“Ask the vicar,” replied his father. “The mountebank, who united the professions of joculator and physician, was of ancient date, and during the two last centuries has figured away with considerable success. He usually appears on a temporary stage, and prefaces the vending of his nostrums with a pompous harangue; and, the better to attract the notice of the gaping spectators, he displays some of the performances practised by the jugglers, while his inseparable companion, the _bourdour_, exhibits numerous tricks, and puts the populace in good humour by wit and raillery. The medical fraternity, known in England by the name of _Merry-andrews_, and who are the companions of the mountebank, derived their foundation from Dr. Andrew Boorde, who lived in the reigns of Henry VIII. Edward VI. and Queen Mary, and was constantly in the habit of frequenting fairs and markets, at which he harangued the populace: his speeches were extremely humorous, and occasioned considerable mirth; but, notwithstanding the infallibility of his nostrums, like Paracelsus, he died with a bottle of his elixir in his pocket. His successors in the same line naturally endeavoured to emulate the humour of their master, and hence this whole class of vagabond tinkers of flesh and bone acquired the generic appellation of ‘_Merry-andrews_’.” “And pray what are _nostrums_?” asked Louisa. “‘_Nostrum_,’ my dear, signifies _our own_, and is applied to any medicine which is prepared by a secret process, and sold for the private advantage of an individual; but, since secrecy is never used on such occasions except as a cloak for imposture, the word very generally conveys an expression of ridicule or contempt.” The company proceeded in their inspection. “What have we there, Ned Hopkins?” said Mr. Seymour, as he pointed to a booth of larger dimensions than those which surrounded it. “In that booth, ‘the Emperor of all the Conjurors’ will perform his wonderful art of ‘sleight-of-hand,’” replied Ned.--“Look at his card of invitation,” continued the wag--“☞ WALK IN--WALK IN--LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. HERE ARE MIRACLES IN ANY QUANTITY TO BE SEEN FOR TWO-PENCE, AND BELIEVED IN FOR NOTHING!!!” “A lineal descendant of the _Tragetour_ of the fourteenth century,” observed the vicar; “a class of artists who, with the assistance of dexterity of execution, and various kinds of machinery, deceived the eyes of the spectators, and produced such illusions as were usually supposed to be the effect of enchantment; on which account they were frequently ranked with magicians, sorcerers, and witches. They were greatly encouraged in the middle ages, and travelled in large companies, carrying with them such machinery as was necessary for the performance of their deceptions.” “And what may be the etymology of _tragetour_?” asked Mr. Seymour. “A late ingenious writer supposes it to be derived from _trebuchet_, or _trap-door_, of which he made frequent use during his performance.”