at his peril. If he cured her, I would take care that his name should be celebrated, and the cure well known; but that if he failed, I would try to the utmost to punish him. He merely replied, that he would forfeit his life if he failed. The poor creature did not live a week after this. I consulted my medical friend as to the best mode of punishing the man, and to my surprise learnt that he was protected by law, if he could show that he had practised so many years, and that I could do nothing with him. Did the herbalist flatter himself into a belief of probable success? It is charitable to hope he did; and I now should be more willing to entertain such a hope, as I have heard that the man has been found murdered under a hedge. But the poor ought to be protected from ignorance and presumption—the poor particularly, for they are totally unable to distinguish real merit from rash pretensions in any medical practitioner. Speaking of this horrible disease, I must mention, that a very old man in the parish had one in his lip, which was so slow in its progress, that he at last died of extreme old age, and not of the disorder;-he was stone deaf. I knew a case in which a very eminent man in London acted very indiscreetly. The gentleman underwent an operation, and it was removed from his lip. I met him very shortly after, and he appeared quite well, and in high spirits; in a day or two after, he felt a little irritation in his lip, and instantly went to London to an eminent surgeon, who advised him to apply to a medical man in his own place, to whom he gave him a letter. This was an injudicious step-for the poor man, travelling more than a hundred miles with this letter in his pocket, could not resist the temptation of opening the letter, that he might study in the mean while his best means of a cure when, what was his horror to find the letter consigned him indeed to the care of a medical practitioner, but without the slightest hope, and more unfortunately still, expressed the tortures, as well as the death to which the disease would shortly subject him. On his arrival home, he shut himself up, tried to be resigned to his fate, never left his room again, and died in great agonies. There is also the cattle-doctor, who often arrives at considerable celebrity; and from his habit

of practising upon brutes, has acquired wonderful decision. A poor carpenter had cut his thumb sadly, the cattle-doctor happened to be near, and was sent for to dress it; but with the greatest seeming indifference, he whipped out his knife and cut it off entirely. The man was a carpenter, and it would have been unquestionably proper to have tried to save it. But decision had been acquired, and excision is akin to it.

The wind in the east,

Is neither good for man nor beast, is a common saying-hence many poor people conclude, that if what is bad for man is bad for beast, so what is good for beast is good for man. A poor small farmer, seeing a quantity of turpentine administered to his cow, fancied soon afterwards that it would cure him; and not being particular in the quantity, took half-a-pint, which killed him. This was bad enough; but there was something ludicrous in the tragical catastrophe of the next case. Another farmer, of great experience, upon which he prided himself, and who, though not professional, was an amateur cow-doctor, was taken very ill with internal inflammation. Having suffered great agonies, his family insisted upon sending for medical aid; but, alas, the poor man tasked his own experience before the medical man arrived. When he entered the room, the farmer was out of pain, and said he never was better in his life, adding, "Now, sir, as I have a liking to you, and always had, I'll just tell ye how I cured myself. I ha' given it to many a cow; and I'll tell thee the remedy, as it may be of use to you in your prac tice." He then detailed such horrible items of inflammatory and combustible substances, as I will not venture to put down on paper. The fact was, that mortification had immediately resulted from the dose, and in a few hours he was no more. Had you been there, Eusebius, and prevailed upon the poor fellow, in that state, to have taken the most simple matter, all his family would have said how well he was till he took your medicine. "Throw physic to the dogs," Eusebius, for I am quite sure yours will never do for man, woman, nor child.

Nothing is more striking to a minister, and oftentimes nothing more disheartening, than the indifference with which his parishioners meet death.

It is rarely that one expresses a strong desire to live. The very persons whom you would expect to see most alarmed, or most desirous of life, are often the least so. I should generally conclude, that the presence of the clergyman is more advantageous to the relatives than the sick. Besides the great debility of sickness incapacitating the dying from any mental exertion, there is the gradual loss of senses, and the wretchedness of extreme old age, when the sight and hearing have long since failed. Deafness is so extremely common in rural parishes, that it is one of the greatest obstacles to making the impression we would wish. And, let me add, that there is something so ludicrous, and apparently irreligious in uttering solemn warnings, and truths, and texts of Scripture, in a voice at its utmost stretch, that you often shrink from the attempt. Poor people have universally one remark, when you point out to them how little good you can do, when the sick have from age or other infirmity, lost all sense of hearing and understanding "The prayer of a righteous man availeth much," is the constant reply. Where there is this superstition, I should think it right to withhold prayer, certainly such as the sick may be supposed to hear, and direct a lecture and discourse to the attendants on the sick-bed; and I think it right, on such occasions, to call up as many of the family and friends as may be collected. I knew one instance of a man who prayed very fervently to live a little longer. He had been a labouring man -and for a labouring man, "pretty well to do." He had never had sickness; was strong, stout, and hale; of perhaps seventy-two or three years of age. He then had a paralytic attack, and sent for me. He continued in a doubtful state some time. At every visit I paid him, he earnestly prayed, and hoped to be allowed once more to sit in the sun before his cottage door, and then he would be so thankful, and so good! How seldom are these selfformed resolutions of much avail! He was able to sit and sun himself at his cottage-door, and often did I sit there with him, and remind him how he had prayed for that as a blessing, and that it had been granted. But by degrees I found him pass from silence to sullenness. I was evidently

not a welcome visitor. He was enabled to do more than sun himself at

his door-he was able to walk about his little garden. At length I observed that, as I entered his cottage, he would make his escape at another door. On one occasion, his wife, nearly his own age, shut the door by which he would have escaped, purposely, so that he had no help for it, but to seat himself sullenly in his chimney-corner, and endure my presence. I saw him, as he thought unobserved, clench his aged fist at his wife, and put on an expression of imbecile malignity. This a little roused the old woman, who told him he was a bad man, and had bad friends-that he had better listen to the parson. This put me on the enquiry; but first I questioned him as to what could be the cause of his change,-did he not believe as he formerly did? He did not know that he did; all he knew was, that some people believed very differently, and he did not see what great harm he had ever done, and he was not afraid to die. Upon enquiry, I then found that a workman had come out from the neighbouring town, and having work to do at a gentleman's house about a mile off, had taken lodgings within a few doors of this poor cottager. The old woman said he called himself a "Sinian ;" and I verily believe she thought it meant an encourager of sin: "and a' reads a book here," said she, "that nobody can't understand; but that there's no wicked place for ever and ever; and a pack o' things that ha' turned his senses topsyturvy; and I knows it can't be good, for he ain't no longer kind like to me." This account gave me great pain; mischief was doing all around me, and how hard to combat? It is very unpardonable to shake the faith of the aged, and remove from them, in their last days of pain, sickness, bodily and mental infirmity, their only solace, a Christian hope. I wish that those who do so would first consider, if, in uprooting all from the heart, they find the soil really fit for the new seed they would throw in. Ten to one that they leave nothing but entire barrenness and desolationand all for what? To make a worthless proselyte to philosophy, and to divinity, without mediation, when they, who would thus new-engraft the old tree, do not believe that it is essential to the safety of their convert, that they should believe otherwise than they have been wont to believe. Not very

long after this the man had another seizure. He then, himself, anxiously sent for me. He cried like a child— and was in all respects, perhaps, as weak as one. I was much struck with the contrast of the mental imbecility in his whole expression, and the yet remaining sturdiness of constitution in his appearance; he did not look very ill, and though at so advanced an age, he had not, I think, a white hair, but a strong, dark, curly head, as if he were not more than thirty. That was my last visit-he died.

There is not a human being who would more rejoice in the innocent mirth of others than you, my dear Eusebius, but when the sot, the profligate, the idle, meet for revel, "there is death in the pot." How lamentable and how awful is the following case:A man of education, and of one of the learned professions, and of considerable talent, became, after various degrees of misconduct, greatly embarrassed in circumstances, and entirely lost his rank in society, and his reputation. I believe he had no means but the annuity of a woman with whom he lived. They took a house in my parish. Cut off from better society, to which they were born, they still found many among the villagers willing to idle away unprofitable hours with them, especially when the temptation of drowning care was proposed. On one such occasion no very small party was assembled. I think there was dancing; there certainly was much intoxication. A common mason was ainong the number, and in the course of the night he was carried up into a room and laid on a bed. After an hour or two his wife went up to see him, and found him-dead. I know not what immediately passed, but the end of the night's revel was the death of three persons; at least I so concluded. The man above mentioned who gave the feast, did not long survive. I cannot state the precise time, but very ill he was. A fever came on,-in his last illness the last day-he addressed a person thus:" They think I'm an unbeliever, but I am not, and should like to see the clergyman." I went, but I was not allowed to see him. Very soon after this a middle-aged woman who attended him as a sort of nurse, was seized with the same fever, which took her off in a very short time. Not then, but I should think not a very long time after, one of that party died of

"delirium tremens," brought on by habitual intoxication. But the poor woman who, as I mentioned, acted the part of nurse, took the matter very ill when apprised of her danger. She was almost the only one I knew that expressed much horror at dying. This woman has before come under my observation, immediately upon my first entering upon the curacy, and in a manner that had something of the ludicrous in it. I had been called to attend her mother, a very old woman, the widow of a small farmer. She was then in a dying state; but I should conclude she had been a gossipping, curious woman; and retained her ruling passion, curiosity, strong in death. The first time I visited her I was accompanied by my wife. I suppose the people in the house saw us coming, and announced it to her. I talked to her some time, and as my words became more serious, as suiting the solemn occasion of a death-bed, for such it was, the old dame appeared restless, and was rather trying to look than looking about her, till at length she interrupted me querulously thus"I do want to see the parson's wife." My wife came forward, bent towards her, and said some soft or gentle thing, as women, and parson's wives particularly, know best how to say; when the old lady, looking with evident curiosity, said, "What! you the parson's wife? such a little bit of a thing as you?" Now, my wife is of a middle size; but in her second childhood the poor old creature, always thinking the parson and his wife to be the first, and in that sense the biggest people in the parish, concluded their bodily magnitude must be equivalent to that of prize oxen. The daughter followed us to the door, then into the road, repeating at every other step-"Oh sir, I'll never forget the Lord." I looked back after I had gone a little way, and there was she standing, and speaking. I thought she had something to say, and went back-she only made a drop, but not at all like Goldsmith's "mutilated curtsy," and repeated again"Oh, no, sir, I never, never, will forget the Lord!" And this was the poor woman who was so rapidly taken off by that fever.

The effect of fever which I am about to mention, is probably very well known to medical men, but to me it was strange, and I shall not easily forget it, for the case had another inte

rest. The wife of a tailor, a hand. some young woman, about six or seven-and-twenty years of age, was considered dying when I entered the room; the fever was very high, and she somewhat rallied her strength. I was standing at the bed-side; she made a tremulous sort of noise, that in a few seconds had a termination and began again, and so on incessantly. It was most like the cooing of a dove; she was all the while very busy moving about her tongue, and rolling the saliva into little balls, like small shot, which she then passed over her lips in a very extraordinary manner. Her husband, poor man, was forced out of the room at the moment that she fell back exhausted; I caught her as she fell, and gently laid her head upon the pillow. She, however, recovered. When I left the room, I found the ejected husband lying along in the passage, and listening to the smallest sound that might come from under the door. When he saw me come out, he broke forth, in an agony, "Oh, she is dead, she is dead." When I told him it was not so, he rapidly again laid his ear to the bottom of the door, that he might hear her breathe or speak. They were both favourites with me and my family.

The inmates of the poor's-house al. ways consider themselves more entitled than any others to the bounty and attention of the clergyman and there is a familiarity established between the two parties, if the establishment be not very large, that is by no means disagreeable. At first, indeed, they would all complain sadly of being straightened by the parish; I am speaking of their state under the old poorlaws. But I think a little mirth, and a light easy way of treating their illfounded complaints, half-reasoning, and half-bantering, greatly tends to put them in good humour with their condition. I so treated half-a-dozen old women in one of my early visits, by calculating for them their expenditure, and some of the items and their wants were whimsical enough; I then called in an old man before them, and calculated his expenditure to meet his means-but, alas! there was a penny a-week for shaving. I sent him out, and congratulated the old ladies (upon my word, a little against my conscience) that they had no beards, and consequently had the superabundance over their wants of a penny a-weck

for snuff as a luxury. Whether they were pleased at the discovery of their abundance, or at the flattery that they had no beards, I know not, but they laughed very heartily, and never complained afterwards. Now here, my dear Eusebius, I borrowed a leaf out of your book, for in some such manner you would have treated them. And yet I never found that these little familiarities in the least lessened respect, or prevented seriousness, when requisite, from having its due effect. They were old stagers, and understood me very well, and always sent for me to settle their little disputes, and in all cases of emergency.

One mumping old man would lie in bed all day long, unless the weather was very fine; and then he would get up and go about the roads begging. He was a white-headed old man, and would put on such a look of simplicity and respectability too, that showed he was formed by long habit for a mumper. Long did he try, in vain, to excite a little more commiseration from the parish officers, trying hard for an additional sixpence per week at every parish meeting. The poor'shouse people sent in to me early one morning to tell me that old William had cut his throat. Before I went in I made some strict enquiries into the case, which convinced me that it was all sham, and to effect his purpose; and, in fact, there was no harm done, as none was intended. When I entered the room, he was leaning back on his bed, one or two good women holding his hands and applying a cloth to his neck, which had bled a little. He affected a fainting and miserable look. I pretended not much to notice him, and in rather an upbraiding voice, and very loud, asked the inmates how they could think of preventing him— did they not know how much the parish would have gained had he effected his purpose, at the same time giving them a look they well understood. The mumper suddenly turned round his head to look at me, and forgot his fainting doleful expression directly; and I shall never forget the look he gave me it was one which told plainly that he directly knew he was detected, and it was succeeded by another which seemed to beg that I wouldn't betray him, and that he would do so no more. I often charged him with his real purpose, and he could not deny it. He never made another attempt.

A curious incident once occurred to me, of which I never was able to solve the mystery. I was sent for to a man supposed to be dying on the road. I went, and found a strong stout fellow, by the road-side, apparently in great pain. He was accompanied by another man and a boy, but the boy rather attended to some donkeys belonging to them than to the man; the donkeys carried saddle-bags. I thought it a case of cholic, and sent to the house for some spirits and water, and remained, as did others of my family, by the man until he was able to proceed. He told me he came from some distance, and should pass by again in about a month. I was interested to knowing how he journeyed, and begged him to call and I would give him something; but I never saw him till six months after, when I met hin crossing the churchyard. He did not know me-declared he never saw me-never was in the parish before. "Why are you then," said I, "going through the churchyard, for it is no high-road, and leads only to places known to and frequented by parishioners?" he gave me a surly answer, and went on. I found his donkeys on one side of the high-road at some distance from the churchyard, and the same boy watching them. I much regretted, and regret still, I did not contrive to find out what those bags contained. I have my suspicions that stolen goods, and plate particularly, are conveyed from place to place by such means. It was not long after this that there was a discovery of a communication between some gangs of thieves and of plate sent from one distant city to another. If some of these carriers were watched, I cannot but think that discoveries would be made. Certainly if I had been disposed to be active and scrutinizing on this occasion, I could have placed very little trust in the constables-for one, a stout one too, happened to be in my house at workwhen three sturdy fellows in that disgraceful state of more than half nudity, which we sometimes see about the roads, and why so suffered, I know not, came across my garden boldly up to the window begging. I refused to give them any thing, when they insolently seated themselves on the grass plot before my window, folded their arms, and passed insolent jokes from

VOL. XLI. NO, CCLIX,

one to the other. I told the constable to remove them, and if unable, to go for help. He refused, and said the magistrate of the place would be very angry with him if he did, for it would put the parish to expense. Constables are not, however, always wanted; thieves sometimes catch themselves, as the following incident will show :-A gentleman living not very far from me had his orchard repeatedly robbed, and bidding defiance to prohibitory acts, had an old man-trap repaired, and set up in his orchard. The smith brought it home, and there was a consultation as to which tree it should be placed under; several were proposed, as being all favourite bearers, at last the smith's suggestion as to the locus quo was adopted, and the man-trap set. But the position somehow or other did not please the master, and as tastes occasionally vary, so did his, and he bethought him of another tree, the fruit of which he should like above all things to preserve. Accordingly, scarcely had he laid his head upon his pillow when the change was determined on, and erelong the man-trap was transferred. Very early in the morning the cries of a sufferer brought master and men into the orchard, and there they discovered-The Smith.

It being unlawful to set man-traps and spring-guns, a gentleman once hit upon a happy device. He was a scholar, and being often asked the meaning of mysterious words compounded from the Greek, that flourish in every day's newspaper, and finding they always excited wonder by their length and terrible sound, he had painted on a board, and put up on his premises, in very large letters, the fol lowing-" Tondapamubomenos set up in these grounds;" it was perfectly a "Patent Safety." We had one great knave whom I often wished to catch somehow or other, but I never could, though many a time I caught his donkey. He kept a donkey and a cow, without any pretension to keep either. However, as they did his work, and found him milk, he sent them forth, as Lord John Russell does his commissioners, to shift for themselves, and find free or make free quarters everywhere. He taught them both to open gates with the greatest facility; but the cow was the most accomplished of the two; for where she found good provisions, she not only

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