The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All AgesBarnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor)
General
The Humbugs of the World: An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages
Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor)
Impostors and imposture
Twice every week, he comes into the city in a strange vehicle, drawn by
two fine Lombardy ponies, and unharnesses them in the very centre of the
square. His assistant, a capital vocalist, begins to sing immediately,
and a crowd soon collects around the wagon. Then Monsignore takes from
the box beneath his seat a splendidly jointed human skeleton, which he
suspends from a tall rod and hook, and also a number of human skulls.
The latter are carefully arranged on an adjustable shelf, and Creso
takes his place behind them, while in his rear a perfect chemist's shop
of flasks, bottles, and pillboxes is disclosed. Very soon his singer
ceases, and in the purest Tuscan dialect--the very utterance of which is
music--the Florentine quack-doctor proceeds to address the assemblage.
Not being conversant with the Italian, I am only able to give the
substance of his harangue, and pronounce indifferently upon the merit of
his elocution. I am assured, however, that not only the common people,
who are his chief patrons, but numbers of the most intelligent citizens,
are always entertained by what he has to say; and certainly his gestures
and style of expressions seem to betray great excellence of oratory.
Having turned the skeleton round and round on its pivot, and minutely
explained the various anatomical parts, in order to show his proficiency
in the basis of medical science, he next lifts the skulls, one by one,
and descants upon their relative perfection, throwing in a shrewd
anecdote now and then, as to the life of the original owner of each
cranium.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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