, and
let me eat it, without tapping it with his stick: for by the life of
the governor, and so may God suffer me to enjoy it, but I'm dying of
hunger; and in spite of the doctor and all he may say, to deny me food
is the way to take my life instead of prolonging it."

"Your worship is right, senor governor," said the physician; "and
therefore your worship, I consider, should not eat of those stewed
rabbits there, because it is a furry kind of food: if that veal were
not roasted and served with pickles, you might try it; but it is out
of the question."

"That big dish that is smoking farther off," said Sancho, "seems to me
to be an olla-podrida; and out of the diversity of things in such
ollas, I can't fail to light upon something tasty and good for me."

"_Absit_," said the doctor; "far from us be any such base thought!
There is nothing in the world less nourishing than an olla-podrida; to
canons, or rectors of colleges, or peasants' weddings with your
ollas-podridas, but let us have none of them on the tables of
governors, where everything that is present should be delicate and
refined: and the reason is that always, everywhere and by everybody,
simple medicines are more esteemed than compound ones; for we cannot
go wrong in those that are simple, while in the compound we may, by
merely altering the quantity of the things composing them. But what I
am of opinion the governor should eat now, in order to preserve and
fortify his health, is a hundred or so of wafer cakes and a few thin
slices of conserve of quinces, which will settle his stomach and help
his digestion."

Sancho on hearing this threw himself back in his chair and surveyed
the doctor steadily, and in a solemn tone asked him what his name was
and where he had studied.

He replied, "My name, senor governor, is Doctor Pedro Recio de Aguero;
I am a native of a place called Tirteafuera, which lies between
Caracuel and Almodovar del Campo, on the right-hand side; and I have
the degree of doctor from the university of Osuna."

To which Sancho, glowing all over with rage, returned, "Then let
Doctor Pedro Recio de Mal-aguero, native of Tirteafuera, a place
that's on the right-hand side as we go from Caracuel to Almodovar del
Campo, graduate of Osuna, get out of my presence at once! or I swear
by the sun I'll take a cudgel, and by dint of blows, beginning with
him, I'll not leave a doctor in the whole island: at least of those I
know to be ignorant; for as t