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Kay's Originals Vol. 2

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 399 who was a shrewd, strong-headed man, liked nothing better than to engage Brown in a discussion ; and the nonsense the latter used to utter was vastly amusing. Here the Doctor was in his element. Xumerous were the encounters he had had with the enemy of mankind and his emissaries ; and repeatedly had he defeated them; nay, he had killed the devil and slaughtered numbers of the imps of darknesshence his soubriquet of “ The Devil Killer.”’ Brown died about the year 1822 ; and we cannot close this sketch of his life more appropriately than by quoting the epitaph or elegy which he composed upon himself- One favourite subject was the power of his Satanic Majeaty. ‘‘ The discoverer of the Perpetual Motion, This cold grave is all his portion. The stars will show you at a glance, The perpetual motion is Omnipotence. Before I was, I did not exist, I now exist no more- Nature has to me been just-I’m what I was before.” No. CCCVI. MISS EURNS, . A CELEBRATED BEAUTY OF LAST CENTURY. MISS BURNSo, r MATHEWS( for she assumed both names), represented herself as a native of the city of Durham, in England, where her father had been at one time a wealthy merchant ; but latterly becoming unfortunate, and having con- 1 About this same time, the Parisians were much amused with a character somewhat resembling Dr. Brown, although still more extravagant in his fancies. M. Berbiguier de Terreneuve du Thym -for that was the Frenchman’s name-published a work in three octavo volumes, with plates, entitled “The :Hobgoblins ; or all the Demons are not in the Other World.” M. Berhiguier’s frenzy wa9 entirely of a religious cast ; and he believed himself commissioned to destroy all the demons, which, according to his faith, still lurk unseen in the nether world. His weapons of warfare were brushes, pins, sponges, and snuff. With these he attacked the unembodied enemies of mankind ; and, according to his own account, he allowed no day to pass without imprisoning in a bottle at least thirty hobgoblins. Thus benefiting mankind, M. Berbiguier held on his course with much self-esteem and satifaction, until his work attracted the notice of the Editor of the I‘ Biographie de8 Contemporaires,” who designated it as the “work of a madman,”and severely castigated the publisher for lending his aid to the birth of such a production. This led the much-offended catcher of hobgoblins into the Tribunal of Correctional Police, with an action for damages against the Editor of the ‘ I Biographie,” where he pleaded his own cause in a manner so ridiculous as to set the gravity of the bench and the audience at defiance. With hie pins, sponges, b~shesa,n d bottles, he was clamorous for an opportunity of showing his power. “Mr. President,” said he, “you see this instrument ; if there be in this assembly a single damned soul, in two minutes you shall see it in thh bottle ?” At length M. Berbiguier was ordered to be silent ; and the Court decided that there was no ground for a charge of libel. Much enraged, the hobgoblin champion threatened to appeal from this decision to the Cow Royale, where he was 8ure there were “ no Satanists amongst ita memben.” He even proposed catching the President himself!
Volume 9 Page 534
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