To return to my story: when I was taken from the castle into the
town, with M. de Martigues, there was one of M. de Savoie's
gentlemen, who asked me if M. de Martigues's wound could be
cured. I told him no, that it was incurable: and off he went to
tell M. le Due de Savoie. I bethought myself they would send
physicians and surgeons to dress M. de Martigues; and I argued
within myself if I ought to play the simpleton, and not let
myself be known for a surgeon, lest they should keep me to dress
their wounded, and in the end I should be found to be the King's
surgeon, and they would make me pay a big ransom. On the other
hand, I feared, if I did not show I was a surgeon and had dressed
M. de Martigues skilfully, they would cut my throat. Forthwith I
made up my mind to show them he would not die for want of having
been well dressed and nursed.
Soon after, sure enough, there came many gentlemen, with the
Emperor's physician, and his surgeon, and those belonging to M.
de Savoie, and six other surgeons of his army, to see M. de
Martigues's wound, and to know of me how I had dressed and
treated it. The Emperor's physician bade me declare the essential
nature of the wound, and what I had done for it. And all his
assistants kept their ears wide open, to know if the wound were
or were not mortal. I commenced my discourse to them, how M.
Martigues, looking over the wall to mark those who were sapping
it, was shot with an arquebus through the body, and I was called
of a sudden to dress him. I found blood coming from his mouth and
from his wounds. Moreover, he bad a great difficulty of breathing
in and out, and air came whistling from the wounds, so that it
would have put out a candle; and he said he had a very great
stabbing pain where the bullet had entered. ... I withdrew some
scales of bone, and put in each wound a tent with a large head,
fastened with a thread, lest on inspiration it should be drawn
into the cavity of the chest; which has happened with surgeons,
to the detriment of the poor wounded; for being fallen in, you
cannot get them out; and then they beget corruption, being
foreign bodies. The tents were anointed with a preparation of
yolk of egg, Venice turpentine, and a little oil of roses. ... I
put over the wounds a great plaster of diachylum, wherewith I had
mixed oil of roses, and vinegar, to avoid inflammation. Then I
applied great compresses steeped in oxycrate, and bandaged him,
not too tight, that he might breathe easily. Next, I drew five
basons of blood from his right arm, considering his youth and his
sanguine temperament. ... Fever took him, soon after he was
wounded, with feebleness of the heart. ... His diet was barley-
water, prunes with sugar, at other times broth: his drink was a
ptisane. He could lie only on his back. ... What more shall I
say? but that my Lord de Martigues never had an hour's rest after
he was wounded. ... These things considered, Gentlemen, no other
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