r was Prignitz from the truth, in
affirming that the fancy begat the nose, that on the contrary--the nose
begat the fancy.'

--The learned suspected Scroderus of an indecent sophism in this--and
Prignitz cried out aloud in the dispute, that Scroderus had shifted the
idea upon him--but Scroderus went on, maintaining his thesis.

My father was just balancing within himself, which of the two sides he
should take in this affair; when Ambrose Paraeus decided it in a moment,
and by overthrowing the systems, both of Prignitz and Scroderus, drove
my father out of both sides of the controversy at once.

Be witness--

I don't acquaint the learned reader--in saying it, I mention it only to
shew the learned, I know the fact myself--

That this Ambrose Paraeus was chief surgeon and nose-mender to Francis
the ninth of France, and in high credit with him and the two preceding,
or succeeding kings (I know not which)--and that, except in the slip he
made in his story of Taliacotius's noses, and his manner of setting them
on--he was esteemed by the whole college of physicians at that time, as
more knowing in matters of noses, than any one who had ever taken them
in hand.

Now Ambrose Paraeus convinced my father, that the true and efficient
cause of what had engaged so much the attention of the world, and
upon which Prignitz and Scroderus had wasted so much learning and fine
parts--was neither this nor that--but that the length and goodness of
the nose was owing simply to the softness and flaccidity in the nurse's
breast--as the flatness and shortness of puisne noses was to the
firmness and elastic repulsion of the same organ of nutrition in the
hale and lively--which, tho' happy for the woman, was the undoing of the
child, inasmuch as his nose was so snubb'd, so rebuff'd, so rebated,
and so refrigerated thereby, as never to arrive ad mensuram suam
legitimam;--but that in case of the flaccidity and softness of the nurse
or mother's breast--by sinking into it, quoth Paraeus, as into so
much butter, the nose was comforted, nourish'd, plump'd up, refresh'd,
refocillated, and set a growing for ever.

I have but two things to observe of Paraeus; first, That he proves
and explains all this with the utmost chastity and decorum of
expression:--for which may his soul for ever rest in peace!

And, secondly, that besides the systems of Prignitz and Scroderus, which
Ambrose Paraeus his hypothesis effectually overthrew--it overthrew at
the s