a       
potentate to be ruined4 ,he advised him1
 however1 to try the ,king of ,france   
once more2 for he was sure1 if he knew  
anything of the ,french character1 that 
the people would be delighted with a    
plan1 not only so new1 but so plausible4
  ,louis ,,xiv died in #agae1 and the   
heir to the throne being an infant only 
seven years of age1 the ,duke of        
,orleans assumed the reins of           
government1 as ,regent1 during his      
minority4 ,law now found himself in a   

more favourable position4 ,the tide in  
his affairs had come1 which1 taken at   
the flood1 was to waft him on to        
fortune4 ,the ,regent was his friend1   
already acquainted with his theory and  
pretensions1 and inclined1 moreover1 to 
aid him in any efforts to restore the   
wounded credit of ,france1 bowed down to
 the earth by the extravagance of the   
long reign of ,louis ,,xiv4  ,hardly was
 that monarch laid in his grave ere the 
popular hatred1 suppressed so long1     
burst forth against his memory4 ,he who1
 during his life1 had been flattered    
with an excess of adulation1 to which   
history scarcely offers a parallel1 was 
now cursed as a tyrant1 a bigot1 and a  
plunderer4 ,his statues were pelted and 
disfigured2 his effigies torn down1 amid
 the execrations of the populace1 and   
his name rendered synonymous with       
selfishness and oppression4 ,the glory  
of his arms was forgotten1 and nothing  
was remembered but his reverses1 his    
extravagance1 and his cruelty4  ,the    

finances of the country were in a state 
of the utmost disorder4 ,a profuse and  
corrupt monarch1 whose profuseness and  
corruption were imitated by almost every
 functionary1 from the highest to the   
lowest grade1 had brought ,france to the
 verge of ruin4 ,the national debt      
amounted to #cjjj millions of livres1   
the revenue to #ade millions1 and the   
expenditure to #adb millions per annum2 
leaving only three millions to pay the  
interest upon #cjjj millions4 ,the first
 care of the ,regent was to discover a  
remedy for an evil of such magnitude1   
and a council was early summoned to take
 the matter into consideration4 ,the    
,duke de ,st4 ,simon was of opinion that
 nothing could save the country from    
revolution but a remedy at once bold and
 dangerous4 ,he advised the ,regent to  
convoke the ,states-,general1 and       
declare a national bankruptcy4 ,the     
,duke de ,noailles1 a man of            
accommodating principles1 an            
accomplished courtier1 and totally      

averse from giving himself any trouble  
or annoyance that ingenuity could escape
 from1 opposed the project of ,st4      
,simon with all his influence4 ,he      
represented the expedient as alike      
dishonest and ruinous4 ,the ,regent was 
of the same opinion1 and this desperate 
remedy fell to the ground4  ,the        
measures ultimately adopted1 though they
 promised fair1 only aggravated the     
evil4 ,the first1 and most dishonest    
measure1 was of no advantage to the     
state4 ,a recoinage was ordered1 by     
which the currency was depreciated      
one-fifth2 those who took a thousand    
pieces of gold or silver to the mint    
received back an amount of coin of the  
same nominal value1 but only four-fifths
 of the weight of metal4 ,by this       
contrivance the treasury gained         
seventy-two millions of livres1 and all 
the commercial operations of the country
 were disordered4 ,a trifling diminution
 of the taxes silenced the clamours of  
the people1 and for the slight present  

advantage the great prospective evil was
 forgotten4  ,a chamber of justice was  
next instituted1 to inquire into the    
malversations of the loan-contractors   
and the farmers of the revenues4 ,tax   
collectors are never very popular in any
 country1 but those of ,france at this  
period deserved all the odium with which
 they were loaded4 ,as soon as these    
farmers-general1 with all their hosts of
 subordinate agents1 called maltotiers  
,from maltote1 an oppressive tax41 were 
called to account for their misdeeds1   
the most extravagant joy took possession
 of the nation4 ,the ,chamber of        
,justice1 instituted chiefly for this   
purpose1 was endowed with very extensive
 powers4 ,it was composed of the        
presidents and councils of the          
parliament1 the judges of the ,courts of
 ,aid and of ,requests1 and the officers
 of the ,chamber of ,account1 under the 
general presidence of the minister of   
finance4 ,informers were encouraged to  
give evidence against the offenders by  

the promise of one-fifth part of the    
fines and confiscations4 ,a tenth of all
 concealed effects belonging to the     
guilty was promised to such as should   
furnish the means of discovering them4  
,the promulgation of the edict          
constituting this court caused a degree 
of consternation among those principally
 concerned which can only be accounted  
for on the supposition that their       
peculation had been enormous4 ,but they 
met with no sympathy4 ,the proceedings  
against them justified their terror4    
,the ,bastile was soon unable to contain
 the prisoners that were sent to it1 and
 the gaols all over the country teemed  
with guilty or suspected persons4 ,an   
order was issued to all innkeepers and  
postmasters to refuse horses to such as 
endeavoured to seek safety in flight2   
and all persons were forbidden1 under   
heavy fines1 to harbour them or favour  
their evasion4 ,some were condemned to  
the pillory1 others to the gallies1 and 
the least guilty to fine and            

imprisonment4 ,one only1 ,samuel        
,bernard1 a rich banker1 and            
farmer-general of a province remote from
 the capital1 was sentenced to death4   
,so great had been the illegal profits  
of this man1--looked upon as the tyrant 
and oppressor of his district1--that he 
offered six millions of livres1 or      
#bej1jjj pounds sterling1 to be allowed 
to escape4  ,his bribe was refused1 and 
he suffered the penalty of death4       
,others1 perhaps more guilty1 were more 
fortunate4 ,confiscation1 owing to the  
concealment of their treasures by the   
delinquents1 often produced less money  
than a fine4 ,the severity of the       
government relaxed1 and fines1 under the
 denomination of taxes1 were            
indiscriminately levied upon all        
offenders4 ,but so corrupt was every    
department of the administration1 that  
the country benefited but little by the 
sums which thus flowed into the         
treasury4 ,courtiers1 and courtiers'    
wives and mistresses1 came in for the   

chief share of the spoils4 ,one         
contractor had been taxed in proportion 
to his wealth and guilt1 at the sum of  
twelve millions of livres4 ,the ,count  
99 99 991 a man of some weight in the   
government1 called upon him1 and offered
 to procure a remission of the fine1 if 
he would give him a hundred thousand    
crowns4 ,vous etes trop tard1 mon ami1  
replied the financier2 ,i have already  
made a bargain with your wife for fifty 
thousand4 ,this anecdote is related by  
,m4 de la ,hode1 in his ,life of        
,philippe of ,orleans4 ,it would have   
looked more authentic if he had given   
the names of the dishonest contractor   
and the still more dishonest minister4  
,but ,m4 de la ,hode's book is liable to
 the same objection as most of the      
,french memoirs of that and of          
subsequent periods4 ,it is sufficient   
with most of them that an anecdote be   
ben trovato2 the veto is but matter of  
secondary consideration4  ,about a      
hundred and eighty millions of livres   

were levied in this manner1 of which    
eighty were applied in payment of the   
debts contracted by the government4 ,the
 remainder found its way into the       
pockets of the courtiers4 ,madame de    
,maintenon1 writing on this subject1    
says1 ,we hear every day of some new    
grant of the ,regent2 the people murmur 
very much at this mode of employing the 
money taken from the peculators4 ,the   
people1 who1 after the first burst of   
their resentment is over1 generally     
express a sympathy for the weak1 were   
indignant that so much severity should  
be used to so little purpose4 ,they did 
not see the justice of robbing one set  
of rogues to fatten another4 ,in a few  
months all the more guilty had been     
brought to punishment1 and the chamber  
of justice looked for victims in humbler
 walks of life4 ,charges of fraud and   
extortion were brought against tradesmen
 of good character1 in consequence of   
the great inducements held out to common
 informers4 ,they were compelled to lay 

open their affairs before this tribunal 
in order to establish their innocence4  
,the voice of complaint resounded from  
every side1 and at the expiration of a  
year the government found it advisable  
to discontinue further proceedings4 ,the
 chamber of justice was suppressed1 and 
a general amnesty granted to all against
 whom no charges had yet been preferred4
  ,in the midst of this financial       
confusion ,law appeared upon the scene4 
,no man felt more deeply than the       
,regent the deplorable state of the     
country1 but no man could be more averse
 from putting his shoulders manfully to 
the wheel4 ,he disliked business2 he    
signed official documents without proper
 examination1 and trusted to others what
 he should have undertaken himself4 ,the
 cares inseparable from his high office 
were burdensome to him2 he saw that     
something was necessary to be done1 but 
he lacked the energy to do it1 and had  
not virtue enough to sacrifice his case 
and his pleasures in the attempt4 ,no   

wonder that1 with this character1 he    
listened favourably to the mighty       
projects1 so easy of execution1 of the  
clever adventurer whom he had formerly  
known1 and whose talents he appreciated4
  ,when ,law presented himself at court1
 he was most cordially received4 ,he    
offered two memorials to the ,regent1 in
 which he set forth the evils that had  
befallen ,france1 owing to an           
insufficient currency1 at different     
times depreciated4 ,he asserted that a  
metallic currency1 unaided by a paper   
money1 was wholly inadequate to the     
wants of a commercial country1 and      
particularly cited the examples of      
,great ,britain and ,holland to show the
 advantages of paper4 ,he used many     
sound arguments on the subject of       
credit1 and proposed1 as a means of     
restoring that of ,france1 then at so   
low an ebb among the nations1 that he   
should be allowed to set up a bank1     
which should have the management of the 
royal revenues1 and issue notes1 both on

 that and on landed security4 ,he       
further proposed that this bank should  
be administered in the ,king's name1 but
 subject to the control of              
commissioners1 to be named by the       
,states-,general4  ,while these         
memorials were under consideration1 ,law
 translated into ,french his essay on   
money and trade1 and used every means to
 extend through the nation his renown as
 a financier4 ,he soon became talked of4
 ,the confidants of the ,regent spread  
abroad his praise1 and every one        
expected great things of ,monsieur      
,lass4 ,the ,french pronounced his name 
in this manner to avoid the ungallic    
sound1 aw4 ,after the failure of his    
scheme1 the wags said the nation was    
lasse de lui1 and proposed that he      
should in future be known by the name of
 ,monsieur ,helas6  ,on the #eth of     
,may1 #agaf1 a royal edict was          
published1 by which ,law was authorised1
 in conjunction with his brother1 to    
establish a bank1 under the name of ,law

 and ,company1 the notes of which should
 be received in payment of the taxes4   
,the capital was fixed at six millions  
of livres1 in twelve thousand shares of 
five hundred livres each1 purchasable   
one-fourth in specie and the remainder  
in billets d'etat4 ,it was not thought  
expedient to grant him the whole of the 
privileges prayed for in his memorials  
until experience should have shown their
 safety and advantage4  ,law was now on 
the high road to fortune4 ,the study of 
thirty years was brought to guide him in
 the management of his bank4 ,he made   
all his notes payable at sight1 and in  
the coin current at the time they were  
issued4 ,this last was a master-stroke  
of policy1 and immediately rendered his 
notes more valuable than the precious   
metals4 ,the latter were constantly     
liable to depreciation by the unwise    
tampering of the government4 ,a thousand
 livres of silver might be worth their  
nominal value one day and be reduced    
one-sixth the next1 but a note of ,law's

 bank retained its original value4 ,he  
publicly declared at the same time that 
a banker deserved death if he made      
issues without having sufficient        
security to answer all demands4 ,the    
consequence was1 that his notes advanced
 rapidly in public estimation1 and were 
received at one per cent4 more than     
specie4 ,it was not long before the     
trade of the country felt the benefit4  
,languishing commerce began to lift up  
her head2 the taxes were paid with      
greater regularity and less murmuring1  
and a degree of confidence was          
established that could not fail1 if it  
continued1 to become still more         
advantageous4 ,in the course of a year  
,law's notes rose to fifteen per cent4  
premium1 while the billets d'etat1 or   
notes issued by the government1 as      
security for the debts contracted by the
 extravagant ,louis ,,xiv1 were at a    
discount of no less than seventy-eight  
and a half per cent4 ,the comparison was
 too great in favour of ,law not to     

attract the attention of the whole      
kingdom1 and his credit extended itself 
day by day4 ,branches of his bank were  
almost simultaneously established at    
,lyons1 ,rochelle1 ,tours1 ,amiens1 and 
,orleans4  ,the ,regent appears to have 
been utterly astonished at his success1 
and gradually to have conceived the     
idea1 that paper1 which could so aid a  
metallic currency1 could entirely       
supersede it4 ,upon this fundamental    
error he afterwards acted4 ,in the mean 
time1 ,law commenced the famous project 
which has handed his name down to       
posterity4 ,he proposed to the ,regent1 
who could refuse him nothing1 to        
establish a company1 that should have   
the exclusive privilege of trading to   
the great river ,mississippi and the    
province of ,louisiana1 on its western  
bank4 ,the country was supposed to      
abound in the precious metals1 and the  
company1 supported by the profits of    
their exclusive commerce1 were to be the
 sole farmers of the taxes1 and sole    

coiners of money4 ,letters patent were  
issued1 incorporating the company1 in   
,august #agag4 ,the capital was divided 
into two hundred thousand shares of five
 hundred livres each1 the whole of which
 might be paid in billets d'etat1 at    
their nominal value1 although worth no  
more than #afj livres in the market4    
,it was now that the frenzy of          
speculating began to seize upon the     
nation4 ,law's bank had effected so much
 good1 that any promises for the future 
which he thought proper to make were    
readily believed4 ,the ,regent every day
 conferred new privileges upon the      
fortunate projector4 ,the bank obtained 
the monopoly of the sale of tobacco2 the
 sole right of refinage of gold and     
silver1 and was finally erected into the
 ,royal ,bank of ,france4 ,amid the     
intoxication of success1 both ,law and  
the ,regent forgot the maxim so loudly  
proclaimed by the former1 that a banker 
deserved death who made issues of paper 
without the necessary funds to provide  

for them4 ,as soon as the bank1 from a  
private1 became a public institution1   
the ,regent caused a fabrication of     
notes to the amount of one thousand     
millions of livres4 ,this was the first 
departure from sound principles1 and one
 for which ,law is not justly blameable4
 ,while the affairs of the bank were    
under his control1 the issues had never 
exceeded sixty millions4 ,whether ,law  
opposed the inordinate increase is not  
known1 but as it took place as soon as  
the bank was made a royal establishment1
 it is but fair to lay the blame of the 
change of system upon the ,regent4  ,law
 found that he lived under a despotic   
government1 but he was not yet aware of 
the pernicious influence which such a   
government could exercise upon so       
delicate a framework as that of credit4 
,he discovered it afterwards to his     
cost1 but in the mean time suffered     
himself to be impelled by the ,regent   
into courses which his own reason must  
have disapproved4 ,with a weakness most 

culpable1 he lent his aid in inundating 
the country with paper money1 which1    
based upon no solid foundation1 was sure
 to fall1 sooner or later4 ,the         
extraordinary present fortune dazzled   
his eyes1 and prevented him from seeing 
the evil day that would burst over his  
head1 when once1 from any cause or      
other1 the alarm was sounded4 ,the      
,parliament were from the first jealous 
of his influence as a foreigner1 and    
had1 besides1 their misgivings as to the
 safety of his projects4 ,as his        
influence extended1 their animosity     
increased4 ,d',aguesseau1 the           
,chancellor1 was unceremoniously        
dismissed by the ,regent for his        
opposition to the vast increase of paper
 money1 and the constant depreciation of
 the gold and silver coin of the realm4 
,this only served to augment the enmity 
of the ,parliament1 and when            
,d',argenson1 a man devoted to the      
interests of the ,regent1 was appointed 
to the vacant chancellorship1 and made  

at the same time minister of finance1   
they became more violent than ever4 ,the
 first measure of the new minister      
caused a further depreciation of the    
coin4 ,in order to extinguish the       
billets d'etat1 it was ordered that     
persons bringing to the mint four       
thousand livres in specie and one       
thousand livres in billets d'etat1      
should receive back coin to the amount  
of five thousand livres4 ,d',argenson   
plumed himself mightily upon thus       
creating five thousand new and smaller  
livres out of the four thousand old and 
larger ones1 being too ignorant of the  
true principles of trade and credit to  
be aware of the immense injury he was   
inflicting upon both4  ,the ,parliament 
saw at once the impolicy and danger of  
such a system1 and made repeated        
remonstrances to the ,regent4 ,the      
latter refused to entertain their       
petitions1 when the ,parliament1 by a   
bold1 and very unusual stretch of       
authority1 commanded that no money      

should be received in payment but that  
of the old standard4 ,the ,regent       
summoned a lit de justice1 and annulled 
the decree4 ,the ,parliament resisted1  
and issued another4 ,again the ,regent  
exercised his privilege1 and annulled   
it1 till the ,parliament1 stung to      
fiercer opposition1 passed another      
decree1 dated ,august #abth1 #agah1 by  
which they forbade the bank of ,law to  
have any concern1 either direct or      
indirect1 in the administration of the  
revenue2 and prohibited all foreigners1 
under heavy penalties1 from interfering1
 either in their own names1 or in that  
of others1 in the management of the     
finances of the state4 ,the ,parliament 
considered ,law to be the author of all 
the evil1 and some of the counsellors1  
in the virulence of their enmity1       
proposed that he should be brought to   
trial1 and1 if found guilty1 be hung at 
the gates of the ,palais de ,justice4   
,law1 in great alarm1 fled to the       
,palais ,royal1 and threw himself on the

 protection of the ,regent1 praying that
 measures might be taken to reduce the  
,parliament to obedience4 ,the ,regent  
had nothing so much at heart1 both on   
that account and because of the disputes
 that had arisen relative to the        
legitimation of the ,duke of ,maine and 
the ,count of ,thoulouse1 the sons of   
the late ,king4 ,the ,parliament was    
ultimately overawed by the arrest of    
their president and two of the          
counsellors1 who were sent to distant   
prisons4  ,thus the first cloud upon    
,law's prospects blew over3 freed from  
apprehension of personal danger1 he     
devoted his attention to his famous     
,mississippi project1 the shares of     
which were rapidly rising1 in spite of  
the ,parliament4 ,at the commencement of
 the year #agai an edict was published1 
granting to the ,mississippi ,company   
the exclusive privilege of trading to   
the ,east ,indies1 ,china1 and the      
,south ,seas1 and to all the possessions
 of the ,french ,east ,india ,company1  

established by ,colbert4 ,the ,company1 
in consequence of this great increase of
 their business1 assumed1 as more       
appropriate1 the title of ,company of   
the ,indies1 and created fifty thousand 
new shares4 ,the prospects now held out 
by ,law were most magnificent4 ,he      
promised a yearly dividend of two       
hundred livres upon each share of five  
hundred1 which1 as the shares were paid 
for in billets d'etat1 at their nominal 
value1 but worth only #ajj livres1 was  
at the rate of about #abj per cent4     
profit4  ,the public enthusiasm1 which  
had been so long rising1 could not      
resist a vision so splendid4 ,at least  
three hundred thousand applications were
 made for the fifty thousand new shares1
 and ,law's house in the ,rue de        
,quincampoix was beset from morning to  
night by the eager applicants4 ,as it   
was impossible to satisfy them all1 it  
was several weeks before a list of the  
fortunate new stockholders could be made
 out1 during which time the public      

impatience rose to a pitch of frenzy4   
,dukes1 marquises1 counts1 with their   
duchesses1 marchionesses1 and           
countesses1 waited in the streets for   
hours every day before ,mr4 ,law's door 
to know the result4 ,at last1 to avoid  
the jostling of the plebeian crowd1     
which1 to the number of thousands1      
filled the whole thoroughfare1 they took
 apartments in the adjoining houses1    
that they might be continually near the 
temple whence the new ,plutus was       
diffusing wealth4 ,every day the value  
of the old shares increased1 and the    
fresh applications1 induced by the      
golden dreams of the whole nation1      
became so numerous that it was deemed   
advisable to create no less than three  
hundred thousand new shares1 at five    
thousand livres each1 in order that the 
,regent might take advantage of the     
popular enthusiasm to pay off the       
national debt4 ,for this purpose1 the   
sum of fifteen hundred millions of      
livres was necessary4 ,such was the     

eagerness of the nation1 that thrice the
 sum would have been subscribed if the  
government had authorised it4  ,law was 
now at the zenith of his prosperity1 and
 the people were rapidly approaching the
 zenith of their infatuation4 ,the      
highest and the lowest classes were     
alike filled with a vision of boundless 
wealth4 ,there was not a person of note 
among the aristocracy1 with the         
exception of the ,duke of ,st4 ,simon   
and ,marshal ,villars1 who was not      
engaged in buying or selling stock4     
,people of every age and sex1 and       
condition in life1 speculated in the    
rise and fall of the ,mississippi bonds4
 ,the ,rue de ,quincampoix was the grand
 resort of the jobbers1 and it being a  
narrow1 inconvenient street1 accidents  
continually occurred in it1 from the    
tremendous pressure of the crowd4       
,houses in it1 worth1 in ordinary times1
 a thousand livres of yearly rent1      
yielded as much as twelve or sixteen    
thousand4 ,a cobbler1 who had a stall in

 it1 gained about two hundred livres a  
day by letting it out1 and furnishing   
writing materials to brokers and their  
clients4 ,the story goes1 that a        
hump-backed man who stood in the street 
gained considerable sums by lending his 
hump as a writing-desk to the eager     
speculators6 ,the great concourse of    
persons who assembled to do business    
brought a still greater concourse of    
spectators4 ,these again drew all the   
thieves and immoral characters of ,paris
 to the spot1 and constant riots and    
disturbances took place4 ,at nightfall1 
it was often found necessary to send a  
troop of soldiers to clear the street4  
,law1 finding the inconvenience of his  
residence1 removed to the ,place        
,vendome1 whither the crowd of agioteurs
 followed him4 ,that spacious square    
soon became as thronged as the ,rue de  
,quincampoix3 from morning to night it  
presented the appearance of a fair4     
,booths and tents were erected for the  
transaction of business and the sale of 

refreshments1 and gamblers with their   
roulette tables stationed themselves in 
the very middle of the place1 and reaped
 a golden1 or rather a paper1 harvest   
from the throng4 ,the ,boulevards and   
public gardens were forsaken2 parties of
 pleasure took their walks in preference
 in the ,place ,vendome1 which became   
the fashionable lounge of the idle1 as  
well as the general rendezvous of the   
busy4 ,the noise was so great all day1  
that the ,chancellor1 whose court was   
situated in the square1 complained to   
the ,regent and the municipality1 that  
he could not hear the advocates4 ,law1  
when applied to1 expressed his          
willingness to aid in the removal of the
 nuisance1 and for this purpose entered 
into a treaty with the ,prince de       
,carignan for the ,hotel de ,soissons1  
which had a garden of several acres in  
the rear4 ,a bargain was concluded1 by  
which ,law became the purchaser of the  
hotel1 at an enormous price1 the ,prince
 reserving to himself the magnificent   

gardens as a new source of profit4 ,they
 contained some fine statues and several
 fountains1 and were altogether laid out
 with much taste4 ,as soon as ,law was  
installed in his new abode1 an edict was
 published1 forbidding all persons to   
buy or sell stock anywhere but in the   
gardens of the ,hotel de ,soissons4 ,in 
the midst among the trees1 about five   
hundred small tents and pavilions were  
erected1 for the convenience of the     
stock-jobbers4 ,their various colours1  
the gay ribands and banners which       
floated from them1 the busy crowds which
 passed continually in and out--the     
incessant hum of voices1 the noise1 the 
music1 and the strange mixture of       
business and pleasure on the            
countenances of the throng1 all combined
 to give the place an air of enchantment
 that quite enraptured the ,parisians4  
,the ,prince de ,carignan made enormous 
profits while the delusion lasted4 ,each
 tent was let at the rate of five       
hundred livres a month2 and1 as there   

were at least five hundred of them1 his 
monthly revenue from this source alone  
must have amounted to #bej1jjj livres1  
or upwards of #aj1jjj pounds sterling4  
,the honest old soldier1 ,marshal       
,villars1 was so vexed to see the folly 
which had smitten his countrymen1 that  
he never could speak with temper on the 
subject4 ,passing one day through the   
,place ,vendome in his carriage1 the    
choleric gentleman was so annoyed at the
 infatuation of the people1 that he     
abruptly ordered his coachman to stop1  
and1 putting his head out of the        
carriage window1 harangued them for full
 half an hour on their disgusting       
avarice4 ,this was not a very wise      
proceeding on his part4 ,hisses and     
shouts of laughter resounded from every 
side1 and jokes without number were     
aimed at him4 ,there being at last      
strong symptoms that something more     
tangible was flying through the air in  
the direction of his head1 ,marshal was 
glad to drive on4 ,he never again       

repeated the experiment4  ,two sober1   
quiet1 and philosophic men of letters1  
,m4 de la ,motte and the ,abbe          
,terrason1 congratulated each other1    
that they1 at least1 were free from this
 strange infatuation4 ,a few days       
afterwards1 as the worthy ,abbe was     
coming out of the ,hotel de ,soissons1  
whither he had gone to buy shares in the
 ,mississippi1 whom should he see but   
his friend ,la ,motte entering for the  
same purpose4 ,ha6 said the ,abbe1      
smiling1 is that you8 ,yes1 said ,la    
,motte1 pushing past him as fast as he  
was able2 and can that be you8 ,the next
 time the two scholars met1 they talked 
of philosophy1 of science1 and of       
religion1 but neither had courage for a 
long time to breathe one syllable about 
the ,mississippi4 ,at last1 when it was 
mentioned1 they agreed that a man ought 
never to swear against his doing any one
 thing1 and that there was no sort of   
extravagance of which even a wise man   
was not capable4  ,during this time1    

,law1 the new ,plutus1 had become all at
 once the most important personage of   
the state4 ,the ante-chambers of the    
,regent were forsaken by the courtiers4 
,peers1 judges1 and bishops thronged to 
the ,hotel de ,soissons2 officers of the
 army and navy1 ladies of title and     
fashion1 and every one to whom          
hereditary rank or public employ gave a 
claim to precedence1 were to be found   
waiting in his ante-chambers to beg for 
a portion of his ,india stock4 ,law was 
so pestered that he was unable to see   
one-tenth part of the applicants1 and   
every manoeuvre that ingenuity could    
suggest was employed to gain access to  
him4 ,peers1 whose dignity would have   
been outraged if the ,regent had made   
them wait half an hour for an interview1
 were content to wait six hours for the 
chance of seeing ,monsieur ,law4        
,enormous fees were paid to his         
servants1 if they would merely announce 
their names4 ,ladies of rank employed   
the blandishments of their smiles for   

the same object2 but many of them came  
day after day for a fortnight before    
they could obtain an audience4 ,when    
,law accepted an invitation1 he was     
sometimes so surrounded by ladies1 all  
asking to have their names put down in  
his lists as shareholders in the new    
stock1 that1 in spite of his well-known 
and habitual gallantry1 he was obliged  
to tear himself away par force4 ,the    
most ludicrous stratagems were employed 
to have an opportunity of speaking to   
him4 ,one lady1 who had striven in vain 
during several days1 gave up in despair 
all attempts to see him at his own      
house1 but ordered her coachman to keep 
a strict watch whenever she was out in  
her carriage1 and if he saw ,mr4 ,law   
coming1 to drive against a post1 and    
upset her4 ,the coachman promised       
obedience1 and for three days the lady  
was driven incessantly through the town1
 praying inwardly for the opportunity to
 be overturned4 ,at last she espied ,mr4
 ,law1 and1 pulling the string1 called  

out to the coachman1 ,upset us now6 for 
,god's sake1 upset us now6 ,the coachman
 drove against a post1 the lady         
screamed1 the coach was overturned1 and 
,law1 who had seen the accident1        
hastened to the spot to render          
assistance4 ,the cunning dame was led   
into the ,hotel de ,soissons1 where she 
soon thought it advisable to recover    
from her fright1 and1 after apologizing 
to ,mr4 ,law1 confessed her stratagem4  
,law smiled1 and entered the lady in his
 books as the purchaser of a quantity of
 ,india stock4 ,another story is told of
 a ,madame de ,boucha1 who1 knowing that
 ,mr4 ,law was at dinner at a certain   
house1 proceeded thither in her         
carriage1 and gave the alarm of fire4   
,the company started from table1 and    
,law among the rest2 but1 seeing one    
lady making all haste into the house    
towards him1 while everybody else was   
scampering away1 he suspected the trick1
 and ran off in another direction4      
,many other anecdotes are related1 which

 even1 though they may be a little      
exaggerated1 are nevertheless worth     
preserving1 as showing the spirit of    
that singular period4 ,the curious      
reader may find an anecdote of the      
eagerness of the ,french ladies to      
retain ,law in their company1 which will
 make him blush or smile according as he
 happens to be very modest or the       
reverse4 ,it is related in the ,letters 
of ,madame ,charlotte ,elizabeth de     
,baviere1 ,duchess of ,orleans1 vol4 ii4
 p4 #bgd4 ,the ,regent was one day      
mentioning1 in the presence of          
,d',argenson1 the ,abbe ,dubois1 and    
some other persons1 that he was desirous
 of deputing some lady1 of the rank at  
least of a ,duchess1 to attend upon his 
daughter at ,modena2 but1 added he1 ,i  
do not exactly know where to find one4  
,no6 replied one1 in affected surprise2 
,i can tell you where to find every     
,duchess in ,france3--you have only to  
go to ,mr4 ,law's2 you will see them    
every one in his ante-chamber4  ,m4 de  

,chirac1 a celebrated physician1 had    
bought stock at an unlucky period1 and  
was very anxious to sell out4 ,stock1   
however continued to fall for two or    
three days1 much to his alarm4 ,his mind
 was filled with the subject1 when he   
was suddenly called upon to attend a    
lady1 who imagined herself unwell4 ,he  
arrived1 was shown up stairs1 and felt  
the lady's pulse4 ,it falls6 it falls6  
good ,god6 it falls continually6 said   
he1 musingly1 while the lady looked up  
in his face1 all anxiety for his        
opinion4 ,oh6 ,m4 de ,chirac1 said she1 
starting to her feet1 and ringing the   
bell for assistance2 ,i am dying6 ,i am 
dying6 it falls6 it falls6 it falls6    
,what falls8 inquired the doctor1 in    
amazement4 ,my pulse6 my pulse6 said the
 lady2 ,i must be dying4 ,calm your     
apprehensions1 my dear ,madam1 said ,m4 
de ,chirac2 ,i was speaking of the      
stocks4 ,the truth is1 ,i have been a   
great loser1 and my mind is so          
disturbed1 ,i hardly know what ,i have  

been saying4  ,the price of shares      
sometimes rose ten or twenty per cent4  
in the course of a few hours1 and many  
persons in the humbler walks of life1   
who had risen poor in the morning1 went 
to bed in affluence4 ,an extensive      
holder of stock1 being taken ill1 sent  
his servant to sell two hundred and     
fifty shares1 at eight thousand livres  
each1 the price at which they were then 
quoted4 ,the servant went1 and1 on his  
arrival in the ,jardin de ,soissons1    
found that in the interval the price had
 risen to ten thousand livres4 ,the     
difference of two thousand livres on the
 two hundred and fifty shares1 amounting
 to #ejj1jjj livres1 or #bj1jjj pounds  
sterling1 he very coolly transferred to 
his own use1 and1 giving the remainder  
to his master1 set out the same evening 
for another country4 ,law's coachman in 
a very short time made money enough to  
set up a carriage of his own1 and       
requested permission to leave his       
service4 ,law1 who esteemed the man1    

begged of him as a favour1 that he would
 endeavour1 before he went1 to find a   
substitute as good as himself4 ,the     
coachman consented1 and in the evening  
brought two of his former comrades1     
telling ,mr4 ,law to choose between     
them1 and he would take the other4      
,cookmaids and footmen were now and then
 as lucky1 and1 in the full-blown pride 
of their easily-acquired wealth1 made   
the most ridiculous mistakes4           
,preserving the language and manners of 
their old1 with the finery of their new 
station1 they afforded continual        
subjects for the pity of the sensible1  
the contempt of the sober1 and the      
laughter of everybody4 ,but the folly   
and meanness of the higher ranks of     
society were still more disgusting4 ,one
 instance alone1 related by the ,duke de
 ,st4 ,simon1 will show the unworthy    
avarice which infected the whole of     
society4 ,a man of the name of ,andre1  
without character or education1 had1 by 
a series of well-timed speculations in  

,mississippi bonds1 gained enormous     
wealth1 in an incredibly short space of 
time4 ,as ,st4 ,simon expresses it1 he  
had amassed mountains of gold4 ,as he   
became rich1 he grew ashamed of the     
lowness of his birth1 and anxious above 
all things to be allied to nobility4 ,he
 had a daughter1 an infant only three   
years of age1 and he opened a           
negotiation with the aristocratic and   
needy family of ,d',oyse1 that this     
child should1 upon certain conditions1  
marry a member of that house4 ,the      
,marquis d',oyse1 to his shame1         
consented1 and promised to marry her    
himself on her attaining the age of     
twelve1 if the father would pay him down
 the sum of a hundred thousand crowns1  
and twenty thousand livres every year1  
until the celebration of the marriage4  
,the ,marquis was himself in his        
thirty-third year4 ,this scandalous     
bargain was duly signed and sealed1 the 
stockjobber furthermore agreeing to     
settle upon his daughter1 on the        

marriage-day1 a fortune of several      
millions4 ,the ,duke of ,brancas1 the   
head of the family1 was present         
throughout the negotiation1 and shared  
in all the profits4 ,st4 ,simon1 who    
treats the matter with the levity       
becoming what he thought so good a joke1
 adds1 that people did not spare their  
animadversions on this beautiful        
marriage1 and further informs us1 that  
the project fell to the ground some     
months afterwards by the overthrow of   
,law1 and the ruin of the ambitious     
,monsieur ,andre4 ,it would appear1     
however1 that the noble family never had
 the honesty to return the hundred      
thousand crowns4  ,amid events like     
these1 which1 humiliating though they   
be1 partake largely of the ludicrous1   
others occurred of a more serious       
nature4 ,robberies in the streets were  
of daily occurrence1 in consequence of  
the immense sums1 in paper1 which people
 carried about with them4               
,assassinations were also frequent4 ,one

 case in particular fixed the attention 
of the whole of ,france1 not only on    
account of the enormity of the offence1 
but of the rank and high connexions of  
the criminal4  ,the ,count d',horn1 a   
younger brother of the ,prince d',horn1 
and related to the noble families of    
,d',aremberg1 ,de ,ligne1 and ,de       
,montmorency1 was a young man of        
dissipated character1 extravagant to a  
degree1 and unprincipled as he was      
extravagant4 ,in connexion with two     
other young men as reckless as himself1 
named ,mille1 a ,piedmontese captain1   
and one ,destampes1 or ,lestang1 a      
,fleming1 he formed a design to rob a   
very rich broker1 who was known1        
unfortunately for himself1 to carry     
great sums about his person4 ,the ,count
 pretended a desire to purchase of him a
 number of shares in the ,company of the
 ,indies1 and for that purpose appointed
 to meet him in a cabaret1 or low       
public-house1 in the neighbourhood of   
the ,place ,vendome4 ,the unsuspecting  

broker was punctual to his appointment2 
so were the ,count d',horn and his two  
associates1 whom he introduced as his   
particular friends4 ,after a few        
moments' conversation1 the ,count       
d',horn suddenly sprang upon his victim1
 and stabbed him three times in the     
breast with a poniard4 ,the man fell    
heavily to the ground1 and1 while the   
,count was employed in rifling his      
portfolio of bonds in the ,mississippi  
and ,indian schemes to the amount of one
 hundred thousand crowns1 ,mille1 the   
,piedmontese1 stabbed the unfortunate   
broker again and again1 to make sure of 
his death4 ,but the broker did not fall 
without a struggle1 and his cries       
brought the people of the cabaret to his
 assistance4 ,lestang1 the other        
assassin1 who had been set to keep watch
 at a staircase1 sprang from a window   
and escaped2 but ,mille and the ,count  
d',horn were seized in the very act4    
,this crime1 committed in open day1 and 
in so public a place as a cabaret1      

filled ,paris with consternation4 ,the  
trial of the assassins commenced on the 
following day1 and the evidence being so
 clear1 they were both found guilty and 
condemned to be broken alive on the     
wheel4 ,the noble relatives of the      
,count d',horn absolutely blocked up the
 ante-chambers of the ,regent1 praying  
for mercy on the misguided youth1 and   
alleging that he was insane4 ,the       
,regent avoided them as long as         
possible1 being determined that1 in a   
case so atrocious1 justice should take  
its course2 but the importunity of these
 influential suitors was not to be      
overcome so silently1 and they at last  
forced themselves into the presence of  
the ,regent1 and prayed him to save     
their house the shame of a public       
execution4 ,they hinted that the        
,princes d',horn were allied to the     
illustrious family of ,orleans1 and     
added that the ,regent himself would be 
disgraced if a kinsman of his should die
 by the hands of a common executioner4  

,the ,regent1 to his credit1 was proof  
against all their solicitations1 and    
replied to their last argument in the   
words of ,corneille1--       ,le crime  
fait la honte1 et non pas l'echafaud3   
adding1 that whatever shame there might 
be in the punishment he would very      
willingly share with the other          
relatives4 ,day after day they renewed  
their entreaties1 but always with the   
same result4 ,at last they thought that 
if they could interest the ,duke de ,st4
 ,simon in their layout1 a man for whom 
the ,regent felt sincere esteem1 they   
might succeed in their object4 ,the     
,duke1 a thorough aristocrat1 was as    
shocked as they were1 that a noble      
assassin should die by the same death as
 a plebeian felon1 and represented to   
the ,regent the impolicy of making      
enemies of so numerous1 wealthy1 and    
powerful a family4 ,he urged1 too1 that 
in ,germany1 where the family of        
,d',aremberg had large possessions1 it  
was the law1 that no relative of a      

person broken on the wheel could succeed
 to any public office or employ until a 
whole generation had passed away4 ,for  
this reason he thought the punishment of
 the guilty ,count might be transmuted  
into beheading1 which was considered all
 over ,europe as much less infamous4    
,the ,regent was moved by this argument1
 and was about to consent1 when ,law1   
who felt peculiarly interested in the   
fate of the murdered man1 confirmed him 
in his former resolution1 to let the law
 take its course4  ,the relatives of    
,d',horn were now reduced to the last   
extremity4 ,the ,prince de ,robec       
,montmorency1 despairing of other       
methods1 found means to penetrate into  
the dungeon of the criminal1 and        
offering him a cup of poison1 implored  
him to save them from disgrace4 ,the    
,count d',horn turned away his head1 and
 refused to take it4 ,montmorency       
pressed him once more1 and losing all   
patience at his continued refusal1      
turned on his heel1 and exclaiming1     

,die1 then1 as thou wilt1 mean-spirited 
wretch6 thou art fit only to perish by  
the hands of the hangman6 left him to   
his fate4  ,d',horn himself petitioned  
the ,regent that he might be beheaded1  
but ,law1 who exercised more influence  
over his mind than any other person1    
with the exception of the notorious     
,abbe ,dubois1 his tutor1 insisted that 
he could not in justice succumb to the  
self-interested views of the ,d',horns4 
,the ,regent had from the first been of 
the same opinion1 and within six days   
after the commission of their crime1    
,d',horn and ,mille were broken on the  
wheel in the ,place de ,greve4 ,the     
other assassin1 ,lestang1 was never     
apprehended4  ,this prompt and severe   
justice was highly pleasing to the      
populace of ,paris2 even ,m4 de         
,quincampoix1 as they called ,law1 came 
in for a share of their approbation for 
having induced the ,regent to show no   
favour to a patrician4 ,but the number  
of robberies and assassinations did not 

diminish4 ,no sympathy was shown for    
rich jobbers when they were plundered3  
the general laxity of public morals1    
conspicuous enough before1 was rendered 
still more so by its rapid pervasion of 
the middle classes1 who had hitherto    
remained comparatively pure1 between the
 open vices of the class above and the  
hidden crimes of the class below them4  
,the pernicious love of gambling        
diffused itself through society1 and    
bore all public1 and nearly all private1
 virtue before it4  ,for a time1 while  
confidence lasted1 an impetus was given 
to trade1 which could not fail to be    
beneficial4 ,in ,paris1 especially1 the 
good results were felt4 ,strangers      
flocked into the capital from every     
part1 bent1 not only upon making money1 
but on spending it4 ,the ,duchess of    
,orleans1 mother of the ,regent1        
computes the increase of the population 
during this time1 from the great influx 
of strangers from all parts of the      
world1 at #cje1jjj souls4 ,the          

housekeepers were obliged to make up    
beds in garrets1 kitchens1 and even     
stables1 for the accommodation of       
lodgers2 and the town was so full of    
carriages and vehicles of every         
description1 that they were obliged in  
the principal streets to drive at a     
foot-pace for fear of accidents4 ,the   
looms of the country worked with unusual
 activity1 to supply rich laces1 silks1 
broad-cloth1 and velvets1 which being   
paid for in abundant paper1 increased in
 price four-fold4 ,provisions shared the
 general advance2 bread1 meat1 and      
vegetables were sold at prices greater  
than had ever before been known2 while  
the wages of labour rose in exactly the 
same proportion4 ,the artisan1 who      
formerly gained fifteen sous per diem1  
now gained sixty4 ,new houses were built
 in every direction2 an illusory        
prosperity shone over the land1 and so  
dazzled the eyes of the whole nation    
that none could see the dark cloud on   
the horizon1 announcing the storm that  

was too rapidly approaching4  ,law      
himself1 the magician whose wand had    
wrought so surprising a change1 shared1 
of course1 in the general prosperity4   
,his wife and daughter were courted by  
the highest nobility1 and their alliance
 sought by the heirs of ducal and       
princely houses4 ,he bought two splendid
 estates in different parts of ,france1 
and entered into a negotiation with the 
family of the ,duke de ,sully for the   
purchase of the ,marquisate of ,rosny4  
,his religion being an obstacle to his  
advancement1 the ,regent promised1 if he
 would publicly conform to the ,catholic
 faith1 to make him comptroller-general 
of the finances4 ,law1 who had no more  
real religion than any other professed  
gambler1 readily agreed1 and was        
confirmed by the ,abbe de ,tencin in the
 cathedral of ,melun1 in presence of a  
great crowd of spectators4  ,the        
following squib was circulated on the   
occasion3--       ,foin de ton zele     
seraphique1      ,malheureux ,abbe de   

,tencin1      ,depuis que ,law est      
,catholique1      ,tout le royaume est  
,capucin  ,thus1 somewhat weakly and    
paraphrastically rendered by            
,justansond1 in his translation of the  
,memoirs of ,louis ,,xv3--              
,tencin1 a curse on thy seraphic zeal1  
,which by persuasion hath contrived the 
means      ,to make the ,scotchman at   
our altars kneel1      ,since which we  
all are poor as ,capucines8  ,on the    
following day he was elected honorary   
churchwarden of the parish of ,st4      
,roch1 upon which occasion he made it a 
present of the sum of five hundred      
thousand livres4 ,his charities1 always 
magnificent1 were not always so         
ostentatious4 ,he gave away great sums  
privately1 and no tale of real distress 
ever reached his ears in vain4  ,at this
 time1 he was by far the most           
influential person of the state4 ,the   
,duke of ,orleans had so much confidence
 in his sagacity1 and the success of his
 plans1 that he always consulted him    

upon every matter of moment4 ,he was by 
no means unduly elevated by his         
prosperity1 but remained the same       
simple1 affable1 sensible man that he   
had shown himself in adversity4 ,his    
gallantry1 which was always delightful  
to the fair objects of it1 was of a     
nature1 so kind1 so gentlemanly1 and so 
respectful1 that not even a lover could 
have taken offence at it4 ,if upon any  
occasion he showed any symptoms of      
haughtiness1 it was to the cringing     
nobles1 who lavished their adulation    
upon him till it became fulsome4 ,he    
often took pleasure in seeing how long  
he could make them dance attendance upon
 him for a single favour4 ,to such of   
his own countrymen as by chance visited 
,paris1 and sought an interview with    
him1 he was1 on the contrary1 all       
politeness and attention4 ,when         
,archibald ,campbell1 ,earl of ,islay1  
and afterwards ,duke of ,argyle1 called 
upon him in the ,place ,vendome1 he had 
to pass through an ante-chamber crowded 

with persons of the first distinction1  
all anxious to see the great financier1 
and have their names put down as first  
on the list of some new subscription4   
,law himself was quietly sitting in his 
library1 writing a letter to the        
gardener at his paternal estate of      
,lauriston about the planting of some   
cabbages6 ,the ,earl stayed for a       
considerable time1 played a game of     
piquet with his countryman1 and left    
him1 charmed with his ease1 good sense1 
and good breeding4  ,among the nobles   
who1 by means of the public credulity at
 this time1 gained sums sufficient to   
repair their ruined fortunes1 may be    
mentioned the names of the ,dukes de    
,bourbon1 de ,guiche1 de la ,force ,the 
,duke de la ,force gained considerable  
sums1 not only by jobbing in the stocks1
 but in dealing in porcelain1 spices1 c4
 ,it was debated for a length of time in
 the ,parliament of ,paris whether he   
had not1 in his quality of              
spice-merchant1 forfeited his rank in   

the peerage4 ,it was decided in the     
negative4 ,a caricature of him was made1
 dressed as a street porter1 carrying a 
large bale of spices on his back1 with  
the inscription1 ,admirez ,la ,force41  
de ,chaulnes1 and d',antin2 the         
,marechal d',estrees1 the ,princes de   
,rohan1 de ,poix1 and de ,leon4 ,the    
,duke de ,bourbon1 son of ,louis ,,xiv  
by ,madame de ,montespan1 was peculiarly
 fortunate in his speculations in       
,mississippi paper4 ,he rebuilt the     
royal residence of ,chantilly in a style
 of unwonted magnificence1 and1 being   
passionately fond of horses1 he erected 
a range of stables1 which were long     
renowned throughout ,europe1 and        
imported a hundred and fifty of the     
finest racers from ,england1 to improve 
the breed in ,france4 ,he bought a large
 extent of country in ,picardy1 and     
became possessed of nearly all the      
valuable lands lying between the ,oise  
and the ,somme4  ,when fortunes such as 
these were gained1 it is no wonder that 

,law should have been almost worshipped 
by the mercurial population4 ,never was 
monarch more flattered than he was4 ,all
 the small poets and litterateurs of the
 day poured floods of adulation upon    
him4 ,according to them he was the      
saviour of the country1 the tutelary    
divinity of ,france2 wit was in all his 
words1 goodness in all his looks1 and   
wisdom in all his actions4 ,so great a  
crowd followed his carriage whenever he 
went abroad1 that the ,regent sent him a
 troop of horse as his permanent escort1
 to clear the streets before him4  ,it  
was remarked at this time1 that ,paris  
had never before been so full of objects
 of elegance and luxury4 ,statues1      
pictures1 and tapestries were imported  
in great quantities from foreign        
countries1 and found a ready market4    
,all those pretty trifles in the way of 
furniture and ornament which the ,french
 excel in manufacturing1 were no longer 
the exclusive play-things of the        
aristocracy1 but were to be found in    

abundance in the houses of traders and  
the middle classes in general4          
,jewellery of the most costly           
description was brought to ,paris as the
 most favourable mart4 ,among the rest1 
the famous diamond1 bought by the       
,regent1 and called by his name1 and    
which long adorned the crown of ,france4
 ,it was purchased for the sum of two   
millions of livres1 under circumstances 
which show that the ,regent was not so  
great a gainer as some of his subjects1 
by the impetus which trade had received4
 ,when the diamond was first offered to 
him1 he refused to buy it1 although he  
desired1 above all things1 to possess   
it1 alleging as his reason1 that his    
duty to the country he governed would   
not allow him to spend so large a sum of
 the public money for a mere jewel4     
,this valid and honourable excuse threw 
all the ladies of the court into alarm1 
and nothing was heard for some days but 
expressions of regret1 that so rare a   
gem should be allowed to go out of      

,france2 no private individual being    
rich enough to buy it4 ,the ,regent was 
continually importuned about it2 but all
 in vain1 until the ,duke de ,st4       
,simon1 who1 with all his ability1 was  
something of a twaddler1 undertook the  
weighty business4 ,his entreaties1 being
 seconded by ,law1 the good-natured     
,regent gave his consent1 leaving to    
,law's ingenuity to find the means to   
pay for it4 ,the owner took security for
 the payment of the sum of two millions 
of livres within a stated period1       
receiving1 in the mean time1 the        
interest of five per cent4 upon that    
amount1 and being allowed1 besides1 all 
the valuable clippings of the gem4 ,st4 
,simon1 in his ,memoirs1 relates1 with  
no little complacency1 his share in this
 transaction4 ,after describing the     
diamond to be as large as a greengage1  
of a form nearly round1 perfectly white1
 and without flaw1 and weighing more    
than five hundred grains1 he concludes  
with a chuckle1 by telling the world1   

that he takes great credit to himself   
for having induced the ,regent to make  
so illustrious a purchase4 ,in other    
words1 he was proud that he had induced 
him to sacrifice his duty1 and buy a    
bauble for himself1 at an extravagant   
price1 out of the public money4  ,thus  
the system continued to flourish till   
the commencement of the year #agbj4 ,the
 warnings of the ,parliament1 that too  
great a creation of paper money would1  
sooner or later1 bring the country to   
bankruptcy1 were disregarded4 ,the      
,regent1 who knew nothing whatever of   
the philosophy of finance1 thought that 
a system which had produced such good   
effects could never be carried to       
excess4 ,if five hundred millions of    
paper had been of such advantage1 five  
hundred millions additional would be of 
still greater advantage4 ,this was the  
grand error of the ,regent1 and which   
,law did not attempt to dispel4 ,the    
extraordinary avidity of the people kept
 up the delusion2 and the higher the    

price of ,indian and ,mississippi stock1
 the more billets de banque were issued 
to keep pace with it4 ,the edifice thus 
reared might not unaptly be compared to 
the gorgeous palace erected by          
,potemkin1 that princely barbarian of   
,russia1 to surprise and please his     
imperial mistress3 huge blocks of ice   
were piled one upon another2 ionic      
pillars1 of chastest workmanship1 in    
ice1 formed a noble portico2 and a dome1
 of the same material1 shone in the sun1
 which had just strength enough to gild1
 but not to melt it4 ,it glittered afar1
 like a palace of crystals and diamonds2
 but there came one warm breeze from the
 south1 and the stately building        
dissolved away1 till none were able even
 to gather up the fragments4 ,so with   
,law and his paper system4 ,no sooner   
did the breath of popular mistrust blow 
steadily upon it1 than it fell to ruins1
 and none could raise it up again4  ,the
 first slight alarm that was occasioned 
was early in #agbj4 ,the ,prince de     

,conti1 offended that ,law should have  
denied him fresh shares in ,india stock1
 at his own price1 sent to his bank to  
demand payment in specie of so enormous 
a quantity of notes1 that three waggons 
were required for its transport4 ,law   
complained to the ,regent1 and urged on 
his attention the mischief that would be
 done1 if such an example found many    
imitators4 ,the ,regent was but too well
 aware of it1 and1 sending for the      
,prince de ,conti1 ordered him1 under   
penalty of his high displeasure1 to     
refund to the ,bank two-thirds of the   
specie which he had withdrawn from it4  
,the ,prince was forced to obey the     
despotic mandate4 ,happily for ,law's   
credit1 ,de ,conti was an unpopular man3
 everybody condemned his meanness and   
cupidity1 and agreed that ,law had been 
hardly treated4 ,it is strange1 however1
 that so narrow an escape should not    
have made both ,law and the ,regent more
 anxious to restrict their issues4      
,others were soon found who imitated1   

from motives of distrust1 the example   
which had been set by ,de ,conti in     
revenge4 ,the more acute stockjobbers   
imagined justly that prices could not   
continue to rise for ever4 ,bourdon and 
,la ,richardiere1 renowned for their    
extensive operations in the funds1      
quietly and in small quantities at a    
time1 converted their notes into specie1
 and sent it away to foreign countries4 
,they also bought as much as they could 
conveniently carry of plate and         
expensive jewellery1 and sent it        
secretly away to ,england or to         
,holland4 ,vermalet1 a jobber1 who      
sniffed the coming storm1 procured gold 
and silver coin to the amount of nearly 
a million of livres1 which he packed in 
a farmer's cart1 and covered over with  
hay and cow-dung4 ,he then disguised    
himself in the dirty smock-frock1 or    
blouse1 of a peasant1 and drove his     
precious load in safety into ,belgium4  
,from thence he soon found means to     
transport it to ,amsterdam4  ,hitherto  

no difficulty had been experienced by   
any class in procuring specie for their 
wants4 ,but this system could not long  
be carried on without causing a         
scarcity4 ,the voice of complaint was   
heard on every side1 and inquiries being
 instituted1 the cause was soon         
discovered4 ,the council debated long on
 the remedies to be taken1 and ,law1    
being called on for his advice1 was of  
opinion1 that an edict should be        
published1 depreciating the value of    
coin five per cent4 below that of paper4
 ,the edict was published accordingly2  
but1 failing of its intended effect1 was
 followed by another1 in which the      
depreciation was increased to ten per   
cent4 ,the payments of the bank were at 
the same time restricted to one hundred 
livres in gold1 and ten in silver4 ,all 
these measures were nugatory to restore 
confidence in the paper1 though the     
restriction of cash payments within     
limits so extremely narrow kept up the  
credit of the ,bank4  ,notwithstanding  

every effort to the contrary1 the       
precious metals continued to be conveyed
 to ,england and ,holland4 ,the little  
coin that was left in the country was   
carefully treasured1 or hidden until the
 scarcity became so great1 that the     
operations of trade could no longer be  
carried on4 ,in this emergency1 ,law    
hazarded the bold experiment of         
forbidding the use of specie altogether4
 ,in ,february #agbj an edict was       
published1 which1 instead of restoring  
the credit of the paper1 as was         
intended1 destroyed it irrecoverably1   
and drove the country to the very brink 
of revolution4 ,by this famous edict it 
was forbidden to any person whatever to 
have more than five hundred livres 7#bj 
pounds sterling7 of coin in his         
possession1 under pain of a heavy fine1 
and confiscation of the sums found4 ,it 
was also forbidden to buy up jewellery1 
plate1 and precious stones1 and         
informers were encouraged to make search
 for offenders1 by the promise of       

one-half the amount they might discover4
 ,the whole country sent up a cry of    
distress at this unheard-of tyranny4    
,the most odious persecution daily took 
place4 ,the privacy of families was     
violated by the intrusion of informers  
and their agents4 ,the most virtuous and
 honest were denounced for the crime of 
having been seen with a louis d'or in   
their possession4 ,servants betrayed    
their masters1 one citizen became a spy 
upon his neighbour1 and arrests and     
confiscations so multiplied1 that the   
courts found a difficulty in getting    
through the immense increase of business
 thus occasioned4 ,it was sufficient for
 an informer to say that he suspected   
any person of concealing money in his   
house1 and immediately a search-warrant 
was granted4 ,lord ,stair1 the ,english 
ambassador1 said1 that it was now       
impossible to doubt of the sincerity of 
,law's conversion to the ,catholic      
religion2 he had established the        
inquisition1 after having given abundant

 evidence of his faith in               
transubstantiation1 by turning so much  
gold into paper4  ,every epithet that   
popular hatred could suggest was        
showered upon the ,regent and the       
unhappy ,law4 ,coin1 to any amount above
 five hundred livres1 was an illegal    
tender1 and nobody would take paper if  
he could help it4 ,no one knew to-day   
what his notes would be worth to-morrow4
 ,never1 says ,duclos1 in his ,secret   
,memoirs of the ,regency1 was seen a    
more capricious government-never was a  
more frantic tyranny exercised by hands 
less firm4 ,it is inconceivable to those
 who were witnesses of the horrors of   
those times1 and who look back upon them
 now as on a dream1 that a sudden       
revolution did not break out--that ,law 
and the ,regent did not perish by a     
tragical death4 ,they were both held in 
horror1 but the people confined         
themselves to complaints2 a sombre and  
timid despair1 a stupid consternation1  
had seized upon all1 and men's minds    

were too vile even to be capable of a   
courageous crime4 ,it would appear that1
 at one time1 a movement of the people  
was organised4 ,seditious writings were 
posted up against the walls1 and were   
sent1 in hand-bills1 to the houses of   
the most conspicuous people4 ,one of    
them1 given in the ,memoires de la      
,regence1 was to the following          
effect3--,sir and ,madam1--,this is to  
give you notice that a ,st4             
,bartholomew's ,day will be enacted     
again on ,saturday and ,sunday1 if      
affairs do not alter4 ,you are desired  
not to stir out1 nor you1 nor your      
servants4 ,god preserve you from the    
flames6 ,give notice to your neighbours4
 ,dated ,saturday1 ,may #beth1 #agbj4   
,the immense number of spies with which 
the city was infested rendered the      
people mistrustful of one another1 and  
beyond some trifling disturbances made  
in the evening by an insignificant      
group1 which was soon dispersed1 the    
peace of the capital was not            

compromised4  ,the value of shares in   
the ,louisiana1 or ,mississippi stock1  
had fallen very rapidly1 and few indeed 
were found to believe the tales that had
 once been told of the immense wealth of
 that region4 ,a last effort was        
therefore tried to restore the public   
confidence in the ,mississippi project4 
,for this purpose1 a general            
conscription of all the poor wretches in
 ,paris was made by order of government4
 ,upwards of six thousand of the very   
refuse of the population were impressed1
 as if in time of war1 and were provided
 with clothes and tools to be embarked  
for ,new ,orleans1 to work in the gold  
mines alleged to abound there4 ,they    
were paraded day after day through the  
streets with their pikes and shovels1   
and then sent off in small detachments  
to the out-ports to be shipped for      
,america4 ,two-thirds of them never     
reached their destination1 but dispersed
 themselves over the country1 sold their
 tools for what they could get1 and     

returned to their old course of life4   
,in less than three weeks afterwards1   
one-half of them were to be found again 
in ,paris4 ,the manoeuvre1 however1     
caused a trifling advance in            
,mississippi stock4 ,many persons of    
superabundant gullibility believed that 
operations had begun in earnest in the  
new ,golconda1 and that gold and silver 
ingots would again be found in ,france4 
,in a constitutional monarchy some surer
 means would have been found for the    
restoration of public credit4 ,in       
,england1 at a subsequent period1 when a
 similar delusion had brought on similar
 distress1 how different were the       
measures taken to repair the evil2 but  
in ,france1 unfortunately1 the remedy   
was left to the authors of the mischief4
 ,the arbitrary will of the ,regent1    
which endeavoured to extricate the      
country1 only plunged it deeper into the
 mire4 ,all payments were ordered to be 
made in paper1 and between the #ast of  
,february and the end of ,may1 notes    

were fabricated to the amount of upwards
 of #aejj millions of livres1 or        
#fj1jjj1jjj pounds sterling4 ,but the   
alarm once sounded1 no art could make   
the people feel the slightest confidence
 in paper which was not exchangeable    
into metal4 ,m4 ,lambert1 the ,president
 of the ,parliament of ,paris1 told the 
,regent to his face that he would rather
 have a hundred thousand livres in gold 
or silver than five millions in the     
notes of his bank4 ,when such was the   
general feeling1 the superabundant      
issues of paper but increased the evil1 
by rendering still more enormous the    
disparity between the amount of specie  
and notes in circulation4 ,coin1 which  
it was the object of the ,regent to     
depreciate1 rose in value on every fresh
 attempt to diminish it4 ,in ,february1 
it was judged advisable that the ,royal 
,bank should be incorporated with the   
,company of the ,indies4 ,an edict to   
that effect was published and registered
 by the ,parliament4 ,the state remained

 the guarantee for the notes of the     
bank1 and no more were to be issued     
without an order in council4 ,all the   
profits of the bank1 since the time it  
had been taken out of ,law's hands and  
made a national institution1 were given 
over by the ,regent to the ,company of  
the ,indies4 ,this measure had the      
effect of raising for a short time the  
value of the ,louisiana and other shares
 of the company1 but it failed in       
placing public credit on any permanent  
basis4  ,a council of state was held in 
the beginning of ,may1 at which ,law1   
,d',argenson 7his colleague in the      
administration of the finances71 and all
 the ministers were present4 ,it was    
then computed that the total amount of  
notes in circulation was #bfjj millions 
of livres1 while the coin in the country
 was not quite equal to half that       
amount4 ,it was evident to the majority 
of the council that some plan must be   
adopted to equalise the currency4 ,some 
proposed that the notes should be       

reduced to the value of the specie1     
while others proposed that the nominal  
value of the specie should be raised    
till it was on an equality with the     
paper4 ,law is said to have opposed both
 these projects1 but failing in         
suggesting any other1 it was agreed that
 the notes should be depreciated        
one-half4 ,on the #bast of ,may1 an     
edict was accordingly issued1 by which  
it was decreed that the shares of the   
,company of the ,indies1 and the notes  
of the bank1 should gradually diminish  
in value1 till at the end of a year they
 should only pass current for one half  
of their nominal worth4 ,the ,parliament
 refused to register the edict--the     
greatest outcry was excited1 and the    
state of the country became so alarming1
 that1 as the only means of preserving  
tranquillity1 the council of the regency
 was obliged to stultify its own        
proceedings1 by publishing within seven 
days another edict1 restoring the notes 
to their original value4  ,on the same  

day 7the #bgth of ,may7 the bank stopped
 payment in specie4 ,law and            
,d',argenson were both dismissed from   
the ministry4 ,the weak1 vacillating1   
and cowardly ,regent threw the blame of 
all the mischief upon ,law1 who1 upon   
presenting himself at the ,palais       
,royal1 was refused admitance4 ,at      
nightfall1 however1 he was sent for1 and
 admitted into the palace by a secret   
door1,duclos1 ,memoires ,secrets de la  
,regence4 when the ,regent endeavoured  
to console him1 and made all manner of  
excuses for the severity with which in  
public he had been compelled to treat   
him4 ,so capricious was his conduct1    
that1 two days afterwards1 he took him  
publicly to the opera1 where he sat in  
the royal box1 alongside of the ,regent1
 who treated him with marked            
consideration in face of all the people4
 ,but such was the hatred against ,law  
that the experiment had well nigh proved
 fatal to him4 ,the mob assailed his    
carriage with stones just as he was     

entering his own door2 and if the       
coachman had not made a sudden jerk into
 the court-yard1 and the domestics      
closed the gate immediately1 he would1  
in all probability1 have been dragged   
out and torn to pieces4 ,on the         
following day1 his wife and daughter    
were also assailed by the mob as they   
were returning in their carriage from   
the races4 ,when the ,regent was        
informed of these occurrences he sent   
,law a strong detachment of ,swiss      
guards1 who were stationed night and day
 in the court of his residence4 ,the    
public indignation at last increased so 
much1 that ,law1 finding his own house1 
even with this guard1 insecure1 took    
refuge in the ,palais ,royal1 in the    
apartments of the ,regent4  ,the        
,chancellor1 ,d',aguesseau1 who had been
 dismissed in #agah for his opposition  
to the projects of ,law1 was now        
recalled to aid in the restoration of   
credit4 ,the ,regent acknowledged too   
late1 that he had treated with          

unjustifiable harshness and mistrust one
 of the ablest1 and perhaps the sole    
honest public man of that corrupt       
period4 ,he had retired ever since his  
disgrace to his country-house at        
,fresnes1 where1 in the midst of severe 
but delightful philosophic studies1 he  
had forgotten the intrigues of an       
unworthy court4 ,law himself1 and the   
,chevalier de ,conflans1 a gentleman of 
the ,regent's household1 were despatched
 in a post-chaise1 with orders to bring 
the ex-chancellor to ,paris along with  
them4 ,d',aguesseau consented to render 
what assistance he could1 contrary to   
the advice of his friends1 who did not  
approve that he should accept any recall
 to office of which ,law was the bearer4
 ,on his arrival in ,paris1 five        
counsellors of the ,parliament were     
admitted to confer with the ,commissary 
of ,finance1 and on the #ast of ,june an
 order was published1 abolishing the law
 which made it criminal to amass coin to
 the amount of more than five hundred   

livres4 ,every one was permitted to have
 as much specie as he pleased4 ,in order
 that the bank-notes might be withdrawn1
 twenty-five millions of new notes were 
created1 on the security of the revenues
 of the city of ,paris1 at              
two-and-a-half per cent4 ,the bank-notes
 withdrawn were publicly burned in front
 of the ,hotel de ,ville4 ,the new notes
 were principally of the value of ten   
livres each2 and on the #ajth of ,june  
the bank was re-opened1 with a          
sufficiency of silver coin to give in   
change for them4  ,these measures were  
productive of considerable advantage4   
,all the population of ,paris hastened  
to the bank1 to get coin for their small
 notes2 and silver becoming scarce1 they
 were paid in copper4 ,very few         
complained that this was too heavy1     
although poor fellows might be          
continually seen toiling and sweating   
along the streets1 laden with more than 
they could comfortably carry1 in the    
shape of change for fifty livres4 ,the  

crowds around the bank were so great1   
that hardly a day passed that some one  
was not pressed to death4 ,on the #ith  
of ,july1 the multitude was so dense and
 clamorous that the guards stationed at 
the entrance of the ,mazarin ,gardens   
closed the gate1 and refused to admit   
any more4 ,the crowd became incensed1   
and flung stones through the railings   
upon the soldiers4 ,the latter1 incensed
 in their turn1 threatened to fire upon 
the people4 ,at that instant one of them
 was hit by a stone1 and1 taking up his 
piece1 he fired into the crowd4 ,one man
 fell dead immediately1 and another was 
severely wounded4 ,it was every instant 
expected that a general attack would    
have been commenced upon the bank2 but  
the gates of the ,mazarin ,gardens being
 opened to the crowd1 who saw a whole   
troop of soldiers1 with their bayonets  
fixed1 ready to receive them1 they      
contented themselves by giving vent to  
their indignation in groans and hisses4 
,eight days afterwards the concourse of 

people was so tremendous1 that fifteen  
persons were squeezed to death at the   
doors of the bank4 ,the people were so  
indignant that they took three of the   
bodies on stretchers before them1 and   
proceeded1 to the number of seven or    
eight thousand1 to the gardens of the   
,palais ,royal1 that they might show the
 ,regent the misfortunes that he and    
,law had brought upon the country4      
,law's coachman1 who was sitting on the 
box of his master's carriage1 in the    
court-yard of the palace1 happened to   
have more zeal than discretion1 and1 not
 liking that the mob should abuse his   
master1 he said1 loud enough to be      
overheard by several persons1 that they 
were all blackguards1 and deserved to be
 hanged4 ,the mob immediately set upon  
him1 and1 thinking that ,law was in the 
carriage1 broke it to pieces4 ,the      
imprudent coachman narrowly escaped with
 his life4 ,no further mischief was     
done2 a body of troops making their     
appearance1 the crowd quietly dispersed1

 after an assurance had been given by   
the ,regent that the three bodies they  
had brought to show him should be       
decently buried at his own expense4 ,the
 ,parliament was sitting at the time of 
this uproar1 and the ,president took    
upon himself to go out and see what was 
the matter4 ,on his return he informed  
the councillors1 that ,law's carriage   
had been broken by the mob4 ,all the    
members rose simultaneously1 and        
expressed their joy by a loud shout1    
while one man1 more zealous in his      
hatred than the rest1 exclaimed1 ,and   
,law himself1 is he torn to pieces8 ,the
 ,duchess of ,orleans gives a different 
version of this story2 but whichever be 
the true one1 the manifestation of such 
feeling in a legislative assembly was   
not very creditable4 ,she says1 that the
 ,president was so transported with joy1
 that he was seized with a rhyming fit1 
and1 returning into the hall1 exclaimed 
to the members3--       ,messieurs6     
,messieurs6 bonne nouvelle6      ,le    

carfosse de ,lass est reduit en canelle6
  ,much undoubtedly depended on the     
credit of the ,company of the ,indies1  
which was answerable for so great a sum 
to the nation4 ,it was1 therefore1      
suggested in the council of the         
ministry1 that any privileges which     
could be granted to enable it to fulfil 
its engagements1 would be productive of 
the best results4 ,with this end in     
view1 it was proposed that the exclusive
 privilege of all maritime commerce     
should be secured to it1 and an edict to
 that effect was published4 ,but it was 
unfortunately forgotten that by such a  
measure all the merchants of the country
 would be ruined4 ,the idea of such an  
immense privilege was generally scouted 
by the nation1 and petition on petition 
was presented to the ,parliament1 that  
they would refuse to register the       
decree4 ,they refused accordingly1 and  
the ,regent1 remarking that they did    
nothing but fan the flame of sedition1  
exiled them to ,blois4 ,at the          

intercession of ,d',aguesseau1 the place
 of banishment was changed to ,pontoise1
 and thither accordingly the councillors
 repaired1 determined to set the ,regent
 at defiance4 ,they made every          
arrangement for rendering their         
temporary exile as agreeable as         
possible4 ,the ,president gave the most 
elegant suppers1 to which he invited all
 the gayest and wittiest company of     
,paris4 ,every night there was a concert
 and ball for the ladies4 ,the usually  
grave and solemn judges and councillors 
joined in cards and other diversions1   
leading for several weeks a life of the 
most extravagant pleasure1 for no other 
purpose than to show the ,regent of how 
little consequence they deemed their    
banishment1 and that when they willed   
it1 they could make ,pontoise a         
pleasanter residence than ,paris4  ,of  
all the nations in the world the ,french
 are the most renowned for singing over 
their grievances4 ,of that country it   
has been remarked with some truth1 that 

its whole history may be traced in its  
songs4 ,when ,law1 by the utter failure 
of his best-laid plans1 rendered himself
 obnoxious1 satire of course seized hold
 upon him1 and1 while caricatures of his
 person appeared in all the shops1 the  
streets resounded with songs1 in which  
neither he nor the ,regent was spared4  
,many of these songs were far from      
decent2 and one of them in particular   
counselled the application of all his   
notes to the most ignoble use to which  
paper can be applied4 ,but the          
following1 preserved in the letters of  
the ,duchess of ,orleans1 was the best  
and the most popular1 and was to be     
heard for months in all the carrefours  
of ,paris4 ,the application of the      
chorus is happy enough3--               
,aussitot que ,lass arriva      ,dans   
notre bonne ville1      ,monsieur le    
,regent publia      ,que ,lass serait   
utile      ,pour retablir la nation4    
,la faridondaine6 la faridondon4        
,mais il nous a tous enrich61           

,biribi6      ,a la facon de ,barbari1  
,mort ami6       ,ce parpaillot1 pour   
attirer      ,tout l'argent de la       
,france1      ,songea d'abord a         
s'assurer      ,de notre confiance4     
,il fit son abjuration4      ,la        
faridondaine6 la faridondon6      ,mais 
le fourbe s'est converti1      ,biribi6 
,a la facon de ,barbari1      ,mon ami6 
,lass1 le fils aine de ,satan      ,nous
 met tous a l'aumone1      ,il nous a   
pris tout notre argent      ,et n'en    
rend a personne4      ,mais le ,regent1 
humain et bon1      ,la faridondaine6 la
 faridondon6      ,nous rendra ce qu'on 
nous a pris1      ,biribi6      ,a la   
facon de ,barbari1      ,mon ami6  ,the 
following smart epigram is of the same  
date3--       ,lundi1 j'achetai des     
actions2      ,mardi1 je gagnai des     
millions2      ,mercredi1 j'arrangeai   
mon menage1      ,jeudi1 je pris un     
equipage1      ,vendredi1 je m'en fus au
 bal1      ,et ,samedi1 a l',hopital4   
,among the caricatures that were        

abundantly published1 and that showed as
 plainly as graver matters1 that the    
nation had awakened to a sense of its   
folly1 was one1 a fac-simile of which is
 preserved in the ,memoires de la       
,regence4 ,it was thus described by its 
author3 ,the ',goddess of ,shares1 in   
her triumphal car1 driven by the        
,goddess of ,folly4 ,those who are      
drawing the car are impersonations of   
the ,mississippi1 with his wooden leg1  
the ,south ,sea1 the ,bank of ,england1 
the ,company of the ,west of ,senegal1  
and of various assurances4 ,lest the car
 should not roll fast enough1 the agents
 of these companies1 known by their long
 fox-tails and their cunning looks1 turn
 round the spokes of the wheels1 upon   
which are marked the names of the       
several stocks1 and their value1        
sometimes high and sometimes low1       
according to the turns of the wheel4    
,upon the ground are the merchandise1   
day-books and ledgers of legitimate     
commerce1 crushed under the chariot of  

,folly4 ,behind is an immense crowd of  
persons1 of all ages1 sexes1 and        
conditions1 clamoring after ,fortune1   
and fighting with each other to get a   
portion of the shares which she         
distributes so bountifully among them4  
,in the clouds sits a demon1 blowing    
bubbles of soap1 which are also the     
objects of the admiration and cupidity  
of the crowd1 who jump upon one         
another's backs to reach them ere they  
burst4 ,right in the pathway of the car1
 and blocking up the passage1 stands a  
large building1 with three doors1       
through one of which it must pass1 if it
 proceeds further1 and all the crowd    
along with it4 ,over the first door are 
the words1 ,hopital des ,foux1 over the 
second1 ,hopital des ,malades1 and over 
the third1 ,hopital des ,gueux4 ,another
 caricature represented ,law sitting in 
a large cauldron1 boiling over the      
flames of popular madness1 surrounded by
 an impetuous multitude1 who were       
pouring all their gold and silver into  

it1 and receiving gladly in exchange the
 bits of paper which he distributed     
among them by handsfull4  ,while this   
excitement lasted1 ,law took good care  
not to expose himself unguarded in the  
streets4 ,shut up in the apartments of  
the ,regent1 he was secure from all     
attack1 and1 whenever he ventured       
abroad1 it was either incognito1 or in  
one of the ,royal carriages1 with a     
powerful escort4 ,an amusing anecdote is
 recorded of the detestation in which he
 was held by the people1 and the ill    
treatment he would have met1 had he     
fallen into their hands4 ,a gentleman1  
of the name of ,boursel1 was passing in 
his carriage down the ,rue ,st4         
,antoine1 when his further progress was 
stayed by a hackneycoach that had       
blocked up the road4 ,m4 ,boursel's     
servant called impatiently to the       
hackneycoachman to get out of the way1  
and1 on his refusal1 struck him a blow  
on the face4 ,a crowd was soon drawn    
together by the disturbance1 and ,m4    

,boursel got out of the carriage to     
restore order4 ,the hackney-coachman1   
imagining that he had now another       
assailant1 bethought him of an expedient
 to rid himself of both1 and called out 
as loudly as he was able1 ,help6 help6  
murder6 murder6 ,here are ,law and his  
servant going to kill me6 ,help6 help6  
,at this cry1 the people came out of    
their shops1 armed with sticks and other
 weapons1 while the mob gathered stones 
to inflict summary vengeance upon the   
supposed financier4 ,happily for ,m4    
,boursel and his servant1 the door of   
the church of the ,jesuits stood wide   
open1 and1 seeing the fearful odds      
against them1 they rushed towards it    
with all speed4 ,they reached the altar1
 pursued by the people1 and would have  
been ill treated even there1 if1 finding
 the door open leading to the sacristy1 
they had not sprang through1 and closed 
it after them4 ,the mob were then       
persuaded to leave the church by the    
alarmed and indignant priests2 and1     

finding ,m4 ,boursel's carriage still in
 the streets1 they vented their ill-will
 against it1 and did it considerable    
damage4  ,the twenty-five millions      
secured on the municipal revenues of the
 city of ,paris1 bearing so low an      
interest as two and a half per cent41   
were not very popular among the large   
holders of ,mississippi stock4 ,the     
conversion of the securities was1       
therefore1 a work of considerable       
difficulty2 for many preferred to retain
 the falling paper of ,law's ,company1  
in the hope that a favourable turn might
 take place4 ,on the #aeth of ,august1  
with a view to hasten the conversion1 an
 edict was passed1 declaring that all   
notes for sums between one thousand and 
ten thousand livres2 should not pass    
current1 except for the purchase of     
annuities and bank accounts1 or for the 
payment of instalments still due on the 
shares of the company4  ,in ,october    
following another edict was passed1     
depriving these notes of all value      

whatever after the month of ,november   
next ensuing4 ,the management of the    
mint1 the farming of the revenue1 and   
all the other advantages and privileges 
of the ,india1 or ,mississippi ,company1
 were taken from them1 and they were    
reduced to a mere private company4 ,this
 was the deathblow to the whole system1 
which had now got into the hands of its 
enemies4 ,law had lost all influence in 
the ,council of ,finance1 and the       
company1 being despoiled of its         
immunities1 could no longer hold out the
 shadow of a prospect of being able to  
fulfil its engagements4 ,all those      
suspected of illegal profits at the time
 the public delusion was at its height1 
were sought out and amerced in heavy    
fines4 ,it was previously ordered that a
 list of the original proprietors should
 be made out1 and that such persons as  
still retained their shares should place
 them in deposit with the company1 and  
that those who had neglected to complete
 the shares for which they had put down 

their names1 should now purchase them of
 the company1 at the rate of #ac1ejj    
livres for each share of #ejj livres4   
,rather than submit to pay this enormous
 sum for stock which was actually at a  
discount1 the shareholders packed up all
 their portable effects1 and endeavoured
 to find a refuge in foreign countries4 
,orders were immediately issued to the  
authorities at the ports and frontiers1 
to apprehend all travellers who sought  
to leave the kingdom1 and keep them in  
custody1 until it was ascertained       
whether they had any plate or jewellery 
with them1 or were concerned in the late
 stock-jobbing4 ,against such few as    
escaped1 the punishment of death was    
recorded1 while the most arbitrary      
proceedings were instituted against     
those who remained4  ,law himself1 in a 
moment of despair1 determined to leave a
 country where his life was no longer   
secure4 ,he at first only demanded      
permission to retire from ,paris to one 
of his country-seats2 a permission which

 the ,regent cheerfully granted4 ,the   
latter was much affected at the unhappy 
turn affairs had taken1 but his faith   
continued unmoved in the truth and      
efficacy of ,law's financial system4    
,his eyes were opened to his own errors1
 and during the few remaining years of  
his life1 he constantly longed for an   
opportunity of again establishing the   
system upon a securer basis4 ,at ,law's 
last interview with the ,prince1 he is  
reported to have said--,i confess that  
,i have committed many faults2 ,i       
committed them because ,i am a man1 and 
all men are liable to error2 but ,i     
declare to you most solemnly that none  
of them proceeded from wicked or        
dishonest motives1 and that nothing of  
the kind will be found in the whole     
course of my conduct4  ,two or three    
days after his departure the ,regent    
sent him a very kind letter1 permitting 
him to leave the kingdom whenever he    
pleased1 and stating that he had ordered
 his passports to be made ready4 ,he at 

the same time offered him any sum of    
money he might require4 ,law            
respectfully declined the money1 and set
 out for ,brussels in a postchaise      
belonging to ,madame de ,prie1 the      
mistress of the ,duke of ,bourbon1      
escorted by six horse-guards4 ,from     
thence he proceeded to ,venice1 where he
 remained for some months1 the object of
 the greatest curiosity to the people1  
who believed him to be the possessor of 
enormous wealth4 ,no opinion1 however1  
could be more erroneous4 ,with more     
generosity than could have been expected
 from a man who during the greatest part
 of his life had been a professed       
gambler1 he had refused to enrich       
himself at the expense of a ruined      
nation4 ,during the height of the       
popular frenzy for ,mississippi stock1  
he had never doubted of the final       
success of his projects1 in making      
,france the richest and most powerful   
nation of ,europe4 ,he invested all his 
gains in the purchase of landed property

 in ,france--a sure proof of his own    
belief in the stability of his schemes4 
,he had hoarded no plate or jewellery1  
and sent no money1 like the dishonest   
jobbers1 to foreign countries4 ,his all1
 with the exception of one diamond1     
worth about five or six thousand pounds 
sterling1 was invested in the ,french   
soil2 and when he left that country1 he 
left it almost a beggar4 ,this fact     
alone ought to rescue his memory from   
the charge of knavery1 so often and so  
unjustly brought against him4  ,as soon 
as his departure was known1 all his     
estates and his valuable library were   
confiscated4 ,among the rest1 an annuity
 of #bjj1jjj livres1 7#hjjj pounds      
sterling17 on the lives of his wife and 
children1 which had been purchased for  
five millions of livres1 was forfeited1 
notwithstanding that a special edict1   
drawn up for the purpose in the days of 
his prosperity1 had expressly declared  
that it should never be confiscated for 
any cause whatever4 ,great discontent   

existed among the people that ,law had  
been suffered to escape4 ,the mob and   
the ,parliament would have been pleased 
to have seen him hanged4 ,the few who   
had not suffered by the commercial      
revolution1 rejoiced that the quack had 
left the country2 but all those 7and    
they were by far the most numerous      
class7 whose fortunes were implicated1  
regretted that his intimate knowledge of
 the distress of the country1 and of the
 causes that had led to it1 had not been
 rendered more available in discovering 
a remedy4  ,at a meeting of the ,council
 of ,finance1 and the general council of
 the ,regency1 documents were laid upon 
the table1 from which it appeared that  
the amount of notes in circulation was  
#bgjj millions4 ,the ,regent was called 
upon to explain how it happened that    
there was a discrepancy between the     
dates at which these issues were made1  
and those of the edicts by which they   
were authorised4 ,he might have safely  
taken the whole blame upon himself1 but 

he preferred that an absent man should  
bear a share of it1 and he therefore    
stated that ,law1 upon his own          
authority1 had issued #abjj millions of 
notes at different times1 and that he   
7the ,regent7 seeing that the thing had 
been irrevocably done1 had screened     
,law1 by antedating the decrees of the  
council1 which authorised the           
augmentation4 ,it would have been more  
to his credit if he had told the whole  
truth while he was about it1 and        
acknowledged that it was mainly through 
his extravagance and impatience that    
,law had been induced to overstep the   
bounds of safe speculation4 ,it was also
 ascertained that the national debt1 on 
the #ast of ,january1 #agba1 amounted to
 upwards of #ajj millions of livres1 or 
more than #abd1jjj1jjj pounds sterling1 
the interest upon which was #c1aif1jjj  
pounds4 ,a commission1 or visa1 was     
forthwith appointed to examine into all 
the securities of the state creditors1  
who were to be divided into five        

classes1 the first four comprising those
 who had purchased their securities with
 real effects1 and the latter comprising
 those who could give no proofs that the
 transactions they had entered into were
 real and bona fide4 ,the securities of 
the latter were ordered to be destroyed1
 while those of the first four classes  
were subjected to a most rigid and      
jealous scrutiny4 ,the result of the    
labours of the visa was a report1 in    
which they counselled the reduction of  
the interest upon these securities to   
fifty-six millions of livres4 ,they     
justified this advice by a statement of 
the various acts of peculation and      
extortion which they had discovered1 and
 an edict to that effect was accordingly
 published and duly registered by the   
parliaments of the kingdom4  ,another   
tribunal was afterwards established1    
under the title of the ,chambre de      
l',arsenal1 which took cognizance of all
 the malversations committed in the     
financial departments of the government 

during the late unhappy period4 ,a      
,master of ,requests1 named ,falhonet1  
together with the ,abbe ,clement1 and   
two clerks in their employ1 had been    
concerned in divers acts of peculation1 
to the amount of upwards of a million of
 livres4 ,the first two were sentenced  
to be beheaded1 and the latter to be    
hanged2 but their punishment was        
afterwards commuted into imprisonment   
for life in the ,bastile4 ,numerous     
other acts of dishonesty were           
discovered1 and punished by fine and    
imprisonment4  ,d',argenson shared with 
,law and the ,regent the unpopularity   
which had alighted upon all those       
concerned in the ,mississippi madness4  
,he was dismissed from his post of      
,chancellor1 to make room for           
,d',aguesseau2 but he retained the title
 of ,keeper of the ,seals1 and was      
allowed to attend the councils whenever 
he pleased4 ,he thought it better1      
however1 to withdraw from ,paris1 and   
live for a time a life of seclusion at  

his country-seat4 ,but he was not formed
 for retirement1 and becoming moody and 
discontented1 he aggravated a disease   
under which he had long laboured1 and   
died in less than a twelvemonth4 ,the   
populace of of ,paris so detested him1  
that they carried their hatred even to  
his grave4 ,as his funeral procession   
passed to the church of ,st4 ,nicholas  
du ,chardonneret1 the burying-place of  
his family1 it was beset by a riotous   
mob1 and his two sons1 who were         
following as chief-mourners1 were       
obliged to drive as fast as they were   
able down a by-street to escape personal
 violence4  ,as regards ,law1 he for    
some time entertained a hope that he    
should be recalled to ,france1 to aid in
 establishing its credit upon a firmer  
basis4 ,the death of the ,regent1 in    
#agbc1 who expired suddenly1 as he was  
sitting by the fireside conversing with 
his mistress1 the ,duchess de ,phalaris1
 deprived him of that hope1 and he was  
reduced to lead his former life of      

gambling4 ,he was more than once obliged
 to pawn his diamond1 the sole remnant  
of his vast wealth1 but successful play 
generally enabled him to redeem it4     
,being persecuted by his creditors at   
,rome1 he proceeded to ,copenhagen1     
where he received permission from the   
,english ministry to reside in his      
native country1 his pardon for the      
murder of ,mr4 ,wilson having been sent 
over to him in #agai4 ,he was brought   
over in the admiral's ship1 a           
circumstance which gave occasion for a  
short debate in the ,house of ,lords4   
,earl ,coningsby complained that a man1 
who had renounced both his country and  
his religion1 should have been treated  
with such honour1 and expressed his     
belief that his presence in ,england1 at
 a time when the people were so         
bewildered by the nefarious practices of
 the ,south ,sea directors1 would be    
attended with no little danger4 ,he gave
 notice of a motion on the subject2 but 
it was allowed to drop1 no other member 

of the ,house having the slightest      
participation in his lordship's fears4  
,law remained for about four years in   
,england1 and then proceeded to ,venice1
 where he died in #agbi1 in very        
embarrassed circumstances4 ,the         
following epitaph was written at the    
time3--       ,ci git cet ,ecossais     
celebre1      ,ce calculateur sans egal1
      ,qui1 par les regles de l'algebre1
      ,a mis la ,france a l',hopital4   
,his brother1 ,william ,law1 who had    
been concerned with him in the          
administration both of the ,bank and the
 ,louisiana ,company1 was imprisoned in 
the ,bastile for alleged malversation1  
but no guilt was ever proved against    
him4 ,he was liberated after fifteen    
months1 and became the founder of a     
family1 which is still known in ,france 
under the title of ,marquises of        
,lauriston4  ,in the next chapter will  
be found an account of the madness which
 infected the people of ,england at the 
same time1 and under very similar       

circumstances1 but which1 thanks to the 
energies and good sense of a            
constitutional government1 was attended 
with results far less disastrous than   
those which were seen in ,france4       
,,the ,,south ,,sea ,,bubble       ,at  
length corruption1 like a general flood1
      ,did deluge all1 and avarice      
creeping on1      ,spread1 like a       
low-born mist1 and hid the sun4         
,statesmen and patriots plied alike the 
stocks1      ,peeress and butler shared 
alike the box2      ,and judges jobbed1 
and bishops bit the town1      ,and     
mighty dukes packed cards for           
half-a-crown3      ,britain was sunk in 
lucre's sordid charms4      --,pope4    
,the ,south ,sea ,company was originated
 by the celebrated ,harley1 ,earl of    
,oxford1 in the year #agaa1 with the    
view of restoring public credit1 which  
had suffered by the dismissal of the    
,whig ministry1 and of providing for the
 discharge of the army and navy         
debentures1 and other parts of the      

floating debt1 amounting to nearly ten  
millions sterling4 ,a company of        
merchants1 at that time without a name1 
took this debt upon themselves1 and the 
government agreed to secure them1 for a 
certain period1 the interest of six per 
cent4 ,to provide for this interest1    
amounting to #fjj1jjj pounds per annum1 
the duties upon wines1 vinegar1 ,india  
goods1 wrought silks1 tobacco1          
whale-fins1 and some other articles1    
were rendered permanent4 ,the monopoly  
of the trade to the ,south ,seas was    
granted1 and the company1 being         
incorporated by ,act of ,parliament1    
assumed the title by which it has ever  
since been known4 ,the minister took    
great credit to himself for his share in
 this transaction1 and the scheme was   
always called by his flatterers the     
,earl of ,oxford's masterpiece4  ,even  
at this early period of its history1 the
 most visionary ideas were formed by the
 company and the public of the immense  
riches of the eastern coast of ,south   

,america4 ,everybody had heard of the   
gold and silver mines of ,peru and      
,mexico2 every one believed them to be  
inexhaustible1 and that it was only     
necessary to send the manufactures of   
,england to the coast1 to be repaid a   
hundredfold in gold and silver ingots by
 the natives4 ,a report1 industriously  
spread1 that ,spain was willing to      
concede four ports1 on the coasts of    
,chili and ,peru1 for the purposes of   
traffic1 increased the general          
confidence2 and for many years the      
,south ,sea ,company's stock was in high
 favour4  ,philip ,v of ,spain1 however1
 never had any intention of admitting   
the ,english to a free trade in the     
ports of ,spanish ,america4             
,negotiations were set on foot1 but     
their only result was the assiento      
contract1 or the privilege of supplying 
the colonies with negroes for thirty    
years1 and of sending once a year a     
vessel1 limited both as to tonnage and  
value of cargo1 to trade with ,mexico1  

,peru1 or ,chili4 ,the latter permission
 was only granted upon the hard         
condition1 that the ,king of ,spain     
should enjoy one-fourth of the profits1 
and a tax of five per cent4 on the      
remainder4 ,this was a great            
disappointment to the ,earl of ,oxford  
and his party1 who were reminded much   
oftener than they found agreeable of the
       ,parturiunt montes1 nascitur     
ridiculus mus4  ,but the public         
confidence in the ,south ,sea ,company  
was not shaken4 ,the ,earl of ,oxford   
declared1 that ,spain would permit two  
ships1 in addition to the annual ship1  
to carry out merchandise during the     
first year2 and a list was published1 in
 which all the ports and harbours of    
these coasts were pompously set forth as
 open to the trade of ,great ,britain4  
,the first voyage of the annual ship was
 not made till the year #agag1 and in   
the following year the trade was        
suppressed by the rupture with ,spain4  
,the ,king's speech1 at the opening of  

the session of #agag1 made pointed      
allusion to the state of public credit1 
and recommended that proper measures    
should be taken to reduce the national  
debt4 ,the two great monetary           
corporations1 the ,south ,sea ,company  
and the ,bank of ,england1 made         
proposals to ,parliament on the #bjth of
 ,may ensuing4 ,the ,south ,sea ,company
 prayed that their capital stock of ten 
millions might be increased to twelve1  
by subscription or otherwise1 and       
offered to accept five per cent4 instead
 of six upon the whole amount4 ,the     
,bank made proposals equally            
advantageous4 ,the ,house debated for   
some time1 and finally three acts were  
passed1 called the ,south ,sea ,act1 the
 ,bank ,act1 and the ,general ,fund     
,act4 ,by the first1 the proposals of   
the ,south ,sea ,company were accepted1 
and that body held itself ready to      
advance the sum of two millions towards 
discharging the principal and interest  
of the debt due by the state for the    

four lottery funds of the ninth and     
tenth years of ,queen ,anne4 ,by the    
second act1 the ,bank received a lower  
rate of interest for the sum of         
#a1gge1jbg pounds #ae shillings due to  
it by the state1 and agreed to deliver  
up to be cancelled as many ,exchequer   
bills as amounted to two millions       
sterling1 and to accept of an annuity of
 one hundred thousand pounds1 being     
after the rate of five per cent1 the    
whole redeemable at one year's notice4  
,they were further required to be ready 
to advance1 in case of need1 a sum not  
exceeding #b1ejj1jjj pounds upon the    
same terms of five per cent interest1   
redeemable by ,parliament4 ,the ,general
 ,fund ,act recited the various         
deficiencies1 which were to be made good
 by the aids derived from the foregoing 
sources4  ,the name of the ,south ,sea  
,company was thus continually before the
 public4 ,though their trade with the   
,south ,american ,states produced little
 or no augmentation of their revenues1  

they continued to flourish as a monetary
 corporation4 ,their stock was in high  
request1 and the directors1 buoyed up   
with success1 began to think of new     
means for extending their influence4    
,the ,mississippi scheme of ,john ,law1 
which so dazzled and captivated the     
,french people1 inspired them with an   
idea that they could carry on the same  
game in ,england4 ,the anticipated      
failure of his plans did not divert them
 from their intention4 ,wise in their   
own conceit1 they imagined they could   
avoid his faults1 carry on their schemes
 for ever1 and stretch the cord of      
credit to its extremest tension1 without
 causing it to snap asunder4  ,it was   
while ,law's plan was at its greatest   
height of popularity1 while people were 
crowding in thousands to the ,rue       
,quincampoix1 and ruining themselves    
with frantic eagerness1 that the ,south 
,sea directors laid before ,parliament  
their famous plan for paying off the    
national debt4 ,visions of boundless    

wealth floated before the fascinated    
eyes of the people in the two most      
celebrated countries of ,europe4 ,the   
,english commenced their career of      
extravagance somewhat later than the    
,french2 but as soon as the delirium    
seized them1 they were determined not to
 be outdone4 ,upon the #bbnd of ,january
 #agbj1 the ,house of ,commons resolved 
itself into a ,committee of the whole   
,house1 to take into consideration that 
part of the ,king's speech at the       
opening of the session which related to 
the public debts1 and the proposal of   
the ,south ,sea ,company towards the    
redemption and sinking of the same4 ,the
 proposal set forth at great length1 and
 under several heads1 the debts of the  
state1 amounting to #cj1iha1gab pounds1 
which the ,company were anxious to take 
upon themselves1 upon consideration of  
five per cent4 per annum1 secured to    
them until ,midsummer #agbg2 after which
 time1 the whole was to become          
redeemable at the pleasure of the       

legislature1 and the interest to be     
reduced to four per cent4 ,the proposal 
was received with great favour2 but the 
,bank of ,england had many friends in   
the ,house of ,commons1 who were        
desirous that that body should share in 
the advantages that were likely to      
accrue4 ,on behalf of this corporation  
it was represented1 that they had       
performed great and eminent services to 
the state1 in the most difficult times1 
and deserved1 at least1 that if any     
advantage was to be made by public      
bargains of this nature1 they should be 
preferred before a company that had     
never done any thing for the nation4    
,the further consideration of the matter
 was accordingly postponed for five     
days4 ,in the mean time1 a plan was     
drawn up by the ,governors of the ,bank4
 ,the ,south ,sea ,company1 afraid that 
the ,bank might offer still more        
advantageous terms to the government    
than themselves1 reconsidered their     
former proposal1 and made some          

alterations in it1 which they hoped     
would render it more acceptable4 ,the   
principal change was a stipulation that 
the government might redeem these debts 
at the expiration of four years1 instead
 of seven1 as at first suggested4 ,the  
,bank resolved not to be outbidden in   
this singular auction1 and the          
,governors also reconsidered their first
 proposal1 and sent in a new one4       
,thus1 each corporation having made two 
proposals1 the ,house began to          
deliberate4 ,mr4 ,robert ,walpole was   
the chief speaker in favour of the      
,bank1 and ,mr4 ,aislabie1 the          
,chancellor of the ,exchequer1 the      
principal advocate on behalf of the     
,south ,sea ,company4 ,it was resolved1 
on the #bnd of ,february1 that the      
proposals of the latter were most       
advantageous to the country4 ,they were 
accordingly received1 and leave was     
given to bring in a bill to that effect4
  ,exchange ,alley was in a fever of    
excitement4 ,the ,company's stock1 which

 had been at a hundred and thirty the   
previous day1 gradually rose to three   
hundred1 and continued to rise with the 
most astonishing rapidity during the    
whole time that the bill in its several 
stages was under discussion4 ,mr4       
,walpole was almost the only statesman  
in the ,house who spoke out boldly      
against it4 ,he warned them1 in eloquent
 and solemn language1 of the evils that 
would ensue4 ,it countenanced1 he said1 
the dangerous practice of stockjobbing1 
and would divert the genius of the      
nation from trade and industry4 ,it     
would hold out a dangerous lure to decoy
 the unwary to their ruin1 by making    
them part with the earnings of their    
labour for a prospect of imaginary      
wealth4 ,the great principle of the     
project was an evil of first-rate       
magnitude2 it was to raise artificially 
the value of the stock1 by exciting and 
keeping up a general infatuation1 and by
 promising dividends out of funds which 
could never be adequate to the purpose4 

,in a prophetic spirit he added1 that if
 the plan succeeded1 the directors would
 become masters of the government1 form 
a new and absolute aristocracy in the   
kingdom1 and control the resolutions of 
the legislature4 ,if it failed1 which he
 was convinced it would1 the result     
would bring general discontent and ruin 
upon the country4 ,such would be the    
delusion1 that when the evil day came1  
as come it would1 the people would start
 up1 as from a dream1 and ask themselves
 if these things could have been true4  
,all his eloquence was in vain4 ,he was 
looked upon as a false prophet1 or      
compared to the hoarse raven1 croaking  
omens of evil4 ,his friends1 however1   
compared him to ,cassandra1 predicting  
evils which would only be believed when 
they came home to men's hearths1 and    
stared them in the face at their own    
boards4 ,although1 in former times1 the 
,house had listened with the utmost     
attention to every word that fell from  
his lips1 the benches became deserted   

when it was known that he would speak on
 the ,south ,sea question4  ,the bill   
was two months in its progress through  
the ,house of ,commons4 ,during this    
time every exertion was made by the     
directors and their friends1 and more   
especially by the ,chairman1 the noted  
,sir ,john ,blunt1 to raise the price of
 the stock4 ,the most extravagant       
rumours were in circulation4 ,treaties  
between ,england and ,spain were spoken 
of1 whereby the latter was to grant a   
free trade to all her colonies2 and the 
rich produce of the mines of            
,potosi-la-,paz was to be brought to    
,england until silver should become     
almost as plentiful as iron4 ,for cotton
 and woollen goods1 with which we could 
supply them in abundance1 the dwellers  
in ,mexico were to empty their golden   
mines4 ,the company of merchants trading
 to the ,south ,seas would be the       
richest the world ever saw1 and every   
hundred pounds invested in it would     
produce hundreds per annum to the       

stockholder4 ,at last the stock was     
raised by these means to near four      
hundred2 but1 after fluctuating a good  
deal1 settled at three hundred and      
thirty1 at which price it remained when 
the bill passed the ,commons by a       
majority of #agb against #ee4  ,in the  
,house of ,lords the bill was hurried   
through all its stages with unexampled  
rapidity4 ,on the #dth of ,april it was 
read a first time2 on the #eth1 it was  
read a second time2 on the #fth1 it was 
committed2 and on the #gth1 was read a  
third time1 and passed4  ,several peers 
spoke warmly against the scheme2 but    
their warnings fell upon dull1 cold     
ears4 ,a speculating frenzy had seized  
them as well as the plebeians4 ,lord    
,north and ,grey said the bill was      
unjust in its nature1 and might prove   
fatal in its consequences1 being        
calculated to enrich the few and        
impoverish the many4 ,the ,duke of      
,wharton followed2 but1 as he only      
retailed at second-hand the arguments so

 eloquently stated by ,walpole in the   
,lower ,house1 he was not listened to   
with even the same attention that had   
been bestowed upon ,lord ,north and     
,grey4 ,earl ,cowper followed on the    
same side1 and compared the bill to the 
famous horse of the siege of ,troy4     
,like that1 it was ushered in and       
received with great pomp and            
acclamations of joy1 but bore within it 
treachery and destruction4 ,the ,earl of
 ,sunderland endeavoured to answer all  
objections2 and1 on the question being  
put1 there appeared only seventeen peers
 against1 and eighty-three in favour of 
the project4 ,the very same day on which
 it passed the ,lords1 it received the  
,royal assent1 and became the law of the
 land4  ,it seemed at that time as if   
the whole nation had turned             
stockjobbers4 ,exchange ,alley was every
 day blocked up by crowds1 and ,cornhill
 was impassable for the number of       
carriages4 ,everybody came to purchase  
stock4 ,every fool aspired to be a      

knave4 ,in the words of a ballad1       
published at the time1 and sung about   
the streets1 ,a ,south ,sea ,ballad2 or1
 ,merry ,remarks upon ,exchange ,alley  
,bubbles4 ,to a new tune1 called ',the  
,grand ,elixir2 or1 the ,philosopher's  
,stone ,discovered4'       ,then stars  
and garters did appear      ,among the  
meaner rabble2      ,to buy and sell1 to
 see and hear1      ,the ,jews and      
,gentiles squabble4       ,the greatest 
ladies thither came1      ,and plied in 
chariots daily1      ,or pawned their   
jewels for a sum      ,to venture in the
 ,alley4  ,the inordinate thirst of gain
 that had afflicted all ranks of        
society1 was not to be slaked even in   
the ,south ,sea4 ,other schemes1 of the 
most extravagant kind1 were started4    
,the share-lists were speedily filled   
up1 and an enormous traffic carried on  
in shares1 while1 of course1 every means
 were resorted to1 to raise them to an  
artificial value in the market4         
,contrary to all expectation1 ,south    

,sea stock fell when the bill received  
the ,royal assent4 ,on the #gth of      
,april the shares were quoted at three  
hundred and ten1 and on the following   
day1 at two hundred and ninety4 ,already
 the directors had tasted the profits of
 their scheme1 and it was not likely    
that they should quietly allow the stock
 to find its natural level1 without an  
effort to raise it4 ,immediately their  
busy emissaries were set to work4 ,every
 person interested in the success of the
 project endeavoured to draw a knot of  
listeners around him1 to whom he        
expatiated on the treasures of the      
,south ,american seas4 ,exchange ,alley 
was crowded with attentive groups4 ,one 
rumour alone1 asserted with the utmost  
confidence1 had an immediate effect upon
 the stock4 ,it was said1 that ,earl    
,stanhope had received overtures in     
,france from the ,spanish ,government to
 exchange ,gibraltar and ,port ,mahon   
for some places on the coast of ,peru1  
for the security and enlargement of the 

trade in the ,south ,seas4 ,instead of  
one annual ship trading to those ports1 
and allowing the ,king of ,spain        
twenty-five per cent4 out of the        
profits1 the ,company might build and   
charter as many ships as they pleased1  
and pay no per centage whatever to any  
foreign potentate4  ,visions of ingots  
danced before their eyes1 and stock rose
 rapidly4 ,on the #abth of ,april1 five 
days after the bill had become law1 the 
directors opened their books for a      
subscription of a million1 at the rate  
of #cjj pounds for every #ajj pounds    
capital4 ,such was the concourse of     
persons1 of all ranks1 that this first  
subscription was found to amount to     
above two millions of original stock4   
,it was to be paid at five payments1 of 
#fj pounds each for every #ajj pounds4  
,in a few days the stock advanced to    
three hundred and forty1 and the        
subscriptions were sold for double the  
price of the first payment4 ,to raise   
the stock still higher1 it was declared1

 in a general court of directors1 on the
 #bast of ,april1 that the midsummer    
dividend should be ten per cent41 and   
that all subscriptions should be        
entitled to the same4 ,these resolutions
 answering the end designed1 the        
directors1 to improve the infatuation of
 the monied men1 opened their books for 
a second subscription of a million1 at  
four hundred per cent4 ,such was the    
frantic eagerness of people of every    
class to speculate in these funds1 that 
in the course of a few hours no less    
than a million and a half was subscribed
 at that rate4  ,in the mean time1      
innumerable joint-stock companies       
started up everywhere4 ,they soon       
received the name of ,bubbles1 the most 
appropriate that imagination could      
devise4 ,the populace are often most    
happy in the nicknames they employ4     
,none could be more apt than that of    
,bubbles4 ,some of them lasted for a    
week1 or a fortnight1 and were no more  
heard of1 while others could not even   

live out that short span of existence4  
,every evening produced new schemes1 and
 every morning new projects4 ,the       
highest of the aristocracy were as eager
 in this hot pursuit of gain as the most
 plodding jobber in ,cornhill4 ,the     
,prince of ,wales became governor of one
 company1 and is said to have cleared   
#dj1jjj pounds by his speculations4     
,coxe's ,walpole1 ,correspondence       
between ,mr4 ,secretary ,craggs and     
,earl ,stanhope4 ,the ,duke of          
,bridgewater started a scheme for the   
improvement of ,london and ,westminster1
 and the ,duke of ,chandos another4     
,there were nearly a hundred different  
projects1 each more extravagant and     
deceptive than the other4 ,to use the   
words of the ,political ,state1 they    
were set on foot and promoted by crafty 
knaves1 then pursued by multitudes of   
covetous fools1 and at last appeared to 
be1 in effect1 what their vulgar        
appellation denoted them to be--bubbles 
and mere cheats4 ,it was computed that  

near one million and a half sterling was
 won and lost by these unwarrantable    
practices1 to the impoverishment of many
 a fool1 and the enriching of many a    
rogue4  ,some of these schemes were     
plausible enough1 and1 had they been    
undertaken at a time when the public    
mind was unexcited1 might have been     
pursued with advantage to all concerned4
 ,but they were established merely with 
the view of raising the shares in the   
market4 ,the projectors took the first  
opportunity of a rise to sell out1 and  
next morning the scheme was at an end4  
,maitland1 in his ,history of ,london1  
gravely informs us1 that one of the     
projects which received great           
encouragement1 was for the establishment
 of a company to make deal-boards out of
 saw-dust4 ,this is1 no doubt1 intended 
as a joke2 but there is abundance of    
evidence to show that dozens of schemes 
hardly a whir more reasonable1 lived    
their little day1 ruining hundreds ere  
they fell4 ,one of them was for a wheel 

for perpetual motion--capital1 one      
million2 another was for encouraging the
 breed of horses in ,england1 and       
improving of glebe and church lands1 and
 repairing and rebuilding parsonage and 
vicarage houses4 ,why the clergy1 who   
were so mainly interested in the latter 
clause1 should have taken so much       
interest in the first1 is only to be    
explained on the supposition that the   
scheme was projected by a knot of the   
foxhunting parsons1 once so common in   
,england4 ,the shares of this company   
were rapidly subscribed for4 ,but the   
most absurd and preposterous of all1 and
 which showed1 more completely than any 
other1 the utter madness of the people1 
was one1 started by an unknown          
adventurer1 entitled company for        
carrying on an undertaking of great     
advantage1 but nobody to know what it   
is4 ,were not the fact stated by scores 
of credible witnesses1 it would be      
impossible to believe that any person   
could have been duped by such a project4

 ,the man of genius who essayed this    
bold and successful inroad upon public  
credulity1 merely stated in his         
prospectus that the required capital was
 half a million1 in five thousand shares
 of #ajj pounds each1 deposit #b pounds 
per share4 ,each subscriber1 paying his 
deposit1 would be entitled to #ajj      
pounds per annum per share4 ,how this   
immense profit was to be obtained1 he   
did not condescend to inform them at    
that time1 but promised1 that in a month
 full particulars should be duly        
announced1 and a call made for the      
remaining #ih pounds of the             
subscription4 ,next morning1 at nine    
o'clock1 this great man opened an office
 in ,cornhill4 ,crowds of people beset  
his door1 and when he shut up at three  
o'clock1 he found that no less than one 
thousand shares had been subscribed for1
 and the deposits paid4 ,he was thus1 in
 five hours1 the winner of #b1jjj       
pounds4 ,he was philosopher enough to be
 contented with his venture1 and set off

 the same evening for the ,continent4   
,he was never heard of again4  ,well    
might ,swift exclaim1 comparing ,change 
,alley to a gulf in the ,south ,sea1--  
,subscribers here by thousands float1   
,and jostle one another down1      ,each
 paddling in his leaky boat1      ,and  
here they fish for gold1 and drown4     
,now buried in the depths below1        
,now mounted up to heaven again1        
,they reel and stagger to and fro1      
,at their wit's end1 like drunken men   
,meantime1 secure on ,garraway cliffs1  
,a savage race1 by shipwrecks fed1      
,lie waiting for the foundered skiffs1  
,and strip the bodies of the dead4      
,another fraud that was very successful1
 was that of the ,globe ,permits1 as    
they were called4 ,they were nothing    
more than square pieces of playing      
cards1 on which was the impression of a 
seal1 in wax1 bearing the sign of the   
,globe ,tavern1 in the neighbourhood of 
,exchange ,alley1 with the inscription  
of ,sail ,cloth ,permits4 ,the          

possessors enjoyed no other advantage   
from them than permission to subscribe1 
at some future time1 to a new sail-cloth
 manufactory1 projected by one who was  
then known to be a man of fortune1 but  
who was afterwards involved in the      
peculation and punishment of the ,south 
,sea directors4 ,these permits sold for 
as much as sixty guineas in the ,alley4 
,persons of distinction1 of both sexes1 
were deeply engaged in all these        
bubbles1 those of the male sex going to 
taverns and coffee-houses to meet their 
brokers1 and the ladies resorting for   
the same purpose to the shops of        
milliners and haberdashers4 ,but it did 
not follow that all these people        
believed in the feasibility of the      
schemes to which they subscribed2 it was
 enough for their purpose that their    
shares would1 by stock-jobbing arts1 be 
soon raised to a premium1 when they got 
rid of them with all expedition to the  
really credulous4 ,so great was the     
confusion of the crowd in the alley1    

that shares in the same bubble were     
known to have been sold at the same     
instant ten per cent4 higher at one end 
of the alley than at the other4         
,sensible men beheld the extraordinary  
infatuation of the people with sorrow   
and alarm4 ,there were some1 both in and
 out of ,parliament1 who foresaw clearly
 the ruin that was impending4 ,mr4      
,walpole did not cease his gloomy       
forebodings4 ,his fears were shared by  
all the thinking few1 and impressed most
 forcibly upon the government4 ,on the  
#aath of ,june1 the day the ,parliament 
rose1 the ,king published a             
proclamation1 declaring that all these  
unlawful projects should be deemed      
public nuisances1 and prosecuted        
accordingly1 and forbidding any broker1 
under a penalty of five hundred pounds1 
from buying or selling any shares in    
them4 ,notwithstanding this             
proclamation1 roguish speculators still 
carried them on1 and the deluded people 
still encouraged them4 ,on the #abth of 

,july1 an order of the ,lords ,justices 
assembled in privy council was          
published1 dismissing all the petitions 
that had been presented for patents and 
charters1 and dissolving all the bubble 
companies4 ,the following copy of their 
lordships' order1 containing a list of  
all these nefarious projects1 will not  
be deemed uninteresting at the present  
day1 when there is but too much tendency
 in the public mind to indulge in       
similar practices3--  ,at the ,council  
,chamber1 ,whitehall1 the #abth day of  
,july1 #agbj4 ,present1 their           
,excellencies the ,lords ,justices in   
,council4  ,their ,excellencies1 the    
,lords ,justices in council1 taking into
 consideration the many inconveniences  
arising to the public from several      
projects set on foot for raising of     
joint stock for various purposes1 and   
that a great many of his ,majesty's     
subjects have been drawn in to part with
 their money on pretence of assurances  
that their petitions for patents and    

charters1 to enable them to carry on the
 same1 would be granted3 to prevent such
 impositions1 their ,excellencies1 this 
day1 ordered the said several petitions1
 together with such reports from the    
,board of ,trade1 and from his          
,majesty's ,attorney and ,solicitor     
,general1 as had been obtained thereon1 
to be laid before them1 and after mature
 consideration thereof1 were pleased1 by
 advice of his ,majesty's ,privy        
,council1 to order that the said        
petitions be dismissed1 which are as    
follow3--  #a4 ,petition of several     
persons1 praying letters patent for     
carrying on a fishing trade1 by the name
 of the ,grand ,fishery of ,great       
,britain4  #b4 ,petition of the ,company
 of the ,royal ,fishery of ,england1    
praying letters patent for such further 
powers as will effectually contribute to
 carry on the said fishery4  #c4        
,petition of ,george ,james1 on behalf  
of himself and divers persons of        
distinction concerned in a national     

fishery2 praying letters patent of      
incorporation to enable them to carry on
 the same4  #d4 ,petition of several    
merchants1 traders1 and others1 whose   
names are thereunto subscribed1 praying 
to be incorporated for reviving and     
carrying on a whale fishery to          
,greenland and elsewhere4  #e4 ,petition
 of ,sir ,john ,lambert1 and others     
thereto subscribing1 on behalf of       
themselves and a great number of        
merchants1 praying to be incorporated   
for carrying on a ,greenland trade1 and 
particularly a whale fishery in ,davis's
 ,straits4  #f4 ,another petition for a 
,greenland trade4  #g4 ,petition of     
several merchants1 gentlemen1 and       
citizens1 praying to be incorporated1   
for buying and building of ships to let 
or freight4  #h4 ,petition of ,samuel   
,antrim and others1 praying for letters 
patent for sowing hemp and flax4  #i4   
,petition of several merchants1 masters 
of ships1 sail-makers1 and manufacturers
 of sail-cloth1 praying a charter of    

incorporation1 to enable them to carry  
on and promote the said manufactory by a
 joint stock4  #aj4 ,petition of ,thomas
 ,boyd1 and several hundred merchants1  
owners and masters of ships1 sailmakers1
 weavers1 and other traders1 praying a  
charter of incorporation1 empowering    
them to borrow money for purchasing     
lands1 in order to the manufacturing    
sail-cloth and fine ,holland4  #aa4     
,petition on behalf of several persons  
interested in a patent granted by the   
late ,king ,william and ,queen ,mary1   
for the making of linen and sail-cloth1 
praying that no charter may be granted  
to any persons whatsoever for making    
sail-cloth1 but that the privilege now  
enjoyed by them may be confirmed1 and   
likewise an additional power to carry on
 the cotton and cotton-silk             
manufactures4  #ab4 ,petition of several
 citizens1 merchants1 and traders in    
,london1 and others1 subscribers to a   
,british stock1 for a general insurance 
from fire in any part of ,england1      

praying to be incorporated for carrying 
on the said undertaking4  #ac4 ,petition
 of several of his ,majesty's loyal     
subjects of the city of ,london1 and    
other parts of ,great ,britain1 praying 
to be incorporated1 for carrying on a   
general insurance from losses by fire   
within the kingdom of ,england4  #ad4   
,petition of ,thomas ,burges1 and others
 his ,majesty's subjects thereto        
subscribing1 in behalf of themselves and
 others1 subscribers to a fund of       
#a1bjj1jjj pounds1 for carrying on a    
trade to his ,majesty's ,german         
dominions1 praying to be incorporated1  
by the name of the ,harburg ,company4   
#ae4 ,petition of ,edward ,jones1 a     
dealer in timber1 on behalf of himself  
and others1 praying to be incorporated  
for the importation of timber from      
,germany4  #af4 ,petition of several    
merchants of ,london1 praying a charter 
of incorporation for carrying on a      
salt-work4  #ag4 ,petition of ,captain  
,macphedris1 of ,london1 merchant1 on   

behalf of himself and several merchants1
 clothiers1 hatters1 dyers1 and other   
traders1 praying a charter of           
incorporation1 empowering them to raise 
a sufficient sum of money to purchase   
lands for planting and rearing a wood   
called madder1 for the use of dyers4    
#ah4 ,petition of ,joseph ,galendo1 of  
,london1 snuff-maker1 praying a patent  
for his invention to prepare and cure   
,virginia tobacco for snuff in          
,virginia1 and making it into the same  
in all his ,majesty's dominions4        
,,list ,,of ,,bubbles4  ,the following  
,bubble ,companies were by the same     
order declared to be illegal1 and       
abolished accordingly3--  #a4 ,for the  
importation of ,swedish iron4  #b4 ,for 
supplying ,london with sea-coal4        
,capital1 three millions4  #c4 ,for     
building and rebuilding houses          
throughout all ,england4 ,capital1 three
 millions4  #d4 ,for making of muslin4  
#e4 ,for carrying on and improving the  
,british alum works4  #f4 ,for          

effectually settling the island of      
,blanco and ,sal ,tartagus4  #g4 ,for   
supplying the town of ,deal with fresh  
water4  #h4 ,for the importation of     
,flanders lace4  #i4 ,for improvement of
 lands in ,great ,britain4 ,capital1    
four millions4  #aj4 ,for encouraging   
the breed of horses in ,england1 and    
improving of glebe and church lands1 and
 for repairing and rebuilding parsonage 
and vicarage houses4  #aa4 ,for making  
of iron and steel in ,great ,britain4   
#ab4 ,for improving the land in the     
county of ,flint4 ,capital1 one million4
  #ac4 ,for purchasing lands to build   
on4 ,capital1 two millions4  #ad4 ,for  
trading in hair4  #ae4 ,for erecting    
salt-works in ,holy ,island4 ,capital1  
two millions4  #af4 ,for buying and     
selling estates1 and lending money on   
mortgage4  #ag4 ,for carrying on an     
undertaking of great advantage1 but     
nobody to know what it is4  #ah4 ,for   
paving the streets of ,london4 ,capital1
 two millions4  #ai4 ,for furnishing    

funerals to any part of ,great ,britain4
  #bj4 ,for buying and selling lands and
 lending money at interest4 ,capital1   
five millions4  #ba4 ,for carrying on   
the ,royal ,fishery of ,great ,britain4 
,capital1 ten millions4  #bb4 ,for      
assuring of seamen's wages4  #bc4 ,for  
erecting loan-offices for the assistance
 and encouragement of the industrious4  
,capital1 two millions4  #bd4 ,for      
purchasing and improving leasable lands4
 ,capital1 four millions4  #be4 ,for    
importing pitch and tar1 and other naval
 stores1 from ,north ,britain and       
,america4  #bf4 ,for the clothing1 felt1
 and pantile trade4  #bg4 ,for          
purchasing and improving a manor and    
royalty in ,essex4  #bh4 ,for insuring  
of horses4 ,capital1 two millions4  #bi4
 ,for exporting the woollen manufacture1
 and importing copper1 brass1 and iron4 
,capital1 four millions4  #cj4 ,for a   
grand dispensary4 ,capital1 three       
millions4  #ca4 ,for erecting mills and 
purchasing lead mines4 ,capital1 two    

millions4  #cb4 ,for improving the art  
of making soap4  #cc4 ,for a settlement 
on the island of ,santa ,cruz4  #cd4    
,for sinking pits and smelting lead ore 
in ,derbyshire4  #ce4 ,for making glass 
bottles and other glass4  #cf4 ,for a   
wheel for perpetual motion4 ,capital1   
one million4  #cg4 ,for improving of    
gardens4  #ch4 ,for insuring and        
increasing children's fortunes4  #ci4   
,for entering and loading goods at the  
custom-house1 and for negotiating       
business for merchants4  #dj4 ,for      
carrying on a woollen manufacture in the
 north of ,england4  #da4 ,for importing
 walnut-trees from ,virginia4 ,capital1 
two millions4  #db4 ,for making         
,manchester stuffs of thread and cotton4
  #dc4 ,for making ,joppa and ,castile  
soap4  #dd4 ,for improving the          
wrought-iron and steel manufactures of  
this kingdom4 ,capital1 four millions4  
#de4 ,for dealing in lace1 ,hollands1   
cambrics1 lawns1 c4 ,capital1 two       
millions4  #df4 ,for trading in and     

improving certain commodities of the    
produce of this kingdom1 c4 ,capital1   
three millions4  #dg4 ,for supplying the
 ,london markets with cattle4  #dh4 ,for
 making looking-glasses1 coach glasses1 
c4 ,capital1 two millions4  #di4 ,for   
working the tin and lead mines in       
,cornwall and ,derbyshire4  #ej4 ,for   
making rape-oil4  #ea4 ,for importing   
beaver fur4 ,capital1 two millions4     
#eb4 ,for making pasteboard and         
packing-paper4  #ec4 ,for importing of  
oils and other materials used in the    
woollen manufacture4  #ed4 ,for         
improving and increasing the silk       
manufactures4  #ee4 ,for lending money  
on stock1 annuities1 tallies1 c4  #ef4  
,for paying pensions to widows and      
others1 at a small discount4 ,capital1  
two millions4  #eg4 ,for improving malt 
liquors4 ,capital1 four millions4  #eh4 
,for a grand ,american fishery4  #ei4   
,for purchasing and improving the fenny 
lands in ,lincolnshire4 ,capital1 two   
millions4  #fj4 ,for improving the paper

 manufacture of ,great ,britain4  #fa4  
,the ,bottomry ,company4  #fb4 ,for     
drying malt by hot air4  #fc4 ,for      
carrying on a trade in the river        
,oronooko4  #fd4 ,for the more effectual
 making of baize1 in ,colchester and    
other parts of ,great ,britain4  #fe4   
,for buying of naval stores1 supplying  
the victualling1 and paying the wages of
 the workmen4  #ff4 ,for employing poor 
artificers1 and furnishing merchants and
 others with watches4  #fg4 ,for        
improvement of tillage and the breed of 
cattle4  #fh4 ,another for the          
improvement of our breed of horses4     
#fi4 ,another for a horse-insurance4    
#gj4 ,for carrying on the corn trade of 
,great ,britain4  #ga4 ,for insuring to 
all masters and mistresses the losses   
they may sustain by servants4 ,capital1 
three millions4  #gb4 ,for erecting     
houses or hospitals1 for taking in and  
maintaining illegitimate children4      
,capital1 two millions4  #gc4 ,for      
bleaching coarse sugars1 without the use

 of fire or loss of substance4  #gd4    
,for building turnpikes and wharfs in   
,great ,britain4  #ge4 ,for insuring    
from thefts and robberies4  #gf4 ,for   
extracting silver from lead4  #gg4 ,for 
making ,china and ,delft ware4 ,capital1
 one million4  #gh4 ,for importing      
tobacco1 and exporting it again to      
,sweden and the north of ,europe4       
,capital1 four millions4  #gi4 ,for     
making iron with pit coal4  #hj4 ,for   
furnishing the cities of ,london and    
,westminster with hay and straw4        
,capital1 three millions4  #ha4 ,for a  
sail and packing cloth manufactory in   
,ireland4  #hb4 ,for taking up ballast4 
#hc4 ,for buying and fitting out ships  
to suppress pirates4  #hd4 ,for the     
importation of timber from ,wales4      
,capital1 two millions4  #he4 ,for      
rock-salt4  #hf4 ,for the transmutation 
of quicksilver into a malleable fine    
metal4  ,besides these bubbles1 many    
others sprang up daily1 in spite of the 
condemnation of the ,government and the 

ridicule of the still sane portion of   
the public4 ,the print-shops teemed with
 caricatures1 and the newspapers with   
epigrams and satires1 upon the prevalent
 folly4 ,an ingenious card-maker        
published a pack of ,south ,sea         
playing-cards1 which are now extremely  
rare1 each card containing1 besides the 
usual figures1 of a very small size1 in 
one corner1 a caricature of a bubble    
company1 with appropriate verses        
underneath4 ,one of the most famous     
bubbles was ,puckle's ,machine ,company1
 for discharging round and square       
cannon-balls and bullets1 and making a  
total revolution in the art of war4 ,its
 pretensions to public favour were thus 
summed up1 on the eight of spades3--    
,a rare invention to destroy the crowd  
,of fools at home1 instead of fools     
abroad4      ,fear not1 my friends1 this
 terrible machine1      ,they're only   
wounded who have shares therein4        
,the nine of hearts was a caricature of 
the ,english ,copper and ,brass         

,company1 with the following epigram3-- 
,the headlong fool that wants to be a   
swopper      ,of gold and silver coin   
for ,english copper1      ,may1 in      
,change ,alley1 prove himself an ass1   
,and give rich metal for adulterate     
brass4       ,the eight of diamonds     
celebrated the ,company for the         
,colonization of      ,acadia1 with this
 doggrel3--       ,he that is rich and  
wants to fool away      ,a good round   
sum in ,north ,america1      ,let him   
subscribe himself a headlong sharer1    
,and asses' ears shall honour him or    
bearer4  ,and in a similar style every  
card of the pack exposed some knavish   
scheme1 and ridiculed the persons who   
were its dupes4 ,it was computed that   
the total amount of the sums proposed   
for carrying on these projects was      
upwards of three hundred millions       
sterling1 a sum so immense that it      
exceeded the value of all the lands in  
,england at twenty years' purchase4  ,it
 is time1 however1 to return to the     

great ,south ,sea gulf1 that swallowed  
the fortunes of so many thousands of the
 avaricious and the credulous4 ,on the  
#bith of ,may1 the stock had risen as   
high as five hundred1 and about         
two-thirds of the government annuitants 
had exchanged the securities of the     
state for those of the ,south ,sea      
,company4 ,during the whole of the month
 of ,may the stock continued to rise1   
and on the #bhth it was quoted at five  
hundred and fifty4 ,in four days after  
this it took a prodigious leap1 rising  
suddenly from five hundred and fifty to 
eight hundred and ninety4 ,it was now   
the general opinion that the stock could
 rise no higher1 and many persons took  
that opportunity of selling out1 with a 
view of realising their profits4 ,many  
noblemen and persons in the train of the
 ,king1 and about to accompany him to   
,hanover1 were also anxious to sell out4
 ,so many sellers1 and so few buyers1   
appeared in the ,alley on the #crd of   
,june1 that the stock fell at once from 

eight hundred and ninety to six hundred 
and forty4 ,the directors were alarmed1 
and gave their agents orders to buy4    
,their efforts succeeded4 ,towards      
evening confidence was restored1 and the
 stock advanced to seven hundred and    
fifty4 ,it continued at this price1 with
 some slight fluctuation1 until the     
company closed their books on the #bbnd 
of ,june4  ,it would be needless and    
uninteresting to detail the various arts
 employed by the directors to keep up   
the price of stock4 ,it will be         
sufficient to state that it finally rose
 to one thousand per cent4 ,it was      
quoted at this price in the commencement
 of ,august4 ,the bubble was then       
full-blown1 and began to quiver and     
shake1 preparatory to its bursting4     
,many of the government annuitants      
expressed dissatisfaction against the   
directors4 ,they accused them of        
partiality in making out the lists for  
shares in each subscription4 ,further   
uneasiness was occasioned by its being  

generally known that ,sir ,john ,blunt1 
the chairman1 and some others1 had sold 
out4 ,during the whole of the month of  
,august the stock fell1 and on the #bnd 
of ,september it was quoted at seven    
hundred only4  ,the state of things now 
became alarming4 ,to prevent1 if        
possible1 the utter extinction of public
 confidence in their proceedings1 the   
directors summoned a general court of   
the whole corporation1 to meet in       
,merchant ,tailors' ,hall1 on the #hth  
of ,september4 ,by nine o'clock in the  
morning1 the room was filled to         
suffocation2 ,cheapside was blocked up  
by a crowd unable to gain admittance1   
and the greatest excitement prevailed4  
,the directors and their friends        
mustered in great numbers4 ,sir ,john   
,fellowes1 the sub-governor1 was called 
to the chair4 ,he acquainted the        
assembly with the cause of their        
meeting1 read to them the several       
resolutions of the court of directors1  
and gave them an account of their       

proceedings2 of the taking in the       
redeemable and unredeemable funds1 and  
of the subscriptions in money4 ,mr4     
,secretary ,craggs then made a short    
speech1 wherein he commended the conduct
 of the directors1 and urged that       
nothing could more effectually          
contribute to the bringing this scheme  
to perfection than union among          
themselves4 ,he concluded with a motion 
for thanking the court of directors for 
their prudent and skilful management1   
and for desiring them to proceed in such
 manner as they should think most proper
 for the interest and advantage of the  
corporation4 ,mr4 ,hungerford1 who had  
rendered himself very conspicuous in the
 ,house of ,commons for his zeal in     
behalf of the ,south ,sea ,company1 and 
who was shrewdly suspected to have been 
a considerable gainer by knowing the    
right time to sell out1 was very        
magniloquent on this occasion4 ,he said 
that he had seen the rise and fall1 the 
decay and resurrection of many          

communities of this nature1 but that1 in
 his opinion1 none had ever performed   
such wonderful things in so short a time
 as the ,south ,sea ,company4 ,they had 
done more than the crown1 the pulpit1 or
 the bench could do4 ,they had          
reconciled all parties in one common    
interest2 they had laid asleep1 if not  
wholly extinguished1 all the domestic   
jars and animosities of the nation4 ,by 
the rise of their stock1 monied men had 
vastly increased their fortunes2        
country-gentlemen had seen the value of 
their lands doubled and trebled in their
 hands4 ,they had at the same time done 
good to the ,church1 not a few of the   
reverend clergy having got great sums by
 the project4 ,in short1 they had       
enriched the whole nation1 and he hoped 
they had not forgotten themselves4      
,there was some hissing at the latter   
part of this speech1 which for the      
extravagance of its eulogy was not far  
removed from satire2 but the directors  
and their friends1 and all the winners  

in the room1 applauded vehemently4 ,the 
,duke of ,portland spoke in a similar   
strain1 and expressed his great wonder  
why anybody should be dissatisfied3 of  
course1 he was a winner by his          
speculations1 and in a condition similar
 to that of the fat alderman in ,joe    
,miller's ,jests1 who1 whenever he had  
eaten a good dinner1 folded his hands   
upon his paunch1 and expressed his      
doubts whether there could be a hungry  
man in the world4  ,several resolutions 
were passed at this meeting1 but they   
had no effect upon the public4 ,upon the
 very same evening the stock fell to six
 hundred and forty1 and on the morrow to
 five hundred and forty4 ,day after day 
it continued to fall1 until it was as   
low as four hundred4 ,in a letter dated 
,september #acth1 from ,mr4 ,broderick1 
,m4,p4 to ,lord ,chancellor ,middleton1 
and published in ,coxo's ,walpole1 the  
former says1--,various are the          
conjectures why the ,south ,sea         
directors have suffered the cloud to    

break so early4 ,i made no doubt but    
they would do so when they found it to  
their advantage4 ,they have stretched   
credit so far beyond what it would bear1
 that specie proves insufficient to     
support it4 ,their most considerable men
 have drawn out1 securing themselves by 
the losses of the deluded1 thoughtless  
numbers1 whose understandings have been 
overruled by avarice and the hope of    
making mountains out of mole-hills4     
,thousands of families will be reduced  
to beggary4 ,the consternation is       
inexpressible--the rage beyond          
description1 and the case altogether so 
desperate that ,i do not see any plan or
 scheme so much as thought of for       
averting the blow1 so that ,i cannot    
pretend to guess what is next to be     
done4 ,ten days afterwards1 the stock   
still falling1 he writes1--,the ,company
 have yet come to no determination1 for 
they are in such a wood that they know  
not which way to turn4 ,by several      
gentlemen lately come to town1 ,i       

perceive the very name of a             
,south-,sea-man grows abominable in     
every country4 ,a great many goldsmiths 
are already run off1 and more will      
daily4 ,i question whether one-third1   
nay1 one-fourth1 of them can stand it4  
,from the very beginning1 ,i founded my 
judgment of the whole affair upon the   
unquestionable maxim1 that ten millions 
7which is more than our running cash7   
could not circulate two hundred         
millions1 beyond which our paper credit 
extended4 ,that1 therefore1 whenever    
that should become doubtful1 be the     
cause what it would1 our noble state    
machine must inevitably fall to the     
ground4  ,on the #abth of ,september1 at
 the earnest solicitation of ,mr4       
,secretary ,craggs1 several conferences 
were held between the directors of the  
,south ,sea and the directors of the    
,bank4 ,a report which was circulated1  
that the latter had agreed to circulate 
six millions of the ,south ,sea         
,company's bonds1 caused the stock to   

rise to six hundred and seventy2 but in 
the afternoon1 as soon as the report was
 known to be groundless1 the stock fell 
again to five hundred and eighty2 the   
next day to five hundred and seventy1   
and so gradually to four hundred4 ,gay  
7the poet71 in that disastrous year1 had
 a present from young ,craggs of some   
,south ,sea stock1 and once supposed    
himself to be master of twenty thousand 
pounds4 ,his friends persuaded him to   
sell his share1 but he dreamed of       
dignity and splendour1 and could not    
bear to obstruct his own fortune4 ,he   
was then importuned to sell as much as  
would purchase a hundred a year for     
life1 which1 says ,fenton1 will make you
 sure of a clean shirt and a shoulder of
 mutton every day4 ,this counsel was    
rejected2 the profit and principal were 
lost1 and ,gay sunk under the calamity  
so low that his life became in          
danger4--,johnson's ,lives of the       
,poets4  ,the ministry were seriously   
alarmed at the aspect of affairs4 ,the  

directors could not appear in the       
streets without being insulted2         
dangerous riots were every moment       
apprehended4 ,despatches were sent off  
to the ,king at ,hanover1 praying his   
immediate return4 ,mr4 ,walpole1 who was
 staying at his country-seat1 was sent  
for1 that he might employ his known     
influence with the directors of the     
,bank of ,england to induce them to     
accept the proposal made by the ,south  
,sea ,company for circulating a number  
of their bonds4  ,the ,bank was very    
unwilling to mix itself up with the     
affairs of the ,company2 it dreaded     
being involved in calamities which it   
could not relieve1 and received all     
overtures with visible reluctance4 ,but 
the universal voice of the nation called
 upon it to come to the rescue4 ,every  
person of note in commercial politics   
was called in to advise in the          
emergency4 ,a rough draft of a contract 
drawn up by ,mr4 ,walpole was ultimately
 adopted as the basis of further        

negotiations1 and the public alarm      
abated a little4  ,on the following day1
 the #bjth of ,september1 a general     
court of the ,south ,sea ,company was   
held at ,merchant ,tailors' ,hall1 in   
which resolutions were carried1         
empowering the directors to agree with  
the ,bank of ,england1 or any other     
persons1 to circulate the ,company's    
bonds1 or make any other agreement with 
the ,bank which they should think       
proper4 ,one of the speakers1 a ,mr4    
,pulteney1 said it was most surprising  
to see the extraordinary panic which had
 seized upon the people4 ,men were      
running to and fro in alarm and terror1 
their imaginations filled with some     
great calamity1 the form and dimensions 
of which nobody knew4       ,black it   
stood as night--      ,fierce as ten    
furies--terrible as hell4  ,at a general
 court of the ,bank of ,england held two
 days afterwards1 the governor informed 
them of the several meetings that had   
been held on the affairs of the ,south  

,sea ,company1 adding that the directors
 had not yet thought fit to come to any 
decision upon the matter4 ,a resolution 
was then proposed1 and carried without a
 dissentient voice1 empowering the      
directors to agree with those of the    
,south ,sea to circulate their bonds1 to
 what sum1 and upon what terms1 and for 
what time1 they might think proper4     
,thus both parties were at liberty to   
act as they might judge best for the    
public interest4 ,books were opened at  
the ,bank for a subscription of three   
millions for the support of public      
credit1 on the usual terms of #ae pounds
 per cent4 deposit1 per cent4 premium1  
and #e pounds per cent4 interest4 ,so   
great was the concourse of people in the
 early part of the morning1 all eagerly 
bringing their money1 that it was       
thought the subscription would be filled
 that day2 but before noon1 the tide    
turned4 ,in spite of all that could be  
done to prevent it1 the ,south ,sea     
,company's stock fell rapidly4 ,their   

bonds were in such discredit1 that a run
 commenced upon the most eminent        
goldsmiths and bankers1 some of whom    
having lent out great sums upon ,south  
,sea stock were obliged to shut up their
 shops and abscond4 ,the ,sword-blade   
,company1 who had hitherto been the     
chief cashiers of the ,south ,sea       
,company1 stopped payment4 ,this being  
looked upon as but the beginning of     
evil1 occasioned a great run upon the   
,bank1 who were now obliged to pay out  
money much faster than they had received
 it upon the subscription in the        
morning4 ,the day succeeding was a      
holiday 7the #bith of ,september71 and  
the ,bank had a little breathing time4  
,they bore up against the storm2 but    
their former rivals1 the ,south ,sea    
,company1 were wrecked upon it4 ,their  
stock fell to one hundred and fifty1 and
 gradually1 after various fluctuations1 
to one hundred and thirty-five4  ,the   
,bank1 finding they were not able to    
restore public confidence1 and stem the 

tide of ruin1 without running the risk  
of being swept away with those they     
intended to save1 declined to carry out 
the agreement into which they had       
partially entered4 ,they were under no  
obligation whatever to continue2 for the
 so called ,bank contract was nothing   
more than the rough draught of an       
agreement1 in which blanks had been left
 for several important particulars1 and 
which contained no penalty for their    
secession4 ,and thus1 to use the words  
of the ,parliamentary ,history1 were    
seen1 in the space of eight months1 the 
rise1 progress1 and fall of that mighty 
fabric1 which1 being wound up by        
mysterious springs to a wonderful       
height1 had fixed the eyes and          
expectations of all ,europe1 but whose  
foundation1 being fraud1 illusion1      
credulity1 and infatuation1 fell to the 
ground as soon as the artful management 
of its directors was discovered4  ,in   
the hey-day of its blood1 during the    
progress of this dangerous delusion1 the

 manners of the nation became sensibly  
corrupted4 ,the ,parliamentary inquiry1 
set on foot to discover the delinquents1
 disclosed scenes of infamy1 disgraceful
 alike to the morals of the offenders   
and the intellects of the people among  
whom they had arisen4 ,it is a deeply   
interesting study to investigate all the
 evils that were the result4 ,nations1  
like individuals1 cannot become         
desperate gamblers with impunity4       
,punishment is sure to overtake them    
sooner or later4 ,a celebrated writer   
,smollett4 is quite wrong1 when he says1
 that such an era as this is the most   
unfavourable for a historian2 that no   
reader of sentiment and imagination can 
be entertained or interested by a detail
 of transactions such as these1 which   
admit of no warmth1 no colouring1 no    
embellishment2 a detail of which only   
serves to exhibit an inanimate picture  
of tasteless vice and mean degeneracy4  
,on the contrary1 and ,smollett might   
have discovered it1 if he had been in   

the humour--the subject is capable of   
inspiring as much interest as even a    
novelist can desire4 ,is there no warmth
 in the despair of a plundered          
people8--no life and animation in the   
picture which might be drawn of the woes
 of hundreds of impoverished and ruined 
families8 of the wealthy of yesterday   
become the beggars of to-day8 of the    
powerful and influential changed into   
exiles and outcasts1 and the voice of   
self-reproach and imprecation resounding
 from every corner of the land8 ,is it a
 dull or uninstructive picture to see a 
whole people shaking suddenly off the   
trammels of reason1 and running wild    
after a golden vision1 refusing         
obstinately to believe that it is not   
real1 till1 like a deluded hind running 
after an ignis fatuus1 they are plunged 
into a quagmire8 ,but in this false     
spirit has history too often been       
written4 ,the intrigues of unworthy     
courtiers to gain the favour of still   
more unworthy kings2 or the records of  

murderous battles and sieges have been  
dilated on1 and told over and over      
again1 with all the eloquence of style  
and all the charms of fancy2 while the  
circumstances which have most deeply    
affected the morals and welfare of the  
people1 have been passed over with but  
slight notice as dry and dull1 and      
capable of neither warmth nor colouring4
  ,during the progress of this famous   
bubble1 ,england presented a singular   
spectacle4 ,the public mind was in a    
state of unwholesome fermentation4 ,men 
were no longer satisfied with the slow  
but sure profits of cautious industry4  
,the hope of boundless wealth for the   
morrow made them heedless and           
extravagant for to-day4 ,a luxury1 till 
then unheard-of1 was introduced1        
bringing in its train a corresponding   
laxity of morals4 ,the overbearing      
insolence of ignorant men1 who had      
arisen to sudden wealth by successful   
gambling1 made men of true gentility of 
mind and manners1 blush that gold should

 have power to raise the unworthy in the
 scale of society4 ,the haughtiness of  
some of these cyphering cits1 as they   
were termed by ,sir ,richard ,steele1   
was remembered against them in the day  
of their adversity4 ,in the             
,parliamentary inquiry1 many of the     
directors suffered more for their       
insolence than for their peculation4    
,one of them1 who1 in the full-blown    
pride of an ignorant rich man1 had said 
that he would feed his horse upon gold1 
was reduced almost to bread and water   
for himself2 every haughty look1 every  
overbearing speech1 was set down1 and   
repaid them a hundredfold in poverty and
 humiliation4  ,the state of matters all
 over the country was so alarming1 that 
,george ,i shortened his intended stay  
in ,hanover1 and returned in all haste  
to ,england4 ,he arrived on the #aath of
 ,november1 and ,parliament was summoned
 to meet on the #hth of ,december4 ,in  
the mean time1 public meetings were held
 in every considerable town of the      

empire1 at which petitions were adopted1
 praying the vengeance of the           
,legislature upon the ,south ,sea       
directors1 who1 by their fraudulent     
practices1 had brought the nation to the
 brink of ruin4 ,nobody seemed to       
imagine that the nation itself was as   
culpable as the ,south ,sea ,company4   
,nobody blamed the credulity and avarice
 of the people1--the degrading lust of  
gain1 which had swallowed up every      
nobler quality in the national          
character1 or the infatuation which had 
made the multitude run their heads with 
such frantic eagerness into the net held
 out for them by scheming projectors4   
,these things were never mentioned4 ,the
 people were a simple1 honest1          
hard-working people1 ruined by a gang of
 robbers1 who were to be hanged1 drawn1 
and quartered without mercy4  ,this was 
the almost unanimous feeling of the     
country4 ,the two ,houses of ,parliament
 were not more reasonable4 ,before the  
guilt of the ,south ,sea directors was  

known1 punishment was the only cry4 ,the
 ,king1 in his speech from the throne1  
expressed his hope that they would      
remember that all their prudence1       
temper1 and resolution were necessary to
 find out and apply the proper remedy   
for their misfortunes4 ,in the debate on
 the answer to the address1 several     
speakers indulged in the most violent   
invectives against the directors of the 
,south ,sea project4 ,the ,lord         
,molesworth was particularly vehement4  
,it had been said by some1 that there   
was no law to punish the directors of   
the ,south ,sea ,company1 who were      
justly looked upon as the authors of the
 present misfortunes of the state4 ,in  
his opinion they ought1 upon this       
occasion1 to follow the example of the  
ancient ,romans1 who1 having no law     
against parricide1 because their        
legislators supposed no son could be so 
unnaturally wicked as to embrue his     
hands in his father's blood1 made a law 
to punish this heinous crime as soon as 

it was committed4 ,they adjudged the    
guilty wretch to be sown in a sack1 and 
thrown alive into the ,tyber4 ,he looked
 upon the contrivers and executors of   
the villanous ,south ,sea scheme as the 
parricides of their country1 and should 
be satisfied to see them tied in like   
manner in sacks1 and thrown into the    
,thames4 ,other members spoke with as   
much want of temper and discretion4 ,mr4
 ,walpole was more moderate4 ,he        
recommended that their first care should
 be to restore public credit4 ,if the   
city of ,london were on fire1 all wise  
men would aid in extinguishing the      
flames1 and preventing the spread of the
 conflagration before they inquired     
after the incendiaries4 ,public credit  
had received a dangerous wound1 and lay 
bleeding1 and they ought to apply a     
speedy remedy to it4 ,it was time enough
 to punish the assassin afterwards4 ,on 
the #ith of ,december an address1 in    
answer to his ,majesty's speech1 was    
agreed upon1 after an amendment1 which  

was carried without a division1 that    
words should be added expressive of the 
determination of the ,house not only to 
seek a remedy for the national          
distresses1 but to punish the authors of
 them4  ,the inquiry proceeded rapidly4 
,the directors were ordered to lay      
before the ,house a full account of all 
their proceedings4 ,resolutions were    
passed to the effect that the calamity  
was mainly owing to the vile arts of    
stockjobbers1 and that nothing could    
tend more to the re-establishment of    
public credit than a law to prevent this
 infamous practice4 ,mr4 ,walpole then  
rose1 and said1 that as he had          
previously hinted1 he had spent some    
time upon a scheme for restoring public 
credit1 but that1 the execution of it   
depending upon a position which had been
 laid down as fundamental1 he thought it
 proper1 before he opened out his       
scheme1 to be informed whether he might 
rely upon that foundation4 ,it was1     
whether the subscription of public debts

 and encumbrances1 money subscriptions1 
and other contracts1 made with the      
,south ,sea ,company should remain in   
the present state8 ,this question       
occasioned an animated debate4 ,it was  
finally agreed1 by a majority of #bei   
against #aag1 that all these contracts  
should remain in their present state1   
unless altered for the relief of the    
proprietors by a general court of the   
,south ,sea ,company1 or set aside by   
due course of law4 ,on the following day
 ,mr4 ,walpole laid before a committee  
of the whole ,house his scheme for the  
restoration of public credit1 which was1
 in substance1 to ingraft nine millions 
of ,south ,sea stock into the ,bank of  
,england1 and the same sum into the     
,east ,india ,company1 upon certain     
conditions4 ,the plan was favourably    
received by the ,house4 ,after some few 
objections1 it was ordered that         
proposals should be received from the   
two great corporations4 ,they were both 
unwilling to lend their aid1 and the    

plan met with a warm but fruitless      
opposition at the general courts        
summoned for the purpose of deliberating
 upon it4 ,they1 however1 ultimately    
agreed upon the terms on which they     
would consent to circulate the ,south   
,sea bonds1 and their report1 being     
presented to the committee1 a bill was  
brought in1 under the superintendence of
 ,mr4 ,walpole1 and safely carried      
through both ,houses of ,parliament4  ,a
 bill was at the same time brought in1  
for restraining the ,south ,sea         
directors1 governor1 sub-governor1      
treasurer1 cashier1 and clerks from     
leaving the kingdom for a twelvemonth1  
and for discovering their estates and   
effects1 and preventing them from       
transporting or alienating the same4    
,all the most influential members of the
 ,house supported the bill4 ,mr4        
,shippen1 seeing ,mr4 ,secretary ,craggs
 in his place1 and believing the        
injurious rumours that were afloat of   
that minister's conduct in the ,south   

,sea business1 determined to touch him  
to the quick4 ,he said1 he was glad to  
see a ,british ,house of ,commons       
resuming its pristine vigour and spirit1
 and acting with so much unanimity for  
the public good4 ,it was necessary to   
secure the persons and estates of the   
,south ,sea directors and their         
officers2 but1 he added1 looking fixedly
 at ,mr4 ,craggs as he spoke1 there were
 other men in high station1 whom1 in    
time1 he would not be afraid to name1   
who were no less guilty than the        
directors4 ,mr4 ,craggs arose in great  
wrath1 and said1 that if the innuendo   
were directed against him1 he was ready 
to give satisfaction to any man who     
questioned him1 either in the ,house or 
out of it4 ,loud cries of order         
immediately arose on every side4 ,in the
 midst of the uproar ,lord ,molesworth  
got up1 and expressed his wonder at the 
boldness of ,mr4 ,craggs in challenging 
the whole ,house of ,commons4 ,he1 ,lord
 ,molesworth1 though somewhat old1 past 

sixty1 would answer ,mr4 ,craggs        
whatever he had to say in the ,house1   
and he trusted there were plenty of     
young men beside him1 who would not be  
afraid to look ,mr4 ,craggs in the face1
 out of the ,house4 ,the cries of order 
again resounded from every side2 the    
members arose simultaneously2 everybody 
seemed to be vociferating at once4 ,the 
,speaker in vain called order4 ,the     
confusion lasted several minutes1 during
 which ,lord ,molesworth and ,mr4       
,craggs were almost the only members who
 kept their seats4 ,at last the call for
 ,mr4 ,craggs became so violent that he 
thought proper to submit to the         
universal feeling of the ,house1 and    
explain his unparliamentary expression4 
,he said1 that by giving satisfaction to
 the impugners of his conduct in that   
,house1 he did not mean that he would   
fight1 but that he would explain his    
conduct4 ,here the matter ended1 and the
 ,house proceeded to debate in what     
manner they should conduct their inquiry

 into the affairs of the ,south ,sea    
,company1 whether in a grand or a select
 committee4 ,ultimately1 a ,secret      
,committee of thirteen was appointed1   
with power to send for persons1 papers1 
and records4  ,the ,lords were as       
zealous and as hasty as the ,commons4   
,the ,bishop of ,rochester said the     
scheme had been like a pestilence4 ,the 
,duke of ,wharton said the ,house ought 
to show no respect of persons2 that1 for
 his part1 he would give up the dearest 
friend he had1 if he had been engaged in
 the project4 ,the nation had been      
plundered in a most shameful and        
flagrant manner1 and he would go as far 
as anybody in the punishment of the     
offenders4 ,lord ,stanhope said1 that   
every farthing possessed by the         
criminals1 whether directors or not     
directors1 ought to be confiscated1 to  
make good the public losses4  ,during   
all this time the public excitement was 
extreme4 ,we learn1 front ,coxe's       
,walpole1 that the very name of a ,south

 ,sea director was thought to be        
synonymous with every species of fraud  
and villany4 ,petitions from counties1  
cities1 and boroughs1 in all parts of   
the kingdom1 were presented1 crying for 
the justice due to an injured nation and
 the punishment of the villanous        
peculators4 ,those moderate men1 who    
would not go to extreme lengths1 even in
 the punishment of the guilty1 were     
accused of being accomplices1 were      
exposed to repeated insults and virulent
 invectives1 and devoted1 both in       
anonymous letters and public writings1  
to the speedy vengeance of an injured   
people4 ,the accusations against ,mr4   
,aislabie1 ,chancellor of the           
,exchequer1 and ,mr4 ,craggs1 another   
member of the ministry1 were so loud1   
that the ,house of ,lords resolved to   
proceed at once into the investigation  
concerning them4 ,it was ordered1 on the
 #bast of ,january1 that all brokers    
concerned in the ,south ,sea scheme     
should lay before the ,house an account 

of the stock or subscriptions bought or 
sold by them for any of the officers of 
the ,treasury or ,exchequer1 or in trust
 for any of them1 since ,michaelmas     
#agai4 ,when this account was delivered1
 it appeared that large quantities of   
stock had been transferred to the use of
 ,mr4 ,aislabie4 ,five of the ,south    
,sea directors1 including ,mr4 ,edward  
,gibbon1 the grandfather of the         
celebrated historian1 were ordered into 
the custody of the black rod4 ,upon a   
motion made by ,earl ,stanhope1 it was  
unanimously resolved1 that the taking in
 or giving credit for stock without a   
valuable consideration actually paid or 
sufficiently secured2 or the purchasing 
stock by any director or agent of the   
,south ,sea ,company1 for the use or    
benefit of any member of the            
administration1 or any member of either 
,house of ,parliament1 during such time 
as the ,south ,sea ,bill was yet pending
 in ,parliament1 was a notorious and    
dangerous corruption4 ,another          

resolution was passed a few days        
afterwards1 to the effect that several  
of the directors and officers of the    
,company having1 in a clandestine       
manner1 sold their own stock to the     
,company1 had been guilty of a notorious
 fraud and breach of trust1 and had     
thereby mainly caused the unhappy turn  
of affairs that had so much affected    
public credit4 ,mr4 ,aislabie resigned  
his office as ,chancellor of the        
,exchequer1 and absented himself from   
,parliament until the formal inquiry    
into his individual guilt was brought   
under the consideration of the          
,legislature4  ,in the mean time1       
,knight1 the treasurer of the ,company1 
and who was intrusted with all the      
dangerous secrets of the dishonest      
directors1 packed up his books and      
documents1 and made his escape from the 
country4 ,he embarked in disguise1 in a 
small boat on the river1 and proceeding 
to a vessel hired for the purpose1 was  
safely conveyed to ,calais4 ,the        

,committee of ,secrecy informed the     
,house of the circumstance1 when it was 
resolved unanimously that two addresses 
should be presented to the ,king2 the   
first praying that he would issue a     
proclamation1 offering a reward for the 
apprehension of ,knight2 and the second1
 that he would give immediate orders to 
stop the ports1 and to take effectual   
care of the coasts1 to prevent the said 
,knight1 or any other officers of the   
,south ,sea ,company1 from escaping out 
of the kingdom4 ,the ink was hardly dry 
upon these addresses before they were   
carried to the ,king by ,mr4 ,methuen1  
deputed by the ,house for that purpose4 
,the same evening a royal proclamation  
was issued1 offering a reward of two    
thousand pounds for the apprehension of 
,knight4 ,the ,commons ordered the doors
 of the ,house to be locked1 and the    
keys to be placed upon the table4       
,general ,ross1 one of the members of   
the ,committee of ,secrecy1 acquainted  
them that they had already discovered a 

train of the deepest villany and fraud  
that ,hell had ever contrived to ruin a 
nation1 which in due time they would lay
 before the ,house4 ,in the mean time1  
in order to a further discovery1 the    
,committee thought it highly necessary  
to secure the persons of some of the    
directors and principal ,south ,sea     
officers1 and to seize their papers4 ,a 
motion to this effect having been made1 
was carried unanimously4 ,sir ,robert   
,chaplin1 ,sir ,theodore ,janssen1 ,mr4 
,sawbridge1 and ,mr4 ,f4 ,eyles1 members
 of the ,house1 and directors of the    
,south ,sea ,company1 were summoned to  
appear in their places1 and answer for  
their corrupt practices4 ,sir ,theodore 
,janssen and ,mr4 ,sawbridge answered to
 their names1 and endeavoured to        
exculpate themselves4 ,the ,house heard 
them patiently1 and then ordered them to
 withdraw4 ,a motion was then made1 and 
carried nemine contradicente1 that they 
had been guilty of a notorious breach of
 trust--had occasioned much loss to     

great numbers of his ,majesty's         
subjects1 and had highly prejudiced the 
public credit4 ,it was then ordered     
that1 for their offence1 they should be 
expelled the ,house1 and taken into the 
custody of the sergeant-at-arms4 ,sir   
,robert ,chaplin and ,mr4 ,eyles1       
attending in their places four days     
afterwards1 were also expelled the      
,house4 ,it was resolved at the same    
time to address the ,king1 to give      
directions to his ministers at foreign  
courts to make application for ,knight1 
that he might be delivered up to the    
,english authorities1 in ease he took   
refuge in any of their dominions4 ,the  
,king at once agreed1 and messengers    
were despatched to all parts of the     
,continent the same night4  ,among the  
directors taken into custody1 was ,sir  
,john ,blunt1 the man whom popular      
opinion has generally accused of having 
been the original author and father of  
the scheme4 ,this man1 we are informed  
by ,pope1 in his epistle to ,allen1     

,lord ,bathurst1 was a dissenter1 of a  
most religious deportment1 and professed
 to be a great believer4 ,he constantly 
declaimed against the luxury and        
corruption of the age1 the partiality of
 parliaments1 and the misery of party   
spirit4 ,he was particularly eloquent   
against avarice in great and noble      
persons4 ,he was originally a scrivener1
 and afterwards became1 not only a      
director1 but the most active manager of
 the ,south ,sea ,company4 ,whether it  
was during his career in this capacity  
that he first began to declaim against  
the avarice of the great1 we are not    
informed4 ,he certainly must have seen  
enough of it to justify his severest    
anathema2 but if the preacher had       
himself been free from the vice he      
condemned1 his declamations would have  
had a better effect4 ,he was brought up 
in custody to the bar of the ,house of  
,lords1 and underwent a long            
examination4 ,he refused to answer      
several important questions4 ,he said he

 had been examined already by a         
committee of the ,house of ,commons1 and
 as he did not remember his answers1 and
 might contradict himself1 he refused to
 answer before another tribunal4 ,this  
declaration1 in itself an indirect proof
 of guilt1 occasioned some commotion in 
the ,house4 ,he was again asked         
peremptorily whether he had ever sold   
any portion of the stock to any member  
of the administration1 or any member of 
either ,house of ,parliament1 to        
facilitate the passing of the hill4 ,he 
again declined to answer4 ,he was       
anxious1 he said1 to treat the ,house   
with all possible respect1 but he       
thought it hard to be compelled to      
accuse himself4 ,after several          
ineffectual attempts to refresh his     
memory1 he was directed to withdraw4 ,a 
violent discussion ensued between the   
friends and opponents of the ministry4  
,it was asserted that the administration
 were no strangers to the convenient    
taciturnity of ,sir ,john ,blunt4 ,the  

,duke of ,wharton made a reflection upon
 the ,earl ,stanhope1 which the latter  
warmly resented4 ,he spoke under great  
excitement1 and with such vehemence as  
to cause a sudden determination of blood
 to the head4 ,he felt himself so ill   
that he was obliged to leave the ,house 
and retire to his chamber4 ,he was      
cupped immediately1 and also let blood  
on the following morning1 but with      
slight relief4 ,the fatal result was not
 anticipated4 ,towards evening he became
 drowsy1 and turning himself on his     
face1 expired4 ,the sudden death of this
 statesman caused great grief to the    
nation4 ,george ,i was exceedingly      
affected1 and shut himself up for some  
hours in his closet1 inconsolable for   
his loss4  ,knight1 the treasurer of the
 company1 was apprehended at ,tirlemont1
 near ,liege1 by one of the secretaries 
of ,mr4 ,leathes1 the ,british resident 
at ,brussels1 and lodged in the citadel 
of ,antwerp4 ,repeated applications were
 made to the court of ,austria to       

deliver him up1 but in vain4 ,knight    
threw himself upon the protection of the
 states of ,brabant1 and demanded to be 
tried in that country4 ,it was a        
privilege granted to the states of      
,brabant by one of the articles of the  
,joyeuse ,entree1 that every criminal   
apprehended in that country should be   
tried in that country4 ,the states      
insisted on their privilege1 and refused
 to deliver ,knight to the ,british     
authorities4 ,the latter did not cease  
their solicitations2 but in the mean    
time1 ,knight escaped from the citadel4 
,on the #afth of ,february the          
,committee of ,secrecy made their first 
report to the ,house4 ,they stated that 
their inquiry had been attended with    
numerous difficulties and               
embarrassments2 every one they had      
examined had endeavoured1 as far as in  
him lay1 to defeat the ends of justice4 
,in some of the books produced before   
them1 false and fictitious entries had  
been made2 in others1 there were entries

 of money1 with blanks for the name of  
the stockholders4 ,there were frequent  
erasures and alterations1 and in some of
 the books leaves were torn out4 ,they  
also found that some books of great     
importance had been destroyed           
altogether1 and that some had been taken
 away or secreted4 ,at the very entrance
 into their inquiry1 they had observed  
that the matters referred to them were  
of great variety and extent4 ,many      
persons had been intrusted with various 
parts in the execution of the law1 and  
under colour thereof had acted in an    
unwarrantable manner1 in disposing of   
the properties of many thousands of     
persons1 amounting to many millions of  
money4 ,they discovered that1 before the
 ,south ,sea ,act was passed1 there was 
an entry in the ,company's books of the 
sum of #a1bei1cbe pounds1 upon account  
of stock stated to have been sold to the
 amount of #egd1ejj pounds4 ,this stock 
was all fictitious1 and had been        
disposed of with a view to promote the  

passing of the bill4 ,it was noted as   
sold at various days1 and at various    
prices1 from #aej to #cbe per cent4     
,being surprised to see so large an     
account disposed of1 at a time when the 
,company were not empowered to increase 
their capital1 the committee determined 
to investigate most carefully the whole 
transaction4 ,the governor1             
sub-governor1 and several directors were
 brought before them1 and examined      
rigidly4 ,they found that1 at the time  
these entries were made1 the ,company   
was not in possession of such a quantity
 of stock1 having in their own right    
only a small quantity1 not exceeding    
thirty thousand pounds at the utmost4   
,pursuing the inquiry1 they found that  
this amount of stock1 was to be esteemed
 as taken in or holden by the ,company1 
for the benefit of the pretended        
purchasers1 although no mutual agreement
 was made for its delivery or acceptance
 at any certain time4 ,no money was paid
 down1 nor any deposit or security      

whatever given to the ,company by the   
supposed purchasers2 so that if the     
stock had fallen1 as might have been    
expected1 had the act not passed1 they  
would have sustained no loss4 ,if1 on   
the contrary1 the price of stock        
advanced 7as it actually did by the     
success of the scheme71 the difference  
by the advanced price was to be made    
good to them4 ,accordingly1 after the   
passing of the act1 the account of stock
 was made up and adjusted with ,mr4     
,knight1 and the pretended purchasers   
were paid the difference out of the     
,company's cash4 ,this fictitious stock1
 which had been chiefly at the disposal 
of ,sir ,john ,blunt1 ,mr4 ,gibbon1 and 
,mr4 ,knight1 was distributed among     
several members of the government and   
their connexions1 by way of bribe1 to   
facilitate the passing of the bill4 ,to 
the ,earl of ,sunderland was assigned   
#ej1jjj pounds of this stock2 to the    
,duchess of ,kendal #aj1jjj pounds2 to  
the ,countess of ,platen #aj1jjj pounds2

 to her two nieces #aj1jjj pounds2 to   
,mr4 ,secretary ,craggs #cj1jjj pounds2 
to ,mr4 ,charles ,stanhope 7one of the  
,secretaries of the ,treasury7 #aj1jjj  
pounds2 to the ,swordblade ,company     
#ej1jjj pounds4 ,it also appeared that  
,mr4 ,stanhope had received the enormous
 sum of #bej1jjj pounds as the          
difference in the price of some stock1  
through the hands of ,turner1 ,caswall1 
and ,co41 but that his name had been    
partly erased from their books1 and     
altered to ,stangape4 ,aislabie1 the    
,chancellor of the ,exchequer1 had made 
profits still more abominable4 ,he had  
an account with the same firm1 who were 
also ,south ,sea directors1 to the      
amount of #gid1dea pounds4 ,he had1     
besides1 advised the ,company to make   
their second subscription one million   
and a half1 instead of a million1 by    
their own authority1 and without any    
warrant4 ,the third subscription had    
been conducted in a manner as           
disgraceful4 ,mr4 ,aislabie's name was  

down for #gj1jjj pounds2 ,mr4 ,craggs1  
senior1 for #fei1jjj pounds2 the ,earl  
of ,sunderland's for #afj1jjj pounds2   
and ,mr4 ,stanhope for #dg1jjj pounds4  
,this report was succeeded by six       
others1 less important4 ,at the end of  
the last1 the committee declared that   
the absence of ,knight1 who had been    
principally intrusted1 prevented them   
from carrying on their inquiries4  ,the 
first report was ordered to be printed1 
and taken into consideration on the next
 day but one succeeding4 ,after a very  
angry and animated debate1 a series of  
resolutions were agreed to1 condemnatory
 of the conduct of the directors1 of the
 members of the ,parliament and of the  
administration concerned with them2 and 
declaring that they ought1 each and all1
 to make satisfaction out of their own  
estates for the injury they had done the
 public4 ,their practices were declared 
to be corrupt1 infamous1 and dangerous2 
and a bill was ordered to be brought in 
for the relief of the unhappy sufferers4

  ,mr4 ,charles ,stanhope was the first 
person brought to account for his share 
in these transactions4 ,he urged in his 
defence that1 for some years past1 he   
had lodged all the money he was         
possessed of in ,mr4 ,knight's hands1   
and whatever stock ,mr4 ,knight had     
taken in for him1 he had paid a valuable
 consideration for it4 ,as to the stock 
that had been bought for him by ,turner1
 ,caswall1 and ,co4 he knew nothing     
about it4 ,whatever had been done in    
that matter was done without his        
authority1 and he could not be          
responsible for it4 ,turner and ,co4    
took the latter charge upon themselves1 
but it was notorious to every unbiased  
and unprejudiced person that ,mr4       
,stanhope was a gainer of the #bej1jjj  
pounds which lay in the hands of that   
firm to his credit4 ,he was1 however1   
acquitted by a majority of three only4  
,the greatest exertions were made to    
screen him4 ,lord ,stanhope1 the son of 
the ,earl of ,chesterfield1 went round  

to the wavering members1 using all the  
eloquence he was possessed of to induce 
them either to vote for the acquittal or
 to absent themselves from the house4   
,many weak-headed country-gentlemen were
 led astray by his persuasions1 and the 
result was as already stated4 ,the      
acquittal caused the greatest discontent
 throughout the country4 ,mobs of a     
menacing character assembled in         
different parts of ,london2 fears of    
riots were generally entertained1       
especially as the examination of a still
 greater delinquent was expected by many
 to have a similar termination4 ,mr4    
,aislabie1 whose high office and deep   
responsibilities should have kept him   
honest1 even had native principle been  
insufficient1 was very justly regarded  
as perhaps the greatest criminal of all4
 ,his case was entered into on the day  
succeeding the acquittal of ,mr4        
,starthope4 ,great excitement prevailed1
 and the lobbies and avenues of the     
house were beset by crowds1 impatient to

 know the result4 ,the debate lasted the
 whole day4 ,mr4 ,aislabie found few    
friends3 his guilt was so apparent and  
so heinous that nobody had courage to   
stand up in his favour4 ,it was finally 
resolved1 without a dissentient voice1  
that ,mr4 ,aislabie had encouraged and  
promoted the destructive execution of   
the ,south ,sea scheme with a view to   
his own exorbitant profit1 and had      
combined with the directors in their    
pernicious practices to the ruin of the 
public trade and credit of the kingdom3 
that he should for his offences be      
ignominiously expelled from the ,house  
of ,commons1 and committed a close      
prisoner to the ,tower of ,london2 that 
he should be restrained from going out  
of the kingdom for a whole year1 or till
 the end of the next session of         
,parliament2 and that he should make out
 a correct account of all his estate1 in
 order that it might be applied to the  
relief of those who had suffered by his 
malpractices4  ,this verdict caused the 

greatest joy4 ,though it was delivered  
at half-past twelve at night1 it soon   
spread over the city4 ,several persons  
illuminated their houses in token of    
their joy4 ,on the following day1 when  
,mr4 ,aislabie was conveyed to the      
,tower1 the mob assembled on ,tower-hill
 with the intention of hooting and      
pelting him4 ,not succeeding in this1   
they kindled a large bonfire1 and danced
 around it in the exuberance of their   
delight4 ,several bonfires were made in 
other places2 ,london presented the     
appearance of a holiday1 and people     
congratulated one another as if they had
 just escaped from some great calamity4 
,the rage upon the acquittal of ,mr4    
,stanhope had grown to such a height    
that none could tell where it would have
 ended1 had ,mr4 ,aislabie met with the 
like indulgence4  ,to increase the      
public satisfaction1 ,sir ,george       
,caswall1 of the firm of ,turner1       
,caswall1  ,co4 was expelled the ,house 
on the following day1 and ordered to    

refund the sum of #bej1jjj pounds4      
,that part of the report of the         
,committee of ,secrecy which related to 
the ,earl of ,sunderland was next taken 
into consideration4 ,every effort was   
made to clear his ,lordship from the    
imputation4 ,as the case against him    
rested chiefly on the evidence extorted 
from ,sir ,john ,blunt1 great pains were
 taken to make it appear that ,sir      
,john's word was not to be believed1    
especially in a matter affecting the    
honour of a peer and privy councillor4  
,all the friends of the ministry rallied
 around the ,earl1 it being generally   
reported that a verdict of guilty       
against him would bring a ,tory ministry
 into power4 ,he was eventually         
acquitted1 by a majority of #bcc against
 #agb2 but the country was convinced of 
his guilt4 ,the greatest indignation was
 everywhere expressed1 and menacing mobs
 again assembled in ,london4 ,happily no
 disturbances took place4  ,this was the
 day on which ,mr4 ,craggs1 the elder1  

expired4 ,the morrow had been appointed 
for the consideration of his case4 ,it  
was very generally believed that he had 
poisoned himself4 ,it appeared1 however1
 that grief for the loss of his son1 one
 of the ,secretaries of the ,treasury1  
who had died five weeks previously of   
the small-pox1 preyed much on his mind4 
,for this son1 dearly beloved1 he had   
been amassing vast heaps of riches3 he  
had been getting money1 but not         
honestly2 and he for whose sake he had  
bartered his honour and sullied his     
fame1 was now no more4 ,the dread of    
further exposure increased his trouble  
of mind1 and ultimately brought on an   
apoplectic fit1 in which he expired4 ,he
 left a fortune of a million and a half1
 which was afterwards confiscated for   
the benefit of the sufferers by the     
unhappy delusion he had been so mainly  
instrumental in raising4  ,one by one   
the case of every director of the       
,company was taken into consideration4  
,a sum amounting to two millions and    

fourteen thousand pounds was confiscated
 from their estates towards repairing   
the mischief they had done1 each man    
being allowed a certain residue1 in     
proportion to his conduct and           
circumstances1 with which he might begin
 the world anew4 ,sir ,john ,blunt was  
only allowed #e1jjj pounds out of his   
fortune of upwards of #ahc1jjj pounds2  
,sir ,john ,fellows was allowed #aj1jjj 
pounds out of #bdc1jjj pounds2 ,sir     
,theodore ,janssen1 #ej1jjj pounds out  
of #bdc1jjj pounds2 ,mr4 ,edward        
,gibbon1 #aj1jjj pounds out of #ajf1jjj 
pounds42 ,sir ,john ,lambert1 #ejjj     
pounds out of #gb1jjj pounds4 ,others1  
less deeply involved1 were treated with 
greater liberality4 ,gibbon1 the        
historian1 whose grandfather was the    
,mr4 ,edward ,gibbon so severely        
mulcted1 has given1 in the ,memoirs of  
his ,life and ,writings1 an interesting 
account of the proceedings in           
,parliament at this time4 ,he owns that 
he is not an unprejudiced witness2 but1 

as all the writers from which it is     
possible to extract any notice of the   
proceedings of these disastrous years1  
were prejudiced on the other side1 the  
statements of the great historian become
 of additional value4 ,if only on the   
principle of audi alteram partem1 his   
opinion is entitled to consideration4   
,in the year #agaf1 he says1 my         
grandfather was elected one of the      
directors of the ,south ,sea ,company1  
and his books exhibited the proof that  
before his acceptance of that fatal     
office1 he had acquired an independent  
fortune of #fj1jjj pounds4 ,but his     
fortune was overwhelmed in the shipwreck
 of the year twenty1 and the labours of 
thirty years were blasted in a single   
day4 ,of the use or abuse of the ,south 
,sea scheme1 of the guilt or innocence  
of my grandfather and his brother       
directors1 ,i am neither a competent nor
 a disinterested judge4 ,yet the equity 
of modern times must condemn the violent
 and arbitrary proceedings1 which would 

have disgraced the cause of justice1 and
 rendered injustice still more odious4  
,no sooner had the nation awakened from 
its golden dream1 than a popular1 and   
even a ,parliamentary clamour1 demanded 
its victims2 but it was acknowledged on 
all sides1 that the directors1 however  
guilty1 could not be touched by any     
known laws of the land4 ,the intemperate
 notions of ,lord ,molesworth were not  
literally acted on2 but a bill of pains 
and penalties was introduced--a         
retro-active statute1 to punish the     
offences which did not exist at the time
 they were committed4 ,the ,legislature 
restrained the persons of the directors1
 imposed an exorbitant security for     
their appearance1 and marked their      
character with a previous note of       
ignominy4 ,they were compelled to       
deliver1 upon oath1 the strict value of 
their estates1 and were disabled from   
making any transfer or alienation of any
 part of their property4 ,against a bill
 of pains and penalties1 it is the      

common right of every subject to be     
heard by his counsel at the bar4 ,they  
prayed to be heard4 ,their prayer was   
refused1 and their oppressors1 who      
required no evidence1 would listen to no
 defence4 ,it had been at first         
proposed1 that one eighth of their      
respective estates should be allowed for
 the future support of the directors2   
but it was speciously urged1 that in the
 various shades of opulence and guilt1  
such a proportion would be too light for
 many1 and for some might possibly be   
too heavy4 ,the character and conduct of
 each man were separately weighed2 but1 
instead of the calm solemnity of a      
judicial inquiry1 the fortune and honour
 of thirty-three ,englishmen were made  
the topics of hasty conversation1 the   
sport of a lawless majority2 and the    
basest member of the committee1 by a    
malicious word1 or a silent vote1 might 
indulge his general spleen or personal  
animosity4 ,injury was aggravated by    
insult1 and insult was embittered by    

pleasantry4 ,allowances of #bj pounds or
 #a shilling were facetiously moved4 ,a 
vague report that a director had        
formerly been concerned in another      
project1 by which some unknown persons  
had lost their money1 was admitted as a 
proof of his actual guilt4 ,one man was 
ruined because he had dropped a foolish 
speech1 that his horses should feed upon
 gold2 another1 because he was grown so 
proud1 that one day1 at the ,treasury1  
he had refused a civil answer to persons
 much above him4 ,all were condemned1   
absent and unheard1 in arbitrary fines  
and forfeitures1 which swept away the   
greatest part of their substance4 ,such 
bold oppression can scarcely be shielded
 by the omnipotence of ,parliament4 ,my 
grandfather could not expect to be      
treated with more lenity than his       
companions4 ,his ,tory principles and   
connexions rendered him obnoxious to the
 ruling powers4 ,his name was reported  
in a suspicious secret4 ,his well-known 
abilities could not plead the excuse of 

ignorance or error4 ,in the first       
proceedings against the ,south ,sea     
directors1 ,mr4 ,gibbon was one of the  
first taken into custody1 and in the    
final sentence the measure of his fine  
proclaimed him eminently guilty4 ,the   
total estimate1 which he delivered on   
oath to the ,house of ,commons1 amounted
 to #ajf1edc pounds #e shillings #f     
pence1 exclusive of antecedent          
settlements4 ,two different allowances  
of #ae1jjj pounds and of #aj1jjj pounds 
were moved for ,mr4 ,gibbon2 but1 on the
 question being put1 it was carried     
without a division for the smaller sum4 
,on these ruins1 with the skill and     
credit of which ,parliament had not been
 able to despoil him1 my grandfather1 at
 a mature age1 erected the edifice of a 
new fortune4 ,the labours of sixteen    
years were amply rewarded2 and ,i have  
reason to believe that the second       
structure was not much inferior to the  
first4  ,the next consideration of the  
,legislature1 after the punishment of   

the directors1 was to restore public    
credit4 ,the scheme of ,walpole had been
 found insufficient1 and had fallen into
 disrepute4 ,a computation was made of  
the whole capital stock of the ,south   
,sea ,company at the end of the year    
#agbj4 ,it was found to amount to       
thirty-seven millions eight hundred     
thousand pounds1 of which the stock     
allotted to all the proprietors only    
amounted to twenty-four millions five   
hundred thousand pounds4 ,the remainder 
of thirteen millions three hundred      
thousand pounds belonged to the ,company
 in their corporate capacity1 and was   
the profit they had made by the national
 delusion4 ,upwards of eight millions of
 this were taken from the ,company1 and 
divided among the proprietors and       
subscribers generally1 making a dividend
 of about #cc pounds #f shillings #h    
pence per cent4 ,this was a great       
relief4 ,it was further ordered1 that   
such persons as had borrowed money from 
the ,south ,sea ,company upon stock     

actually transferred and pledged at the 
time of borrowing to or for the use of  
the ,company1 should be free from all   
demands1 upon payment of ten per cent4  
of the sums so borrowed4 ,they had lent 
about eleven millions in this manner1 at
 a time when prices were unnaturally    
raised2 and they now received back one  
million one hundred thousand1 when      
prices had sunk to their ordinary level4
  ,but it was a long time before public 
credit was thoroughly restored4         
,enterprise1 like ,icarus1 had soared   
too high1 and melted the wax of her     
wings2 like ,icarus1 she had fallen into
 a sea1 and learned1 while floundering  
in its waves1 that her proper element   
was the solid ground4 ,she has never    
since attempted so high a flight4  ,in  
times of great commercial prosperity    
there has been a tendency to            
over-speculation on several occasions   
since then4 ,the success of one project 
generally produces others of a similar  
kind4 ,popular imitativeness will       

always1 in a trading nation1 seize hold 
of such successes1 and drag a community 
too anxious for profits into an abyss   
from which extrication is difficult4    
,bubble companies1 of a kind similar to 
those engendered by the ,south ,sea     
project1 lived their little day in the  
famous year of the panic1 #ahbe4 ,on    
that occasion1 as in #agbj1 knavery     
gathered a rich harvest from cupidity1  
but both suffered when the day of       
reckoning came4 ,the schemes of the year
 #ahcf threatened1 at one time1 results 
as disastrous2 but they were happily    
averted before it was too late4 ,the    
,south ,sea project thus remains1 and1  
it is to be hoped1 always will remain1  
the greatest example in ,british        
history1 of the infatuation of the      
people for commercial gambling4 ,from   
the bitter experience of that period1   
posterity may learn how dangerous it is 
to let speculation riot unrestrained1   
and to hope for enormous profits from   
inadequate causes4 ,degrading as were   

the circumstances1 there is wisdom to be
 gained from the lesson which they      
teach4     ,,the ,,tulipomania4         
,quis furor o cives6--,lucan4  ,the     
tulip1--so named1 it is said1 from a    
,turkish word1 signifying a turban1--was
 introduced into western ,europe about  
the middle of the sixteenth century4    
,conrad ,gesner1 who claims the merit of
 having brought it into repute1--little 
dreaming of the extraordinary commotion 
it was to make in the world1--says that 
he first saw it in the year #aeei1 in a 
garden at ,augsburg1 belonging to the   
learned ,counsellor ,herwart1 a man very
 famous in his day for his collection of
 rare exotics4 ,the bulbs were sent to  
this gentleman by a friend at           
,constantinople1 where the flower had   
long been a favourite4 ,in the course of
 ten or eleven years after this period1 
tulips were much sought after by the    
wealthy1 especially in ,holland and     
,germany4 ,rich people at ,amsterdam    
sent for the bulbs direct to            

,constantinople1 and paid the most      
extravagant prices for them4 ,the first 
roots planted in ,england were brought  
from ,vienna in #afjj4 ,until the year  
#afcd the tulip annually increased in   
reputation1 until it was deemed a proof 
of bad taste in any man of fortune to be
 without a collection of them4 ,many    
learned men1 including ,pompeius de     
,angelis and the celebrated ,lipsius of 
,leyden1 the author of the treatise ,de 
,constantia1 were passionately fond of  
tulips4 ,the rage for possessing them   
soon caught the middle classes of       
society1 and merchants and shopkeepers1 
even of moderate means1 began to vie    
with each other in the rarity of these  
flowers and the preposterous prices they
 paid for them4 ,a trader at ,harlaem   
was known to pay one-half of his fortune
 for a single root--not with the design 
of selling it again at a profit1 but to 
keep in his own conservatory for the    
admiration of his acquaintance4  ,one   
would suppose that there must have been 

some great virtue in this flower to have
 made it so valuable in the eyes of so  
prudent a people as the ,dutch2 but it  
has neither the beauty nor the perfume  
of the rose--hardly the beauty of the   
sweet1 sweet-pea2 neither is it as      
enduring as either4 ,cowley1 it is true1
 is loud in its praise4 ,he says--      
,the tulip next appeared1 all over gay1 
,but wanton1 full of pride1 and full of 
play2      ,the world can't show a dye  
but here has place2      ,nay1 by new   
mixtures1 she can change her face2      
,purple and gold are both beneath her   
care--      ,the richest needlework she 
loves to wear2      ,her only study is  
to please the eye1      ,and to outshine
 the rest in finery4  ,this1 though not 
very poetical1 is the description of a  
poet4 ,beckmann1 in his ,history of     
,inventions1 paints it with more        
fidelity1 and in prose more pleasing    
than ,cowley's poetry4 ,he says1 ,there 
are few plants which acquire1 through   
accident1 weakness1 or disease1 so many 

variegations as the tulip4 ,when        
uncultivated1 and in its natural state1 
it is almost of one colour1 has large   
leaves1 and an extraordinarily long     
stem4 ,when it has been weakened by     
cultivation1 it becomes more agreeable  
in the eyes of the florist4 ,the petals 
are then paler1 smaller1 and more       
diversified in hue2 and the leaves      
acquire a softer green colour4 ,thus    
this masterpiece of culture1 the more   
beautiful it turns1 grows so much the   
weaker1 so that1 with the greatest skill
 and most careful attention1 it can     
scarcely be transplanted1 or even kept  
alive4  ,many persons grow insensibly   
attached to that which gives them a     
great deal of trouble1 as a mother often
 loves her sick and ever-ailing child   
better than her more healthy offspring4 
,upon the same principle we must account
 for the unmerited encomia lavished upon
 these fragile blossoms4 ,in #afcd1 the 
rage among the ,dutch to possess them   
was so great that the ordinary industry 

of the country was neglected1 and the   
population1 even to its lowest dregs1   
embarked in the tulip trade4 ,as the    
mania increased1 prices augmented1      
until1 in the year #afce1 many persons  
were known to invest a fortune of       
#ajj1jjj florins in the purchase of     
forty roots4 ,it then became necessary  
to sell them by their weight in perits1 
a small weight less than a grain4 ,a    
tulip of the species called ,admiral    
,liefken1 weighing #djj perits1 was     
worth #ddjj florins2 an ,admiral ,von   
der ,eyk1 weighing #ddf perits1 was     
worth #abfj florins2 a shilder of #ajf  
perits was worth #afae florins2 a       
viceroy of #djj perits1 #cjjj florins1  
and1 most precious of all1 a ,semper    
,augustus1 weighing #bjj perits1 was    
thought to be very cheap at #eejj       
florins4 ,the latter was much sought    
after1 and even an inferior bulb might  
command a price of #bjjj florins4 ,it is
 related that1 at one time1 early in    
#afcf1 there were only two roots of this

 description to be had in all ,holland1 
and those not of the best4 ,one was in  
the possession of a dealer in           
,amsterdam1 and the other in ,harlaem4  
,so anxious were the speculators to     
obtain them that one person offered the 
fee-simple of twelve acres of building  
ground for the ,harlaem tulip4 ,that of 
,amsterdam was bought for #dfjj florins1
 a new carriage1 two grey horses1 and a 
complete suit of harness4 ,munting1 an  
industrious author of that day1 who     
wrote a folio volume of one thousand    
pages upon the tulipomania1 has         
preserved the following list of the     
various articles1 and their value1 which
 were delivered for one single root of  
the rare species called the viceroy3--  
florins4      ,two lasts of             
wheat44444444444444  #ddh      ,four    
lasts of rye444444444444444  #eeh       
,four fat oxen4444444444444444444  #dhj 
,eight fat swine44444444444444444  #bdj 
,twelve fat sheep4444444444444444  #abj 
,two hogsheads of wine44444444444   #gj 

,four tuns of beer444444444444444   #cb 
,two tons of butter44444444444444  #aib 
,one thousand lbs4 of cheese44444  #abj 
,a complete bed444444444444444444  #ajj 
,a suit of clothes444444444444444   #hj 
,a silver drinking cup44444444444   #fj 
-----                                   
#bejj      -----  ,people who had been  
absent from ,holland1 and whose chance  
it was to return when this folly was at 
its maximum1 were sometimes led into    
awkward dilemmas by their ignorance4    
,there is an amusing instance of the    
kind related in ,blainville's ,travels4 
,a wealthy merchant1 who prided himself 
not a little on his rare tulips1        
received upon one occasion a very       
valuable consignment of merchandise from
 the ,levant4 ,intelligence of its      
arrival was brought him by a sailor1 who
 presented himself for that purpose at  
the counting-house1 among bales of goods
 of every description4 ,the merchant1 to
 reward him for his news1 munificently  
made him a present of a fine red herring

 for his breakfast4 ,the sailor had1 it 
appears1 a great partiality for onions1 
and seeing a bulb very like an onion    
lying upon the counter of this liberal  
trader1 and thinking it1 no doubt1 very 
much out of its place among silks and   
velvets1 he slily seized an opportunity 
and slipped it into his pocket1 as a    
relish for his herring4 ,he got clear   
off with his prize1 and proceeded to the
 quay to eat his breakfast4 ,hardly was 
his back turned when the merchant missed
 his valuable ,semper ,augustus1 worth  
three thousand florins1 or about #bhj   
pounds sterling4 ,the whole             
establishment was instantly in an       
uproar2 search was everywhere made for  
the precious root1 but it was not to be 
found4 ,great was the merchant's        
distress of mind4 ,the search was       
renewed1 but again without success4 ,at 
last some one thought of the sailor4    
,the unhappy merchant sprang into the   
street at the bare suggestion4 ,his     
alarmed household followed him4 ,the    

sailor1 simple soul6 had not thought of 
concealment4 ,he was found quietly      
sitting on a coil of ropes1 masticating 
the last morsel of his onion4 ,little   
did he dream that he had been eating a  
breakfast whose cost might have regaled 
a whole ship's crew for a twelvemonth2  
or1 as the plundered merchant himself   
expressed it1 might have sumptuously    
feasted the ,prince of ,orange and the  
whole court of the ,stadtholder4        
,anthony caused pearls to be dissolved  
in wine to drink the health of          
,cleopatra2 ,sir ,richard ,whittington  
was as foolishly magnificent in an      
entertainment to ,king ,henry ,v2 and   
,sir ,thomas ,gresham drank a diamond1  
dissolved in wine1 to the health of     
,queen ,elizabeth1 when she opened the  
,royal ,exchange3 but the breakfast of  
this roguish ,dutchman was as splendid  
as either4 ,he had an advantage1 too1   
over his wasteful predecessors3 their   
gems did not improve the taste or the   
wholesomeness of their wine1 while his  

tulip was quite delicious with his red  
herring4 ,the most unfortunate part of  
the business for him was1 that he       
remained in prison for some months1 on a
 charge of felony1 preferred against him
 by the merchant4  ,another story is    
told of an ,english traveller1 which is 
scarcely less ludicrous4 ,this          
gentleman1 an amateur botanist1 happened
 to see a tulip-root lying in the       
conservatory of a wealthy ,dutchman4    
,being ignorant of its quality1 he took 
out his penknife1 and peeled off its    
coats1 with the view of making          
experiments upon it4 ,when it was by    
this means reduced to half its original 
size1 he cut it into two equal sections1
 making all the time many learned       
remarks on the singular appearances of  
the unknown bulb4 ,suddenly the owner   
pounced upon him1 and1 with fury in his 
eyes1 asked him if he knew what he had  
been doing8 ,peeling a most             
extraordinary onion1 replied the        
philosopher4 ,hundert tausend duyvel1   

said the ,dutchman2 it's an ,admiral    
,van der ,e4 yck4 ,thank you1 replied   
the traveller1 taking out his note-book 
to make a memorandum of the same2 are   
these admirals common in your country8  
,death and the devil1 said the          
,dutchman1 seizing the astonished man of
 science by the collar2 come before the 
syndic1 and you shall see4 ,in spite of 
his remonstrances1 the traveller was led
 through the streets1 followed by a mob 
of persons4 ,when brought into the      
presence of the magistrate1 he learned1 
to his consternation1 that the root upon
 which he had been experimentalizing was
 worth four thousand florins2 and1      
notwithstanding all he could urge in    
extenuation1 he was lodged in prison    
until he found securities for the       
payment of this sum4  ,the demand for   
tulips of a rare species increased so   
much in the year #afcf1 that regular    
marts for their sale were established on
 the ,stock ,exchange of ,amsterdam1 in 
,rotterdam1 ,harlaem1 ,leyden1 ,alkmar1 

,hoorn1 and other towns4 ,symptoms of   
gambling now became1 for the first time1
 apparent4 ,the stockjobbers1 ever on   
the alert for a new speculation1 dealt  
largely in tulips1 making use of all the
 means they so well knew how to employ1 
to cause fluctuations in prices4 ,at    
first1 as in all these gambling mania1  
confidence was at its height1 and       
everybody gained4 ,the tulip-jobbers    
speculated in the rise and fall of the  
tulip stocks1 and made large profits by 
buying when prices fell1 and selling out
 when they rose4 ,many individuals grew 
suddenly rich4 ,a golden bait hung      
temptingly out before the people1 and1  
one after the other1 they rushed to the 
tulip marts1 like flies around a        
honeypot4 ,every one imagined that the  
passion for tulips would last for ever1 
and that the wealthy from every part of 
the world would send to ,holland1 and   
pay whatever prices were asked for them4
 ,the riches of ,europe would be        
concentrated on the shores of the       

,zuyder ,zee1 and poverty banished from 
the favoured clime of ,holland4 ,nobles1
 citizens1 farmers1 mechanics1 seamen1  
footmen1 maidservants1 even             
chimney-sweeps and old clotheswomen1    
dabbled in tulips4 ,people of all grades
 converted their property into cash1 and
 invested it in flowers4 ,houses and    
lands were offered for sale at ruinously
 low prices1 or assigned in payment of  
bargains made at the tulip-mart4        
,foreigners became smitten with the same
 frenzy1 and money poured into ,holland 
from all directions4 ,the prices of the 
necessaries of life rose again by       
degrees2 houses and lands1 horses and   
carriages1 and luxuries of every sort1  
rose in value with them1 and for some   
months ,holland seemed the very         
antechamber of ,plutus4 ,the operations 
of the trade became so extensive and so 
intricate1 that it was found necessary  
to draw up a code of laws for the       
guidance of the dealers4 ,notaries and  
clerks were also appointed1 who devoted 

themselves exclusively to the interests 
of the trade4 ,the designation of public
 notary was hardly known in some towns1 
that of tulip notary usurping its place4
 ,in the smaller towns1 where there was 
no exchange1 the principal tavern was   
usually selected as the showplace1 where
 high and low traded in tulips1 and     
confirmed their bargains over sumptuous 
entertainments4 ,these dinners were     
sometimes attended by two or three      
hundred persons1 and large vases of     
tulips1 in full bloom1 were placed at   
regular intervals upon the tables and   
sideboards1 for their gratification     
during the repast4  ,at last1 however1  
the more prudent began to see that this 
folly could not last for ever4 ,rich    
people no longer bought the flowers to  
keep them in their gardens1 but to sell 
them again at cent4 per cent4 profit4   
,it was seen that somebody must lose    
fearfully in the end4 ,as this          
conviction spread1 prices fell1 and     
never rose again4 ,confidence was       

destroyed1 and a universal panic seized 
upon the dealers4 ,a had agreed to      
purchase ten ,sempers ,augustines from  
,b1 at four thousand florins each1 at   
six weeks after the signing of the      
contract4 ,b was ready with the flowers 
at the appointed time2 but the price had
 fallen to three or four hundred        
florins1 and ,a refused either to pay   
the difference or receive the tulips4   
,defaulters were announced day after day
 in all the towns of ,holland4 ,hundreds
 who1 a few months previously1 had begun
 to doubt that there was such a thing as
 poverty in the land1 suddenly found    
themselves the possessors of a few      
bulbs1 which nobody would buy1 even     
though they offered them at one quarter 
of the sums they had paid for them4 ,the
 cry of distress resounded everywhere1  
and each man accused his neighbour4 ,the
 few who had contrived to enrich        
themselves hid their wealth from the    
knowledge of their fellow-citizens1 and 
invested it in the ,english or other    

funds4 ,many who1 for a brief season1   
had emerged from the humbler walks of   
life1 were cast back into their original
 obscurity4 ,substantial merchants were 
reduced almost to beggary1 and many a   
representative of a noble line saw the  
fortunes of his house ruined beyond     
redemption4  ,when the first alarm      
subsided1 the tulip-holders in the      
several towns held public meetings to   
devise what measures were best to be    
taken to restore public credit4 ,it was 
generally agreed1 that deputies should  
be sent from all parts to ,amsterdam1 to
 consult with the government upon some  
remedy for the evil4 ,the ,government at
 first refused to interfere1 but advised
 the tulip-holders to agree to some plan
 among themselves4 ,several meetings    
were held for this purpose2 but no      
measure could be devised likely to give 
satisfaction to the deluded people1 or  
repair even a slight portion of the     
mischief that had been done4 ,the       
language of complaint and reproach was  

in everybody's mouth1 and all the       
meetings were of the most stormy        
character4 ,at last1 however1 after much
 bickering and ill-will1 it was agreed1 
at ,amsterdam1 by the assembled         
deputies1 that all contracts made in the
 height of the mania1 or prior to the   
month of ,november #afcf1 should be     
declared null and void1 and that1 in    
those made after that date1 purchasers  
should be freed from their engagements1 
on paying ten per cent4 to the vendor4  
,this decision gave no satisfaction4    
,the vendors who had their tulips on    
hand were1 of course1 discontented1 and 
those who had pledged themselves to     
purchase1 thought themselves hardly     
treated4 ,tulips which had1 at one time1
 been worth six thousand florins1 were  
now to be procured for five hundred2 so 
that the composition of ten per cent4   
was one hundred florins more than the   
actual value4 ,actions for breach of    
contract were threatened in all the     
courts of the country2 but the latter   

refused to take cognizance of gambling  
transactions4  ,the matter was finally  
referred to the ,provincial ,council at 
the ,hague1 and it was confidently      
expected that the wisdom of this body   
would invent some measure by which      
credit should be restored4 ,expectation 
was on the stretch for its decision1 but
 it never came4 ,the members continued  
to deliberate week after week1 and at   
last1 after thinking about it for three 
months1 declared that they could offer  
no final decision until they had more   
information4 ,they advised1 however1    
that1 in the mean time1 every vendor    
should1 in the presence of witnesses1   
offer the tulips in natura to the       
purchaser for the sums agreed upon4 ,if 
the latter refused to take them1 they   
might be put up for sale by public      
auction1 and the original contractor    
held responsible for the difference     
between the actual and the stipulated   
price4 ,this was exactly the plan       
recommended by the deputies1 and which  

was already shown to be of no avail4    
,there was no court in ,holland which   
would enforce payment4 ,the question was
 raised in ,amsterdam1 but the judges   
unanimously refused to interfere1 on the
 ground that debts contracted in        
gambling were no debts in law4  ,thus   
the matter rested4 ,to find a remedy was
 beyond the power of the government4    
,those who were unlucky enough to have  
had stores of tulips on hand at the time
 of the sudden reaction were left to    
bear their ruin as philosophically as   
they could2 those who had made profits  
were allowed to keep them2 but the      
commerce of the country suffered a      
severe shock1 from which it was many    
years ere it recovered4  ,the example of
 the ,dutch was imitated to some extent 
in ,england4 ,in the year #afcf tulips  
were publicly sold in the ,exchange of  
,london1 and the jobbers exerted        
themselves to the utmost to raise them  
to the fictitious value they had        
acquired in ,amsterdam4 ,in ,paris also 

the jobbers strove to create a          
tulipomania4 ,in both cities they only  
partially succeeded4 ,however1 the force
 of example brought the flowers into    
great favour1 and amongst a certain     
class of people tulips have ever since  
been prized more highly than any other  
flowers of the field4 ,the ,dutch are   
still notorious for their partiality to 
them1 and continue to pay higher prices 
for them than any other people4 ,as the 
rich ,englishman boasts of his fine     
race-horses or his old pictures1 so does
 the wealthy ,dutchman vaunt him of his 
tulips4   ,in ,england1 in our day1     
strange as it may appear1 a tulip will  
produce more money than an oak4 ,if one 
could be found1 rara in tetris1 and     
black as the black swan alluded to by   
,juvenal1 its price would equal that of 
a dozen acres of standing corn4 ,in     
,scotland1 towards the close of the     
seventeenth century1 the highest price  
for tulips1 according to the authority  
of a writer in the supplement to the    

third edition of the ,encyclopedia      
,britannica1 was ten guineas4 ,their    
value appears to have diminished from   
that time till the year #agfi1 when the 
two most valuable species in ,england   
were the ,don ,quevedo and the          
,valentinier1 the former of which was   
worth two guineas and the latter two    
guineas and a half4 ,these prices appear
 to have been the minimum4 ,in the year 
#ahjj1 a common price was fifteen       
guineas for a single bulb4 ,in #ahce1 so
 foolish were the fanciers1 that a bulb 
of the species called the ,miss ,fanny  
,kemble was sold by public auction in   
,london for seventy-five pounds4 ,still 
more astonishing was the price of a     
tulip in the possession of a gardener in
 the ,king's ,road1 ,chelsea4 ,in his   
catalogues1 it was labelled at two      
hundred guineas6 ,thus a flower1 which  
for beauty and perfume was surpassed by 
the abundant roses of the garden1--a    
nosegay of which might be purchased for 
a penny1--was priced at a sum which     

would have provided an industrious      
labourer and his family with food1 and  
clothes1 and lodging for six years6     
,should chickweed and groundsel ever    
come into fashion1 the wealthy would1 no
 doubt1 vie with each other in adorning 
their gardens with them1 and paying the 
most extravagant prices for them4 ,in so
 doing1 they would hardly be more       
foolish than the admirers of tulips4    
,the common prices for these flowers at 
the present time vary from five to      
fifteen guineas1 according to the rarity
 of the species4     ,,relics4       ,a 
fouth o' auld knick-knackets1           
,rusty airn caps and jinglin' jackets1  
,wad haud the ,lothians three1 in       
tackets1      ,a towmond guid2      ,an'
 parritch pats1 and auld saut backets1  
,afore the flood4       ,burns4  ,the   
love for relics is one which will never 
be eradicated as long as feeling and    
affection are denizens of the heart4 ,it
 is a love which is most easily excited 
in the best and kindliest natures1 and  

which few are callous enough to scoff   
at4 ,who would not treasure the lock of 
hair that once adorned the brow of the  
faithful wife1 now cold in death1 or    
that hung down the neck of a beloved    
infant1 now sleeping under the sward8   
,not one4 ,they are home-relics1 whose  
sacred worth is intelligible to all2    
spoils rescued from the devouring grave1
 which1 to the affectionate1 are beyond 
all price4 ,how dear to a forlorn       
survivor the book over whose pages he   
has pored with one departed6 ,how much  
greater its value1 if that hand1 now    
cold1 had written a thought1 an opinion1
 or a name1 upon the leaf6 ,besides     
these sweet1 domestic relics1 there are 
others1 which no one can condemn2 relics
 sanctified by that admiration of       
greatness and goodness which is akin to 
love2 such as the copy of ,montaigne's  
,florio1 with the name of ,shakspeare   
upon the leaf1 written by the poet of   
all time himself2 the chair preserved at
 ,antwerp1 in which ,rubens sat when he 

painted the immortal ,descent from the  
,cross2 or the telescope1 preserved in  
the ,museum of ,florence1 which aided   
,galileo in his sublime discoveries4    
,who would not look with veneration upon
 the undoubted arrow of ,william        
,tell--the swords of ,wallace or of     
,hampden--or the ,bible whose leaves    
were turned by some stern old father of 
the faith8  ,thus the principle of      
reliquism is hallowed and enshrined by  
love4 ,but from this germ of purity how 
numerous the progeny of errors and      
superstitions6 ,men1 in their admiration
 of the great1 and of all that          
appertained to them1 have forgotten that
 goodness is a component part of true   
greatness1 and have made fools of       
themselves for the jaw-bone of a saint1 
the toe-nail of an apostle1 the         
handkerchief a king blew his nose in1 or
 the rope that hanged a criminal4       
,desiring to rescue some slight token   
from the graves of their predecessors1  
they have confounded the famous and the 

infamous1 the renowned and the          
notorious4 ,great saints1 great sinners2
 great philosophers1 great quacks2 great
 conquerors1 great murderers2 great     
ministers1 great thieves2 each and all  
have had their admirers1 ready to       
ransack earth1 from the equator to      
either pole1 to find a relic of them4   
,the reliquism of modern times dates its
 origin from the centuries immediately  
preceding the ,crusades4 ,the first     
pilgrims to the ,holy ,land brought back
 to ,europe thousands of apocryphal     
relics1 in the purchase of which they   
had expended all their store4 ,the      
greatest favourite was the wood of the  
true cross1 which1 like the oil of the  
widow1 never diminished4 ,it is         
generally asserted1 in the traditions of
 the ,romish ,church1 that the ,empress 
,helen1 the mother of ,constantine the  
,great1 first discovered the veritable  
true cross in her pilgrimage to         
,jerusalem4 ,the ,emperor ,theodosius   
made a present of the greater part of it

 to ,st4 ,ambrose1 ,bishop of ,milan1 by
 whom it was studded with precious      
stones1 and deposited in the principal  
church of that city4 ,it was carried    
away by the ,huns1 by whom it was burnt1
 after they had extracted the valuable  
jewels it contained4 ,fragments1        
purporting to have been cut from it     
were1 in the eleventh and twelfth       
centuries1 to be found in almost every  
church in ,europe1 and would1 if        
collected together in one place1 have   
been almost sufficient to have built a  
cathedral4 ,happy was the sinner who    
could get a sight of one of them2       
happier he who possessed one6 ,to obtain
 them the greatest dangers were         
cheerfully braved4 ,they were thought to
 preserve from all evils1 and to cure   
the most inveterate diseases4 ,annual   
pilgrimages were made to the shrines    
that contained them1 and considerable   
revenues collected from the devotees4   
,next in renown were those precious     
relics1 the tears of the ,saviour4 ,by  

whom and in what manner they were       
preserved1 the pilgrims did not often   
inquire4 ,their genuineness was vouched 
by the ,christians of the ,holy ,land1  
and that was sufficient4 ,tears of the  
,virgin ,mary1 and tears of ,st4 ,peter1
 were also to be had1 carefully enclosed
 in little caskets1 which the pious     
might wear in their bosoms4 ,after the  
tears the next most precious relics were
 drops of the blood of ,jesus and the   
martyrs4 ,hair and toe-nails were also  
in great repute1 and were sold at       
extravagant prices4 ,thousands of       
pilgrims annually visited ,palestine in 
the eleventh and twelfth centuries1 to  
purchase pretended relics for the home  
market4 ,the majority of them had no    
other means of subsistence than the     
profits thus obtained4 ,many a nail1 cut
 from the filthy foot of some           
unscrupulous ecclesiastic1 was sold at a
 diamond's price1 within six months     
after its severance from its parent toe1
 upon the supposition that it had once  

belonged to a saint4 ,peter's toes were 
uncommonly prolific1 for there were     
nails enough in ,europe1 at the time of 
the ,council of ,clermont1 to have      
filled a sack1 all of which were        
devoutly believed to have grown on the  
sacred feet of that great apostle4 ,some
 of them are still shown in the         
cathedral of ,aix-la-,chapelle4 ,the    
pious come from a distance of a hundred 
,german miles to feast their eyes upon  
them4  ,at ,port ,royal1 in ,paris1 is  
kept with great care a thorn1 which the 
priests of that seminary assert to be   
one of the identical thorns that bound  
the holy head of the ,son of ,god4 ,how 
it came there1 and by whom it was       
preserved1 has never been explained4    
,this is the famous thorn1 celebrated in
 the long dissensions of the ,jansenists
 and the ,molenists1 and which worked   
the miraculous cure upon ,mademoiselle  
,perrier3 by merely kissing it1 she was 
cured of a disease of the eyes of long  
standing4 ,voltaire1 ,siecle de ,louis  

,,xiv4  ,what traveller is unacquainted 
with the ,santa ,scala1 or ,holy        
,stairs1 at ,rome8 ,they were brought   
from ,jerusalem along with the true     
cross1 by the ,empress ,helen1 and were 
taken from the house which1 according to
 popular tradition1 was inhabited by    
,pontius ,pilate4 ,they are said to be  
the steps which ,jesus ascended and     
descended when brought into the presence
 of the ,roman governor4 ,they are held 
in the greatest veneration at ,rome3 it 
is sacrilegious to walk upon them4 ,the 
knees of the faithful must alone touch  
them in ascending or descending1 and    
that only after they have reverentially 
kissed them4  ,europe still swarms with 
these religious relics4 ,there is hardly
 a ,roman ,catholic church in ,spain1   
,portugal1 ,italy1 ,france1 or ,belgium1
 without one or more of them4 ,even the 
poorly endowed churches of the villages 
boast the possession of miraculous      
thigh-bones of the innumerable saints of
 the ,romish calendar4 ,aix-la-,chapelle

 is proud of the veritable chasse1 or   
thigh-bone of ,charlemagne1 which cures 
lameness4 ,halle has a thighbone of the 
,virgin ,mary2 ,spain has seven or      
eight1 all said to be undoubted relics4 
,brussels at one time preserved1 and    
perhaps does now1 the teeth of ,st4     
,gudule4 ,the faithful1 who suffered    
from the tooth-ache1 had only to pray1  
look at them1 and be cured4 ,some of    
these holy bones have been buried in    
different parts of the ,continent4      
,after a certain lapse of time1 water is
 said to ooze from them1 which soon     
forms a spring1 and cures all the       
diseases of the faithful4 ,at a church  
in ,halle1 there is a famous thigh-bone1
 which cures barrenness in women4 ,of   
this bone1 which is under the special   
superintendence of the ,virgin1 a       
pleasant story is related by the        
incredulous4 ,there resided at ,ghent a 
couple who were blessed with all the    
riches of this world1 but whose         
happiness was sore troubled by the want 

of children4 ,great was the grief of the
 lady1 who was both beautiful and       
loving1 and many her lamentations to her
 husband4 ,the latter1 annoyed by her   
unceasing sorrow1 advised her to make a 
pilgrimage to the celebrated chasse of  
the ,virgin4 ,she went1 was absent a    
week1 and returned with a face all      
radiant with joy and pleasure4 ,her     
lamentations ceased1 and1 in nine months
 afterwards1 she brought forth a son4   
,but1 oh6 the instability of human joys6
 ,the babe1 so long desired and so      
greatly beloved1 survived but a few     
months4 ,two years passed over the heads
 of the disconsolate couple1 and no     
second child appeared to cheer their    
fire-side4 ,a third year passed away    
with the same result1 and the lady once 
more began to weep4 ,cheer up1 my love1 
said her husband1 and go to the holy    
chasse1 at ,halle2 perhaps the ,virgin  
will again listen to your prayers4 ,the 
lady took courage at the thought1 wiped 
away her tears1 and proceeded on the    

morrow towards ,halle4 ,she was absent  
only three days1 and returned home sad1 
weeping1 and sorrow-stricken4 ,what is  
the matter8 said her husband2 is the    
,virgin unwilling to listen to your     
prayers8 ,the ,virgin is willing enough1
 said the disconsolate wife1 and will do
 what she can for me2 but ,i shall never
 have any more children6 ,the priest6   
the priest6--,he is gone from ,halle1   
and nobody knows where to find him6  ,it
 is curious to remark the avidity       
manifested in all ages1 and in all      
countries1 to obtain possession of some 
relic of any persons who have been much 
spoken of1 even for their crimes4 ,when 
,william ,longbeard1 leader of the      
populace of ,london1 in the reign of    
,richard ,i1 was hanged at ,smithfield1 
the utmost eagerness was shown to obtain
 a hair from his head1 or a shred from  
his garments4 ,women came from ,essex1  
,kent1 ,suffolk1 ,sussex1 and all the   
surrounding counties1 to collect the    
mould at the foot of his gallows4 ,a    

hair of his beard was believed to       
preserve from evil spirits1 and a piece 
of his clothes from aches and pains4    
,in more modern days1 a similar avidity 
was shown to obtain a relic of the      
luckless ,masaniello1 the fisherman of  
,naples4 ,after he had been raised by   
mob favour to a height of power more    
despotic than monarch ever wielded1 he  
was shot by the same populace in the    
streets1 as if he had been a mad dog4   
,his headless trunk was dragged through 
the mire for several hours1 and cast at 
night-fall into the city ditch4 ,on the 
morrow the tide of popular feeling      
turned once more in his favour4 ,his    
corpse was sought1 arrayed in royal     
robes1 and buried magnificently by      
torch-light in the cathedral1 ten       
thousand armed men1 and as many         
mourners1 attending at the ceremony4    
,the fisherman's dress which he had worn
 was rent into shreds by the crowd1 to  
be preserved as relics2 the door of his 
hut was pulled off its hinges by a mob  

of women1 and eagerly cut up into small 
pieces1 to be made into images1 caskets1
 and other mementos4 ,the scanty        
furniture of his poor abode became of   
more value than the adornments of a     
palace2 the ground he had walked upon   
was considered sacred1 and1 being       
collected in small phials1 was sold at  
its weight in gold1 and worn in the     
bosom as an amulet4  ,almost as         
extraordinary was the frenzy manifested 
by the populace of ,paris on the        
execution of the atrocious ,marchioness 
de ,brinvilliers4 ,there were grounds   
for the popular wonder in the case of   
,masaniello1 who was unstained with     
personal crimes4 ,but the career of     
,madame de ,brinvilliers was of a nature
 to excite no other feelings than       
disgust and abhorrence4 ,she was        
convicted of poisoning several persons1 
and sentenced to be burned in the ,place
 de ,greve1 and to have her ashes       
scattered to the winds4 ,on the day of  
her execution1 the populace1 struck by  

her gracefulness and beauty1 inveighed  
against the severity of her sentence4   
,their pity soon increased to           
admiration1 and1 ere evening1 she was   
considered a saint4 ,her ashes were     
industriously collected1 even the       
charred wood1 which had aided to consume
 her1 was eagerly purchased by the      
populace4 ,her ashes were thought to    
preserve from witchcraft4  ,in ,england 
many persons have a singular love for   
the relics of thieves and murderers1 or 
other great criminals4 ,the ropes with  
which they have been hanged are very    
often bought by collectors at a guinea  
per foot4 ,great sums were paid for the 
rope which hanged ,dr4 ,dodd1 and for   
those more recently which did justice   
upon ,mr4 ,fauntleroy for forgery1 and  
on ,thurtell for the murder of ,mr4     
,weare4 ,the murder of ,maria ,marten1  
by ,corder1 in the year #ahbh1 excited  
the greatest interest all over the      
country4 ,people came from ,wales and   
,scotland1 and even from ,ireland1 to   

visit the barn where the body of the    
murdered woman was buried4 ,every one of
 them was anxious to carry away some    
memorial of his visit4 ,pieces of the   
barn-door1 tiles from the roof1 and1    
above all1 the clothes of the poor      
victim1 were eagerly sought after4 ,a   
lock of her hair was sold for two       
guineas1 and the purchaser thought      
himself fortunate in getting it so      
cheaply4  ,so great was the concourse of
 people to visit the house in           
,camberwell ,lane1 where ,greenacre     
murdered ,hannah ,brown1 in #ahcg1 that 
it was found necessary to station a     
strong detachment of police on the spot4
 ,the crowd was so eager to obtain a    
relic of the house of this atrocious    
criminal1 that the police were obliged  
to employ force to prevent the tables   
and chairs1 and even the doors1 from    
being carried away4  ,in earlier times1 
a singular superstition was attached to 
the hand of a criminal who had suffered 
execution4 ,it was thought that by      

merely rubbing the dead hand on the     
body1 the patient afflicted with the    
king's evil would be instantly cured4   
,the executioner at ,newgate1 sixty or  
seventy years ago1 derived no           
inconsiderable revenue from this foolish
 practice4 ,the possession of the hand  
was thought to be of still greater      
efficacy in the cure of diseases and the
 prevention of misfortunes4 ,in the time
 of ,charles ,,ii as much as ten guineas
 was thought a small price for one of   
these disgusting relics4  ,when the     
maniac1 ,thom1 or ,courtenay1 was shot1 
in the spring of #ahch1 the             
relic-hunters were immediately in motion
 to obtain a memento of so extraordinary
 an individual4 ,his long1 black beard  
and hair1 which were cut off by the     
surgeons1 fell into the hands of his    
disciples1 by whom they are treasured   
with the utmost reverence4 ,a lock of   
his hair commands a great price1 not    
only amongst his followers1 but among   
the more wealthy inhabitants of         

,canterbury and its neighbourhood4 ,the 
tree against which he fell when he was  
shot1 has already been stripped of all  
its bark by the curious1 and bids fair  
to be entirely demolished within a      
twelvemonth4 ,a letter1 with his        
signature to it1 is paid for in gold    
coins2 and his favourite horse promises 
to become as celebrated as his master4  
,parties of ladies and gentlemen have   
come to ,boughton from a distance of a  
hundred and fifty miles1 to visit the   
scene of that fatal affray1 and stroke  
on the back the horse of the mad ,knight
 of ,malta4 ,if a strict watch had not  
been kept over his grave for months1 the
 body would have been disinterred1 and  
the bones carried away as memorials4    
,among the ,chinese no relics are more  
valued than the boots which have been   
worn by an upright magistrate4 ,in      
,davis's interesting ,description of the
 ,empire of ,china1 we are informed1    
that whenever a judge of unusual        
integrity resigns his situation1 the    

people all congregate to do him honour4 
,if he leaves the city where he has     
presided1 the crowd accompany him from  
his residence to the gates1 where his   
boots are drawn off with great ceremony1
 to be preserved in the hall of justice4
 ,their place is immediately supplied by
 a new pair1 which1 in their turn1 are  
drawn off to make room for others before
 he has worn them five minutes1 it being
 considered sufficient to consecrate    
them that he should have merely drawn   
them on4  ,among the most favourite     
relics of modern times1 in ,europe1 are 
,shakspeare's mulberry-tree1 ,napoleon's
 willow1 and the table at ,waterloo1 on 
which the ,emperor wrote his despatches4
 ,snuffboxes of ,shakspeare's           
mulberry-tree1 are comparatively rare1  
though there are doubtless more of them 
in the market than were ever made of the
 wood planted by the great bard4 ,many a
 piece of alien wood passes under this  
name4 ,the same may be said of          
,napoleon's table at ,waterloo4 ,the    

original has long since been destroyed1 
and a round dozen of counterfeits along 
with it4 ,many preserve the simple stick
 of wood2 others have them cut into     
brooches and every variety of ornament2 
but by far the greater number prefer    
them as snuff-boxes4 ,in ,france they   
are made into bonbonnieres1 and are much
 esteemed by the many thousands whose   
cheeks still glow1 and whose eyes still 
sparkle at the name of ,napoleon4       
,bullets from the field of ,waterloo1   
and buttons from the coats of the       
soldiers who fell in the fight1 are     
still favourite relics in ,europe4 ,but 
the same ingenuity which found new      
tables after the old one was destroyed1 
has cast new bullets for the curious4   
,many a one who thinks himself the      
possessor of a bullet which aided in    
giving peace to the world on that       
memorable day1 is the owner of a dump1  
first extracted from the ore a dozen    
years afterwards4 ,let all lovers of    
genuine relics look well to their money 

before they part with it to the ciceroni
 that swarm in the village of ,waterloo4
  ,few travellers stop at the lonely    
isle of ,st4 ,helena1 without cutting a 
twig from the willow that droops over   
the grave of ,napoleon4 ,many of them   
have since been planted in different    
parts of ,europe1 and have grown into   
trees as large as their parent4         
,relic-hunters1 who are unable to       
procure a twig of the original1 are     
content with one from these4 ,several of
 them are growing in the neighbourhood  
of ,london1 more prized by their        
cultivators than any other tree in their
 gardens4 ,but in relics1 as in         
everything else1 there is the use and   
the abuse4 ,the undoubted relics of     
great men1 or great events1 will always 
possess attractions for the thinking and
 refined4 ,there are few who would not  
join with ,cowley in the extravagant    
wish introduced in his lines written    
while sitting in a chair made of the    
remains of the ship in which ,sir       

,francis ,drake sailed round the        
world3--       ,and ,i myself1 who now  
love quiet too1      ,almost as much as 
any chair can do1      ,would yet a     
journey take      ,an old wheel of that 
chariot to see1      ,which ,phaeton so 
rashly brake4     ,,modern ,,prophecies4
  ,as epidemic terror of the end of the 
world has several times spread over the 
nations4 ,the most remarkable was that  
which seized ,christendom about the     
middle of the tenth century4 ,numbers of
 fanatics appeared in ,france1 ,germany1
 and ,italy at that time1 preaching that
 the thousand years prophesied in the   
,apocalypse as the term of the world's  
duration1 were about to expire1 and that
 the ,son of ,man would appear in the   
clouds to judge the godly and the       
ungodly4 ,the delusion appears to have  
been discouraged by the church1 but it  
nevertheless spread rapidly among the   
people4 ,see ,gibbon and ,voltaire for  
further notice of this subject4  ,the   
scene of the last judgment was expected 

to be at ,jerusalem4 ,in the year #iii1 
the number of pilgrims proceeding       
eastward1 to await the coming of the    
,lord in that city1 was so great that   
they were compared to a desolating army4
 ,most of them sold their goods and     
possessions before they quitted ,europe1
 and lived upon the proceeds in the     
,holy ,land4 ,buildings of every sort   
were suffered to fall into ruins4 ,it   
was thought useless to repair them1 when
 the end of the world was so near4 ,many
 noble edifices were deliberately pulled
 down4 ,even churches1 usually so well  
maintained1 shared the general neglect4 
,knights1 citizens1 and serfs1 travelled
 eastwards in company1 taking with them 
their wives and children1 singing psalms
 as they went1 and looking with fearful 
eyes upon the sky1 which they expected  
each minute to open1 to let the ,son of 
,god descend in his glory4  ,during the 
thousandth year the number of pilgrims  
increased4 ,most of them were smitten   
with terror as with a plague4 ,every    

phenomenon of nature filled them with   
alarm4 ,a thunder-storm sent them all   
upon their knees in mid-march4 ,it was  
the opinion that thunder was the voice  
of ,god1 announcing the day of judgment4
 ,numbers expected the earth to open1   
and give up its dead at the sound4      
,every meteor in the sky seen at        
,jerusalem brought the whole ,christian 
population into the streets to weep and 
pray4 ,the pilgrims on the road were in 
the same alarm3--       ,lorsque1       
pendant la nuit1 un globe de lumiere    
,s'echappa quelquefois de la voute des  
cieux1      ,et traca dans sa chute un  
long sillon de feux1      ,la troupe    
suspendit sa marche solitaire4          
,charlemagne4 ,pomme ,epique1 par       
,lucien ,buonaparte4  ,fanatic preachers
 kept up the flame of terror4 ,every    
shooting star furnished occasion for a  
sermon1 in which the sublimity of the   
approaching judgment was the principal  
topic4  ,the appearance of comets has   
been often thought to foretell the      

speedy dissolution of this world4 ,part 
of this belief still exists2 but the    
comet is no longer looked upon as the   
sign1 but the agent of destruction4 ,so 
lately as in the year #ahcb the greatest
 alarm spread over the ,continent of    
,europe1 especially in ,germany1 lest   
the comet1 whose appearance was then    
foretold by astronomers1 should destroy 
the earth4 ,the danger of our globe was 
gravely discussed4 ,many persons        
refrained from undertaking or concluding
 any business during that year1 in      
consequence solely of their apprehension
 that this terrible comet would dash us 
and our world to atoms4  ,during seasons
 of great pestilence men have often     
believed the prophecies of crazed       
fanatics1 that the end of the world was 
come4 ,credulity is always greatest in  
times of calamity4 ,prophecies of all   
sorts are rife on such occasions1 and   
are readily believed1 whether for good  
or evil4 ,during the great plague1 which
 ravaged all ,europe1 between the years 

#acde and #acej1 it was generally       
considered that the end of the world was
 at hand4 ,pretended prophets were to be
 found in all the principal cities of   
,germany1 ,france1 and ,italy1          
predicting that within ten years the    
trump of the ,archangel would sound1 and
 the ,saviour appear in the clouds to   
call the earth to judgment4  ,no little 
consternation was created in ,london in 
#agcf by the prophecy of the famous     
,whiston1 that the world would be       
destroyed in that year1 on the #acth of 
,october4 ,crowds of people went out on 
the appointed day to ,islington1        
,hampstead1 and the fields intervening1 
to see the destruction of ,london1 which
 was to be the beginning of the end4 ,a 
satirical account of this folly is given
 in ,swift's ,miscellanies1 vol4 iii4   
entitled1 ,a ,true and ,faithful        
,narrative of what passed in ,london on 
a ,rumour of the ,day of ,judgment4 ,an 
authentic narrative of this delusion    
would be interesting2 but this solemn   

witticism of ,pope and ,gay is not to be
 depended upon4  ,in the year #agfa the 
citizens of ,london were again          
frightened out of their wits by two     
shocks of an earthquake1 and the        
prophecy of a third1 which was to       
destroy them altogether4 ,the first     
shock was felt on the #hth of ,february1
 and threw down several chimneys in the 
neighbourhood of ,limehouse and ,poplar2
 the second happened on the #hth of     
,march1 and was chiefly felt in the     
north of ,london1 and towards ,hampstead
 and ,highgate4 ,it soon became the     
subject of general remark1 that there   
was exactly an interval of a month      
between the shocks2 and a crack-brained 
fellow1 named ,bell1 a soldier in the   
,life ,guards1 was so impressed with the
 idea that there would be a third in    
another month1 that he lost his senses  
altogether1 and ran about the streets   
predicting the destruction of ,london on
 the #eth of ,april4 ,most people       
thought that the first would have been a

 more appropriate day2 but there were   
not wanting thousands who confidently   
believed the prediction1 and took       
measures to transport themselves and    
families from the scene of the impending
 calamity4 ,as the awful day approached1
 the excitement became intense1 and     
great numbers of credulous people       
resorted to all the villages within a   
circuit of twenty miles1 awaiting the   
doom of ,london4 ,islington1 ,highgate1 
,hampstead1 ,harrow1 and ,blackheath1   
were crowded with panic-stricken        
fugitives1 who paid exorbitant prices   
for accommodation to the housekeepers of
 these secure retreats4 ,such as could  
not afford to pay for lodgings at any of
 those places1 remained in ,london until
 two or three days before the time1 and 
then encamped in the surrounding fields1
 awaiting the tremendous shock which was
 to lay their high city all level with  
the dust4 ,as happened during a similar 
panic in the time of ,henry ,,viii1 the 
fear became contagious1 and hundreds who

 had laughed at the prediction a week   
before1 packed up their goods1 when they
 saw others doing so1 and hastened away4
 ,the river was thought to be a place of
 great security1 and all the merchant   
vessels in the port were filled with    
people1 who passed the night between the
 #dth and #eth on board1 expecting every
 instant to see ,st4 ,paul's totter1 and
 the towers of ,westminster ,abbey rock 
in the wind and fall amid a cloud of    
dust4 ,the greater part of the fugitives
 returned on the following day1         
convinced that the prophet was a false  
one2 but many judged it more prudent to 
allow a week to elapse before they      
trusted their dear limbs in ,london4    
,bell lost all credit in a short time1  
and was looked upon even by the most    
credulous as a mere madman4 ,he tried   
some other prophecies1 but nobody was   
deceived by them2 and1 in a few months  
afterwards1 he was confined in a lunatic
 asylum4  ,a panic terror of the end of 
the world seized the good people of     

,leeds and its neighbourhood in the year
 #ahjf4 ,it arose from the following    
circumstances4 ,a hen1 in a village     
close by1 laid eggs1 on which were      
inscribed1 in legible characters1 the   
words ,christ is coming4 ,great numbers 
visited the spot1 and examined these    
wondrous eggs1 convinced that the day of
 judgment was near at hand4 ,like       
sailors in a storm1 expecting every     
instant to go to the bottom1 the        
believers suddenly became religious1    
prayed violently1 and flattered         
themselves that they repented them of   
their evil courses4 ,but a plain tale   
soon put them down1 and quenched their  
religion entirely4 ,some gentlemen1     
hearing of the matter1 went one fine    
morning1 and caught the poor hen in the 
act of laying one of her miraculous     
eggs4 ,they soon ascertained beyond     
doubt that the egg had been inscribed   
with some corrosive ink1 and cruelly    
forced up again into the bird's body4   
,at this explanation1 those who had     

prayed1 now laughed1 and the world      
wagged as merrily as of yore4  ,at the  
time of the plague in ,milan1 in #afcj1 
of which so affecting a description has 
been left us by ,ripamonte1 in his      
interesting work ,de ,peste ,mediolani1 
the people1 in their distress1 listened 
with avidity to the predictions of      
astrologers and other impostors4 ,it is 
singular enough that the plague was     
foretold a year before it broke out4 ,a 
large comet appearing in #afbh1 the     
opinions of astrologers were divided    
with regard to it4 ,some insisted that  
it was a forerunner of a bloody war2    
others maintained that it predicted a   
great famine2 but the greater number1   
founding their judgment upon its pale   
colour1 thought it portended a          
pestilence4 ,the fulfilment of their    
prediction brought them into great      
repute while the plague was raging4     
,other prophecies were current1 which   
were asserted to have been delivered    
hundreds of years previously4 ,they had 

a most pernicious effect upon the mind  
of the vulgar1 as they induced a belief 
in fatalism4 ,by taking away the hope of
 recovery--that greatest balm in every  
malady--they increased threefold the    
ravages of the disease4 ,one singular   
prediction almost drove the unhappy     
people mad4 ,an ancient couplet1        
preserved for ages by tradition1        
foretold1 that in the year #afcj the    
devil would poison all ,milan4 ,early   
one morning in ,april1 and before the   
pestilence had reached its height1 the  
passengers were surprised to see that   
all the doors in the principal streets  
of the city were marked with a curious  
daub1 or spot1 as if a sponge1 filled   
with the purulent matter of the         
plague-sores1 had been pressed against  
them4 ,the whole population were        
speedily in movement to remark the      
strange appearance1 and the greatest    
alarm spread rapidly4 ,every means was  
taken to discover the perpetrators1 but 
in vain4 ,at last the ancient prophecy  

was remembered1 and prayers were offered
 up in all the churches that the        
machinations of the ,evil ,one might be 
defeated4 ,many persons were of opinion 
that the emissaries of foreign powers   
were employed to spread infectious      
poison over the city2 but by far the    
greater number were convinced that the  
powers of hell had conspired against    
them1 and that the infection was spread 
by supernatural agencies4 ,in the mean  
time the plague increased fearfully4    
,distrust and alarm took possession of  
every mind4 ,everything was believed to 
have been poisoned by the devil2 the    
waters of the wells1 the standing corn  
in the fields1 and the fruit upon the   
trees4 ,it was believed that all objects
 of touch were poisoned2 the walls of   
the houses1 the pavement of the streets1
 and the very handles of the doors4 ,the
 populace were raised to a pitch of     
ungovernable fury4 ,a strict watch was  
kept for the devil's emissaries1 and any
 man who wanted to be rid of an enemy1  

had only to say that he had seen him    
besmearing a door with ointment2 his    
fate was certain death at the hands of  
the mob4 ,an old man1 upwards of eighty 
years of age1 a daily frequenter of the 
church of ,st4 ,antonio1 was seen1 on   
rising from his knees1 to wipe with the 
skirt of his cloak the stool on which he
 was about to sit down4 ,a cry was      
raised immediately that he was          
besmearing the seat with poison4 ,a mob 
of women1 by whom the church was        
crowded1 seized hold of the feeble old  
man1 and dragged him out by the hair of 
his head1 with horrid oaths and         
imprecations4 ,he was trailed in this   
manner through the mire to the house of 
the municipal judge1 that he might be   
put to the rack1 and forced to discover 
his accomplices2 but he expired on the  
way4 ,many other victims were sacrificed
 to the popular fury4 ,one ,mora1 who   
appears to have been half a chemist and 
half a barber1 was accused of being in  
league with the devil to poison ,milan4 

,his house was surrounded1 and a number 
of chemical preparations were found4    
,the poor man asserted1 that they were  
intended as preservatives against       
infection2 but some physicians1 to whom 
they were submitted1 declared they were 
poison4 ,mora was put to the rack1 where
 he for a long time asserted his        
innocence4 ,he confessed at last1 when  
his courage was worn down by torture1   
that he was in league with the devil and
 foreign powers to poison the whole     
city2 that he had anointed the doors1   
and infected the fountains of water4 ,he
 named several persons as his           
accomplices1 who were apprehended and   
put to a similar torture4 ,they were all
 found guilty1 and executed4 ,mora's    
house was rased to the ground1 and a    
column erected on the spot1 with an     
inscription to commemorate his guilt4   
,while the public mind was filled with  
these marvellous occurrences1 the plague
 continued to increase4 ,the crowds that
 were brought together to witness the   

executions1 spread the infection among  
one another4 ,but the fury of their     
passions1 and the extent of their       
credulity1 kept pace with the violence  
of the plague2 every wonderful and      
preposterous story was believed4 ,one1  
in particular1 occupied them to the     
exclusion1 for a long time1 of every    
other4 ,the ,devil himself had been     
seen4 ,he had taken a house in ,milan1  
in which he prepared his poisonous      
unguents1 and furnished them to his     
emissaries for distribution4 ,one man   
had brooded over such tales till he     
became firmly convinced that the wild   
flights of his own fancy were realities4
 ,he stationed himself in the           
market-place of ,milan1 and related the 
following story to the crowds that      
gathered round him4 ,he was standing1 he
 said1 at the door of the cathedral1    
late in the evening1 and when there was 
nobody nigh1 he saw a dark-coloured     
chariot1 drawn by six milk-white horses1
 stop close beside him4 ,the chariot was

 followed by a numerous train of        
domestics in dark liveries1 mounted on  
dark-coloured steeds4 ,in the chariot   
there sat a tall stranger of a majestic 
aspect2 his long black hair floated in  
the wind--fire flashed from his large   
black eyes1 and a curl of ineffable     
scorn dwelt upon his lips4 ,the look of 
the stranger was so sublime that he was 
awed1 and trembled with fear when he    
gazed upon him4 ,his complexion was much
 darker than that of any man he had ever
 seen1 and the atmosphere around him was
 hot and suffocating4 ,he perceived     
immediately that he was a being of      
another world4 ,the stranger1 seeing his
 trepidation1 asked him blandly1 yet    
majestically1 to mount beside him4 ,he  
had no power to refuse1 and before he   
was well aware that he had moved1 he    
found himself in the chariot4 ,onwards  
they went1 with the rapidity of the     
wind1 the stranger speaking no word1    
until they stopped before a door in the 
high-street of ,milan4 ,there was a     

crowd of people in the street1 but1 to  
his great surprise1 no one seemed to    
notice the extraordinary equipage and   
its numerous train4 ,from this he       
concluded that they were invisible4 ,the
 house at which they stopped appeared to
 be a shop1 but the interior was like a 
vast half-ruined palace4 ,he went with  
his mysterious guide through several    
large and dimly-lighted rooms4 ,in one  
of them1 surrounded by huge pillars of  
marble1 a senate of ghosts was          
assembled1 debating on the progress of  
the plague4 ,other parts of the building
 were enveloped in the thickest         
darkness1 illumined at intervals by     
flashes of lightning1 which allowed him 
to distinguish a number of gibing and   
chattering skeletons1 running about and 
pursuing each other1 or playing at      
leap-frog over one another's backs4 ,at 
the rear of the mansion was a wild1     
uncultivated plot of ground1 in the     
midst of which arose a black rock4 ,down
 its sides rushed with fearful noise a  

torrent of poisonous water1 which1      
insinuating itself through the soil1    
penetrated to all the springs of the    
city1 and rendered them unfit for use4  
,after he had been shown all this1 the  
stranger led him into another large     
chamber1 filled with gold and precious  
stones1 all of which he offered him if  
he would kneel down and worship him1 and
 consent to smear the doors and houses  
of ,milan with a pestiferous salve which
 he held out to him4 ,he now knew him to
 be the ,devil1 and in that moment of   
temptation1 prayed to ,god to give him  
strength to resist4 ,his prayer was     
heard--he refused the bribe4 ,the       
stranger scowled horribly upon him--a   
loud clap of thunder burst over his     
head--the vivid lightning flashed in his
 eyes1 and the next moment he found     
himself standing alone at the porch of  
the cathedral4 ,he repeated this strange
 tale day after day1 without any        
variation1 and all the populace were    
firm believers in its truth4 ,repeated  

search was made to discover the         
mysterious house1 but all in vain4 ,the 
man pointed out several as resembling   
it1 which were searched by the police2  
but the ,demon of the ,pestilence was   
not to be found1 nor the hall of ghosts1
 nor the poisonous fountain4 ,but the   
minds of the people were so impressed   
with the idea that scores of witnesses1 
half crazed by disease1 came forward to 
swear that they also had seen the       
diabolical stranger1 and had heard his  
chariot1 drawn by the milk-white steeds1
 rumbling over the streets at midnight  
with a sound louder than thunder4  ,the 
number of persons who confessed that    
they were employed by the ,devil to     
distribute poison is almost incredible4 
,an epidemic frenzy was abroad1 which   
seemed to be as contagious as the       
plague4 ,imagination was as disordered  
as the body1 and day after day persons  
came voluntarily forward to accuse      
themselves4 ,they generally had the     
marks of disease upon them1 and some    

died in the act of confession4  ,during 
the great plague of ,london1 in #affe1  
the people listened with similar avidity
 to the predictions of quacks and       
fanatics4 ,defoe says1 that at that time
 the people were more addicted to       
prophecies and astronomical             
conjurations1 dreams1 and old wives'    
tales than ever they were before or     
since4 ,almanacs1 and their predictions1
 frightened them terribly4 ,even the    
year before the plague broke out1 they  
were greatly alarmed by the comet which 
then appeared1 and anticipated that     
famine1 pestilence1 or fire would       
follow4 ,enthusiasts1 while yet the     
disease had made but little progress1   
ran about the streets1 predicting that  
in a few days ,london would be          
destroyed4  ,a still more singular      
instance of the faith in predictions    
occurred in ,london in the year #aebd4  
,the city swarmed at that time with     
fortune-tellers and astrologers1 who    
were consulted daily by people of every 

class in society on the secrets of      
futurity4 ,as early as the month of     
,june #aebc1 several of them concurred  
in predicting that1 on the #ast day of  
,february1 #aebd1 the waters of the     
,thames would swell to such a height as 
to overflow the whole city of ,london1  
and wash away ten thousand houses4 ,the 
prophecy met implicit belief4 ,it was   
reiterated with the utmost confidence   
month after month1 until so much alarm  
was excited that many families packed up
 their goods1 and removed into ,kent and
 ,essex4 ,as the time drew nigh1 the    
number of these emigrants increased4 ,in
 ,january1 droves of workmen might be   
seen1 followed by their wives and       
children1 trudging on foot to the       
villages within fifteen or twenty miles1
 to await the catastrophe4 ,people of a 
higher class were also to be seen1 in   
waggons and other vehicles1 bound on a  
similar errand4 ,by the middle of       
,january1 at least twenty thousand      
persons had quitted the doomed city1    

leaving nothing but the bare walls of   
their homes to be swept away by the     
impending floods4 ,many of the richer   
sort took up their abode on the heights 
of ,highgate1 ,hampstead1 and           
,blackheath2 and some erected tents as  
far away as ,waltham ,abbey1 on the     
north1 and ,croydon1 on the south of the
 ,thames4 ,bolton1 the prior of ,st4    
,bartholomew's1 was so alarmed that he  
erected1 at very great expense1 a sort  
of fortress at ,harrow-on-the-,hill1    
which he stocked with provisions for two
 months4 ,on the #bdth of ,january1 a   
week before the awful day which was to  
see the destruction of ,london1 he      
removed thither1 with the brethren and  
officers of the priory and all his      
household4 ,a number of boats were      
conveyed in waggons to his fortress1    
furnished abundantly with expert rowers1
 in case the flood1 reaching so high as 
,harrow1 should force them to go further
 for a resting-place4 ,many wealthy     
citizens prayed to share his retreat1   

but the ,prior1 with a prudent          
forethought1 admitted only his personal 
friends1 and those who brought stores of
 eatables for the blockade4  ,at last   
the morn1 big with the fate of ,london1 
appeared in the east4 ,the wondering    
crowds were astir at an early hour to   
watch the rising of the waters4 ,the    
inundation1 it was predicted1 would be  
gradual1 not sudden2 so that they       
expected to have plenty of time to      
escape1 as soon as they saw the bosom of
 old ,thames heave beyond the usual     
mark4 ,but the majority were too much   
alarmed to trust to this1 and thought   
themselves safer ten or twenty miles    
off4 ,the ,thames1 unmindful of the     
foolish crowds upon its banks1 flowed on
 quietly as of yore4 ,the tide ebbed at 
its usual hour1 flowed to its usual     
height1 and then ebbed again1 just as if
 twenty astrologers had not pledged     
their words to the contrary4 ,blank were
 their faces as evening approached1 and 
as blank grew the faces of the citizens 

to think that they had made such fools  
of themselves4 ,at last night set in1   
and the obstinate river would not lift  
its waters to sweep away even one house 
out of the ten thousand4 ,still1        
however1 the people were afraid to go to
 sleep4 ,many hundreds remained up till 
dawn of the next day1 lest the deluge   
should come upon them like a thief in   
the night4  ,on the morrow1 it was      
seriously discussed whether it would not
 be advisable to duck the false prophets
 in the river4 ,luckily for them1 they  
thought of an expedient which allayed   
the popular fury4 ,they asserted that1  
by an error 7a very slight one7 of a    
little figure1 they had fixed the date  
of this awful inundation a whole century
 too early4 ,the stars were right after 
all1 and they1 erring mortals1 were     
wrong4 ,the present generation of       
cockneys was safe1 and ,london 'would be
 washed away1 not in #aebd1 but in      
#afbd4 ,at this announcement1 ,bolton1  
the prior1 dismantled his fortress1 and 

the weary emigrants came back4  ,an     
eye-witness of the great fire of        
,london1 in an account preserved among  
the ,harleian ,,mss4 in the ,british    
,museum1 and recently published in the  
,transactions of the ,royal ,society of 
,antiquaries1 relates another instance  
of the credulity of the ,londoners4 ,the
 writer1 who accompanied the ,duke of   
,york day by day through the district   
included between the ,fleet-bridge and  
the ,thames1 states that1 in their      
efforts to check the progress of the    
flames1 they were much impeded by the   
superstition of the people4 ,mother     
,shipton1 in one of her prophecies1 had 
said that ,london would be reduced to   
ashes1 and they refused to make any     
efforts to prevent it4 ,this prophecy   
seems to have been that set forth at    
length in the popular ,life of ,mother  
,shipton3--       ,when fate to ,england
 shall restore      ,a king to reign as 
heretofore1      ,great death in ,london
 shall be though1      ,and many houses 

be laid low4  ,a son of the noted ,sir  
,kenelm ,digby1 who was also a pretender
 to the gifts of prophecy1 persuaded    
them that no power on earth could       
prevent the fulfilment of the           
prediction2 for it was written in the   
great book of fate that ,london was to  
be destroyed4 ,hundreds of persons1 who 
might have rendered valuable assistance1
 and saved whole parishes from          
devastation1 folded their arms and      
looked on4 ,as many more gave themselves
 up1 with the less compunction1 to      
plunder a city which they could not     
save4  ,the prophecies of ,mother       
,shipton are still believed in many of  
the rural districts of ,england4 ,in    
cottages and servants' halls her        
reputation is great2 and she rules1 the 
most popular of ,british prophets1 among
 all the uneducated1 or half-educated1  
portions of the community4 ,she is      
generally supposed to have been born at 
,knaresborough1 in the reign of ,henry  
,,vii1 and to have sold her soul to the 

,devil for the power of foretelling     
future events4 ,though during her       
lifetime she was looked upon as a witch1
 she yet escaped the witch's fate1 and  
died peaceably in her bed at an extreme 
old age1 near ,clifton in ,yorkshire4 ,a
 stone is said to have been erected to  
her memory in the church-yard of that   
place1 with the following epitaph3--    
,here lies she who never lied2 ,whose   
skill often has been tried3 ,her        
prophecies shall still survive1 ,and    
ever keep her name alive4  ,never a day 
passed1 says her traditionary biography1
 wherein she did not relate something   
remarkable1 and that required the most  
serious consideration4 ,people flocked  
to her from far and near1 her fame was  
so great4 ,they went to her of all      
sorts1 both old and young1 rich and     
poor1 especially young maidens1 to be   
resolved of their doubts relating to    
things to come2 and all returned        
wonderfully satisfied in the            
explanations she gave to their          

questions4 ,among the rest1 went the    
,abbot of ,beverley1 to whom she        
foretold the suppression of the         
monasteries by ,henry ,,viii2 his       
marriage with ,anne ,boleyn2 the fires  
for heretics in ,smithfield1 and the    
execution of ,mary ,queen of ,scots4    
,she also foretold the accession of     
,james ,i1 adding that1 with him1       
,from the cold ,north1      ,every evil 
should come forth4  ,on a subsequent    
visit she uttered another prophecy1     
which1 in the opinion of her believers1 
still remains unfulfilled1 but may be   
expected to be realised during the      
present century3--       ,the time shall
 come when seas of blood      ,shall    
mingle with a greater flood4      ,great
 noise there shall be heard--great      
shouts and cries1      ,and seas shall  
thunder louder than the skies2          
,then shall three lions fight with      
three1 and bring      ,joy to a people1 
honour to a king4      ,that fiery year 
as soon as o'er1      ,peace shall then 

be as before2      ,plenty shall        
everywhere be found1      ,and men with 
swords shall plough the ground4  ,but   
the most famous of all her prophecies is
 one relating to ,london4 ,thousands of 
persons still shudder to think of the   
woes that are to burst over this unhappy
 realm1 when ,london and ,highgate are  
joined by one continuous line of houses4
 ,this junction1 which1 if the rage for 
building lasts much longer1 in the same 
proportion as heretofore1 bids fair to  
be soon accomplished1 was predicted by  
her shortly before her death4           
,revolutions--the fall of mighty        
monarchs1 and the shedding of much blood
 are to signalise that event4 ,the very 
angels1 afflicted by our woes1 are to   
turn aside their heads1 and weep for    
hapless ,britain4  ,but great as is the 
fame of ,mother ,shipton1 she ranks but 
second in the list of ,british prophets4
 ,merlin1 the mighty ,merlin1 stands    
alone in his high pre-eminence--the     
first and greatest4 ,as old ,drayton    

sings1 in his ,poly-olbion3--       ,of 
,merlin and his skill what region doth  
not hear8      ,the world shall still be
 full of ,merlin every year4      ,a    
thousand lingering years his prophecies 
have run1      ,and scarcely shall have 
end till time itself be done4  ,spenser1
 in his divine poem1 has given us a     
powerful description of this renowned   
seer--       4444444who had in magic    
more insight      ,than ever him before1
 or after1 living wight4       ,for he  
by words could call out of the sky      
,both sun and moon1 and make them him   
obey2      ,the land to sea1 and sea to 
mainland dry1      ,and darksome night  
he eke could turn to day--      ,huge   
hosts of men he could1 alone1 dismay4   
,and hosts of men and meanest things    
could frame1      ,whenso him list his  
enemies to fray1      ,that to this day1
 for terror of his name1      ,the      
fiends do quake1 when any him to them   
does name4       ,and soothe men say    
that he was not the sonne1      ,of     

mortal sire or other living wighte1     
,but wondrously begotten and begoune    
,by false illusion of a guileful sprite1
      ,on a faire ladye nun4  ,in these 
verses the poet has preserved the       
popular belief with regard to ,merlin1  
who is generally supposed to have been a
 contemporary of ,vortigern4 ,opinion is
 divided as to whether he were a real   
personage1 or a mere impersonation1     
formed by the poetic fancy of a         
credulous people4 ,it seems most        
probable that such a man did exist1 and 
that1 possessing knowledge as much above
 the comprehension of his age1 as that  
possessed by ,friar ,bacon was beyond   
the reach of his1 he was endowed by the 
wondering crowd with the supernatural   
attributes that ,spenser has enumerated4
  ,geoffrey of ,monmouth translated     
,merlin's poetical odes1 or prophecies1 
into ,latin prose1 and he was much      
reverenced1 not only by ,geoffrey1 but  
by most of the old annalists4 ,in a     
,life of ,merlin1 with his ,prophecies  

and ,predictions1 interpreted and made  
good by our ,english ,annals1 by ,thomas
 ,heywood1 published in the reign of    
,charles ,i1 we find several of these   
pretended prophecies4 ,they seem1       
however1 to have been all written by    
,heywood himself4 ,they are in terms too
 plain and positive to allow any one to 
doubt for a moment of their having been 
composed ex post facto4 ,speaking of    
,richard ,i1 he says3--       ,the      
,lion's heart will 'gainst the ,saracen 
rise1      ,and purchase from him many a
 glorious prize2      ,the rose and lily
 shall at first unite1      ,but1       
parting of the prey prove opposite4     
99           99          99           99
       ,but while abroad these great    
acts shall be done2      ,all things at 
home shall to disorder run4      ,cooped
 up and caged then shall the ,lion be1  
,but1 after sufferance1 ransomed and set
 free4  ,the sapient ,thomas ,heywood   
gravely goes on to inform us1 that all  
these things actually came to pass4     

,upon ,richard ,,iii he is equally      
luminous4 ,he says3--       ,a          
hunch-backed monster1 who with teeth is 
born1      ,the mockery of art and      
nature's scorn2      ,who from the womb 
preposterously is hurled1      ,and1    
with feet forward1 thrust into the      
world1      ,shall1 from the lower earth
 on which he stood1      ,wade1 every   
step he mounts1 knee-deep in blood4     
,he shall to th' height of all his hopes
 aspire1      ,and1 clothed in state1   
his ugly shape admire2      ,but1 when  
he thinks himself most safe to stand1   
,from foreign parts a native whelp shall
 land4  ,another of these prophecies    
after the event tells us that ,henry    
,,viii should take the power from ,rome1
 and bring it home unto his ,british    
bower2 that he should root out from the 
land all the razored skulls2 and that he
 should neither spare man in his rage   
nor woman in his lust2 and that1 in the 
time of his next successor but one1     
there should come in the fagot and the  

stake4 ,master ,heywood closes ,merlin's
 prophecies at his own day1 and does not
 give even a glimpse of what was to     
befall ,england after his decease4 ,many
 other prophecies1 besides those quoted 
by him1 were1 he says1 dispersed abroad1
 in his day1 under the name of ,merlin2 
but he gives his readers a taste of one 
only1 and that is the following3--      
,when hempe is ripe and ready to pull1  
,then ,englishman beware thy skull4     
,this prophecy1 which1 one would think1 
ought to have put him in mind of the    
gallows1 the not unusual fate of false  
prophets1 and perchance his own1 he     
explains thus3--,in this word ,,hempe be
 five letters4 ,now1 by reckoning the   
five successive princes from ,henry     
,,viii1 this prophecy is easily         
explained3 ,h signifieth ,king ,henry   
before named2 ,e1 ,edward1 his son1 the 
sixth of that name2 ,m1 ,mary1 who      
succeeded him2 ,p1 ,philip of ,spain1   
who1 by marrying ,queen ,mary1          
participated with her in the ,english   

diadem2 and1 lastly1 ,e signifieth      
,queen ,elizabeth1 after whose death    
there was a great feare that some       
troubles might have arisen about the    
crown4 ,as this did not happen1         
,heywood1 who was a sly rogue in a small
 way1 gets out of the scrape by saying1 
,yet proved this augury true1 though not
 according to the former expectation2   
for1 after the peaceful inauguration of 
,king ,james1 there was great mortality1
 not in ,london only1 but through the   
whole kingdom1 and from which the nation
 was not quite clean in seven years     
after4  ,this is not unlike the         
subterfuge of ,peter of ,pontefract1 who
 had prophesied the death and deposition
 of ,king ,john1 and who was hanged by  
that monarch for his pains4 ,a very     
graphic and amusing account of this     
pretended prophet is given by ,grafton1 
in his ,chronicles of ,england4 ,there  
is so much homely vigour about the style
 of the old annalist1 that it would be a
 pity to give the story in other words  

than his own4 ,chronicles of ,england1  
by ,richard ,grafton2 ,london1 #aefh1 p4
 #ajf4 ,in the meanwhile1 says he1 the  
priestes within ,england had provided   
them a false and counterfeated prophet1 
called ,peter ,wakefielde1 a ,yorkshire 
man1 who was an hermite1 an idle gadder 
about1 and a pratlyng marchant4 ,now to 
bring this ,peter in credite1 and the   
kyng out of all credite with his people1
 diverse vaine persons bruted dayly     
among the commons of the realme1 that   
,christe had twice appered unto him in  
the shape of a childe1 betwene the      
prieste's handes1 once at ,yorke1       
another tyme at ,pomfret2 and that he   
had breathed upon him thrice1 saying1   
',peace1 peace1 peace1' and teachyng    
many things1 which he anon declared to  
the bishops1 and bid the people amend   
their naughtie living4 ,being rapt also 
in spirite1 they sayde he behelde the   
joyes of heaven and sorowes of hell1 for
 scant were there three in the realme1  
sayde he1 that lived ,christainly4      

,this counterfeated soothsayer          
prophecied of ,king ,john1 that he      
should reigne no longer than the        
,ascension-day next followyng1 which was
 in the yere of our ,lord #abaa1 and was
 the thirteenth yere from his           
coronation2 and this1 he said1 he had by
 revelation4 ,then it was of him        
demanded1 whether he should be slaine or
 be deposed1 or should voluntarily give 
over the crowne8 ,he aunswered1 that he 
could not tell2 but of this he was sure 
7he sayd71 that neither he nor any of   
his stock or lineage should reigne after
 that day4  ,the king hering of this1   
laughed much at it1 and made but a scoff
 thereat4 ',tush6' saith he1 'it is but 
an ideot knave1 and such an one as      
lacketh his right wittes4' ,but when    
this foolish prophet had so escaped the 
daunger of the ,kinge's displeasure1 and
 that he made no more of it1 he gate him
 abroad1 and prated thereof at large1 as
 he was a very idle vagabond1 and used  
to trattle and talke more than ynough1  

so that they which loved the ,king      
caused him anon after to be apprehended 
as a malefactor1 and to be throwen in   
prison1 the ,king not yet knowing       
thereof4  ,anone after the fame of this 
phantasticall prophet went all the      
realme over1 and his name was knowen    
everywhere1 as foolishnesse is much     
regarded of the people1 where wisdome is
 not in place2 specially because he was 
then imprisoned for the matter1 the     
rumour was the larger1 their wonderynges
 were the wantoner1 their practises the 
foolisher1 their busye talkes and other 
idle doinges the greater4 ,continually  
from thence1 as the rude manner of      
people is1 olde gossyps tales went      
abroade1 new tales were invented1 fables
 were added to fables1 and lyes grew    
upon lyes4 ,so that every daye newe     
slanders were laide upon the ,king1 and 
not one of them true4 ,rumors arose1    
blasphemyes were sprede1 the enemyes    
rejoyced1 and treasons by the priestes  
were mainteyned2 and what lykewise was  

surmised1 or other subtiltye practised1 
all was then lathered upon this foolish 
prophet1 as 'thus saith ,peter          
,wakefield2' 'thus hath he prophecied2' 
'and thus it shall come to pass2' yea1  
many times1 when he thought nothing     
lesse4 ,and when the ,ascension-day was 
come1 which was prophecyed of before1   
,king ,john commanded his royal tent to 
be spread in the open fielde1 passing   
that day with his noble counseyle and   
men of honour1 in the greatest          
solemnitie that ever he did before2     
solacing himself with musickale         
instrumentes and songs1 most in sight   
among his trustie friendes4 ,when that  
day was paste in all prosperitie and    
myrth1 his enemyes being confused1      
turned all into an allegorical          
understanding to make the prophecie     
good1 and sayde1 'he is no longer ,king1
 for the ,pope reigneth1 and not he4'   
,king ,john was labouring under a       
sentence of excommunication at the time4
  ,then was the ,king by his council    

perswaded that this false prophet had   
troubled the realme1 perverted the      
heartes of the people1 and raysed the   
commons against him2 for his wordes went
 over the sea1 by the help of his       
prelates1 and came to the ,french       
,king's care1 and gave to him a great   
encouragement to invade the lande4 ,he  
had not else done it so sodeinely4 ,but 
he was most lowly deceived1 as all they 
are and shall be that put their trust in
 such dark drowsye dreames of           
hipocrites4 ,the ,king therefore        
commanded that he should be hanged up1  
and his sonne also with him1 lest any   
more false prophets should arise of that
 race4  ,heywood1 who was a great       
stickler for the truth of all sorts of  
prophecies1 gives a much more favourable
 account of this ,peter of ,pomfret1 or 
,pontefract1 whose fate he would1 in all
 probability1 have shared1 if he had had
 the misfortune to have flourished in   
the same age4 ,he says1 that ,peter1 who
 was not only a prophet1 but a bard1    

predicted divers of ,king ,john's       
disasters1 which fell out accordingly4  
,on being taxed for a lying prophet in  
having predicted that the ,king would be
 deposed before he entered into the     
fifteenth year of his reign1 he answered
 him boldly1 that all he had said was   
justifiable and true2 for that1 having  
given up his crown to the ,pope1 and    
paying him an annual tribute1 the ,pope 
reigned1 and not he4 ,heywood thought   
this explanation to be perfectly        
satisfactory1 and the prophet's faith   
for ever established4  ,but to return to
 ,merlin4 ,of him even to this day it   
may be said1 in the words which ,burns  
has applied to another notorious        
personage1       ,great was his power   
and great his fame2      ,far kenned and
 noted is his name8  ,his reputation is 
by no means confined to the land of his 
birth1 but extends through most of the  
nations of ,europe4 ,a very curious     
volume of his ,life1 ,prophecies1 and   
,miracles1 written1 it is supposed1 by  

,robert de ,bosron1 was printed at      
,paris in #adih1 which states1 that the 
,devil himself was his father1 and that 
he spoke the instant he was born1 and   
assured his mother1 a very virtuous     
young woman1 that she should not die in 
child-bed with him1 as her ill-natured  
neighbours had predicted4 ,the judge of 
the district1 hearing of so marvellous  
an occurrence1 summoned both mother and 
child to appear before him2 and they    
went accordingly the same day4 ,to put  
the wisdom of the young prophet most    
effectually to the test1 the judge asked
 him if he knew his own father8 ,to     
which the infant ,merlin replied1 in a  
clear1 sonorous voice1 ,yes1 my father  
is the ,devil2 and ,i have his power1   
and know all things1 past1 present1 and 
to come4 ,his worship clapped his hands 
in astonishment1 and took the prudent   
resolution of not molesting so awful a  
child1 or its mother either4  ,early    
tradition attributes the building of    
,stonehenge to the power of ,merlin4 ,it

 was believed that those mighty stones  
were whirled through the air1 at his    
command1 from ,ireland to ,salisbury    
,plain1 and that he arranged them in the
 form in which they now stand1 to       
commemorate for ever the unhappy fate of
 three hundred ,british chiefs1 who were
 massacred on that spot by the ,saxons4 
,at ,abergwylly1 near ,caermarthen1 is  
still shown the cave of the prophet and 
the scene of his incantations4 ,how     
beautiful is the description of it given
 by ,spenser in his ,faerie ,queene4    
,the lines need no apology for their    
repetition here1 and any sketch of the  
great prophet of ,britain would be      
incomplete without them3--       ,there 
the wise ,merlin1 whilom wont 7they     
say71      ,to make his wonne low       
underneath the ground1      ,in a deep  
delve far from the view of day1         
,that of no living wight he mote be     
found1      ,whenso he counselled with  
his sprites encompassed round4          
,and if thou ever happen that same way  

,to travel1 go to see that dreadful     
place2      ,it is a hideous1 hollow    
cave1 they say1      ,under a rock that 
lies a little space      ,from the swift
 ,barry1 tumbling down apace            
,amongst the woody hills of ,dynevoure2 
,but dare thou not1 ,i charge1 in any   
case1      ,to enter into that same     
baleful bower1      ,for fear the cruel 
fiendes should thee unwares devour6     
,but1 standing high aloft1 low lay thine
 care1      ,and there such ghastly     
noise of iron chaines1      ,and brazen 
caudrons thou shalt rombling heare1     
,which thousand sprites1 with           
long-enduring paines1      ,doe tosse1  
that it will stun thy feeble braines2   
,and often times great groans and       
grievous stownds1      ,when too huge   
toile and labour them constraines2      
,and often times loud strokes and       
ringing sounds      ,from under that    
deep rock most horribly rebounds4       
,the cause1 they say1 is this4 ,a little
 while      ,before that ,merlin died1  

he did intend      ,a brazen wall in    
compass1 to compile      ,about ,cayr   
,merdin1 and did it commend      ,unto  
these sprites to bring to perfect end2  
,during which work the ,lady of the     
,lake1      ,whom long he loved1 for him
 in haste did send1      ,who thereby   
forced his workmen to forsake1          
,them bound till his return their labour
 not to slake4       ,in the mean time1 
through that false ladie's traine1      
,he was surprised1 and buried under     
biere1      ,ne ever to his work        
returned again2      ,natheless these   
fiendes may not their work forbeare1    
,so greatly his commandement they fear1 
,but there doe toile and travaile day   
and night1      ,until that brazen wall 
they up doe reare4       ,faerie        
,queene1 b4 #c4 c4 #c4 s4 #f--ac4       
,amongst other ,english prophets1 a     
belief in whose power has not been      
entirely effaced by the light of        
advancing knowledge1 is ,robert ,nixon1 
the ,cheshire idiot1 a contemporary of  

,mother ,shipton4 ,the popular accounts 
of this man say1 that he was born of    
poor parents1 not far from ,vale ,royal1
 on the edge of the forest of ,delamere4
 ,he was brought up to the plough1 but  
was so ignorant and stupid1 that nothing
 could be made of him4 ,everybody       
thought him irretrievably insane1 and   
paid no attention to the strange1       
unconnected discourses which he held4   
,many of his prophecies are believed to 
have been lost in this manner4 ,but they
 were not always destined to be wasted  
upon dull and inattentive ears4 ,an     
incident occurred which brought him into
 notice1 and established his fame as a  
prophet of the first calibre4 ,he was   
ploughing in a field when he suddenly   
stopped from his labour1 and1 with a    
wild look and strange gestures1         
exclaimed1 ,now1 ,dick6 now1 ,harry6 ,o1
 ill done1 ,dick6 ,o1 well done1 ,harry6
 ,harry has gained the day6 ,his fellow 
labourers in the field did not know what
 to make of this rhapsody2 but the next 

day cleared up the mystery4 ,news was   
brought by a messenger1 in hot haste1   
that at the very instant when ,nixon had
 thus ejaculated1 ,richard ,,iii had    
been slain at the battle of ,bosworth1  
and ,henry ,,vii proclaimed ,king of    
,england4  ,it was not long before the  
fame of the new prophet reached the ears
 of the ,king1 who expressed a wish to  
see and converse with him4 ,a messenger 
was accordingly despatched to bring him 
to court2 but long before he reached    
,cheshire1 ,nixon knew and dreaded the  
honours that awaited him4 ,indeed it was
 said1 that at the very instant the     
,king expressed the wish1 ,nixon was1 by
 supernatural means1 made acquainted    
with it1 and that he ran about the town 
of ,over in great distress of mind1     
calling out1 like a madman1 that ,henry 
had sent for him1 and that he must go to
 court1 and be clammed2 that is1 starved
 to death4 ,these expressions excited no
 little wonder2 but1 on the third day1  
the messenger arrived1 and carried him  

to court1 leaving on the minds of the   
good people of ,cheshire an impression  
that their prophet was one of the       
greatest ever born4 ,on his arrival     
,king ,henry appeared to be troubled    
exceedingly at the loss of a valuable   
diamond1 and asked ,nixon if he could   
inform him where it was to be found4    
,henry had hidden the diamond himself1  
with a view to test the prophet's skill4
 ,great1 therefore1 was his surprise    
when ,nixon answered him in the words of
 the old proverb1 ,those who hide can   
find4 ,from that time forth the ,king   
implicitly believed that he had the gift
 of prophecy1 and ordered all his words 
to be taken down4  ,during all the time 
of his residence at court he was in     
constant fear of being starved to death1
 and repeatedly told the ,king that such
 would be his fate1 if he were not      
allowed to depart1 and return into his  
own country4 ,henry would not suffer it1
 but gave strict orders to all his      
officers and cooks to give him as much  

to eat as he wanted4 ,he lived so well1 
that for some time he seemed to be      
thriving like a nobleman's steward1 and 
growing as fat as an alderman4 ,one day 
the king went out hunting1 when ,nixon  
ran to the palace gate1 and entreated on
 his knees that he might not be left    
behind to be starved4 ,the ,king        
laughed1 and1 calling an officer1 told  
him to take especial care of the prophet
 during his absence1 and rode away to   
the forest4 ,after his departure1 the   
servants of the palace began to jeer at 
and insult ,nixon1 whom they imagined to
 be much better treated than he         
deserved4 ,nixon complained to the      
officer1 who1 to prevent him from being 
further molested1 locked him up in the  
,king's own closet1 and brought him     
regularly his four meals a day4 ,but it 
so happened that a messenger arrived    
from the ,king to this officer1         
requiring his immediate presence at     
,winchester1 on a matter of life and    
death4 ,so great was his haste to obey  

the ,king's command1 that he mounted on 
the horse behind the messenger1 and rode
 off1 without bestowing a thought upon  
poor ,nixon4 ,he did not return till    
three days afterwards1 when1 remembering
 the prophet for the first time1 he went
 to the ,king's closet1 and found him   
lying upon the floor1 starved to death1 
as he had predicted4  ,among the        
prophecies of his which are believed to 
have been fulfilled1 are the following1 
which relate to the times of the        
,pretender3--       ,a great man shall  
come into ,england1      ,but the son of
 a ,king      ,shall take from him the  
victory4       ,crows shall drink the   
blood of many nobles1      ,and the     
,north shall rise against the ,south4   
,the cock of the ,north shall be made to
 flee1      ,and his feather be plucked 
for his pride1      ,that he shall      
almost curse the day that he was born1  
,all these1 say his admirers1 are as    
clear as the sun at noon-day4 ,the first
 denotes the defeat of ,prince ,charles 

,edward1 at the battle of ,culloden1 by 
the ,duke of ,cumberland2 the second1   
the execution of ,lords ,derwentwater1  
,balmerino1 and ,lovat2 and the third1  
the retreat of the ,pretender from the  
shores of ,britain4 ,among the          
prophecies that still remain to be      
accomplished1 are the following3--      
,between seven1 eight1 and nine1        
,in ,england wonders shall be seen2     
,between nine and thirteen      ,all    
sorrow shall be done6       ,through our
 own money and our men      ,shall a    
dreadful war begin4      ,between the   
sickle and the suck      ,all ,england  
shall have a pluck1  ,foreign nations   
shall invade ,england with snow on their
 helmets1 and shall bring plague1       
famine1 and murder in the skirts of     
their garments4       ,the town of      
,nantwich shall be swept away by a flood
  ,of the two first of these no         
explanation has yet been attempted2 but 
some event or other will doubtless be   
twisted into such a shape as will fit   

them4 ,the third1 relative to the       
invasion of ,england by a nation with   
snow on their helmets1 is supposed by   
the old women to foretell most clearly  
the coming war with ,russia4 ,as to the 
last1 there are not a few in the town   
mentioned who devoutly believe that such
 will be its fate4 ,happily for their   
peace of mind1 the prophet said nothing 
of the year that was to witness the     
awful calamity2 so that they think it as
 likely to be two centuries hence as    
now4  ,the popular biographers of ,nixon
 conclude their account of him by       
saying1 that his prophecies are by some 
persons thought fables2 yet by what has 
come to pass1 it is now thought1 and    
very plainly appears1 that most of them 
have proved1 or will prove1 true2 for   
which we1 on all occasions1 ought not   
only to exert our utmost might to repel 
by force our enemies1 but to refrain    
from our abandoned and wicked course of 
life1 and to make our continual prayer  
to ,god for protection and safety4 ,to  

this1 though a non sequitur1 every one  
will cry ,amen6  ,besides the prophets1 
there have been the almanack makers1    
,lilly1 ,poor ,robin1 ,partridge1 and   
,francis ,moore1 physician1 in ,england1
 and ,matthew ,laensbergh1 in ,france   
and ,belgium4 ,but great as were their  
pretensions1 they were modesty itself in
 comparison with ,merlin1 ,shipton1 and 
,nixon1 who fixed their minds upon      
higher things than the weather1 and who 
were not so restrained in their flights 
of fancy as to prophesy for only one    
year at a time4 ,after such prophets as 
they1 the almanack makers hardly deserve
 to be mentioned2 no1 not even the      
renowned ,partridge1 whose wonderful    
prognostications set all ,england agog  
in #agjh1 and whose death1 at a time    
when he was still alive and kicking1 was
 so pleasantly and satisfactorily proved
 by ,isaac ,bickerstaff4 ,the           
anti-climax would be too palpable1 and  
they and their doings must be left      
uncommemorated4     ,,popular           

,,admiration ,,for ,,great ,,thieves4   
,jack4 ,where shall we find such another
 set of practical philosophers who1 to a
 man1 are above the fear of death8      
,wat4 ,sound men and true6  ,robin4 ,of 
tried courage and indefatigable         
industry6  ,ned4 ,who is there here that
 would not die for his friend8  ,harry4 
,who is there here that would betray him
 for his interest8  ,mat4 ,show me a    
gang of courtiers that could say as     
much6  ,dialogue of thieves in the      
,beggars' ,opera4  ,whether it be that  
the multitude1 feeling the pangs of     
poverty1 sympathise with the daring and 
ingenious depredators who take away the 
rich man's superfluity1 or whether it be
 the interest that mankind in general   
feel for the records of perilous        
adventures1 it is certain that the      
populace of all countries look with     
admiration upon great and successful    
thieves4 ,perhaps both these causes     
combine to invest their career with     
charms in the popular eye4 ,almost every

 country in ,europe has its traditional 
thief1 whose exploits are recorded with 
all the graces of poetry1 and whose     
trespasses--       --are cited up in    
rhymes1      ,and sung by children in   
succeeding times4       ,shakspeare's   
,rape of ,lucretia4  ,those travellers  
who have made national manners and      
characteristics their peculiar study1   
have often observed and remarked upon   
this feeling4 ,the learned ,abbe le     
,blanc1 who resided for some time in    
,england at the commencement of the     
eighteenth century1 says1 in his amusing
 letters on the ,english and ,french    
nations1 that he continually met with   
,englishmen who were not less vain in   
boasting of the success of their        
highwaymen than of the bravery of their 
troops4 ,tales of their address1 their  
cunning1 or their generosity1 were in   
the mouths of everybody1 and a noted    
thief was a kind of hero in high repute4
 ,he adds that the mob1 in all          
countries1 being easily moved1 look in  

general with concern upon criminals     
going to the gallows2 but an ,english   
mob looked upon such scenes with        
'extraordinary interest3 they delighted 
to see them go through their last trials
 with resolution1 and applauded those   
who were insensible enough to die as    
they had lived1 braving the justice both
 of ,god and men3 such1 he might have   
added1 as the noted robber ,macpherson1 
of whom the old ballad says--       ,sae
 rantingly1 sae wantonly1      ,sae     
dauntingly gaed he3      ,he played a   
spring1 and danced it round             
,beneath the gallows tree4  ,among these
 traditional thieves the most noted in  
,england1 or perhaps in any country1 is 
,robin ,hood1 a name which popular      
affection has encircled with a peculiar 
halo4 ,he robbed the rich to give to the
 poor2 and his reward has been an       
immortality of fame1 a tithe of which   
would be thought more than sufficient to
 recompense a benefactor of his species4
 ,romance and poetry have been emulous  

to make him all their own2 and the      
forest of ,sherwood1 in which he roamed 
with his merry men1 armed with their    
long bows1 and clad in ,lincoln green1  
has become the resort of pilgrims1 and a
 classic spot sacred to his memory4 ,the
 few virtues he had1 which would have   
ensured him no praise if he had been an 
honest man1 have been blazoned forth by 
popular renown during seven successive  
centuries1 and will never be forgotten  
while the ,english tongue endures4 ,his 
charity to the poor1 and his gallantry  
and respect for women1 have made him the
 pre-eminent thief of all the world4    
,among ,english thieves of a later date1
 who has not heard of ,claude ,duval1   
,dick ,turpin1 ,jonathan ,wild1 and     
,jack ,sheppard1 those knights of the   
road and of the town1 whose peculiar    
chivalry formed at once the dread and   
the delight of ,england during the      
eighteenth century8 ,turpin's fame is   
unknown to no portion of the male       
population of ,england after they have  

attained the age of ten4 ,his wondrous  
ride from ,london to ,york has endeared 
him to the imagination of millions2 his 
cruelty in placing an old woman upon a  
fire1 to force her to tell him where she
 had hidden her money1 is regarded as a 
good joke2 and his proud bearing upon   
the scaffold is looked upon as a        
virtuous action4 ,the ,abbe le ,blanc1  
writing in #agcg1 says he was           
continually entertained with stories of 
,turpin--how1 when he robbed gentlemen1 
he would generously leave them enough to
 continue their journey1 and exact a    
pledge from them never to inform against
 him1 and how scrupulous such gentlemen 
were in keeping their word4 ,he was one 
day told a story with which the relator 
was he the highest degree delighted4    
,turpin1 or some other noted robber1    
stopped a man whom he knew to be very   
rich1 with the usual salutation--,your  
money or your life6 but not finding more
 than five or six guineas about him1 he 
took the liberty of entreating him1 in  

the most affable manner1 never to come  
out so ill provided2 adding that1 if he 
fell in with him1 and he had no more    
than such a paltry sum1 he would give   
him a good licking4 ,another story1 told
 by one of ,turpin's admirers1 was of a 
robbery he had committed upon a ,mr4 ,c4
 near ,cambridge4 ,he took from this    
gentleman his watch1 his snuff-box1 and 
all his money but two shillings1 and1   
before he left him1 required his word of
 honour that he would not cause him to  
be pursued or brought before a justice4 
,the promise being given1 they both     
parted very courteously4 ,they          
afterwards met at ,newmarket1 and       
renewed their acquaintance4 ,mr4 ,c4    
kept his word religiously2 he not only  
refrained from giving ,turpin into      
custody1 but made a boast that he had   
fairly won some of his money back again 
in an honest way4 ,turpin offered to bet
 with him on some favourite horse1 and  
,mr4 ,c4 accepted the wager with as good
 a grace as he could have done from the 

best gentleman in ,england4 ,turpin lost
 his bet and paid it immediately1 and   
was so smitten with the generous        
behaviour of ,mr4 ,c4 that he told him  
how deeply he regretted that the        
trifling affair which had happened      
between them did not permit them to     
drink together4 ,the narrator of this   
anecdote was quite proud that ,england  
was the birthplace of such a highwayman4
  ,the ,abbe1 in the second volume1 in  
the letter ,no4 #gi1 dressed to         
,monsieur de ,buffon1 gives the         
following curious particulars of the    
robbers of #ageg1 which are not without 
interest at this day1 if it were only to
 show the vast improvement which has    
taken place since that period3--,it is  
usual1 in travelling1 to put ten or a   
dozen guineas in a separate pocket1 as a
 tribute to the first that comes to     
demand them3 the right of passport1     
which custom has established here in    
favour of the robbers1 who are almost   
the only highway surveyors in ,england1 

has made this necessary2 and accordingly
 the ,english call these fellows the    
',gentlemen of the ,road1' the          
government letting them exercise their  
jurisdiction upon travellers without    
giving them any great molestation4 ,to  
say the truth1 they content themselves  
with only taking the money of those who 
obey without disputing2 but             
notwithstanding their boasted humanity1 
the lives of those who endeavour to get 
away are not always safe4 ,they are very
 strict and severe in levying their     
impost2 and if a man has not wherewithal
 to pay them1 he may run the chance of  
getting himself knocked on the head for 
his poverty4  ,about fifteen years ago1 
these robbers1 with the view of         
maintaining their rights1 fixed up      
papers at the doors of rich people about
 ,london1 expressly forbidding all      
persons1 of whatsoever quality or       
condition1 from going out of town       
without ten guineas and a watch about   
them1 on pain of death4 ,in bad times1  

when there is little or nothing to be   
got on the roads1 these fellows assemble
 in gangs1 to raise contributions even  
in ,london itself2 and the watchmen     
seldom trouble themselves to interfere  
with them in their vocation4  ,not less 
familiar to the people of ,england is   
the career of ,jack ,sheppard1 as brutal
 a ruffian as ever disgraced his        
country1 but who has claims upon the    
popular admiration which are very       
generally acknowledged4 ,he did not1    
like ,robin ,hood1 plunder the rich to  
relieve the poor1 nor rob with an       
uncouth sort of courtesy1 like ,turpin2 
but he escaped from ,newgate with the   
fetters on his limbs4 ,this achievement1
 more than once repeated1 has encircled 
his felon brow with the wreath of       
immortality1 and made him quite a       
pattern thief among the populace4 ,he   
was no more than twenty-three years of  
age at the time of his execution1 and he
 died much pitied by the crowd4 ,his    
adventures were the sole topics of      

conversation for months2 the print-shops
 were filled with his effigies1 and a   
fine painting of him was made by ,sir   
,richard ,thornhill4 ,the following     
complimentary verses to the artist      
appeared in the ,british ,journal of    
,november #bhth1 #agbd4                 
,thornhill6 'tis thine to gild with fame
      ,th' obscure1 and raise the humble
 name2      ,to make the form elude the 
grave1      ,and ,sheppard from oblivion
 save6       ,apelles ,alexander drew-- 
,cesar is to ,aurelius due2             
,cromwell in ,lilly's works doth shine1 
,and ,sheppard1 ,thornhill1 lives in    
thine6  ,so high was ,jack's fame that a
 pantomime entertainment1 called        
,harlequin ,jack ,sheppard1 was devised 
by one ,thurmond1 and brought out with  
great success at ,drury ,lane ,theatre4 
,all the scenes were painted from       
nature1 including the public-house that 
the robber frequented in ,claremarket1  
and the condemned cell from which he had
 made his escape in ,newgate4  ,the     

,rev4 ,mr4 ,villette1 the editor of the 
,annals of ,newgate1 published in #aged1
 relates a curious sermon which1 he     
says1 a friend of his heard delivered by
 a street-preacher about the time of    
,jack's execution4 ,the orator1 after   
animadverting on the great care men took
 of their bodies1 and the little care   
they bestowed upon their souls1         
continued as follows1 by way of         
exemplifying the position3--,we have a  
remarkable instance of this in a        
notorious malefactor1 well known by the 
name of ,jack ,sheppard4 ,what amazing  
difficulties has he overcome6 what      
astonishing things has he performed6 and
 all for the sake of a stinking1        
miserable carcass2 hardly worth the     
hanging6 ,how dexterously did he pick   
the chain of his padlock with a crooked 
nail6 how manfully he burst his fetters 
asunder6--climb up the chimney6--wrench 
out an iron bar6--break his way through 
a stone wall6--make the strong door of a
 dark entry fly before him1 till he got 

upon the leads of the prison6 then1     
fixing a blanket to the wall with a     
spike1 he stole out of the chapel4 ,how 
intrepidly did he descend to the top of 
the turner's house6--how cautiously pass
 down the stair1 and make his escape to 
the street door6  ,oh6 that ye were all 
like ,jack ,sheppard6 ,mistake me not1  
my brethren2 ,i don't mean in a carnal1 
but in a spiritual sense1 for ,i propose
 to spiritualise these things4 ,what a  
shame it would be if we should not think
 it worth our while to take as much     
pains1 and employ as many deep thoughts1
 to save our souls as he has done to    
preserve his body6  ,let me exhort ye1  
then1 to open the locks of your hearts  
with the nail of repentance6 ,burst     
asunder the fetters of your beloved     
lusts6--mount the chimney of hope6--take
 from thence the bar of good            
resolution6--break through the stone    
wall of despair1 and all the strongholds
 in the dark entry of the valley of the 
shadow of death6 ,raise yourselves to   

the leads of divine meditation6--fix the
 blanket of faith with the spike of the 
church6 let yourselves down to the      
turner's house of resignation1 and      
descend the stairs of humility6 ,so     
shall you come to the door of           
deliverance from the prison of iniquity1
 and escape the clutches of that old    
executioner the ,devil6  ,but popular as
 the name of ,jack ,sheppard was        
immediately after he had suffered the   
last penalty of his crimes1 it was as   
nothing compared to the vast renown     
which he has acquired in these latter   
days1 after the lapse of a century and a
 quarter4 ,poets too often1 are not     
fully appreciated till they have been   
dead a hundred years1 and thieves1 it   
would appear1 share the disadvantage4   
,but posterity is grateful if our       
contemporaries are not2 and ,jack       
,sheppard1 faintly praised in his own   
day1 shines out in ours the hero of     
heroes1 preeminent above all his        
fellows4 ,thornhill made but one picture

 of the illustrious robber1 but         
,cruikshank has made dozens1 and the art
 of the engraver has multiplied them    
into thousands and tens of thousands1   
until the populace of ,england have     
become as familiar with ,jack's features
 as they are with their own4 ,jack1 the 
romantic1 is the hero of three goodly   
volumes1 and the delight of the         
circulating libraries2 and the theatres 
have been smitten with the universal    
enthusiasm4 ,managers have set their    
playmongers at work1 and ,jack's story  
has been reproduced in the shape of     
drama1 melodrama1 and farce1 at half a  
dozen places of entertainment at once4  
,never was such a display of popular    
regard for a hero as was exhibited in   
,london in #ahdj for the renowned ,jack 
,sheppard3 robbery acquired additional  
lustre in the popular eye1 and not only 
,englishmen1 but foreigners1 caught the 
contagion2 and one of the latter1 fired 
by the example1 robbed and murdered a   
venerable1 unoffending1 and too         

confiding nobleman1 whom it was his     
especial duty to have obeyed and        
protected4 ,but he was a coward and a   
wretch2--it was a solitary crime--he had
 not made a daring escape from dungeon  
walls1 or ridden from ,london to ,york1 
and he died amid the execrations of the 
people1 affording a melancholy          
exemplification of the trite remark1    
that every man is not great who is      
desirous of being so4  ,jonathan ,wild1 
whose name has been immortalised by     
,fielding1 was no favourite with the    
people4 ,he had none of the virtues     
which1 combined with crimes1 make up the
 character of the great thief4 ,he was a
 pitiful fellow1 who informed against   
his comrades1 and was afraid of death4  
,this meanness was not to be forgiven by
 the crowd1 and they pelted him with    
dirt and stones on his way to ,tyburn1  
and expressed their contempt by every   
possible means4 ,how different was their
 conduct to ,turpin and ,jack ,sheppard1
 who died in their neatest attire1 with 

nosegays in their button-holes1 and with
 the courage that a crowd expects6 ,it  
was anticipated that the body of ,turpin
 would have been delivered up to the    
surgeons for dissection1 and the people 
seeing some men very busily employed in 
removing it1 suddenly set upon them1    
rescued the body1 bore it about the town
 in triumph1 and then buried it in a    
very deep grave1 filled with quick-lime1
 to hasten the progress of              
decomposition4 ,they would not suffer   
the corpse of their hero1 of the man who
 had ridden from ,london to ,york in    
four-and-twenty hours to be mangled by  
the rude hands of unmannerly surgeons4  
,the death of ,claude ,duval would      
appear to have been no less triumphant4 
,claude was a gentlemanly thief4        
,according to ,butler1 in the famous ode
 to his memory1 he       ,taught the    
wild ,arabs of the road      ,to rob in 
a more gentle mode2      ,take prizes   
more obligingly than those      ,who    
never had breen bred filous2      ,and  

how to hang in a more graceful fashion  
,than e'er was known before to the dull 
,english nation4  ,in fact1 he was the  
pink of politeness1 and his gallantry to
 the fair sex was proverbial4 ,when he  
was caught at last1 pent in stone walls 
and chains and iron grates1--their grief
 was in proportion to his rare merits   
and his great fame4 ,butler says1 that  
to his dungeon       --came ladies from 
all parts1      ,to offer up close      
prisoners their hearts1      ,which he  
received as tribute due--       99      
99     99     99       ,never did bold  
knight1 to relieve      ,distressed     
dames1 such dreadful feats achieve1     
,as feeble damsels1 for his sake1       
,would have been proud to undertake1    
,and1 bravely ambitious to redeem       
,the world's loss and their own1        
,strove who should have the honour to   
lay down1      ,and change a life with  
him4  ,among the noted thieves of       
,france1 there is none to compare with  
the famous ,aimerigot ,tetenoire1 who   

flourished in the reign of ,charles     
,,vi4 ,this fellow was at the head of   
four or five hundred men1 and possessed 
two very strong castles in ,limousin and
 ,auvergne4 ,there was a good deal of   
the feudal baron about him1 although he 
possessed no revenues but such as the   
road afforded him4 ,at his death he left
 a singular will4 ,i give and bequeath1 
said the robber1 one thousand five      
hundred francs to ,st4 ,george's        
,chapel1 for such repairs as it may     
need4 ,to my sweet girl who so tenderly 
loved me1 ,i give two thousand five     
hundred2 and the surplus ,i give to my  
companions4 ,i hope they will all live  
as brothers1 and divide it amicably     
among them4 ,if they cannot agree1 and  
the devil of contention gets among them1
 it is no fault of mine2 and ,i advise  
them to get a good strong1 sharp axe1   
and break open my strong box4 ,let them 
scramble for what it contains1 and the  
,devil seize the hindmost4 ,the people  
of ,auvergne still recount with         

admiration the daring feats of this     
brigand4  ,of later years1 the ,french  
thieves have been such unmitigated      
scoundrels as to have left but little   
room for popular admiration4 ,the famous
 ,cartouche1 whose name has become      
synonymous with ruffian in their        
language1 had none of the generosity1   
courtesy1 and devoted bravery which are 
so requisite to make a robber-hero4 ,he 
was born at ,paris1 towards the end of  
the seventeenth century1 and broken     
alive on the wheel in ,november #agbg4  
,he was1 however1 sufficiently popular  
to have been pitied at his death1 and   
afterwards to have formed the subject of
 a much admired drama1 which bore his   
name1 and was played with great success 
in all the theatres of ,france during   
the years #agcd1 #e1 and #f4 ,in our own
 day the ,french have been more         
fortunate in a robber2 ,vidocq bids fair
 to rival the fame of ,turpin and ,jack 
,sheppard4 ,already he has become the   
hero of many an apocryphal tale--already

 his compatriots boast of his manifold  
achievements1 and express their doubts  
whether any other country in ,europe    
could produce a thief so clever1 so     
accomplished1 so gentlemanly1 as        
,vidocq4  ,germany has its              
,schinderhannes1 ,hungary its ,schubry1 
and ,italy and ,spain a whole host of   
brigands1 whose names and exploits are  
familiar as household words in the      
mouths of the children and populace of  
those countries4 ,the ,italian banditti 
are renowned over the world2 and many of
 them are not only very religious 7after
 a fashion71 but very charitable4       
,charity from such a source is so       
unexpected1 that the people dote upon   
them for it4 ,one of them1 when he fell 
into the hands of the police1 exclaimed1
 as they led him away1 ,ho fatto pitt   
carita6--,i have given away more in     
charity than any three convents in these
 provinces4 ,and the fellow spoke truth4
  ,in ,lombardy1 the people cherish the 
memory of two notorious robbers1 who    

flourished about two centuries ago under
 the ,spanish government4 ,their story1 
according to ,macfarlane1 is contained  
in a little book well known to all the  
children of the province1 and read by   
them with much more gusto than their    
,bibles4  ,schinderhannes1 the robber of
 the ,rhine1 is a great favourite on the
 banks of the river which he so long    
kept in awe4 ,many amusing stories are  
related by the peasantry of the scurvy  
tricks he played off upon rich ,jews1 or
 too-presuming officers of justice--of  
his princely generosity1 and undaunted  
courage4 ,in short1 they are proud of   
him1 and would no more consent to have  
the memory of his achievements          
dissociated from their river than they  
would to have the rock of               
,ehrenbreitstein blown to atoms by      
gunpowder4  ,there is another           
robber-hero1 of whose character and     
exploits the people of ,germany speak   
admiringly4 ,mausch ,nadel was captain  
of a considerable band that infested the

 ,rhine1 ,switzerland1 ,alsatia1 and    
,lorraine during the years #ahbd1 #e1   
and #f4 ,like ,jack ,sheppard1 he       
endeared himself to the populace by his 
most hazardous escape from prison4      
,being confined1 at ,bremen1 in a       
dungeon1 on the third story of the      
prison of that town1 he contrived to let
 himself down without exciting the      
vigilance of the sentinels1 and to swim 
across the ,weser1 though heavily laden 
with irons4 ,when about half way over1  
he was espied by a sentinel1 who fired  
at him1 and shot him in the calf of the 
leg3 but the undaunted robber struck out
 manfully1 reached the shore1 and was   
out of sight before the officers of     
justice could get ready their boats to  
follow him4 ,he was captured again in   
#ahbf1 tried at ,mayence1 and sentenced 
to death4 ,he was a tall1 strong1       
handsome man1 and his fate1 villain as  
he was1 excited much sympathy all over  
,germany4 ,the ladies especially were   
loud in their regret that nothing could 

be done to save a hero so good-looking1 
and of adventures so romantic1 from the 
knife of the headsman4  ,mr4            
,macfarlane1 in speaking of ,italian    
banditti1 remarks1 that the abuses of   
the ,catholic religion1 with its        
confessions and absolutions1 have tended
 to promote crime of this description4  
,but1 he adds1 more truly1 that priests 
and monks have not done half the        
mischief which has been perpetrated by  
ballad-mongers and story-tellers4 ,if he
 had said play-wrights also1 the list   
would have been complete4 ,in fact1 the 
theatre1 which can only expect to       
prosper1 in a pecuniary sense1 by       
pandering to the tastes of the people1  
continually recurs to the annals of     
thieves and banditti for its most       
favourite heroes4 ,these theatrical     
robbers2 with their picturesque attire1 
wild haunts1 jolly1 reckless1           
devil-may-care manners1 take a wonderful
 hold upon the imagination1 and1        
whatever their advocates may say to the 

contrary1 exercise a very pernicious    
influence upon public morals4 ,in the   
,memoirs of the ,duke of ,guise upon the
 ,revolution of ,naples in #afdg and    
#afdh1 it is stated1 that the manners1  
dress1 and mode of life of the          
,neapolitan banditti were rendered so   
captivating upon the stage1 that the    
authorities found it absolutely         
necessary to forbid the representation  
of dramas in which they figured1 and    
even to prohibit their costume at the   
masquerades4 ,so numerous were the      
banditti at this time1 that the ,duke   
found no difficulty in raising an army  
of them1 to aid him in his endeavours to
 seize on the throne of ,naples4 ,he    
thus describes them2 ,see also ,foreign 
,quarterly ,review1 vol4 iv4 p4 #cih4   
,they were three thousand five hundred  
men1 of whom the oldest came short of   
five and forty years1 and the youngest  
was above twenty4 ,they were all tall   
and well made1 with long black hair1 for
 the most part curled1 coats of black   

,spanish leather1 with sleeves of       
velvet1 or cloth of gold1 cloth breeches
 with gold lace1 most of them scarlet2  
girdles of velvet1 laced with gold1 with
 two pistols on each side2 a cutlass    
hanging at a belt1 suitably trimmed1    
three fingers broad and two feet long2 a
 hawking-bag at their girdle1 and a     
powder-flask hung about their neck with 
a great silk riband4 ,some of them      
carried firelocks1 and others           
blunder-busses2 they had all good shoes1
 with silk stockings1 and every one a   
cap of cloth of gold1 or cloth of       
silver1 of different colours1 on his    
head1 which was very delightful to the  
eye4  ,the ,beggars' ,opera1 in our own 
country1 is another instance of the     
admiration that thieves excite upon the 
stage4 ,of the extraordinary success of 
this piece1 when first produced1 the    
following account is given in the notes 
to ,the ,dunciad1 and quoted by ,johnson
 in his ,lives of the ,poets4 ,this     
piece was received with greater applause

 than was ever known4 ,besides being    
acted in ,london sixty-three days       
without interruption1 and renewed the   
next season with equal applause1 it     
spread into all the great towns of      
,england2 was played in many places to  
the thirtieth and fortieth time2 at     
,bath and ,bristol1 c4 fifty4 ,it made  
its progress into ,wales1 ,scotland1 and
 ,ireland1 where it was performed       
twenty-four days successively4 ,the     
ladies carried about with them the      
favourite songs of it in fans1 and      
houses were furnished with it in        
screens4 ,the fame of it was not        
confined to the author only4 ,the person
 who acted ,polly1 till then obscure1   
became all at once the favourite of the 
town2 ,lavinia ,fenton1 afterwards      
,duchess of ,bolton4 her pictures were  
engraved and sold in great numbers2 her 
life written1 books of letters and      
verses to her published1 and pamphlets  
made even of her sayings and jests4     
,furthermore1 it drove out of ,england1 

for that season1 the ,italian ,opera1   
which had carried all before it for ten 
years4 ,dr4 ,johnson1 in his ,life of   
the ,author1 says1 that ,herring1       
afterwards ,archbishop of ,canterbury1  
censured the opera1 as giving           
encouragement1 not only to vice1 but to 
crimes1 by making the highwayman the    
hero1 and dismissing him at last        
unpunished2 and adds1 that it was even  
said1 that after the exhibition the     
gangs of robbers were evidently         
multiplied4 ,the ,doctor doubts the     
assertion1 giving as his reason that    
highwaymen and housebreakers seldom     
frequent the playhouse1 and that it was 
not possible for any one to imagine that
 he might rob with safety1 because he   
saw ,macheath reprieved upon the stage4 
,but if ,johnson had wished to be       
convinced1 he might very easily have    
discovered that highwaymen and          
housebreakers did frequent the theatre1 
and that nothing was more probable than 
that a laughable representation of      

successful villany should induce the    
young and the already vicious to imitate
 it4 ,besides1 there is the weighty     
authority of ,sir ,john ,fielding1 the  
chief magistrate of ,bow ,street1 who   
asserted positively1 and proved his     
assertion by the records of his office1 
that the number of thieves was greatly  
increased at the time when that opera   
was so popular4  ,we have another       
instance of the same result much nearer 
our own times4 ,schiller's ,rauber1 that
 wonderful play1 written by a green     
youth1 perverted the taste and          
imagination of all the young men in     
,germany4 ,an accomplished critic of our
 own country 7,hazlitt71 speaking of    
this play1 says it was the first he ever
 read1 and such was the effect it       
produced on him1 that it stunned him1   
like a blow4 ,after the lapse of        
five-and-twenty years he could not      
forget it2 it was still1 to use his own 
words1 an old dweller in the chambers of
 his brain1 and he had not even then    

recovered enough from it1 to describe   
how it was4 ,the high-minded1           
metaphysical thief1 its hero1 was so    
warmly admired1 that several raw        
students1 longing to imitate a character
 they thought so noble1 actually        
abandoned their homes and their         
colleges1 and betook themselves to the  
forests and wilds to levy contributions 
upon travellers4 ,they thought they     
would1 like ,moor1 plunder the rich1 and
 deliver eloquent soliloquies to the    
setting sun or the rising moon2 relieve 
the poor when they met them1 and drink  
flasks of ,rhenish with their free      
companions in rugged mountain passes1 or
 in tents in the thicknesses of the     
forests4 ,but a little experience       
wonderfully cooled their courage2 they  
found that real1 every-day robbers were 
very unlike the conventional banditti of
 the stage1 and that three months in    
prison1 with bread and water for their  
fare1 and damp straw to lie upon1 was   
very well to read about by their own    

fire sides1 but not very agreeable to   
undergo in their own proper persons4    
,lord ,byron1 with his soliloquising1   
high-souled thieves1 has1 in a slight   
degree1 perverted the taste of the      
greenhorns and incipient rhymesters of  
his country4 ,as yet1 however1 they have
 shown more good sense than their       
fellows of ,germany1 and have not taken 
to the woods or the highways4 ,much as  
they admire ,conrad the ,corsair1 they  
will not go to sea1 and hoist the black 
flag in emulation of him4 ,by words     
only1 and not by deeds1 they testify    
their admiration1 and deluge the        
periodicals and music shops of the hand 
with verses describing pirates' and     
bandits' brides1 and robber adventures  
of every kind4  ,but it is the          
play-wright who does most harm2 and     
,byron has fewer sins of this nature to 
answer for than ,gay or ,schiller1 and  
the modern dramatizers of ,jack         
,sheppard4 ,with the aid of scenery1    
fine dresses1 and music1 and the very   

false notions they convey1 they vitiate 
the public taste1 not knowing1          
-----------vulgaires rimeurs            
,quelle force ont les arts pour demolir 
les moeurs4  ,in the penny theatres that
 abound in the poor and populous        
districts of ,london1 and which are     
chiefly frequented by striplings of idle
 and dissolute habits1 tales of thieves 
and murderers are more admired1 and draw
 more crowded audiences1 than any other 
species of representation4 ,there the   
footpad1 the burglar1 and the highwayman
 are portrayed in unnatural colours1 and
 give pleasant lessons in crime to their
 delighted listeners4 ,there the deepest
 tragedy and the broadest farce are     
represented in the career of the        
murderer and the thief1 and are         
applauded in proportion to their depth  
and their breadth4 ,there1 whenever a   
crime of unusual atrocity is committed1 
it is brought out afresh1 with all its  
disgusting incidents copied from the    
life1 for the amusement of those who    

will one day become its imitators4      
,with the mere reader the case is widely
 different2 and most people have a      
partiality for knowing the adventures of
 noted rogues4 ,even in fiction they are
 delightful3 witness the eventful story 
of ,gil ,blas de ,santillane1 and of    
that great rascal ,don ,guzman          
d',alfarache4 ,here there is no fear of 
imitation4 ,poets1 too1 without doing   
mischief1 may sing of such heroes when  
they please1 wakening our sympathies for
 the sad fate of ,gilderoy1 or          
,macpherson the ,dauntless2 or          
celebrating in undying verse the wrongs 
and the revenge of the great thief of   
,scotland1 ,rob ,roy4 ,if1 by the music 
of their sweet rhymes1 they can convince
 the world that such heroes are but     
mistaken philosophers1 born a few ages  
too late1 and having both a theoretical 
and practical love for       ,the good  
old rule1 the simple plan1      ,that   
they should take who have the power1    
,that they should keep who can1  the    

world may1 perhaps1 become wiser1 and   
consent to some better distribution of  
its good things1 by means of which      
thieves may become reconciled to the    
age1 and the age to them4 ,the          
probability1 however1 seems to be1 that 
the charmers will charm in vain1 charm  
they ever so wisely4     ,,influence    
,,of ,,politics ,,and ,,religion ,,on   
,,the ,,hair ,,and ,,beard4             
,speak with respect and honour          
,both of the beard and the beard's      
owner4       ,,hudibras1  ,the famous   
declaration of ,st4 ,paul1 that long    
hair was a shame unto a man has been    
made the pretext for many singular      
enactments1 both of civil and           
ecclesiastical governments4 ,the fashion
 of the hair and the cut of the beard   
were state questions in ,france and     
,england from the establishment of      
,christianity until the fifteenth       
century4  ,we find1 too1 that in much   
earlier times men were not permitted to 
do as they liked with their own hair4   

,alexander the ,great thought that the  
beards of his soldiery afforded         
convenient handles for the enemy to lay 
hold of1 preparatory to cutting off     
their heads2 and1 with the view of      
depriving them of this advantage1 he    
ordered the whole of his army to be     
closely shaven4 ,his notions of courtesy
 towards an enemy were quite different  
from those entertained by the ,north    
,american ,indians1 amongst whom it is  
held a point of honour to allow one     
chivalrous lock to grow1 that the foe1  
in taking the scalp1 may have something 
to catch hold of4  ,at one time1 long   
hair was the symbol of sovereignty in   
,europe4 ,we learn from ,gregory of     
,tours that1 among the successors of    
,clovis1 it was the exclusive privilege 
of the royal family to have their hair  
long1 and curled4 ,the nobles1 equal to 
kings in power1 would not show any      
inferiority in this respect1 and wore   
not only their hair1 but their beards1  
of an enormous length4 ,this fashion    

lasted1 with but slight changes1 till   
the time of ,louis the ,debonnaire1 but 
his successors1 up to ,hugh ,capet1 wore
 their hair short1 by way of            
distinction4 ,even the serfs had set all
 regulation at defiance1 and allowed    
their locks and beards to grow4  ,at the
 time of the invasion of ,england by    
,william the ,conqueror1 the ,normans   
wore their hair very short4 ,harold1 in 
his progress towards ,hastings1 sent    
forward spies to view the strength and  
number of the enemy4 ,they reported1    
amongst other things1 on their return1  
that the host did almost seem to be     
priests1 because they had all their face
 and both their lips shaven4 ,the       
fashion among the ,english at the time  
was to wear the hair long upon the head 
and the upper lip1 but to shave the     
chin4 ,when the haughty victors had     
divided the broad lands of the ,saxon   
thanes and franklins among them1 when   
tyranny of every kind was employed to   
make the ,english feel that they were   

indeed a subdued and broken nation1 the 
latter encouraged the growth of their   
hair1 that they might resemble as little
 as possible their cropped and shaven   
masters4  ,this fashion was exceedingly 
displeasing to the clergy1 and prevailed
 to a considerable extent in ,france and
 ,germany4 ,towards the end of the      
eleventh century1 it was decreed by the 
,pope1 and zealously supported by the   
ecclesiastical authorities all over     
,europe1 that such persons as wore long 
hair should be excommunicated while     
living1 and not be prayed for when dead4
 ,william of ,malmesbury relates1 that  
the famous ,st4 ,wulstan1 ,bishop of    
,worcester1 was peculiarly indignant    
whenever he saw a man with long hair4   
,he declaimed against the practice as   
one highly immoral1 criminal1 and       
beastly4 ,he continually carried a small
 knife in his pocket1 and whenever      
anybody1 offending in this respect1     
knelt before him to receive his         
blessing1 he would whip it out slily1   

and cut off a handful1 and then1        
throwing it in his face1 tell him to cut
 off all the rest1 or he would go to    
hell4  ,but fashion1 which at times it  
is possible to move with a wisp1 stands 
firm against a lever2 and men preferred 
to run the risk of damnation to parting 
with the superfluity of their hair4 ,in 
the time of ,henry ,i1 ,anselm1         
,archbishop of ,canterbury1 found it    
necessary to republish the famous decree
 of excommunication and outlawry against
 the offenders2 but1 as the court itself
 had begun to patronize curls1 the      
fulminations of the church were         
unavailing4 ,henry ,i and his nobles    
wore their hair in long ringlets down   
their backs and shoulders1 and became a 
scandalum magnatum in the eyes of the   
godly4 ,one ,serlo1 the ,king's         
chaplain1 was so grieved in spirit at   
the impiety of his master1 that he      
preached a sermon from the well-known   
text of ,st4 ,paul1 before the assembled
 court1 in which he drew so dreadful a  

picture of the torments that awaited    
them in the other world1 that several of
 them burst into tears1 and wrung their 
hair1 as if they would have pulled it   
out by the roots4 ,henry himself was    
observed to weep4 ,the priest1 seeing   
the impression he had made1 determined  
to strike while the iron was hot1 and1  
pulling a pair of scissors from his     
pocket1 cut the king's hair in presence 
of them all4 ,several of the principal  
courtiers consented to do the like1 and1
 for a short time1 long hair appeared to
 be going out of fashion4 ,but the      
courtiers thought1 after the first glow 
of their penitence had been cooled by   
reflection1 that the clerical ,dalilah  
had shorn them of their strength1 and1  
in less than six months1 they were as   
great sinners as ever4  ,anselm1 the    
,archbishop of ,canterbury1 who had been
 a monk of ,bec1 in ,normandy1 and who  
had signalized himself at ,rouen by his 
fierce opposition to long hair1 was     
still anxious to work a reformation in  

this matter4 ,but his pertinacity was   
far from pleasing to the ,king1 who had 
finally made up his mind to wear        
ringlets4 ,there were other disputes1 of
 a more serious nature1 between them2 so
 that when the ,archbishop died1 the    
,king was so glad to be rid of him1 that
 he allowed the see to remain vacant for
 five years4 ,still the cause had other 
advocates1 and every pulpit in the land 
resounded with anathemas against that   
disobedient and long-haired generation4 
,but all was of no avail4 ,stowe1 in    
writing of this period1 asserts1 on the 
authority of some more ancient          
chronicler1 that men1 forgetting their  
birth1 transformed themselves1 by the   
length of their haires1 into the        
semblance of woman kind2 and that when  
their hair decayed from age1 or other   
causes1 they knit about their heads     
certain rolls and braidings of false    
hair4 ,at last accident turned the tide 
of fashion4 ,a knight of the court1 who 
was exceedingly proud of his beauteous  

locks1 dreamed one night that1 as he lay
 in bed1 the devil sprang upon him1 and 
endeavoured to choke him with his own   
hair4 ,he started in affright1 and      
actually found that he had a great      
quantity of hair in his mouth4 ,sorely  
stricken in conscience1 and looking upon
 the dream as a warning from ,heaven1 he
 set about the work of reformation1 and 
cut off his luxuriant tresses the same  
night4 ,the story was soon bruited      
abroad2 of course it was made the most  
of by the clergy1 and the knight1 being 
a man of influence and consideration1   
and the acknowledged leader of the      
fashion1 his example1 aided by priestly 
exhortations1 was very generally        
imitated4 ,men appeared almost as decent
 as ,st4 ,wulstan himself could have    
wished1 the dream of a dandy having     
proved more efficacious than the        
entreaties of a saint4 ,but1 as ,stowe  
informs us1 scarcely was one year past1 
when all that thought themselves        
courtiers fell into the former vice1 and

 contended with women in their long     
haires4 ,henry1 the ,king1 appears to   
have been quite uninfluenced by the     
dreams of others1 for even his own would
 not induce him a second time to undergo
 a cropping from priestly shears4 ,it is
 said1 that he was much troubled at this
 time by disagreeable visions4 ,having  
offended the church in this and other   
respects1 he could get no sound         
refreshing sleep1 and used to imagine   
that he saw all the bishops1 abbots1 and
 monks of every degree1 standing around 
his bed-side1 and threatening to        
belabour him with their pastoral staves2
 which sight1 we are told1 so frightened
 him1 that he often started naked out of
 his bed1 and attacked the phantoms     
sword in hand4 ,grimbalde1 his          
physician1 who1 like most of his        
fraternity at that day1 was an          
ecclesiastic1 never hinted that his     
dreams were the result of a bad         
digestion1 but told him to shave his    
head1 be reconciled to the ,church1 and 

reform himself with alms and prayer4    
,but he would not take this good advice1
 and it was not until he had been nearly
 drowned a year afterwards1 in a violent
 storm at sea1 that he repented of his  
evil ways1 cut his hair short1 and paid 
proper deference to the wishes of the   
clergy4  ,in ,france1 the thunders of   
the ,vatican with regard to long curly  
hair were hardly more respected than in 
,england4 ,louis ,,vii4 however1 was    
more obedient than his brother-king1 and
 cropped himself as closely as a monk1  
to the great sorrow of all the gallants 
of his court4 ,his ,queen1 the gay1     
haughty1 and pleasure-seeking ,eleanor  
of ,guienne1 never admired him in this  
trim1 and continually reproached him    
with imitating1 not only the headdress1 
but the asceticism of the monks4 ,from  
this cause1 a coldness arose between    
them4 ,the lady proving at last         
unfaithful to her shaven and indifferent
 lord1 they were divorced1 and the      
,kings of ,france lost the rich         

provinces of ,guienne and ,poitou1 which
 were her dowry4 ,she soon after        
bestowed her hand and her possessions   
upon ,henry ,duke of ,normandy1         
afterwards ,henry ,,ii of ,england1 and 
thus gave the ,english sovereigns that  
strong footing in ,france which was for 
so many centuries the cause of such long
 and bloody wars between the nations4   
,when the ,crusades had drawn all the   
smart young fellows into ,palestine1 the
 clergy did not find it so difficult to 
convince the staid burghers who remained
 in ,europe1 of the enormity of long    
hair4 ,during the absence of ,richard   
,coeur de ,lion1 his ,english subjects  
not only cut their hair close1 but      
shaved their faces4 ,william            
,fitzosbert1 or ,long-beard1 the great  
demagogue of that day1 reintroduced     
among the people who claimed to be of   
,saxon origin the fashion of long hair4 
,he did this with the view of making    
them as unlike as possible to the       
citizens and the ,normans4 ,he wore his 

own beard hanging down to his waist1    
from whence the name by which he is best
 known to posterity4  ,the ,church never
 showed itself so great an enemy to the 
beard as to long hair on the head4 ,it  
generally allowed fashion to take its   
own course1 both with regard to the chin
 and the upper lip4 ,this fashion varied
 continually2 for we find that1 in      
little more than a century after the    
time of ,richard ,i1 when beards were   
short1 that they had again become so    
long as to be mentioned in the famous   
epigram made by the ,scots who visited  
,london in #acbg1 when ,david1 son of   
,robert ,bruce1 was married to ,joan1   
the sister of ,king ,edward4 ,this      
epigram1 which was stuck on the         
church-door of ,st4 ,peter ,stangate1   
ran as follows--       ,long beards     
heartlesse1      ,painted hoods         
witlesse1      ,gray coats gracelesse1  
,make ,england thriftlesse4  ,when the  
,emperor ,charles ,v4 ascended the      
throne of ,spain1 he had no beard4 ,it  

was not to be expected that the         
obsequious parasites who always surround
 a monarch1 could presume to look more  
virile than their master4 ,immediately  
all the courtiers appeared beardless1   
with the exception of such few grave old
 men as had outgrown the influence of   
fashion1 and who had determined to die  
bearded as they had lived4 ,sober people
 in general saw this revolution with    
sorrow and alarm1 and thought that every
 manly virtue would be banished with the
 beard4 ,it became at the time a common 
saying1--       ,desde que no hay barba1
 no hay mas alma4      ,we have no      
longer souls since we have lost our     
beards4  ,in ,france1 also1 the beard   
fell into disrepute after the death of  
,henry ,,iv1 from the mere reason that  
his successor was too young to have one4
 ,some of the more immediate friends of 
the great ,bearnais1 and his minister   
,sully among the rest1 refused to part  
with their beards1 notwithstanding the  
jeers of the new generation4  ,who does 

not remember the division of ,england   
into the two great parties of           
,roundheads and ,cavaliers8 ,in those   
days1 every species of vice and iniquity
 was thought by the ,puritans to lurk in
 the long curly tresses of the          
,monarchists1 while the latter imagined 
that their opponents were as destitute  
of wit1 of wisdom1 and of virtue1 as    
they were of hair4 ,a man's locks were  
the symbol of his creed1 both in        
politics and religion4 ,the more        
abundant the hair1 the more scant the   
faith2 and the balder the head1 the more
 sincere the piety4  ,but among all the 
instances of the interference of        
governments with men's hair1 the most   
extraordinary1 not only for its daring1 
but for its success is that of ,peter   
the ,great1 in #agje4 ,by this time1    
fashion had condemned the beard in every
 other country in ,europe1 and with a   
voice more potent than ,popes or        
,emperors1 had banished it from         
civilized society4 ,but this only made  

the ,russians cling more fondly to their
 ancient ornament1 as a mark to         
distinguish them from foreigners1 whom  
they hated4 ,peter1 however resolved    
that they should be shaven4 ,if he had  
been a man deeply read in history1 he   
might have hesitated before he attempted
 so despotic an attack upon the         
time-hallowed customs and prejudices of 
his countrymen2 but he was not4 ,he did 
not know or consider the danger of the  
innovation2 he only listened to the     
promptings of his own indomitable will1 
and his fiat went forth1 that not only  
the army1 but all ranks of citizens1    
from the nobles to the serfs1 should    
shave their beards4 ,a certain time was 
given1 that people might get over the   
first throes of their repugnance1 after 
which every man who chose to retain his 
beard was to pay a tax of one hundred   
roubles4 ,the priests and the serfs were
 put on a lower footing1 and allowed to 
retain theirs upon payment of a copeck  
every time they passed the gate of a    

city4 ,great discontent existed in      
consequence1 but the dreadful fate of   
the ,strelitzes was too recent to be    
forgotten1 and thousands who had the    
will had not the courage to revolt4 ,as 
is well remarked by a writer in the     
,encyclopedia ,britannica1 they thought 
it wiser to cut off their beards than to
 run the risk of incensing a man who    
would make no scruple in cutting off    
their heads4 ,wiser1 too1 than the popes
 and bishops of a former age1 he did not
 threaten them with eternal damnation1  
but made them pay in hard cash the      
penalty of their disobedience4 ,for many
 years1 a very considerable revenue was 
collected from this source4 ,the        
collectors gave in receipt for its      
payment a small copper coin1 struck     
expressly for the purpose1 and called   
the borodovaia1 or the bearded4 ,on one 
side it bore the figure of a nose1      
mouth1 and moustachios1 with a long     
bushy beard1 surmounted by the words1   
,deuyee ,vyeatee1 money received2 the   

whole encircled by a wreath1 and stamped
 with the black eagle of ,russia4 ,on   
the reverse1 it bore the date of the    
year4 ,every man who chose to wear a    
beard was obliged to produce this       
receipt on his entry into a town4 ,those
 who were refractory1 and refused to pay
 the tax1 were thrown into prison4      
,since that day1 the rulers of modern   
,europe have endeavoured to persuade1   
rather than to force1 in all matters    
pertaining to fashion4 ,the ,vatican    
troubles itself no more about beards or 
ringlets1 and men may become hairy as   
bears1 if such is their fancy1 without  
fear of excommunication or deprivation  
of their political rights4 ,folly has   
taken a new start1 and cultivates the   
moustachio4  ,even upon this point      
governments will not let men alone4     
,religion as yet has not meddled with   
it2 but perhaps it will2 and politics   
already influence it considerably4      
,before the revolution of #ahcj1 neither
 the ,french nor ,belgian citizens were 

remarkable for their moustachios2 but1  
after that event1 there was hardly a    
shopkeeper either in ,paris or ,brussels
 whose upper lip did not suddenly become
 hairy with real or mock moustachios4   
,during a temporary triumph gained by   
the ,dutch soldiers over the citizens of
 ,louvain1 in ,october #ahcj1 it became 
a standing joke against the patriots1   
that they shaved their faces clean      
immediately2 and the wits of the ,dutch 
army asserted1 that they had gathered   
moustachios enough from the denuded lips
 of the ,belgians to stuff mattresses   
for all the sick and wounded in their   
hospital4  ,the last folly of this kind 
is still more recent4 ,in the ,german   
newspapers1 of ,august #ahch1 appeared  
an ordonnance1 signed by the ,king of   
,bavaria1 forbidding civilians1 on any  
pretence whatever1 to wear moustachios1 
and commanding the police and other     
authorities to arrest1 and cause to be  
shaved1 the offending parties4 ,strange 
to say1 adds ,le ,droit1 the journal    

from which this account is taken1       
moustachios disappeared immediately1    
like leaves from the trees in autumn2   
everybody made haste to obey the royal  
order1 and not one person was arrested4 
,the ,king of ,bavaria1 a rhymester of  
some celebrity1 has taken a good many   
poetical licences in his time4 ,his     
licence in this matter appears neither  
poetical nor reasonable4 ,it is to be   
hoped that he will not take it into his 
royal head to make his subjects shave   
theirs2 nothing but that is wanting to  
complete their degradation4     ,,duels 
,,and ,,ordeals       ,there was an     
ancient sage philosopher1      ,who     
swore the world1 as he could prove1     
,was mad of fighting4    99    99    99 
,hudibras1  ,most writers1 in accounting
 for the origin of duelling1 derive it  
from the warlike habits of those        
barbarous nations who overran ,europe in
 the early centuries of the ,christian  
era1 and who knew no mode so effectual  
for settling their differences as the   

point of the sword4 ,in fact1 duelling1 
taken in its primitive and broadest     
sense1 means nothing more than          
combatting1 and is the universal resort 
of all wild animals1 including man1 to  
gain or defend their possessions1 or    
avenge their insults4 ,two dogs who tear
 each other for a bone1 or two bantams  
fighting on a dunghill for the love of  
some beautiful hen1 or two fools on     
,wimbledon ,common1 shooting at each    
other to satisfy the laws of offended   
honour1 stand on the same footing in    
this respect1 and are1 each and all1    
mere duellists4 ,as civilization        
advanced1 the best informed men         
naturally grew ashamed of such a mode of
 adjusting disputes1 and the            
promulgation of some sort of laws for   
obtaining redress for injuries was the  
consequence4 ,still there were many     
cases in which the allegations of an    
accuser could not be rebutted by any    
positive proof on the part of the       
accused2 and in all these1 which must   

have been exceedingly numerous in the   
early stages of ,european society1 the  
combat was resorted to4 ,from its       
decision there was no appeal4 ,god was  
supposed to nerve the arm of the        
combatant whose cause was just1 and to  
grant him the victory over his opponent4
 ,as ,montesquieu well remarks1 ,esprit 
des ,loix1 liv4 xxviii4 chap4 xvii4 this
 belief was not unnatural among a people
 just emerging from barbarism4 ,their   
manners being wholly warlike1 the man   
deficient in courage1 the prime virtue  
of his fellows1 was not unreasonably    
suspected of other vices besides        
cowardice1 which is generally found to  
be co-existent with treachery4 ,he1     
therefore1 who showed himself most      
valiant in the encounter1 was absolved  
by public opinion from any crime with   
which he might be charged4 ,as a        
necessary consequence1 society would    
have been reduced to its original       
elements1 if the men of thought1 as     
distinguished from the men of action1   

had not devised some means for taming   
the unruly passions of their fellows4   
,with this view1 governments commenced  
by restricting within the narrowest     
possible limits the cases in which it   
was lawful to prove or deny guilt by the
 single combat4 ,by the law of          
,gondebaldus1 ,king of the ,burgundians1
 passed in the year #eja1 the proof by  
combat was allowed in all legal         
proceedings1 in lieu of swearing4 ,in   
the time of ,charlemagne1 the           
,burgundian practice had spread over the
 empire of the ,francs1 and not only the
 suitors for justice1 but the witnesses1
 and even the judges1 were obliged to   
defend their cause1 their evidence1 or  
their decision1 at the point of the     
sword4 ,louis the ,debonnaire1 his      
successor1 endeavoured to remedy the    
growing evil1 by permitting the duel    
only in appeals of felony1 in civil     
cases1 or issue joined in a writ of     
right1 and in cases of the court of     
chivalry1 or attacks upon a man's       

knighthood4 ,none were exempt from these
 trials1 but women1 the sick and the    
maimed1 and persons under fifteen or    
above sixty years of age4 ,ecclesiastics
 were allowed to produce champions in   
their stead4 ,this practice1 in the     
course of time1 extended to all trials  
of civil and criminal cases1 which had  
to be decided by battle4  ,the clergy1  
whose dominion was an intellectual one1 
never approved of a system of           
jurisprudence which tended so much to   
bring all things under the rule of the  
strongest arm4 ,from the first they set 
their faces against duelling1 and       
endeavoured1 as far as the prejudices of
 their age would allow them1 to curb the
 warlike spirit1 so alien from the      
principles of religion4 ,in the ,council
 of ,valentia1 and afterwards in the    
,council of ,trent1 they excommunicated 
all persons engaged in duelling1 and not
 only them1 but even the assistants and 
spectators1 declaring the custom to be  
hellish and detestable1 and introduced  

by the ,devil for the destruction both  
of body and soul4 ,they added1 also1    
that princes who connived at duels1     
should be deprived of all temporal      
power1 jurisdiction1 and dominion over  
the places where they had permitted them
 to be fought4 ,it will be seen         
hereafter that this clause only         
encouraged the practice which it was    
intended to prevent4  ,but it was the   
blasphemous error of these early ages to
 expect that the ,almighty1 whenever he 
was called upon1 would work a miracle in
 favour of a person unjustly accused4   
,the priesthood1 in condemning the duel1
 did not condemn the principle on which 
it was founded4 ,they still encouraged  
the popular belief of ,divine           
interference in all the disputes or     
differences that might arise among      
nations or individuals4 ,it was the very
 same principle that regulated the      
ordeals1 which1 with all their          
influence1 they supported against the   
duel4 ,by the former1 the power of      

deciding the guilt or innocence was     
vested wholly in their hands1 while1 by 
the latter1 they enjoyed no power or    
privilege at all4 ,it is not to be      
wondered at1 that for this reason1 if   
for no other1 they should have          
endeavoured to settle all differences by
 the peaceful mode4 ,while that         
prevailed1 they were as they wished to  
be1 the first party in the state2 but   
while the strong arm of individual      
prowess was allowed to be the judge in  
all doubtful cases1 their power and     
influence became secondary to those of  
nobility4  ,thus1 it was not the mere   
hatred of bloodshed which induced them  
to launch the thunderbolts              
excommunication against the combatants2 
it a desire to retain the power1 which1 
to do them justice1 they were1 in those 
times1 the persons best qualified to    
wield4 ,the germs of knowledge and      
civilization lay within the bounds of   
their order2 for they were the          
representatives of the intellectual1 as 

the nobility were of the physical power 
of man4 ,to centralize this power in the
 ,church1 and make it the judge of the  
last resort in all appeals1 both in     
civil and criminal cases1 they          
instituted five modes of trial1 the     
management of which lay wholly in their 
hands4 ,these were the oath upon the    
,evangelists2 the ordeal of the cross1  
and the fire ordeal1 for persons in the 
higher ranks2 the water ordeal1 for the 
humbler classes2 and1 lastly1 the       
,corsned1 or bread and cheese ordeal1   
for members of their own body4  ,the    
oath upon the ,evangelists was taken in 
the following manner3 the accused who   
was received to this proof1 says ,paul  
,hay1 ,count du ,chastelet1 in his      
,memoirs of ,bertrand du ,guesclin1     
swore upon a copy of the ,new           
,testament1 and on the relics of the    
holy martyrs1 or on their tombs1 that he
 was innocent of the crime imputed to   
him4 ,he was also obliged to find twelve
 persons1 of acknowledged probity1 who  

should take oath at the same time1 that 
they believed him innocent4 ,this mode  
of trial led to very great abuses1      
especially in cases of disputed         
inheritance1 where the hardest swearer  
was certain of the victory4 ,this abuse 
was one of the principal causes which   
led to the preference given to the trial
 by battle4 ,it is not all surprising   
that a feudal baron1 or captain of the  
early ages1 should have preferred the   
chances of a fair fight with his        
opponent1 to a mode by which firm       
perjury would always be successful4     
,the trial by1 or judgment of1 the      
cross1 which ,charlemagne begged his    
sons to have recourse to1 in case of    
disputes arising between them1 was      
performed thus3--,when a person accused 
of any crime had declared his innocence 
upon oath1 and appealed to the cross for
 its judgment in his favour1 he was     
brought into the church1 before the     
altar4 ,the priests previously prepared 
two sticks exactly like one another1    

upon one of which was carved a figure of
 the cross4 ,they were both wrapped up  
with great care and many ceremonies1 in 
a quantity of fine wool1 and laid upon  
the altar1 or on the relics of the      
saints4 ,a solemn prayer was then       
offered up to ,god1 that he would be    
pleased to discover1 by the judgment of 
his holy cross1 whether the accused     
person were innocent or guilty4 ,a      
priest then approached the altar1 and   
took up one of the sticks1 and the      
assistants unswathed it reverently4 ,if 
it was marked with the cross1 the       
accused person was innocent2 if         
unmarked1 he was guilty4 ,it would be   
unjust to assert1 that the judgments    
thus delivered were1 in all cases1      
erroneous2 and it would be absurd to    
believe that they were left altogether  
to chance4 ,many true judgments were    
doubtless given1 and1 in all            
probability1 most conscientiously2 for  
we cannot but believe that the priests  
endeavoured beforehand to convince      

themselves by secret inquiry and a      
strict examination of the circumstances1
 whether the appellant were innocent or 
guilty1 and that they took up the       
crossed or uncrossed stick accordingly4 
,although1 to all other observers1 the  
sticks1 as enfolded in the wool1 might  
appear exactly similar1 those who       
enwrapped them could1 without any       
difficulty1 distinguish the one from the
 other4  ,by the fire-ordeal the power  
of deciding was just as unequivocally   
left in their hands4 ,it was generally  
believed that fire would not burn the   
innocent1 and the clergy1 of course1    
took care that the innocent1 or such as 
it was their pleasure or interest to    
declare so1 should be so warned before  
undergoing the ordeal1 as to preserve   
themselves without any difficulty from  
the fire4 ,one mode of ordeal was to    
place red-hot ploughshares on the ground
 at certain distances1 and then1        
blindfolding the accused person1 make   
him walk barefooted over them4 ,if he   

stepped regularly in the vacant spaces1 
avoiding the fire1 he was adjudged      
innocent2 if he burned himself1 he was  
declared guilty4 ,as none but the clergy
 interfered with the arrangement of the 
ploughshares1 they could always         
calculate beforehand the result of the  
ordeal4 ,to find a person guilty1 they  
had only to place them at irregular     
distances1 and the accused was sure to  
tread upon one of them4 ,when ,emma1 the
 wife of ,king ,ethelred1 and mother of 
,edward the ,confessor1 was accused of a
 guilty familiarity with ,alwyn1 ,bishop
 of ,winchester1 she cleared her        
character in this manner4 ,the          
reputation1 not only of their order1 but
 of a queen1 being at stake1 a verdict  
of guilty was not to be apprehended from
 any ploughshares which priests had the 
heating of4 ,this ordeal was called the 
,judicium ,dei1 and sometimes the       
,vulgaris ,purgatio1 and might also be  
tried by several other methods4 ,one was
 to hold in the hand1 unhurt1 a piece of

 red-hot iron1 of the weight of one1    
two1 or three pounds4 ,when we read not 
only that men with hard hands1 but women
 of softer and more delicate skin1 could
 do this with impunity1 we must be      
convinced that the hands were previously
 rubbed with some preservative1 or that 
the apparently hot iron was merely cold 
iron painted red4 ,another mode was to  
plunge the naked arm into a caldron of  
boiling water4 ,the priests then        
enveloped it in several folds of linen  
and flannel1 and kept the patient       
confined within the church1 and under   
their exclusive care1 for three days4   
,if1 at the end of that time1 the arm   
appeared without a scar1 the innocence  
of the accused person was firmly        
established4 ,very similar to this is   
the fire-ordeal of the modern ,hindoos1 
which is thus described in ,forbes's    
,oriental ,memoirs1 vol4 i4 c4          
xi4--,when a man1 accused of a capital  
crime1 chooses to undergo the ordeal    
trial1 he is closely confined for       

several days2 his right hand and arm are
 covered with thick wax-cloth1 tied up  
and sealed1 in the presence of proper   
officers1 to prevent deceit4 ,in the    
,english districts the covering was     
always sealed with the ,company's arms1 
and the prisoner placed under an        
,european guard4 ,at the time fixed for 
the ordeal1 a caldron of oil is placed  
over a fire2 when it boils1 a piece of  
money is dropped into the vessel2 the   
prisoner's arm is unsealed1 and washed  
in the presence of his judges and       
accusers4 ,during this part of the      
ceremony1 the attendant ,brahmins       
supplicate the ,deity4 ,on receiving    
their benediction1 the accused plunges  
his hand into the boiling fluid1 and    
takes out the coin4 ,the arm is         
afterwards again ,sealed up until the   
time appointed for a re-examination4    
,the seal is then broken3 if no blemish 
appears1 the prisoner is declared       
innocent2 if the contrary1 he suffers   
the punishment due to his crime4 99 99  

99 ,on this trial the accused thus      
addresses the element before plunging   
his hand into the boiling oil3--,thou1  
,o fire6 pervadest all things4 ,o cause 
of purity6 who givest evidence of virtue
 and of sin1 declare the truth in this  
my hand6 ,if no juggling were practised1
 the decisions by this ordeal would be  
all the same way2 but1 as some are by   
this means declared guilty1 and others  
innocent1 it is clear that the          
,brahmins1 like the ,christian priests  
of the middle ages1 practise some       
deception in saving those whom they wish
 to be thought guiltless4  ,as regards  
the water-ordeal1 the same trouble was  
not taken4 ,it was a trial only for the 
poor and humble1 and1 whether they sank 
or swam1 was thought of very little     
consequence4 ,like the witches of more  
modern times1 the accused were thrown   
into a pond or river2 if they sank1 and 
were drowned1 their surviving friends   
had the consolation of knowing that they
 were innocent2 if they swam1 they were 

guilty4 ,in either case society was rid 
of them4  ,but of all the ordeals1 that 
which the clergy reserved for themselves
 was the one least likely to cause any  
member of their corps to be declared    
guilty4 ,the most culpable monster in   
existence came off clear when tried by  
this method4 ,it was called the         
,corsned1 and was thus performed4 ,a    
piece of barley bread and a piece of    
cheese were laid upon the altar1 and the
 accused priest1 in his full canonicals1
 and surrounded by all the pompous      
adjuncts of ,roman ceremony1 pronounced 
certain conjurations1 and prayed with   
great fervency for several minutes4 ,the
 burden of his prayer was1 that if he   
were guilty of the crime laid to his    
charge1 ,god would send his angel       
,gabriel to stop his throat1 that he    
might not be able to swallow the bread  
and cheese4 ,there is no instance upon  
record of a priest having been choked in
 this manner4 ,an ordeal very like this 
is still practised in ,india4           

,consecrated rice is the article chosen1
 instead of bread and cheese4 ,instances
 are not rare in which1 through the     
force of imagination1 guilty persons are
 not able to swallow a single grain4    
,conscious of their crime1 and fearful  
of the punishment of ,heaven1 they feel 
a suffocating sensation in their throat 
when they attempt it1 and they fall on  
their knees1 and confess all that is    
laid to their charge4 ,the same thing1  
no doubt1 would have happened with the  
bread and cheese of the ,roman church1  
if it had been applied to any others but
 ecclesiastics4 ,the latter had too much
 wisdom to be caught in a trap of their 
own setting4  ,when1 under ,pope        
,gregory ,,vii1 it was debated whether  
the ,gregorian chant should be          
introduced into ,castile1 instead of the
 ,musarabic1 given by ,st4 ,isidore1 of 
,seville1 to the churches of that       
kingdom1 very much ill feeling was      
excited4 ,the churches refused to       
receive the novelty1 and it was proposed

 that the affair should be decided by a 
battle between two champions1 one chosen
 from each side4 ,the clergy would not  
consent to a mode of settlement which   
they considered impious1 but had no     
objection to try the merits of each     
chant by the fire ordeal4 ,a great fire 
was accordingly made1 and a book of the 
,gregorian and one of the ,musarabic    
chant were thrown into it1 that the     
flames might decide which was most      
agreeable to ,god by refusing to burn   
it4 ,cardinal ,baronius1 who says he was
 an eye-witness of the miracle1 relates1
 that the book of the ,gregorian chant  
was no sooner laid upon the fire1 than  
it leaped out uninjured1 visibly1 and   
with a great noise4 ,every one present  
thought that the saints had decided in  
favour of ,pope ,gregory4 ,after a      
slight interval1 the fire was           
extinguished2 but1 wonderful to relate6 
the other book of ,st4 ,isidore was     
found covered with ashes1 but not       
injured in the slightest degree4 ,the   

flames had not even warmed it4 ,upon    
this it was resolved1 that both were    
alike agreeable to ,god1 and that they  
should be used by turns in all the      
churches of ,seville8 ,histoire de      
,messire ,bertrand du ,guesclin1 par    
,paul ,hay du ,chastelet4 ,livre i4     
chap4 xix4  ,if the ordeals had been    
confined to questions like this1 the    
laity would have had little or no       
objection to them2 but when they were   
introduced as decisive in all the       
disputes that might arise between man   
and man1 the opposition of all those    
whose prime virtue was personal bravery1
 was necessarily excited4 ,in fact1 the 
nobility1 from a very early period1     
began to look with jealous eyes upon    
them4 ,they were not slow to perceive   
their true purport1 which was no other  
than to make the ,church the last court 
of appeal in all cases1 both civil and  
criminal3 and not only did the nobility 
prefer the ancient mode of single combat
 from this cause1 in itself a sufficient

 one1 but they clung to it because an   
acquittal gained by those displays of   
courage and address which the battle    
afforded1 was more creditable in the    
eyes of their compeers1 than one which  
it required but little or none of either
 to accomplish4 ,to these causes may be 
added another1 which was1 perhaps1 more 
potent than either1 in raising the      
credit of the judicial combat at the    
expense of the ordeal4 ,the noble       
institution of chivalry was beginning to
 take root1 and1 notwithstanding the    
clamours of the clergy1 war was made the
 sole business of life1 and the only    
elegant pursuit of the aristocracy4 ,the
 fine spirit of honour was introduced1  
any attack upon which was only to be    
avenged in the lists1 within sight of   
applauding crowds1 whose verdict of     
approbation was far more gratifying than
 the cold and formal acquittal of the   
ordeal4 ,lothaire1 the son of ,louis ,i1
 abolished that by fire and the trial of
 the cross within his dominions2 but in 

,england they were allowed so late as   
the time of ,henry ,,iii1 in the early  
part of whose reign they were prohibited
 by an order of council4 ,in the mean   
time1 the ,crusades had brought the     
institution of chivalry to the full     
height of perfection4 ,the chivalric    
spirit soon achieved the downfall of the
 ordeal system1 and established the     
judicial combat on a basis too firm to  
be shaken4 ,it is true that with the    
fall of chivalry1 as an institution1    
fell the tournament1 and the encounter  
in the lists2 but the duel1 their       
offspring1 has survived to this day1    
defying the efforts of sages and        
philosophers to eradicate it4 ,among all
 the errors bequeathed to us by a       
barbarous age1 it has proved the most   
pertinacious4 ,it has put variance      
between men's reason and their honour2  
put the man of sense on a level with the
 fool1 and made thousands who condemn it
 submit to it1 or practise it4 ,those   
who are curious to see the manner in    

which these combats were regulated1 may 
consult the learned ,montesquieu1 where 
they will find a copious summary of the 
code of ancient duelling4 ,esprit des   
,loix1 livre xxviii4 chap4 xxv4 ,truly  
does he remark1 in speaking of the      
clearness and excellence of the         
arrangements1 that1 as there were many  
wise matters which were conducted in a  
very foolish manner1 so there were many 
foolish matters conducted very wisely4  
,no greater exemplification of it could 
be given1 than the wise and religious   
rules of the absurd and blasphemous     
trial by battle4  ,in the ages that     
intervened between the ,crusades and the
 new era that was opened out by the     
invention of gunpowder and printing1 a  
more rational system of legislation took
 root4 ,the inhabitants of cities1      
engaged in the pursuits of trade and    
industry1 were content to acquiesce in  
the decisions of their judges and       
magistrates whenever any differences    
arose among them4 ,unlike the class     

above them1 their habits and manners did
 not lead them to seek the battle-field 
on every slight occasion4 ,a dispute as 
to the price of a sack of corn1 a bale  
of broad-cloth1 or a cow1 could be more 
satisfactorily adjusted before the mayor
 or bailiff of their district4 ,even the
 martial knights and nobles1 quarrelsome
 as they were1 began to see that the    
trial by battle would lose its dignity  
and splendour if too frequently resorted
 to4 ,governments also shared this      
opinion1 and on several occasions       
restricted the cases in which it was    
legal to proceed to this extremity4 ,in 
,france1 before the time of ,louis ,,ix1
 duels were permitted only in cases of  
,lese ,majesty1 ,rape1 ,incendiarism1   
,assassination1 and ,burglary4 ,louis   
,,ix1 by taking off all restriction1    
made them legal in civil eases4 ,this   
was not found to work well1 and1 in     
#acjc1 ,philip the ,fair judged it      
necessary to confine them1 in criminal  
matters1 to state offences1 rape1 and   

incendiarism2 and in civil cases1 to    
questions of disputed inheritance4      
,knighthood was allowed to be the best  
judge of its own honour1 and might      
defend or avenge it as often as occasion
 arose4  ,among the earliest duels upon 
record1 is a very singular one that took
 place in the reign of ,louis ,,ii      
7,a4,d4 #hgh74 ,ingelgerius1 ,count of  
,gastinois1 was one morning discovered  
by his ,countess dead in bed at her     
side4 ,gontran1 a relation of the       
,count1 accused the ,countess of having 
murdered her husband1 to whom1 he       
asserted1 she had long been unfaithful1 
and challenged her to produce a champion
 to do battle in her behalf1 that he    
might establish her guilt by killing    
him4,memoires de ,brantome touchant les 
,duels4 ,all the friends and relatives  
of the ,countess believed in her        
innocence2 but ,gontran was so stout and
 bold and renowned a warrior1 that no   
one dared to meet him1 for which1 as    
,brantome quaintly says1 ,mauvais et    

poltrons parens estaient4 ,the unhappy  
,countess began to despair1 when a      
champion suddenly appeared in the person
 of ,ingelgerius1 ,count of ,anjou1 a   
boy of sixteen years of age1 who had    
been held by the ,countess on the       
baptismal font1 and received her        
husband's name4 ,he tenderly loved his  
godmother1 and offered to do battle in  
her cause against any and every         
opponent4 ,the ,king endeavoured to     
persuade the generous boy from his      
enterprise1 urging the great strength1  
tried skill1 and invincible courage of  
the challenger2 but he persisted in his 
resolution1 to the great sorrow of all  
the court1 who said it was a cruel thing
 to permit so brave and beautiful a     
child to rush to such butchery and      
death4  ,when the lists were prepared1  
the ,countess duly acknowledged her     
champion1 and the combatants commenced  
the onset4 ,gontran rode so fiercely at 
his antagonist1 and hit him on the      
shield with such impetuosity1 that he   

lost his own balance and rolled to the  
ground4 ,the young ,count1 as ,gontran  
fell1 passed his lance through his body1
 and then dismounting1 cut off his head1
 which1 ,brantome says1 he presented to 
the ,king1 who received it most         
graciously1 and was very joyful1 as much
 so as if any one had made him a present
 of a city4 ,the innocence of the       
,countess was then proclaimed with great
 rejoicings2 and she kissed her godson1 
and wept over his neck with joy1 in the 
presence of all the assembly4  ,when the
 ,earl of ,essex was accused1 by ,robert
 de ,montfort1 before ,king ,henry ,,ii1
 in #aafb1 of having traitorously       
suffered the royal standard of ,england 
to fall from his hands in a skirmish    
with the ,welsh1 at ,coleshill1 five    
years previously1 the latter offered to 
prove the truth of the charge by single 
combat4 ,the ,earl of ,essex accepted   
the challenge1 and the lists were       
prepared near ,reading4 ,an immense     
concourse of persons assembled to       

witness the battle4 ,essex at first     
fought stoutly1 but1 losing his temper  
and self-command1 he gave an advantage  
to his opponent1 which soon decided the 
struggle4 ,he was unhorsed1 and so      
severely wounded1 that all present      
thought he was dead4 ,at the            
solicitation of his relatives1 the monks
 of the ,abbey of ,reading were allowed 
to remove the body for interment1 and   
,montfort was declared the victor4      
,essex1 however1 was not dead1 but      
stunned only1 and1 under the care of the
 monks1 recovered in a few weeks from   
his bodily injuries4 ,the wounds of his 
mind were not so easily healed4 ,though 
a loyal and brave subject1 the whole    
realm believed him a traitor and a      
coward because he had been vanquished4  
,he could not brook to return to the    
world deprived of the good opinion of   
his fellows2 he1 therefore1 made himself
 a monk1 and passed the remainder of his
 days within the walls of the ,abbey4   
,du ,chastelet relates a singular duel  

that was proposed in ,spain4,histoire de
 ,messire ,bertrand du ,guesclin1 livre 
i4 chap4 xix4 ,a ,christian gentleman of
 ,seville sent a challenge to a ,moorish
 cavalier1 offering to prove against    
him1 with whatever weapons he might     
choose1 that the religion of ,jesus     
,christ was holy and divine1 and that of
 ,mahomet impious and damnable4 ,the    
,spanish prelates did not choose that   
,christianity should be com promised    
within their jurisdiction by the result 
of any such combat1 and they commanded  
the knight1 under pain of               
excommunication1 to withdraw the        
challenge4  ,the same author relates1   
that under ,otho ,i a question arose    
among jurisconsults1 viz4 whether       
grandchildren1 who had lost their       
father1 should share equally with their 
uncles in the property of their         
grandfather1 at the death of the latter4
 ,the difficulty of this question was   
found so insurmountable1 that none of   
the lawyers of that day could resolve   

it4 ,it was at last decreed1 that it    
should be decided by single combat4 ,two
 champions were accordingly chosen2 one 
for1 and the other against1 the claims  
of the little ones4 ,after a long       
struggle1 the champion of the uncles was
 unhorsed and slain2 and it was1        
therefore1 decided1 that the right of   
the grandchildren was established1 and  
that they should enjoy the same portion 
of their grandfather's possessions that 
their father would have done had he been
 alive4  ,upon pretexts1 just as        
frivolous as these1 duels continued to  
be fought in most of the countries of   
,europe during the whole of the         
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries4 ,a  
memorable instance of the slightness of 
the pretext on which a man could be     
forced to fight a duel to the death1    
occurs in the ,memoirs of the brave     
,constable1 ,du ,guesclin4 ,the         
advantage he had obtained1 in a skirmish
 before ,rennes1 against ,william       
,brembre1 an ,english captain1 so preyed

 on the spirits of ,william ,troussel1  
the chosen friend and companion of the  
latter1 that nothing would satisfy him  
but a mortal combat with the ,constable4
 ,the ,duke of ,lancaster1 to whom      
,troussel applied for permission to     
fight the great ,frenchman1 forbade the 
battle1 as not warranted by the         
circumstances4 ,troussel nevertheless   
burned with a fierce desire to cross his
 weapon with ,du ,guesclin1 and sought  
every occasion to pick a quarrel with   
him4 ,having so good a will for it1 of  
course he found a way4 ,a relative of   
his had been taken prisoner by the      
,constable1 in whose hands he remained  
till he was able to pay his ransom4     
,troussel resolved to make a quarrel out
 of this1 and despatched a messenger to 
,du ,guesclin1 demanding the release of 
his prisoner1 and offering a bond1 at a 
distant date1 for the payment of the    
ransom4 ,du ,guesclin1 who had received 
intimation of the hostile purposes of   
the ,englishman1 sent back word1 that he

 would not accept his bond1 neither     
would he release his prisoner1 until the
 full amount of his ransom was paid4 ,as
 soon as this answer was received1      
,troussel sent a challenge to the       
,constable1 demanding reparation for the
 injury he had done his honour1 by      
refusing his bond1 and offering a mortal
 combat1 to be fought three strokes with
 the lance1 three with the sword1 and   
three with the dagger4 ,du ,guesclin1   
although ill in bed with the ague1      
accepted the challenge1 and gave notice 
to the ,marshal d',andreghem1 the       
,king's ,lieutenant-,general in ,lower  
,normandy1 that he might fix the day and
 the place of combat4 ,the ,marshal made
 all necessary arrangements1 upon       
condition that he who was beaten should 
pay a hundred florins of gold to feast  
the nobles and gentlemen who were       
witnesses of the encounter4  ,the ,duke 
of ,lancaster was very angry with his   
captain1 and told him1 that it would be 
a shame to his knighthood and his       

nation1 if he forced on a combat with   
the brave ,du ,guesclin1 at a time when 
he was enfeebled by disease and         
stretched on the couch of suffering4    
,upon these representations1 ,troussel1 
ashamed of himself1 sent notice to ,du  
,guesclin that he was willing to        
postpone the duel until such time as he 
should be perfectly recovered4 ,du      
,guesclin replied1 that he could not    
think of postponing the combat1 after   
all the nobility had received notice of 
it2 that he had sufficient strength     
left1 not only to meet1 but to conquer  
such an opponent as he was2 and that1 if
 he did not make his appearance in the  
lists at the time appointed1 he would   
publish him everywhere as a man unworthy
 to be called a knight1 or to wear an   
honourable sword by his side4 ,troussel 
carried this haughty message to the     
,duke of ,lancaster1 who immediately    
gave permission for the battle4  ,on the
 day appointed1 the two combatants      
appeared in the lists1 in the presence  

of several thousand spectators4 ,du     
,guesclin was attended by the flower of 
the ,french nobility1 including the     
,marshal de ,beaumanoir1 ,olivier de    
,mauny1 ,bertrand de ,saint ,pern1 and  
the ,viscount de la ,belliere1 while the
 ,englishman appeared with no more than 
the customary retinue of two seconds1   
two squires1 two coutilliers1 or        
daggermen1 and two trumpeters4 ,the     
first onset was unfavourable to the     
,constable3 he received so heavy a blow 
on his shield-arm1 that he fell forward 
to the left1 upon his horse's neck1 and1
 being weakened by his fever1 was nearly
 thrown to the ground4 ,all his friends 
thought he could never recover himself1 
and began to deplore his ill fortune2   
but ,du ,guesclin collected his energies
 for a decisive effort1 and1 at the     
second charge1 aimed a blow at the      
shoulder of his enemy1 which felled him 
to the earth1 mortally wounded4 ,he then
 sprang from his horse1 sword in hand1  
with the intention of cutting off the   

head of his fallen foe1 when the        
,marshal ,d',andreghem threw a golden   
wand into the arena1 as a signal that   
hostilities should cease4 ,du ,guesclin 
was proclaimed the victor1 amid the     
joyous acclamations of the crowd1 and   
retiring1 left the field to the meaner  
combatants1 who were afterwards to make 
sport for the people4 ,four ,english and
 as many ,french squires fought for some
 time with pointless lances1 when the   
,french1 gaining the advantage1 the     
sports were declared at an end4  ,in the
 time of ,charles ,,vi1 about the       
beginning of the fifteenth century1 a   
famous duel was ordered by the          
,parliament of ,paris4 ,the ,sieur de   
,carrouges being absent in the ,holy    
,land1 his lady was violated by the     
,sieur ,legris4 ,carrouges1 on his      
return1 challenged ,legris to mortal    
combat1 for the twofold crime of        
violation and slander1 inasmuch as he   
had denied his guilt1 by asserting that 
the lady was a willing party4 ,the      

lady's asseverations of innocence were  
held to be no evidence by the           
,parliament1 and the duel was commanded 
with all the ceremonies4 ,on the day    
appointed1 says ,brantome1 ,memoires de 
,brantome touchant les ,duels4 the lady 
came to witness the spectacle in her    
chariot2 but the ,king made her descend1
 judging her unworthy1 because she was  
criminal in his eyes till her innocence 
was proved1 and caused her to stand upon
 a scaffold to await the mercy of ,god  
and this judgment by the battle4 ,after 
a short struggle1 the ,sieur de         
,carrouges overthrew his enemy1 and made
 him confess both the rape and the      
slander4 ,he was then taken to the      
gallows and hanged in the presence of   
the multitude2 while the innocence of   
the lady was proclaimed by the heralds1 
and recognized by her husband1 the      
,king1 and all the spectators4          
,numerous battles1 of a similar         
description1 constantly took place1     
until the unfortunate issue of one      

encounter of the kind led the ,french   
,king1 ,henry ,,ii1 to declare solemnly1
 that he would never again permit any   
such encounter1 whether it related to a 
civil or criminal case1 or the honour of
 a gentleman4  ,this memorable combat   
was fought in the year #aedg4 ,francois 
de ,vivonne1 ,lord of ,la               
,chataigneraie1 and ,guy de ,chabot1    
,lord of ,jarnac1 had been friends from 
their early youth1 and were noted at the
 court of ,francis ,i for the gallantry 
of their bearing and the magnificence of
 their retinue4 ,chataigneraie1 who knew
 that his friend's means were not very  
ample1 asked him one day1 in confidence1
 how it was that he contrived to be so  
well provided8 ,jarnac replied1 that his
 father had married a young and         
beautiful woman1 who1 loving the son far
 better than the sire1 supplied him with
 as much money as he desired4 ,la       
,chataigneraie betrayed the base secret 
to the ,dauphin1 the ,dauphin to the    
,king1 the ,king to his courtiers1 and  

the courtiers to all their acquaintance4
 ,in a short time it reached the ears of
 the old ,lord de ,jarnac1 who          
immediately sent for his son1 and       
demanded to know in what manner the     
report had originated1 and whether he   
had been vile enough not only to carry  
on such a connexion1 but to boast of it8
 ,de ,jarnac indignantly denied that he 
had ever said so1 or given reason to the
 world to say so1 and requested his     
father to accompany him to court1 and   
confront him with his accuser1 that he  
might see the manner in which he would  
confound him4 ,they went accordingly1   
and the younger ,de ,jarnac1 entering a 
room where the ,dauphin1 ,la            
,chataigneraie1 and several courtiers   
were present1 exclaimed aloud1 ,that    
whoever had asserted1 that he maintained
 a criminal connexion with his          
mother-in-law1 was a liar and a coward6 
,every eye was turned to the ,dauphin   
and ,la ,chataigneraie1 when the latter 
stood forward1 and asserted1 that ,de   

,jarnac had himself avowed that such was
 the fact1 and he would extort from his 
lips another confession of it4 ,a case  
like this could not be met or rebutted  
by any legal proof1 and the royal       
council ordered that it should be       
decided by single combat4 ,the ,king1   
however1 set his face against the duel  
,although ,francis showed himself in    
this case an enemy to duelling1 yet1 in 
his own case1 he had not the same       
objection4 ,every reader of history must
 remember his answer to the challenge of
 the ,emperor ,charles ,v4 ,the ,emperor
 wrote that he had failed in his word1  
and that he would sustain their quarrel 
single-handed against him4 ,francis     
replied1 that he lied--qu'il en avait   
menti par la gorge1 and that he was     
ready to meet him in single combat      
whenever and wherever he pleased4 and   
forbade them both1 under pain of his    
high displeasure1 to proceed any further
 in the matter4 ,but ,francis died in   
the following year1 and the ,dauphin1   

now ,henry ,,ii1 who was himself        
compromised1 resolved that the combat   
should take place4 ,the lists were      
prepared in the court-yard of the       
chateau of ,st4 ,germain-en-,laye1 and  
the #ajth of ,july #aedg was appointed  
for the encounter4 ,the cartels of the  
combatants1 which are preserved in the  
,memoires de ,castelnau1 were as        
follow3--  ,cartel of ,francois de      
,vivonne1 ,lord of ,la ,chataigneraie4  
,sire1  ,having learned that ,guy       
,chabot de ,jarnac1 being lately at     
,compeigne1 asserted1 that whoever had  
said that he boasted of having criminal 
intercourse with his mother-in-law1 was 
wicked and a wretch1--,i1 ,sire1 with   
your good-will and pleasure1 do answer1 
that he has wickedly lied1 and will lie 
as many times as he denies having said  
that which ,i affirm he did say2 for ,i 
repeat1 that he told me several times1  
and boasted of it1 that he had slept    
with his mother-in-law4  ,francois de   
,vivonne4  ,to this cartel ,de ,jarnac  

replied3--  ,sire1  ,with your good will
 and permission1 ,i say1 that ,francois 
de ,vivonne has lied in the imputation  
which he has cast upon me1 and of which 
,i spoke to you at ,compeigne4 ,i1      
therefore1 entreat you1 ,sire1 most     
humbly1 that you be pleased to grant us 
a fair field1 that we may fight this    
battle to the death4  ,guy ,chabot4     
,the preparations were conducted on a   
scale of the greatest magnificence1 the 
,king having intimated his intention of 
being present4 ,la ,chataigneraie made  
sure of the victory1 and invited the    
,king and a hundred and fifty of the    
principal personages of the court to sup
 with him in the evening1 after the     
battle1 in a splendid tent1 which he had
 prepared at the extremity of the lists4
 ,de ,jarnac was not so confident1      
though perhaps more desperate4 ,at noon1
 on the day appointed1 the combatants   
met1 and each took the customary oath1  
that he bore no charms or amulets about 
him1 or made use of any magic1 to aid   

him against his antagonist4 ,they then  
attacked each other1 sword in hand4 ,la 
,chataigneraie was a strong1 robust man1
 and over confident2 ,de ,jarnac was    
nimble1 supple1 and prepared for the    
worst4 ,the combat lasted for some time 
doubtful1 until ,de ,jarnac1 overpowered
 by the heavy blows of his opponent1    
covered his head with his shield1 and1  
stooping down1 endeavoured to make      
amends by his agility for his deficiency
 of strength4 ,in this crouching posture
 he aimed two blows at the left thigh of
 ,la ,chataigneraie1 who had left it    
uncovered1 that the motion of his leg   
might not be impeded4 ,each blow was    
successful1 and1 amid the astonishment  
of all the spectators1 and to the great 
regret of the ,king1 ,la ,chataigneraie 
rolled over upon the sand4 ,he seized   
his dagger1 and made a last effort to   
strike ,de ,jarnac2 but he was unable to
 support himself1 and fell powerless    
into the arms of the assistants4 ,the   
officers now interfered1 and ,de ,jarnac

 being declared the victor1 fell down   
upon his knees1 uncovered his head1 and1
 clasping his hands together1           
exclaimed3--,o ,domine1 non sum dignus6 
,la ,chataigneraie was so mortified by  
the result of the encounter1 that he    
resolutely refused to have his wounds   
dressed4 ,he tore off the bandages which
 the surgeons applied1 and expired two  
days afterwards4 ,ever since that time1 
any sly and unforeseen attack has been  
called by the ,french a coup de ,jarnac4
 ,henry was so grieved at the loss of   
his favourite1 that he made the solemn  
oath already alluded to1 that he would  
never again1 so long as he lived1 permit
 a due4 ,some writers have asserted1 and
 among others1 ,mezeraie1 that he issued
 a royal edict forbidding them4 ,this   
has been doubted by others1 and1 as     
there appears no registry of the edict  
in any of the courts1 it seems most     
probable that it was never issued4 ,this
 opinion is strengthened by the fact1   
that two years afterwards1 the council  

ordered another duel to be fought1 with 
similar forms1 but with less            
magnificence1 on account of the inferior
 rank of the combatants4 ,it is not     
anywhere stated1 that ,henry interfered 
to prevent it1 notwithstanding his      
solemn oath2 but that1 on the contrary1 
he encouraged it1 and appointed the     
,marshal de la ,marque to see that it   
was conducted according to the rules of 
chivalry4 ,the disputants were ,fendille
 and ,d',aguerre1 two gentlemen of the  
household1 who1 quarrelling in the      
,king's chamber1 had proceeded from     
words to blows4 ,the council1 being     
informed of the matter1 decreed that it 
could only be decided in the lists4     
,marshal de la ,marque1 with the ,king's
 permission1 appointed the city of      
,sedan as the place of combat4          
,fendille1 who was a bad swordsman1 was 
anxious to avoid an encounter with      
,d',aguerre1 who was one of the most    
expert men of the age2 but the council  
authoritatively commanded that he should

 fight1 or be degraded from all his     
honours4 ,d',aguerre appeared in the    
field attended by ,francois de ,vendome1
 ,count de ,chartres1 while ,fendille   
was accompanied by the ,duke de ,nevers4
 ,fendille appears to have been not only
 an inexpert swordsman1 but a thorough  
coward2 one who1 like ,cowley1 might    
have heaped curses on the man1          
-------7,death's factor sure71 who      
brought      ,dire swords into this     
peaceful world4  ,on the very first     
encounter he was thrown from his horse1 
and1 confessing on the ground all that  
his victor required of him1 slunk away  
ignominiously from the arena4  ,one is  
tempted to look upon the death of ,henry
 ,,ii as a judgment upon him for his    
perjury in the matter of duelling4 ,in a
 grand tournament instituted on the     
occasion of the marriage of his         
daughter1 he broke several lances in    
encounters with some of the bravest     
knights of the time4 ,ambitious of still
 further renown1 he would not rest      

satisfied until he had also engaged the 
young ,count de ,montgomeri4 ,he        
received a wound in the eye from the    
lance of this antagonist1 and died from 
its effects shortly afterwards1 in the  
forty-first year of his age4  ,in the   
succeeding reigns of ,francis ,,ii1     
,charles ,,ix1 and ,henry ,,iii1 the    
practice of duelling increased to an    
alarming extent4 ,duels were not rare in
 the other countries of ,europe at the  
same period2 but in ,france they were so
 frequent1 that historians1 in speaking 
of that age1 designate it as l'epoque de
 la fureur des duels4 ,the ,parliament  
of ,paris endeavoured1 as far as in its 
power lay1 to discourage the practice4  
,by a decree dated the #bfth of ,june   
#aeei1 it declared all persons who      
should be present at duels1 or aiding   
and abetting in them1 to be rebels to   
the ,king1 transgressors of the law1 and
 disturbers of the public peace4  ,when 
,henry ,,iii was assassinated at ,st4   
,cloud1 in #aehi1 a young gentleman1    

named ,l'isle ,marivaut1 who had been   
much beloved by him1 took his death so  
much to heart1 that he resolved not to  
survive him4 ,not thinking suicide an   
honourable death1 and wishing1 as he    
said1 to die gloriously in revenging his
 ,king and master1 he publicly expressed
 his readiness to fight anybody to the  
death who should assert that ,henry's   
assassination was not a great misfortune
 to the community4 ,another youth1 of a 
fiery temper and tried courage1 named   
,marolles1 took him at his word1 and the
 day and place of the combat were       
forthwith appointed4 ,when the hour had 
come1 and all were ready1 ,marolles     
turned to his second1 and asked whether 
his opponent had a casque or helmet     
only1 or whether he wore a sallade1 or  
headpiece4 ,being answered a helmet     
only1 he said gaily1 ,so much the       
better2 for1 sir1 my second1 you shall  
repute me the wickedest man in all the  
world1 if ,i do not thrust my lance     
right through the the middle of his head

 and kill him4 ,truth to say1 he did so 
at the very first onset1 and the unhappy
 ,l'isle ,marivaut expired without a    
groan4 ,brantome1 who relates this      
story1 adds1 that the victor might have 
done as he pleased with the body1 cut   
off the head1 dragged it out of the     
camp1 or exposed it upon an ass1 but    
that1 being a wise and very courteous   
gentleman1 he left it to the relatives  
of the deceased to be honourably buried1
 contenting himself with the glory of   
his triumph1 by which he gained no      
little renown and honour among the      
ladies of ,paris4  ,on the accession of 
,henry ,,iv that monarch pretended to   
set his face against duelling2 but such 
was the influence of early education and
 the prejudices of society upon him1    
that he never could find it in his heart
 to punish a man for this offence4 ,he  
thought it tended to foster a warlike   
spirit among his people4 ,when the      
chivalrous ,crequi demanded his         
permission to fight ,don ,philippe de   

,savoire1 he is reported to have said1  
,go1 and if ,i were not a ,king1 ,i     
would be your second4 ,it is no wonder  
that when such were known to be the     
,king's disposition1 his edicts         
attracted but small attention4 ,a       
calculation was made by ,m4 de ,lomenie1
 in the year #afjg1 that since the      
accession of ,henry1 in #aehi1 no less  
than four thousand ,french gentlemen had
 lost their lives in these conflicts1   
which1 for the eighteen years1 would    
have been at the rate of four or five in
 a week1 or eighteen per month6 ,sully1 
who reports this fact in his ,memoirs1  
does not throw the slightest doubt upon 
its exactness1 and adds1 that it was    
chiefly owing to the facility and       
ill-advised good-nature of his royal    
master that the bad example had so      
empoisoned the court1 the city1 and the 
whole country4 ,this wise minister      
devoted much of his time and attention  
to the subject2 for the rage1 he says1  
was such as to cause him a thousand     

pangs1 and the ,king also4 ,there was   
hardly a man moving in what was called  
good society1 who had not been engaged  
in a duel either as principal or second2
 and if there were such a man1 his chief
 desire was to free himself from the    
imputation of non-duelling1 by picking a
 quarrel with somebody4 ,sully          
constantly wrote letters to the ,king1  
in which he prayed him to renew the     
edicts against this barbarous custom1 to
 aggravate the punishment against       
offenders1 and never1 in any instance1  
to grant a pardon1 even to a person who 
had wounded another in a duel1 much less
 to any one who had taken away life4 ,he
 also advised1 that some sort of        
tribunal1 or court of honour1 should be 
established1 to take cognizance of      
injurious and slanderous language1 and  
of all such matters as usually led to   
duels2 and that the justice to be       
administered by this court should be    
sufficiently prompt and severe to       
appease the complainant1 and make the   

offender repent of his aggression4      
,henry1 being so warmly pressed by his  
friend and minister1 called together an 
extraordinary council in the gallery of 
the palace of ,fontainebleau1 to take   
the matter into consideration4 ,when all
 the members were assembled1 his        
,majesty requested that some person     
conversant with the subject would make a
 report to him on the origin1 progress1 
and different forms of the duel4 ,sully 
complacently remarks1 that none of the  
counsllors gave the ,king any great     
reason to felicitate them on their      
erudition4 ,in fact1 they all remained  
silent4 ,sully held his peace with the  
rest2 but he looked so knowing1 that the
 ,king turned towards him1 and          
said3--,great master6 by your face ,i   
conjecture that you know more of this   
matter than you would have us believe4  
,i pray you1 and indeed ,i command1 that
 you tell us what you think and what you
 know4 ,the coy minister refused1 as he 
says1 out of mere politeness to his more

 ignorant colleagues2 but1 being again  
pressed by the ,king1 he entered into a 
history of duelling both in ancient and 
modern times4 ,he has not preserved this
 history in his ,memoirs2 and1 as none  
of the ministers or counsellors present 
thought proper to do so1 the world is   
deprived of a discourse which was1 no   
doubt1 a learned and remarkable one4    
,the result was1 that a royal edict was 
issued1 which ,sully lost no time in    
transmitting to the most distant        
provinces1 with a distinct notification 
to all parties concerned that the ,king 
was in earnest1 and would exert the full
 rigour of the law in punishment of the 
offenders4 ,sully himself does not      
inform us what were the provisions of   
the new law2 but ,father ,matthias has  
been more explicit1 and from him we     
learn1 that the ,marshals of ,france    
were created judges of a court of       
chivalry1 for the hearing of all causes 
wherein the honour of a noble or        
gentleman was concerned1 and that such  

as resorted to duelling should be       
punished by death and confiscation of   
property1 and that the seconds and      
assistants should lose their rank1      
dignity1 or offices1 and be banished    
from the court of their sovereign4 ,le  
,pere ,matthias1 tome ii4 livre iv4     
,but so strong a hold had the education 
and prejudice of his age upon the mind  
of the ,king1 that though his reason    
condemned1 his sympathies approved the  
duel4 ,notwithstanding this threatened  
severity1 the number of duels did not   
diminish1 and the wise ,sully had still 
to lament the prevalence of an evil     
which menaced society with utter        
disorganization4 ,in the succeeding     
reign the practice prevailed1 if        
possible1 to a still greater extent1    
until the ,cardinal de ,richelieu1      
better able to grapple with it than     
,sully had been1 made some severe       
examples in the very highest classes4   
,lord ,herbert1 the ,english ambassador 
at the court of ,louis ,,xiii repeats1  

in his letters1 an observation that had 
been previously made in the reign of    
,henry ,,iv1 that it was rare to find a 
,frenchman moving in good society who   
had not killed his man in a duel4 ,the  
,abbe ,millot says of this period1 that 
the duel madness made the most terrible 
ravages4 ,men had actually a frenzy for 
combatting4 ,caprice and vanity1 as well
 as the excitement of passion1 imposed  
the necessity of fighting4 ,friends were
 obliged to enter into the quarrels of  
their friends1 or be themselves called  
out for their refusal1 and revenge      
became hereditary in many families4 ,it 
was reckoned that in twenty years eight 
thousand letters of pardon had been     
issued to persons who had killed others 
in single combat4 ,elemens de           
l',histoire de ,france1 vol4 iii4 p4    
#bai4  ,other writers confirm this      
statement4 ,amelot de ,houssaye1 in his 
,memoirs1 says1 upon this subject1 that 
duels were so common in the first years 
of the reign of ,louis ,,xiii1 that the 

ordinary conversation of persons when   
they met in the morning was1 ,do you    
know who fought yesterday8 and after    
dinner1 ,do you know who fought this    
morning8 ,the most infamous duellist at 
that period was ,de ,bouteville4 ,it was
 not at all necessary to quarrel with   
this assassin to be forced to fight a   
duel with him4 ,when he heard that any  
one was very brave1 he would go to him1 
and say1 ,people tell me that you are   
brave2 you and ,i must fight together6  
,every morning the most notorious bravos
 and duellists used to assemble at his  
house1 to take a breakfast of bread and 
wine1 and practise fencing4 ,m4 de      
,valencay1 who was afterwards elevated  
to the rank of a cardinal1 ranked very  
high in the estimation of ,de           
,bouteville and his gang4 ,hardly a day 
passed but what he was engaged in some  
duel or other1 either as principal or   
second2 and he once challenged ,de      
,bouteville himself1 his best friend1   
because ,de ,bouteville had fought a    

duel without inviting him to become his 
second4 ,this quarrel was only appeased 
on the promise of ,de ,bouteville that1 
in his next encounter1 he would not fail
 to avail himself of his services4 ,for 
that purpose he went out the same day1  
and picked a quarrel with the ,marquis  
des ,portes4 ,m4 de ,valencay1 according
 to agreement1 had the pleasure of      
serving as his second1 and of running   
through the body ,m4 de ,cavois1 the    
second of the ,marquis des ,portes1 a   
man who had never done him any injury1  
and whom he afterwards acknowledged he  
had never seen before4  ,cardinal       
,richelieu devoted much attention to    
this lamentable state of public morals1 
and seems to have concurred with his    
great predecessor1 ,sully1 that nothing 
but the most rigorous severity could put
 a stop to the evil4 ,the subject indeed
 was painfully forced upon him by his   
enemies4 ,the ,marquis de ,themines1 to 
whom ,richelieu1 then ,bishop of ,lucon1
 had given offence by some              

representations he had made to ,mary of 
,medicis1 determined1 since he could not
 challenge an ecclesiastic1 to challenge
 his brother4 ,an opportunity was soon  
found4 ,themines1 accosting the ,marquis
 de ,richelieu1 complained1 in an       
insulting tone1 that the ,bishop of     
,lucon had broken his faith4 ,the       
,marquis resented both the manner and   
matter of his speech1 and readily       
accepted a challenge4 ,they met in the  
,rue d',angouleme1 and the unfortunate  
,richelieu was stabbed to the heart1 and
 instantly expired4 ,from that moment   
the ,bishop became the steady foe of the
 practice of duelling4 ,reason and the  
impulse of brotherly love alike combined
 to make him detest it1 and when his    
power in ,france was firmly established1
 he set vigorously about repressing it4 
,in his ,testament ,politique1 he has   
collected his thoughts upon the subject1
 in the chapter entitled ,des moyens    
d'arreter les ,duels4 ,in spite of the  
edicts that he published1 the members of

 the nobility persisted in fighting upon
 the most trivial and absurd pretences4 
,at last ,richelieu made a terrible     
example4 ,the infamous ,de ,bouteville  
challenged and fought the ,marquis de   
,beuoron2 and1 although the duel itself 
was not fatal to either1 its            
consequences were fatal to both4 ,high  
as they were1 ,richelieu resolved that  
the law should reach them1 and they were
 both tried1 found guilty1 and beheaded4
 ,thus did society get rid of one of the
 most bloodthirsty scoundrels that ever 
polluted it4  ,in #afcb two noblemen    
fought a duel1 in which they were both  
killed4 ,the officers of justice had    
notice of the breach of the law1 and    
arrived at the scene of combat before   
the friends of the parties had time to  
remove the bodies4 ,in conformity with  
the ,cardinal's severe code upon the    
subject1 the bodies were ignominiously  
stripped1 and hanged upon a gallows1    
with their heads downwards1 for several 
hours1 within sight of all the people4  

,mercure de ,france1 vol4 xiii4 ,this   
severity sobered the frenzy of the      
nation for a time2 but it was soon      
forgotten4 ,men's minds were too deeply 
imbued with a false notion of honour to 
be brought to a right way of thinking3  
by such examples1 however striking1     
,richelieu was unable to persuade them  
to walk in the right path1 though he    
could punish them for choosing the wrong
 one4 ,he had1 with all his acuteness1  
miscalculated the spirit of duelling4   
,it was not death that a duellist       
feared3 it was shame1 and the contempt  
of his fellows4 ,as ,addison remarked   
more than eighty years afterwards1      
,death was not sufficient to deter men  
who made it their glory to despise it2  
but if every one who fought a duel were 
to stand in the pillory1 it would       
quickly diminish the number of those    
imaginary men of honour1 and put an end 
to so absurd a practice4 ,richelieu     
never thought of this4  ,sully says1    
that in his time the ,germans were also 

much addicted to duelling4 ,there were  
three places where it was legal to      
fight2 ,witzburg1 in ,franconia1 and    
,uspach and ,halle1 in ,swabia4         
,thither1 of course1 vast numbers       
repaired1 and murdered each other under 
sanction of the law4 ,at an earlier     
period1 in ,germany1 it was held highly 
disgraceful to refuse to fight4 ,any one
 who surrendered to his adversary for a 
simple wound that did not disable him1  
was reputed infamous1 and could neither 
cut his beard1 bear arms1 mount on      
horseback1 or hold any ,office in the   
state4 ,he who fell in a duel was buried
 with great pomp and splendour4  ,in the
 year #afeb1 just after ,louis ,,xiv had
 attained his majority1 a desperate duel
 was fought between the ,dukes de       
,beaufort and ,de ,nemours1 each        
attended by four gentlemen4 ,although   
brothers-in-law1 they had long been     
enemies1 and their constant dissensions 
had introduced much disorganization     
among the troops which they severally   

commanded4 ,each had long sought an     
opportunity for combat1 which at last   
arose on a misunderstanding relative to 
the places they were to occupy at the   
council board4 ,they fought with        
pistols1 and1 at the first discharge1   
the ,duke de ,nemours was shot through  
the body1 and almost instantly expired4 
,upon this the ,marquis de ,villars1 who
 seconded ,nemours1 challenged          
,hericourt1 the second of the ,duke de  
,beaufort1 a man whom he had never      
before seen2 and the challenge being    
accepted1 they fought even more         
desperately than their principals4 ,this
 combat1 being with swords1 lasted      
longer than the first1 and was more     
exciting to the six remaining gentlemen 
who stayed to witness it4 ,the result   
was fatal to ,hericourt1 who fell       
pierced to the heart by the sword of ,de
 ,villars4 ,anything more savage than   
this can hardly be imagined4 ,voltaire  
says such duels were frequent1 and the  
compiler of the ,dictionnaire           

d',anecdotes informs us1 that the number
 of seconds was not fixed4 ,as many as  
ten1 or twelve1 or twenty1 were not     
unfrequent1 and they often fought       
together after their principals were    
disabled4 ,the highest mark of          
friendship one man could manifest       
towards another1 was to choose him for  
his second2 and many gentlemen were so  
desirous of serving in this capacity1   
that they endeavoured to raise every    
slight misunderstanding into a quarrel1 
that they might have the pleasure of    
being engaged in it4 ,the ,count de     
,bussy ,rabutin relates an instance of  
this in his ,memoirs4 ,he says1 that as 
he was one evening coming out of the    
theatre1 a gentleman1 named ,bruc1 whom 
he had not before known1 stopped him    
very politely1 and1 drawing him aside1  
asked him if it was true that the ,count
 de ,thianges had called him 7,bruc7 a  
drunkard8 ,bussy replied1 that he really
 did not know1 for he saw the ,count    
very seldom4 ,oh6 he is your uncle6     

replied ,bruc2 and1 as ,i cannot have   
satisfaction from him1 because he lives 
so far off in the country1 ,i apply to  
you4 ,i see what you are at1 replied    
,bussy1 and1 since you wish to put me in
 my uncle's place1 ,i answer1 that      
whoever asserted that he called you a   
drunkard1 told a lie6 ,my brother said  
so1 replied ,bruc1 and he is a child4   
,horsewhip him1 then1 for his falsehood1
 returned ,de ,bussy4 ,i will not have  
my brother called a liar1 returned      
,bruc1 determined to quarrel with him2  
so draw1 and defend yourself6 ,they both
 drew their swords in the public street1
 but were separated by the spectators4  
,they agreed1 however1 to fight on a    
future occasion1 and with all regular   
forms of the duello4 ,a few days        
afterwards1 a gentleman1 whom ,de ,bussy
 had never before seen1 and whom he did 
not know1 even by name1 called upon him1
 and asked if he might have the         
privilege of serving as his second4 ,he 
added1 that he neither knew him nor     

,bruc1 except by reputation1 but1 having
 made up his mind to be second to one of
 them1 he had decided upon accompanying 
,de ,bussy as the braver man of the two4
 ,de ,bussy thanked him very sincerely  
for his politeness1 but begged to be    
excused1 as he had already engaged four 
seconds to accompany him1 and he was    
afraid that if he took any more1 the    
affair would become a battle instead of 
a duel4  ,when such quarrels as these   
were looked upon as mere matters of     
course1 the state of society must have  
been indeed awful4 ,louis ,,xiv very    
early saw the evil1 and as early        
determined to remedy it4 ,it was not1   
however1 till the year #afgi1 when he   
instituted the ,chambre ,ardente1 for   
the trial of the slow poisoners and     
pretenders to sorcery1 that he published
 any edict against duelling4 ,in that   
year his famous edict was promulgated1  
in which he reiterated and confirmed the
 severe enactments of his predecessors1 
,henry ,,iv and ,louis ,,xiii1 and      

expressed his determination never to    
pardon any offender4 ,by this celebrated
 ordinance a supreme court of honour was
 established1 composed of the ,marshals 
of ,france4 ,they were bound1 on taking 
the office1 to give to every one who    
brought a well-founded complaint before 
them1 such reparation as would satisfy  
the justice of the case4 ,should any    
gentleman against whom complaint was    
made refuse to obey the mandate of the  
court of honour1 he might be punished by
 fine and imprisonment2 and when that   
was not possible1 by reason of his      
absenting himself from the kingdom1 his 
estates might be confiscated till his   
return4  ,every man who sent a          
challenge1 be the cause of offence what 
it might1 was deprived of all redress   
from the court of honour--suspended     
three years from the exercise of any    
office in the state--was further        
imprisoned for two years1 and sentenced 
to pay a fine of half his yearly income4
 ,he who accepted a challenge1 was      

subject to the same punishment4 ,any    
servant1 or other person1 who knowingly 
became the bearer of a challenge1 was1  
if found guilty1 sentenced to stand in  
the pillory and be publicly whipped for 
the first offence1 and for the second1  
sent for three years to the galleys4    
,any person who actually fought1 was to 
be held guilty of murder1 even though   
death did not ensue1 and was to be      
punished accordingly4 ,persons in the   
higher ranks of life were to be         
beheaded1 and those of the middle class 
hanged upon a gallows1 and their bodies 
refused ,christian burial4  ,at the same
 time that ,louis published this severe 
edict1 he exacted a promise from his    
principal nobility that they would never
 engage in a duel on any pretence       
whatever4 ,he never swerved from his    
resolution to pursue all duellists with 
the utmost rigour1 and many were        
executed in various parts of the        
country4 ,a slight abatement of the evil
 was the consequence1 and in the course 

of a few years one duel was not fought  
where twelve had been fought previously4
 ,a medal was struck to commemorate the 
circumstance1 by the express command of 
the ,king4 ,so much had he this object  
at heart1 that1 in his will1 he         
particularly recommended to his         
successor the care of his edict against 
duelling1 and warned him against any    
ill-judged lenity to those who disobeyed
 it4 ,a singular law formerly existed in
 ,malta with regard to duelling4 ,by    
this law it was permitted1 but only upon
 condition that the parties should fight
 in one particular street4 ,if they     
presumed to settle their quarrel        
elsewhere1 they were held guilty of     
murder1 and punished accordingly4 ,what 
was also very singular1 they were bound1
 under heavy penalties1 to put up their 
swords when requested to do so by a     
priest1 a knight1 or a woman4 ,it does  
not appear1 however1 that the ladies or 
the knights exercised this mild and     
beneficent privilege to any great       

extent2 the former were too often       
themselves the cause of duels1 and the  
latter sympathised too much in the      
wounded honour of the combatants to     
attempt to separate them4 ,the priests  
alone were the great peacemakers4       
,brydone says1 that a cross was always  
painted on the wall opposite to the spot
 where a knight had been killed1 and    
that in the street of duels he counted  
about twenty of them4 ,brydone's ,tour  
in ,malta4 #aggb4  ,in ,england the     
private duel was also practised to a    
scandalous extent1 towards the end of   
the sixteenth and beginning of the      
seventeenth centuries4 ,the judicial    
combat now began to be more rare1 but   
several instances of it are mentioned in
 history4 ,one was instituted in the    
reign of ,elizabeth1 and another so late
 as the time of ,charles ,i4 ,sir ,henry
 ,spelman gives an account of that which
 took place in ,elizabeth's reign1 which
 is curious1 perhaps the more so when we
 consider that it was perfectly legal1  

and that similar combats remained so    
till the year #ahai4 ,a proceeding      
having been instituted in the ,court of 
,common ,pleas for the recovery of      
certain manorial rights in the county of
 ,kent1 the defendant offered to prove  
by single combat his right to retain    
possession4 ,the plaintiff accepted the 
challenge1 and the ,court having no     
power to stay the proceedings1 agreed to
 the champions who were to fight in lieu
 of the principals4 ,the ,queen         
commanded the parties to compromise2 but
 it being represented to ,her ,majesty  
that they were justified by law in the  
course they were pursuing1 she allowed  
them to proceed4 ,on the day appointed1 
the ,justices of the ,common ,pleas1 and
 all the council engaged in the cause1  
appeared as umpires of the combat1 at a 
place in ,tothill-fields1 where the     
lists had been prepared4 ,the champions 
were ready for the encounter1 and the   
plaintiff and defendant were publicly   
called to come forward and acknowledge  

them4 ,the defendant answered to his    
name1 and recognised his champion with  
the due formalities1 but the plaintiff  
did not appear4 ,without his presence   
and authority the combat could not take 
place2 and his absence being considered 
an abandonment of his claim1 he was     
declared to be nonsuited1 and barred for
 ever from renewing his suit before any 
other tribunal whatever4  ,the ,queen   
appears to have disapproved personally  
of this mode of settling a disputed     
claim1 but her judges and legal advisers
 made no attempt to alter the barbarous 
law4 ,the practice of private duelling  
excited more indignation1 from its being
 of every-day occurrence4 ,in the time  
of ,james ,i the ,english were so       
infected with the ,french madness1 that 
,bacon1 when he was ,attorney-general1  
lent the aid of his powerful eloquence  
to effect a reformation of the evil4    
,informations were exhibited in the     
,star ,chamber against two persons1     
named ,priest and ,wright1 for being    

engaged1 as principal and second1 in a  
duel1 on which occasion he delivered a  
charge that was so highly approved of by
 the ,lords of the ,council1 that they  
ordered it to be printed and circulated 
over the country1 as a thing very meet  
and worthy to be remembered and made    
known unto the world4 ,he began by      
considering the nature and greatness of 
the mischief of duelling4 ,it troubleth 
peace--it disfurnisheth war--it bringeth
 calamity upon private men1 peril upon  
the state1 and contempt upon the law4   
,touching the causes of it1 he observed1
 that the first motive of it1 no doubt1 
is a false and erroneous imagination of 
honour and credit2 but then1 the seed of
 this mischief being such1 it is        
nourished by vain discourses and green  
and unripe conceits4 ,hereunto may be   
added1 that men have almost lost the    
true notion and understanding of        
fortitude and valour4 ,for fortitude    
distinguisheth of the grounds of quarrel
 whether they be just2 and not only so1 

but whether they be worthy1 and setteth 
a better price upon men's lives than to 
bestow them idly4 ,nay1 it is weakness  
and disesteem of a man's self to put a  
man's life upon such liedger            
performances4 ,a man's life is not to be
 trifled with3 it is to be offered up   
and sacrificed to honourable services1  
public merits1 good causes1 and noble   
adventures4 ,it is in expense of blood  
as it is in expense of money4 ,it is no 
liberality to make a profusion of money 
upon every vain occasion1 neither is it 
fortitude to make effusion of blood1    
except the cause of it be worth4 ,see   
,life and ,character of ,lord ,bacon1 by
 ,thomas ,martin1 ,barrister-at-law4    
,the most remarkable event connected    
with duelling in this reign was that    
between ,lord ,sanquir1 a ,scotch       
nobleman1 and one ,turner1 a            
fencing-master4 ,in a trial of skill    
between them1 his lordship's eye was    
accidentally thrust out by the point of 
,turner's sword4 ,turner expressed great

 regret at the circumstance1 and ,lord  
,sanquir bore his loss with as much     
philosophy as he was master of1 and     
forgave his antagonist4 ,three years    
afterwards1 ,lord ,sanquir was at       
,paris1 where he was a constant visitor 
at the court of ,henry ,,iv4 ,one day1  
in the course of conversation1 the      
affable monarch inquired how he had lost
 his eye4 ,sanquir1 who prided himself  
on being the most expert swordsman of   
the age1 blushed as he replied that it  
was inflicted by the sword of a         
fencing-master4 ,henry1 forgetting his  
assumed character of an antiduellist1   
carelessly1 and as a mere matter of     
course1 inquired whether the man lived8 
,nothing more was said1 but the query   
sank deep into the proud heart of the   
,scotch baron1 who returned shortly     
afterwards to ,england1 burning for     
revenge4 ,his first intent was to       
challenge the fencing-master to single  
combat1 but1 on further consideration1  
he deemed it inconsistent with his      

dignity to meet him as an equal in fair 
and open fight4 ,he therefore hired two 
bravos1 who set upon the fencing-master1
 and murdered him in his own house at   
,whitefriars4 ,the assassins were taken 
and executed1 and a reward of one       
thousand pounds offered for the         
apprehension of their employer4 ,lord   
,sanquir concealed himself for several  
days1 and then surrendered to take his  
trial1 in the hope 7happily false7 that 
,justice would belie her name1 and be   
lenient to a murderer because he was a  
nobleman1 who1 on a false point of      
honour1 had thought fit to take revenge 
into his own hands4 ,the most powerful  
intercessions were employed in his      
favour1 but ,james1 to his credit1 was  
deaf to them all4 ,bacon1 in his        
character of ,attorney-general1         
prosecuted the prisoner to conviction2  
and he died the felon's death1 on the   
#bith of ,june1 #afab1 on a gibbet      
erected in front of the gate of         
,westminster ,hall4  ,with regard to the

 public duel1 or trial by battle1       
demanded under the sanction of the law1 
to terminate a quarrel which the        
ordinary course of justice could with   
difficulty decide1 ,bacon was equally   
opposed to it1 and thought that in no   
case should it be granted4 ,he suggested
 that there should be declared a        
constant and settled resolution in the  
state to abolish it altogether2 that    
care should be taken that the evil be no
 more cockered1 nor the humour of it    
fed1 but that all persons found guilty  
should be rigorously punished by the    
,star ,chamber1 and these of eminent    
quality banished from the court4  ,in   
the succeeding reign1 when ,donald      
,mackay1 the first ,lord ,reay1 accused 
,david ,ramsay of treason1 in being     
concerned with the ,marquis of ,hamilton
 in a design upon the crown of          
,scotland1 he was challenged by the     
latter to make good his assertion by    
single combat4 ,see ,history of the     
,house and ,clan of ,mackay4 ,it had    

been at first the intention of the      
government to try the case by the common
 law1 but ,ramsay thought he would stand
 a better chance of escape by recurring 
to the old and almost exploded custom1  
but which was still the right of every  
man in appeals of treason4 ,lord ,reay  
readily accepted the challenge1 and both
 were confined in the ,tower until they 
found security that they would appear on
 a certain day1 appointed by the court1 
to determine the question4 ,the         
management of the affair was delegated  
to the ,marischal ,court of             
,westminster1 and the ,earl of ,lindsay 
was created ,lord ,constable of ,england
 for the purpose4 ,shortly before the   
day appointed1 ,ramsay confessed in     
substance all that ,lord ,reay had laid 
to his charge1 upon which ,charles ,i   
put a stop to the proceedings4  ,but in 
,england1 about this period1 sterner    
disputes arose among men than those mere
 individual matters which generate      
duels4 ,the men of the ,commonwealth    

encouraged no practice of the kind1 and 
the subdued aristocracy carried their   
habits and prejudices elsewhere1 and    
fought their duels at foreign courts4   
,cromwell's ,parliament1                
however1--although the evil at that time
 was not so crying1--published an order1
 in #afed1 for the prevention of duels1 
and the punishment of all con cerned in 
them4 ,charles ,,ii1 on his restoration1
 also issued a proclamation upon the    
subject4 ,in his reign an infamous duel 
was fought--infamous1 not only from its 
own circumstances1 but from the lenity  
that was shown to the principal         
offenders4  ,the worthless ,duke of     
,buckingham1 having debauched the       
,countess of ,shrewsbury1 was challenged
 by her husband to mortal combat1 in    
,january #affh4 ,charles ,,ii           
endeavoured to prevent the duel1 not    
from any regard to public morality1 but 
from fear for the life of his favourite4
 ,he gave commands to the ,duke of      
,albemarle to confine ,buckingham to his

 house1 or take some other measures to  
prevent him flora fighting4 ,albemarle  
neglected the order1 thinking that the  
,king himself might prevent the combat  
by some surer means4 ,the meeting took  
place at ,barn ,elms1 the injured       
,shrewsbury being attended by ,sir ,john
 ,talbot1 his relative1 and ,lord       
,bernard ,howard1 son of the ,earl of   
,arundel4 ,buckingham was accompanied by
 two of his dependants1 ,captain ,holmes
 and ,sir ,john ,jenkins4 ,according to 
the barbarous custom of the age1 not    
only the principals1 but the seconds1   
engaged each other4 ,jenkins was pierced
 to the heart1 and left dead upon the   
field1 and ,sir ,john ,talbot severely  
wounded in both arms4 ,buckingham       
himself escaping with slight wounds1 ran
 his unfortunate antagonist through the 
body1 and then left the field with the  
wretched woman1 the cause of all the    
mischief1 who1 in the dress of a page1  
awaited the issue of the conflict in a  
neighbouring wood1 holding her          

paramour's horse to avoid suspicion4    
,great influence was exerted to save the
 guilty parties from punishment1 and the
 master1 as base as the favourite1 made 
little difficulty in granting a free    
pardon to all concerned4 ,in a royal    
proclamation issued shortly afterwards1 
,charles ,,ii formally pardoned the     
murderers1 but declared his intention   
never to extend1 in future1 any mercy to
 such offenders4 ,it would be hard after
 this to say who was the most infamous1 
the ,king1 the favourite1 or the        
courtezan4  ,in the reign of ,queen     
,anne1 repeated complaints were made of 
the prevalence of duelling4 ,addison1   
,swift1 ,steele1 and other writers1     
employed their powerful pens in         
reprobation of it4 ,steele especially1  
in the ,tatler and ,guardian1 exposed   
its impiety and absurdity1 and          
endeavoured1 both by argument and by    
ridicule1 to bring his countrymen to a  
right way of thinking4 ,see ,spectator1 
,nos4 #hd4 #ig1 and #ii2 and ,tatler1   

,nos4 #be1 #bf1 #bi1 #ca1 #ch1 and #ci2 
and ,guardian1 ,no4 #bj4 ,his comedy of 
,the ,conscious ,lovers contains an     
admirable exposure of the abuse of the  
word honour1 which led men into an error
 so lamentable4 ,swift1 writing upon the
 subject1 remarked that he could see no 
harm in rogues and fools shooting each  
other4 ,addison and ,steele took higher 
ground1 and the latter1 in the          
,guardian1 summed up nearly all that    
could be said upon the subject in the   
following impressive words3--,a         
,christian and a gentleman are made     
inconsistent appellations of the same   
person4 ,you are not to expect eternal  
life if you do not forgive injuries1 and
 your mortal life is rendered           
uncomfortable if you are not ready to   
commit a murder in resentment of an     
affront2 for good sense1 as well as     
religion1 is so utterly banished the    
world that men glory in their very      
passions1 and pursue trifles with the   
utmost vengeance1 so little do they know

 that to forgive is the most arduous    
pitch human nature can arrive at4 ,a    
coward has often fought--a coward has   
often conquered1 but a coward never     
forgave4 ,steele also published a       
pamphlet1 in which he gave a detailed   
account of the edict of ,louis ,,xiv1   
and the measures taken by that monarch  
to cure his subjects of their murderous 
folly4  ,on the #hth of ,may1 #agaa1    
,sir ,cholmely ,deering1 ,m4,p4 for the 
county of ,kent1 was slain in a duel by 
,mr4 ,richard ,thornhill1 also a member 
of the ,house of ,commons4 ,three days  
afterwards1 ,sir ,peter ,king brought   
the subject under the notice of the     
,legislature1 and after dwelling at     
considerable length on the alarming     
increase of the practice1 obtained leave
 to bring in a bill for the prevention  
and punishment of duelling4 ,it was read
 a first time that day1 and ordered for 
a second reading in the ensuing week4   
,about the same time the attention of   
the ,upper ,house of ,parliament was    

also drawn to the subject in the most   
painful manner4 ,two of its most noted  
members would have fought1 had it not   
been that ,queen ,anne received notice  
of their intention1 and exacted a pledge
 that they would desist2 while a few    
months afterwards1 two other of its     
members lost their lives in one of the  
most remarkable duels upon record4 ,the 
first affair1 which happily terminated  
without a meeting1 was between the ,duke
 of ,marlborough and the ,earl ,pawlet4 
,the latter1 and fatal encounter1 was   
between the ,duke of ,hamilton and ,lord
 ,mohun4  ,the first arose out of a     
debate in the ,lords upon the conduct of
 the ,duke of ,ormond1 in refusing to   
hazard a general engagement with the    
enemy1 in which ,earl ,pawlet remarked  
that nobody could doubt the courage of  
the ,duke of ,ormond4 ,he was not like a
 certain general1 who led troops to the 
slaughter1 to cause great numbers of    
officers to be knocked on the head in a 
battle1 or against stone walls1 in order

 to fill his pockets by disposing of    
their commissions4 ,every one felt that 
the remark was aimed at the ,duke of    
,marlborough1 but he remained silent1   
though evidently suffering in mind4     
,soon after the ,house broke up1 the    
,earl ,pawlet received a visit from     
,lord ,mohun1 who told him that the     
,duke of ,marlborough was anxious to    
come to an explanation with him relative
 to some expressions he had made use of 
in that day's debate1 and therefore     
prayed him to go and take a little air  
in the country4 ,earl ,pawlet did not   
affect to misunderstand the hint1 but   
asked him in plain terms whether he     
brought a challenge from the ,duke4     
,lord ,mohun said his message needed no 
explanation1 and that he 7,lord ,mohun7 
would accompany the ,duke of            
,marlborough4 ,he then took his leave1  
and ,earl ,pawlet returned home and told
 his lady that he was going out to fight
 a duel with the ,duke of ,marlborough4 
,his lady1 alarmed for her lord's       

safety1 gave notice of his intention to 
the ,earl of ,dartmouth1 who            
immediately1 in the ,queen's name1 sent 
to the ,duke of ,marlborough1 and       
commanded him not to stir abroad4 ,he   
also caused ,earl ,pawlet's house to be 
guarded by two sentinels2 and having    
taken these precautions1 informed the   
,queen of the whole affair4 ,her        
,majesty sent at once for the ,duke1    
expressed her abhorrence of the custom  
of duelling1 and required his word of   
honour that he would proceed no further4
 ,the ,duke pledged his word            
accordingly1 and the affair terminated4 
,the lamentable duel between the ,duke  
of ,hamilton and ,lord ,mohun took place
 in ,november #agab1 and sprang from the
 following circumstances4 ,a lawsuit had
 been pending for eleven years between  
these two noblemen1 and they looked upon
 each other in consequence with a       
certain degree of coldness4 ,they met   
together on the #acth of ,november in   
the chambers of ,mr4 ,orlebar1 a ,master

 in ,chancery1 when1 in the course of   
conversation1 the ,duke of ,hamilton    
reflected upon the conduct of one of the
 witnesses in the cause1 saying that he 
was a person who had neither truth nor  
justice in him4 ,lord ,mohun1 somewhat  
nettled at this remark1 applied to a    
witness favourable to his side1 made    
answer hastily1 that ,mr4 ,whiteworth1  
the person alluded to1 had quite as much
 truth and justice in him as the ,duke  
of ,hamilton4 ,the ,duke made no reply1 
and no one present imagined that he took
 offence at what was said2 and when he  
went out1 of the room1 he made a low and
 courteous salute to the ,lord ,mohun4  
,in the evening1 ,general ,macartney    
called twice upon the ,duke with a      
challenge from ,lord ,mohun1 and failing
 in seeing him1 sought him a third time 
at a tavern1 where he found him1 and    
delivered his message4 ,the ,duke       
accepted the challenge1 and the day     
after the morrow1 which was ,sunday1 the
 #aeth of ,november1 at seven in the    

morning1 was appointed for the meeting4 
,at that hour they assembled in ,hyde   
,park1 the ,duke being attended by his  
relative1 ,colonel ,hamilton1 and the   
,lord ,mohun by ,general ,macartney4    
,they jumped over a ditch into a place  
called the ,nursery1 and prepared for   
the combat4 ,the ,duke of ,hamilton1    
turning to ,general ,macartney1 said1   
,sir1 you are the cause of this1 let the
 event be what it will4 ,lord ,mohun did
 not wish that the seconds should       
engage1 but the ,duke insisted that     
,macartney should have a share in the   
dance4 ,all being ready1 the two        
principals took up their positions1 and 
fought with swords so desperately that1 
after a short time1 they both fell down1
 mortally wounded4 ,the ,lord ,mohun    
expired upon the spot1 and the ,duke of 
,hamilton in the arms of his servants as
 they were carrying him to his coach4   
,this unhappy termination caused the    
greatest excitement1 not only in the    
metropolis1 but all over the country4   

,the ,tories1 grieved at the loss of the
 ,duke of ,hamilton1 charged the fatal  
combat on the ,whig party1 whose leader1
 the ,duke of ,marlborough1 had so      
recently set the example of political   
duels4 ,they called ,lord ,mohun the    
bully of the ,whig faction1 7he had     
already killed three men in duels1 and  
been twice tried for murder71 and       
asserted openly1 that the quarrel was   
concocted between him and ,general      
,macartney to rob the country of the    
services of the ,duke of ,hamilton by   
murdering him4 ,it was also asserted1   
that the wound of which the ,duke died  
was not inflicted by ,lord ,mohun1 but  
by ,macartney2 and every means was used 
to propagate this belief4 ,colonel      
,hamilton1 against whom and ,macartney  
the coroner's jury had returned a       
verdict of wilful murder1 surrendered a 
few days afterwards1 and was examined   
before a privy council sitting at the   
house of ,lord ,dartmouth4 ,he then     
deposed1 that seeing ,lord ,mohun fall1 

and the ,duke upon him1 he ran to the   
,duke's assistance1 and that he might   
with the more ease help him1 he flung   
down both their swords1 and1 as he was  
raising the ,duke up1 he saw ,macartney1
 make a push at him4 ,upon this         
deposition a royal proclamation was     
immediately issued1 offering a reward of
 #ejj pounds for the apprehension of    
,macartney1 to which the ,duchess of    
,hamilton afterwards added a reward of  
#cjj pounds4  ,upon the further         
examination of ,colonel ,hamilton1 it   
was found that reliance could not be    
placed on all his statements1 and that  
he contradicted himself in several      
important particulars4 ,he was arraigned
 at the ,old ,bailey for the murder of  
,lord ,mohun1 the whole political       
circles of ,london being in a fever of  
excitement for the result4 ,all the     
,tory party prayed for his acquittal1   
and a ,tory mob surrounded the doors and
 all the avenues leading to the court of
 justice for many hours before the trial

 began4 ,the examination of witnesses   
lasted seven hours4 ,the criminal still 
persisted in accusing ,general          
,macartney of the murder of the ,duke of
 ,hamilton1 but1 in other respects1 say 
the newspapers of the day1 prevaricated 
foully4 ,he was found guilty of         
manslaughter4 ,this favourable verdict  
was received with universal applause1   
not only from the court and all the     
gentlemen present1 but the common people
 showed a mighty satisfaction1 which    
they testified by loud and repeated     
huzzas4 ,post ,boy1 ,december l#cth1    
#agab4  ,as the popular delirium        
subsided1 and men began to reason coolly
 upon the subject1 they disbelieved the 
assertions of ,colonel ,hamilton1 that  
,macartney had stabbed the ,duke1       
although it was universally admitted    
that he had been much too busy and      
presuming4 ,hamilton was shunned by all 
his former companions1 and his life     
rendered so irksome to him1 that he sold
 out of the ,guards1 and retired to     

private life1 in which he died          
heart-broken four years afterwards4     
,general ,macartney surrendered about   
the same time1 and was tried for murder 
in the ,court of ,king's ,bench4 ,he    
was1 however1 found guilty of           
manslaughter only4  ,at the opening of  
the session of ,parliament of #agac1 the
 ,queen made pointed allusion in her    
speech to the frequency of duelling1 and
 recommended to the ,legislature to     
devise some speedy and effectual remedy 
for it4 ,a bill to that effect was      
brought forward1 but thrown out on the  
second reading1 to the very great regret
 of all the sensible portion of the     
community4  ,a famous duel was fought in
 #agfe between ,lord ,byron and ,mr4    
,chaworth4 ,the dispute arose at a      
club-dinner1 and was relative to which  
of the two had the largest quantity of  
game on his estates4 ,infuriated by wine
 and passion1 they retired instantly    
into an adjoining room1 and fought with 
swords across a table1 by the feeble    

glimmer of a tallow-candle4 ,mr4        
,chaworth1 who was the more expert      
swordsman of the two1 received a mortal 
wound1 and shortly afterwards expired4  
,lord ,byron was brought to trial for   
the murder before the ,house of ,lords2 
and it appearing clearly1 that the duel 
was not premeditated1 but fought at     
once1 and in the heat of passion1 he was
 found guilty of manslaughter only1 and 
ordered to be discharged upon payment of
 his fees4 ,this was a very bad example 
for the country1 and duelling of course 
fell into no disrepute after such a     
verdict4  ,in ,france1 more severity was
 exercised4 ,in the year #agfi1 the     
,parliament of ,grenoble took cognizance
 of the delinquency of the ,sieur       
,duchelas1 one of its members1 who      
challenged and killed in a duel a       
captain of the ,flemish legion4 ,the    
servant of ,duchelas officiated as      
second1 and was arraigned with his      
master for the murder of the captain4   
,they were both found guilty4 ,duchelas 

was broken alive on the wheel1 and the  
servant condemned to the galleys for    
life4  ,a barbarous and                 
fiercely-contested duel was fought in   
,november #aggh1 between two foreign    
adventurers1 at ,bath1 named ,count     
,rice and the ,vicomte du ,barri4 ,some 
dispute arose relative to a gambling    
transaction1 in the course of which ,du 
,barri contradicted an assertion of the 
other1 by saying1 ,that is not true6    
,count ,rice immediately asked him if he
 knew the very disagreeable meaning of  
the words he had employed4 ,du ,barri   
said he was perfectly well aware of     
their meaning1 and that ,rice might     
interpret them just as he pleased4 ,a   
challenge was immediately given and     
accepted4 ,seconds were sent for1 who1  
arriving with but little delay1 the     
whole party1 though it was not long     
after midnight1 proceeded to a place    
called ,claverton ,down1 where they     
remained with a surgeon until daylight4 
,they then prepared for the encounter1  

each being armed with two pistols and a 
sword4 ,the ground having been marked   
out by the seconds1 ,du ,barri fired    
first1 and wounded his opponent in the  
thigh4 ,count ,rice then levelled his   
pistol1 and shot ,du ,barri mortally in 
the breast4 ,so angry were the          
combatants1 that they refused to desist2
 both stepped back a few paces1 and then
 rushing forward1 discharged their      
second pistols at each other4 ,neither  
shot took effect1 and both throwing away
 their pistols1 prepared to finish the  
sanguinary struggle by the sword4 ,they 
took their places1 and were advancing   
towards each other1 when the ,vicomte du
 ,barri suddenly staggered1 grew pale1  
and1 falling to the ground1 exclaimed1  
,je vous demande ma vie4 ,his opponent  
had but just time to answer1 that he    
granted it1 when the unfortunate ,du    
,barri turned upon the grass1 and       
expired with a heavy groan4 ,the        
survivor of this savage conflict was    
then removed to his lodgings1 where he  

lay for some weeks in a dangerous state4
 ,the coroner's jury1 in the mean while1
 sat upon the body of ,du ,barri1 and   
disgraced themselves by returning a     
verdict of manslaughter only4 ,count    
,rice1 upon his recovery1 was indicted  
for the murder notwithstanding this     
verdict4 ,on his trial he entered into a
 long defence of his conduct1 pleading  
the fairness of the duel1 and its       
unpremeditated nature2 and1 at the same 
time1 expressing his deep regret for the
 unfortunate death of ,du ,barri1 with  
whom for many years he had been bound in
 ties of the strictest friendship4      
,these considerations appear to have    
weighed with the jury1 and this fierce  
duellist was again found guilty of      
manslaughter only1 and escaped with a   
merely nominal punishment4  ,a duel1    
less remarkable from its circumstances1 
but more so from the rank of the        
parties1 took place in #aghi4 ,the      
combatants on this occasion were the    
,duke of ,york and ,colonel ,lenox1 the 

nephew and heir of the ,duke of         
,richmond4 ,the cause of offence was    
given by the ,duke of ,york1 who had    
said1 in presence of several officers of
 the ,guards1 that words had been used  
to ,colonel ,lenox at ,daubigny's to    
which no gentleman ought to have        
submitted4 ,colonel ,lenox went up to   
the ,duke on parade1 and asked him      
publicly whether he had made such an    
assertion4 ,the ,duke of ,york1 without 
answering his question1 coldly ordered  
him to his post4 ,when parade was over1 
he took an opportunity of saying        
publicly in the orderly room before     
,colonel ,lenox1 that he desired no     
protection from his rank as a prince and
 his station as commanding officer2     
adding that1 when he was off duty1 he   
wore a plain brown coat like a private  
gentleman1 and was ready as such to give
 satisfaction4 ,colonel ,lenox desired  
nothing better than satisfaction2 that  
is to say1 to run the chance of shooting
 the ,duke through the body1 or being   

himself shot4 ,he accordingly challenged
 his ,royal ,highness1 and they met on  
,wimbledon ,common4 ,colonel ,lenox     
fired first1 and the ball whizzed past  
the head of his opponent1 so near to it 
as to graze his projecting curl4 ,the   
,duke refused to return the fire1 and   
the seconds interfering1 the affair     
terminated4  ,colonel ,lenox was very   
shortly afterwards engaged in another   
duel arising out of this4 ,a ,mr4 ,swift
 wrote a pamphlet in reference to the   
dispute between him and the ,duke of    
,york1 at some expressions in which he  
took so much offence1 as to imagine that
 nothing but a shot at the writer could 
atone for them4 ,they met on the        
,uxbridge ,road1 but no damage was done 
to either party4  ,the ,irish were for a
 long time renowned for their love of   
duelling4 ,the slightest offence which  
it is possible to imagine that one man  
could offer to another1 was sufficient  
to provoke a challenge4 ,sir ,jonah     
,barrington relates1 in his ,memoirs1   

that1 previous to the ,union1 during the
 time of a disputed election in ,dublin1
 it was no unusual thing for            
three-and-twenty duels to be fought in a
 day4 ,even in times of less excitement1
 they were so common as to be deemed    
unworthy of note by the regular         
chroniclers of events1 except in cases  
where one or both of the combatants were
 killed4  ,in those days1 in ,ireland1  
it was not only the man of the military1
 but of every profession1 who had to    
work his way to eminence with the sword 
or the pistol4 ,each political party had
 its regular corps of bullies1 or       
fire-eaters1 as they were called1 who   
qualified themselves for being the pests
 of society by spending all their spare 
time in firing at targets4 ,they boasted
 that they could hit an opponent in any 
part of his body they pleased1 and made 
up their minds before the encounter     
began whether they should kill him1     
disable1 or disfigure him for life--lay 
him on a bed of suffering for a         

twelve-month1 or merely graze a limb4   
,the evil had reached an alarming       
height1 when1 in the year #ahjh1 an     
opportunity was afforded to ,king       
,george ,,iii of showing in a striking  
manner his detestation of the practice1 
and of setting an example to the ,irish 
that such murders were not to be        
committed with impunity4 ,a dispute     
arose1 in the month of ,june #ahjg1     
between ,major ,campbell and ,captain   
,boyd1 officers of the #bast regiment1  
stationed in ,ireland1 about the proper 
manner of giving the word of command on 
parade4 ,hot words ensued on this slight
 occasion1 and the result was a         
challenge from ,campbell to ,boyd4 ,they
 retired into the mess-room shortly     
afterwards1 and each stationed himself  
at a corner1 the distance obliquely     
being but seven paces4 ,here1 without   
friends or seconds being present1 they  
fired at each other1 and ,captain ,boyd 
fell mortally wounded between the fourth
 and fifth ribs4 ,a surgeon who came in 

shortly1 found him sitting in a chair1  
vomiting and suffering great agony4 ,he 
was led into another room1 ,major       
,campbell following1 in great distress  
and perturbation of mind4 ,boyd survived
 but eighteen hours2 and just before his
 death1 said1 in reply to a question    
from his opponent1 that the duel was not
 fair1 and added1 ,you hurried me1      
,campbell--you're a bad man4----,good   
,god6 replied ,campbell1 will you       
mention before these gentlemen1 was not 
everything fair8 ,did you not say that  
you were ready8 ,boyd answered faintly1 
,oh1 no6 you know ,i wanted you to wait 
and have friends4 ,on being again asked 
whether all was fair1 the dying man     
faintly murmured ,yes3 but in a minute  
after1 he said1 ,you're a bad man6      
,campbell was now in great agitation1   
and wringing his hands convulsively1 he 
exclaimed1 ,oh1 ,boyd6 you are the      
happiest man of the two6 ,do you forgive
 me8 ,boyd replied1 ,i forgive you--,i  
feel for you1 as ,i know you do for me4 

,he shortly afterwards expired1 and     
,major ,campbell made his escape from   
,ireland1 and lived for some months with
 his family under an assumed name1 in   
the neighbourhood of ,chelsea4 ,he was1 
however1 apprehended1 and brought to    
trial at ,armagh1 in ,august #ahjh4 ,he 
said while in prison1 that1 if found    
guilty of murder1 he should suffer as an
 example to duellists in ,ireland2 but  
he endeavoured to buoy himself up1 with 
the hope that the jury would only       
convict him of manslaughter4 ,it was    
proved in evidence upon the trial1 that 
the duel was not fought immediately     
after the offence was given1 but that   
,major ,campbell went home and drank tea
 with his family1 before he sought ,boyd
 for the fatal encounter4 ,the jury     
returned a verdict of wilful murder     
against him1 but recommended him to     
mercy on the ground that the duel had   
been a fair one4 ,he was condemned to   
die on the ,monday following1 but was   
afterwards respited for a few days      

longer4 ,in the mean time the greatest  
exertions were made in his behalf4 ,his 
unfortunate wife went upon her knees    
before the ,prince of ,wales1 to move   
him to use his influence with the ,king1
 in favour of her unhappy husband4      
,everything a fond wife and a courageous
 woman could do1 she tried1 to gain the 
royal clemency2 but ,george ,,iii was   
inflexible1 in consequence of the       
representations of the ,irish ,viceroy  
that an example was necessary4 ,the law 
was therefore allowed to take its       
course1 and the victim of a false spirit
 of honour died the death of a felon4   
,the most inveterate duellists of the   
present day are the students in the     
,universities of ,germany4 ,they fight  
on the most frivolous pretences1 and    
settle with swords and pistols the      
schoolboy disputes which in other       
countries are arranged by the more      
harmless medium of the fisticuffs4 ,it  
was at one time the custom among these  
savage youths to prefer the sword       

combat1 for the facility it gave them of
 cutting off the noses of their         
opponents4 ,to disfigure them in this   
manner was an object of ambition1 and   
the ,german duellists reckoned the      
number of these disgusting trophies     
which they had borne away1 with as much 
satisfaction as a successful general the
 provinces he had reduced or the cities 
he had taken4  ,but it would be         
wearisome to enter into the minute      
detail of all the duels of modern times4
 ,if an examination were made into the  
general causes which produced them1 it  
would be found that in every case they  
had been either of the most trivial or  
the most unworthy nature4 ,parliamentary
 duels were at one time very common1 and
 amongst the names of those who have    
soiled a great reputation by conforming 
to the practice1 may be mentioned those 
of ,warren ,hastings1 ,sir ,philip      
,francis1 ,wilkes1 ,pitt1 ,fox1         
,grattan1 ,curran1 ,tierney1 and        
,canning4 ,so difficult is it even for  

the superior mind to free itself from   
the trammels with which foolish opinion 
has enswathed it--not one of these      
celebrated persons who did not in his   
secret soul condemn the folly to which  
he lent himself4 ,the bonds of reason1  
though iron-strong1 are easily burst    
through2 but those of folly1 though     
lithe and frail as the rushes by a      
stream1 defy the stoutest heart to snap 
them asunder4 ,colonel ,thomas1 an      
officer of the ,guards1 who was killed  
in a duel1 added the following clause to
 his will the night before he died3--,in
 the first place1 ,i commit my soul to  
,almighty ,god1 in hope of his mercy and
 pardon for the irreligious step ,i now 
7in compliance with the unwarrantable   
customs of this wicked world7 put myself
 under the necessity of taking4 ,how    
many have been in the same state of mind
 as this wise1 foolish man6 ,he knew his
 error1 and abhorred it1 but could not  
resist it1 for fear of the opinion of   
the prejudiced and unthinking4 ,no other

 could have blamed him for refusing to  
fight a duel4  ,the list of duels that  
have sprung from the most degrading     
causes might be stretched out to an     
almost indefinite extent4 ,sterne's     
father fought a duel about a goose2 and 
the great ,raleigh about a tavern bill4 
,raleigh1 at one period of his life1    
appeared to be an inveterate duellist1  
and it was said of him that he had been 
engaged in more encounters of the kind  
than any man of note among his          
contemporaries4 ,more than one          
fellow-creature he had deprived of life2
 but he lived long enough to be         
convinced of the sinfulness of his      
conduct1 and made a solemn vow never to 
fight another duel4 ,the following      
anecdote of his forbearance is well     
known1 but it will bear repetition3--   
,a dispute arose in a coffee-house      
between him and a young man on some     
trivial point1 and the latter1 losing   
his temper1 impertinently spat in the   
face of the veteran4 ,sir ,walter1      

instead of running him through the body1
 as many would have done1 or challenging
 him to mortal combat1 coolly took out  
his handkerchief1 wiped his face1 and   
said1 ,young man1 if ,i could as easily 
wipe from my conscience the stain of    
killing you1 as ,i can this spittle from
 my face1 you should not live another   
minute4 ,the young man immediately      
begged his pardon4 ,scores of duels     
7many of them fatal7 have been fought   
from disputes at cards1 or a place at a 
theatre1 while hundreds of challenges1  
given and accepted over-night1 in a fit 
of drunkenness1 have been fought out the
 next morning to the death of one or    
both of the antagonists4  ,two of the   
most notorious duels of modern times had
 their origin in causes no more worthy  
than the quarrel of a dog and the favour
 of a prostitute3 that between          
,macnamara and ,montgomery arising from 
the former2 and that between ,best and  
,lord ,camelford1 from the latter4 ,the 
dog of ,montgomery attacked a dog       

belonging to ,macnamara1 and each master
 interfering in behalf of his own       
animal1 high words ensued4 ,the result  
was the giving and accepting a challenge
 to mortal combat4 ,the parties met on  
the following day1 when ,montgomery was 
shot dead1 and his antagonist severely  
wounded4 ,this affair created a great   
sensation at the time1 and ,heaviside1  
the surgeon who attended at the fatal   
field to render his assistance1 if      
necessary1 was arrested as an accessory 
to the murder1 and committed to         
,newgate4  ,in the duel between ,best   
and ,lord ,camelford1 two pistols were  
used which were considered to be the    
best in ,england4 ,one of them was      
thought slightly superior to the other1 
and it was agreed that the belligerents 
should toss up a piece of money to      
decide the choice of weapons4 ,best     
gained it1 and1 at the first discharge1 
,lord ,camelford fell1 mortally wounded4
 ,but little sympathy was expressed for 
his fate2 he was a confirmed duellist1  

had been engaged in many meetings of the
 kind1 and the blood of more than one   
fellow-creature lay at his door4 ,as he 
had sowed1 so did he reap2 and the      
violent man met an appropriate death4   
,it now only remains to notice the means
 that have been taken to stay the       
prevalence of this madness of false     
honour in the various countries of the  
civilized world4 ,the efforts of the    
governments of ,france and ,england have
 already been mentioned1 and their want 
of success is but too well known4 ,the  
same efforts have been attended with the
 same results elsewhere4 ,in despotic   
countries1 where the will of the monarch
 has been strongly expressed and        
vigorously supported1 a diminution of   
the evil has for a while resulted1 but  
only to be increased again1 when death  
relaxed the iron grasp1 and a successor 
appeared of less decided opinions upon  
the subject4 ,this was the case in      
,prussia under the great ,frederick1 of 
whose aversion to duelling a popular    

anecdote is recorded4 ,it is stated of  
him that he permitted duelling in his   
army1 but only upon the condition that  
the combatants should fight in presence 
of a whole battalion of infantry1 drawn 
up on purpose1 to see fair play4 ,the   
latter received strict orders1 when one 
of the belligerents fell1 to shoot the  
other immediately4 ,it is added1 that   
the known determination of the ,king    
effectually put a stop to the practice4 
,the ,emperor ,joseph ,,ii of ,austria  
was as firm as ,frederick1 although the 
measures he adopted were not so         
singular4 ,the following letter explains
 his views on the subject3--  ,to       
,,general 99 99 99 99 99  ,,my          
,,general1  ,you will immediately arrest
 the ,count of ,k4 and ,captain ,w4 ,the
 ,count is young1 passionate1 and       
influenced by wrong notions of birth and
 a false spirit of honour4 ,captain ,w4 
is an old soldier1 who will adjust every
 dispute with the sword and pistol1 and 
who has received the challenge of the   

young ,count with unbecoming warmth4  ,i
 will suffer no duelling in my army4 ,i 
despise the principles of those who     
attempt to justify the practice1 and who
 would run each other through the body  
in cold blood4  ,when ,i have officers  
who bravely expose themselves to every  
danger in facing the enemy--who at all  
times exhibit courage1 valour1 and      
resolution in attack and defence1 ,i    
esteem them highly4 ,the coolness with  
which they meet death on such occasions 
is serviceable to their country1 and at 
the same time redounds to their own     
honour2 but should there be men amongst 
them who are ready to sacrifice         
everything to their vengeance and       
hatred1 ,i despise them4 ,i consider    
such a man as no better than a ,roman   
gladiator4  ,order a court-martial to   
try the two officers4 ,investigate the  
subject of their dispute with that      
impartiality which ,i demand from every 
judge2 and he that is guilty1 let him be
 a sacrifice to his fate and the laws4  

,such a barbarous custom1 which suits   
the age of the ,tamerlanes and          
,bajazets1 and which has often had such 
melancholy effects on single families1  
,i will have suppressed and punished1   
even if it should deprive me of one half
 of my officers4 ,there are still men   
who know how to unite the character of a
 hero with that of a good subject2 and  
he only can be so who respects the laws4
  ,,joseph4  ,august #agga4  ,vide the  
,letters of ,joseph ,,ii to             
distinguished ,princes and ,statesmen1  
published for the first time in ,england
 in ,the ,pamphleteer for #ahba4 ,they  
were originally published in ,germany a 
few years previously1 and throw a great 
light upon the character of that monarch
 and the events of his reign4  ,in the  
,united ,states of ,america the code    
varies considerably4 ,in one or two of  
the still wild and simple ,states of the
 ,far ,west1 where no duel has yet been 
fought1 there is no specific law upon   
the subject beyond that in the          

,decalogue1 which says1 ,thou shalt do  
no murder4 ,but duelling everywhere     
follows the steps of modern             
civilization1 and by the time the       
backwoodsman is transformed into the    
citizen1 he has imbibed the false       
notions of honour which are prevalent in
 ,europe1 and around him1 and is ready1 
like his progenitors1 to settle his     
differences with the pistol4 ,in the    
majority of the ,states the punishment  
for challenging1 fighting1 or acting as 
second1 is solitary imprisonment and    
hard labour for any period less than a  
year1 and disqualification for serving  
any public office for twenty years4 ,in 
,vermont the punishment is total        
disqualification for office1 deprivation
 of the rights of citizenship1 and a    
fine2 in fatal cases1 the same          
punishment as that of murderers4 ,in    
,rhode ,island1 the combatant1 though   
death does not ensue1 is liable to be   
carted to the gallows1 with a rope about
 his neck1 and to sit in this trim for  

an hour1 exposed to the peltings of the 
mob4 ,he may be further imprisoned for a
 year1 at the option of the magistrate4 
,in ,connecticut the punishment is total
 disqualification for office or employ1 
and a fine1 varying from one hundred to 
a thousand dollars4 ,the laws of        
,illinois require certain officers of   
the state to make oath1 previous to     
their instalment1 that they have never  
been1 nor ever will be1 concerned in a  
duel4 ,encyclopedia ,americana1 art4    
,duelling4  ,amongst the edicts against 
duelling promulgated at various times in
 ,europe1 may be mentioned that of      
,augustus ,king of ,poland1 in #agab1   
which decreed the punishment of death   
against principals and seconds1 and     
minor punishments against the bearers of
 a challenge4 ,an edict was also        
published at ,munich1 in #aggc1         
according to which both principals and  
seconds1 even in duels where no one was 
either killed or wounded1 should be     
hanged1 and their bodies buried at the  

foot of the gallows4 ,the ,king of      
,naples issued an ordinance against     
duelling in #ahch1 in which the         
punishment of death is decreed against  
all concerned in a fatal duel4 ,the     
bodies of those killed1 and of those who
 may be executed in consequence1 are to 
be buried in unconsecrated ground1 and  
without any religious ceremony2 nor is  
any monument to be erected on the spot4 
,the punishment for duels in which      
either1 or both1 are wounded1 and for   
those in which no damage whatever is    
done1 varies according to the case1 and 
consists of fine1 imprisonment1 loss of 
rank and honours1 and incapacity for    
filling any public situation4 ,bearers  
of challenges may also be punished with 
fine and imprisonment4  ,it might be    
imagined that enactments so severe all  
over the civilized world would finally  
eradicate a custom1 the prevalence of   
which every wise and good man must      
deplore4 ,but the frowns of the law     
never yet have taught1 and never will   

teach1 men to desist from this practice1
 as long as it is felt that the lawgiver
 sympathises with it in his heart4 ,the 
stern judge upon the bench may say to   
the unfortunate wight who has been      
called a liar by some unmannerly        
opponent1 ,if you challenge him1 you    
meditate murder1 and are guilty of      
murder6 but the same judge1 divested of 
his robes of state1 and mixing in the   
world with other men1 would say1 ,if you
 do not challenge him1 if you do not run
 the risk of making yourself a murderer1
 you will be looked upon as a           
mean-spirited wretch1 unfit to associate
 with your fellows1 and deserving       
nothing but their scorn and their       
contempt6 ,it is society1 and not the   
duellist1 who is to blame4 ,female      
influence1 too1 which is so powerful in 
leading men either to good or to evil1  
takes1 in this case1 the evil part4     
,mere animal bravery has1 unfortunately1
 such charms in the female eye1 that a  
successful duellist is but too often    

regarded as a sort of hero2 and the man 
who refuses to fight1 though of truer   
courage1 is thought a poltroon1 who may 
be trampled on4 ,mr4 ,graves1 a member  
of the ,american ,legislature1 who1     
early in #ahch1 killed a ,mr4 ,cilley in
 a duel1 truly and eloquently said1 on  
the floor of the ,house of              
,representatives1 when lamenting the    
unfortunate issue of that encounter1    
that society was more to blame than he  
was4 ,public opinion1 said the repentant
 orator1 is practically the paramount   
law of the land4 ,every other law1 both 
human and divine1 ceases to be observed2
 yea1 withers and perishes in contact   
with it4 ,it was this paramount law of  
this nation1 and of this ,house1 that   
forced me1 under the penalty of         
dishonour1 to subject myself to the     
code1 which impelled me unwillingly into
 this tragical affair4 ,upon the heads  
of this nation1 and at the doors of this
 ,house1 rests the blood with which my  
unfortunate hands have been stained6    

,as long as society is in this mood2 as 
long as it thinks that the man who      
refuses to resent an insult1 deserved   
that insult1 and should be scouted      
accordingly1 so long1 it is to be       
feared1 will duelling exist1 however    
severe the laws may be4 ,men must have  
redress for injuries inflicted1 and when
 those injuries are of such a nature    
that no tribunal will take cognizance of
 them1 the injured will take the law    
into their own hands1 and right         
themselves in the opinion of their      
fellows1 at the hazard of their lives4  
,much as the sage may affect to despise 
the opinion of the world1 there are few 
who would not rather expose their lives 
a hundred times than be condemned to    
live on1 in society1 but not of it--a   
by-word of reproach to all who know     
their history1 and a mark for scorn to  
point his finger at4  ,the only         
practicable means for diminishing the   
force of a custom which is the disgrace 
of civilization1 seems to be the        

establishment of a court of honour1     
which should take cognizance of all     
those delicate and almost intangible    
offences which yet wound so deeply4 ,the
 court established by ,louis ,,xiv might
 be taken as a model4 ,no man now fights
 a duel when a fit apology has been     
offered1 and it should be the duty of   
this court to weigh dispassionately the 
complaint of every man injured in his   
honour1 either by word or deed1 and to  
force the offender to make a public     
apology4 ,if he refused the apology1 he 
would be the breaker of a second law2 an
 offender against a high court1 as well 
as against the man he had injured1 and  
might be punished with fine and         
imprisonment1 the latter to last until  
he saw the error of his conduct1 and    
made the concession which the court     
demanded4  ,if1 after the establishment 
of this tribunal1 men should be found of
 a nature so bloodthirsty as not to be  
satisfied with its peaceful decisions1  
and should resort to the old and        

barbarous mode of an appeal to the      
pistol1 some means might be found of    
dealing with them4 ,to hang them as     
murderers would be of no avail2 for to  
such men death would have few terrors4  
,shame alone would bring them to reason4
 ,the following code1 it is humbly      
suggested to all future legislators upon
 the subject1 would1 in conjunction with
 the establishment of a court of honour1
 do much towards eradicating this blot  
from society4 ,every man who fought a   
duel1 even though he did not wound his  
opponent1 should be tried1 and1 upon    
proof of the fact1 be sentenced to have 
his right hand cut off4 ,the world would
 then know his true character as long as
 he lived4 ,if his habits of duelling   
were so inveterate1 and he should learn 
to fire a pistol with his left hand1 he 
should1 upon conviction of a second     
offence1 lose that hand also4 ,this law1
 which should allow no commutation of   
the punishment1 under any circumstances1
 would lend strength and authority to   

the court of honour4 ,in the course of a
 few years duelling would be ranked     
amongst exploded follies1 and men would 
begin to wonder that a custom so        
barbarous and so impious had ever       
existed amongst them4     ,,the ,,love  
,,of ,,the ,,marvellous ,,and ,,the     
,,disbelief ,,of ,,the ,,true4   ,well1 
son ,john1 said the old woman1 and what 
wonderful things did you meet with all  
the time you were at sea8--,oh6 mother1 
replied ,john1 ,i saw many strange      
things4--,tell us all about them1       
replied his mother1 for ,i long to hear 
your adventures4--,well1 then1 said     
,john1 as we were sailing over the      
,line1 what do you think we saw8--,i    
can't imagine1 replied his              
mother4--,well1 we saw a fish rise out  
of the sea1 and fly over our ship6 ,oh6 
,john6 ,john6 what a liar you are6 said 
his mother1 shaking her head1 and       
smiling incredulously4 ,true as death8  
said ,john2 and we saw still more       
wonderful things than that4--,let us    

hear them1 said his mother1 shaking her 
head again2 and tell the truth1 ,john1  
if you can4--,believe it1 or believe it 
not1 as you please1 replied her son2 but
 as we were sailing up the ,red ,sea1   
our captain thought he should like some 
fish for dinner2 so he told us to throw 
our nets1 and catch some4--,well1       
inquired his mother1 seeing that he     
paused in his story4 ,well1 rejoined her
 son1 we did throw them1 and1 at the    
very first haul1 we brought up a        
chariot-wheel1 made all of gold1 and    
inlaid with diamonds6 ,lord bless us6   
said his mother1 and what did the       
captain say8--,why1 he said it was one  
of the wheels of ,pharaoh's chariot1    
that had lain in the ,red ,sea ever     
since that wicked ,king was drowned1    
with all his host1 while pursuing the   
,israelites4--,well1 well1 said his     
mother1 lifting up her hands in         
admiration2 now1 that's very possible1  
and ,i think the captain was a very     
sensible man4 ,tell me such stories as  

that1 and ,i'll believe you2 but never  
talk to me of such things as flying     
fish6 ,no1 no1 ,john1 such stories won't
 go down with me1 ,i can assure you6    
,such old women as the sailor's mother1 
in the above well-known anecdote1 are by
 no means rare in the world4 ,every age 
and country has produced them4 ,they    
have been found in high places1 and have
 sat down among the learned of the      
earth4 ,instances must be familiar to   
every reader in which the same person   
was willing1 with greedy credulity1 to  
swallow the most extravagant fiction1   
and yet refuse credence to a            
philosophical fact4 ,the same ,greeks   
who believed readily that ,jupiter wooed
 ,leda in the form of a swan1 denied    
stoutly that there were any physical    
causes for storms and thunder1 and      
treated as impious those who attempted  
to account for them on true             
philosophical principles4  ,the reasons 
that thus lead mankind to believe the   
marvellously false1 and to disbelieve   

the marvellously true1 may be easily    
gathered4 ,of all the offspring of      
,time1 ,error is the most ancient1 and  
is so old and familiar an acquaintance1 
that ,truth1 when discovered1 comes upon
 most of us like an intruder1 and meets 
the intruder's welcome4 ,we all pay an  
involuntary homage to antiquity--a blind
 homage1 as ,bacon calls it in his      
,novum ,organum1 which tends greatly to 
the obstruction of truth4 ,to the great 
majority of mortal eyes1 ,time          
sanctifies everything that he does not  
destroy4 ,the mere fact of anything     
being spared by the great foe makes it a
 favourite with us1 who are sure to fall
 his victims4 ,to call a prejudice      
time-hallowed1 is to open a way for it  
into hearts where it never before       
penetrated4 ,some peculiar custom may   
disgrace the people amongst whom it     
flourishes2 yet men of a little wisdom  
refuse to aid in its extirpation1 merely
 because it is old4 ,thus it is with    
human belief1 and thus it is we bring   

shame upon our own intellect4  ,to this 
cause may be added another1 also        
mentioned by ,lord ,bacon--a misdirected
 zeal in matters of religion1 which     
induces so many to decry a              
newly-discovered truth1 because the     
,divine records contain no allusion to  
it1 or because1 at first sight1 it      
appears to militate1 not against        
religion1 but against some obscure      
passage which has never been fairly     
interpreted4 ,the old woman in the story
 could not believe that there was such a
 creature as a flying-fish1 because her 
,bible did not tell her so1 but she     
believed that her son had drawn up the  
golden and bejewelled wheel from the    
,red ,sea1 because her ,bible informed  
her that ,pharaoh was drowned there4    
,upon a similar principle the monks of  
the inquisition believed that the devil 
appeared visibly among men1 that ,st4   
,anthony pulled his nose with a pair of 
red-hot pincers1 and that the relics of 
the saints worked miracles2 yet they    

would not believe ,galileo1 when he     
proved that the earth turned round the  
sun4  ,keppler1 when he asserted the    
same fact1 could gain no bread1 and     
little credence2 but when he pretended  
to tell fortunes and cast nativities1   
the whole town flocked to him1 and paid 
him enormous fees for his falsehood4    
,when ,roger ,bacon invented the        
telescope and the magic-lantern1 no one 
believed that the unaided ingenuity of  
man could have done it2 but when some   
wiseacres asserted that the devil had   
appeared to him1 and given him the      
knowledge which he turned to such       
account1 no one was bold enough to      
assert that it was improbable4 ,his hint
 that saltpetre1 sulphur1 and charcoal1 
mixed in certain proportions1 would     
produce effects similar to thunder and  
lightning1 was disregarded or           
disbelieved2 but the legend of the      
brazen head which delivered oracles1 was
 credited for many ages4  ,godwin1 in   
his ,lives of the ,necromancers1 gives  

the following version of this legend4   
,friar ,bacon and ,friar ,bungay        
entertained the project of enclosing    
,england with a wall1 so as to render it
 inaccessible to any invader4 ,they     
accordingly raised the devil1 as the    
person best able to inform them how this
 was to be done4 ,the devil advised them
 to make a brazen head1 with all the    
internal structure and organs of a human
 head4 ,the construction would cost them
 much time1 and they must wait with     
patience till the faculty of speech     
descended upon it4 ,finally1 however1 it
 would become an oracle1 and1 if the    
question were propounded to it1 would   
teach them the solution of their        
problem4 ,the friars spent seven years  
in bringing the subject to perfection1  
and waited day after day in expectation 
that it would utter articulate sounds4  
,at length nature became exhausted in   
them1 and they lay down to sleep1 having
 first given it strictly in charge to a 
servant of theirs1 clownish in nature1  

but of strict fidelity1 that he should  
awaken them the moment the image began  
to speak4 ,that period arrived4 ,the    
head uttered sounds1 but such as the    
clown judged unworthy of notice4 ,time  
is6 it said4 ,no notice was taken1 and a
 long pause ensued4 ,time was6--a       
similar pause1 and no notice4 ,time is  
passed6 ,the moment these words were    
uttered1 a tremendous storm ensued1 with
 thunder and lightning1 and the head was
 shivered into a thousand pieces4 ,thus 
the experiment of ,friar ,bacon and     
,friar ,bungay came to nothing4         
,solomon ,de ,cans1 who1 in the time of 
,cardinal ,richelieu1 conceived the idea
 of a steam-engine1 was shut up in the  
,bastille as a madman1 because the idea 
of such an extraordinary instrument was 
too preposterous for the wise age that  
believed in all the absurdities of      
witchcraft4  ,when ,harvey first proved 
the circulation of the blood1 every     
tongue was let loose against him4 ,the  
thing was too obviously an imposition1  

and an attempt to deceive that public   
who believed that a king's touch had    
power to cure the scrofula4 ,that a dead
 criminal's hand1 rubbed against a wen1 
would cure it1 was reasonable enough2   
but that the blood flowed through the   
veins was beyond all probability4  ,in  
our own day1 a similar fate awaited the 
beneficent discovery of ,dr4 ,jenner4   
,that vaccination could abate the       
virulence of1 or preserve from1 the     
smallpox1 was quite incredible2 none but
 a cheat and a quack could assert it3   
but that the introduction of the vaccine
 matter into the human frame could endow
 men with the qualities of a cow1 was   
quite probable4 ,many of the poorer     
people actually dreaded that their      
children would grow hairy and horned as 
cattle1 if they suffered them to be     
vaccinated4  ,the ,jesuit1 ,father      
,labat1 the shrewd and learned traveller
 in ,south ,america1 relates an         
experiment which he made upon the       
credulity of some native ,peruvians4    

,holding a powerful lens in his hand1   
and concentrating the rays of the sun   
upon the naked arm of an admiring       
savage1 he soon made him roar with pain4
 ,all the tribe looked on1 first with   
wonder1 and then with indignation and   
wonder both combined4 ,in vain the      
philosopher attempted to explain the    
cause of the phenomenon--in vain he     
offered to convince them that there was 
nothing devilish in the experiment--he  
was thought to be in league with the    
infernal gods to draw down the fire from
 ,heaven1 and was looked upon1 himself1 
as an awful and supernatural being4     
,many attempts were made to gain        
possession of the lens1 with the view of
 destroying it1 and thereby robbing the 
,western stranger of the means of       
bringing upon them the vengeance of his 
deities4  ,very similar was the conduct 
of that inquiring ,brahmin1 which is    
related by ,forbes in his ,oriental     
,memoirs4 ,the ,brahmin had a mind      
better cultivated than his fellows2 he  

was smitten with a love for the         
knowledge of ,europe--read ,english     
books--pored over the pages of the      
,encyclopedia1 and profited by various  
philosophical instruments2 but on       
religious questions the ,brahmin was    
firm to the faith of his caste and the  
doctrine of the ,metempsychosis4 ,lest  
he might sacrilegiously devour his      
progenitors1 he abstained from all      
animal food2 and thinking that he ate   
nothing which enjoyed life1 he supported
 himself1 like his brethren1 upon fruits
 and vegetables4 ,all the knowledge that
 did not run counter to this belief1 he 
sought after with avidity1 and bade fair
 to become the wisest of his race4 ,in  
an evil hour1 his ,english friend and   
instructor exhibited a very powerful    
solar microscope1 by means of which he  
showed him that every drop of water that
 he drank teemed with life--that every  
fruit was like a world1 covered with    
innumerable animalculae1 each of which  
was fitted by its organization for the  

sphere in which it moved1 and had its   
wants1 and the capability of supplying  
them as completely as visible animals   
millions of times its bulk4 ,the        
,english philosopher expected that his  
,hindoo friend would be enraptured at   
the vast field of knowledge thus        
suddenly opened out to him1 but he was  
deceived4 ,the ,brahmin from that time  
became an altered man--thoughtful1      
gloomy1 reserved1 and discontented4 ,he 
applied repeatedly to his friend that he
 would make him a present of the        
microscope2 but as it was the only one  
of its kind in ,india1 and the owner set
 a value upon it for other reasons1 he  
constantly refused the request1 but     
offered him the loan of it for any      
period he might require4 ,but nothing   
short of an unconditional gift of the   
instrument would satisfy the ,brahmin1  
who became at last so importunate that  
the patience of the ,englishman was     
exhausted1 and he gave it him4 ,a gleam 
of joy shot across the care-worn        

features of the ,hindoo as he clutched  
it1 and bounding with an exulting leap  
into the garden1 he seized a large      
stone1 and dashed the instrument into a 
thousand pieces4 ,when called upon to   
explain his extraordinary conduct1 he   
said to his friend1 ,oh that ,i had     
remained in that happy state of         
ignorance wherein you first found me6   
,yet will ,i confess that1 as my        
knowledge increased1 so did my pleasure1
 until ,i beheld the last wonders of the
 microscope2 from that moment ,i have   
been tormented by doubt and perplexed by
 mystery3 my mind1 overwhelmed by       
chaotic confusion1 knows not where to   
rest1 nor how to extricate itself from  
such a maze4 ,i am miserable1 and must  
continue to be so1 until ,i enter on    
another stage of existence4 ,i am a     
solitary individual among fifty millions
 of people1 all educated in the same    
belief with myself--all happy in their  
ignorance6 ,so may they ever remain6 ,i 
shall keep the secret within my own     

bosom1 where it will corrode my peace   
and break my rest4 ,but ,i shall have   
some satisfaction in knowing that ,i    
alone feel those pangs which1 had ,i not
 destroyed the instrument1 might have   
been extensively communicated1 and      
rendered thousands miserable6 ,forgive  
me1 my valuable friend6 and oh1 convey  
no more implements of knowledge and     
destruction6  ,many a learned man may   
smile at the ignorance of the ,peruvian 
and the ,hindoo1 unconscious that he    
himself is just as ignorant and as      
prejudiced4 ,who does not remember the  
outcry against the science of geology1  
which has hardly yet subsided8 ,its     
professors were impiously and absurdly  
accused of designing to hurl the        
,creator from his throne4 ,they were    
charged with sapping the foundations of 
religion1 and of propping atheism by the
 aid of a pretended science4  ,the very 
same principle which leads to the       
rejection of the true1 leads to the     
encouragement of the false4 ,thus we may

 account for the success which has      
attended great impostors1 at times when 
the truth1 though not half so wondrous  
as their impositions1 has been          
disregarded as extravagant and          
preposterous4 ,the man who wishes to    
cheat the people1 must needs found his  
operations upon some prejudice or belief
 that already exists4 ,thus the         
philosophic pretenders who told fortunes
 by the stars cured all diseases by one 
nostrum1 and preserved from evil by     
charms and amulets1 ran with the current
 of popular belief4 ,errors that were   
consecrated by time and long            
familiarity1 they heightened and        
embellished1 and succeeded to their     
hearts' content2 but the preacher of    
truth had a foundation to make as well  
as a superstructure1 a difficulty which 
did not exist for the preacher of error4
 ,columbus preached a new world1 but was
 met with distrust and incredulity2 had 
he preached with as much zeal and       
earnestness the discovery of some valley

 in the old one1 where diamonds hung    
upon the trees1 or a herb grew that     
cured all the ills incidental to        
humanity1 he would have found a warm and
 hearty welcome--might have sold dried  
cabbage leaves for his wonderful herb1  
and made his fortune4  ,in fact1 it will
 be found in the history of every       
generation and race of men1 that        
whenever a choice of belief between the 
,wondrously ,false and the ,wondrously  
,true is given to ignorance or          
prejudice1 that their choice will be    
fixed upon the first1 for the reason    
that it is most akin to their own       
nature4 ,the great majority of mankind1 
and even of the wisest among us1 are    
still in the condition of the sailor's  
mother--believing and disbelieving on   
the same grounds that she               
did--protesting against the flying fish1
 but cherishing the golden wheels4      
,thousands there are amongst us1 who1   
rather than pin their faith in the one  
fish1 would believe not only in the     

wheel of gold1 but the chariot--not only
 in the chariot1 but in the horses and  
the driver4     ,,popular ,,follies ,,in
 ,,great ,,cities        ,la            
faridondaine--la faridondon1      ,vive 
la faridondaine6       ,,beranger4  ,the
 popular humours of a great city are a  
never-failing source of amusement to the
 man whose sympathies are hospitable    
enough to embrace all his kind1 and who1
 refined though he may be himself1 will 
not sneer at the humble wit or grotesque
 peculiarities of the boozing mechanic1 
the squalid beggar1 the vicious urchin1 
and all the motley group of the idle1   
the reckless1 and the imitative that    
swarm in the alleys and broadways of a  
metropolis4 ,he who walks through a     
great city to find subjects for weeping1
 may1 ,god knows1 find plenty at every  
corner to wring his heart2 but let such 
a man walk on his course1 and enjoy his 
grief alone--we are not of those who    
would accompany him4 ,the miseries of us
 poor earth-dwellers gain no alleviation

 from the sympathy of those who merely  
hunt them out to be pathetic over them4 
,the weeping philosopher too often      
impairs his eyesight by his woe1 and    
becomes unable from his tears to see the
 remedies for the evils which he        
deplores4 ,thus it will often be found  
that the man of no tears is the truest  
philanthropist1 as he is the best       
physician who wears a cheerful face1    
even in the worst of cases4  ,so many   
pens have been employed to point out the
 miseries1 and so many to condemn the   
crimes and vices1 and more serious      
follies of the multitude1 that our's    
shall not increase the number1 at least 
in this chapter4 ,our present task shall
 be less ungracious1 and wandering      
through the busy haunts of great cities1
 we shall seek only for amusement1 and  
note as we pass a few of the harmless   
follies and whimsies of the poor4  ,and1
 first of all1 walk where we will1 we   
cannot help hearing from every side a   
phrase repeated with delight1 and       

received with laughter1 by men with hard
 hands and dirty faces--by saucy butcher
 lads and errand-boys--by loose         
women--by hackney coachmen1 cabriolet   
drivers1 and idle fellows who loiter at 
the corners of streets4 ,not one utters 
this phrase without producing a laugh   
from all within hearing4 ,it seems      
applicable to every circumstance1 and is
 the universal answer to every question2
 in short1 it is the favourite slang    
phrase of the day1 a phrase that1 while 
its brief season of popularity lasts1   
throws a dash of fun and frolicsomeness 
over the existence of squalid poverty   
and ill-requited labour1 and gives them 
reason to laugh as well as their more   
fortunate fellows in a higher stage of  
society4  ,london is peculiarly fertile 
in this sort of phrases1 which spring up
 suddenly1 no one knows exactly in what 
spot1 and pervade the whole population  
in a few hours1 no one knows how4 ,many 
years ago the favourite phrase 7for1    
though but a monosyllable1 it was a     

phrase in itself7 was ,quoz4 ,this odd  
word took the fancy of the multitude in 
an extraordinary degree1 and very soon  
acquired an almost boundless meaning4   
,when vulgar wit wished to mark its     
incredulity and raise a laugh at the    
same time1 there was no resource so sure
 as this popular piece of slang4 ,when a
 man was asked a favour which he did not
 choose to grant1 he marked his sense of
 the suitor's unparalleled presumption  
by exclaiming ,quoz6 ,when a mischievous
 urchin wished to annoy a passenger1 and
 create mirth for his chums1 he looked  
him in the face1 and cried out ,quoz6   
and the exclamation never failed in its 
object4 ,when a disputant was desirous  
of throwing a doubt upon the veracity of
 his opponent1 and getting summarily rid
 of an argument which he could not      
overturn1 he uttered the word ,quoz1    
with a contemptuous curl of his lip and 
an impatient shrug of his shoulders4    
,the universal monosyllable conveyed all
 his meaning1 and not only told his     

opponent that he lied1 but that he erred
 egregiously if he thought that any one 
was such a nincompoop as to believe him4
 ,every alehouse resounded with ,quoz2  
every street corner was noisy with it1  
and every wall for miles around was     
chalked with it4  ,but1 like all other  
earthly things1 ,quoz had its season1   
and passed away as suddenly as it arose1
 never again to be the pet and the idol 
of the populace4 ,a new claimant drove  
it from its place1 and held undisputed  
sway till1 in its turn1 it was hurled   
from its pre-eminence1 and a successor  
appointed in its stead4  ,what a        
shocking bad hat6 was the phrase that   
was next in vogue4 ,no sooner had it    
become universal1 than thousands of idle
 but sharp eyes were on the watch for   
the passenger whose hat showed any      
signs1 however slight1 of ancient       
service4 ,immediately the cry arose1    
and1 like the what-whoop of the         
,indians1 was repeated by a hundred     
discordant throats4 ,he was a wise man  

who1 finding himself under these        
circumstances the observed of all       
observers1 bore his honours meekly4 ,he 
who showed symptoms of ill-feeling at   
the imputations cast upon his hat1 only 
brought upon himself redoubled notice4  
,the mob soon perceive whether a man is 
irritable1 and1 if of their own class1  
they love to make sport of him4 ,when   
such a man1 and with such a hat1 passed 
in those days through a crowded         
neighbourhood1 he might think himself   
fortunate if his annoyances were        
confined to the shouts and cries of the 
populace4 ,the obnoxious hat was often  
snatched from his head1 and thrown into 
the gutter by some practical joker1 and 
then raised1 covered with mud1 upon the 
end of a stick1 for the admiration of   
the spectators1 who held their sides    
with laughter1 and exclaimed in the     
pauses of their mirth1 ,oh6 what a      
shocking bad hat6444 ,what a shocking   
bad hat6 ,many a nervous1 poor man1     
whose purse could but ill spare the     

outlay1 doubtless purchased a new hat   
before the time1 in order to avoid      
exposure in this manner4  ,the origin of
 this singular saying1 which made fun   
for the metropolis for months1 is not   
involved in the same obscurity as that  
which shrouds the origin of ,quoz and   
some others4 ,there had been a          
hotly-contested election for the borough
 of ,southwark1 and one of the          
candidates was an eminent hatter4 ,this 
gentleman1 in canvassing the electors1  
adopted a somewhat professional mode of 
conciliating their good-will1 and of    
bribing them without letting them       
perceive that they were bribed4         
,whenever he called upon or met a voter 
whose hat was not of the best material1 
or1 being so1 had seen its best days1 he
 invariably said1 ,what a shocking bad  
hat you have got2 call at my warehouse1 
and you shall have a new one6 ,upon the 
day of election this circumstance was   
remembered1 and his opponents made the  
most of it1 by inciting the crowd to    

keep up an incessant cry of ,what a     
shocking bad hat6 all the time the      
honourable candidate was addressing     
them4 ,from ,southwark the phrase spread
 over all ,london1 and reigned1 for a   
time1 the supreme slang of the season4  
,hookey ,walker1 derived from the chorus
 of a popular ballad1 was also high in  
favour at one time1 and served1 like its
 predecessor1 ,quoz1 to answer all      
questions4 ,in the course of time the   
latter word alone became the favourite1 
and was uttered with a peculiar drawl   
upon the first syllable1 and a sharp    
turn upon the last4 ,if a lively servant
 girl was importuned for a kiss by a    
fellow she did not care about1 she      
cocked her little nose1 and cried       
,walker6 ,if a dustman asked his friend 
for the loan of a shilling1 and his     
friend was either unable or unwilling to
 accommodate him1 the probable answer he
 would receive was ,walker6 ,if a       
drunken man was reeling along the       
streets1 and a boy pulled his           

coat-tails1 or a man knocked his hat    
over his eyes to make fun of him1 the   
joke was always accompanied by the same 
exclamation4 ,this lasted for two or    
three months1 and ,walker6 walked off   
the stage1 never more to be revived for 
the entertainment of that or any future 
generation4  ,the next phrase was a most
 preposterous one4 ,who invented it1 how
 it arose1 or where it was first heard1 
are alike unknown4 ,nothing about it is 
certain1 but that for months it was the 
slang par excellence of the ,londoners1 
and afforded them a vast gratification4 
,there he goes with his eye out6 or     
,there she goes with her eye out6 as the
 sex of the party alluded to might be1  
was in the mouth of everybody who knew  
the town4 ,the sober part of the        
community were as much puzzled by this  
unaccountable saying as the vulgar were 
delighted with it4 ,the wise thought it 
very foolish1 but the many thought it   
very funny1 and the idle amused         
themselves by chalking it upon walls1 or

 scribbling it upon monuments4 ,but1 all
 that's bright must fade1 even in slang4
 ,the people grew tired of their hobby1 
and ,there he goes with his eye out6 was
 heard no more in its accustomed haunts4
  ,another very odd phrase came into    
repute in a brief space afterwards1 in  
the form of the impertinent and not     
universally apposite query1 ,has your   
mother sold her mangle8 ,but its        
popularity was not of that boisterous   
and cordial kind which ensures a long   
continuance of favour4 ,what tended to  
impede its progress was1 that it could  
not be well applied to the older        
portions of society4 ,it consequently   
ran but a brief career1 and then sank   
into oblivion4 ,its successor enjoyed a 
more extended fame1 and laid its        
foundations so deep1 that years and     
changing fashions have not sufficed to  
eradicate it4 ,this phrase was ,flare   
up6 and it is1 even now1 a colloquialism
 in common use4 ,it took its rise in the
 time of the ,reform riots1 when        

,bristol was nearly half burned by the  
infuriated populace4 ,the flames were   
said to have flared up in the devoted   
city4 ,whether there was anything       
peculiarly captivating in the sound1 or 
in the idea of these words1 is hard to  
say2 but whatever was the reason1 it    
tickled the mob-fancy mightily1 and     
drove all other slang out of the field  
before it4 ,nothing was to be heard all 
over ,london but flare up6 ,it answered 
all questions1 settled all disputes1 was
 applied to all persons1 all things1 and
 all circumstances1 and became suddenly 
the most comprehensive phrase in the    
,english language4 ,the man who had     
overstepped the bounds of decorum in his
 speech was said to have flared up2 he  
who had paid visits too repeated to the 
gin-shop1 and got damaged in            
consequence1 had flared up4 ,to put     
one's-self into a passion2 to stroll out
 on a nocturnal frolic1 and alarm a     
neighbourhood1 or to create a           
disturbance in any shape1 was to flare  

up4 ,a lovers' quarrel was a fare up2 so
 was a boxing-match between two         
blackguards in the streets1 and the     
preachers of sedition and revolution    
recommended the ,english nation to flare
 up1 like the ,french4 ,so great a      
favourite was the word1 that people     
loved to repeat it for its very sound4  
,they delighted apparently in hearing   
their own organs articulate it2 and     
labouring men1 when none who could      
respond to the call were within hearing1
 would often startle the aristocratic   
echoes of the ,west by the well-known   
slang phrase of the ,east4 ,even in the 
dead hours of the night1 the ears of    
those who watched late1 or who could not
 sleep1 were saluted with the same      
sound4 ,the drunkard reeling home showed
 that he was still a man and a citizen1 
by calling flare up in the pauses of his
 hiccough4 ,drink had deprived him of   
the power of arranging all other ideas2 
his intellect was sunk to the level of  
the brute's2 but he clung to humanity by

 the one last link of the popular cry4  
,while he could vociferate that sound1  
he had rights as an ,englishman1 and    
would not sleep in a gutter1 like a dog6
 ,onwards he went1 disturbing quiet     
streets and comfortable people by his   
whoop1 till exhausted nature could      
support him no more1 and he rolled      
powerless into the road4 ,when1 in due  
time afterwards1 the policeman stumbled 
upon him as he lay1 that guardian of the
 peace turned the full light of his     
lantern on his face1 and exclaimed1     
,here's a poor devil who's been flaring 
up6 ,then came the stretcher1 on which  
the victim of deep potations was carried
 to the watchhouse1 and pitched into a  
dirty cell1 among a score of wretches   
about as far gone as himself1 who       
saluted their new comrade by a loud1    
long shout of flare up6  ,so universal  
was this phrase1 and so enduring seemed 
its popularity1 that a speculator1 who  
knew not the evanescence of slang1      
established a weekly newspaper under its

 name4 ,but he was like the man who     
built his house upon the sand2 his      
foundation gave way under him1 and the  
phrase and the newspaper were washed    
into the mighty sea of the things that  
were4 ,the people grew at last weary of 
the monotony1 and flare up became vulgar
 even among them4 ,gradually it was left
 to little boys who did not know the    
world1 and in process of time sank      
altogether into neglect4 ,it is now     
heard no more as a piece of popular     
slang2 but the words are still used to  
signify any sudden outburst either of   
fire1 disturbance1 or ill-nature4  ,the 
next phrase that enjoyed the favour of  
the million was less concise1 and seems 
to have been originally aimed against   
precocious youths who gave themselves   
the airs of manhood before their time4  
,does your mother know you're out8 was  
the provoking query addressed to young  
men of more than reasonable swagger1 who
 smoked cigars in the streets1 and wore 
false whiskers to look irresistible4 ,we

 have seen many a conceited fellow who  
could not suffer a woman to pass him    
without staring her out of countenance1 
reduced at once into his natural        
insignificance by the mere utterance of 
this phrase4 ,apprentice lads and       
shopmen in their ,sunday clothes held   
the words in abhorrence1 and looked     
fierce when they were applied to them4  
,altogether the phrase had a very       
salutary effect1 and in a thousand      
instances showed young ,vanity1 that it 
was not half so pretty and engaging as  
it thought itself4 ,what rendered it so 
provoking was the doubt it implied as to
 the capability of self-guidance        
possessed by the individual to whom it  
was addressed4 ,does your mother know   
you're out8 was a query of mock concern 
and solicitude1 implying regret and     
concern that one so young and           
inexperienced in the ways of a great    
city should be allowed to wander abroad 
without the guidance of a parent4 ,hence
 the great wrath of those who verged on 

manhood1 but had not reached it1        
whenever they were made the subject of  
it4 ,even older heads did not like it2  
and the heir of a ducal house1 and      
inheritor of a warrior's name1 to whom  
they were applied by a cabriolet driver1
 who was ignorant of his rank1 was so   
indignant at the affront1 that he       
summoned the offender before the        
magisterial bench4 ,the fellow had      
wished to impose upon his ,lordship by  
asking double the fare he was entitled  
to1 and when his ,lordship resisted the 
demand1 he was insultingly asked if his 
mother knew he was out8 ,all the drivers
 on the stand joined in the query1 and  
his ,lordship was fain to escape their  
laughter by walking away with as much   
haste as his dignity would allow4 ,the  
man pleaded ignorance that his customer 
was a ,lord1 but offended justice fined 
him for his mistake4  ,when this phrase 
had numbered its appointed days1 it died
 away1 like its predecessors1 and ,who  
are you8 reigned in its stead4 ,this new

 favourite1 like a mushroom1 seems to   
have sprung up in a night1 or1 like a   
frog in ,cheapside1 to have come down in
 a sudden shower4 ,one day it was       
unheard1 unknown1 uninvented2 the next  
it pervaded ,london2 every alley        
resounded with it2 every highway was    
musical with it1       ,and street to   
street1 and lane to lane flung back     
,the one unvarying cry4  ,the phrase was
 uttered quickly1 and with a sharp sound
 upon the first and last words1 leaving 
the middle one little more than an      
aspiration4 ,like all its compeers which
 had been extensively popular1 it was   
applicable to almost every variety of   
circumstance4 ,the lovers of a plain    
answer to a plain question did not like 
it at all4 ,insolence made use of it to 
give offence2 ignorance1 to avoid       
exposing itself2 and waggery1 to create 
laughter4 ,every new comer into an      
alehouse tap-room was asked             
unceremoniously1 ,who are you8 and if he
 looked foolish1 scratched his head1 and

 did not know what to reply1 shouts of  
boisterous merriment resounded on every 
side4 ,an authoritative disputant was   
not unfrequently put down1 and          
presumption of every kind checked by the
 same query4 ,when its popularity was at
 its height1 a gentleman1 feeling the   
hand of a thief in his pocket1 turned   
suddenly round1 and caught him in the   
act1 exclaiming1 ,who are you8 ,the mob 
which gathered round applauded to the   
very echo1 and thought it the most      
capital joke they had ever heard--the   
very acme of wit--the very essence of   
humour4 ,another circumstance1 of a     
similar kind1 gave an additional fillip 
to the phrase1 and infused new life and 
vigour into it1 just as it was dying    
away4 ,the scene occurred in the chief  
criminal court of the kingdom4 ,a       
prisoner stood at the bar2 the offence  
with which he had been charged was      
clearly proved against him2 his counsel 
had been heard1 not in his defence1 but 
in extenuation1 insisting upon his      

previous good life and character1 as    
reasons for the lenity of the court4    
,and where are your witnesses8 inquired 
the learned judge who presided4 ,please 
you1 my ,lord1 ,i knows the prisoner at 
the bar1 and a more honester feller     
never breathed1 said a rough voice in   
the gallery4 ,the officers of the court 
looked aghast1 and the strangers        
tittered with ill-suppressed laughter4  
,who are you8 said the ,judge1 looking  
suddenly up1 but with imperturbable     
gravity4 ,the court was convulsed2 the  
titter broke out into a laugh1 and it   
was several minutes before silence and  
decorum could be restored4 ,when the    
,ushers recovered their self-possession1
 they made diligent search for the      
profane transgressor2 but he was not to 
be found4 ,nobody knew him2 nobody had  
seen him4 ,after a while the business of
 the court again proceeded4 ,the next   
prisoner brought up for trial augured   
favourably of his prospects when he     
learned that the solemn lips of the     

representative of justice had uttered   
the popular phrase as if he felt and    
appreciated it4 ,there was no fear that 
such a judge would use undue severity2  
his heart was with the people2 he       
understood their language and their     
manners1 and would make allowances for  
the temptations which drove them into   
crime4 ,so thought many of the          
prisoners1 if we may infer it from the  
fact1 that the learned judge suddenly   
acquired an immense increase of         
popularity4 ,the praise of his wit was  
in every mouth1 and ,who are you8       
renewed its lease1 and remained in      
possession of public favour for another 
term in consequence4  ,but it must not  
be supposed that there were no          
interregni between the dominion of one  
slang phrase and another4 ,they did not 
arise in one long line of unbroken      
succession1 but shared with song the    
possession of popular favour4 ,thus1    
when the people were in the mood for    
music1 slang advanced its claims to no  

purpose1 and1 when they were inclined   
for slang1 the sweet voice of music     
wooed them in vain4 ,about twenty years 
ago ,london resounded with one chorus1  
with the love of which everybody seemed 
to be smitten4 ,girls and boys1 young   
men and old1 maidens and wives1 and     
widows1 were all alike musical4 ,there  
was an absolute mania for singing1 and  
the worst of it was1 that1 like good    
,father ,philip1 in the romance of ,the 
,monastery1 they seemed utterly unable  
to change their tune4 ,cherry ripe6     
,cherry ripe6 was the universal cry of  
all the idle in the town4 ,every        
unmelodious voice gave utterance to it2 
every crazy fiddle1 every cracked flute1
 every wheezy pipe1 every street organ  
was heard in the same strain1 until     
studious and quiet men stopped their    
ears in desperation1 or fled miles away 
into the fields or woodlands1 to be at  
peace4 ,this plague lasted for a        
twelvemonth1 until the very name of     
cherries became an abomination in the   

land4 ,at last the excitement wore      
itself away1 and the tide of favour set 
in a new direction4 ,whether it was     
another song or a slang phrase1 is      
difficult to determine at this distance 
of time2 but certain it is1 that very   
shortly afterwards1 people went mad upon
 a dramatic subject1 and nothing was to 
be heard of but ,tom and ,jerry4 ,verbal
 wit had amused the multitude long      
enough1 and they became more practical  
in their recreation4 ,every youth on the
 town was seized with the fierce desire 
of distinguishing himself1 by knocking  
down the charlies1 being locked up all  
night in a watchhouse1 or kicking up a  
row among loose women and blackguard men
 in the low dens of ,st4 ,giles's4      
,imitative boys vied with their elders  
in similar exploits1 until this unworthy
 passion1 for such it was1 had lasted1  
like other follies1 its appointed time1 
and the town became merry after another 
fashion4 ,it was next thought the height
 of vulgar wit to answer all questions  

by placing the point of the thumb upon  
the tip of the nose1 and twirling the   
fingers in the air4 ,if one man wished  
to insult or annoy another1 he had only 
to make use of this cabalistic sign in  
his face1 and his object was            
accomplished4 ,at every street corner   
where a group was assembled1 the        
spectator who was curious enough to     
observe their movements1 would be sure  
to see the fingers of some of them at   
their noses1 either as a mark of        
incredulity1 surprise1 refusal1 or      
mockery1 before he had watched two      
minutes4 ,there is some remnant of this 
absurd custom to be seen to this day2   
but it is thought low1 even among the   
vulgar4  ,about six years ago1 ,london  
became again most preposterously        
musical4 ,the vox populi wore itself    
hoarse by singing the praises of ,the   
,sea1 the ,sea6 ,if a stranger 7and a   
philosopher7 had walked through ,london1
 and listened to the universal chorus1  
he might have constructed a very pretty 

theory upon the love of the ,english for
 the sea-service1 and our acknowledged  
superiority over all other nations upon 
that element4 ,no wonder1 he might have 
said1 that this people is invincible    
upon the ocean4 ,the love of it mixes   
with their daily thoughts3 they         
celebrate it even in the market-place3  
their street-minstrels excite charity by
 it2 and high and low1 young and old1   
male and female1 chant ,io paeans in its
 praise4 ,love is not honoured in the   
national songs of this warlike          
race--,bacchus is no god to them2 they  
are men of sterner mould1 and think only
 of 'the ,sea1 the ,sea6' and the means 
of conquering upon it4  ,such would1    
doubtless1 have been his impression if  
he had taken the evidence only of his   
ears4 ,alas6 in those days for the      
refined ears that were musical6 great   
was their torture when discord1 with its
 thousand diversities of tone1 struck up
 this appalling anthem--there was no    
escape from it4 ,the migratory minstrels

 of ,savoy caught the strain1 and pealed
 it down the long vistas of quiet       
streets1 till their innermost and       
snuggest apartments re-echoed with the  
sound4 ,men were obliged to endure this 
crying evil for full six months1 wearied
 to desperation1 and made sea-sick on   
the dry land4  ,several other songs     
sprang up in due succession afterwards1 
but none of them1 with the exception of 
one1 entitled ,all round my ,hat1       
enjoyed any extraordinary share of      
favour1 until an ,american actor        
introduced a vile song called ,jim      
,crow4 ,the singer sang his verses in   
appropriate costume1 with grotesque     
gesticulations1 and a sudden whirl of   
his body at the close of each verse4 ,it
 took the taste of the town immediately1
 and for months the ears of orderly     
people were stunned by the senseless    
chorus--       ,turn about and wheel    
about1      ,and do just so--      ,turn
 about and wheel about1      ,and jump1 
,jim ,crow6  ,street-minstrels blackened

 their faces in order to give proper    
effect to the verses2 and fatherless    
urchins1 who had to choose between      
thieving and singing for their          
livelihood1 took the latter course1 as  
likely to be the more profitable1 as    
long as the public taste remained in    
that direction4 ,the uncouth dance1 its 
accompaniment1 might be seen in its full
 perfection on market nights in any     
great thoroughfare2 and the words of the
 song might be heard1 piercing above all
 the din and buzz of the ever-moving    
multitude4 ,he1 the calm observer1 who  
during the hey-day popularity of this   
doggrel1       ,sate beside the public  
way1      ,thick strewn with summer     
dust1 and saw the stream      ,of people
 there was hurrying to and fro1         
,numerous as gnats upon the evening     
gleam1  might have exclaimed with       
,shelley1 whose fine lines we quote1    
that       ,the million1 with fierce    
song and maniac dance1      ,did rage   
around4  ,the philosophic theorist we   

have already supposed soliloquising upon
 the ,english character1 and forming his
 opinion of it from their exceeding love
 for a sea-song1 might1 if he had again 
dropped suddenly into ,london1 have     
formed another very plausible theory to 
account for our unremitting efforts for 
the abolition of the ,slave ,trade4     
,benevolent people6 he might have said1 
how unbounded are your sympathies6 ,your
 unhappy brethren of ,africa1 differing 
from you only in the colour of their    
skins1 are so dear to you1 and you      
begrudge so little the twenty millions  
you have paid on their behalf1 that you 
love to have a memento of them          
continually in your sight4 ,jim ,crow is
 the representative of that injured     
race1 and as such is the idol of your   
populace6 ,see how they all sing his    
praises6--how they imitate his          
peculiarities6--how they repeat his name
 in their moments of leisure and        
relaxation6 ,they even carve images of  
him to adorn their hearths1 that his    

cause and his sufferings may never be   
forgotten6 ,oh1 philanthropic           
,england6--oh1 vanguard of civilization6
  ,such are a few of the peculiarities  
of the ,london multitude1 when no riot1 
no execution1 no murder1 no balloon1    
disturbs the even current of their      
thoughts4 ,these are the whimseys of the
 mass--the harmless follies by which    
they unconsciously endeavour to lighten 
the load of care which presses upon     
their existence4 ,the wise man1 even    
though he smile at them1 will not       
altogether withhold his sympathy1 and   
will say1 ,let them enjoy their slang   
phrases and their choruses if they will2
 and if they cannot be happy1 at least  
let them be merry4 ,to the ,englishman1 
as well as to the ,frenchman of whom    
,beranger sings1 there may be some      
comfort in so small a thing as a song1  
and we may1 own with him that       ,au 
peuple attriste      ,ce qui rendra la  
gaite1      ,c'est la ,,gaudriole6      
,o gue6      ,c'est la ,,gaudriole6     

,,the ,o4,p4 ,,mania4       ,and these  
things bred a great combustion in the   
town4      ,wagstaffe's ,apparition of  
,mother ,haggis4  ,the acrimonious      
warfare carried on for a length of time 
by the playgoers of ,london against the 
proprietors of ,covent-,garden ,theatre1
 is one of the most singular instances  
upon record of the small folly which    
will sometimes pervade a multitude of   
intelligent men4 ,carried on at first   
from mere obstinacy by a few1 and       
afterwards for mingled obstinacy and    
frolic by a greater number1 it increased
 at last to such a height1 that the     
sober dwellers in the provinces held up 
their hands in astonishment1 and        
wondered that the people of ,london     
should be such fools4 ,as much firmness 
and perseverance displayed in a better  
cause1 might have achieved important    
triumphs2 and we cannot but feel regret1
 in recording this matter1 that so much 
good and wholesome energy should have   
been thrown away on so unworthy an      

object4 ,but we will begin with the     
beginning1 and trace the ,o4 ,p4 mania  
from its source4  ,on the night of the  
#bjth of ,september1 #ahjh1 the old     
theatre of ,covent-,garden was totally  
destroyed by fire4 ,preparations were   
immediately made for the erection of a  
more splendid edifice1 and the managers1
 ,harris and the celebrated ,john       
,philip ,kemble1 announced that the new 
theatre should be without a rival in    
,europe4 ,in less than three months1 the
 rubbish of the old building was cleared
 away1 and the foundation-stone of the  
new one laid with all due ceremony by   
the ,duke of ,sussex4 ,with so much     
celerity were the works carried on that1
 in nine months more1 the edifice was   
completed1 both without and within4 ,the
 opening night was announced for the    
#ahth of ,september #ahji1 within two   
days of a twelvemonth since the         
destruction of the original building4   
,but the undertaking had proved more    
expensive than the ,committee           

anticipated4 ,to render the pit entrance
 more commodious1 it had been deemed    
advisable to remove a low public-house  
that stood in the way4 ,this turned out 
a matter of no little difficulty1 for   
the proprietor was a man well skilled in
 driving a hard bargain4 ,the more eager
 the ,committee showed themselves to    
come to terms with him for his miserable
 pot-house1 the more grasping he became 
in his demands for compensation4 ,they  
were ultimately obliged to pay him an   
exorbitant sum4 ,added to this1 the     
interior decorations were on the most   
costly scale2 and ,mrs4 ,siddons1 and   
other members of the ,kemble family1    
together with the celebrated ,italian   
singer1 ,madame ,catalani1 had been     
engaged at very high salaries4 ,as the  
night of opening drew near1 the         
,committee found that they had gone a   
little beyond their means2 and they     
issued a notice1 stating that1 in       
consequence of the great expense they   
had been at in building the theatre1 and

 the large salaries they had agreed to  
pay1 to secure the services of the most 
eminent actors1 they were under the     
necessity of fixing the prices of       
admission at seven shillings to the     
boxes and four shillings to the pit1    
instead of six shillings and three and  
sixpence1 as heretofore4  ,this         
announcement created the greatest       
dissatisfaction4 ,the boxes might have  
borne the oppression1 but the dignity of
 the pit was wounded4 ,a war-cry was    
raised immediately4 ,for some weeks     
previous to the opening1 a continual    
clatter was kept up in clubs and        
coffee-rooms1 against what was          
considered a most unconstitutional      
aggression on the rights of play-going  
man4 ,the newspapers assiduously kept up
 the excitement1 and represented1 day   
after day1 to the managers the impolicy 
of the proposed advance4 ,the bitter    
politics of the time were disregarded1  
and ,kemble and ,covent-,garden became  
as great sources of interest as         

,napoleon and ,france4 ,public attention
 was the more fixed upon the proceedings
 at ,covent-,garden1 since it was the   
only patent theatre then in existence1  
,drury-,lane theatre having also been   
destroyed by fire in the month of       
,february previous4 ,but great as was   
the indignation of the lovers of the    
drama at that time1 no one could have   
anticipated the extraordinary lengths to
 which opposition would be carried4     
,first ,night1 ,september #bjth4--,the  
performances announced were the tragedy 
of ,macbeth and the afterpiece of ,the  
,quaker4 ,the house was excessively     
crowded 7the pit especially7 with       
persons who had gone for no other       
purpose than to make a disturbance4     
,they soon discovered another grievance 
to add to the list4 ,the whole of the   
lower1 and three-fourths of the upper   
tier of boxes1 were let out for the     
season2 so that those who had paid at   
the door for a seat in the boxes1 were  
obliged to mount to a level with the    

gallery4 ,here they were stowed into    
boxes which1 from their size and shape1 
received the contemptuous1 and not      
inappropriate designation of            
pigeon-holes4 ,this was considered in   
the light of a new aggression upon      
established rights2 and long before the 
curtain drew up1 the managers might have
 heard in their green-room the indignant
 shouts of ,down with the               
pigeon-holes6--,old prices for ever6    
,amid this din the curtain rose1 and    
,mr4 ,kemble stood forward to deliver a 
poetical address in honour of the       
occasion4 ,the riot now began in        
earnest2 not a word of the address was  
audible1 from the stamping and groaning 
of the people in the pit4 ,this         
continued1 almost without intermission1 
through the five acts of the tragedy4   
,now and then1 the sublime acting of    
,mrs4 ,siddons1 as the awful woman1     
hushed the noisy multitude into silence1
 in spite of themselves3 but it was only
 for a moment2 the recollection of their

 fancied wrongs made them ashamed of    
their admiration1 and they shouted and  
hooted again more vigorously than       
before4 ,the comedy of ,munden in the   
afterpiece met with no better reception2
 not a word was listened to1 and the    
curtain fell amid still increasing      
uproar and shouts of ,old prices6 ,some 
magistrates1 who happened to be present1
 zealously came to the rescue1 and      
appeared on the stage with copies of the
 ,riot ,act4 ,this ill-judged proceeding
 made the matter worse4 ,the men of the 
pit were exasperated by the indignity1  
and strained their lungs to express how 
deeply they felt it4 ,thus remained the 
war till long after midnight1 when the  
belligerents withdrew from sheer        
exhaustion4  ,second ,night4--,the crowd
 was not so great2 all those who had    
gone on the previous evening to listen  
to the performances1 now stayed away1   
and the rioters had it nearly all to    
themselves4 ,with the latter1 the play  
was not the thing1 and ,macheath and    

,polly sang in ,the ,beggar's ,opera in 
vain4 ,the actors and the public        
appeared to have changed sides--the     
audience acted1 and the actors listened4
 ,a new feature of this night's         
proceedings was the introduction of     
placards4 ,several were displayed from  
the pit and boxes1 inscribed in large   
letters with the words1 ,old prices4    
,with a view of striking terror1 the    
constables who had been plentifully     
introduced into the house1 attacked the 
placard-bearers1 and succeeded1 after   
several severe battles1 in dragging off 
a few of them to the neighbouring       
watch-house1 in ,bow ,street4 ,confusion
 now became worse and worse confounded4 
,the pitites screamed themselves hoarse2
 while1 to increase the uproar1 some    
mischievous frequenters of the upper    
regions squeaked through dozens of      
cat-calls1 till the combined noise was  
enough to blister every tympanum in the 
house4  ,third ,night4--,the appearance 
of several gentlemen in the morning at  

the bar of the ,bow ,street police      
office1 to answer for their riotous     
conduct1 had been indignantly commented 
upon during the day4 ,all augured ill   
for the quiet of the night4 ,the        
performances announced were ,richard the
 ,third and ,the ,poor ,soldier1 but the
 popularity of the tragedy could not    
obtain it a hearing4 ,the pitites seemed
 to be drawn into closer union by the   
attacks made upon them1 and to act more 
in concert than on the previous nights4 
,the placards were1 also1 more numerous2
 not only the pit1 but the boxes and    
galleries exhibited them4 ,among the    
most conspicuous1 was one inscribed1    
,john ,bull against ,john               
,kemble4--,who'll win8 ,another bore    
,king ,george for ever6 but no ,king    
,kemble4 ,a third was levelled against  
,madame ,catalani1 whose large salary   
was supposed to be one of the causes of 
the increased prices1 and was inscribed 
,no foreigners to tax us--we're taxed   
enough already4 ,this last was a        

double-barrelled one1 expressing both   
dramatic and political discontent1 and  
was received with loud cheers by the    
pitites4  ,the tragedy and afterpiece   
were concluded full two hours before    
their regular time2 and the cries for   
,mr4 ,kemble became so loud1 that the   
manager thought proper to obey the      
summons4 ,amid all these scenes of      
uproar he preserved his equanimity1 and 
was never once betrayed into any        
expression of petulance or anger4 ,with 
some difficulty he obtained a hearing4  
,he entered into a detail of the affairs
 of the theatre1 assuring the audience  
at the same time of the solicitude of   
the proprietors to accommodate          
themselves to the public wish4 ,this was
 received with some applause1 as it was 
thought at first to manifest a          
willingness to come back to the old     
prices1 and the pit eagerly waited for  
the next sentence1 that was to confirm  
their hopes4 ,that sentence was never   
uttered1 for ,mr4 ,kemble1 folding his  

arms majestically1 added1 in his deep   
tragic voice1 ,ladies and ,gentlemen1 ,i
 wait here to know what you want6       
,immediately the uproar was renewed1 and
 became so tremendous and so deafening1 
that the manager1 seeing the uselessness
 of further parley1 made his bow and    
retired4  ,a gentleman then rose in the 
boxes and requested a hearing4 ,he      
obtained it without difficulty4 ,he     
began by inveighing in severe terms     
against the pretended ignorance of ,mr4 
,kemble1 in asking them so offensively  
what they wanted1 and concluded by      
exhorting the people never to cease     
their opposition until they brought down
 the prices to their old level4 ,the    
speaker1 whose name was understood to be
 ,leigh1 then requested a cheer for the 
actors1 to show that no disrespect was  
intended them4 ,the cheer was given     
immediately4  ,a barrister of the name  
of ,smythe then rose to crave another   
hearing for ,mr4 ,kemble4 ,the manager  
stood forth again1 calm1 unmoved1 and   

severe4 ,ladies and gentlemen1 said he1 
,i wait here to know your wishes4 ,mr4  
,leigh1 who took upon himself1 for that 
night only1 the character of popular    
leader1 said1 the only reply he could   
give was one in three words1 the old    
prices4 ,hereat the shouts of applause  
again rose1 till the building rang4     
,still serene amid the storm1 the       
manager endeavoured to enter into       
explanations4 ,the men of the pit would 
hear nothing of the sort4 ,they wanted  
entire and absolute acquiescence4 ,less 
would not satisfy them2 and1 as ,mr4    
,kemble only wished to explain1 they    
would not hear a word4 ,he finally      
withdrew amid a noise to which ,babel   
must have been comparatively silent4    
,fourth night4--,the rioters were more  
obstinate than ever4 ,the noises were   
increased by the addition of whistles1  
bugle-horns1 and watchmen's rattles1    
sniffling1 snorting1 and clattering from
 all parts of the house4 ,human lungs   
were taxed to the uttermost1 and the    

stamping on the floor raised such a dust
 as to render all objects but dimly     
visible4 ,in placards1 too1 there was   
greater variety4 ,the loose wits of the 
town had all day been straining their   
ingenuity to invent new ones4 ,among    
them were1 ,come forth1 ,o ,kemble6 come
 forth and tremble6 ,foolish ,john      
,kemble1 we'll make you tremble6 and ,no
 cats6 no ,catalani6 ,english actors for
 ever6  ,those who wish to oppose a mob 
successfully1 should never lose their   
temper4 ,it is a proof of weakness which
 masses of people at once perceive1 and 
never fail to take advantage of4 ,thus1 
when the managers unwisely resolved to  
fight the mob with their own weapons1 it
 only increased the opposition it was   
intended to allay4 ,a dozen pugilists1  
commanded by a notorious boxer of the   
day1 were introduced into the pit1 to   
use the argumentum ad hominem to the    
rioters4 ,continual scuffles ensued3 but
 the invincible resolution of the       
playgoers would not allow them to quail2

 it rather aroused them to renewed      
opposition1 and a determination never to
 submit or yield4 ,it also strengthened 
their cause1 by affording them further  
ground of complaint against the         
managers4  ,the performances announced  
on the bills were the opera of ,love in 
a ,village1 and ,who wins8 but the bills
 had it all to themselves1 for neither  
actors nor public were much burthened   
with them4 ,the latter1 indeed1 afforded
 some sport4 ,the title was too apt to  
the occasion to escape notice1 and      
shouts of ,who wins8 who wins8 displaced
 for a time the accustomed cry of old   
prices4  ,after the fall of the curtain1
 ,mr4 ,leigh1 with another gentleman1   
again spoke1 complaining bitterly of the
 introduction of the prize-fighters1 and
 exhorting the public never to give in4 
,mr4 ,kemble was again called forward2  
but when he came1 the full tide of      
discord ran so strongly against him     
that1 being totally unable to stem it1  
he withdrew4 ,each man seemed to shout  

as if he had been a ,stentor2 and when  
his lungs were wearied1 took to his feet
 and stamped1 till all the black coats  
in his vicinity became grey with dust4  
,at last the audience were tired out1   
and the theatre was closed before eleven
 o'clock4  ,fifth night4--,the play was 
,coleman's amusing comedy of ,john      
,bull4 ,there was no diminution of the  
uproar4 ,every note on the diapason of  
discord was run through4 ,the           
prize-fighters1 or hitites as they were 
called1 mustered in considerable        
numbers1 and the battles between them   
and the pitites were fierce and many4   
,it was now1 for the first time1 that   
the letters ,o4,p4 came into general use
 as an abbreviation of the accustomed   
watchword of old prices4 ,several       
placards were thus inscribed2 and1 as   
brevity is so desirable in shouting1 the
 mob adopted the emendation4 ,as usual1 
the manager was called for4 ,after some 
delay he came forward1 and was listened 
to with considerable patience4 ,he      

repeated1 in respectful terms1 the great
 loss that would be occasioned to the   
proprietors by a return to the old      
prices1 and offered to submit a         
statement of their accounts to the      
eminent lawyers1 ,sir ,vicary ,gibbs and
 ,sir ,thomas ,plumer2 the eminent      
merchants1 ,sir ,francis ,baring and    
,mr4 ,angerstein2 and ,mr4 ,whitmore1   
the ,governor of the ,bank of ,england4 
,by their decision as to the possibility
 of carrying on the theatre at the old  
prices1 he would consent to be governed1
 and he hoped the public would do the   
same4 ,this reasonable proposition was  
scouted immediately4 ,not even the high 
and reputable names he had mentioned    
were thought to afford any guarantee for
 impartiality4 ,the pitites were too    
wrong-headed to abate one iota of their 
pretensions2 and they had been too much 
insulted by the prize-fighters in the   
manager's pay1 to show any consideration
 for him1 or agree to any terms he might
 propose4 ,they wanted full             

acquiescence1 and nothing less4 ,thus   
the conference broke off1 and the       
manager retired amid a storm of hisses4 
,an ,irish gentleman1 named ,o',reilly1 
then stood up in one of the boxes4 ,with
 true ,irish gallantry1 he came to the  
rescue of an ill-used lady4 ,he said he 
was disgusted at the attacks made upon  
,madame ,catalani1 the finest singer in 
the world1 and a lady inestimable in    
private life4 ,it was unjust1 unmanly1  
and un-,english to make the innocent    
suffer for the guilty2 and he hoped this
 blot would be no longer allowed to     
stain a fair cause4 ,as to the quarrel  
with the manager1 he recommended them to
 persevere4 ,they were not only wronged 
by his increased prices1 but insulted by
 his boxers1 and he hoped1 that before  
they had done with him1 they would teach
 him a lesson he would not soon forget4 
,the gallant ,hibernian soon became a   
favourite1 and sat down amid loud       
cheers4  ,sixth night4--,no signs of a  
cessation of hostilities on the one     

side1 or of a return to the old prices  
on the other4 ,the playgoers seemed to  
grow more united as the managers grew   
more obstinate4 ,the actors had by far  
the best time of it2 for they were      
spared nearly all the labour of their   
parts1 and merely strutted on the stage 
to see how matters went on1 and then    
strutted off again4 ,notwithstanding the
 remonstrance of ,mr4 ,o',reilly on the 
previous night1 numerous placards       
reflecting upon ,madame ,catalani were  
exhibited4 ,one was inscribed with the  
following doggrel3--       ,seventeen   
thousand a-year goes pat1      ,to      
,kemble1 his sister1 and ,madame ,cat4  
,on another was displayed1 in large     
letters1 ,no compromise1 old prices1 and
 native talent6 ,some of these were     
stuck against the front of the boxes1   
and others were hoisted from the pit on 
long poles4 ,the following specimens    
will suffice to show the spirit of them2
 wit they had none1 or humour either1   
although when they were successively    

exhibited1 they elicited roars of       
laughter3--       ,john ,kemble alone is
 the cause of this riot2      ,when he  
lowers his prices1 ,john ,bull will be  
quiet4       ,john ,kemble be damn'd1   
,we will not be cramm'd4       ,squire  
,kemble      ,begins to tremble4  ,the  
curtain fell as early as nine o'clock1  
when there being loud calls for ,mr4    
,kemble1 he stood forward4 ,he announced
 that ,madame ,catalani1 against whom so
 unjustifiable a prejudice had been     
excited1 had thrown up her engagement   
rather than stand in the way of any     
accommodation of existing differences4  
,this announcement was received with    
great applause4 ,mr4 ,kemble then went  
on to vindicate himself and             
co-proprietors from the charge of       
despising public opinion4 ,no assertion1
 he assured them1 could be more unjust4 
,they were sincerely anxious to bring   
these unhappy differences to a close1   
and he thought he had acted in the most 
fair and reasonable manner in offering  

to submit the accounts to an impartial  
committee1 whose decision1 and the      
grounds for it1 should be fully         
promulgated4 ,this speech was received  
with cheering1 but interrupted at the   
close by some individuals1 who objected 
to any committee of the manager's       
nomination4 ,this led to a renewal of   
the uproar1 and it was some time before 
silence could be obtained4 ,when1 at    
last1 he was able to make himself heard1
 he gave notice1 that until the decision
 of the committee had been drawn up1 the
 theatre should remain closed4          
,immediately every person in the pit    
stood up1 and a long shout of triumph   
resounded through the house1 which was  
heard at the extremity of ,bow ,street4 
,as if this result had been anticipated1
 a placard was at the same moment       
hoisted1 inscribed1 ,here lies the body 
of ,,new ,,price1 an ugly brat and base 
born1 who expired on the #bcrd of       
,september #ahji1 aged six              
days4--,requiescat in pace6  ,mr4       

,kemble then retired1 and the pitites   
flung up their hats in the air1 or      
sprang over the benches1 shouting and   
hallooing in the exuberance of their    
joy2 and thus ended the first act of    
this popular farce4  ,the committee     
ultimately chosen differed from that    
first named1 ,alderman ,sir ,charles    
,price1 ,bart4 and ,mr4 ,silvester1 the 
,recorder of ,london1 being substituted 
for ,sir ,francis ,baring and ,sir      
,vicary ,gibbs4 ,in a few days they had 
examined the multitudinous documents of 
the theatre1 and agreed to a report     
which was published in all the          
newspapers1 and otherwise distributed4  
,they stated the average profits of the 
six preceding years at #f and #c_/h per 
cent1 being only #a and #c_/h per cent4 
beyond the legal interest of money1 to  
recompense the proprietors for all their
 care and enterprise4 ,under the new    
prices they would receive #c and #a_/b  
per cent4 profit2 but if they returned  
to the old prices1 they would suffer a  

loss of fifteen shillings per cent4 upon
 their capital4 ,under these            
circumstances1 they could do no other   
than recommend the proprietors to       
continue the new prices4  ,this report  
gave no satisfaction4 ,it certainly     
convinced the reasonable1 but they1     
unfortunately1 were in a minority of one
 to ten4 ,the managers1 disregarding the
 outcry that it excited1 advertised the 
recommencement of the performances for  
,wednesday the #dth of ,october         
following4 ,they endeavoured to pack the
 house with their friends1 but the      
sturdy ,o4,p4 men were on the alert1 and
 congregated in the pit in great        
numbers4 ,the play was ,the ,beggar's   
,opera1 but1 as on former occasions1 it 
was wholly inaudible4 ,the noises were  
systematically arranged1 and the actors1
 seeing how useless it was to struggle  
against the popular feeling1 hurried    
over their parts as quickly as they     
could1 and the curtain fell shortly     
after nine o'clock4 ,once more the      

manager essayed the difficult task of   
convincing madness by appealing to      
reason4 ,as soon as the din of the      
rattles and post-horns would permit him 
to speak1 he said1 he would throw       
himself on the fairness of the most     
enlightened metropolis in the world4 ,he
 was sure1 however strongly they might  
feel upon the subject1 they would not be
 accessory to the ruin of the theatre1  
by insisting upon a return to the former
 prices4 ,notwithstanding the little sop
 he had thrown out to feed the vanity of
 this roaring ,cerberus1 the only answer
 he received was a renewal of the noise1
 intermingled with shouts of ,hoax6     
hoax6 imposition6 ,mr4 ,o',reilly1 the  
gallant friend of ,madame ,catalani1    
afterwards addressed the pit1 and said  
no reliance could be placed on the      
report of the committee4 ,the profits of
 the theatre were evidently great3 they 
had saved the heavy salary of ,madame   
,catalani2 and by shutting out the      
public from all the boxes but the       

pigeon-holes1 they made large sums4 ,the
 first and second tiers were let at high
 rents to notorious courtesans1 several 
of whom he then saw in the house2 and it
 was clear that the managers preferred a
 large revenue from this impure source  
to the reasonable profits they would    
receive from respectable people4 ,loud  
cheers greeted this speech2 every eye   
was turned towards the boxes1 and the   
few ladies in them immediately withdrew4
 ,at the same moment1 some inveterate   
petite hoisted a large placard1 on which
 was inscribed1       ,we lads of the   
pit      ,will never submit4  ,several  
others were introduced4 ,one of them was
 a caricature likeness of ,mr4 ,kemble1 
asking1 ,what do you want8 with a pitite
 replying1 ,the old prices1 and no      
pigeon-holes6 ,others merely bore the   
drawing of a large key1 in allusion to a
 notorious house in the neighbourhood1  
the denizens of which were said to be   
great frequenters of the private boxes4 
,these appeared to give the managers    

more annoyance than all the rest1 and   
the prize-fighters made vigorous attacks
 upon the holders of them4 ,several     
persons were1 on this night1 and indeed 
nearly every night1 taken into custody1 
and locked up in the watchhouse4 ,on    
their appearance the following morning1 
they were generally held to bail in     
considerable sums to keep the peace4    
,this proceeding greatly augmented the  
animosity of the pit4  ,it would be     
useless to detail the scenes of         
confusion which followed night after    
night4 ,for about three weeks the war   
continued with unabated fury4 ,its      
characteristics were nearly always the  
same4 ,invention was racked to discover 
new noises1 and it was thought a happy  
idea when one fellow got into the       
gallery with a dustman's bell1 and rang 
it furiously4 ,dogs were also brought   
into the boxes1 to add their sweet      
voices to the general uproar4 ,the      
animals seemed to join in it con amore1 
and one night a large mastiff growled   

and barked so loudly1 as to draw down   
upon his exertions three cheers from the
 gratified pitites4  ,so strong did the 
popular enthusiasm run in favour of the 
row1 that well-dressed ladies appeared  
in the boxes with the letters ,o4 ,p4 on
 their bonnets4 ,o4 ,p4 hats for the    
gentlemen were still more common1 and   
some were so zealous in the cause1 as to
 sport waistcoats with an ,o embroidered
 upon one flap and a ,p on the other4   
,o4,p4 toothpicks were also in fashion2 
and gentlemen and ladies carried ,o4,p4 
handkerchiefs1 which they waved         
triumphantly whenever the row was       
unusually deafening4 ,the latter        
suggested the idea of ,o4 ,p4 flags1    
which were occasionally unfurled from   
the gallery to the length of a dozen    
feet4 ,sometimes the first part of the  
night's performances were listened to   
with comparative patience1 a majority of
 the manager's friends being in         
possession of the house4 ,but as soon as
 the half-price commenced1 the row began

 again in all its pristine glory4 ,at   
the fall of the curtain it soon became  
customary to sing ,god save the ,king1  
the whole of the ,o4,p4's joining in    
loyal chorus4 ,sometimes this was       
followed by ,rule ,britannia2 and1 on   
two or three occasions1 by a parody of  
the national anthem1 which excited great
 laughter4 ,a verse may not be          
uninteresting as a specimen4       ,o   
,johnny ,bull1 be true1      ,confound  
the prices new1      ,and make them     
fall6      ,curse ,kemble's politics1   
,frustrate his knavish tricks1      ,on 
thee our hopes we fix1      ,t' upset   
them all6  ,this done1 they scrambled   
over the benches1 got up sham fights in 
the pit1 or danced the famous ,o4,p4    
dance4 ,the latter may as well be       
described here3 half a dozen1 or a dozen
 fellows formed in a ring1 and stamped  
alternately with the right and left     
foot1 calling out at regular intervals1 
,o4 ,p4--,o4 ,p4 with a drawling and    
monotonous sound4 ,this uniformly lasted

 till the lights were put out1 when the 
rioters withdrew1 generally in gangs of 
ten or twenty1 to defend themselves from
 sudden attacks on the part of the      
constables4  ,an idea seemed about this 
time to break in upon them1 that        
notwithstanding the annoyance they      
caused the manager1 they were aiding to 
fill his coffers4 ,this was hinted at in
 some of the newspapers1 and the        
consequence was1 that many stayed away  
to punish him1 if possible1 under the   
silent system4 ,but this did not last   
long4 ,the love of mischief was as great
 an incentive to many of them as enmity 
to the new prices4 ,accidental          
circumstances also contributed to       
disturb the temporary calm4 ,at the     
,westminster quarter-sessions1 on the   
#bgth of ,october1 bills of indictment  
were preferred against forty-one persons
 for creating a disturbance and         
interrupting the performances of the    
theatre4 ,the grand jury ignored        
twenty-seven of the bills1 left two     

undecided1 and found true bills against 
twelve4 ,the latter exercised their     
right of traverse till the ensuing      
sessions4 ,the preferment of these bills
 had the effect of re-awakening the     
subsiding excitement4 ,another          
circumstance about the same time gave a 
still greater impetus to it1 and        
furnished the rioters with a chief1     
round whom they were eager to rally4    
,mr4 ,clifford1 a barrister1 appeared in
 the pit on the night of the #cast of   
,october1 with the letters ,o4 ,p4 on   
his hat4 ,being a man of some note1 he  
was pounced upon by the constables1 and 
led off to ,bow ,street police office1  
where ,brandon1 the box-keeper1 charged 
him with riotous and disorderly conduct4
 ,this was exactly what ,clifford       
wanted4 ,he told the presiding          
magistrate1 a ,mr4 ,read1 that he had   
purposely displayed the letters on his  
hat1 in order that the question of right
 might be determined before a competent 
tribunal4 ,he denied that he had        

committed any offence1 and seemed to    
manifest so intimate an acquaintance    
with the law upon the subject1 that the 
magistrate1 convinced by his reasoning1 
ordered his immediate dismissal1 and    
stated that he had been taken into      
custody without the slightest grounds4  
,the result was made known in the       
theatre a few minutes afterwards1 where 
,mr4 ,clifford1 on his appearance       
victorious1 was received with reiterated
 huzzas4 ,on his leaving the house1 he  
was greeted by a mob of five or six     
hundred persons1 who had congregated    
outside to do him honour as he passed4  
,from that night the riots may be said  
to have recommenced1 and ,clifford and  
,o4 ,p4 became the rallying cry of the  
party4 ,the officious box-keeper became 
at the same time the object of the      
popular dislike1 and the contempt with  
which the genius and fine qualities of  
,mr4 ,kemble would not permit them to   
regard him1 was fastened upon his       
underling4 ,so much ill-feeling was     

directed towards the latter1 that at    
this time a return to the old prices1   
unaccompanied by his dismissal1 would   
not have made the manager's peace with  
the pitites4  ,in the course of the few 
succeeding weeks1 during which the riots
 continued with undiminished fury1 ,o4  
,p4 medals were struck1 and worn in     
great numbers in the theatre4 ,a few of 
the ultra-zealous even wore them in the 
streets4 ,a new fashion also came into  
favour for hats1 waistcoats1 and        
handkerchiefs1 on which the mark1       
instead of the separate letters ,o and  
,p1 was a large ,o1 with a small ,p in  
the middle of it3 thus1       xxxxxxxxx 
x       x      x  xxx  x      x  x x  x 
x  xxx  x      x  x    x      x  x    x 
x       x      xxxxxxxxx  ,the managers1
 seeing that ,mr4 ,clifford was so      
identified with the rioters1 determined 
to make him responsible4 ,an action was 
accordingly brought against him and     
other defendants in the ,court of       
,king's ,bench4 ,on the #bjth of        

,november1 the ,attorney-general moved1 
before ,lord ,ellenborough1 for a rule  
to show cause why a criminal information
 should not be filed against ,clifford  
for unlawfully conspiring with certain  
others to intimidate the proprietors of 
,covent-,garden ,theatre1 and force     
them1 to their loss and detriment1 to   
lower their prices of admission4 ,the   
rule was granted1 and an early day fixed
 for the trial4 ,in the mean time1 these
 proceedings kept up the acerbity of the
 ,o4 ,p4s1 and every night at the fall  
of the curtain1 three groans were given 
for ,john ,kemble and three cheers for  
,john ,bull4  ,it was during this year  
that the national ,jubilee was          
celebrated1 in honour of the fiftieth   
year of the reign of ,george ,,iii4     
,when the riots had reached their       
fiftieth night1 the ,o4 ,p4s also       
determined to have a jubilee4 ,all their
 previous efforts in the way of roaring1
 great as they were1 were this night    
outdone1 and would have continued long  

after the wee short hour1 had not the   
managers wisely put the extinguisher    
upon them and the lights about eleven   
o'clock4  ,pending the criminal         
prosecution against himself1 ,mr4       
,clifford brought an action for false   
imprisonment against ,brandon4 ,the     
cause was fixed for trial in the ,court 
of ,common ,pleas1 on the #eth of       
,december1 before ,lord ,chief-,justice 
,mansfield4 ,from an early hour in the  
morning all the avenues leading to the  
court were thronged with an eager       
multitude2 all ,london was in anxiety   
for the resuit4 ,so dense was the crowd1
 that counsel found the greatest        
difficulty in making their way into     
court4 ,mr4 ,sergeant ,best was retained
 on the part of the plaintiff1 and ,mr4 
,sergeant ,shepherd for the defence4    
,the defendant put two pleas upon the   
record2 first1 that he was not guilty1  
and secondly1 that he was justified4    
,sergeant ,best1 in stating the         
plaintiff's case1 blamed the managers   

for all the disturbances that had taken 
place1 and contended that his client1 in
 affixing the letters ,o4 ,p4 to his    
hat1 was not guilty of any offence4     
,even if he had joined in the noises1   
which he had not1 his so doing would not
 subject him to the penalties for       
rioting4 ,several witnesses were then   
called to prove the capture of ,mr4     
,clifford1 the hearing of the case      
before the magistrate at ,bow ,street1  
and his ultimate dismissal4 ,sergeant   
,shepherd was heard at great length on  
the other side1 and contended that his  
client was perfectly justified in taking
 into custody a man who was inciting    
others to commit a breach of the peace4 
,the ,lord ,chief-,justice summed up1   
with an evident bias in favour of the   
defendant4 ,he said an undue            
apprehension of the rights of an        
audience had got abroad4 ,even supposing
 the object of the rioters to be fair   
and legal1 they were not authorized to  
carry it by unfair means4 ,in order to  

constitute a riot1 it was not necessary 
that personal violence should be        
committed1 and it seemed to him that the
 defendant had not acted in an improper 
manner in giving into custody a person  
who1 by the display of a symbol1 was    
encouraging others to commit a riot4    
,the jury retired to consider their     
verdict4 ,the crowd without and within  
the court awaited the result in feverish
 suspense4 ,half an hour elapsed1 when  
the jury returned with a verdict for the
 plaintiff--,damages1 five pounds4 ,the 
satisfaction of the spectators was      
evident upon their countenances1 that of
 the judge expressed the contrary       
feeling4 ,turning to the foreman of the 
jury1 his ,lordship asked upon which of 
the two points referred to them1 namely1
 the broad question1 whether a riot had 
been committed1 and1 if committed1      
whether the plaintiff had participated  
in it1 they had found their verdict8    
,the foreman stated1 that they were all 
of opinion generally that the plaintiff 

had been illegally arrested4 ,this vague
 answer did not satisfy his ,lordship1  
and he repeated his question4 ,he could 
not1 however1 obtain a more satisfactory
 reply4 ,evidently vexed at what he     
deemed the obtuseness or partiality of  
the jury1 he turned to the bar1 and     
said1 that a spirit of a mischievous and
 destructive nature was abroad1 which1  
if not repressed1 threatened awful      
consequences4 ,the country would be     
lost1 he said1 and the government       
overturned1 if such a spirit were       
encouraged2 it was impossible it could  
end in good4 ,time1 the destroyer and   
fulfiller of predictions1 has proved    
that his ,lordship was a false prophet4 
,the harmless ,o4 ,p4 war has been      
productive of no such dire results4  ,it
 was to be expected that after this     
triumph1 the war in the pit would rage  
with redoubled acrimony4 ,a riot        
beginning at half-price would not       
satisfy the excited feelings of the ,o4 
,p4s on the night of such a victory4    

,long before the curtain drew up1 the   
house was filled with them1 and several 
placards were exhibited1 which the      
constables and friends of the managers  
strove1 as usual1 to tear into shreds4  
,one of them1 which met this fate1 was  
inscribed1 ,success to ,o4,p46 ,a       
,british jury for ever6 ,it was soon    
replaced by another of a similar        
purport4 ,it is needless to detail the  
uproar that ensued2 the jumping1 the    
fighting1 the roaring1 and the howling4 
,for nine nights more the same system   
was continued2 but the end was at hand4 
,on the #adth a grand dinner was given  
at the ,crown and ,anchor tavern1 to    
celebrate the victory of ,mr4 ,clifford4
 ,the reprobators of managerial         
insolence1 as they called themselves1   
attended in considerable numbers2 and   
,mr4 ,clifford was voted to the chair4  
,the cloth had been removed1 and a few  
speeches made1 when the company were    
surprised by a message that their       
arch-enemy himself solicited the honour 

of an audience4 ,it was some time ere   
they could believe that ,mr4 ,kemble had
 ventured to such a place4 ,after some  
parley the manager was admitted1 and a  
conference was held4 ,a treaty was      
ultimately signed and sealed1 which put 
an end to the long-contested wars of    
,o4,p41 and restored peace to the drama4
  ,all this time the disturbance        
proceeded at the theatre with its usual 
spirit4 ,it was now the sixty-sixth     
night of its continuance1 and the       
rioters were still untired--still       
determined to resist to the last4 ,in   
the midst of it a gentleman arrived from
 the ,crown and ,anchor1 and announced  
to the pit that ,mr4 ,kemble had        
attended the dinner1 and had yielded at 
last to the demand of the public4 ,he   
stated1 that it had been agreed upon    
between him and the ,committee for      
defending the persons under prosecution1
 that the boxes should remain at the    
advanced price2 that the pit should be  
reduced to three shillings and sixpence2

 that the private boxes should be done  
away with2 and that all prosecutions1 on
 both sides1 should be immediately      
stayed4 ,this announcement was received 
with deafening cheers4 ,as soon as the  
first burst of enthusiasm was over1 the 
,o4 ,p4s became anxious for a           
confirmation of the intelligence1 and   
commenced a loud call for ,mr4 ,kemble4 
,he had not then returned from the      
,crown and ,anchor2 but of this the     
pitites were not aware1 and for nearly  
half an hour they kept up a most        
excruciating din4 ,at length the great  
actor made his appearance1 in his       
walking dress1 with his cane in hand1 as
 he had left the tavern4 ,it was a long 
time before he could obtain silence4 ,he
 apologized in the most respectful terms
 for appearing before them in such      
unbecoming costume1 which was caused    
solely by his ignorance that he should  
have to appear before them that night4  
,after announcing1 as well as occasional
 interruptions would allow1 the terms   

that had been agreed upon1 he added1 ,in
 order that no trace or recollection of 
the past differences1 which had         
unhappily prevailed so long1 should     
remain1 he was instructed by the        
proprietors to say1 that they most      
sincerely lamented the course that had  
been pursued1 and engaged that1 on their
 parts1 all legal proceedings should    
forthwith be put a stop to4 ,the        
cheering which greeted this speech was  
interrupted at the close by loud cries  
from the pit of ,dismiss ,brandon1 while
 one or two exclaimed1 ,we want old     
prices generally1--six shillings for the
 boxes4 ,after an ineffectual attempt to
 address them again upon this point1    
,mr4 ,kemble made respectful and        
repeated obeisances1 and withdrew4 ,the 
noises still continued1 until ,munden   
stood forward1 leading by the hand the  
humbled box-keeper1 contrition in his   
looks1 and in his hands a written       
apology1 which he endeavoured to read4  
,the uproar was increased threefold by  

his presence1 and1 amid cries of ,we    
won't hear him6 ,where's his master8 he 
was obliged to retire4 ,mr4 ,harris1 the
 son of ,kemble's co-manager1 afterwards
 endeavoured to propitiate the audience 
in his favour2 but it was of no avail2  
nothing less than his dismissal would   
satisfy the offended majesty of the pit4
 ,amid this uproar the curtain finally  
fell1 and the ,o4 ,p4 dance was danced  
for the last time within the walls of   
,covent ,garden4  ,on the following     
night it was announced that ,brandon had
 resigned his situation4 ,this turned   
the tide of popular ill-will4 ,the      
performances were ,the ,wheel of        
,fortune1 and an afterpiece4 ,the house 
was crowded to excess2 a desire to be   
pleased was manifest on every           
countenance1 and when ,mr4 ,kemble1 who 
took his favourite character of         
,penruddock1 appeared upon the stage1 he
 was greeted with the most vehement     
applause4 ,the noises ceased entirely1  
and the symbols of opposition           

disappeared4 ,the audience1 hushed into 
attention1 gave vent to no sounds but   
those of admiration for the genius of   
the actor4 ,when1 in the course of his  
part1 he repeated the words1 ,so6 ,i am 
in ,london again6 the aptness of the    
expression to the circumstances of the  
night1 was felt by all present1 and     
acknowledged by a round of boisterous   
and thrice repeated cheering4 ,it was a 
triumphant scene for ,mr4 ,kemble after 
his long annoyances4 ,he had achieved a 
double victory4 ,he had1 not only as a  
manager1 soothed the obstinate          
opposition of the play-goers1 but as an 
actor he had forced from one of the     
largest audiences he had ever beheld1   
approbation more cordial and unanimous  
than he had ever enjoyed before4 ,the   
popular favour not only turned towards  
him2 it embraced everybody connected    
with the theatre1 except the poor       
victim1 ,brandon4 ,most of the favourite
 actors were called before the curtain  
to make their bow1 and receive the      

acclamations of the pit4 ,at the close  
of the performances1 a few individuals1 
implacable and stubborn1 got up a feeble
 cry of ,old prices for the boxes2 but  
they were quickly silenced by the       
reiterated cheers of the majority1 or by
 cries of ,turn them out6 ,a placard1   
the last of its race1 was at the same   
time exhibited in the front of the pit1 
bearing1 in large letters1 the words ,we
 are satisfied4  ,thus ended the famous 
wars of ,o4 ,p41 which1 for a period of 
nearly three months1 had kept the       
metropolis in an uproar4 ,and after all1
 what was the grand result8 ,as if the  
whole proceeding had been a parody upon 
the more destructive1 but scarcely more 
sensible wars recorded in history1 it   
was commenced in injustice1 carried on  
in bitterness of spirit1 and ended1 like
 the labour of the mountain1 in a mouse4
 ,the abatement of sixpence in the price
 of admission to the pit1 and the       
dismissal of an unfortunate servant1    
whose only fault was too much zeal in   

the service of his employers1--such were
 the grand victories of the ,o4 ,p4's4  
,,the ,,thugs1 or ,,phansigars4         
,orribili favelle--parole di            
dolor4--,,dante4  ,among the black deeds
 which ,superstition has imposed as     
duties upon her wretched votaries1 none 
are more horrible than the practices of 
the murderers1 who1 under the name of   
,thugs1 or ,phansigars1 have so long    
been the scourge of ,india4 ,for ages   
they have pursued their dark and        
dreadful calling1 moulding assassination
 into a science1 or extolling it as a   
virtue1 worthy only to be practised by a
 race favoured of ,heaven4 ,of late     
years this atrocious delusion has       
excited much attention1 both in this    
country and in ,india2 an attention     
which1 it is to be hoped1 will speedily 
lead to the uprooting of a doctrine so  
revolting and anti-human4 ,although the 
,british ,government has extended over  
,hindostan for so long a period1 it does
 not appear that ,europeans even        

suspected the existence of this         
mysterious sect until the commencement  
of the present century4 ,in the year    
#ahjg1 a gang of ,thugs1 laden with the 
plunder of murdered travellers1 was     
accidentally discovered4 ,the inquiries 
then set on foot revealed to the        
astonished ,government a system of      
iniquity unparalleled in the history of 
man4 ,subsequent investigation extended 
the knowledge2 and by throwing light    
upon the peculiar habits of the         
murderers1 explained the reason why     
their crimes had remained so long       
undiscovered4 ,in the following pages   
will be found an epitome of all the     
information which has reached ,europe   
concerning them1 derived principally    
from ,dr4 ,sherwood's treatise upon the 
subject1 published in #ahaf1 and the    
still more valuable and more recent work
 of ,mr4 ,sleeman1 entitled the         
,ramaseeana2 or1 ,vocabulary of the     
peculiar ,language of the ,thugs4  ,the 
followers of this sect are called       

,thugs1 or ,t'hugs1 and their profession
 ,thuggee4 ,in the south of ,india they 
are called ,phansigars3 the former word 
signifying a deceiver2 and the latter1 a
 strangler4 ,they are both singularly   
appropriate4 ,the profession of ,thuggee
 is hereditary1 and embraces1 it is     
supposed1 in every part of ,india1 a    
body of at least ten thousand           
individuals1 trained to murder from     
their childhood2 carrying it on in      
secret and in silence1 yet glorying in  
it1 and holding the practice of it      
higher than any earthly honour4 ,during 
the winter months1 they usually follow  
some reputable calling1 to elude        
suspicion2 and in the summer1 they set  
out in gangs over all the roads of      
,india1 to plunder and destroy4 ,these  
gangs generally contain from ten to     
forty ,thugs1 and sometimes as many as  
two hundred4 ,each strangler is provided
 with a noose1 to despatch the          
unfortunate victim1 as the ,thugs make  
it a point never to cause death by any  

other means4 ,when the gangs are very   
large1 they divide into smaller bodies2 
and each taking a different route1 they 
arrive at the same general place of     
rendezvous to divide the spoil4 ,they   
sometimes travel in the disguise of     
respectable traders2 sometimes as sepoys
 or native soldiers2 and at others1 as  
government officers4 ,if they chance to 
fall in with an unprotected wayfarer1   
his fate is certain4 ,one ,thug         
approaches him from behind1 and throws  
the end of a sash round his neck2 the   
other end is seized by a second at the  
same instant1 crossed behind the neck1  
and drawn tightly1 while with their     
other hand the two ,thugs thrust his    
head forward to expedite the            
strangulation3 a third ,thug seizes the 
traveller by the legs at the same       
moment1 and he is thrown to the ground1 
a corpse before he reaches it4  ,but    
solitary travellers are not the prey    
they are anxious to seek4 ,a wealthy    
caravan of forty or fifty individuals   

has not unfrequently been destroyed by  
them2 not one soul being permitted to   
escape4 ,indeed1 there is hardly an     
instance upon record of any one's escape
 from their hands1 so surely are their  
measures taken1 and so well do they     
calculate beforehand all the risks and  
difficulties of the undertaking4 ,each  
individual of the gang has his peculiar 
duty allotted to him4 ,upon-approaching 
a town1 or serai1 two or three1 known as
 the ,soothaes1 or inveiglers1 are sent 
in advance to ascertain if any          
travellers are there2 to learn1 if      
possible1 the amount of money or        
merchandize they carry with them1 their 
hours of starting in the morning1 or any
 other particulars that may be of use4  
,if they can1 they enter into           
conversation with them1 pretend to be   
travelling to the same place1 and       
propose1 for mutual security1 to travel 
with them4 ,this intelligence is duly   
communicated to the remainder of the    
gang4 ,the place usually chosen for the 

murder is some lonely part of the road  
in the vicinity of a jungle1 and the    
time1 just before dusk4 ,at given       
signals1 understood only by themselves1 
the scouts of the party station         
themselves in the front1 in the rear1   
and on each side1 to guard against      
surprise4 ,a strangler and assistant    
strangler1 called ,bhurtote and         
,shamshea1 place themselves1 the one on 
the right1 and the other on the left of 
the victim1 without exciting his        
suspicion4 ,at another signal the noose 
is twisted1 drawn tightly by a strong   
hand at each extremity1 and the         
traveller1 in a few seconds1 hurried    
into eternity4 ,ten1 twelve1 twenty1 and
 in some instances1 sixty persons have  
been thus despatched at the same moment4
 ,should any victim1 by a rare chance1  
escape their hands1 he falls into those 
of the scouts who are stationed within  
hearing1 who run upon him and soon      
overpower him4  ,their next care is to  
dispose of the bodies4 ,so cautious are 

they to prevent detection1 that they    
usually break all the joints to hasten  
decomposition4 ,they then cut open the  
body to prevent it swelling in the grave
 and causing fissures in the soil above1
 by which means the jackals might be    
attracted to the spot1 and thereby lead 
to discovery4 ,when obliged to bury the 
body in a frequented district1 they     
kindle a fire over the grave to         
obliterate the traces of the newly      
turned earth4 ,sometimes the            
grave-diggers of the party1 whose       
office1 like that of all the rest1 is   
hereditary1 are despatched to make the  
graves in the morning at some distant   
spot1 by which it is known the          
travellers will pass4 ,the stranglers1  
in the mean time1 journey quietly with  
their victims1 conversing with them in  
the most friendly manner4 ,towards      
nightfall they approach the spot        
selected for their murder2 the signal is
 given1 and they fall into the graves   
that have been ready for them since     

day-break4 ,on one occasion1 related by 
,captain ,sleeman1 a party of fifty-nine
 people1 consisting of fifty-two men and
 seven women1 were thus simultaneously  
strangled1 and thrown into the graves   
prepared for them in the morning4 ,some 
of these travellers were on horseback   
and well armed1 but the ,thugs1 who     
appear to have been upwards of two      
hundred in a gang1 had provided against 
all risk of failure4 ,the only one left 
alive of all that numerous party1 was an
 infant four years old1 who was         
afterwards initiated into all the       
mysteries of ,thuggee4  ,if they cannot 
find a convenient opportunity for       
disposing of the bodies1 they carry them
 for many miles1 until they come to a   
spot secure from intrusion1 and to a    
soil adapted to receive them4 ,if fear  
of putrefaction admonishes them to use  
despatch1 they set up a large screen or 
tent1 as other travellers do1 and bury  
the body within the enclosure1          
pretending1 if inquiries are made1 that 

their women are within4 ,but this only  
happens when they fall in with a victim 
unexpectedly4 ,in murders which they    
have planned previously1 the finding of 
a place of sepulture is never left to   
hazard4  ,travellers who have the       
misfortune to lodge in the same choultry
 or hostelry1 as the ,thugs1 are often  
murdered during the night4 ,it is either
 against their creed to destroy a       
sleeper1 or they find a difficulty in   
placing the noose round the neck of a   
person in a recumbent position4 ,when   
this is the case1 the slumberer is      
suddenly aroused by the alarm of a snake
 or a scorpion4 ,he starts to his feet1 
and finds the fatal sash around his     
neck4--,he never escapes4  ,in addition 
to these ,thugs who frequent the        
highways1 there are others1 who infest  
the rivers1 and are called ,pungoos4    
,they do not differ in creed1 but only  
in a few of their customs1 from their   
brethren on shore4 ,they go up and down 
the rivers in their own boats1          

pretending to be travellers of          
consequence1 or pilgrims1 proceeding to1
 or returning from ,benares1 ,allahabad1
 or other sacred places4 ,the boatmen1  
who are also ,thugs1 are not different  
in appearance from the ordinary boatmen 
on the river4 ,the artifices used to    
entice victims on board are precisely   
similar to those employed by the highway
 ,thugs4 ,they send out their inveiglers
 to scrape acquaintance with travellers1
 and find out the direction in which    
they are journeying4 ,they always       
pretend to be bound for the same place1 
and vaunt the superior accommodation of 
the boat by which they are going4 ,the  
travellers fall into the snare1 are led 
to the ,thug captain1 who very often1 to
 allay suspicion1 demurs to take them1  
but eventually agrees for a moderate    
sum4 ,the boat strikes off into the     
middle of the stream2 the victims are   
amused and kept in conversation for     
hours by their insidious foes1 until    
three taps are given on the deck above4 

,this is a signal from the ,thugs on the
 look-out that the coast is clear4 ,in  
an instant the fatal noose is ready1 and
 the travellers are no more4 ,the bodies
 are then thrown1 warm and palpitating1 
into the river1 from a hole in the side 
of the boat1 contrived expressly for the
 purpose4  ,a river ,thug1 who was      
apprehended1 turned approver1 to save   
his own life1 and gave the following    
evidence relative to the practices of   
his fraternity3--,we embarked at        
,rajmahul4 ,the travellers sat on one   
side of the boat1 and the ,thugs on the 
other2 while we three 7himself and two  
stranglers17 were placed in the stern1  
the ,thugs on our left1 and the         
travellers on our right4 ,some of the   
,thugs1 dressed as boatmen1 were above  
deck1 and others walking along the bank 
of the river1 and pulling the boat by   
the joon1 or rope1 and all1 at the same 
time1 on the look-out4 ,we came up with 
a gentleman's pinnace and two           
baggage-boats1 and were obliged to stop1

 and let them go on4 ,the travellers    
seemed anxious2 but were quieted by     
being told that the men at the rope were
 tired1 and must take some refreshment4 
,they pulled out something1 and began to
 eat2 and when the pinnace had got on a 
good way1 they resumed their work1 and  
our boat proceeded4 ,it was now         
afternoon2 and1 when a signal was given 
above1 that all was clear1 the five     
,thugs who sat opposite the travellers  
sprang in upon them1 and1 with the aid  
of others1 strangled them4 ,having done 
this1 they broke their spinal bones1 and
 then threw them out of a hole made at  
the side1 into the river1 and kept on   
their course2 the boat being all this   
time pulled along by the men on the     
bank4  ,that such atrocities as these   
should have been carried on for nearly  
two centuries without exciting the      
attention of the ,british ,government1  
seems incredible4 ,but our wonder will  
be diminished when we reflect upon the  
extreme caution of the ,thugs1 and the  

ordinary dangers of travelling in       
,india4 ,the ,thugs never murder a man  
near his own home1 and they never       
dispose of their booty near the scene of
 the murder4 ,they also pay1 in common  
with other and less atrocious robbers1 a
 portion of their gains to the          
,polygars1 or native authorities of the 
districts in which they reside1 to      
secure protection4 ,the friends and     
relatives of the victims1 perhaps a     
thousand miles off1 never surmise their 
fate till a period has elapsed when all 
inquiry would be fruitless1 or1 at      
least1 extremely difficult4 ,they have  
no clue to the assassins1 and very often
 impute to the wild beasts of the       
jungles the slaughter committed by that 
wilder beast1 man4  ,there are several  
gradations through which every member of
 the fraternity must regularly pass     
before he arrives at the high office of 
a ,bhurtote1 or strangler4 ,he is first 
employed as a scout--then as a          
sexton--then as a ,shumseea1 or holder  

of hands1 and lastly as a ,bhurtote4    
,when a man who is not of ,thug lineage1
 or who has not been brought up from his
 infancy among them1 wishes to become a 
strangler1 he solicits the oldest1 and  
most pious and experienced ,thug1 to    
take him under his protection and make  
him his disciple2 and under his guidance
 he is regularly initiated4 ,when he has
 acquired sufficient experience in the  
lower ranks of the profession1 he       
applies to his ,gooroo1 or preceptor1 to
 give the finishing grace to his        
education1 and make a strangler of him4 
,an opportunity is found when a solitary
 traveller is to be murdered2 and the   
tyro1 with his preceptor1 having seen   
that the proposed victim is asleep1 and 
in safe keeping till their return1      
proceed to a neighbouring field and     
perform several religious ceremonies1   
accompanied by three or four of the     
oldest and steadiest members of the     
gang4 ,the ,gooroo first offers up a    
prayer to the goddess1 saying1 ,oh1     

,kalee6 ,kun-kalee6 ,bhud-kalee6 ,oh1   
,kalee6 ,maha-kalee6 ,calkutta ,walee6  
if it seems fit to thee that the        
traveller now at our lodging should die 
by the hands of this thy slave1         
vouchsafe us thy good omen4 ,they then  
sit down and watch for the good omen2   
and if they receive it within half an   
hour1 conclude that their goddess is    
favourable to the claims of the new     
candidate for admission4 ,if they have a
 bad omen1 or no omen at all1 some other
 ,thug must put the traveller to death1 
and the aspirant must wait a more       
favourable opportunity1 purifying       
himself in the mean time by prayer and  
humiliation for the favour of the       
goddess4 ,if the good omen has been     
obtained1 they return to their quarters2
 and the ,gooroo takes a handkerchief   
and1 turning his face to the west1 ties 
a knot at one end of it1 inserting a    
rupee1 or other piece of silver4 ,this  
knot is called the goor khat1 or holy   
knot1 and no man who has not been       

properly ordained is allowed to tie it4 
,the aspirant receives it reverently in 
his right hand from his ,gooroo1 and    
stands over the sleeping victim1 with a 
,shumseea1 or holder of hands1 at his   
side4 ,the traveller is aroused1 the    
handkerchief is passed around his neck1 
and1 at a signal from the ,gooroo1 is   
drawn tight till the victim is          
strangled2 the ,shumseea holding his    
hands to prevent his making any         
resistance4 ,the work being now         
completed1 the ,bhurtote 7no longer an  
aspirant1 but an admitted member7 bows  
down reverently in the dust before his  
,gooroo1 and touches his feet with both 
his hands1 and afterwards performs the  
same respect to his relatives and       
friends who have assembled to witness   
the solemn ceremony4 ,he then waits for 
another favourable omen1 when he unties 
the knot and takes out the rupee1 which 
he gives to his ,gooroo1 with any other 
silver which he may have about him4 ,the
 ,gooroo adds some of his own money1    

with which he purchases what they call  
goor1 or consecrated sugar1 when a      
solemn sacrifice is performed1 to which 
all the gang are invited4 ,the          
relationship between the ,gooroo and his
 disciple is accounted the most holy    
that can be formed1 and subsists to the 
latest period of life4 ,a ,thug may     
betray his father1 but never his        
,gooroo4  ,dark and forbidding as is the
 picture already drawn1 it will become  
still darker and more repulsive1 when we
 consider the motives which prompt these
 men to systematic murder4 ,horrible as 
their practices would be1 if love of    
plunder alone incited them1 it is       
infinitely more horrible to reflect that
 the idea of duty and religion is joined
 to the hope of gain1 in making them the
 scourges of their fellows4 ,if plunder 
were their sole object1 there would be  
reason to hope1 that when a member of   
the brotherhood grew rich1 he would rest
 from his infernal toils2 but the dismal
 superstition which he cherishes tells  

him never to desist4 ,he was sent into  
the world to be a slayer of men1 and he 
religiously works out his destiny4 ,as  
religiously he educates his children to 
pursue the same career1 instilling into 
their minds1 at the earliest age1 that  
,thuggee is the noblest profession a man
 can follow1 and that the dark goddess  
they worship will always provide rich   
travellers for her zealous devotees4    
,the following is the wild and startling
 legend upon which the ,thugs found the 
divine origin of their sect4 ,they      
believe that1 in the earliest ages of   
the world1 a gigantic demon infested the
 earth1 and devoured mankind as soon as 
they were created4 ,he was of so tall a 
stature1 that when he strode through the
 most unfathomable depths of the great  
sea1 the waves1 even in tempest1 could  
not reach above his middle4 ,his        
insatiable appetite for human flesh     
almost unpeopled the world1 until       
,bhawanee1 ,kalee1 or ,davee1 the       
goddess of the ,thugs1 determined to    

save mankind by the destruction of the  
monster4 ,nerving herself for the       
encounter1 she armed herself with an    
immense sword2 and1 meeting with the    
demon1 she ran him through the body4    
,his blood flowed in torrents as he fell
 dead at her feet2 but from every drop  
there sprang up another monster1 as     
rapacious and as terrible as the first4 
,again the goddess upraised her massive 
sword1 and hewed down the hellish brood 
by hundreds2 but the more she slew1 the 
more numerous they became4 ,every drop  
of their blood generated a demon2 and1  
although the goddess endeavoured to lap 
up the blood ere it sprang into life1   
they increased upon her so rapidly1 that
 the labour of killing became too great 
for endurance4 ,the perspiration rolled 
down her arms in large drops1 and she   
was compelled to think of some other    
mode of exterminating them4 ,in this    
emergency1 she created two men out of   
the perspiration of her body1 to whom   
she confided the holy task of delivering

 the earth from the monsters4 ,to each  
of the men she gave a handkerchief1 and 
showed them how to kill without shedding
 blood4 ,from her they learned to tie   
the fatal noose2 and they became1 under 
her tuition1 such expert stranglers1    
that1 in a very short space of time1 the
 race of demons became extinct4  ,when  
there were no more to slay1 the two men 
sought the great goddess1 in order to   
return the handkerchiefs4 ,the grateful 
,bhawanee desired that they would retain
 them1 as memorials of their heroic     
deeds2 and in order that they might     
never lose the dexterity that they had  
acquired in using them1 she commanded   
that1 from thenceforward1 they should   
strangle men4 ,these were the two first 
,thugs1 and from them the whole race    
have descended4 ,to the early ,thugs the
 goddess was more direct in her favours1
 than she has been to their successors4 
,at first1 she undertook to bury the    
bodies of all the men they slew and     
plundered1 upon the condition that they 

should never look back to see what she  
was doing4 ,the command was religiously 
observed for many ages1 and the ,thugs  
relied with implicit faith upon the     
promise of ,bhawanee2 but as men became 
more corrupt1 the ungovernable curiosity
 of a young ,thug offended the goddess1 
and led to the withdrawal of a portion  
of her favour4 ,this youth1 burning with
 a desire to see how she made her       
graves1 looked back1 and beheld her in  
the act1 not of burying1 but of         
devouring1 the body of a man just       
strangled4 ,half of the still           
palpitating remains was dangling over   
her lips4 ,she was so highly displeased 
that she condemned the ,thugs1 from that
 time forward1 to bury their victims    
themselves4 ,another account states that
 the goddess was merely tossing the body
 in the air2 and that1 being naked1 her 
anger was aggravated by the gaze of     
mortal eyes upon her charms4 ,before    
taking a final leave of her devotees1   
she presented them with one of her teeth

 for a pickaxe1 one of her ribs for a   
knife1 and the hem of her garment for a 
noose4 ,she has not since appeared to   
human eyes4  ,the original tooth having 
been lost in the lapse of ages1 new     
pickaxes have been constructed1 with    
great care and many ceremonies1 by each 
considerable gang of ,thugs1 to be used 
in making the graves of strangled       
travellers4 ,the pickaxe is looked upon 
with the utmost veneration by the tribe4
 ,a short account of the process of     
making it1 and the rites performed1 may 
be interesting1 as showing still further
 their gloomy superstition4 ,in the     
first place1 it is necessary to fix upon
 a lucky day4 ,the chief ,thug then     
instructs a smith to forge the holy     
instrument3 no other eye is permitted to
 see the operation4 ,the smith must     
engage in no other occupation until it  
is completed1 and the chief ,thug never 
quits his side during the process4 ,when
 the instrument is formed1 it becomes   
necessary to consecrate it to the       

especial service of ,bhawnee4 ,another  
lucky day is chosen for this ceremony1  
care being had in the mean time that the
 shadow of no earthly thing fall upon   
the pickaxe1 as its efficacy would be   
for ever destroyed4 ,a learned ,thug    
then sits down2 and turning his face to 
the west1 receives the pickaxe in a     
brass dish4 ,after muttering some       
incantation1 he throws it into a pit    
already prepared for it1 where it is    
washed in clear water4 ,it is then taken
 out1 and washed again three times2 the 
first time in sugar and water1 the      
second in sour milk1 and the third in   
spirits4 ,it is then dried1 and marked  
from the head to the point with seven   
red spots4 ,this is the first part of   
the ceremony3 the second consists in its
 purification by fire4 ,the pickaxe is  
again placed upon the brass dish1 along 
with a cocoa-nut1 some sugar1 cloves1   
white sandal-wood1 and other articles4  
,a fire of the mango tree1 mixed with   
dried cow-dung1 is then kindled2 and the

 officiating ,thug1 taking the pickaxe  
with both hands1 passes it seven times  
through the flames4  ,it now remains to 
be ascertained whether the goddess is   
favourable to her followers4 ,for this  
purpose1 the cocoa-nut is taken from the
 dish and placed upon the ground4 ,the  
officiating ,thug1 turning to the       
spectators1 and holding the axe         
uplifted1 asks1 ,shall ,i strike8       
,assent being given1 he strikes the nut 
with the but-end of the axe1 exclaiming1
 ,all hail6 mighty ,davee6 great mother 
of us all6 ,the spectators respond1 ,all
 hail6 mighty ,davee6 and prosper thy   
children1 the ,thugs6  ,if the nut is   
severed at the first blow1 the goddess  
is favourable2 if not1 she is           
unpropitious3 all their labour is thrown
 away1 and the ceremony must be repeated
 upon some more fitting occasion4 ,but  
if the sign be favourable1 the axe is   
tied carefully in a white cloth and     
turned towards the west1 all the        
spectators prostrating themselves before

 it4 ,it is then buried in the earth1   
with its point turned in the direction  
the gang wishes to take on their        
approaching expedition4 ,if the goddess 
desires to warn them that they will be  
unsuccessful1 or that they have not     
chosen the right track1 the ,thugs      
believe that the point of the axe will  
veer round1 and point to the better way4
 ,during an expedition1 it is entrusted 
to the most prudent and exemplary ,thug 
of the party3 it is his care to hold it 
fast4 ,if by any chance he should let it
 fall1 consternation spreads through the
 gang3 the goddess is thought to be     
offended2 the enterprise is at once     
abandoned2 and the ,thugs return home in
 humiliation and sorrow1 to sacrifice to
 their gloomy deity1 and win back her   
estranged favour4 ,so great is the      
reverence in which they hold the sacred 
axe1 that a ,thug will never break an   
oath that he has taken upon it4 ,he     
fears that1 should he perjure himself1  
his neck would be so twisted by the     

offended ,bhawanee as to make his face  
turn to his back2 and that1 in the      
course of a few days1 he would expire in
 the most excruciating agonies4  ,the   
,thugs are diligent observers of signs  
and omens4 ,no expedition is ever       
undertaken before the auspices are      
solemnly taken4 ,upon this subject      
,captain ,sleeman says1 ,even the most  
sensible approvers1 who have been with  
me for many years1 as well ,hindoos as  
,mussulmans1 believe that their good or 
ill success depended upon the skill with
 which the omens were discovered and    
interpreted1 and the strictness with    
which they were observed and obeyed4    
,one of the old ,sindouse stock told me1
 in presence of twelve others1 from     
,hydrabad1 ,behar1 the ,dooah1 ,oude1   
,rajpootana1 and ,bundelcund1 that1 had 
they not attended to these omens1 they  
never could have thrived as they did4   
,in ordinary cases of murder1 other men 
seldom escaped punishment1 while they   
and their families had1 for ten         

generations1 thrived1 although they had 
murdered hundreds of people4 ',this1'   
said the ,thug1' could never have been  
the case had we not attended to omens1  
and had not omens been intended for us4 
,there were always signs around us to   
guide us to rich booty1 and warn us of  
danger1 had we been always wise enough  
to discern them and religious enough to 
attend to them4' ,every ,thug present   
concurred with him from his soul4  ,a   
,thug1 of polished manners and great    
eloquence1 being asked by a native      
gentleman1 in the presence of ,captain  
,sleeman1 whether he never felt         
compunction in murdering innocent       
people1 replied with a smile that he did
 not4 ,does any man1 said he1 feel      
compunction in following his trade8 and 
are not all our trades assigned us by   
,providence8 ,he was then asked how many
 people he had killed with his own hands
 in the course of his life8 ,i have     
killed none1 was the reply4 ,what6 and  
have you not been describing a number of

 murders in which you were concerned8   
,true2 but do you suppose that ,i       
committed them8 ,is any man killed by   
man's killing8 ,is it not the hand of   
,god that kills1 and are we not the mere
 instruments in the hands of ,god8      
,upon another occasion1 ,sahib1 an      
approver1 being asked if he had never   
felt any pity or compunction at         
murdering old men or young children1 or 
persons with whom he had sat and        
conversed1 and who had told him1        
perchance1 of their private             
affairs--their hopes and their fears1   
their wives and their little ones8      
replied unhesitatingly that he never    
did4 ,from the time that the omens were 
favourable1 the ,thugs considered all   
the travellers they met as victims      
thrown into their hands by their        
divinity to be killed4 ,the ,thugs were 
the mere instruments in the hands of    
,bhawanee to destroy them4 ,if we did   
not kill them1 said ,sahib1 the goddess 
would never again be propitious to us1  

and we and our families would be        
involved in misery and want4 ,if we see 
or hear a bad omen1 it is the order of  
the goddess not to kill the travellers  
we are in pursuit of1 and we dare not   
disobey4  ,as soon as an expedition has 
been planned1 the goddess is consulted4 
,on the day chosen for starting1 which  
is never during the unlucky months of   
,july1 ,september1 and ,december1 nor on
 a ,wednesday or ,thursday2 the chief   
,thug of the party fills a brass jug    
with water1 which he carries in his     
right hand by his side4 ,with his left1 
he holds upon his breast the sacred     
pickaxe1 wrapped carefully in a white   
cloth1 along with five knots of         
turmeric1 two copper1 and one silver    
coin4 ,he then moves slowly on1 followed
 by the whole of the gang1 to some field
 or retired place1 where halting1 with  
his countenance turned in the direction 
they wish to pursue1 he lifts up his    
eyes to heaven1 saying1 ,great goddess6 
universal mother6 if this1 our meditated

 expedition1 be fitting in thy sight1   
vouchsafe to help us1 and give us the   
signs of thy approbation4 ,all the      
,thugs present solemnly repeat the      
prayer after their leader1 and wait in  
silence for the omen4 ,if within half an
 hour they see ,pilhaoo1 or good omen on
 the left1 it signifies that the goddess
 has taken them by the left hand to lead
 them on2 if they see the ,thibaoo1 or  
omen on the right1 it signifies that she
 has taken them by the right hand also4 
,the leader then places the brazen      
pitcher on the ground and sits down     
beside it1 with his face turned in the  
same direction for seven hours1 during  
which time his followers make all the   
necessary preparations for the journey4 
,if1 during this interval1 no           
unfavourable signs are observed1 the    
expedition advances slowly1 until it    
arrives at the bank of the nearest      
stream1 when they all sit down and eat  
of the goor1 or consecrated sugar4 ,any 
evil omens that are perceived after this

 ceremony may be averted by sacrifices2 
but any evil omens before1 would at once
 put an end to the expedition4  ,among  
the evil omens are the following3--,if  
the brazen pitcher drops from the hand  
of the ,jemadar or leader1 it threatens 
great evil either to him or to the      
gang--sometimes to both4 ,if they meet a
 funeral procession1 a blind man1 a lame
 man1 an oil-vender1 a carpenter1 a     
potter1 or a dancing-master1 the        
expedition will be dangerous4 ,in like  
manner it is unlucky to sneeze1 to meet 
a woman with an empty pail1 a couple of 
jackals1 or a hare4 ,the crossing of    
their path by the latter is considered  
peculiarly inauspicious4 ,its cry at    
night on the left is sometimes a good   
omen1 but if they hear it on the right  
it is very bad2 a warning sent to them  
from ,bhawanee that there is danger if  
they kill4 ,should they disregard this  
warning1 and led on by the hope of gain1
 strangle any traveller1 they would     
either find no booty on him1 or such    

booty as would eventually lead to the   
ruin and dispersion of the gang4        
,bhawanee would be wroth with her       
children2 and causing them to perish in 
the jungle1 would send the hares to     
drink water out of their skulls4  ,the  
good omens are quite as numerous as the 
evil4 ,it promises a fortunate          
expedition1 if1 on the first day1 they  
pass through a village where there is a 
fair4 ,it is also deemed fortunate1 if  
they hear wailing for the dead in any   
village but their own4 ,to meet a woman 
with a pitcher full of water upon her   
head1 bodes a prosperous journey and a  
safe return4 ,the omen is still more    
favourable if she be in a state of      
pregnancy4 ,it is said of the ,thugs of 
the ,jumaldehee and ,lodaha tribes1 that
 they always make the youngest ,thug of 
the party kick the body of the first    
person they strangle1 five times on the 
back1 thinking that it will bring them  
good luck4 ,this practice1 however1 is  
not general4 ,if they hear an ass bray  

on the left at the commencement of an   
expedition1 and an another soon         
afterwards on the right1 they believe   
that they shall be supereminently       
successful1 that they shall strangle a  
multitude of travellers1 and find great 
booty4  ,after every murder a solemn    
sacrifice1 called the ,tuponee1 is      
performed by all the gang4 ,the goor1 or
 consecrated sugar1 is placed upon a    
large cloth or blanket1 which is spread 
upon the grass4 ,beside it is deposited 
the sacred pickaxe1 and a piece of      
silver for an offering4 ,the ,jemadar1  
or chief of the party1 together with all
 the oldest and most prudent ,thugs1    
take their places upon the cloth1 and   
turn their faces to the west4 ,those    
inferior ,thugs who cannot find room    
upon the privileged cloth1 sit round as 
close to it as possible4 ,a pit is then 
dug1 into which the ,jemadar pours a    
small quantity of the goor1 praying at  
the same time that the goddess will     
always reward her followers with        

abundant spoils4 ,all the ,thugs repeat 
the prayer after him4 ,he then sprinkles
 water upon the pickaxe1 and puts a     
little of the goor upon the head of     
every one who has obtained a seat beside
 him on the cloth4 ,a short pause       
ensues1 when the signal for strangling  
is given1 as if a murder were actually  
about to be committed1 and each ,thug   
eats his goor in solemn silence4 ,so    
powerful is the impression made upon    
their imagination by this ceremony1 that
 it almost drives them frantic with     
enthusiasm4 ,captain ,sleeman relates1  
that when he reproached a ,thug for his 
share in a murder of great atrocity1 and
 asked him whether he never felt pity2  
the man replied1 ,we all feel pity      
sometimes2 but the goor of the ,tuponee 
changes our nature2 it would change the 
nature of a horse4 ,let any man once    
taste of that goor1 and he will be a    
,thug1 though he know all the trades and
 have all the wealth in the world4 ,i   
never was in want of food2 my mother's  

family was opulent1 and her relations   
high in office4 ,i have been high in    
office myself1 and became so great a    
favourite wherever ,i went that ,i was  
sure of promotion2 yet ,i was always    
miserable when absent from my gang1 and 
obliged to return to ,thuggee4 ,my      
father made me taste of that fatal goor1
 when ,i was yet a mere boy2 and if ,i  
were to live a thousand years ,i should 
never be able to follow any other trade4
  ,the possession of wealth1 station in 
society1 and the esteem of his fellows1 
could not keep this man from murder4    
,from his extraordinary confession we   
may judge of the extreme difficulty of  
exterminating a sect who are impelled to
 their horrid practises1 not only by the
 motives of self-interest which govern  
mankind in general1 but by a fanaticism 
which fills up the measure of their     
whole existence4 ,even severity seems   
thrown away upon the followers of this  
brutalizing creed4 ,to them1 punishment 
is no example2 they have no sympathy for

 a brother ,thug who is hung at his own 
door by the ,british ,government1 nor   
have they any dread of his fate4 ,their 
invariable idea is1 that their goddess  
only suffers those ,thugs to fall into  
the hands of the law1 who have          
contravened the peculiar observances of 
,thuggee1 and who have neglected the    
omens she sent them for their guidance4 
,to their neglect of the warnings of the
 goddess they attribute all the reverses
 which have of late years befallen their
 sect4 ,it is expressly forbidden1 in   
the creed of the old ,thugs1 to murder  
women or cripples4 ,the modern ,thugs   
have become unscrupulous upon this      
point1 murdering women1 and even        
children1 with unrelenting barbarity4   
,captain ,sleeman reports several       
conversations upon this subject1 which  
he held at different times with ,thugs1 
who had been taken prisoners1 or who had
 turned approvers4 ,one of them1 named  
,zolfukar1 said1 in reply to the        
,captain1 who accused him of murdering  

women1 ,yes1 and was not the greater    
part of ,feringeea's and my gang seized1
 after we had murdered the two women and
 the little girl1 at ,manora1 in #ahcj8 
and were we not ourselves both seized   
soon after8 ,how could we survive things
 like that8 ,our ancestors never did    
such things4 ,lalmun1 another ,thug1 in 
reply to a similar question1 said1 ,most
 of our misfortunes have come upon us   
for the murder of women4 ,we all knew   
that they would come upon us some day1  
for this and other great sins4 ,we were 
often admonished1 but we did not take   
warning2 and we deserve our fates4 ,in  
speaking of the supposed protection     
which their goddess had extended to them
 in former times1 ,zolfukar said3--,ah6 
we had some regard for religion then6   
,we have lost it since4 ,all kinds of   
men have been made ,thugs1 and all      
classes of people murdered1 without     
distinction2 and little attention has   
been paid to omens4 ,how1 after this1   
could we think to escape8 99 99 99 99   

,davee never forsook us till we         
neglected her6  ,it might be imagined   
that men who spoke in this manner of the
 anger of the goddess1 and who1 even in 
custody1 showed so much veneration for  
their unhappy calling1 would hesitate   
before they turned informers1 and laid  
bare the secrets and exposed the haunts 
of their fellows3--among the more       
civilized ruffians of ,europe1 we often 
find the one chivalrous trait of        
character1 which makes them scorn a     
reward that must be earned by the blood 
of their accomplices3 but in ,india     
there is no honour among thieves4 ,when 
the approvers are asked1 if they1 who   
still believe in the power of the       
terrible goddess ,davee1 are not afraid 
to incur her displeasure by informing of
 their fellows1 they reply1 that ,davee 
has done her worst in abandoning them4  
,she can inflict no severer punishment1 
and therefore gives herself no further  
concern about her degenerate children4  
,this cowardly doctrine is1 however1 of 

advantage to the ,government that seeks 
to put an end to the sect1 and has      
thrown a light upon their practices1    
which could never have been obtained    
from other sources4  ,another branch of 
the ,thug abomination has more recently 
been discovered by the indefatigable    
,captain ,sleeman4 ,the followers of    
this sect are called ,,megpunnas1 and   
they murder travellers1 not to rob them 
of their wealth1 but of their children1 
whom they afterwards sell into slavery4 
,they entertain the same religious      
opinions as the ,thugs1 and have carried
 on their hideous practices1 and        
entertained their dismal superstition1  
for about a dozen years with impunity4  
,the report of ,captain ,sleeman states1
 that the crime prevails almost         
exclusively in ,delhi and the native    
principalities1 or ,rajpootana of ,ulwar
 and ,bhurtpore2 and that it first      
spread extensively after the siege of   
,bhurtpore in #ahbf4  ,the original     
,thugs never or rarely travel with their

 wives2 but the ,megpunnas invariably   
take their families with them1 the women
 and children being used to inveigle the
 victims4 ,poor travellers are always   
chosen by the ,megpunnas as the objects 
of their murderous traffic4 ,the females
 and children are sent on in advance to 
make acquaintance with emigrants or     
beggars on the road1 travelling with    
their families1 whom they entice to pass
 the night in some secluded place1 where
 they are afterwards set upon by the    
men1 and strangled4 ,the women take care
 of the children4 ,such of them as are  
beautiful are sold at a high price to   
the brothels of ,delhi1 or other large  
cities2 while the boys and ill-favoured 
girls are sold for servants at a more   
moderate rate4 ,these murders are       
perpetrated perhaps five hundred miles  
from the homes of the unfortunate       
victims2 and the children thus obtained1
 deprived of all their relatives1 are   
never inquired after4 ,even should any  
of their kin be alive1 they are too far 

off and too poor to institute inquiries4
 ,one of the members1 on being          
questioned1 said the ,megpunnas made    
more money than the other ,thugs2 it was
 more profitable to kill poor people for
 the sake of their children1 than rich  
people for their wealth4 ,megpunnaism is
 supposed by its votaries to be1 like   
,thuggee1 under the immediate protection
 of the great goddess ,davee1 or ,kalee1
 whose favour is to be obtained before  
the commencement of every expedition1   
and whose omens1 whether of good or     
evil1 are to be diligently sought on all
 occasions4 ,the first apostle to whom  
she communicated her commands for the   
formation of the new sect1 and the rules
 and ordinances by which it was to be   
guided1 was called ,kheama ,jemadar4 ,he
 was considered so holy a man1 that the 
,thugs and ,megpunnas considered it an  
extreme felicity to gaze upon and touch 
him4 ,at the moment of his arrest by the
 ,british authorities1 a fire was raging
 in the village1 and the inhabitants    

gathered round him and implored him to  
intercede with his god1 that the flames 
might be extinguished4 ,the ,megpunna1  
says the tradition1 stretched forth his 
hand to heaven1 prayed1 and the fire    
ceased immediately4  ,there now only    
remain to be considered the exertions   
that have been made to remove from the  
face of ,india this purulent and        
disgusting sore4 ,from the year #ahjg   
until #ahbf1 the proceedings against    
,thuggee were not carried on with any   
extraordinary degree of vigour2 but1 in 
the latter year1 the ,government seems  
to have begun to act upon a settled     
determination to destroy it altogether4 
,from #ahbf to #ahee1 both included1    
there were committed to prison1 in the  
various ,presidencies1 #aefb persons    
accused of this crime4 ,of these1 #cbh  
were hanged2 #iii transported2 #gg      
imprisoned for life2 #ga imprisoned for 
shorter periods2 #ba held to bail2 and  
only #ba acquitted4 ,of the remainder1  
#ca died in prison1 before they were    

brought to trial1 #aa escaped1 and #di  
turned approvers4  ,one ,feringeea1 a   
,thug leader of great notoriety1 was    
delivered up to justice in the year     
#ahcj1 in consequence of the reward of  
five hundred rupees offered for his     
apprehension by the ,government4 ,he was
 brought before ,captain ,sleeman1 at   
,sangir1 in the ,december of that year1 
and offered1 if his life were spared1 to
 give such information as would lead to 
the arrest of several extensive gangs   
which had carried on their murderous    
practices undetected for several years4 
,he mentioned the place of rendezvous1  
for the following ,february1 of some    
well organized gangs1 who were to       
proceed into ,guzerat and ,candeish4    
,captain ,sleeman appeared to doubt his 
information2 but accompanied the ,thug  
to a mango grove1 two stages from       
,sangir1 on the road to ,seronage4 ,they
 reached this place in the evening1 and 
in the morning ,feringeea pointed out   
three places in which he and his gang   

had1 at different intervals1 buried the 
bodies of three parties of travellers   
whom they had murdered4 ,the sward had  
grown over all the spots1 and not the   
slightest traces were to be seen that it
 had ever been disturbed4 ,under the sod
 of ,captain ,sleeman's tent were found 
the bodies of the first party1          
consisting of a pundit and his six      
attendants1 murdered in #ahah4 ,another 
party of five1 murdered in #ahbd1 were  
under the ground at the place where the 
,captain's horses had been tied up for  
the night2 and four ,brahmin carriers of
 the ,ganges water1 with a woman1 were  
buried under his sleeping tent4 ,before 
the ground was moved1 ,captain ,sleeman 
expressed some doubts2 but ,feringeea1  
after looking at the position of some   
neighbouring trees1 said he would risk  
his life on the accuracy of his         
remembrance4 ,the workmen dug five feet 
without discovering the bodies2 but they
 were at length found a little beyond   
that depth1 exactly as the ,thug had    

described them4 ,with this proof of his 
knowledge of the haunts of his brethren1
 ,feringeea was promised his liberty and
 pardon if he would aid in bringing to  
justice the many large gangs to which he
 had belonged1 and which were still     
prowling over the country4 ,they were   
arrested in the ,february following1 at 
the place of rendezvous pointed out by  
the approver1 and most of them condemned
 and executed4  ,so far we learn from   
,captain ,sleeman1 who only brought down
 his tables to the close of the year    
#ahce4 ,a writer in the ,foreign        
,quarterly ,review furnishes an         
additional list of #bda persons1        
committed to prison in #ahcf1 for being 
concerned in the murder and robbery of  
#dgd individuals4 ,of these criminals1  
#ia were sentenced to death1 and #bb to 
imprisonment for life1 leaving #cjf1 who
 were sentenced to transportation for   
life1 or shorter periods of             
imprisonment1 or who turned approvers1  
or died in gaol4 ,not one of the whole  

number was acquitted4  ,great as is this
 amount of criminals who have been      
brought to justice1 it is to be feared  
that many years must elapse before an   
evil so deeply rooted can be eradicated4
 ,the difficulty is increased by the    
utter hopelessness of reformation as    
regards the survivors4 ,their numbers   
are still calculated to amount to ten   
thousand persons1 who1 taking the       
average of three murders annually for   
each1 as calculated by ,captain ,sleeman
 and other writers1 murder every year   
thirty thousand of their fellow         
creatures4 ,this average is said to be  
under the mark2 but even if we were to  
take it at only a third of this         
calculation1 what a frightful list it   
would be6 ,when religion teaches men to 
go astray1 they go far astray indeed6   
,,end ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,volume4