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Article MEMOIRS OF THE LATE . DR. PAUL HIFFERNAN. ← Page 5 of 10 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Memoirs Of The Late . Dr. Paul Hiffernan.
gentleman . They waited till two for more company , but no more coming , the Doctor made his appearance from an inside closet , dressed out in a full suit of black , and , placing himself before a little round table , made a very formal obeisance to his small auditory . The company could not but smile at this mode of beginningbut the Doctor proceeding with great gravity , pulled out of his pocket a small print of a human skeletonevidently cut out of some anatomical
, magazine , and laying it on the table thus proceeded : " I am now , gentlemen , about to open a subject to you of the greatest importance in life—which is the knowledge of ourselves—which Plato recommends' in that short but forcible maxim of " Nosce teipsum "Pope by saying , " The proper study of mankind is man "—and our divine Shakespeare by exclaiming" What a iece of work is man _
, p how noble in reason ! how infinite in faculties ; in' form and moving how express and admirable ! In action how like an angel ! in apprehension how like a god!—the beauty of the world—the paragon of animals !" " Having thus given the general opinion of three great men on this subject , I shall commence with describing the head of this paragon of
animals . " Here the Doctor entered into a common-place description of the skull , the brains , & c . which lasted about half an hour , when taking up the print , and restoring the head of the skeleton ( which he had previously doubled down ) to its former position , he next undertook a description of the breast . " Here , gentlemen , " says he , " is the next part of this very
extraordinary animal , which may be very properly called from its very curious bend and texture—the bread-basketry of the human frame . " At this the audience could hold out no longer , but unanimously burst . out into a horse-laugh , which made the Doctor pause for some minutes , and produced in the company likewise an awkward and embarrassed silence . At last one of the gentlemen broke ground by saying , " Why , Doctor ,
as we are all friends , and as the subscription has been paid in , what signifies giving yourself any further trouble f We are satisfied of your capacity , and we can dispense with any further lectures . " " Aye , aye , " joined the rest of the company . " Why then , " continued the first speaker , suppose you all come and take a bit of dinner with me today , when we shall see what we are able to do in anatomising the bottle . "
The sound of a gratuitous good dinner always fell very musically on Hiffernan ' s ear , and in the present instance peculiarly so , as it not only p lentifully provided for the wants of one day , but released him from the trouble of two days more attendance , without losing any part of his subscription-money . Hence the brow of the grave and philosophic lecturer instantly relaxed into that of the convivial familiar acquaintance . He stept from behind the corner of his little table with the
utmost cheerfulness , paid his congees separately to his friends , ordered up some coffee ( which he left them to pay for ) ,- and soon after met them at the dinner rendezvous in all the hilarity of an eleemosynary guest .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Memoirs Of The Late . Dr. Paul Hiffernan.
gentleman . They waited till two for more company , but no more coming , the Doctor made his appearance from an inside closet , dressed out in a full suit of black , and , placing himself before a little round table , made a very formal obeisance to his small auditory . The company could not but smile at this mode of beginningbut the Doctor proceeding with great gravity , pulled out of his pocket a small print of a human skeletonevidently cut out of some anatomical
, magazine , and laying it on the table thus proceeded : " I am now , gentlemen , about to open a subject to you of the greatest importance in life—which is the knowledge of ourselves—which Plato recommends' in that short but forcible maxim of " Nosce teipsum "Pope by saying , " The proper study of mankind is man "—and our divine Shakespeare by exclaiming" What a iece of work is man _
, p how noble in reason ! how infinite in faculties ; in' form and moving how express and admirable ! In action how like an angel ! in apprehension how like a god!—the beauty of the world—the paragon of animals !" " Having thus given the general opinion of three great men on this subject , I shall commence with describing the head of this paragon of
animals . " Here the Doctor entered into a common-place description of the skull , the brains , & c . which lasted about half an hour , when taking up the print , and restoring the head of the skeleton ( which he had previously doubled down ) to its former position , he next undertook a description of the breast . " Here , gentlemen , " says he , " is the next part of this very
extraordinary animal , which may be very properly called from its very curious bend and texture—the bread-basketry of the human frame . " At this the audience could hold out no longer , but unanimously burst . out into a horse-laugh , which made the Doctor pause for some minutes , and produced in the company likewise an awkward and embarrassed silence . At last one of the gentlemen broke ground by saying , " Why , Doctor ,
as we are all friends , and as the subscription has been paid in , what signifies giving yourself any further trouble f We are satisfied of your capacity , and we can dispense with any further lectures . " " Aye , aye , " joined the rest of the company . " Why then , " continued the first speaker , suppose you all come and take a bit of dinner with me today , when we shall see what we are able to do in anatomising the bottle . "
The sound of a gratuitous good dinner always fell very musically on Hiffernan ' s ear , and in the present instance peculiarly so , as it not only p lentifully provided for the wants of one day , but released him from the trouble of two days more attendance , without losing any part of his subscription-money . Hence the brow of the grave and philosophic lecturer instantly relaxed into that of the convivial familiar acquaintance . He stept from behind the corner of his little table with the
utmost cheerfulness , paid his congees separately to his friends , ordered up some coffee ( which he left them to pay for ) ,- and soon after met them at the dinner rendezvous in all the hilarity of an eleemosynary guest .