Languages & literature > Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane > Volume 4

O F G I L B L A 3. r>
“ and cordial potions; and fo they are on a par with
« your celebrated prefcvibers. This contagion has
“ fpread allb among the cloifters. There are fome
H monks who a (ft both as apothecaries and iurgeons.
“ Thofe apes of medicine apply theml'elves to che*
“ miftry, and compole pernicious drugs, with which
“ they abridge the lives of their reverend fathers*.
M In line, there are more than fixty monafteries of
“ men and women in Valladolid; fo you may
“ what ravage is made in them, by kermes united
K with emetics and blooding in the foot.” “ Signior
“ Sangrado, (faid I) you have reafon to be incenfed
M againft thefe poifoners. I groan in concert with
** you, and lliare your alarms for the lives of man*
“ kind, which are fo manifelUy threatened by a me-
“ thod fo different from yours. I am very much
“ afraid that chemiltry will one day occahon the
“ total ruin.«f phyfic; in the fame manner as fall*
“ money proves deltrudtivc to kingdoms. Heaven
“ grant that the fatal day be not too near.”.
At this part- of our converfation, an old maid»
fervant brought in for the Dodtor a little light bread
on a falver, and a glafs with two bottles, one of
which was filled with water, and. the other with
■wine. After he had eaten a morfcl of the bread, he
took a draught of liquor,, in which indeed there
were two thirds of water, but that did not fave him
from the reproach which he gave me a handle to
vent againft him.. “Ah, ah! (laid J) MrDo∨ ,
“ have 1.caught you in the fadt: You drink wine
“ then ! you who have always declared againft that
“liquor: you who, during, three-fourths of your
“•life, have drank nothing but water. How long,
“■have you adted fo- inconfiftently with yonrfeii ?
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