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
If Nature played the niggard in one respect with him she amply repaid
the deficiency by endowments that those blessed with perfect limbs
could seldom achieve. He greatly distinguished himself by beautiful
writing, drawing coats of arms, sketches of portraits, history,
landscapes, &c., most of which were executed in Indian ink, with a pen,
emulating in perfection the finest and most finished engraving. He was
well skilled in most games of chance, nor could the most experienced
gamester or juggler obtain the least advantage at any tricks, or game,
with cards or dice.
He used to perform before company, to whom he was exhibited, various
tricks with cups and balls, corn, and living birds; and could play
at skittles and ninepins with great dexterity; shave himself with
perfect ease, and do many other things equally surprising in a person
so deficient, and mutilated by Nature. His writings and sketches of
figures, landscapes, &c., were by no means uncommon, though curious;
it being customary, with most persons who went to see him, to purchase
something or other of his performance; and as he was always employed
in writing or drawing, he carried on a very successful trade, which,
together with the money he obtained by exhibiting himself, enabled
him to support himself and family in a very genteel manner. The late
Mr. Herbert, of Cheshunt, in Hertfordshire, editor of "Ames's History
of Printing," had many curious specimens of Buckinger's writing
and drawing, the most extraordinary of which was his own portrait,
exquisitely done on vellum, in which he most ingeniously contrived to
insert, in the flowing curls of the wig, the 27th, 121st, 128th, 140th,
149th, and the 150th Psalms, together with the Lord's Prayer, most
beautifully and fairly written. Mr. Isaac Herbert, son of the former,
while carrying on the business of a bookseller in Pall-Mall, caused
this portrait to be engraved, for which he paid Mr. Harding fifty
guineas.
Buckinger was married four times, and had eleven children, viz., one
by his first wife, three by his second, six by his third, and one by
his last. One of his wives was in the habit of treating him extremely
ill, frequently beating and other ways insulting him, which, for a
long time, he very patiently put up with; but once his anger was so
much aroused, that he sprung upon her like a fury, got her down, and
buffeted her with his stumps within an inch of her life; nor would he
suffer her to arise until she promised amendment in future, which it
seems she prudently adopted, through fear of another thrashing. Mr.
Buckinger was but twenty-nine inches in height, and died in 1722.
WONDERFUL PROVISION OF NATURE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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