APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 



289 



ways feared. But reason is restor- 

 ed, and his wife joyfully receives 

 him ; but the paroxysm again re- 

 turns : does she look out for same 

 wretched apothecary to get him, 

 without inquiry, to sign it? No : 

 but who is selected i His own 

 brother, — the last man who could 

 have pleasure in signing such a 

 certificate, when madnessisdreaded 

 in everj' family. On one particular 

 topic he did not think rationally. 

 Mr. Keene says, " he pressed the 

 subject till I checked him. If he 

 had not, we should have had the 

 whole story; but he was examining 

 as a friend, not as a physician." 

 Once grant the fact, that he had 

 reason for supposing that he had 

 suffered the greatest misfortune 

 next to madness, the infidelity of 

 his wife, and all he says is rational; 

 but the test of madness is, the rea- 

 soning well from false premises ; 

 it is having the delusion that con- 

 stitutes the difference between 

 madness and sanity. Mr. Keene 

 has told youjthatas tomoral fitness, 

 " I know nothing to induce me to 

 hesitate in sending my daughter 

 to the school of Mrs. Chawner.'' 

 Is there any reason to believe her 

 to be an adulteress? If not, what 

 greater degree of delusion, than to 

 believe that his pure and chaste 

 wife is an impure — that she is 

 unworthy of his embraces. But 

 does he act like a rational being? 

 He acts like one under a delusion. 

 —He threatens her life. What 

 issue have you to try? not whether 

 plaintiA' was sane or not at the 

 time, but whether Mr. Warbur- 

 ton took him, km)wing him to be 

 Bane. 



Lord Ellenborough.— There ia 

 an issue certainly on the fact. 



The Attorney-General.— I will 



Vol. LV. 



make it evident that he was in- 

 controvertibly mad, and that he is 

 not sane at present. But what is 

 the evidence, now every thing is 

 prepared with a view to this day? 

 He knows why they are coming to 

 question him. Dr. Yellowiey says, 

 " you must not be irritable, you 

 must not take umbrage, for I am 

 come here to discover whether you 

 are mad or not." This puts him 

 on his guard : bear with me a fev 

 moments while I put those ques- 

 tions to you. The madman says, 

 oh 1 that is what you are at, I 

 will answer yoM. When he said 

 he did not understand why a gen- 

 tleman should be cross-examined, 

 he was desired to be quiet, and 

 told, that it was the test whether 

 he was to be sent back to Mr. 

 Warburton's or not— talk sanely 

 and we shall be able to give you a 

 certificate. I shall fatigue you 

 were I to tell you one-twentieth 

 of the instances that have occurred 

 to me of lunatics who have im- 

 posed upon intelligent persons, but 

 I cannot refrain from relating one. 

 At a time when this country was 

 in a dreadful state of convulsion, a 

 person of the name of Hardy, who 

 had been confined in a mad-house, 

 made his escape, and was received 

 by an attorney of this court, who 

 has since been prosecuted for high 

 treason. The lunatic believed he 

 was the northern star, and that he 

 had a commission to destroy all 

 crowned heads. His family were 

 dreadfully alarmed at his escape, 

 and particularly at his getting into 

 such hands. They came to me. 

 I advised an apphcation to the 

 court, and that the lunatic should 

 attend. When I was asked to 

 move, I said there was a gentle- 

 man present who had a mission of 

 U 



