Aged twenty-six, admitted 20th December 1821. This unfortunate
Israelite had been a travelling Jew pedlar, and, in times less
enlightened, would seem to be really possessed by a dæmon of discord.
Grumbling and discontent seemed to be the prevailing symptoms of his
disorder; and his whole time, from morning till night, was occupied in
growling and finding fault with everything about him, and endeavouring
to render his fellow-patients as unhappy as himself. He totally denied
all derangement, termed his confinement here “false imprisonment,”
and demanded to be brought to his trial. The food, the drink, the
treatment, were all unwholesome and bad. He was extremely noisy and
violent by day and night, tore his clothes to pieces at times, and
frequently required restraint. He was brought here from Drury-lane,
where he lived, very much deranged. He then had lately come from
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where he had been dealing rather too largely in
the profits of his calling. He was there taken before a magistrate
for selling a most capital watch to an honest Scotsman for fifty
shillings, which cost himself but twenty-three shillings: but the
bargain was rescinded by the magistrate, and Josephs was forced to
return the purchase money. His vexation at being thus foiled was the
leading cause of his derangement.
He sometimes amused himself in epistolary correspondence with his
friends, and was extremely anxious to be replaced here by some
substitute.
The following is a specimen, addressed to his mother:
“DEAR, UNGRATEFUL MOTHER:
“I have been here ten days; long enough, I think; almost starved,
and my boots without any soles. I think it very hard to be kept here
so long, especially as my brothers have not been kept here too. Why
don’t you send my brother Charles here, and take me home? He has as
much right to be here as I have. Besides, you might find a substitute
for a trifle of money. There are plenty of soldiers and sailors who
have been discharged, and who would come here in my place for a
trifle: and I would pay you again.
“I am, dear ungrateful mother,
“Your unhappy son, &c. &c.”
He was sometimes tolerably tranquil, but never without grumbling.
When a little high, his habit was to continue all night complaining of
his unjust confinement and hard treatment. But this he chaunted in a
sort of poetic manner, of which the following couplets may serve as a
specimen:
“Confined here:
Oh, dear!
What a shame!
Who’s to blame?
---- my eyes,
What blow’d lies.
Brought me here?
Never fear!
Where’s my mother?
And my brother?
Come in here,
Conscience clear;
Newcastle-on-Tyne,
That’s the time:
“Sold a watch,
Nabb’d a catch.
Stopp’d my gig,
What a rigg!
License now,
What a row!
All’s well:
Go to hell!
Who’s there?
Bring some beer!
Half starved,
Nothing carved!”
This “sweet singer of Israel” obtained a month’s leave of absence on
the 18th of July, and was finally discharged, cured, on the 1st of
August 1822: he is now at liberty to follow his professional calling.