| Citation |
VGW(PA.737.073
23-30 Sep 1737:32 (61)
Dublin, Apr 29. Last Saturday was found dead in his bed,
that eminent performer on the bag-pipes, Mr. Matthew Handy,
who had been in perfect health about two hours before. His
peculiar excellency on that instrument, together with his
ridiculous size, sufficient to excite mirth (being but two
foot high) made him the life and soul of his countrymen: He
was yesterday solemnly interr'd with his ancestors in
Rathmichael Church near Bray, attended with an unusual
concourse of people of all sorts; eight couple of pipers
preceeded his corpse to the church-yard, and performed over
his grave a funeral dirge, compos'd upon that occasion, and
calculated particularly for the bag-pipes by our Orpheus,
the famous Carolin. 'Tis said this inimitable man had the
honour of performing before many potentates of Europe, and
that he was offered a considerable pension to be piper in
ordinary to the late czar of Muscovy.
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