Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 10.djvu/590

 484 NOTES AND QUERIES. [ 12 s.x. JUNE 24,1922. like him, practised in various English towns as a " teacher and quack doctor " ; and, further, in being personally recognized both as the former Warrington tutor and in, Paris in 1792 as the fugitive Bristol debtor. The foregiong details exhaust, we believe, the materials at present available for the solution of the Marat-Le Maitre problem. The inquiry is complicated by the obscure and stealthy life led by Jean Paul in England, and by his repeated intervals of incognito and alias, so that his connexion with the Oxford crime and other incidents cannot be proved directly and in his own name, but has to be established, if at all, through the protean personality of Le Maitre. When not voluntarily and ostentatiously in the limelight, indeed, he displays an almost uncanny ingenuity in covering up his tracks, the result being that, to this day, although more than 10 years of his life were passed in England, and mainly in London, it is not possible to point to any specific dwelling place and say " Here Marat lived." The question naturally arises, Why all this camouflage and concealment ? We have dwelt on one of the facts tending to explain it, viz., his lack of legal qualification to practise medicine in England, and the penal- ties he incurred in consequence of such prac- tice ; but the Oxford trial undoubtedly supplies a further and more significant one, for it reveals not only the Ashmolean crime of 1776, but hints of a prior forgery given by the delinquent's own witness. It cannot, indeed, be claimed that the Marat-Le Maitre identity has been proved conclusively, for there are still certain points upon which further elucidation would be of advantage. But, on the evidence as it stands, we submit that the balance of probability is, at all events, strongly in its favour. An import- ant point is the question of the value to be attached to Marat's own statements. These, as we have shown, are scarcely ever to be relied upon unless independently corrobo- rated. The soundness of the legal rule that what a man says may always be taken as evidence against, but is by no means neces- sarily evidence for, him, is here constantly demonstrated. This, it seems to us, is the rock upon which most of his biographers split. Starting as enthusiastic partisans, they accept, almost religiously, every word that fell from their idol's lips, and so have built up a purely fictitious Jean Paul Marat, who had no counterpart in real life or authentic history. SIDNEY L. PHIPSON. MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS IN BEDFORD CHURCHES, CHAPELS AND BURIAL-GROUNDS. ST. PETER DE MEBTON. (See ante, pp. 325, 365, 405, 447.) 102. Close to 101, n. from it on a s.u.s. ; w.f.e. In memory of William, son of Edward & Elizh. Chapman, who died Sept. 4, 1798, in the 32 year of his age. 103. Close to 102, n. from it on a t.u.s. ; w.f.e. In memory of Elizabeth, wife of John Dent, and daughter of Edward Chapman, mayor of this town in the year 1772, who departed this life on the 10th of May, 1793, aged 28 years. The original stone is replaced in 1851 by Edward John Dent, F.B.A.S. (of the Strand, London), honorary M.I.G.S. of St. Petersburgh, and eldest son of the above Elizabeth Dent. 104. Close to 103, n. from it on a m.u.s. ; w.f.e. In memory of Thomas, son of Edward and Eliz. Chapman, who died Sept. 13, 1790, in the 20 year of his age. 105. Close to 104, n. from it on a m.u.s. ; w.f.e. In memory of Elizabeth, wife of Edward Chapman, who departed this life the 7 June, 1778, aged 48 years. 106. Close to 105, n. from it on a s.u.s. ; w.f.e. In memory of Thos.,* son of Edwd. and Elizth. Chapman, who depd. this life March ye 27, 1770, aged. . months. 107. 1ft. n.w. from 106, leaning against No. 108 on its side, on a m.u.s. ; w.f.n. In memory of Elizth. Upton, f who depd. this life Dec. the 15, 1779, aged 3 years. 108. 1ft. n.e. from 106, on a massive s. altar tomb, s. Sacred to the memory of Edward Chapman, who departed this life February 18. 1806, in the 79 year of his age. " The righteous are in everlasting remembrance." n. Sacred to the memory of Elizabeth, J wife oj Edward Chapman, who departed this life on the fourth day of May, 1815, aged 7(1 ?) years. e. and w. Blank. 109. 2ft. n. from 108 on a m.u.s. ; w.f.e. To the memory of Martha, the daughter of Thomas and Eliz. Parker of Woburn, who died Jane 1, 180(3 ?). 110. Close to 109, n. from it on a s.u.s. ; w.f.e. In memory of Susanna Last, who died August 31, 1809, aged 50 years. 111. Close to 110, n. from it on a s.u.s. ; w.f.e. In memory of Ralph Jackson, who departed this life July 30th, 1783, aged 80 years. 112. Close to 111 on a s.u.s. ; w.f.e., almost all sunk in ground. Susanna Hi .. e ... 1732. 113. Close to 112, n. from it on a t.u.s. ; w.f.e. To the memory of Joseph Finlinson, who died suddenly at New Calabar on the 12th of July, Chapman, of the Parish of St. Paul, was buried March 30. f 1779. Elizabeth Upton, buried Deer. 4th. J 1815. Chapman, Elizabeth, St. Paul's, Bed- ford, May 10th, 1815; 74 years. Philip Hunt, Rector. 1805. June 9th, Martha, daur. of Thos. & Elizabeth Parker (from Wobourn).
 * 1770. Thomas, son of Edward & Elizabeth