Mary Tofts, the Rabbit Breeder, of Godalming--Progress and Detection of her Impostures--Poisoning of St. Andre--The Bottle Conjuror--Advertisements on this Occasion--Riot produced by the Fraud--Squibs and Epigrams to which it gave rise--Case of Elizabeth Canning--Violent Controversy which arose out of it--She is found guilty of Perjury and transported--The Cock Lane Ghost--Public Excitement occasioned by it--Detection of the Fraud--Motive for the Imposture--The Stockwell Ghost--The Sampford Ghost--Mystery in which the Affair was involved--Astonishing Instance of Credulity in Perigo and his Wife--Diabolical Conduct of Mary Bateman--She is hanged for Murder--Metamorphosis of the Chevalier d’Eon--Multifarious Disguises of Price, the Forger--Miss Robertson--The fortunate Youth--The Princess Olive--Caraboo--Pretended Fasting--Margaret Senfrit--Catherine Binder--The Girl of Unna--The Osnaburg Girl--Anne Moore. Towards the close of the year 1726, one of the most extraordinary and impudent impostures on record was carried into execution by a woman named Mary Tofts, the wife of a poor journeyman clothworker at Godalming, in Surrey. She is described as having been of “a healthy strong constitution, small size, fair complexion, a very stupid and sullen temper, and unable to write or read.” Stupid as she was supposed to be, she had, however, art enough to keep up for a considerable time the credit of her fraud. She pretended to bring forth rabbits; and she accounted for this monstrous deviation from the laws of nature, by saying, that “as she was weeding in a field, she saw a rabbit spring up near her, after which she ran, with another woman that was at work just by her; this set her a longing for rabbits, being then, as she thought, five weeks enceinte; the other woman perceiving she was uneasy, charged her with longing for the rabbit they could not catch, but she denied it. Soon after, another rabbit sprung up near the same place, which she endeavoured likewise to catch. The same night she dreamt that she was in a field with those two rabbits in her lap, and awaked with a sick fit, which lasted till morning; from that time, for above three months, she had a constant and strong desire to eat rabbits, but being very poor and indigent could not procure any.” At first sight, it would seem that so gross an imposition, as that which was attempted by Mary Tofts, must have been unanimously scouted. But this was by no means the case. So well did she manage, and so ready are some people to be deceived, that she actually deluded her medical attendant, Mr. Howard, a man of probity, who had practised for thirty years. There can be no doubt of his belief that, in the course of about a month, he had aided her to bring forth nearly twenty rabbits.