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dancers and singers were perfectly well received in English society, but no men of letters."

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From the London Metropolitan.

Against this anecdote of a nameless young JAPHET IN SEARCH OF A FATHER. English nobleman, whom, from his designation of "good-natured,' we take to be a fool, we beg Those who may be pleased to honour these pages with leave to place the following anecdote of a young birth, parentage, and education. The very title implies a perusal, will not be detained with a long history of my French nobleman, who certainly is not a fool. that at this period of my memoirs I was ignorant of the M. le Vicomte de la Martine, on being asked two first; and it will be necessary for the due developesome question relating to Béranger by a distin- ment of my narrative, that I allow you to remain in the guished Englishman, replied, that he had little same state of bliss; for in the perusal of a novel, as well acquaintance with men of letters, and knew no as in the pilgrimage of life, ignorance of the future may thing personally of the individual in question. truly be considered as the greatest source of happiness. This is fact, and we request Mr. H. Bulwer to The little that was known at this time, I will, however, explain why M. de la Martine was guilty of this narrate as concisely, and as correctly, as I am able. It piece of dandyism, if literature be a recommenda- was on the night-I really forget the date, and must tion in the exclusive coteries of France. The rise from my chair, look for a key, open a closet, and truth is, there still exists in both countries a silly will detain you too long it will be sufficient to say that then open an iron safe to hunt over a pile of papers-it set of exclusives, who vote every thing of a de- it was on a night-but whether the night was dark or monstrative character, such as genius, learning, moonlit, or rainy or foggy, or cloudy or fine, or starlight, talent, &c., a bore. The crowds of lords, and I really cannot tell; but it is of no very great conseladies, and honourables, ambitious of appearing quence. Well, it was on a night about the hour in print, prove that the prejudice even in this there again I'm puzzled, it might have been ten, or favoured set is rapidly disappearing in England; eleven, or twelve, or between any of these hours; nay, it but we look in vain for similar symptoms of a might have been past midnight, and far advancing to the corresponding spirit of improvement in France. morning, for what I know to the contrary. The reader Certain French houses of fashion receive authors must excuse an infant of-there again I am at a non-certain English houses of fashion do the same; plus; but we will assume of some days old-if, when Mr. Babbage was lately rejected by the electors wrapped up in flannel and in a covered basket, and, moreof a populous department of London, and M. the state of the weather, and the time by the church fast asleep at the time, he does not exactly observe Charles Dupin was rejected not long ago by a clock. I never before was aware of the great importance populous department of Paris. As to the number of dates in telling a story; but it is now too late to reof literary men in the Chambers, it is at present cover these facts, which have been swept away into obliremarkably small, and proves incontestably that vion by the broad wing of Time. I must therefore just literary men are chosen by the people in both tell the little I do know, trusting to the reader's good nacountries, not merely as literary men, but in pro-ture, and to blanks. It is as follows:-that at the hour portion as their studies have been of a character to acquire them political celebrity, or as they themselves are qualified by nature or fortune to attract popular favour in other modes than by their books. The subject, in its full extent, is one which we may hereafter make the subject of an article; we are now merely protesting against what appears to us to be a misstatement (no doubt involuntary) as to facts. For the present we take leave of it in the firm conviction, that, though Mr. H. Bulwer belongs, by birth and circumstances, to that class of society in which (as he tells us) "to be known as a writer is certainly to your prejudice," he will gain, instead of losing, even in their estimation by this book, and find the electors of Coventry more proud than ever to be represented by him.

From the New Monthly Magazine. TRANSLATION FROM THE GREEK ANTHOLOGY.

ARCHIUS.*

On a statue of the nymph Echo.

Pan's comrade, she who dwells amongst the rocks,
Echo, the nymph whose song the singer mocks
With his own notes made softer,-mimic gay,
Who keeps the laughing shepherd-boy at play,
The vocal mirror, as it were, of sounds
Who sends their image back with true rebounds,
Here is she-this her statue! To it say
Whate'er you will, your greeting she'll repay.

*The friend of Cicero.

over,

of the night-the state of the weather being also -I, an infant of a certain age-was suspended by somebody or somebodies at the knocker of the Foundling Hospital. Having made me fast, the said somebody old porter start up in so great a hurry, that with the or somebodies rang a peal upon the bell, which made the back of his hand he hit his better half a blow on the nose, occasioning a great suffusion of blood from that organ, and a still greater pouring forth of invectives from the organ immediately below it.

All this having been effected by the said peal on the bell, the said somebody or somebodies did incontinently take to their heels, and disappear long before the old porter could pull his legs through his nether garments and obey the rude summons. At last the old man swang open the gate, and the basket swang across his nose; he went in again for a knife and cut me down, for it was cruel to hang a baby of a few days old; carried me into the lodge, ̧ lighted a candle, and opened the basket. Thus did I' metaphorically first come to light.

When he opened the basket I opened my eyes, and although I did not observe it, the old woman was standing at the table in very light attire, sponging her nose over a basin.

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Verily, a pretty babe with black eyes!" exclaimed the old man, in a tremulous voice.

"Black eyes, indeed," muttered the old woman. "I shall have two to-morrow."

"Beautiful black eyes, indeed!" continued the old?

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"But, dear me, here's a paper !" exclaimed the old the same market. It was a corner house, but not in a

man.

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Vinegar and brown paper," echoed the old woman. "Addressed to the governors of the hospital," continued the porter.

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Apply to the dispenser of the hospital," continued his wife.

"And scaled," said he.
"Get it healed," said she.

"The linen is good; it must be the child of no poor people. Who knows?"-soliloquised the old man.

"My poor nose!" exclaimed the old woman.

"I must take it to the nurses, and the letter I will give to-morrow," said the old porter, winding up his portion of this double soliloquy, and tottering away with the basket and your humble servant across the court-yard. "There it will do now," said the old wife, wiping her face on a towel, and regaining her bed, in which she was soon joined by her husband, and they finished their nap without any further interruption during that night. The next morning I was reported and examined, and the letter addressed to the governors was opened and read. It was laconic, but still, as most things laconic are, very much to the point.

corner. On each side of the shop were two gin establishments, and next to them were two public-houses and two eating-houses, frequented by graziers, butchers, and drovers. Did the men drink so much as to quarrel in their cups, who was so handy to plaster up the broken heads as Mr. Cophagus? Did a fat grazier eat himself into an apoplexy, how very convenient was the ready lancet of Mr. Cophagus. Did a bull gore a man, Mr. Cophagus appeared with his diachylon and lint. Did an ox frighten a lady, it was in the back parlour of Mr. Cophagus that she was recovered from her syncope. Market days were a sure market to my master; and if an overdriven beast knocked down others, it only helped to set him on his legs. Our windows suffered occasionally; but whether it was broken heads, or broken limbs, or broken windows, they were well paid for. Every one suffered but Mr. Phineas Cophagus, who never suffered a patient to escape him. The shop had the usual allowance of green, yellow, and blue bottles; and in hot weather, from our vicinity, we were visited by no small proportion of blue-bottle flies. We had a white horse in one window, and a brown horse in the other, to announce to the drovers that we supplied horse-medicines. And we had all the patent medicines in the known world, even to the "all sufficient medicine for mankind" of Mr. Enouy; having which, I wondered, on my first arrival, But there was a postscript by Abraham Newland, Esq., why we troubled ourselves about any others. The shop promising to pay the bearer on demand the sum of fifty was large, and at the back part there was a most capapounds. In plainer terms, there was a bank note to that cious iron mortar, with a pestle to correspond. The amount enclosed in the letter. As in general, the par- first floor was tenanted by Mr. Cophagus, who was a ties who suspend children in baskets, have long before bachelor, the second floor was let; the others were apsuspended cash payments, or, at all events, forget to sus-propriated to the housekeeper, and to those who formed pend them on the baskets, my arrival created no little the establishment. In this well-situated tenement, Mr. noise, to which I added my share, until I obtained a share | Cophagus got on swimmingly. I will therefore, for the of the breast of a young woman, who, like Charity, suck-present, sink the shop, that my master may rise in the led two or three babies at one time. estimation of the reader, when I describe his person and his qualifications.

"This child was born in wedlock-he is to be named Japhet. When circumstances permit, he will be reclaimed."

We have preparatory schools all over the kingdom; for young gentlemen, from three to five years of age, Mr. Phineas Cophagus might have been about fortyinder ladies, and from four to seven, under either, or five years of age when I first had the honour of an both sexes, as it may happen; but the most preparatory introduction to him in the receiving room of the Foundof all preparatory schools, is certainly the Foundling ling Hospital. He was of the middle height, his face Hospital, which takes in its pupils, if they are sent, from was thin, his nose very much hooked, his eyes small and one to three days old, or even hours, if the parents are in peering, with a good-humoured twinkle in them, his such extreme anxiety about their education. Here it mouth large, and drawn down at one corner. He was commences with their weaning, when they are instructed stout in his body, and carried a considerable protuberance in the mystery of devouring pap; next they are taught before him, which he was in the habit of patting with to walk-and as soon as they can walk-to sit still; to his left hand very complacently; but although stout in talk-and as soon as they can talk-to hold their tongues; his body, his legs were mere spindles, so that, in his apthus are they instructed and passed on from one part of pearance, he reminded you of some bird of the crane the establishment to another, until they finally are passed genus. Indeed I may say, that his whole figure gave out of its gates, to get on in the world, with the advan- you just such an appearance as an orange might do, tage of some education, and the still further advantage of had it taken to itself a couple of pieces of tobacco pipes having no father or mother to provide for, or relatives to as vehicles of locomotion. He was dressed in a black pester them with their necessities. It was so with me: coat and waistcoat, white cravat and high collar to his I arrived at the age of fourteen, and notwithstanding the shirt, blue cotton-net pantaloons and Hessian boots, both promise contained in the letter, it appeared that circum-fitting so tight, that it appeared as if he was proud of stances did not permit of my being reclaimed. But I his spindle shanks. His hat was broad-brimmed and had a great advantage over the other inmates of the hos- low, and he carried a stout black cane with a gold top pital; the fifty pounds sent with me was not added to the in his right hand, almost always raising the gold top to funds of the establishment, but generously employed for his nose when he spoke, just as we see doctors repremy benefit by the governors, who were pleased with my sented at a consultation in the caricature prints. But if conduct, and thought highly of my abilities. Instead of his figure was strange, his language and manners were being bound 'prentice to a cordwainer, or some other still more so. He spoke, as some birds fly, in jerks, inmechanic, by the influence of the governors, added to termixing his words, for he never completed a whole the fifty pounds and interest, as a premium, I was taken sentence, with um-um-and ending it with "so on," by an apothecary, who engaged to bring me up to the leaving his hearers to supply the context from the heads profession. And now, that I am out of the Foundling. of his discourse. Almost always in motion, he generally we must not travel quite so fast. changed his position as soon as he had finished speaking, walking to any other part of the room, with his cane to his nose, and his head cocked on one side, with a selfsufficient tiptoe gait. When I was ushered into his presence, he was standing with two of the governors. "This is the lad," said one of them," his name is Japhet."

The practitioner who thus took me by the hand was a Mr. Phineas Cophagus, whose shop was most conveniently situated for business, one side of the shop looking upon Smithfield Market, the other presenting a surface of glass to the principal street leading out of

"Japhet," replied Mr. Cophagus; "um, scriptural- | well as Christian names, are always given to the children Shem, Harn, um-and so on. Boy reads?"

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Very well, and writes a very good hand. He is a very good boy, Mr. Cophagus."

at the Foundling, and in consequence of the bank note found in my basket, I had been named after the celebrated personage whose signature it bore. "Newland is my other name, sir," replied I.

"Newland-heh!-very good name-every body likes to see that name-and have plenty of them in his pockets too-um-very comfortable-and so on," replied Mr. Cophagus, leaving the shop.

I resumed my thumping occupation, when Timothy returned with his empty basket. He laughed when he saw me at work. "Well, how do you like the rudimans? and so on-heh!" said he, mimicking Mr. Cophagus. "Not overmuch," replied I, wiping my face. "That was my job before you came. I have been more than a year, and never have got out of those rudimans yet, and I suppose I never shall."

Mr. Brookes, perceiving that I was tired, desired me to leave off, an order which I gladly obeyed, and I took my seat in a corner of the shop.

"There," said Timothy, laying down his basket; "no more work for me, hanty prandium, is there, Mr. Brookes?"

"Read-write-spell-good, and so on. Bring him up-rudiments-spatula-write labels-um-M. Ď. one of these days-make a man of him-and so on," said this strange personage, walking round and round me with his cane to his nose, and scrutinizing my person with his twinkling eyes. I was dismissed after this examination and approval, and the next day, dressed in a plain suit of clothes, was delivered by the porter at the shop of Mr. Phineas Cophagus, who was not at home when I arrived. A tall, fresh coloured, but hectic looking young man, stood behind the counter, making up prescriptions, and a dirty lad, about thirteen years old, was standing near with his basket to deliver the medicines to the several addresses, as soon as they were ready, The young man behind the counter, whose name was Brookes, was within eighteen months of serving his time, when his friends intended to establish him on his own account, and this was the reason which induced Mr. Cophagus to take me, that I might learn the business, and supply his place when he left. Mr. Brookes was a "No, Tim; but post prandium, you'll post off again." very quiet, amiable person, kind to me and the other boy Dinner being ready, and Mr. Cophagus having returnwho carried out the medicines, and who had been taken ed, he and Mr. Brookes went into the back parlour, leavby Mr Cophagus for his food and raiment. The portering Timothy and me in the shop to announce customers. told Mr. Brookes who I was, and left me. "Do you And I shall take this opportunity of introducing Mr. think that you will like to be an apothecary ?" said Mr. Timothy more particularly, as he will play a very conBrookes to me, with a benevolent smile. spicuous part in this narrative. Timothy was short in stature for his age, but very strongly built. He had an oval face, with a very dark complexion, grey eyes flashing from under their long eyelashes, and eyebrows nearly meeting each other. He was marked with the small pox, not so much as to disfigure him, but still it was very perceptible when near to him. His countenance was always lighted up with merriment; there was such a happy, devil-may-care expression in his face that you liked him the first minute that you were in his company, and I was intimate with him immediately.

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"Yes; I do not see why I should not," replied 1. Stop a moment," said the lad who was waiting with the basket, looking archly at me, "you havn't got through your rudimans yet."

"Hold your tongue, Timothy," said Mr. Brookes. "That you are not very fond of the rudiments, as Mr. Cophagus calls them, is very clear. Now walk off as fast as you can with these medicines, sir-14, Spring Street; 16, Cleaver Street, as before; and then to John Street, 55, Mrs. Smith's. Do you understand?"

"To be sure I do-can't I read? I reads all the directions, and all your Latin stuff into the bargain-all your summen dusses, horez, diez, cockly hairy. I mean to set up for myself one of these days."

"I'll knock you down one of these days, Mr. Timothy, if you stay so long as you do, looking at the print shops; that you may depend upon."

"I keep up all my learning that way," replied Timothy, walking off with his load, turning his head round and laughing at me, as he quitted the shop. Mr. Brookes smiled, but said nothing.

"I say, Japhet," said he, "where did you come from?"

"The Foundling," replied I.

"Then you have no friends or relations."

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If I have, I do not know where to find them," replied I, very gravely.

"Pooh! don't be grave upon it. I hav'n't any either. I was brought up by the parish, in the workhouse. I was found at the door of a gentleman's house, who sent me to the overseers-I was about a year old then. They call me a foundling, but I don't care what they call me, so long as they don't call me too late for dinner. Father and mother, whoever they were, when they run away from me, didn't run away with my appetite. I wonder how long master means to play with his knife and fork. As for Mr. Brookes, what he eats wouldn't physic a snipe. What's your other name, Japhet?" "Newland."

As Timothy went out, in came Mr. Cophagus. "Heh! Japhet. I see," said he, putting up his cane, “nothing to do-bad-must work-um-and so on. Mr. Brookes -boy learn rudiments—good—and so on." Hereupon Mr. Cophagus took his cane from his nose, pointed to the large iron mortar, and then walked away into the back parlour. Mr. Brookes understood his master, if I did not. He wiped out the mortar, threw in some drugs, "Newland-now you shall have mine in exchange: and, showing me how to use the pestle, left me to my Timothy Oldmixon at your service. They christened work. In half an hour I discovered why it was that me after the workhouse pump, which had Timothy Timothy had such an objection to what Mr. Cophagus Oldmixon fecit' on it; and the overseers thought it as facetiously termed the rudiments of the profession. It good a name to give me as any other; so I was christenwas dreadful hard work for a boy; the perspiration ran ed after the pump-maker with some of the pump water. down me in streams, and I could hardly lift my arms. As soon as I was big enough, they employed me to When Mr. Cophagus passed through the shop and look-pump all the water for the use of the workhouse. I ed at me, as I continued to thump away with the heavy iron pestle, "Good," said he, " by and by-M. D.-and so on." I thought it was a very rough road to such preferment, and I stopped to take a little breath. By the by -Japhet-Christian name-and so on-sirname-heh!" "Mr. Cophagus wishes to know your other name," said Mr. Brookes, interpreting.

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I have omitted to acquaint the reader that sirnames as

worked at my pap, as I called the pump, all day long. Few sons worked eir father more, or disliked him so much; and now, Japhet, you see, from habit, I'm pumping you."

You'll soon pump dry, then, for I've very little to tell you," replied I; "but, tell me, what sort of a person is our master ?"

"He's just what you see him, never alters, hardly

ever out of humour, and when he is, he is just as odd as ever. He very often threatens me, but I have never had a blow yet, although Mr. Brookes has complained once or twice."

I took one of the measures, and putting in a little green, a little blue, and a little white liquid from the medicine bottles generally used by Mr. Brookes, filled it up with water, poured the mixture into the vial, corked, and labeled it, haustus statim sumendus, and handed it over the counter to the old woman.

"Is the poor child to take it, or is it to rub outside ?" enquired the old woman.

"The directions are on the label ;-but you don't read Latin ?"

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'Deary me, no! Latin! and do you understand Latin? what a nice clever boy!"

"But surely Mr. Brookes is not cross?" "No, he is a very good gentleman; but sometimes I carry on my rigs a little too far, I must say that. For, as Mr. Brookes says, people may die for want of the medicines, because I put down my basket to play. It's very true; but I can't give up 'peg in the ring' on that account. But then I only get a box of the car from Mr. Brookes, and that goes for nothing. Mr. Cophagus shakes his stick, and says, Bad boy-big stick-um- "I should not be a good doctor if I did not," replied I. wont forget-next time and so on," continued Timo- On second thoughts I considered it advisable and safer thy, laughing; "and it is so on, to the end of the chapter." that the application should be external, so I translated "By this time Mr. Cophagus and his assistant had the label to her—“ Haustus, rub it in—statim, on the finished their dinner, and came into the shop. The for-throat-sumendus, with the palm of the hand." mer looked at me, put his stick to his nose, "Little boys Deary me! and does it mean all that? How much -always hungry-um-like good dinner-roast beef-have I to pay, sir?"

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'I'm sure I thank you kindly, sir,” replied the old woman, putting down the money, and wishing me a good morning, as she left the shop.

Yorkshire pudding-and so on," and he pointed with "Embrocation is a very dear medicine, my good wothe stick to the back parlour. Timothy and I under-man; it ought to be eighteen pence, but, as you are a stood him very well this time: we went into the parlour, poor woman, I shall only charge you nine-pence." when the housekeeper sat down with us and helped us. She was a terribly cross, little, old woman, but as honest as she was cross, which is all that I shall say in her favour. Timothy was no favourite, because he had such a good appetite; and it appeared that I was not very likely to stand well in her good opinion, for I also ate a great deal, and every extra mouthful I took I sank in her estimation, till I was nearly at the zero, where Timothy had long been for the same offence; but Mr. Cophagus would not allow her to stint him, saying, "Little boys must eat--or won't grow-and so on."

I soon found out that we were not only well fed, but in every other point well treated, and I was very comfortable and happy. Mr. Brookes instructed me in the art of labeling and tying up, and in a very short time I was very expert; and, as Timothy predicted, the rudiments were once more handed over to him. Mr. Cophagus supplied me with good clothes, but never gave me any pocket money, and Timothy and I often lamented that we had not even a halfpenny to spend.

"Bravo!" cried Timothy, rubbing his hands; "it's halves, Japhet, is it not?"

"Yes," replied I; "but first we must be honest, and not cheat Mr. Cophagus; the vial is sold, you know, for one penny, and I suppose the stuff I have taken is not worth a penny more. Now, if we put aside two-pence for Mr. Cophagus, we don't cheat him, or steal his property; the other seven-pence is of course ours-being the profits of the profession."

"But how shall we account for receiving the twopence?" said Timothy. "Selling two vials instead of one; they are never reckoned, you know."

"That will do capitally," cried Timothy; "and now But this could not be managed until for halves." Timothy had run out and changed the sixpence; we Before I had been many months in the shop, Mr. then each had our three-pence halfpenny, and for once Brookes was able to leave when any exigence required in our lives could say that we had money in our pockets. his immediate attendance. I made up the pills, but he The success of our first attempt encouraged us to proweighed out the quantities in the prescriptions; if, there-ceed; but afraid that I might do some mischief, I asked fore, any one came in for medicines, I desired them to wait the return of Mr. Brookes, who would be in very One day, when Mr. Brookes was out, and I was sitting behind the counter, Timothy sitting on it, and swinging his legs to and fro, both lamenting that we had no pocket money, Timothy said, "Japhet, I've been puzzling my brains how we can get some money, and I've hit it at last; let you and I turn doctors; we won't send all the people away who come when Mr. Brookes is out, but we'll physic them ourselves."

soon.

I jumped at the idea, and he had hardly proposed it, when an old woman came in, and addressing Timothy, said, "That she wanted something for her poor grandchild's sore throat."

"I don't mix up the medicines, ma'am," replied Timothy; "you must apply to that gentleman, Mr. Newland, who is behind the counter-he understands what is good for every body's complaints."

"Bless his handsome face-and so young too! Why, be you a doctor, sir?"

"I should hope so," replied I; "what is it you require-a lotion, or an embrocation ?"

"I don't understand those hard words, but I want some doctor's stuff."

"Very well, my good woman; I know what is proper," replied I, assuming an important air. "Here, Timothy, wash out this vial very clean."

"Yes, sir," replied Timothy, very respectfully. VOL. XXVI. JAN. 1835.-7

of Mr. Brookes the nature and qualities of the various medicines, as he was mixing the prescriptions, that I might avoid taking any of those which were poisonous. Mr. Brookes, pleased with my continual enquiries, gave me all the information I could desire, and thus I gained not only a great deal of information, but also a great deal of credit with Mr. Cophagus, to whom Mr. Brookes had made known my diligence and thirst for knowledge.

"Good-very good," said Mr. Cophagus; " fine boy -learns his business-M. D. one of these days-ride in his coach-um, and so on." Nevertheless, at my second attempt, I made an awkward mistake, which very nearly led to detection. An Irish labourer, more than half tipsy, came in one evening, and asked whether we had such a thing as was called "A poor man's plaster. By the powers, it will be a poor man's plaster, when it be longs to me; but they tell me that it's a sure and sartain cure for the thumbago, as they call it, which I've at the small of my back, and which is a hinder to my mounting up the ladder; so as it's Saturday night, and I've just got the money, I'll buy the plaster first, and then try what a little whiskey inside will do; the devil's in it if it won't be driven out of me between the two."

We had not that plaster in the shop, but we had blister plaster, and Timothy handing one to me, I proffered it to him. "And what may you be after asking for this same?" enquired he

The blister plasters were sold at a shilling each, when shilling

spread on paper, so I asked him eighteen-pence, that we might pocket the extra sixpence.

By the powers, one would think that you had made a mistake, and handed me the rich man's plaster instead of the poor one. It's less whiskey I'll have to drink, any how; but here's the money, and the top of the morning to ye, seeing as how it's jist coming on night."

complexion, but with very dark hair. I was always what may be termed a remarkably clean-looking boy, from the peculiarity of my skin and complexion; my teeth were small, but were transparent, and I had a very deep dimple in my chin. Like all embryo apothecaries, I carried in my appearance, if not the look of wisdom, most certainly that of self-sufficiency, which does equally Timothy and I laughed as we divided the sixpence. well with the world in general. My forehead was It appeared that after taking his allowance of whiskey, sinooth, and very white, and my dark locks were combed the poor fellow fixed the plaster on his back when he back systematically, and with a regularity that said, as went to bed, and the next morning found himself in a plainly as hair could do," The owner of this does every condition not to be envied. It was a week before we thing by prescription, measurement, and rule." With saw him again, and, much to the horror of Timothy and my long fingers I folded up the little packets, with an myself, he walked into the shop when Mr. Brookes was air as thoughtful and imposing as that of a minister who employed behind the counter. Timothy perceived him has just presented a protocol as interminable as unintelbefore he saw us, and pulling me behind the large mor-ligible; and the look of solemn sagacity with which I tar, we contrived to make our escape into the back par-poured out the contents of one vial into the other, would lour, the door of which we held ajar to hear what would have well become the king's physician, when he watched take place. the "lord's anointed" in articulo mortis.

"Murder and turf!" cried the man," but that was the devil's own plaster that you gave me here for my back, and it left me as raw as a turnip, taking every bit of my skin off me entirely, forbye my lying in bed for a whole week, and losing my day's work."

As I followed up my saturnine avocations, I generally had an open book on the counter beside me; not a marble-covered, dirty volume, from the Minerva press, or a half-bound, half-guinea's worth of Colburn's fashionable trash; but a good, honest, heavy-looking, wisdom-imply"I really do not recollect supplying you with a plas-ing book, horribly stuffed with epithet of drug; a book ter, my good man," replied Mr. Brookes. in which Latin words were redundant, and here and there were to be observed the crabbed characters of Greek. Altogether, with my book and my look, I cut such a truly medical appearance, that even the most guarded would not have hesitated to allow me the sole conduct of a whitlow, from inflammation to suppuration, and from suppuration to cure, or have refused to have confided to me the entire suppression of a gumboil. Such were my personal qualifications at the time that I was raised to the important office of dispenser of, I may say, life and death.

"Then, by the piper that played before Moses, if you don't recollect it, I've an idea that I shall never forget it. Sure enough, it cured me, but wasn't I quite kilt before I was cured?"

"It must have been some other shop," observed Mr. Brookes. "You have made a mistake."

"Devil a bit of a mistake, except in selling me the plaster. Didn't I get it of a lad in this same shop ?" "Nobody sells things out of this shop without my knowledge."

The Irishman was puzzled-he looked round the shop. "Well, then, if this an't the shop, it was own sister to it."

66

Timothy," called Mr. Brookes.

"And sure enough there was a Timothy in the other shop, for I heard the boy call the other by name; how. ever, it's no matter, if it took off the skin, it also took away the thumbago, so the morning to you, Mr. Potty-" karry."

When the Irishman departed, we made our appearance. "Japhet, did you sell a plaster to an Irishman?" "Yes-don't you recollect, last Saturday? and I gave you the shilling."

"Very true; but what did he ask for?"

"He asked for a plaster, but he was very tipsy. showed him a blister, and he took it;" and then I looked at Timothy and laughed.

"You must not play such tricks," said Mr. Brookes. "I see what you have been about-it was a joke to you, but not to him."

It will not surprise the reader when I tell him that I was much noticed by those who came to consult, or talk with Mr. Cophagus. "A very fine looking lad that, Mr. Cophagus," an acquaintance would say. "Where did you get him-who is his father?"

"Father!" Mr. Cophagus would reply, when they had gained the back parlour, but I could overhear him, father, um-can't tell-love concealment-child bornfoundling hospital-put out—and so on."

This was constantly occurring, and the constant occurrence made me often reflect upon my condition, which otherwise I might, from the happy and even tenor of my life, have forgotten. When I retired to my bed I would revolve in my mind all that I had gained from Ithe governors of the hospital relative to myself. The paper found in the basket had been given to me. I was born in wedlock-at least, so said that paper. The sum left with me also proved that my parents could not, at my birth, have been paupers. The very peculiar circumstances attending my case, only made me more anxious Mr. Brookes, who imagined we had sold it to the to know my parentage. I was now old enough to be Irishman out of fun, then gave us a very severe lecture, aware of the value of birth, and I was also just entering and threatened to acquaint Mr. Cophagus if ever we the age of romance, and many were the strange and played such tricks again. Thus the affair blew over, absurd reveries in which I indulged. At one time, I and it made me very careful; and, as every day I knew would cherish the idea that I was of noble, if not princemore about medicines, I was soon able to mix them, soly birth, and frame reasons for concealment. At others as to be of service to those who applied, and before eight---but it is useless to repeat the absurdities and castle een months had expired, I was trusted in mixing up all buildings which were generated in my brain from mysthe prescriptions. At the end of that period Mr. Brookes tery. My airy fabrics would at last disappear, and leave left us, and I took the whole of his department upon my.me in all the misery of doubt and abandoned hope. Mr. self, giving great satisfaction to Mr. Cophagus.

And now, that I have announced my promotion, it will perhaps be as well that I give the reader some idea of my personal appearance, upon which I have hitherto been silent. I was thin, between fifteen and sixteen years old, very tall for my age, and of my figure I had no reason to be ashamed; a large beaming eye, and strongly marked aquiline nose, a high forehead, fair in

Cophagus, when the question was sometimes put to him, would say, "Good boy-very good boy-don't want a father." But he was wrong, I did want a father; and every day the want became more pressing, and I found myself continually repeating the question, "Who is my father?"

The departure of Mr. Brookes of course rendered me more able to follow up with Timothy my little profes

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