The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-17 00:00:00

FASTING IMPOSTORS.

This appears to have been an c.ld " trick ;" and with
what success Cavanagh had obtained the character of
an " original" may be judged from the brief details re-
specting two women, in precisely the same "line," who
have preceded him, and regarding whom hitherto no-
thing has appeared.
The earliest mention of these " non•such wonders"
is the celebrated fasting damsel, Martha Taylor, born
at Over Haddon, in Derbyshire, about the middle of
the 17th century. She seems to have been the Mira-
bile Pecci of the day, and to have caused a most extra-
ordinary sensation throughout the country, for as many
as four pamphlets relating to her are extant. The
titles are—

" Newes from Derbyshire, or the Wonder of all
Wonders that ever yet was prime.% being a relation of
the handywork of Almighty God, shown upon the body
of one Martha Taylor living about a mile or some-
thing more from Bakewell, in Derbyshire, hard by a
pasture, commonly c,lled Hadon Pasture. This maid,
as it bath pleased the Lord, she hatn fasted forty weeks
and more, which may very well be called a wonder of
all wonders, though most people who hear this may
censure this to be some fable, et if they please but to
take the pains to read over the book, I hope that they
will be better satisfied, and have some faith to believe."

The worthy writer was "T. Robins, B. of D. (bel
man of Derby)." It was published at " London, Oe
13, 1668."

The next is by the same author, who is less prolix
in his title. It is named " The Wonder of the
World," wherein, as related by that veritable func-
tionary, is given " the whole truth, acd no more, as it was
taken from the mouth of the damsel and her mother."

However, the next pamphlet comes from a learned
gentleman of that time, Mr. Joseph Reynolds, and is
entitled " A Discourse upon prodigious Abstinence,
casioned by the twelvemonths fasting of Martha Taylor,
the famous Derbyshire damosell, proving that without
any miracle the texture of human bodies may be so al-
tered that life may be long continued without the sup-
plies of meat and drink ; with an account of the heart
and how far it is interested in the business of fermen-
tation." Which he " humbly offered to the Royal
Society."
The last bears the date of " London, March 30,
1669," and is entitled " Mirabile Pecci, or the Non-
such Wonder of the Peak, in Derbyshire, discover'd in
a full, though succinct narrative of the more than ordi-
nary parts, piety, and preservation of Martha Taylor,
one that (who) path been supported in time above a
year. beyond the ordinary course of nature, without
meat or drink. By H. A."

It is evident that the Derbyshire girl caused no or-
dinary interest in those days from all the narratives
being published in London, when the metropolis was a
seven days', instead of, as now, as many hours, journey
from Bakewell and Derby.
It is said that she began to abstain from food on the
22d December, 1667, being then in her 18th year, in
consequecce of the effects of a blow received some years
before, but her illness is said not to have commenced
till the end of August, or the beginning of September
preceding. According to the last-mentioned pamphlet
she was living, and continued to fast, when it was
published, and her face is there described as plump
and ruddy ; her pulse as e%en and lively : and it is
said that after she had left off eating she once swal-
lowed part of a fig, which had nearly proved fatal
to her ; that the vertebrae of her back might be felt
through the abdomen ; that she had very little sleep,
and was once wholly without sleep for five weeks.
It appears that she underwent two watches, having
been attended by from forty to sixty women, who
watched her strictly night and day. One of these
watches was appointed by the neighbouring townships,
the other by the Earl of Devonshire. There is no
account of the sequel of this " interesting phenomenon,"
whether she was detected as an impostor, or whether
she was a real sufferer, and, having recovered, returned
to her usual habits. The parish register records the
burial of her as having taken place June 12, 1684.
It is probable that Ann Moor, a notorious " fasting"
impostor of the last century, might have heard of the
existence of Martha Taylor, and even some copies of
these pamphlets might have fallen into her hands at
some period, but the leuding circumstances of her im-
positions were precisely the same as the present unfor-
tunate Irish " gentleman" in Reading gaol.
Ann Moor was also a Derbyshire woman, having
been born at Roston, in the parish of Worbury, and
resided at Tutbury, Staffordshire, on the borders of
Derbyshire, about four miles from Sadbury, where the
Queen Dowager is now residing, and it was at that
town, during a pretended fasting of more than four
years, she contrived that her case should, in almost
every particular, resemble that of Martha Taylor.
Having successfully eluded one watch of 17 days and
nights, she continued her 'imposture with the greatest
confidence ; till at length, having reluctantly submitted
to a second ordeal, it was conducted with so much care
and skill that she found it impossible to etude the vigi-
lance of the watcherr, and at length, when nature was
almost exhausted in the real fasting, she confessed her-
self an impostor.