Volume 1

Portraits and lives of remarkable and eccentric characters.

Date:
[1819?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Portraits and lives of remarkable and eccentric characters. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    132/348 (page 76)
    ry.-y Within these apartments he kept himself so closely retired, that ^ov forty-Jour years he was never seen by any person except Deborah, his old maid-servant, who had only been permitted by accident to see him in some cases of urgent necessity. The prying eye of curiosity never violated his retired and singular way of life. Secluded from all intercourse Avith the world, he lived in quiet meditation, and in the most abste¬ mious manner. Milk, vegetables, and water- gruel, or an egg or two at most, were his con¬ stant fare, yet his table was replenished with every thing in season, though he seldom partook of it himself. He was very curious in knowing how the world went, and as there were neither Newspapers nor Magazines then, he bought up as many new books as he could get intelligence of; most of these, after perusal, he gave to his old servant to sell, and constantly applied the pro¬ duce to the poor. For many years together not a single inquiry was made after him, but by a certain person, supposed to have been a relative, a few years before his death. But these inquiries were seldom more frequent than twice a year. His time was regularly spent hi reading, me¬ ditation, and prayer. No Carthusian monk was