Clergymen and Doctors: Curious Facts and Characteristic Sketches.Anonymous
History
Clergymen and Doctors: Curious Facts and Characteristic Sketches.
Anonymous
Clergy; Medicine -- Anecdotes; Medicine -- Humor; Pastoral theology -- Anecdotes; Physicians
Dr. Woodville, the author of a work on medical botany, lived in
lodgings at a carpenter's house in Ely Place, London; and a few days
before he died, Dr. Adams brought about his removal, for better
attendance, to the Small-pox Hospital. The carpenter with whom he
lodged had not been always on the best terms with him. Woodville said
he should like to let the man see that he died at peace with him, and,
as he never had had much occasion to employ him, desired that he might
be sent for to come and measure him for his coffin. This was done; the
carpenter came, and took measure of the Doctor, who begged him not to
be more than two days about it, "for," said he, "I shall not live
beyond that time;" and he actually did die just before the end of the
next day. A contemporary and friend of his, Dr. George Fordyce, also
expired under similar circumstances. He desired his youngest daughter,
who was sitting by his bedside, to take up a book and read to him; she
read for about twenty minutes, when the Doctor said, "Stop, go out of
the room; I am going to die." She put down the book, and went out of
the room to call the attendant, who immediately went into the bedroom
and found that Fordyce had breathed his last.
AN AGRICULTURAL DEFENCE OF BIGOTRY.
In Ryder's _History of England_, a singular reason is stated to have
been alleged by the Interlocutor, in support of a motion he had made in
Convocation against permitting the printing of Cranmer's translation of
the Bible. "If," said the mover, "we give them the Scriptures in their
vernacular tongue, what ploughman who has read that 'no man having set
his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of
heaven,' will thenceforth make a straight furrow?"
PURITAN RECHRISTENING OF PLAYING CARDS.
The Puritans objected to the use of "heathen" names, not only for
children, but for the "court" cards of the pack. They complained,
according to Collier, of the appellations of Hercules, Alexander,
Julius Cæsar, Hector, and such like; and they wanted to have the Kings
called David, Solomon, Isaiah, and Hezekiah; the Queens, Sarah, Rachel,
Esther, and Susannah; the Knaves, Balak, Achitophel, Tobit, and Bel.
There was, however, it must be confessed, considerable toleration in
their permitting the use of cards at all.
JOHN HUNTER THE ANATOMIST.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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