The Holbrook news., 1913-08-01
ATE THEIR OWN WORDS.
Meals That. Even Though They Were
SPICY, Were Not PaIatable.

SPICY, Were Not Palatable.
Eating ones own words" is not
so fancifuI as it sounds. There
have been cases where the feat was
compelled.
Isaac VoImar possibly saw no hu-
NOR in the command issued by Ber-
nard, duke of Saxony, that he
should be forced to eat the manu-
script of some poetical satires he
had written against his lordship,
and the enforcement of the order
probably went much against his
stomach, even though the satires
we're described as "spicy" by the
historian.
Nor was it a matter of laughter
to the jurist Philip Oldenburger
when he was condemned to eat a
pamphlet of his own composition
and had the lesson emphasized by
a good stiff f1ogging.
Arvine's Dictionary of Anec-
dotes" Boston, 1860 quotes from
some unnamed traveller a detailed
account of how an unfortunate Rus
sian author submitted to a similar
penalty at Moscow. He had pub
lished a quarto volume on "The
Liberties of the People" and had
taken occasion to inveigh against
the venality of the bureaucrats and
even question the conduct of the
autocrat himself. Naturally the au-
thor was taken into custody.
"After being tried in a summary
way" continued the traveller, 'Ehis
production was deemed to be libel,
and he was condemned to eat his
own words. The singularity of such
a sentence induced me to see it put
into execution. A scaffold was erect
ed in one of the most public streets
of the city. The imperial provost,
the magistrates, the physicians and
surgeons attended. The book was
separated from the binding, the
margin cut off and every leaf rolled
up like lottery ticket when taken
out of the wheel. The author was
then served with them, leaf by leaf,
by the provost, who put them into
his mouth to the no small diversion
of the spectators, and he was oblig-
ed to swallow this unpalatable food
on pain of the knout-in Russia
more feared than death.
GAS soon as the medical gentle
men were of opinion that he had
received into his stomach as much
at d time as was consistent with his
safety, the transgressor was sent
back to prison, and the business was
resumed the two following days In
three very hearty but unpleasant
meals every leaf of the book was
actually swallowed"
There is an impish humor in the
conduct of a certain Austrian gen.
eral mentioned by Oelrich in his
''Dissertatio de Bibliothecarum ct
Librorum Fatis' (1756). This Off
Ger had signed note for 1000 for
ms. and when it fell due and was
presented to him bv his creditors he
forced those men at the pistol point
to eat it.
To close with an instance that be-
longs to the spacious times of Queen
Elizabeth. Tom Nash, defending
the memory of his recently deceas-
ed friend. Robert Greene, from the
aspersions of Gabriel Harvey, thus
berates the latter: clad he lived,
Gabriel. and thou shouldst unarti-
fcially and odiously libel against
him as thou hast done, he would
have made thee an example of ig-
nominy to all ages that are to come
and driven thee to eat thy own book
buttered, as saw him make an ap-
pariter once in tavern eat his eta
ton. wax and all, very handsomely
served 'twixt two dishes" = New
York Tribune.
The Green Rose.