756 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



follow, takes what the preceding 

 drop into his hand, and puts it into 

 his pocket without looking at it. 



This man, in any other situation, 

 would certainly have been an ex- 

 cellent speaker. The countenances 

 of his consultcrs form the most di- 

 verting part of the scene. The 

 utmost devotion, pcrte6l resigna- 

 tion, and firm belief, arc deeply 

 impressed in e^ery feature. As the 

 man always expresses himself parti- 

 cularly relative to the past with 

 such artful duplicity, he cannot 

 fail, with the help of his ingenious 

 powers of fancy, to hit the truth 

 with regard to several of his hearers. 

 I have often remarked, with what 

 amazement people stared at him, 

 and how many a lady turned away 

 ■with tears in her eyes. Thus the 

 same Parisians, who but a few 

 years ago carried about the goddess 

 of Reason, though only on their 

 shoulders, believe in divination, and 

 surround by hundreds the first pre- 

 tended prophet they meet. 



A Frenchman possesses an inex- 

 haustible fund of polite and agree- 

 able turns, which, though every 

 one knows they are unmeaning, yet 

 draw an approving smile from all 

 his hearers. There, stands a fellow 

 twisting a puppet's coat on his fore- 

 finger, and sometimes letting a littlQ 

 devil peep out, waving his hand 

 briskly towards heaven, and ex- 

 claiming, " there it flics." This flat 

 and stale joke he seasons very ad- 

 mirably with a ready account of 

 every tiling the little imp will see in 

 his flight Ovver Paris ; now he sees 

 the gun-boats on the Seine, of w'lich 

 he adds a pompous description; 

 now a young lady just rising from 

 bed, ^^hom he describes with evet-y 

 possible facsination. Ample as is 

 thtt matter with which he is fur- 



nished by his flying devil (diabl« 

 volant), copied from the devil upon 

 two-sticks (diable boiteux), still he 

 knows how to change his amuse- 

 ments in a clever manner. 



He suddenly calls a boy out of 

 the crowd, who may be about ten 

 years of age, putting his hand on 

 his head, he asks him very solemn- 

 ly, "Are you married, my lad?" 

 The younster stares at him and says, 

 " No." — " Swear then," continues 

 the jester with a grufl" voice, "swear 

 that you are not married." — The 

 boy is obliged to hold up his hand 

 and swear. " Now I'll make thy 

 fortune." He gives him a box and 

 promises to conjure so many hun- 

 dred louis d'ors into it. But before 

 he begins his hocus pocus, he very 

 genteelly addresses the public, say- 

 ing, " You will perhaps ask, gen- 

 glcmen, why with this facility of 

 making gold, I do not make my 

 own fortune? 'Tis because it is 

 already made. All that I am doing 

 here, is entirely for your amuse- 

 ment." He now conjures the box 

 full of gold ; at least it becomes as 

 heavy in the hand, as if there were 

 really gold in it. To be sure, on 

 opening it, nothing is found but a 

 stone. But, can the conjurer help 

 it, that the boy is a natural or illc- 

 gitiniate child ; or owes, at least, 

 his supposed legitimacy to his mo- 

 ther having told a tale about his 

 real origin ? He declares with an 

 arch look, that he very seldom 

 meets with instances of the kind ; 

 that such things seldom occur at Pa- 

 ris ; and quickly digresses to some 

 other subject. 



All these are only jokes for the 

 populace ; but they are delivered 

 without decency being offended, and 

 are, indeed, not without wit. You 

 will allow that a nation, among^ 



whom 



