rts, and their knowledge of drugs was very great, I would
suffer one of them, called Philip, who always attended us as
language-master, to try what he could do for me, on condition, that he
should omit all superstitious ceremonies. He agreed, and immediately
putting on the most solemn and significant expression of face, worthy
of so eminent a practitioner, began to paw me all over, varying his
features with every motion of his hand, so that, notwithstanding the
pain I felt, I could not refrain from bursting into laughter at his
grimaces, which he could not possibly avoid, though bargained to be
omitted. At length, the preamble concluded, he began his work, first by
stroking my legs, from the knees downwards, with the palm of his hand,
muttering all the while, and then by applying his mouth, and sucking
the parts affected, accompanying the operation by a most strange kind
of purring or grunting. Thus far his practice seemed to do good, and I
felt relief, when, rising on a sudden, he produced a potsherd, which he
exhibited to the company, as having _limpt_ it out of my leg, saying
that he should soon bring forth more pieces. I cried out, "Stop there,
you deceiver, do you pretend that my body is full of potsherds; that
broken piece in your hand, you drew out of your own mouth. Open it
directly, and let us have the rest." He stood confounded, and soon
sneaked out of the house, laughed at by all his former admirers, nor
did he call upon me again, till about a fortnight after.

[8] A disorder known in India by the name of the Cochin leg.
Asiatic Researches, Vol. III.

As it sometimes happened, that when the skill of the sorcerers proved
ineffective, a missionary had administered some simple medicine, which,
by God's blessing, had the desired effect, they looked upon us, as the
first of paters, though our medicines consisted in nothing but a little
magnesia, spirits of nitre, and a few simples. But what astonished them
most, was this, that we could inform them before-hand, by means of a
perpetual almanack, that an eclipse of the sun or moon would take place
on the very day when it happened. Their notion of the cause of an
eclipse is the most preposterous and ridiculous, that ever entered into
the head, even of an heathen. They say, that the devil is come to
devour the sun or moon, and falls to work to gnaw off the edge; that
therefore it is necessary he should be driven away; consequently all
the sorcerers or pate