A woman who lived in great apparent poverty died in March 1718 within
the parish of St. Dunstan in the East. Those who prepared her for
burial are said to have found 8000_l._ concealed in her bed.
The malicious Miser deserves a niche in this temple of worthies.
Such was Mr. Elderton, a farmer of Bow, who went by the name of the
old Farmer of Newgate; where he was confined, and even died, because
he had determined not to pay the assessments in common with his
neighbours[406:A].
Another worthy was Mr. Dyche, whose singularity is thus mentioned in
the Whitehall Evening-Post for August 1619: "Yesterday died Mr. Dyche,
late School-master to the Charity Children of St. Andrew Holborn. He
was a strict Nonjuror, and formerly _amanuensis_ to the famous Sir
Roger L'Estrange. It is said he wore a piece of the halter in which
parson Paul was executed (in the rebellion of 1715, for carrying arms
against the King) in his bosom; and some time before his death had made
a solemn vow _not to shift his linen_ till the Pretender was seated on
the Throne of these Realms."
In the month of March 1720 an unknown lady died at her lodgings
in James-street, Covent-garden. She is represented to have been a
middle-sized person, with dark-brown hair and very beautiful features,
and mistress of every accomplishment peculiar to ladies of the first
fashion and respectability. Her age appeared to be between thirty and
forty. Her circumstances were affluent, and she possessed the richest
trinkets of her sex generally set with diamonds. A John Ward, Esq. of
Hackney, published many particulars relating to her in the papers; and,
amongst others, that a servant had been directed by her to deliver him
a letter after her death; but as no servant appeared, he felt himself
required to notice those circumstances, in order to acquaint her
relations of her decease, which occurred suddenly after a masquerade,
where she declared she had conversed with the King, and it was
remembered that she had been seen in the private apartments of Queen
Anne; though after the Queen's demise she had lived in obscurity. This
unknown arrived in London from Mansfield in 1714, drawn by six horses.
She frequently said that her father was a nobleman, but that her elder
brother dying unmarried the title was extinct; adding that she had an
uncle then living, whose title was his least recommendation.
It was conjectured that she might be the daughter of a Roman Catholick
who had consigned her to a Convent, whence a brother had released
her, and supported her in privacy. She was buried at St. Paul's,
Covent-garden.
When some decay in the draw-bridge on London-bridge had rendered it
necessary to prevent the passage of persons and vehicles, in order to
its repair in April 1722; the silence and desolate appearance of a
place so much frequented at all other times attracted the attention of
some wealthy tradesmen, who entered into the whimsical resolution to
have a table set in the midst of the street, where they sat drinking
for an afternoon, that they might be enabled to say at a future period,
"however crowded the bridge is at present, I have drank punch on it for
great part of a day."
An extraordinary method was adopted by a Brewer's servant in February
1723 to prevent his liability for the payment of the debts of a Mrs.
Brittain whom he intended to marry. The lady made her appearance at
the door of St. Clement Danes habited in her shift; hence her enamorato
conveyed the modest fair to a neighbouring Apothecary's, where she was
completely equipped with clothing purchased by him; and in these Mrs.
Brittain changed her name at the church.
Eccentricity is generally a source of ridicule, but rarely one of
profit. An instance of the latter is recorded in the London Journal:
a Mr. Morrisco, an eminent Weaver, and a man of vast possessions,
resident in Spital-fields, had a bill drawn on him from abroad of
80,000_l._ which was held by an Ambassador at our Court, and sent for
acceptance. When the old gentleman made his appearance, the messenger
was appalled at his figure, which exhibited penury personified; he
therefore hurried back to the Ambassador, full of doubts and fears
whether it could be possible such a man should be capable of raising
even 800_l._ The representative of Sovereignty, terrified at the
idea of his probable loss, resolved to satisfy himself by personal
inspection; which he had no sooner done than Morrisco divined his
thoughts, and to ease them, and turn his doubts to present profit, he
offered to pay the bill immediately for a valuable consideration; the
offer was gladly accepted, and Morrisco fairly pocketed 4000_l._ the
_produce of his shabby habiliments_.
The name of Don Saltero, the odd collector and exhibitor of natural and
artificial curiosities at Chelsea, made its first appearance in the
newspapers June 22, 1723, whence the following whimsical account of
himself and his rarities are extracted:
Sir, Fifty years since to Chelsea great
From Rodnam on the Irish main
I stroll'd, with maggots in my pate,
Where much improv'd they still remain.
Through various employs I've past:
A scraper, vertuos', projector,
Tooth-drawer, trimmer, and at last
I'm now a gimcrack whim collector.
Monsters of all sorts here are seen,
Strange things in nature as they grew so;
Some relicks of the Sheba Queen,
And fragments of the fam'd Bob Cruso.
Knick-knacks too dangle round the wall,
Some in glass cases, some on shelf;
But what's the rarest sight of all,
Your humble servant shows himself.
On this my chiefest hope depends.
Now, if you will the cause espouse,
In Journals pray direct your friends
To my Museum Coffee-house;
And in requital for the timely favour,
I'll _gratis_ bleed, draw teeth, and be your shaver;
Nay, that your pate may with my noddle tally, }
And you shine bright as I do--marry, shall ye }
Freely consult my revelation Molly; }
Nor shall one jealous thought create a huff,
For she has taught me manners long enough.