DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70267#0225
CELEBRATED MR. MARTIN VAN BUTCHELL. 195
remarkable, and points out his astonishing propensity to
everything in direct opposition to other persons; that is,
he gives them the choice of the two extremes, of black and
white in clothes; and after they have made it, will not
suffer them to wear any thing else. His first wife chose
black; his present wife, white, which she always appears
in. He also, it is said, makes it an invariable rule to dine by
himself, and for his wife and children also to dine by them-
selves.—It is added also to be his common custom to call
his children by no other method than whistling.
Respecting the management of Mr. Van Butchell’s latter
wife, an anecdote singularly characteristic of the man is in
circulation. This gentlewoman, it is said, when he kept
an housekeeper after the death of his first wife, was origi-
nally a servant under her ; and finding the temper of her
superior extremely unpleasant and difficult to please, at?
length took an opportunity of informing her master of the
circumstance, and also of hinting her intention to quit his
service. To remedy this, Mr. Van Butchell, it appears,
replied in a few words ; saying, that if she thought proper
only to take a walk with him, he would effectually put an
end to all occasion of complaint. This the young woman
promised, and accordingly, instead of a simple walk
merely for recreation or converse, her master, who had pre-
viously paid a visit to Doctors’ Commons, led her to tire
altar, and made her his lawful wife. The cream of this
business, however, was still to come. Upon their return
home, the lady of the house, who had not the least con-
ception of what had happened, began, as it is phrased,
upon the young woman like a fury, for going out with-
out leave, and leaving her mistress to get the breakfast
ready. The young woman, no doubt, instructed how to
act, soon allayed the thunder-storm, by another clap, which
at once both silenced and astonished her antagonist; in
telling her to walk out of the parlour, as she was then no
longer
1
remarkable, and points out his astonishing propensity to
everything in direct opposition to other persons; that is,
he gives them the choice of the two extremes, of black and
white in clothes; and after they have made it, will not
suffer them to wear any thing else. His first wife chose
black; his present wife, white, which she always appears
in. He also, it is said, makes it an invariable rule to dine by
himself, and for his wife and children also to dine by them-
selves.—It is added also to be his common custom to call
his children by no other method than whistling.
Respecting the management of Mr. Van Butchell’s latter
wife, an anecdote singularly characteristic of the man is in
circulation. This gentlewoman, it is said, when he kept
an housekeeper after the death of his first wife, was origi-
nally a servant under her ; and finding the temper of her
superior extremely unpleasant and difficult to please, at?
length took an opportunity of informing her master of the
circumstance, and also of hinting her intention to quit his
service. To remedy this, Mr. Van Butchell, it appears,
replied in a few words ; saying, that if she thought proper
only to take a walk with him, he would effectually put an
end to all occasion of complaint. This the young woman
promised, and accordingly, instead of a simple walk
merely for recreation or converse, her master, who had pre-
viously paid a visit to Doctors’ Commons, led her to tire
altar, and made her his lawful wife. The cream of this
business, however, was still to come. Upon their return
home, the lady of the house, who had not the least con-
ception of what had happened, began, as it is phrased,
upon the young woman like a fury, for going out with-
out leave, and leaving her mistress to get the breakfast
ready. The young woman, no doubt, instructed how to
act, soon allayed the thunder-storm, by another clap, which
at once both silenced and astonished her antagonist; in
telling her to walk out of the parlour, as she was then no
longer
1