thing elfe can be, which is capable of annoying or terrifying him. In the midst of calumny or contempt he attends to that Being who whispers better things to his foul, whom he • looks upon as his defender, his glory, and the lifter-up of his head. In his deepest folitude and retirement he knows that he is in company with the greateft of beings; and perceives within himself fuch real fenfations of his prefence, as are more delightful than any thing that can be met with in the converfation of his creatures. Even in the hour of ⚫ death he confiders the pains of his diffolution to be nothing elfe but the breaking down of that partition, which ftands betwixt his foul and the fight of that Being who is always prefent with him, and is about to manifeft itfelf to him in fulnefs of joy.

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If we would be thus happy, and thus fen'fible of our Maker's prefence, from the fecret effects of his mercy and goodness, we must keep fuch a watch over all our thoughts, that, in the language of the Scripture, his foul may have pleasure in us. We must take care not to grieve his Holy Spirit, and endeavour to make the meditations of our hearts always acceptable in his fight, that he may delight thus to refide and dwell in us. The light of na

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ture could direct Seneca to this doctrine, in a very remarkable paffage among his epiftles: • Sacer in eft in nobis fpiritus bonorum malorumque cuflos, & obfervator, & quemadmodum nos illum traclamus, ita & ille nos. There is a holy

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fpirit refiding in us, who watches and ob"ferves both good and evil men, and will treat 66 us after the fame manner that we treat him.' 6 But I fhall conclude this difcourfe with those more emphatical words in divine revelation, "If a man love me he will keep my words; and 66 my Father will love him, and we will come "unto him, and make our abode with him."*

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N° 572. Monday, July 26, 1714.

Quod Medicorum eft

Promittunt Medici

HOR. I Ep. 11. 115.

"Phyficians only boaft the Healing ART."

AM the more pleased with these my Papers, fince I find they have encouraged feveral men of learning and wit to become my correfpondents I yesterday received the following Effay againft Quacks, which I fhall here communicate to my readers for the good of the public, beging the writer's pardon for thofe additions and retrenchments which I have made in it.

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HE defire of Life is fo natural and ftrong paffion, that I have long fince ceased 'to wonder at the great encouragement which 'the Practice of Phyfic finds amon gus. Well'conftituted governments have always made 'the profeffion of a Phyfician both honourable * By ADDISON. This affignment is refted on the authority of Mr. Tickell.

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and advantageous. Homer's Machaon and Virgil's lapis were men of renown, heroes in war, and made at least as much havoc among their enemies as among their friends. Thofe who • have little or no faith in the abilities of a Quack will apply themfelves to him, either becaufe he is willing to fell health at a reasonable profit, or because the patient, like a drowning man, catches at every twig, and hopes for relief from the most ignorant, when the most able phyficians give him none. Though impudence and many words are as neceflary to these itinerary Galens, as a laced hat or a MerryAndrew, yet they would turn very little to the advantage of the owner, if there were not • fome inward difpofition in the fick man to favour the pretenfions of the Mountebank, Love of life in the one, and of money in the other, 'creates a good correfpondence between them.

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There is fcarcely a city in Great Britain but has one of this tribe who takes it into his protection, and on the market-day harangues the good people of the place with aphorisms and receipts. You may depend upon it he comes ⚫ not there for his own private intereft, but out of a particular affection to the town. I remember one of thefe public-fpirited Artifts at Hamersmith, who told his audience, That "he had been born and bred there, and that, having a fpecial regard for the place of his nativity, he was determined to make a pre"fent of five fhillings to as many as would accept of it.' The whole crowd ftood agape,

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⚫ and ready to take the doctor at his word; when putting his hand into a long bag, as every one was expecting his crown-piece, he drew out an handful of little packets, each of which he informed the Spectators was conftantly fold at five fhillings and fix pence, but that he would bate the odd five fhillings to every in•habitant of that place: the whole affembly immediately clofed with this generous offer, ⚫ and took off all his phyfic, after the doctor had • made them vouch for one another, that there were no foreigners among them, but that they 6 were all Hamerfmith men.

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"There is another branch of pretenders to this Art, who, without either horse or pickleherring, lie fnug in a garret, and fend down notice to the world of their extraordinary parts and abilities by printed bills and advertisements. • These seem to have derived their custom from an eastern nation which Herodotus speaks of, among whom it was a law that, whenever any cure was performed, both the method of the cure, and an account of the distemper, fhould be fixed in fome public place; but, as customs will corupt, thefe our moderns provide themselves of perfons to attest the cure before they publish or make an experiment of the prefcription. I have heard of a porter, who • ferves as a knight of the poft under one of these Operators, and, though he was never fick in his life, has been cured of all the difeafes in the Difpenfary. These are the men whofe fagacity has invented elixirs of all forts, pills and • lozenges,

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lozenges, and take it as an affront if you come to them before you are given over by every body elfe. Their medicines are infallible, and never fail of fuccefs, that is of enriching the doctor, and fetting the patient effectually at reft.

I lately dropt into a public-house at Westminster, where I found the room hung round • with ornaments of this nature. There were elixirs, tinctures, the Anodyne Fotus, Englifh pills, electuaries, and in fhort more remedies than I believe there are diseases. At the fight of fo many inventions I could not but imagine myself in a kind of arsenal or magazine where ftore of arms was repofited against any fudden invafion. Should you be attacked by the enemy fide-ways, here was an infallible piece of defenfive armour to cure the pleurify fhould a diftemper beat up your headquarters, here you might purchase an impenetrable helmet, or, in the language of the artift, a cephalic tincture: if your main body be affaulted, here are various kinds of armour • in cafes of various onfets. I began to congratulate the prefent age upon the happiness men might reafonably hope for in life, when death was thus in a manner defeated: and when pain • itself would be of fo fhort a duration, that it would but juft ferve to enhance the value of pleasure. While I was in these thoughts, I unluckily called to mind a story of an ingenious gentleman of the laft age, who lying violently afflicted with the gout, a perfon came and offered his fervice to cure him by a method

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