No More Learning

He is famed for
being the author of a libel, fixed one Sunday morning
on the doors of Westminster-abbey ; and of many others, agaiiist the clergy and quality. He used to
treat religion very lightly, and would often say, that he understood the world better than to have the impu tation of righteousness laid to his charge ; yet, upon
the approach of death, his heart misgave him, and he began to express sentiments of remorse for his past life.
Towards the latter end of Brown's life, we are informed by Mr. Jacob that he was in favor with the Earl of Dorset, who invited him to dinner on a Christmas-day, with Dryden, and some other men of genius ; when Brown, to his agreeable surprise, found a bank-note of 60l. under his plate ; and Dryden
at the same time was presented with another of 100/.
Brown died in 1704, and was interred
of Westminster-abbey, near the remains of Mrs. Behn, with whom he wae intimate in his life-time;
His whole works were printed in 1707, consisting of dialogues, essays, declamations, satires, letters from
the dead to the living, translations, amusements, &c; in 4, vols. ; there are several other editions ofhis works.
in the clbister
WILLIAM III. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 15
but all have become scarce, and have not been re printed for many years ; indeed, the indelicacy of many of his pieces preclude the likelihood of their ever appearing collectively before the public in a new edition ; his remains, in 2 vols, are very rare to be
met with, and abound with as much ribaldry and
as his other productions. Tom Brown thought it the. pinnacle of excellence to be thought " a merry fellow," and therefore laid out his powers upon small jests or gross buffoonery, so that his per formances have little intrinsic value, and were read
only while they were recommended by the novelty of the event that occasioned them. What sense or knowledge his works contain is disgraced by the garb in which it is exhibited. The Rev. Mr. Noble says,
he died in great poverty.
obscenity
16
MEMOIRS OF
[william hi.
¦. J
Thomas D'Urpey. , E^q. was originally intended
to have beeh-broaght up to the bar^ btit po^essing too
much wit to confine himself to •that ; dfy stbdy, and
too. little, to make a shining character in any other,
experienced ail the varied- fortunes of men who have
not great abilities, and whb trust entirely to their pens
for theif support and appearance through life. Very
little more is known of D'Urfey's origin and family
than, that he was a native of Devonshire. His plays,
which are numerous, were in their day 4cted with
considerable applause, but the low wit and humour
with which they abound, would not suit the taste of the present enlightened generation. He was, besides,
author of many small Poems, the chief "of which are collected in his most celebrated work of " Wit and Mirth, or Pills to purge Melancholy," in
6 vols. 12mo. which have now become
scarce. He has been compared to Colley Cibber,
but their wit^ and humour were
Oibber's writings keeping their reputation to the
extremely
widely different,
THOMAS D'URFEY.
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 17
present day, and are as much read as ever.
was admitted to great familiarity with King Charles the Second, and that merry monarch would often lean on his shoulder,
frequently amused and entertained Queen Anne, singing catches and glees ; yet, with all his gaiety and high acquaintance, poor Tom was always in straitened circumstances ; as a Tory he was very much caressed and beloved by his party, yet he was esteemed and respected by the Whigs.
The Author of the prologue to D'Urfey's last play thus speaks of him :—
" Though Tom the poet writ with ease and pleasure, " The comic Tom abounds in other treasure. "
Addison was well acquainted with him, and often pleaded successfully for his friend, when he became aged and in decayed circumstances ; — in one of his
papers he remarks, " He has made the world merry, and I hope they will make him easy, as long as he stays among us. This," adds he, " I will take upon me to say, they cannot do a kindness to a more cheer ful, honest, good-natured man. " D'Urfey died at a good old age, February ^6, 1723, and was buried in the cemetery of St. James's Church, Westminster.
VOL. I. D
WILLIAM III. J
andhumatunewithhim; hehas by
D'Urfey
18 MEMOIRS OF [william iij.
D'Urfey and Bello, a musician, had high words at Epsom, and swords were resorted to, but with great
caution. A brother wit maliciously compared this rencounter with that mentioned in Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia, between Clinias and Dametas.
I sing of a duel in Epsom befel
'Twixt fa sol la D'Urfey and sol la mi Bell :
But why do I mention the scribbling brother?
For naming the one, you may guess at the other. Betwixt them there happened a terrible clutter.
Bell set up the loud pipes, and D'Urfey did splutter.
" Draw Bell, wert thou Dragon, I'd spoil thy soft notes :" " Thy squalling, said t'other, for I'll cut thy throat. "
With a scratch on the finger the duel's dispatch'd ;
Thy Clinias (O Sidney) was never so match'd.
WILLIAM III. ]
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 19
Sir John Fenwick, of Fenwick Castle, in the county of Northumberland, Bart, a man of consider able abilities, but- of; a profligate and restless dispo sition, commanded a regiment in
the service of William III. when Prince of Orange, in 1676. He was apprehended^ in. Kent, when on his way to France, upon suspicion of being engaged in a plot to
assassinate the; king. ' Oh his. being taken into cus tody, he (wrotea letter to his lady, setting forth his
miatbrtune, andgiviing himself for dead, unless; power ful applications) could be made for him, or that some of ;the jury co«M be hired: to starve out the rest; and
to that he ftdded, this or nothing can save my life. This letter was taken from the person to whom' he hadigi^ren it: at his first examination, before the lords-
jtis,|iees, he denied every thing', till he was shewed thi$M>letter; and then he was confounded. In his private treaty with the Duke ! of Devonshire, he desired an assurance of life, upon his promise to tell all he knew; but the king refused that, and would have it left to himself to judge of the truth and the
D2
20 MEMOIRS OF [william ni.
importance of the discoveries he should make. So he, resolving to cast himself on the king's mercy, sent him a paper, in which, after a bare account of the consultations among the Jacobites (in which he took care to charge none of his own party,) he said, that King James, and those who were emplbyed by him, had assured them, that both the Earls of Shrewsbury and Marlborough, the Lord Godolphin, and Admiral Russell, were reconciled to him, and were now in his interests, and acting for him. This was a discovery that could signify nothing, but to give the king a
jealousy of those persons ; for he did not offer the
or of
least shadow or circumstance, either of proof, presumption, to support this accusation. The king, not being satisfied herewith, sent an order for bringing him to a trial, unless he made other discoveries. He desired to be further examined by the lords-justices, to whom he, being upon oath, told some more parti culars, but he took care to name none of his own side, but those against whom evidence was already brought, or who were safe and beyond sea ; some few others he named, in matters of less consequence, that did not amount to high-treason ; he owned a thread of negociations that had passed between them and King James, or the court of France ; he said the Earl of
WILLIAM III. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 21
Aylesbury had gone over to France, and had been admitted to a private audience with the French king,
where he had proposed the sending over an army of 30,000 men ; and had undertaken that a great body of gentlemen and horses should be brought to join them; it appeared, by his discoveries, that the Jacobites in England were much divided. Some were called com pounders, and others non-compounders. The first sort desired securities from King James, for the pre servation of the religion and liberties of England ; whereas, the second sort were for trusting him upon discretion, without asking any terms, putting all in his power, and relying entirely on his honor and generosity. These seemed, indeed, to act more suitably to the great principle upon which they all insisted, that kings have their power from God, and are accountable only to him for the exercise of it. Dr. Lloyd, the deprived Bishop of Norwich, was the only eminent clergyman who joined in this; and, therefore, all that party had, upon Sancro/t's death, recommended him to King James, to have his nomina tion for Canterbury. Fenwick put all this in writing, upon assurance that he should not be forced to wit ness any part of it. When that was sent to the king, all appearing to be so trifling, and no^other proof being
22 MEMOIRS OF [william hi.
offered for any part of except his own word, which
he had stipulated should not be made use of, his
majesty sent an order to bring him to his trial. But
as the king was slow in sending this order, so the
Duke of Devonshire, who had been in the secret
management of the matter, was for some time in the country. The lords-justices delayed the matter till
he came to town and then the king's coming was so near, that was respited till he came over. By these delays Fenwick gained his main design, which was to practice upon the witnesses.
His lady began with Porter he was offered, that
he would go beyond sea, he should have good sum in hand, and an annuity secured to him for his life; he listened so far to the proposition, that he drew those who were in treaty with him, together with the lady herself, who carried the sum that he was to receive, to meeting, where he had provided wit nesses who should over^hear all that passed, and should, upon signal,
the money which was done, and prosecution upon
was ordered. The fact was fully proved, and «be persons concerned in were censured and punished so Porter was no more to be dealt with. — Goodman was the other witness First, they gathered matter to
come in and seize them with
;
it
:
it
if
;
aa
it
;
a
a
;
it,
WILLIAM III. J REMARKABLE PERSONS. 23
defame him, in which his wicked course of life fur nished them very copiously ; but they trusted not to this method, but betook themselves to another, in which they prevailed more effectually ; they per
suaded him to go out of England ; and, by this means, when the last orders were given for Fenwick's trial, there were not two witnesses against him. So, by the course of law, he must have been acquitted ; the
whole was upon this kept entire for the session of Par liament. The king sent to the House of Commons the two papers that Fenwick had sent him ; Fenwick was brought before the house ; but he refused to give
any farther account of the matter contained in them, and they were rejected as false and scandalous, made
to create jealousies; and ordered a bill of attainder to be brought against him, which met with great opposition in both houses, in every step that was made. In conclusion, the bill passed by a small majority of only seven in the House of Lords: The royal assent was soon given to and Fenwick then
made all possible applications to the king for reprieve: and, as main ground for that, and as an article of merit, related how he had saved the king's
life, two years before but as this fact could not be proved, so could confer no obligation on the king, since he had given him no warning of his danger
only
it
a ;
;a
it,
MEMOIRS OF [william hi. and, according to his own story, had trusted the con
spirators'
24
words very easily, when they promised to pursue their design no farther, which he had no reason to do. Fenwick, seeing no hope was left, prepared himself to die; he desired the assistance of one of the deprived bishops, which was not granted, but he was attended by Bishop Burnet. He was beheaded on Tower-hill, January 23, 1697, aged 52 ; and was buried near the altar, in the church of St. Martin's in the Fields, London, with his three sons. Sir
John, though a very profligate character, and an indif ferent husband, was yet so tenderly beloved by his lady, that no stratagem was omitted by her to save him that love could invent, or duty practice. She even erected a monument, in York Cathedral, to per petuate his memory. She was Lady Mary, eldest daughter of Charles Howard, Earl of Carlisle. Hap pily their only daughter, Jane, as well as all their sons, died very young. He died very composed, and left a paper in writing, wherein he did not deny the facts that had been sworn against him, but com plained of the injustice of the procedure, and left his thanks to those who had voted against the bill. He owned his loyalty to King James, and to the Prince of Wales after him. But mentioned the design of assassinating King WiUiam in terms full of horror.
lOHN. GALE las
Z)uml' lack
WILLIAM ivi. ^
REMARKABLE PERSONS. <25
3>o1&n €fale, alias ,
DUMB JACK.
John Gale, otherwise Dumb Jack, noticed by
the Rev. Mark Noble as an
unfortunate person, character,
appeiars rather to have been a ¦ felicitous
enjoying life, while he lived, in a way pfeculiar to him
self. Mr. Noble, who had the use of Granger's
valuable papers, iiaraes him as an ideot^ and -deaf and
dumb into the bargain, " so much foi; the leatned and
Reverend Gentleman ;" but it does not always follow,
that a deprivation of one faculty entails the party
afflicted with lack of others ; on the contrary, we
know the blind, in general, have a nicety in feeling
greatly- beyond those blessed with sight*
* I knewa gentleman, Mr. Francis Linley, bfga'riisi of 'l*en- tonvillS Chapel, Clerkenwell, from his birth blinds whose greatest amusement was to explore church-yards, and with his fingers trace out memorials of ^he dead from tomb-'Stones;, indeed, the fineness of his touch would lead him to know a book from the lettering at the back of a volume : and cpuld, without si guide, make his way throughout the bustling streets of London. ¦,
VOL. I. E
26 MEMOIRS OF [william hi.
uncouth
John Gale had a something so remarkably
in his physiognomy and manner, that he attracted general notice wherever he appeared. He lived prin cipally in the neighbourhood of Clare-market, where he picked up a maintenance among the butchers, and other tradesmen thereabouts, by helping to drive cattle and carrying heavy loads of meat, and other servile employments
of that nature. Being perfectly harm less, he was rather under protection of the mob, than,
as is too often the case with unhappy Objects of this description, exposed to their unfeeling scoffs and abuse. He always wore his hat in a particular direc tion ; so much on one side, as hardly to keep its place on his head, and was seldom seen without a pipe in his mouth. Tobacco and ale were his two grand animal gratifications ; and his highest mental enjoyment seemed to be that of witnessing the public execution of criminals, whom he constantly accom panied from the gaol to Tyburn, riding on the copse of the cart, and smoking his pipe with perfect decorum the whole way, unmoved at the passing scene, while
Clever Tom Clinch as the rabble was bawling, Was riding up Holborn to die in his calling ;
And the maids to the windows and balconies ran. And cry'd out. Alack ! he's a proper young man '.
WILLIAM HI. ]
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 27
From this circumstance Dumb Jack (his general and familiar appellation,) became universally known ; and from the many prints of him extant, it was not wished the remembrance of him should perish ; his form too existing on walking sticks, and on tobacco-
stoppers, both of wood and metal, many of which still
Mr, Noble regrets the pen of the biographer was wanting
are to be found in the cabinets of the curious.
to the fame of poor Jack, and very gravely remarks his ignorance, whether he died by violence from a ruffian, while sleeping on a bulk in the streets, or of disease in a garret, or hospital ; but, it is reasonable to conjecture, he came to his end in a similar way with other mortals, a gradual decay of nature.
E2
28
MEMOIRS OF
[william iii.
pl^iIip
Hermon.
PhilXp Hermon was one of those visionary enthusiasts amoiig the people called Quakers, that pretended to ppssess lights unknown to the rest of
mankind ; and, through, holding forth this doctrine to othersi at Length brought, hinaself to imagine he was inspired;by a divine spirit, to, become a teacher and prophet, to guide and collect the stray-lambs that had M'ander^d from the fold of the rightepus. — The Qu^. -
kers had been stigm^tiized during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, and the reign of Charles the Second,
for their perverse spirit, false doctrine, and lying pro
In 1 653, one Hannah Trapnel, residing at an ordinary in Whitehall, set up tbe trade of inspiration, pray'mgipv the Lord Protector, and that God would keep him close, to himself, and delivet him from carnal councils. It was said she was in a trance while pray
ing^ but, at the expiration of a fortnight, she recovered
sufficienriy to take her journey homeward to Dunbar: and, in December, 165. 1, the same woman went to St. Matvs, in Cornwall, to visit one Carew, a prisoner
phets.
PHIJ. IP
IlffiKMOM ()ii ;il<er. )
WILLIAM III. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 29
there, and had in company with her three fellows, one having a sword : this party was stopped by a trooper, who informed them he had orders from the Lord Pro tector to disarm all Cavahers ; to this they replied.
Thy Lord Protector we own not, thou art of the army of the beast. The Governor of Pendinnis sent for the woman, but she refused to attend: on which
an order was given to follow, and bring her before a justice of peace at Penryn.
About the same time, James Naylor, who had been converted to Quakerism by George Fox, took upon himself the character of the Messiah, and pretended
to heal the sick, and raise the dead, and was for this
offence most severely and most deservedly punished. Near the latter end of the reign of Charles the Second, one John Kelsey undertook the laudable task
of converting the grand Signior to the Quaking prin ciples, and actually made his way to Constantinople for that purpose ; a good bastinado on the soles of his feet, as a recompence for his trouble, could not, how ever, effectually wean him from the pursuit of his
mission, and he was secured per force, and sent on
board a ship to convey him to England.
It is not very probable Mr. Hermon went quite so
far as either of the above of his fellow-labourers in the
so MEMOIRS OF [WILLIAM iii.
Quaking Vineyard, but it is highly probable he came in for a share of the imprisonment and persecution, as
the Friends call that was liberally dealt out government against these innovators, on their first attempts to establish themselves as the chosen sect. On one occasion, Herman was moved by the spirit to ejaculate, " Oh the blessed man, Joseph Friends, believe he had not the law as we have Oh, Friends,
think Joseph had not the law to the best of my memory, the law was not writ in Joseph's time — Oh, Infallibility ! "
I
;
;
I
by
;
:
!
it,
WILLIAM III. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 31
Sit ^of^n ^of)n0ton.
Sir John Johnston was born at Skickaldy, in Fifeshire, and his father who had a good estate, having diminished it by a too generous way of living. Sir John went young i into -the army to raise his fortune;
and, being at the siege, of Maestrich, underthe com
mand of the Duke of Monmouth, he so behaved him
self as to obtain a captain's commission, but. both that
and his personal estate were too scanty for his way, of
living;
While he was at Utrecht, in Holland, he was charged with committing a rape on a young wpman, and likewise of the like crime near Chester, while in England. After-. this he went over to Ireland^ where he^ thought to better his ' circumstances by marriage ; and g. etting into the acquaintance of a . Mr; Magrath, in the county of Clare, he, by the manner of his con- versarion, so gained his good opinion, that he fre quently invited him to dinner, and Mr. Magrath hav ing a daughter, who had 10,000/. to her porrion. Sir John took every opportunity to insinuate himself into
her company, and so far gained upon her affections as
32 MEMOIRS OF [william hi.
to obtain her consent to elope with him ; but the father, having some hints given him of their private courtship, kept a very watchful eye over their actions, and at last being confirmed in his suspicions, forbad
Sir John his house, and kept his daughter close. She being very uneasy under her confinement, arid being deprived of the sight of Sir John, whom she loved to distracrion, made a kinswoman her confidant, and entrusted her with a letter to Sir John, to let him know how uneasy her life was, and that if he would
come to such a place, at such a time, she would endeavour to make her escape, and meet him ; but
the lady thinking she should gain most by obliging
her uncle, delivered the letter to him, instead of Sir
John ; Mr. Magrath, having read sealed up again,
and sent to Sir John, who received with great
deal of satisfaction, and immediately wrote an answer,
and sends back by the same messenger.
repairing to the place of rendezvous, instead of meet
ing the lady, fell into an ambuscade of fellows with
sticks and clubs, who beat him so unmercifully that
he promised to relinquish his pursuit. parts, he repaired to Dublin where,
Leaving those
having before contracted debts, he was arrested, and thrown into
prison.
Not knowing how to extricate himself put
But
;
it it
it
it a
it,
WILLIAM iiii] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 33
of this difficulty, and having had some acquaintance with the Lady Thomond, who was a'zealous Roman Catholic, and knowing she kept a priest in her house, he sent a letter to her, acquainting her with his hard fortune, and informing her that he was reconciled to the see of Rome, begged that she would send her chaplain
to be assistant to him in the concerns of his soul. The lady acquiesced with his desire, and gave orders to her confessor to attend him; when intro duced to Sir John, he told him he could not be ignorant of the danger he was in, knowing how all those of his function were persecuted at that time, King^William having so lately made a conquest of that nation, and, therefore, he could not venture to stay long with him, hoping he was fully prepared to make his confession : Sir John replied, his confession was but short; — it was, that he wanted money, and he must work his deliverance, or he should be obliged to inform against him. The priest, being terrified, thought it better to part with his money, than hazard a discovery ; and gave him what he had about him, which was a good sum in broad pieces ; but Sir John, not thinking this enough to answer his wants, obliged him to send for a scrivener, and give him a bond for
60/. more, which being done, the priest was permitted VOL. I. F
34 MEMOIRS OF [william hi.
to depart. Sir John immediately employed a person
to settle with his creditors, and with the bond and part of the money compounded his debts, got out of
prison, and made the best of his way for England. Having been here some small time, and spent the remainder of his money, he was obliged to be
beholden to some of his countrymen for support : and Captain James Campbell having a design to steal an heiress, one Miss Mary Wharton,* he and Mr. Mont gomery were assistants in the affair ; which being
* Miss Wharton was daughter of Philip Wharton, Esq. , and at the age of thirteen, by his death, inherited 1 ,500Z. per annum, besides a personal property to the amount of 1,000/. This young lady resided with her mother, in Great Queen-street ; when Cap tain James Campbell, brother of the Earl of Argyle, wishing to possess so rich a prize, determined to marry her per force, and for that purpose prevailed upon Sir John Johnston and Archibald Montgomery to assist him in conveying Miss Wharton from her home. The enterprize succeeded but too well, to Johnston's cost ; Campbell, who was the real culprit, escaped punishment, and married Margaret Leslie, daughter of David Lord Newark, after parliament had dissolved his first marriage ; but every effort
to save Johnston proved inefiectual.
married Colonel Bierly, who commanded a regiment of horse in tbe service of William III.
Previous to this unpleasant affair, an act for preventing clan
destine marriages had been introduced
Commons, which met with considerable opposition ; and, although
Miss Wharton afterwards
into the House of
WILLIAM HI. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 35
done, and a reward of 100/. offered for the apprehend ing Captain Campbell, and 50/. a-piece for him and Mr. Montgomery. Sir John being betrayed by his landlord, was apprehended and indicted for the
11th of December, 1690. The evidence was in sub stance, that Miss Mary Wharton, being an heiress of considerable fortune, and under the care of her guardian, (Mr. Bierly,) was decoyed out on the 10th of November, and being met with by Sir John John ston, Captain Campbell, and Mr. Montgomery, in Queen-street, was forced into coach with six horses, (appointed to wait there by Captain Campbell,) and carried to the coachman's house, and there married to
Captain Campbell, against the consent of herself, or knowledge of her' guardian. The Jury finding the
prisoner Guilty, he received sentence of death.
At the plac^ bf execution, he addressed the specta
in which he not only endea voured to make appear he was blameless in the transaction for which he suffered, but that he had
Campbell's violence was strong argument in favor of the mea sure, the house rejected but annulled his marriage, much against the wishes of the Earl of Argyle, who earnestly petitioned that might be confirmed.
F
tors in long
2
it
a it,
it
a
a
it,
36 MEMOIRS OF [WILLIAM III.
been greatly wronged by printed papers, in which he was charged with a rape at Chester, and a siniilar crime at Utrecht, in Holland. He was executed, at
c Tyburn, the 23d of December, 1690.
JOY, ( Tlie En^'lisli Sainpson. ^
^V^ILLIAM
;, I
WILLIAM III. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 37
THE ENGLISH SAMPSON.
William Joy was a native of Kent, and born May 2, 1675, i at St. Lawrence, a small village, one mile, from Ramsgate,. in the Isle of Thanet. When very young, he distinguished himself among his juve-
.
nile companions 'and play-mates, by 'his amazing superiority in strength, over any antagonist that dare to ;come in competition with his power, whether in play or earnest, iWhen ; about twenty-four years; of
age, he first began to exhibit in spublic his astonishing feats, ihf a disjplay of personal prowess inferior tonone but the Hebrew champion recorded in holy writ. Among^^ many other of this man's extraordinary per formances may be recorded: — 1. A strong horse,
> urged by the whip to escape his powerful rein, is
'"
kept froffli escape by the check solely
T^srestrained and
of his pull, aided by a strong rope, and this without
stay, or support; whatever. 2. Seated upon a
any
stool, with his legs hPrizontally elevated, solely by muscular power, he jumps clearly from his seat.
38 MEMOIRS OF [william iii.
3. To prove the agility and flexibility of his joints, he places a glass of wine on the sole of his foot, and, in an erect posture, without the least bending of his head
or body, raises the glass to his mouth, and drinks the contents, turning his foot with both hands, to accom modate his draught. 4. Aided by a strong leather
girdle, or belt, and supporting himself by pressing his arms on a railing, he lifts from the ground a stone of the enormous weight bf 5240 lbs. 5. A rope fastened to wall, which had borne 3500 lbs. weight, without
giving way, is broke asunder by his amazing strength. The celebrity of this man attracted the curiosity of King WiUiam III. , befbre whom he exhibited at Kensington Palace ; likewise before George, Prince of Denmark, and his royal consort, the Princess, after
wards Queen Ann, and their son William, Duke of Gloucester, called the hopes of England. — He also
went through a regular course of performances
at the Salisbury-square, which was attended by the first nobility and gentry in the kingdom. The portrait of William Joy, which
is presumed to be unique, is dated 1699, and printed
Duke's Theatre, in Dorset-gardens,
on a whole sheet, and is noticed
catalogue of English Heads, but has escaped notice of the Rev. Mark Noble, in his continuation of
by Bromley in his the
WILLIAM III. J REMARKABLE PERSONS. 39
At all times, and in all ages, we hear and read of ex traordinary persons, celebrated for one thing or another. September 4th, 1818, was shown at Bar tholomew Fair, "The strongest woman in Europe,
the celebrated French Female Hercules^ Madame Gobert, who will lift with her teeth a table five feet
long and three feet wide, with several persons seated upon it ; also carry thirty-six weights, fifty-six pounds
each, equal to 2016 lbs. and will disengage herself from them without any assistance ; will , carry a barrel containing 340 bottles ; also an anvil 400 lbs. weight, on which they will forge with four hammers at the same time she supports it on her stomach; she will also hft with her hair the same anvil, swing it from
the ground, and suspend it in that position to the astonishment , of every beholder ; will take up a chair by the hind stave with her teeth, and throw it over her head, ten feet from her body. Her travelling
caravan, (weighing two tons,) on its road from Har wich to Leominster, owing to the neglect of the driver, and badness of the road, sunk in the mud,
nearly to the box of the wheels ; the two horses being
Granger's Biographical History.
The head is sur rounded with five vignettes, representing the manner in which he performed his various feats of strength.
40 MEMOIRS OF [william iii.
unable to extricate it she descended, and, with appa rent ease, disengaged the caravan from its situation, without any assistance whatever. "
Having the curiosity to see this wonderful Female, I went for the purpose of accurately observing her manner of performance, which was by laying ex tended at length on her back on three chairs, pillows were then placed over her legs, thighs, and stomach,
over those two thick blankets, and then a moderately thick deal board, the thirty-six weights were then placed on the board, beginning at the bottom of the legs, and extending upwards above the knees and thighs, but none approaching towards the stomach. She held the board on each side with her hands, and when the last Weight was put on, she pushed the board upwards on one side, and tumbled the weights to the ground. On the whole, there appeared more of trick than personal strength in this feat. Her next performance was raising the anvil, (which might weigh nearly 200 lbs. ,) from the ground with her hair, which is thick, black, and as strong
in the tail of a horse; this is platted on
side, and fixed to two cords, which is attached to
the anvil, then rising from a bending to an erect
posture, she raises : and. swings the
anvil several
as that
each
WILLIAM HI. ]
REMARKABLE PERSONS. 41
times backwards and forwards through her legs.
next feat was raising a table with her teeth, a slight
rickety thing, made of deal, with a bar across the
legs, which, upon her grasping sustained against
her thighs, and enables her more easily to swing
round several times, maintaining her hold only her
teeth. The chair she makes nothing of, but canters
over her head like plaything.
derfully strong woman evident, but that she can
little exertion, quarter of hundred weight.
In the year 1794, the writer of this article saw at the Admiralty Coffee-house, Charing-cross, man
named Sheppard, sergeant the Coventry volun teers, commanded by Colonel Troughton he was then about five or six-and-twenty years of age, and was remarked by his comrades and friends for extra ordinary strength, many particulars of which were related, that aroused the curiosity of some officers of that regiment, and some gentlemen, their friends, to see the man and become witnesses of his power after being introduced, and requested to show proof of strength, he desired to have few oysters sent for, the
VOL. I. G
notorious untruth. She has an infant which now sucks at her breast, about eleven months old that lifts, with very
That she won
Her
perform what promised in her bills
a
a in
a
;
;
a
is a
a a
is
;
it, is
a is
it
is a
by
it
42 MEMOIRS OF
[william hi.
largest which could be procured, unopened, which being produced, (and large ones they were) he took six, and devoured them shells and all, in a manner we
see a person munch a biscuit ; a heavy mahogany qoffee-house-table, seven feet long and four wide, he fixed his teeth in, placing his arms behind him, and, by mere strength, elevated the end to touch the ceiling ; he likewise took two men, of moderate size, one in each hand, raised them from the ground, and held them at arms length ; but he acknowledged his superior strength to lay in his jaw and neck. He has been known to take a pewter pint pot, and tear it into pieces and shreds with his teeth, and what may appear extraordinary, he said he felt a visible decay of strength upon any time having his hair cut ; whether this was an affectation of imitating Samson of old or
not, we cannot determine, but must entirely depend on the man's assertion ; — but all this does not come up to the feats of William Joy. Topham, Sheppard, and Madame Gobert, were but pigmies compared with the English Samson.
The facetious Tom Brown, in a letter to George
Moult, Esq. upon the breaking up of Bartholomew Fair, informs him, that '' a man may easily foretell,
without pretending to the gift of prophecy, that the
generally
WILLIAM III. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 43
stage will be short-lived, and the strong Kentish-man will take possession of the two play-houses, as he has already done of that in Dorset-gardens. " And, in a postscript to the same epistle, he adds, " The strong Kentish-man, (of whom you have heard so many stories) has, as I told you above, taken up his quarters in Dorset-gardens, and how they'll get him out again the Lord knows, for he threatens to thrash all the Poets, if they pretend to disturb him. Mr. Joseph Haines was his master of the ceremonies, and intro duced him in a prologue upon the stage ; and, indeed, who so fit to do it as this person, whose breath is as strong as the Kentish-man's back. "
g2
4efc
MEMOIRS OF
[william hi.
mt. ^ofitt u^mit^*
¦^. Dti'. JoJiiii Radcliffje, a man eqaally singular ih,his manJiers as he rendered! himself so. by his cures, was a native; of Wakefield, in Yorkshire, of respectable parentage, but burthened with the oh^i|;e of a numer ous family. The . neighbouring gentry observing in Radcliffe an ex^ell^'nt capacity iwhen a boy, induced them to educate him, at their own expence ; and, wiien he arrived at the age of fifteen, he was sent to University -College, Oxford, where his mother (then a widow) assisted him in obtaining a thorough know ledge of Botany, Chemistry, and Anatomy. afterwards became a fellow of Lincoln College, and commenced physician, with a sovereign contempt
He
"is Radcliffe? s library," pointing to a few books on a window-seat. The faculty, in revenge, called his cures "guess work," and he retorted by terming them "o/d nurses. " — His abhorret^ce of the practice of
for the works pf medical writers. "There," said he,
WILLIAM HI. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 45
consulting the water of patients is well known;* nature was his guide, and she led him to adopt a cool regimen in the small-pox, which has saved numbers of lives, and preserved the smoothness and beauty of many faces. Several circumstances conspired to ren der his residence at Oxford unpleasant ; he, therefore, went to London, where his practice became general,. and he was equally celebrated for his wit and his pre scriptions ; the former blazed forth with native frank
ness, without respect to place or persons ; he once said to King William, " I would not have your two legs for your three kingdoms :" and to Queen Anne, by a messenger who had been sent for him, that " her majesty was as well as any woman in England, if she would think so. "
Dr. Radcliffe was a firm friend, and his lamenta tions on the death of the Duke of Beaufort and Lord
* A woman, the wife of a shoe-maker, went to the doctor with her husband's water, (who was ill,) in a urinal, for advice ; he threw the water away, withdrew, and filled it with his own, bidding her return and shew her husband that, and make him a pair of boots to fit. The poor woman said the thing was impossible, without his being measured ; and so is it to cure him, replied Radcliffe, without seeing him.
46 MEMOIRS OF
[william ui.
Craven do honour to his feelings ; he has, however, been accused of parsimony, and neglect of his family ; the latter charge he endeavoured to obviate, by leaving liberal annuiries to his two sisters, two nephews and a niece, and rewarding his servants ; several acts are
recorded ofhis benevolence, and he not only forgave, but provided for a criminal who had robbed him, and exulted in restoring to his place and confidence a servant whom he suspected and had dismissed. He was once informed of a considerable loss he had sus tained by the capture of a ship, in which some of his property had been embarked, and answered the usual
compliments of condolence with a smile, and put round the bottle, " my lord, I have only to go up 250 pair of stairs to make myself whole again. "
A nobleman of high rank, whom the doctor had attended, and who was afflicted with a quinsey in the throat, being by his friends considered in imminent danger, and Radcliffe refusing to go on the first send ing for, the servants had orders to take the carriage and bring him to the patient by force ; this the coach man literally obeyed, thrusring the doctor into the carriage, and driving him home, where, when arrived, he ordered the coachman and
attend him into their master's chamber,
he footman to giving orders
WILLIAM HI. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 47
to the footman to make the cook get ready imme diately a dish of hot hasty-pudding, and send it up ; keeping the coachman in the room, under pretence of his assistance being necessary. The pudding ready, the doctor desired the coachman to give some to his master while hot, which the sick nobleman
declining to take, the doctor made the coachman be seated with
him to partake of it; neither for a time could taste it for the heat, but Radcliffe, after blowing and pretend ing to take a spoonful, very dexterously threw a hot one in the coachman's face, who, hot relishing the
salutation, immediately returned the compliment in that of the doctor's, —the sight of this curious engage
ment set the sick nobleman into a convulsion of laughter, which broke the quinsey, and brought the doctor to the assistance of his patient, to prevent suf focation.
Dr. Radcliffe's constiturion was strong, and he had a turn for conviviality ; but when he entertained Prince Eugene, he gave him plain beef and pudding, for which
"the prince returned him thanks, as having considered him "not as a courtier, but as a soldier. "
It is believed that he distributed large sums in private charity, to the non-juring clergy of England, and the deprived episcopal clergy of Scotiand ; and
48 MEMOIR^ OF [william hi.
he is known to have been very liberal to the society for promoring Chrisrian Knowledge ; and to his friend Dr. Walker, a Roman Catholic, to whom he gave a handsome competence, and a respectable funeral after his decease ; it has been suspected that he gave his purse, with his friendship, to Dr. Sacheverel.
He resided next door to Sir Godfrey Kneller, with whom, for a time, he lived on friendly terms, and who several rimes painted his portrait ; but some dispute arising, concerning a garden-door which separated
their houses, Sir Godfrey threatened to have it nailed
up, which coming to the knowledge of the doctor, he
faceriously said. Sir Godfrey was welcome to do what he pleased with provided he did not paint it.
Sir Godfrey's rejoinder was, he could take that or any thing else from the doctor, except physic
He was to have married lady with 15,000/.
fortune, who endeavoured to conceal
by favoured lover far from
after the discovery, he pleaded to her father for for giveness, and advised him to marry her to the man of her choice, that he might give his property legally to the young Hans-en-kelder.
Dr. Radcliffe died, November
buried at St. Mary's Church, Oxford, with solem-
her pregnancy resenting her conduct
1714, and was
a
1,
;
a
it, a
!
WILLIAM HI. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 49
nity commensurate to his munificence to that Univer sity. His death is supposed to have been accelerated by the vexation he experienced at not having attended
Queen Anne, during her last moments, as ordered by the privy-council. His property, (exclusive of the legacies mentioned above,) he bequeathed to the Uni
of Oxford, where his library is a sufficient monument to bis memory ; and to St. Bartholomew's
versity
Hospital, in London.
VOL. I.
II
50
Memoirs of [william m.
Thomas Rymer was born in Yorkshire, and had his education at the University of Cambridge, b'lit in what college is not kiioWn. On his settling in Lon don, he became a member of the society of Gray's Inn, and, in 1692, succeeded Mr. Shadwell, as his toriographer to King William IIL, a situation he was well qualified to fill, from his extensive reading, and
deep research into books and manuscripts connected
with English History. He was a man ofgreat learn
ing, and a lover of poetry ; but, when he set up for a
critic, he brought a swarm of disappointed authors
roiind him, that almost galled and stung him to death,
in revenge for his unmercifully scourging the offspring of their brains. His critical writings prove he had
very few requisites for the,character he had assumed, and he was indeed almost totally disqualified for
his want of candour. —The severities which he has exercised in his View of the Tragedies of the last
Age, against the inimitable Shakespeare,
to be forgiven, and must surely be considered as
are scarcely
a
it,
by
THOMAS ]iY:M:EIl.
WILLIAM Hi. ;j REMARKABLE PERSONS. 51
kind of sacrilege committed on the memory of our imniortal Bard. The publication brought on him a very severe satire, from the pen pf a brother author, apd equally severe criric, under the title of " A Description of the Miseries of a Garreteer Poet," in a print representing Mr. Rymer and his distressed family, in a miserable attic, with the following descrip
tion of the place and furniture, " in one corner of this ppeticgl apartment stood a flock-bed, and underneath it a green Jordan presented itself to the eye, which had collected the nocturnal urine of the whole family,, consisting of Mr. Rymer, his wife, ^nd two daugh ters ; three rotten chairs and half seemed to stand like traps in various parts of the room, threatening down fall to unwary strangers ; and one spHtary table, in the middle of this aerial apartment, served to hold the different treasures of the whole family ; there was now
lying upon the first act pf Comedy, pair ofyel low stays, two political pamphlets, plate of bread and butter, three dirty night-caps, and volume of miscellaneous poems. The lady of the house was
neck pf mutton in meagre soup, and their two daughters sat in the window mending their father's brown stpckings, with blue worsted such was the mansiop of Mr. Rymer, the poet and, to
H
drowning
2
;
;
a
a aa
it,
a
52
MEMOIRS OF
[william iii.
complete his misfortunes, instead of an expected reward for his works from a nobleman, he brought home as a present little Pompey : this so exasperated
his wife, that with savage hands she seized his works on the table, and was going to commit them to the flames, but her husband's voice interrupted her, crying out, see ! see ! see ! my dear, the pot boils over, and
the broth is all running into the fire ; this luckily put an end to their debate, they sat down to dinner with
out a table-cloth, envying one another everj' morsel that escaped their own mouths. "
That Mr. Rymer's talents for dramatic poetry were
inferior to those of the persons whose wrirings he has with so much rigour attacked, will be apparent to every one who will take the trouble of perusing one play, which he has given to the world,
entitled, Edgar, a tragedy, 4to. , 1678.
But although he did not rank high in fame or judg
ment as a poet and a criric, yet it cannot be denied but that he was a very excellent anriquary and histo rian. Some of his pieces, relating to our constitu
tion, are remarkably good ; and his well-known valu
extremely
able and most useful
work, entitled the Fcedera,
printed
everlasting monument of his worth, his indefatigable
in seventeen volumes,
folio, will stand an
WILLIAM HI. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS, 53 assiduity, and clearness of judgment as an historical
compiler.
1713, and was buried in the parish-church of St. Cle ment's Danes.
He died on the 14th day of December,
54 MEMOIRS OF
^fimnii»'Wmm>
[^^il^iaj? iit.
Tho. mas' Tryon was one among many instances " tolprpye; how niiuch personal industry, aided Jby pru-
deiice, may effecf; H[e was born at Bibury, ? « Glou cestershire, of pafrents in a very huttible Situation ; his
father was a plasterer and tile-malser, and, at five years of age, rendered jjiiis spn useful towatds iearninfg a part to. slippprt hittiself; by spinning and carding of wool, and assisridg hirn in his own trade bf a plasterer, which o'dcupatjp^i he quitted: to assume the office of a shepherd. At thirteen years of age he first began to learn tp read, and at fourteen, by the strictest fru gality, he . found himself master bf several sheep, one
of which he gave to be taught the art of wriring ; and, . shortly afterwards, spld his whole stock, of sheep for three pounds, and with that sum in his pocket
made the best of his way to London, in hopes of im proving his litrie fortune : he was not long in finding a situation, and became apprentice to a hat-maker, at Bridewell Dock: he paid the greatest attention in learning his business, to which he devoted the whole
THOMAS
TUYO:^,
WILLIAM III. J REMARKABLE PERSONS. 55
of the day, and amii'sed himself the greatest part of
the night in reading ; he Was peculiarly attached to books of astrplogy and the occult Sciences, and Lilly, Partridge, BPoker, and others of the same classy were his infallible orades. In ittlitaribh of R'oger Crabb, the Uxbridge hermiti, he rejected the use of animal food, and affected to consider the lives of the dumb creation as sacred. Having heated his imagination to the highest pitch, he boasted that by his "tctope- rahce, cleanliness, and innPcency," he Was purified for celestiarenjoyntietit, and had felt himself inspired with divine illuminations. He possessed, however, suffi cient prudence to take care of that which the gene rality of the woi^d call "the main chance. " He entered ahd pursued business With such attention and success, that he accumulated a considerable fortune. His amusements and fancies were innocent, and hurt none ; and, like some other humourists, 'naarked the progress of the spirit in a journal, in which he care fully recorded the mighty-working wonders of his pro lific brain, and at forty-eight commenced author upon other subjects, not less extraordinary than the pre ceding.
Tryon. was of a sensible, enthusiastic mind, acring enrirely from his own resolves ; not submitting to the
[william hi.
or advice of any one ; had society or friend ship directed him, or assisted his experience and appli
56 MEMOIRS OF
guidance
cation, he might have produced
remark, and we might have admired, and
something worthy been improved, instead of wondering and smiling at his
mode of burying birds, or laughing at his
singular
abomination of woollen cloth, and his permission fpr our wearing linen.
He died August 21, 1703, at the age of 69, when perhaps he had thoughts of remaining a series of ages in this worid, through: his tenderness to beasts, birds, fishes, insects, and reptiles.
^itJru^'^^^ies^of^ainesWkllny. tJte^olQnoti/^
WILLIAM HI. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 57
'^aimi6i Wifjitntst*
In general,, the. biographers of rogues and vaga bonds give their heroes a tijle to wit and ingenuity very, far beyond the abilities of the : scoundrels they record ; to this^t in a; great Sieasure,: isjPwing the dif ficulty of finding out, and appreciating as they merit, genuine aneedotesipf, -the characters delineated. If any man becomes distinguished by crime, a hun dred stories are immediately put in circulation, attrir
butirigmatter^ to his inven tioBj to which he was not pnly incompetent, but /-absQluptely a stranger to the very circumstaiifiesirelated.
One of this description appears to have been James
Whitney, who, in addition to his dWB depredations,
has the credit of many he never probably committed* He was born at SteVenage in Hertfordshire,, and,
Mfhen fit. ifor servitude, was apprenticed t<a a butcher, with whom he continued until the exJ»irarion bf his lime; but no sooner did he become his own master, than besgavewayjjto a very irregular course ofhfe.
Going with- another butcher to Romford/ in Essex, VOL. I. I
58
MEMOIRS OF
[william hi.
in order to buy calves, they met with one they had a particular fancy to ; but the owner demanded what they thought an extravagant price for so that they
bargain however, as the man kept public-house, our companions agreed to go
and drink with him. They were much vexed at not being able to purchase the calf, when Whitney sud denly proposed the stealing of to which the other consenting, they sat drinking till night.
In the evening, fellow came into the town with great she-bear, which he carried about for show, and put up at the house where the two butchers were drinking in an inner room; the landlord was
some time before he could contrive where to lodge
the bear, but at last he resolved to move the calf into
another out-house, and tie madam Bruin up in his
place, which was done accordingly, without the
could not strike
knowledge
oi Whitney and his friend, who conrinued
drinking till they were told was time to go to bed.
Upon this warning they paid their reckoning, and
went out, staying in the fields near the town till
they imagined the time favored their design. The
night
was very dark, and they came to the stall
without making any noise or disturbance;
was to go and fetch out the calf, while the other
Whitney
in
it
;
a
a
a
a
it,
a
in
it,
WILLIAM III. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 59
watched without; when he entered he felt about, rill he got hold of the bear, which lying after the sluggish manner peculiar to those creatures, he began to tickle it to make it rise ; at last, being awaked, the beast being muzzled, rose up on her hind-legs, not know ing but it was her master going to show her.
Whitney srill continued feeling about, wondering at the length of the calf's hair, and that he should stand in such a posture, till the bear caught hold of him and hugged him fast between her fore-feet.
In this posture he remained, unable to move, and afraid to cry out, till tbe other butcher, wondering at his long stay, put his head in at the door, and said with a low voice, What the plague will you
Inight — I quoth be all the stealing a calf! A calf!
believe it is the devil that
to steal, for he hugs me as closely as he does the witch in the statue. Let it be the devil, says t'other, brihg him out, however, thIat we may see what he is
Whitney,
am going
like, which is something
know. Whitney was too much surprised to be pleased with the jesting of his companion, so that he replied, with soIme choler, ComeI, and fetch him
bed d
yourself , for may if half
like him. Hereupon t'other entered, and, after a little examina-
12
glad should be very to
60 MEMOIRS OF
[wlLLiAM HI.
tion, found how they were bit* By his assistance Whitney got loose, and they both swore they would never attempt to steal calves any more.
Whitney, after this, took the George Inn, at Ches- hunt, in Hertfordshire, where, for a time, he enter tained all sorts' of bad company ; but, this speculation not answering, in a little time he was compelled to shut up his house, and retreat to London, where he began to practice every sort of fraud and villany. —
It was some time before he took to the highway, following only the common tricks practised by the sharpers of the town, in which he was the more successful, as he always went dressed like a gentle
man.
One morning, as Whitney stood on Ludgate-hill,
at a mercer's door, waiting for a friend whom he expected to come by, two ladies of the town came along ; these • ladies took our gentleman for the master of the shop, and supposing him to biecome an easy
dupe, asked him if he had any fine silks bf the newest fashion ; Whitney teadWyr&pWedi that he had none by him at present he could recommend, but in a day or two's time he should have choicei several weavers being to bring him in pieces, made from the
last fashions brought up, and beggeld to know whire
WILLIAM III. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS. 61
he might have the honor to wait on them with sam* jp/«*,—-to which one of the ladies replied. That being n4wly come to town, they did not remember the, name of the street ; but it was not far off, and if he pleased to go with them, they would show him their habitar tion. Whitney politely consented, and, to make the affair appear with a better face, he :stepperi into the
shop, as if he went to give orders to the shopman, to
whom he only put a few trifling questions, and came out again unsuspected. Having accpmpanied the
ladies home, he very civilly offered to take his leave of them. — iVhy, Sir, says one of thetn, but you shall walk in and take a glass of wine wiihus,:sinee-^ou have been so good as to give yourself all this trouble. Whitney thanked them, and, with abundance of com»-
plaisance, accepted the invitation. . :. •,,
Hitherto -both ! parties v/eve dec&WQd;
Whitney took them for gendewomen of fortnne, and
really
came' home with them only to learn something that migbt^ forward him to make a prejl of them;, and they as Confideiltly believed him to be the mercer, who «wned the shop at which they picked him up. Th^ir designs were to get his money out of his i ppcket, andi "if they could, a suit or two of silk into i\\e bargain. What confirmed them in this opinion was,
iB2 MEMOIRS OF
[william hi.
the notice he took of several gentiemen as he passed along the street, by pulling off his hat to them, and
their returning the compliment. Whitney did it for this very purpose, and it is natural and common for men of fashion to return the salutation of those who notice them.
The ladies introduced the supposed mercer into an apartment splendidly furnished, where a table was instantly spread with a fine cold collation. This be ing over, the servant and one of the ladies withdrew, leaving the other alone with our adventurer, who soon discovered the drift of her ladyship ; but, willing to keep on the mask, after many amorous professions, promised her as much silk as would make her a com plete dress.
Whitney was so well pleased with his adventure and reception at this place, that he was resolved, if possible, to have a little more of the same enjoy ment, and to that end went to a mercer, and told him, that such a lady had sent him to desire that he
¦would send one of his men with two or three pieces of the richest silk he had, for her to choose a gown and petticoat. The person knowing the person of
quality he named, she having been his customer
before, and witlicut
mistrusting any thing, sent a
WILLIAM ill. ] REMARKABLE PERSONS.
63
youth, who was but newly come apprentice, telhng him the prices, in Whitney's hearing. Our adven
turer led the lad through as many bye-streets as he could, in order to carry him out of his knowledge, till
a house in Suffolk-street, which had a
into Hedge-lane, he desired the young man to stay at the door, while he carried in the silks to shew them to the lady, who lodged there ; the youth very readily agreed, and Whitney went into the house, and asked the people for somebody whom they did not know ; and, upon their telling him no such person lived in that neighbourhood, he desired leave to go through, which was granted, and he got clear off with his prize, which he immediately, carried to
his two ladies, and divided between them. After which he revelled with them in all manner of excess for several days, and then withdrew himself.
He was resolved, however, that nobody but him self should enjoy the fruit of his industry, and since he could not have the profit of his cheat, he thought proper to restore the mercer his goods again.