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Kirby, R. S. [Editor]; Kirby, R. S. [Oth.]
Kirby's Wonderful And Eccentric Museum; Or, Magazine Of Remarkable Characters: Including All The Curiosities Of Nature And Art, From The Remotest Period To The Present Time, Drawn from every authentic Source. Illustrated With One Hundred And Twenty-Four Engravings. Chiefly Taken from Rare And Curious Prints Or Original Drawings. Six Volumes (Vol. V.) — London: R.S. Kirby, 1820

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https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70266#0058

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44 kirby’s wonderful museum.
his entire approbation, bestowed her hand on Sir Christo-
pher Hilliard, a Yorkshire Baronet.
Mr. Welby had attained the age of forty, respected by
the rich, venerated by the poor, honoured and beloved by
all; when, one day, a younger brother, with whom he had
some difference of opinion, meeting him in the field, snap-
ped a pistol at him, which, fortunately, flashed in the pan.
Thinking this was done only to frighten him, he coolly dis-
armed the ruffian, put the weapon carelessly into his poc-
ket, and thoughtfully returned home. On examination, he
discovered that the pistol was charged with more than one
bullet; and this circumstance had such an effect on his
mind, that he instantly conceived the extraordinary resolu-
tion of retiring entirely from the world, in which he persist-
ed inflexibly till the end of his life.
Accordingly, in the year 1592, he removed to London, and
took a neat house in the lower end of Grub-street, near
Cripplegate. This house he prepared for the purpose, and
contracting a numerous retinue into a small family, he se-
lected three chambers for himself; one for eating, the se-
cond for a bed chamber, and the third for his study. As
they were one within another, while his repast was set on
the table, by an old maid, he retired into his bed chamber,
and when his bed was making, into his study, till all was
clear. Out of these chambers he never issued, from the
time of his first entering them, till he was carried out, for-
ty-four years afterwards, to his grave. Nor in all that time
did his son-in-law, daughter, or grand-child, brother, sis-
ter, or kinsman, or any other person, young or old, rich or
poor, ever see. his face, excepting the ancient maid, whose
name was Elizabeth. She only made his fire and his
bed, provided his diet, and cleaned his chambers. She
saw him but seldom, never but in cases of extraordinary ne-
cessity, and died only six days before him.
During the whole time of his retirement, he never tasted
 
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