On Mon, Sep 10, 2012 at 2:46 AM, David Bircumshaw <[log in to unmask]
> wrote:
> Here's a link to Isaac Disraeli's (nineteenth century) essay upon Tom
> O'Bedlams:
>
> http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/d/disraeli/isaac/curiosities/chapter190.html
>
>
Ah that was a fine read. Thanks. And Disraeli puts the obvious admonition
to my line of enquiry:
"This poem must not be read without a continued reference to the personated
character. Delirious and fantastic, strokes of sublime imagination are
mixed with familiar comic humour, and even degraded by the cant language;
for the gipsy habits of life of these “Tom o’ Bedlams” had confounded them
with “the progging Abram men.”"
Well, Max. Thanks for bringing up the Bethlehem Tom here. I've had much
profit by it!
--
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