Elkanah Settle

“ The picaresque in Major Clancie, too, is more readily identifiable than in The Notorious Impostor. For, contrary to its stated aim, the biography of Clancie is more fiction than fact. Anthony Wood, noting the fictional elaborations, remarked: "Several stories in this book which belong to other persons are fathered on the said major; who, as I remember, was in Oxon in the plague year 1665 when the king and the queen kept their respective courts there." [2] Wood then contributes a few of his own pungent stories about the Major, which have no counterparts in Settle's narrative. ”

“ The Address to the Daughter, at last looked a little more plain and barefac'd, and at that time a Fair happening at Ludlow, where he had been diverting himself with seeing of Fashions, he came home in much Concern, and some kind of Passion, much greater than hitherto they had at any time seen from him. "Certainly there is no place in the world (says he passionately) so retir'd, but some Devil or other will still find out and haunt me." ”

“ The importance of the Morrell narratives in the development of English fiction lies mainly in their deft combinations of the real and the picaresque and in their conscious effort to unify the action, draw out the humour, or handle realistic talk and setting. But the narratives also look backward to an older type, the picaresque. William Morrell makes his printed appearance as the new picaro. The title Diego Redivivus (i.e. James Revived) had overtones of the sensationally picaresque. ”

“ The Country Fellow, the Owner of the Cattle, seeing a Gentleman of his honest Appearance surveying his Beasts, and hearing every word that pass'd between the Man and Master (for they took care to talk loud enough to be heard) thought he had got a good Chapman, and desired the Gentleman to draw nearer and handle the Cattle. Handle, answers Tom, what for? You know, Sir, you have laid out all your Money already, and what should we handle Cattle unless we had Cole to buy 'em. I confess they are for your Turn above any I have zeen in the whole Vair, but that's nothing, the Money Master the Money. ”

“ For with all her natural Pride, she considers her self but the Lees of a Tap; and 'tis not every Rich Gudgeon will bite at a Bait so blown, and so stale.
Her departing Lover still pressing for his Journey, the good-natur'd Girl watches the next amorous sally of her Gallant, and takes him at his word, and without asking advice, thinks her own wit sufficient, and in two days time enters into for better, for worse. ”

“ Now I must do the Family this Right, That notwithstanding the great Sums they gain'd by so ample a Testament, and such bounteous Legacies, however their sorrow for the lamented Departure of so worthy a Gentleman was very hearty and cordial: Nay, some are of Opinion, that instead of diminishing (as Sorrow generally wears off) theirs, on the contrary is daily encreasing. ”

“ Theorizing appears, too, in Part One somewhat in the manner of Daniel Defoe: "we dare not venture to play the Historian any farther than certain Intelligence (which yet we have not received) can guide us, being resolved not to load our Rambles with Romance or Fiction, his Life being furnisht with matter sufficiently voluminous without the addition of Flourish or Fancy" (p. 27) . This may be Settle's pointed reference to the "fiction" of Diego Redivivus. ”

“ Where the two writers provide parallel accounts, the "fiction" appears to be based on a substratum of truth surviving in anecdotes. Settle's verisimilitude had an effect upon Theophilus Lucas's Memoirs of the Lives, Intrigues, and Comical Adventures of the Most Famous Gamesters and Celebrated Sharpers (1714) , which begins with a condensed version of The Life and Death of Major Clancie. [3] Lucas presents his account as if it were a true memoir.
The Notorious Impostor was to experience a similar acceptance as a memoir. ”

“ A wonderful Cause to make me the most unhappy Creature living, in refusing me the only Blessing the World has to give. How many fair steps to Preferment and Honour lye in the way of so accomplish'd and so well Related a Gentleman, notwithstanding his Elder Brother run away with the Estate; and what good Fortune have I not to hope for, if your Barbarous Aversion did not interpose between my Felicity and me. In short, resolve to return home, and be kind to your languishing, and almost despairing Sister, or else expect very speedily to be visited by her at your Bedside in her Winding-sheet. ”

“ He plainly sees, that the Girl, upon good Grounds is very pliable, but she's a little past the years of being dandled and kist out of her Reason: He or any man else (any Tooth good Barber) with Honour and Estate may go far with her; but Demonstration is the only Argument that must carry her Cause. As many years as she has lived (or at least past for) a Maid, she is not so hard set, but she can tarry till Substantial Testimony (as far off as Norfolk lies) can make out the Lands and Tenements, before she consents to an Inclosure. ”

“ His Distemper increasing, he desires a Man of Law to be sent for, accordingly a Scrivener of the Town is called, who draws up his Will, in which he gives away about Three Thousand pounds in several Legacies, leaving his Nephew his full and sole Executor. The Will is sealed up, and delivered to his Man Tom; and all the cognizance taken of his Mistress, is only 10l. to buy her Mourning. Next a Man of God is sent for, and all the necessary preparations for a Man of another World are made. ”

“ All modern biographical accounts of its villain-hero, William Morrell, [4] are based on the two separate parts of The Notorious Impostor or The Compleat Memoirs. On January 3, 1692, he had died, a criminal at large; and the strange circumstances of his death became the talk of London. While the event was still a sensation, the bookseller Abel Roper rushed his "last will and testament" lives into print. The first to appear was Diego Redivivus, reprinted here from the rare copy at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library. ”

“ You stood fair for him, and the World, however, it may censure his Impudence, at least it cannot but commend his Choice. And the Reason (if you have any) to complain, is, that whereas the World is but a Stage, and Life but a Play, and Captain Wickham was only personated to Cheat a poor Baker of a Fortnights Lodging and Bread. 'Tis pity your Name, that much better deserved, was only drawn in to the filling up of a Farce. ”

“ To bring him to the happy point, 48 hours are not past, before he comes to reap the fair Fruit. The marriage-knot is tied; and the Nuptials consummated, and Joy and Felicity runs high between them.
In this happy State, and uninterrupted Delights, they continued some days, when of a sudden his old Servant, Tom, booted and spurr'd, comes to Ludlow, and now in a little higher station than before, in the garb and figure of one of his Bayliffs, he comes post thus far, first to tell him the Distraction of his Family occasion'd by his absense ”

“ His Last Will and Testament, I confess, has very bountifully cantoned out your Estate; all the sorrow is, that the Gaping Executors, and the rest of the Inheritors, have no shorter a Walk than into Fairy-Land to receive their Legacies; a longer Journey, 'tis to be feared, than either the Bright Bay, or Dappled Grey, will ever be able to carry 'em. ”

“ A Gentleman, or nothing for her. Nay, if she has not the happiness to strike in for a Lease for Life at Bed and Board with some honourable Person, rather than dye in ignorance, keep a stale Maiden-head, and so lead Apes, she has long since resolved not to stand out at a lower game, and en'e admit a Tenant at Will to an Inmate of Fashion and Quality ”

“ The anonymous author, at the outset, stresses the value of "the Particulars ... no disacceptable Entertainment" (p. 1) . Aware of theory, he specifies that Morrell created "some Romantick narrative" to explain his poverty (p. 4) . In fictional technique, Elkanah Settle approaches a unified theme especially in The Second Part of the Notorious Impostor and the "Comical Adventures" of The Compleat Memoirs where the incidents are mainly of one kind—matrimonial. ”

“ The credulity of these deluded persons his Landlord, and the rest, is not much to be wonder'd at, when the last Gasps of Death could carry so fair an Hypocrisie, and their Transports for his extravagant Legacies bequeathed 'em are rather to be pittied then rediculed. And if they have been faulty in any little over-fondness of their imaginary good fortune, the Jests and Gibes they have received, have been their sufficient punishment; besides Mr. Cullin's being run out of above 30l.
After his Death care was taken to provide him a Coffin of about 10l. ”

“ The poor Creature absolutely mollified, promises Fidelity to him, and never returning to her new Lodgings, takes him along with her, defeating the whole Vengeance that was hatching against him, and not stirring from him till all her Goods were come up from Banbury, and a new House furnisht with 'em. She had not lived there three days, till finding a Gossiping Errand for her to keep her from home a whole day, at her Return at Night to Bed, she finds neither Husband nor Goods, Bed to lye, or Stool to sit upon ”

“ He has Married the only Creature of the World he can Love, and he is resolved to Cherish her accordingly. But however, to manage Affairs with Discretion, he thinks it his best Prudence and Policy, to get his Trunks and the Writings of his Estate safe out of his Brother's Hands, before he publishes the Marriage. ”

“ These serve to inform you that Humphrey Wickham Esquire of Swaclift in the County of Oxon died this morning at my House where he has been about ten days; He has made his Will, and you are one of his Executors with me and others; A very great share of his Estate is given to you; therefore pray Sir speed to London, that we may take care of his Funeral and other matters necessary to be done upon this occasion. ”

“ To describe the Distress and Anguish of our present Female Sufferer, or either of her two foregoing Sisters in Affliction, being a work beyond our power, we shall e'ne do as the Painter did of old, that is, draw a Vail before the Face of sorrow, the Lineaments of true Grief being above the Pen or Pencils skill. ”

“ But to begin our History in order; From his Conversing with Gentlemen and Herding with Quality, Business began to fall off: His many Rambles from home, soon made his Practice flag; when the Glass and the Bottle came into play, the Salvatory and Playster-box went out. And his Patients could not well stay for the Setting of a Broken Limb, or Tenting a Green Wound, till our Esculapius was to be called, the Lord knows where, and found the Devil knows when. ”

“ Nay, for what was deficient at home, the whole Neighborhood was Ransakt to lend help toward the Accommodation. Our new Lover not to baulk a good Cause, openly Professes no less than honourable Matrimonial Affection to his dear Conqueror. Estate he wants none; and Portion or Quality are below his Consideration, the Satisfaction of Love is the only thing in the World he resolves to gratifie. ”

“ And for that purpose he has no better way than for his Father-in-Law to help him to a small Cart and a couple of able Horses, and to drive to his Brothers, and take up his Trunks, &c. And considering he had laid out all his ready Money in Cattle at Brayle Fair, he desired the favour of him to furnish him with Ten Pounds, that he might not be unprovided with a little of the Ready about him, in case of any Rupture between his Brother and himself, till he could furnish himself better amongst his Tenants. ”

“ In addition, The Notorious Impostor serves as a representative work by Elkanah Settle whose criminal biographies have never received the attention they deserve. [1]
The combination of fact and fiction in the William Morrell narratives had been tried earlier in Settle's first known criminal biography, The Life and Death of Major Clancie, the Grandest Cheat of this Age (1680) . Like Bunyan's Mr. Badman, advertised in the same issue of The Term Catalogues (I, 382) , Major Clancie purports to narrate "Real matter of Fact." ”

“ The next Post four or five Letters more came after him; one from his Bayliff, to desire him, for God's sake to come home again; for the Devil a Farthing would his Tenants pay till they saw their Landlord. A second from one of his Tenants, complaining of his bad Crop, and the low price of Corn, and that unless he would bate him Twenty pound a Year Rent, he could never hold his Farm; earnestly desiring his Worship to come home, and take care of his poor Tenants, &c. ”

“ I give and bequeath all my Lands, Tenements and Hereditaments, called Pryor's Farm, and all other my Estate in Hollywell and Needingworth, or else where, in the said County of Huntington, unto the above named John Brooking, VVilliam Davis Senior, and Tho. Cullin Sen. and the Survivor of them, and their Heirs, and the Heirs of the Survivor of them, under this special Trust and Confidence, that the said Jo. Brooking, VVilliam Davis, and Thomas Cullen, shall sell and dispose of the same; and out of the Moneys thereby raised, pay, or Cause to be paid the respective Legacies hereafter named, viz. ”

“ The Contents put her mightily upon the gog; for certainly she concluded he must be a Man of a mighty Estate, so many Tenants, and the Lord knows what; and if a Sister had Two thousand Pounds, what must an Elder Brother possess. ”

“ Item, I give unto Jane Croker and Mary Croker; and also to the said Robert Penniston, and Jane Penniston, and all other my Legates herein before mentioned, and to every of them the Sum of Ten Pounds a piece to buy them Mourning, and a Ring of Twelve Shillings. ”

“ The Old Man very readily embraced this reasonable proposition, and though truly the Summ of Ten Pounds was above his Stock, nevertheless living in Repute amongst his Neighbors, through great Solicitation, some forty and some thirty Shillings, and such like Summs, with much ado he raises the Ten Pounds desired ”

“ But before these Honourable Exequies could be performed, an unhappy Letter from the True Humphrey Wickham Esq; a Person of a great Estate and Reputation, detected the whole Fraud and Delusion, and the Remains of our Quandam Person of Honour was committed to Earth, in a Coffin, price 4s. with Shrowd and other Funeral Materials accordingly.
You are hereby informed, That this grand Impostor, whose true Name was VVilliam Morrell alias Bowyer, formerly a Surgeon in Banbury, had been two Months a Guest at Mr. ”