ossess a
perfect knowledge of all that can produce happiness, and by my talents
am happy myself. I am therefore forced to say of myself: _O ter
quaterque beatum!_ Eighthly, the number eight is the number of
justice, on account of the equality which is found in it; the justice
and prudence with which I measure and weigh all my actions make me
eight times doctor. Ninthly, there are nine Muses, and I am equally
the favourite of them all. Tenthly, one cannot pass number ten without
repeating all the other numbers, and it is the universal number.
Similarly, when people have found me, they have found the universal
doctor; and I am in myself all the other doctors together. Thus, with
the help of these plausible, true, demonstrative, and convincing
reasons, you see that I am one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
eight, nine, ten times doctor.

BAR. What the deuce does he mean by all this? I thought I had found a
clever man who would give me good advice, and I find a chimney-sweep,
who, instead of speaking to me, plays at mora.[1] One, two, three,
four--ha! ha!--ha! ha! Come, come, that's not it; you must listen to
me, and remember that I am not a man to make you lose your time; I
shall make it worth your while, and if you can satisfy me in what I
want of you, I will give you what you wish--money, if you like.

DOC. Ha! money?

BAR. Yes, money; and whatever you may ask besides.

DOC. (_sharply, tucking up his gown behind him_). Then you take me for
a man who would do anything for money, for a man fond of money, for a
mercenary soul? Know, my friend, that if you were to give me a purse
full of gold, and that this purse were in a rich box, this box in a
precious case, this case in a superb chest, this chest in a rare
museum, this museum in a magnificent apartment, this apartment in a
gorgeous castle, this castle in a wonderful citadel, this citadel in a
celebrated town, this town in a fertile island, this island in an
opulent province, this province in a flourishing monarchy, this
monarchy in the whole world;[2] that if you gave me the world in which
this flourishing monarchy would be, in which this opulent province
would be, in which this fertile island would be, in which this
celebrated town would be, in which this wonderful citadel would be, in
which this gorgeous castle would be, in which this pleasant apartment
would be, in which this rare museum would be, in which this wonderful
chest would be, in which this precious