MDDM Ch. 76 Cock Lane Ghost

[Dave Monroe]

   "'I'd've been happy with the Cock Lane Ghost,'
Johnson mutters.'
   "'Happy,' Mason nods.  His eyes far too bright. 
'You were ill-treated, sir, in that matter.'
   "'Be careful to note, Boswell, how even a Lunatick
may yet be civil.  Thank you, Sir.  Or is it Your
Holiness?'
   "'I?'  All but pleading for someone's Judgment of
madness, as if desiring to be admitted to that select
company, select as the Royal Society, which did not
want him, either.'" (M&D, Ch. 76, p. 747)


"Cock Lane Ghost"

A supposed ghost to which were attributed mysterious
noises heard at 33 Cock Lane, Smithfield, in 1762.
They were discovered to be due to the imposture of one
William Parsons and his daughter. Dr Johnson took part
in the investigation of the mystery, and wrote a brief
'Account of the Detection of the Imposture in
Cock-Lane', published in The Gentleman's Magazine
(Feb. 1762). Charles Churchill seized the opportunity
to attack him in his satire The Ghost (1762) for
credulity, and, more woundingly, for his long delays
in producing his edition of Shakespeare.

http://www.xrefer.com/entry/369232

Unfortunately, the ILEJ holdings of the Gentlemen's
Magazin currently stop @ Vol. 20 (1750) ...

http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/ilej/pbrowse.pl?item=title&id=ILEJ.3.&title=Gentleman's+Magazine

... but see as well ...

http://www.insanetree.com/klipkop/sf.htm

http://newark.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Papers/1760s.html

http://www.apollo12.webfusion.co.uk/OldSite/polter.htm


"Lunatick"

Main Entry: lu·na·tic 
Pronunciation: 'lü-n&-"tik
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English lunatik, from Old French or
Late Latin; Old French lunatique, from Late Latin
lunaticus, from Latin luna; from the belief that
lunacy fluctuated with the phases of the moon
Date: 14th century
1 a : affected with lunacy : INSANE b : designed for
the care of insane persons <lunatic asylum>
2 : wildly foolish
- lunatic noun

http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

Cf. ...

"'Were it Night-Time, Sir, I would say you were out
Star-Gazing.' [...] withal, 'Star-Gazing' in those
parts was a young man's term for masturbating.'" (M&D,
Ch. 16, p. 171)


"Your Holiness"

Madness and Uncivilization?  See not only ...

http://ship-of-fools.com/Simeon/Simeon_body.html

http://www.sniggle.net/trickster.php

But also ...

http://www.paganlibrary.com/reference/holy_fool.php

http://www.illusions.com/rowanhold/holyfool.htm

http://www.waningmoon.com/darkpagan/lib/lib0027.shtml


"Judgment"
 
Judgment is the more commonly used American spelling,
but judgement (the usual British spelling) is a
Standard American variant, even though not widely used
in Edited English. 

http://www.bartleby.com/68/79/3479.html

http://www.geocities.com/rwh5a/judgment/

http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwesl/egw/jones/differences.htm

http://www.peak.org/~jeremy/dictionary/spellcat.html

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