of it; by which means sleep shall be provoked on him.  As for the contraction of his leg, there is hope of righting it when we have let out the pus and other humors pent up in the thigh, and have rubbed the whole knee with ointment of mallows, and oil of lilies, and a little eau-de-vie, and wrapped it in black wool with the grease left in it; and if we put under the knee a feather pillow doubled, little by little we shall straighten the leg.

This my discourse was well approved by the physicians and surgeons.

The consultation ended, we went back to the patient, and I made three openings in his thigh. ...  Two or three hours later, I got a bed made near his old one, with fair white sheets on it; then a strong man put him in it, and he was thankful to be taken out of his foul stinking bed.  Soon after, he asked to sleep; which he did for near four hours; and everybody in the house began to feel happy, and especially M. le Duc d’ Ascot, his brother.

The following days, I made injections, into the depth and cavities of the ulcers, of Aegyptiacum dissolved sometimes in eau-de-vie, other times in wine, I applied compresses to the bottom of the sinuous tracks, to cleanse and dry the soft spongy flesh, and hollow leaden tents, that the sanies might always have a way out; and above them a large plaster of Diacalcitheos dissolved in wine.  And I bandaged him so skilfully that he had no pain; and when the pain was gone, the fever began at once to abate.  Then I gave him wine to drink moderately tempered with water, knowing it would restore and quicken the vital forces.  And all that we agreed in consultation was done in due time and order; and so soon as his pains and fever ceased, he began steadily to amend.  He dismissed two of his surgeons, and one of his physicians, so that we were but three with him.

Now I stopped there about two months, not without seeing many patients, both rich and poor, who came to me from three or four leagues round.  He gave food and drink to the needy, and commended them all to me, asking me to help them for his sake.  I protest I refused not one, and did for them all I could, to his great pleasure.  Then, when I saw him beginning to be well, I told him we must have viols and violins, and a buffoon to make him laugh:  which he did.  In one month, we got him into a chair, and he had himself carried about in his garden and at the door of his chateau, to see everybody passing by.

The villagers of two or three leagues round, now they could have sight of him, came on holidays to sing and dance, men and women, pell-mell for a frolic, rejoiced at his good convalescence, all glad to see him, not without plenty of laughter and plenty to drink.  He always gave them a hogshead of beer; and they all drank merrily to his health.  And the citizens of Mons in Hainault, and other gentlemen, his neighbours, came to see him for the wonder of it, as a man come out of the grave; and from the time he was well, he was never without company.  When one went out, another came in to visit him; his table was always well covered.  He was dearly loved both by the nobility and by the common people; as for his generosity, so for his handsome face and his courtesy:  with a kind look and a gracious word for everybody, so that all who saw him had perforce to love him.