Ten Thousand Wonderful Things: Comprising whatever is marvellous and rare, curious, eccentric and extraordinary in all ages and nations
History
Ten Thousand Wonderful Things: Comprising whatever is marvellous and rare, curious, eccentric and extraordinary in all ages and nations
Curiosities and wonders; Encyclopedias and dictionaries; Folklore
"The mouth greate and wyde betokeneth wrath, boldnes and warre.
And such men are commonly glottons. A wyde mouth withoute meesure,
as thought it were cutte and stretched out, sygnifieth ravening
inhumanitie, wickednes, a warlyke hart and cruell, like unto beastes
of the sea. Such men are greate talkers, boasters, babblers, enuious,
lyars, and full of follye. The mouthe that hathe but a lyttle closynge
and a lyttle openynge, sygnyfyeth a fearful man, quyet, and yet
unfaithfull. The mouthe that is verye apparent and rounde with thycknes
of lyppes, sygnyfyeth vnclenlynes, follye, and cruelltye. The mouth
whyche hath a quantitie in his sytuation with a lyttle shutting, and
smylynge eyes wyth the reste of the face, sygnyfyeth a carnall man,
a lover of daunces, and a greate lyar. When the mouthe turneth in
speakinge it is a sygne that it is infected with some catarre or murre
as is manyfest ynough. The long chynne declareth the man to be very
lyttle subiecte to anger, and of a good complexion: and yet he is
somewhat a babbler and a boaster of hymselfe. They that have a lyttle
chinne, are much to be avoyded and taken heede of, for besydes all
vices with the whyche they are fylled they are full of impietye and
wyckednes and are spyes, lyke unto serpents. If the ende of the chynne
be round it is a sygne of feminine maners and also it is a sygne of a
woman. But the chynne of a man muste be almoste square."--"_The most
excellent, profitable, and pleasant booke of the famous doctour and
expert Astrologien Arcandam or Aleandrin._" * * *. _Now ready turned out
of French into our vulgare tonge, by Will. Warde. Black letter. No
date._ Printed by J. Rowbothum.
EXECUTION OF EARL FERRERS FOR MURDER, 1760.
Lord Ferrers was hung for the deliberate and cruel murder of his
steward, Mr. Johnson, and his execution at Tyburn furnishes a curious
instance of the exhibition of egregious vanity in a man who was just
about to meet an ignominious death, and of misplaced pride in his
family who could actually decorate the scaffold with the emblems of
respectful mourning.
His lordship was dressed in his wedding-clothes, which were of light
colour, and embroidered in silver. He set out from the Tower at nine
o'clock, amidst crowds of spectators. First went a large body of
constables, preceded by one of the high constables; next came a party
of grenadiers and a party of foot; then the sheriff, in a chariot
and six, the horses dressed with ribbons; and next, Lord Ferrers, in
a landau and six, escorted by parties of horse and foot. The other
sheriff's carriage followed, succeeded by a mourning-coach and six,
conveying some of the malefactor's friends; and lastly, a hearse and
six, provided for the purpose of taking the corpse from the place of
execution to Surgeons' Hall.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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