Alexis-Vincent-Charles Berbiguier de Terre-Neuve du Thym

He was born, and died, in Carpentras in Southern France, and was the heir to an estate, which he used to finance the publication of his unusual memoirs.

He relates that these imps harassed him persistently ever since his unfortunate encounter with two "sibyls", or fortune tellers, whom he consulted in an idle moment in his youth.

Vous voyez à vos pieds le plus infortuné des hommes; les tourments auxquels je suis en lutte depuis plus de vingt-trois ans sont les plus beaux titres que je puisse avoir à un de vos regards paternels.

Il y a déjà longtemps que les persécutions diaboliques des Farfadets auraient eu un terme sur la terre, si quelqu'un de vos sujets avait eu le courage de vous les dévoiler.

The book tells of an adventure he had with firefighters during a sojourn in Paris, where he attracted the alarmed notice of neighbours by burning sulphur to keep the imps at bay.

An ultimate improvement in Berbiguier's mental state may be indicated by a report that he attempted to round up and destroy the surviving copies of his book, which as a result are quite scarce.

The frontispiece to Berbiguier's book. He has surrounded himself with the tools of his exercises: sulphur in the shape of a cross, thyme, a bull's heart pierced with thorns, and pins and needles.
Imps torment Berbiguier in his bed.