Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-07
No Fear Even of Kings.

Leaving royalty, we now come to speak of
the nobility, who also had in their retinue fools
or testers. In the reign of Henry VII. (who it
may be observed, neither kept fools nor ad-
mired those who did), Thomas, Lord Derby,
had one of these testers in his suite. The King,
being on a visit to his lordship shortly after he
caused his hosts brother, Sir William Stanley.
to be executed, was standing on the leads of
Latham House viewing the country. Lord
Derby was close beside him. The jester, draw
ing near to his master, exclaimed: TON. re-
member Will" The remark fell like bolt on
the Kings conscience, and he retired in an un-
dignified manner into the house.
Perhaps the last man who would be credited
with maintaining jester in his suite was
Judge Jeffries. But SO it was. He attended
him on his bloody circuit. The Judge 'loved
mimicry, and at Taunton he tossed the buffoon
the pardon of a victim, leaving tue victims
friends to purchase it of him, if such was de-
sired and lay within the compass OF their
means"
Of the royal testers of France, Imay mention
the names of Triboulet and Brusquet, court
fools to Francis L, also Coulon, attached to the
of Louis XIV. Dufresnay was multum in
parvo, being at once poet, playwright, actor,
gardener, glass manufacturer, spendthrlft, wit
and beggar. Having got into debt with his
her his wife. He ventured one day to rally the
Abbe Pellegrini on the soiled look-of his linen.
'Sire," said the Able, 'it is not everyone who
has the good luck to marry his laundress." The
jester was non est.
Two Occupations Combined in One.
Coulon was a medical man of great skill, who
gave up all his practice except with respect to
the King, to whom he became doctor and
Jester. As a medical student he was wont, by
teats of mimicry, to keep whole hospital ward
in roars of laughter. His power of mimicry
and imitation of individuals was so great, it
was almost impossible to detect the feigned
from the real. The King would ask him daily
whom he had met, and Coulon, without men-
tioning them by name, would so mimic each
that the King had no difficulty in recognizing
the individuals. @@"Coulon," said the Duke of
Orleans to him one day. II happened to see and
hear your imitation of me yesterday. 1t was
capital, but not quite perfect You did not
wear, as do, a diamond pin in your cravat.
Allow me to present you with mine; 1t will make
the resemblance more striking" "Ahi your
replied Coulon, fixing the pin in his
own cravat and putting on such look of the
Prince that the latter might fancy he was
standing before a mirror. "as poor imitator,
ought, properly, to wear only pasteP'
Russia. too, has had her royal testers. One
Aksakof was jester to the CZarina Elizabeth,
whilst Prof. .stehlin filled the joint offices
of teacher Of mathematics and history and
jester to the Grand Duke, afterwards Peter II.
Ernst Augustus, Elector of Hanover and
father OF George l., retained jester. by name
Burkard Kaspar Adelsburn, who exercised
great influence over him. That this custom
fingered on in Germany to the middle of the
last century is evident from letter written by
Lady Featherstonehaugh, in 1853 in which
she says:-"In the evenings, we were at the
apartments of the Royal Family, and were
much surprised at seeing an ancient custom
kept up here, and in no other court besides,
There are no less than three at this court"
-Neso Castle (En0.) Weekly Chronicle.