se you kept telling me instead."

"Never conceal aught from your leech, young man," continued the senior,
who was a good talker, but one of the worst listeners in Europe. "Well,
it is an ill business. All the horny excrescences of animals, to wit,
claws of tigers, panthers, badgers, cats, bears, and the like, and
horn of deer, and nails of humans, especially children, are imbued with
direst poison. Y'had better have been bitten by a cur, whatever you may
say, than gored by bull or stag, or scratched by bear. However, shalt
have a good biting cataplasm for thy leg; meantime keep we the
body cool: put out thy tongue!-good!-fever. Let me feel thy pulse:
good!--fever. I ordain flebotomy, and on the instant."

"Flebotomy! that is bloodletting: humph! Well, no matter, if 'tis sure
to cure me, for I will not lie idle here." The doctor let him know that
flebotomy was infallible, especially in this case.

"Hans, go fetch the things needful, and I will entertain the patient
meantime with reasons."

The man of art then explained to Gerard that in disease the blood
becomes hot and distempered and more or less poisonous; but a portion of
this unhealthy liquid removed, Nature is fain to create a purer fluid to
fill its place. Bleeding, therefore, being both a cooler and a purifier,
was a specific in all diseases, for all diseases were febrile, whatever
empirics might say.

"But think not," said he warmly, "that it suffices to bleed; any paltry
barber can open a vein (though not all can close it again). The art is
to know what vein to empty for what disease. T'other day they brought me
one tormented with earache. I let him blood in the right thigh, and away
flew his earache. By-the-by, he has died since then. Another came with
the toothache. I bled him behind the ear, and relieved him in a jiffy.
He is also since dead as it happens. I bled our bailiff between the
thumb and forefinger for rheumatism. Presently he comes to me with
a headache and drumming in the ears, and holds out his hand over the
basin; but I smiled at his folly, and bled him in the left ankle sore
against his will, and made his head as light as a nut."

Diverging then from the immediate theme after the manner of enthusiasts,
the reverend teacher proceeded thus:

"Know, young man, that two schools of art contend at this moment
throughout Europe. The Arabian, whose ancient oracles are Avicenna,
Rhazes, Albucazis; and its revivers are Chauliac and Lanfranc; and