American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1826-02-07
THE SEXTON OF KNoCKBRAE.

/" Has this fettolo no feeling Of his business he
sings at grace mahing" HAMLET.
OF this romantic parish, Saunders Macknockie
was, for many years, beadle and grave digger and
true specimen oil the profession he was, brother,
in so lar as mirth and humour concerned to the
laughter loving grave digger in Hamlet. His men,
tai and physical constitutions we're happily united 10
one another HIS mind and body expressed nothing
but the udicrous Jest leered in his eye, it curl.
ed at his lip it maned and diffused itself over his
whole visage. He was about four feet eight inches
hlgn, and abuul as much in breadth, firmly com.
pacled and knit together in thew ard sinew, th and
limb. He had small sparkling eyes, OF greyish
hue u round fac C, which in color might be com
pared to the purple OF the rosy fingered morh when
he king OF day rises from his bed OF waters, or to
he back OF lobster, when parboied. His chin was
always covered with proiuslon Of grisly hairs,
which on Sunday appeared as if an attempt had
been made to reap them but either the skill OF
the operator, viz hmsell---for barber was never
seen In the parish of Knockbrae, or the instrument
employed had been at fault for these porcupine
quilts had kept their settlements unmoyed and IN
subdued for more Than fifty years. The hebdoma-
dal cuts and slashes which garnished his chin on
the first day OF the week, showed, however, that an
attempt had been made to smooth his face; and
indeed, the state Of Knockie's chin was so familiar
to all The Parish and associated with much rustic
have been to the worse, least in the estimation Of
all who knew him. His clothes were oil light
grey colour, for the sake of economy, Tor he was
under miller 10 Charles ClapPer At the funerals
however, of the richest part OF the parish, he was
generally arrayed in black that is to say, suit that
had once been black. for it had acquired brown
ish colour, from long exposure to sun and rain. 1t
is hardly possible 10 convey to modern understand
ing lust conception of the shape OF these mourn
.pr. nc ct1Ht pPrn
originally made Tor a stern Cameronian, who prided
himself on the largeness OF his buttons, and the
length and breadth of the skirts OF his coat
These ugubrions weeds. when they covered the
out v ard man of the sexton Of Knockbrae, were by
no means the sign posts Of inward grief and trouble
of spt; on the contrary, his face, on such occa
sons, had infused into it a double portion of the
ludicrous. which became more conspicuous by the
effort which he was forced to make in ord4 10
lengthen it out to a becoming degree of longitude.
In fine, had the Knockbraeans been heathens instead
of christians, certes their sexton had been deifed.
He would have been the laughter. loving Momus
OF the hills and his image would have snu(fed up
the incense of
"Qups, and cranks and wanton wiles,
Mods, and becks, and wreathed Smiles"
and all the ct c@tera of broad grns that ever dis
turbed the face of man.
The Ievity of this sexton was, however stumb-
ling block of offence to the serious part ofthe
parish; and indeed it was wonder TO all, that he
who had walked hand in hand with death for SO
many years, should have never thought that
"soon some faithful brother of the trade
Would do for him what he had done for thousands.
The worthy Mr.. Langtext had made many at
,empts to impress on his mind some serious
thoughts but with no great success. AS that deep
divine was one day walking in the churchyard,
coming over, anemoriter, the arguments and Illus
,rations of a sermon--for the reading OF sermons
was never heard in those days--hls attention was
suddenly reused by grumbling sort of noise, fol
lowed by loud bursts of laughter, that seemed to
issue from new made grave at distance. APP
preaching it gently, he perceived The sexton sitting