The Newhampshire gazetteer — Exeter, N.H., 1790-08-27 00:00:00, page 2

History of the Admirable Chrichton.
[Taken from Haukefworth's Adventurer.]
Among the favourites of nature that have from time
to time appeared in the world, enriched with vari
ous endowments and contrarieties of excellence, none
seems to have been more exalted above the common
rate of humanity, than the man known about two
centuries ago by the appellation of the admirable
Chrichton : of whose biftofy, whatever we may
suppress as surpassing credibility, yet we Jhall, upon
b incanteftible authority, relate enough to rank him a
mong prodigies.
“ Y VIRTUE," fays Virgil, " is better accepted
V when it comes in a pleating form :" the
person of Chrichton was eminently beautiful ; but
his beauty was confident with such affinity and
strength, that in fencing he would spring at one
bound the length of twenty feet upon his antago
nist ; and he used the sword in either hand with
such force and dexterity, that scarce any one had
courage to engage him. .
Having studied at St. Andrew's in Scotland, he
went to Paris in his twenty-firft year> and affixed
on the gate of the college of Naverre a kind of
challenge to the learned of that university to dis
pute with him on a certain day ^offering to his
opponents, whoever they should be, the choice of
ten languages, and of all the faculties and icien-
C es. On the day appointed three thousand audi.
tors aflembled, when four doctors of the church
and fifty matters appeared against him ; and
one of his antagoniffs confeffes, that the dolors
were defeated : that he gave proofs of know
ledge obove the reach of man ; and that a hun
dred years passed without food or sleep, would not
be Sufficient for the attainment of his learning.
After a disputation of nine hours, he was present
ed by the president and profeffors with a diamond
and a purse of gold, and dismissed with repeated
acclamations. _
From Paris he went away to Rome, where he
made the fame challenge, and had in the presence
of the pope and cardinals the fame success. After
wards he contrasted at Venice a, acquaintance
with Aldus Manutius, by whom he was introdu
ced to thelearned of that city : then visited Padua,
he engaged in another public deputation,
berinning hit p er f Orm an Ce ^eftrai R
praise of the city and the Iffembiy then pre-
Tent and concluding with an oration equally un
-ISkated in commendation of ignorance,
jremedita publilhed another challenge,
In ^ieh he declared himfett ready to detest the
" „Aristotle and all his commentators, either
^" h common forms of logic, orin any which
his Intagonifc fetid propose of a hundred differ
cat kinds of verse.
A message was received from the Senate, that
they had puffed a bill for reducing the national
/debt, with amendments of the Senate were agreed
to. i .
A message was sent to the President by a joint
committee, [notifying him of the proposed recess
to-morrow,.
A message was received from the Senate; in
forming that the President had notified his appro
bation of the bill to assent to certain Ads of the
states of Georgia, Maryland, and Rhode-lfland:
Another nreffage was received from the Senate,
that they had passed the Appropriation Bill, with
amendments.
Mr. Gilman reported the examination of two
enrolled bills ; which were then signed by the
Speaker. 4
An Aft for the relief of the persons therein men
tioned or described.
An Aft to alter the times for holding the Cir
cuit Courts of the United States in the diftrids of
South-Carolina and Georgia, and providing that
the diftria of Pennsylvania, shall in future be held
at the city of Philadelphia only. This resolution
was agreed to.
An A& to authorife the Secretary of the Trea
sury to take measures for finishing the light
hohfe on Portfind head, in the province of
Main. ~"
Mr. Gilman of the joint committee, reported
the following enrolled bills.
An A& for the relief of disabled soldiers and Tea
men lately in the feryice of the U. States, and of
certain other persons.
An Aa declaring the assent of Congress to cer
tain a&s of the States of Maryland,Georgia and R.
Island and Providence Plantations.
An Aft making farther provision for payment of
the public debt of the United States.
An A& to enable the officers and soldiers of
the Virginia line on the Continental establish
ment, to obtain titles to certain lands therein de
scribed. '
WEDNESDAY, AVGUST 111
MISCELLANY.
FOR THE ^NEWHAMPSHIR£ GAZETTEER.
MT. PRINTER,
IT has been observed by many that among all
the obje&ions to the candidates to Congress,
the only one made against John S. Sherburne, Esq.
springs from his having fuffered in the cause of
our Country—his talents are on all hands admitted
—judge then from what quarter such objections
come, will not ever, friend to his Country, ever,
man endued with a (park of gratitude feel indig
nant against thirt disappointed party who are not
contented wjth fpiimig their spite against every
friend to the rev&AMm, but are so cruel as to in
sult the unfortunate. This if nothing else would de
termine me to vote for him, and I believe will in
fluence every generous mind — JUSTICE.
The duke of Mantua having received so many
proofs of his various merit, made him tutor to his
son Vincentio de Gonzaga, a prince of loose man
ners and turbulent disposition. On this occasion it
was, that he composed the comedy in which he ex
hibited so many different charafters with exad pro
priety^ But his honour was of short continuance ;
for as he was one night iri the time of Carnival
rambling about the streets with his guitar in his
hand, he was attacked by fix men walked. Nei
ther his courage nor &ill in this exigence deferred
him ; he opposed them with such activity and spi
rit, that he f^m dispersed them,and dif-rmed their
leader, who throwing-off his mask, difeoyered him
felf to be the prince his pupil. Chrichton fall
ing on his knees, took his own sword by the point/
and presented it to the prince; who immediately
seized it, and instigated, as some fay, by jealousy,
according to others, only b, drunken fury and
brutal relentment, thrust him through the heart.
Thus was the admirable Chrichton brought in
to that state, in which he could excel the meanest
of mankind only by a few empty honours paid to
his memory : The court of Mantua teftified their
esteem by a public mourning, the contemporary
.wits were profufe of their encomiums, and the pa
laces of Italy were adorned with pictures, represent
ing him on horseback with a lance in one hand
and a book in the other. . ..
So extensive was his acquaintance with life and
manners, that in an Italian comedy, composed by
himfelf, and exhibited before the court of Mantua,
he is said to have perfonated fifteen different cha
racters ; in all which he might focceed without
great difficulty, since he had such power of retenti
on, that once hearing an oration of an hour, he
would repeat it exactly! and in the recital follow
the speaker through all his variety of to,ne and gef.
ticulation. =
Nor was his skill in arms left than in learning,
or his courage inferiour to his (kill : there was a
prize-fighter at Mantua, who travelling about the
world, according to the barbarous custom of that
age, as a general challenger, had defeated the
most celebrated matters in many parts of Europe ;
and in Mantua, where he then refide4, had killed
three ttiat appeared against him. The duke re
pented that he had granted him his protection ;
when Chrichton, looking on his sanguinary success
with indignation, offered to flake fifteen hundred
piftoles and mount the stage againd-him. The duke
with some reluctance, consented, and on the day
fixed the combatants appeared : their weapon feeins
to have been a single rapier, which was then newly
introduced in Italy. The prize-fighter advanced
with great violence and fiercenefs, and Chrichton
contented himfelf calmly to ward his passes, and
fuffered him to exhaust his vigour by his own fury.
Chrichton then became the assailant: and pressed
upon him With such force and agility, ,hat he
thrust him thrice through the body, and saw him
expire : he then divided the prize he had won a
mong the widows whose husbands had been killed.
The death of this wonderful man 1 should be
willing to conceal, did I not know that every rea
der will inquire curiously after that fatal hour,
which is common to all human beings,however dis
tinguished from each other by nature or by for
tune.
These acquisitions of learning, However flup^n
dous, were not gained at the expense of any plea
sure which youth generally indulges, or by the 0-
mission of any accomplishment in which it becomes
a gentleman to excel : he pradifed in great per
feaion the arte of drawing and painting, he was
an eminent performer in both vocal and instrumen
tal mafic, he danced with uncommon gracefulnefs,
and on the day after his disputation at Paris exhi
bited his (kill in horsemanship before the court of
France, where, at a public match of tilting, he
bore away the ring upon his lance fifteen times to
gether.
He excelled likewise in ddfaeftic games of less
dignity and reputation ; and in the interval be
tween his challenge and disputation at Paris, he
spent so much of his time at cards, dice, and ten
nis, that a lampoon was fixed upon the gate of the
Sorbonne, directing those that would lee this mas
ter of erudition, to look for him at the tavern;
LONDON, JUNE §.
The eighth article of the Definitive Treaty of
Peace between Britain and America, is in the fol
lowing words :—" The navigation of the river Mif
fifippi, ft Qm '" fa rce to 'be ocean, fall forever re
main free and open to the fubjeas of Great-Britain and
the citizen; of the United States.''—-In this manner
the two countries fettled this point, so important to
the commerce of the American States ; but Spain
has always opposed the free navigation of this riv
er. It is now said to be held out to the Americans
as a boon, that we (hall stipulate for the perfect and
free navigation both to them and ourselves, provided
they will enter into a treaty, offenfive and defen
five with as. '
About fixry-thoufand people in Paris waited with
extreme anxiety for the annunciation of the Nati
onal Assembly's decree, refpe&ing the right of de
claring war, &c. and when it was made known,
their joy was beyond expression extravagant aad
Mr. PRINTER,
IWAS pleased to find by some publications id
your last, that the eyes of the people begin to
be open to the conduct of a certain set of men, who
while the war lalted throw'd every obstacle in the
way of the liberty of the people—for my part I
have a long time seen their attempts to dupe the
people, and to fill every office witrpeople of their
own kidney— We have for a long time teen the very
men who were published in your last as the most
suitable for Congress representatives (because they
would “ blazon the British government.") We
havg many ye-s seen these very men elaffid toge
ther at every election, and voted for together whene
ver they could obtain influence, and these men for
footh want now to go to Congress, Why did the,
not want to go in the war ? Or what were they a
bout during the w^r ? Or if we had failed in the
war, would they have sent us to their Congress ? Or
Should we not have been their Haves ? In that case
they certainly would have ruled us—Had they them
ought to govern us now ? Have we not got fVhigs
enough among us, who have given us proofs of
their integrity in time of danger ? Why then should
we take such as we have already found we could"
not trust in time of danger, but who joined our"
enemies and tried to betray us ?—This, Mr. Prin
ter, was the case with all three of the men, men
tioned in one of your lifts—they are all alike, and
always hang together, and endeavour to assist one
another and every o@e who was of their junto during
the war—and they are not wanting in stratagems
to carry their point, viz.—Wicnefs the manouvre
lately at N k—t about choofigg a Recorder.—
They wanted one of their party in P--ts— th, they
knew the people of N k—t would not vote for
a man in P--ts---th ; they therefore contrived id
order to divide the votes, to set up a man in
N-— -k— t, as the party were fare the Gentleman
would not be voted for elsewhere. A very worth)
and re/pe&ahle character was thus made a stalking
horse to carry their design into execution, a thous
and other inllances might be named, but the peo
ple by examining for themselves will find them
out—^the people most be mad to choose men now to
govern them, who a few years ago tried to enclave
them, no such characters ought to be in office dur
ing the present generation ; there is no need of it,
because we have better men who are known, and
firm friends to the rights and liberties of the peo
ple—Away then with the Tories and let us vote
only for Honest Men and Whigs.
OLD EXETER.
±&^ §<„§o<,s■<><> „o^so+e^^^<<^4^
ST. PBTERSBURGH, (RUSSIA) MAY 4.
INTELLIGENCE has just been received herfy
that the Swedes having entered into the Ruffian
territories, and possessed themselves of a very strong
post, called Karnankoky, bn the borders 6f the lake
Saima, an attempt to dislodge them was made by
the Ruffians. For this purpose ten thousand men/
under the command of General Igelftrom, and the
Prince of Anhalt, were drawn together, and-ag
attack was made, at the break of day, upon the
Swedish intrenchments, which were defended by a
bout three thousand men.' , The Swedes with flood
this assault, which was made in three columns,with
the greater intrepidity, and repulsed the Ruffians,
who are said to have left near two thousand men ori
the field. This misfortune is greatly aggravated
by the loss of the Prince of Anhalt, who was shot
in the thigh, and_died soon after, and by that of
Major-General Keiboff, who commanded the de
tachment of guards sent on this expedition'. Many
other officers are also said to have ffiared the fame
fate, of whom, however, no particular account has
yet been received.
EUROPEAN.
FOR THE GAZETTEER.
By Yesterday's Mail.