A certain person in Norfolk having sent for as much as came to a 11 l. and dying upon the 2d. dose of it, and by accident most part of the remainder being spilt; there comes in a friend to the House, of some skill, who supposing it to be Spirit of Harts-horn, told the Widow he would endeavour to gain back the money for her.  And thereupon went to a Chymist, and bought as much of the said Spirit, as would make up the quantity purchased of Dr. Goddard, who after Tryal of it by smell, and tast, acknowledged it to be his, and honestly payed back the sum ’twas first sold for; which I think few of the Mountebanks do.  Sure I am that a Quack sold 21 Pills for 20 l. whereof the Patient took 4 at two doses, to the great hazard of his life, who then repairing to me for my advice, I by Tryal of one of them found them to be Mercurial, and wished him to return them back, but the Quack would not give him 10 s. for the 16 remaining.

The inference and sum of what hath been said, is to shew briefly by what Artifices people are deceived in their Healths, and Purses, and how easily the ignorant are couzened, and such practices used, that Physicians, men of honesty and repute, would be ashamed to own, and must by using them in a short time be ruined and discredited.  And such Cheats as these, the College of Physicians are bound by the Laws of the Land to decry, and punish (though by so doing it hath often incurred the censure and clamor of the vulgar) Besides the Statute of the 14th. and 15th. of Henry the Eighth injoyns us to it, declaring that ’tis good for the Common-wealth of this Realm, and therefore expedient, and necessary to provide that no person of the College of Physicians (for all practisers then were of the said body) be suffered to exercise, and practise Physic, but only those persons that be profound, sad, and discreet, groundly learned, and deeply studyed in Physic.  Now certain it is, that none of the said body did or dare use any of the forementioned frauds and deceits, but will constantly indeavour (since ’tis impossible but there will be Cheatees; (according to the old Proverb, Populus vult decipi, The People will be deceived) to abridge the number of the Cheaters, who answer to the former part of the Proverb, Decipiatur, Let them be couzened.

I shall end this discourse by returning from my digression to the Apothecaries, who may and do use some of the tricks before-mentioned, and shall here briefly recite some great advantages they have, and make use of above Physicians.  One is, that they live in this City 7 or 8 years as Apprentices, as also by their retail Trade, and by living in open Shops, by frequent converse with their fellow Citizens, whether in Commerce or Offices, by many friendly and Neighbourly mutual kindnesses and actions, wherein they spend their whole lives, and are never diverted by studies, and ingenuity from their proposed way of gain, by all which means they get into a fixed familiarity and good opinion with