He's a Tabarin—a merry Andrew. Tabarin was the fellow of
Mondor, a famous vendor of quack medicines in the reign of Charles IX.
By his antics and coarse wit he collected great crowds, and both he and
his master grew rich. Tabarin bought a handsome château in Dauphiné,
but the aristocracy out of jealousy murdered him.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
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