* * * * *
Sharp misery had worn him to the bones:
And in his needy shop a tortoise hung,
An alligator stuffed, and other skins
Of ill-shaped fishes; and about his shelves
A beggarly account of empty boxes.
_Romeo and Juliet, Act v. Sc. 1_. SHAKESPEARE.
With us ther was a Doctour of Phisik,
In al this world ne was ther non him lyk
To speke of phisik and of surgerye.
* * * * *
He knew the cause of every maladye,
Were it of hoot or colde, or moyste or drye,
And wher engendered and of what humour;
He was a verrey parfight practisour.
_Canterbury Tales: Prologue_. CHAUCER.
'T is not amiss, ere ye're giv'n o'er.
To try one desp'rate med'cine more;
For where your case can be no worse,
The desp'rat'st is the wisest course.
_Hudibras to Sidrophel_. S. BUTLER.
Take a little rum,
The less you take the better,
Pour it in the lakes
Of Wener or of Wetter.
Dip a spoonful out
And mind you don't get groggy,
Pour it in the lake
Of Winnipissiogie.
Stir the mixture well
Lest it prove inferior,
Then put half a drop
Into Lake Superior.
Every other day
Take a drop in water,
You'll be better soon--
Or at least you oughter.
_Lines on Homoeopathy_. BISHOP G.W. DOANE.
By medicine life may be prolonged, yet death
Will seize the doctor too.
_Cymbeline, Act v. Sc. 5_. SHAKESPEARE.