Arbuthnotiana: The Story of the St. Alb-ns Ghost (1712) A Catalogue of Dr. Arbuthnot's Library (1779)

In Short

This volume contains two distinct historical artifacts: The Story of the St. Alb-ns Ghost (1712), a piece of biting Tory political satire, and A Catalogue of the Library of Dr. Arbuthnot (1779), an itemized inventory of a physician’s collection. The first uses the guise of a spectral visitation to mock Whig power brokers, while the second provides a tactile, document-based portrait of the literary and scientific interests of a man of letters. Together, they bridge the gap between the frantic, name-calling political life of the early 1700s and the quiet, scholarly legacies left behind in estate sales.

The Story

The Story of the St. Alb-ns Ghost begins with an narrator’s claims of extensive research into a supernatural event at St. Albans. Cloaked in the language of a serious historical inquiry—complete with acknowledgments to scholars—the narrative quickly abandons any pretense of ghosts to launch an attack on prominent Whig figures, specifically the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and their inner circle. The text introduces Mother Haggy, a character whose rise to power, accumulation of illicit wealth, and influence over her mistress are depicted with venomous detail. She and her cohort, described as a "couple so link'd by the bonds of iniquity," are portrayed as opportunists who have corrupted the household of their noble mistress.

As the political tides turn, the narrative describes the panicked response of these figures to their impending fall from grace. The author dwells on their physical and mental unraveling, noting that one central figure—Avaro—becomes unable to sleep, eat, or sit still, haunted by the specter of his own mismanagement and greed. The final act of the piece, fulfilling the promise of its title, features an actual apparition. Mother Haggy rises to deliver a chilling, hollow-voiced prophecy of ruin to her fellow conspirators. She meticulously details the specific fates awaiting each associate, promising that while the mistress may be merciful, the cronies will face the loss of their status, their wealth, and their political influence.

The second half of the book shifts entirely in tone and purpose. A Catalogue of the Library of Dr. Arbuthnot records the contents of a private collection sold at auction in 1779. It is a dry, thorough, and surprisingly revealing list of hundreds of titles. It moves from small, ephemeral pamphlets to grand folios, detailing a collection that spans languages and disciplines. The reader is presented with the physical remnants of a mind: Greek classics, Latin dictionaries, medical treatises, and the satirical works of contemporary poets. The catalogue serves as a coda to the life of a man who, unlike the grasping politicians in the Story, is revealed through his books to be a person of wide-ranging curiosity, quiet religious devotion, and classical erudition.

How It Unfolds

The satiric setup The narrator adopts the persona of a diligent antiquarian gathering manuscripts to explain a local haunting. This pretense is quickly discarded to link specific Whig politicians to a series of scandals and moral failings.

The rise of the cronies The narrative recounts the histories of Mother Haggy and Avaro, mapping their ascent from lowly servants to figures of immense, ill-gotten power. Their behavior is characterized by greed, incompetence, and the systematic fleecing of their noble employer.

The collapse of the cabal As political winds shift, the conspirators find themselves stripped of their protections and forced to confront their own corruption. The text describes their frantic, disjointed attempts to maintain control while their reputations disintegrate.

The prophetic visitation The apparition of Mother Haggy appears to deliver a final, stinging judgment on the conspirators. She lists their upcoming punishments, ensuring that each member of the group receives a fate suited to their specific transgressions.

The inventory of a mind The volume concludes with the auction catalogue of Dr. Arbuthnot’s library, organized by format and genre. It catalogues the physical volumes—from medical manuals to poetic epics—that defined a long life of study and professional practice.

The People

The characters in the Story are thinly veiled caricatures of real political figures, designed to be identified by the reader through the provided "Keys." Mother Haggy represents the Duchess of Marlborough, whose perceived dominance and influence are cast as a spectral, unnatural force. Avaro, standing in for the Duke, is depicted as a man of hollow reputation, whose martial standing is reduced to nothing more than the orchestrating of tavern brawls. These figures are defined entirely by their avarice and their desperate, failed attempts to hold onto power.

In contrast, Dr. Arbuthnot—the subject of the catalogue—emerges as a figure of substance. While he remains largely silent in the text, his library speaks for him. He is a man who collected the heavy Greek and Latin classics alongside the modern scientific treatises of Newton and the medical works of his peers. He wants for nothing in the way of fame, keeping few of his own writings, but he clearly wants for knowledge, as evidenced by his broad linguistic range and his commitment to scientific inquiry. His children are revealed as different from him—less grounded in the ancient world, yet still tethered to the intellectual life through their continued purchase of history and travel literature.

In Its Own Voice

That, whatever they might think of him, he was as Dutiful a Servant as any his Mistress had.

Avaro attempts to defend his reputation to strangers in the midst of his mental collapse, a scene illustrating the pathetic nature of the fallen politician.

I Come, O ye Accomplices in Iniquity, to tell you of your Crimes, to bid you desist from these Cabals, for they are Fruitless, and prepare for Punishment that is Certain.

The ghost of Mother Haggy appears to her allies to deliver a final, damning prophecy of their impending doom.

What It's Really About

At its core, this book examines the tension between moral character and public power. The Story is a brutal, polemical argument that political success is often the result of "iniquity" and that those who rise through corruption are destined to be haunted by their own actions. It reflects a world where political survival is a matter of life and death, and where the press is used as a cudgel to destroy enemies. The second half of the book provides a silent, reflective counterbalance. It suggests that the true measure of a person is not found in the fleeting, dirty business of governance, but in the enduring, quiet collection of knowledge and the cultivation of an intellectual life that outlasts the temporary scandals of the day.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the biting, period-specific wit of eighteenth-century political pamphlets will find the Story a fascinating, if sometimes opaque, experience. Because it is highly topical, it requires the provided "Keys" to decipher the references to the Duke of Marlborough and his associates, which can feel like decoding an ancient, angry tweet. It is a visceral reminder that the vitriol of modern political discourse has deep, colorful roots in the past.

The library catalogue, conversely, will appeal to those who find a strange, meditative beauty in lists. Reading the inventory feels like walking through an old study; it is an intimate, quiet experience that invites the reader to imagine the hands that once held these specific volumes. While the dialect of 1712 can be demanding, the rewards are found in the contrast between the two sections: one is a noisy, desperate scream at power, and the other is a hushed, dignified testimony to the life of the mind. It is a book for someone who likes to peel back the layers of history—to see the ugliness of the public spectacle and the intellectual depth of the private man side-by-side. You leave the book feeling as though you have peeked into two very different rooms of the same long-vanished house.