formed,
that 'tis not possible to make them at, and yet such however falsifyed
maintain a trade amongst Country, and low-priced City-Apothecaries,
and the Chirurgeons profess they cannot effect their Cures with the
Shop-Medicines, and that this is the reason why they make their own
Oyls, Oyntments, &c. as the Apothecaries Charter allows them to do;
and why may not Physicians think this to be the cause why they
sometimes fail in their Cures, as well as Chirurgeons? and also make
their own Medicines as well as they, especially since the Apothecary
may as easily falsify, and to greater profit in the one, then in the
other?

Ninthly, As to their use of bad or decayed Drugs, 'tis so common a
practice that I shall need to give but one notorious instance of it,
and 'tis this, I having occasion to use some Seeds, sent for them to a
Seeds-man, the Messenger desiring to have those of the same Year. The
Tradesman knowing him to live with me, asked, if they were for
Physical use, he replyed in the affirmative, whereat he presently
shewed him others, which were of 6 or 7 years old (as he confessed)
affirming them to be as good for that use as the newest, which he sold
only for sowing, and that he kept the others, though never so old, for
the Apothecaries only, who still asked for them, buying them though 20
years old, not regarding if they were decayed and wholy effete (for no
Seed will preserve its vegetative faculty above 7 years much less its
Physical) so they could but have them cheap. Besides their pretty
knacks (as they call them) of making their Compounds fair to the eye,
more vendible, but worse for use, by restoring them to their colour
and consistence, that they may pass for good, which perhaps 'tis
better to pass over in silence, lest by confuting I should teach the
younger Fry, who may better be honestly ignorant of them. Now for
their substituting one thing for another, and detracting where they
please, I shall add but one Story of an Apothecary, who commanded his
man (who told him they had no good Rhabarb in the house) that he
should put in double quantity of what they had. Nay I have known one
simple of a quite different nature used for a whole composition.

Tenthly, I shall conclude this ungrateful Discourse, with saying that
by reason more frauds may be committed by the Apothecaries, then by
any other Trade, and by supposition that gain will tempt most men to
dishonest actions, especially where they may act undisc