e Bee," in his old age,
suffered the same accusation from his own children, who, seeing him
neglect his family affairs, and devote himself entirely to poetry,
carried him before the magistrate, as a man whose intellects were so
much impaired by the infirmities of age, that he was no longer fit to
manage his domestic concerns; upon which the reverend bard produced his
tragedy of Oidipus epi Kolono, as a work he had just finished; which
being perused, instead of being declared unsound of understanding,
he was dismissed with admiration and applause. I wish your beard and
whiskers had been sanctioned by the like authority; though I am afraid
you would have been in the predicament of those disciples of a certain
philosopher, who drank decoctions of cummin seeds, that their faces
might adopt the paleness of their master's complexion, hoping that, in
being as wan, they would be as learned as their teacher." The painter,
stung by this sarcasm, replied, "or like those virtuosi, who, by
repeating Greek, eating sillikicaby, and pretending to see visions,
think they equal the ancients in taste and genius." The physician
retorted, Pallet rejoined, and the altercation continued until they
entered the gates of Antwerp, when the admirer of Rubens broke forth
into a rapturous exclamation, which put an end to the dispute and
attracted the notice of the inhabitants, many of whom by shrugging up
their shoulders and pointing to their foreheads, gave shrewd indications
that they believed him a poor gentleman disordered in his brain.

They had no sooner alighted at the inn, than this pseudo-enthusiast
proposed to visit the great church, in which he had been informed some
of his master's pieces were to be seen, and was remarkably chagrined,
when he understood that he could not be admitted till next day. He rose
next morning by day-break, and disturbed his fellow-travellers in such a
noisy and clamorous manner, that Peregrine determined to punish him with
some new infliction, and, while he put on his clothes, actually
formed the plan of promoting a duel between him and the doctor, in the
management of which, he promised himself store of entertainment, from
the behaviour of both.

Being provided with one of those domestics who are always in waiting
to offer their services to strangers on their first arrival, they were
conducted to the house of a gentleman who had an excellent collection
of pictures; and though the greatest part of them were pai