there ran up suddenly a whole legion, or rather
army, of physicians, each armed with laryngoscopes, stethoscopes,
horoscopes, microscopes, weighing machines, and such other tools,
engines, and arms as they had who, after thy time, persecuted Monsieur
de Pourceaugnac! And they all, rushing on Brother John, cried out to
him, 'Abstain! Abstain!' And one said, 'I have well diagnosed thee,
and thou art in a fair way to have the gout.' 'I never did better in my
days,' said Brother John. 'Away with thy meats and drinks!' they cried.
And one said, 'He must to Royat;' and another, 'Hence with him to Aix;'
and a third, 'Banish him to Wiesbaden;' and a fourth, 'Hale him to
Gastein;' and yet another, 'To Barbouille with him in chains!'

And while others felt his pulse and looked at his tongue, they all wrote
prescriptions for him like men mad. 'For thy eating,' cried he that
seemed to be their leader, 'No soup!' 'No soup!' quoth Brother John; and
those cheeks of his, whereat you might have warmed your two hands in the
winter solstice, grew white as lilies. 'Nay! and no salmon nor any beef
nor mutton! A little chicken by times, but _periculo tuo_! Nor any game,
such as grouse, partridge, pheasant, capercailzie, wild duck; nor any
cheese, nor fruit, nor pastry, nor coffee, nor eau de vie; and avoid all
sweets. No veal, pork, nor made dishes of any kind.' 'Then what may I
eat?' quoth the good Brother, whose valour had oozed out of the soles
of his sandals. 'A little cold bacon at breakfast--no eggs,' quoth the
leader of the strange folk, 'and a slice of toast without butter.' 'And
for thy drink'--('What?' gasped Brother John)--'one dessert-spoonful of
whisky, with a pint of the water of Apollinaris at luncheon and dinner.
No more!' At this Brother John fainted, falling like a great buttress of
a hill, such as Taygetus or Erymanthus.

While they were busy with him, others of the frantic folk had built
great platforms of wood, whereon they all stood and spoke at once, both
men and women. And of these some wore red crosses on their garments,
which meaneth 'Salvation;' and others wore white crosses, with a little
black button of crape, to signify 'Purity;' and others bits of blue to
mean 'Abstinence.' While some of these pursued Panurge others did beset
Pantagruel; asking him very long questions, whereunto he gave but short
answers. Thus they asked:

Have ye Local Option here?--Pan.: What?

May one man drink if his neighbour be not ath