Clergymen and Doctors 1

Clergymen and Doctors 1

Clergymen and Doctors

Curious Facts and Characteristic Sketches.

 

 

 

Edinburgh: W. P. Nimmo.

 

 

 

 

CLERGYMEN AND DOCTORS:

 

Curious Facts and Characteristic Sketches.

 

[Illustration: decoration]

 

EDINBURGH:

 

WILLIAM P. NIMMO.

 

 

 

 

MURRAY AND GIBB, EDINBURGH,

 

PRINTERS TO HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE.

 

 

 

 

CONTENTS.

 

 

PAGE

 

Abernethy and the Duke of York, 61;

Anecdotes of, 83;

Conquered by Curran, 151

 

Abstinence, Precept and Example of, 21

 

Agricultural Defence of Bigotry, An, 138

 

André Boulanger, Father, 70

 

Angel-Worship, 110

 

Antics of the Fanatics, 66

 

Application, A Too Personal, 124

 

Archbishop's Installation Feast, An, 76

 

Archdeacon? What is an, 99

 

"Atterbury's Pad", 16

 

Awkward Association, An, 81

 

 

Baptism, A Sanitary View of, 40

 

Barrow, The Exhaustive, 15; his Rhymes with Reason, 63

 

Barrowby, Dr., Anecdotes of, 126

 

Baxter, Addison's Introduction to, 13;

Cromwell and, 131

 

Berkeley's (Bishop) Bermuda Scheme, 33

 

Bishops and the Poor, 150

 

Blomfield's Rebuke to Non-Resident Rectors, 85

 

Blood-Jewels, Queen Elizabeth's, 22

 

Bloodletters, Blunders of, 149

 

Bottle-Blind, 104

 

Bourdaloue, Bold Application of, 146

 

"Breaking-up" before the Holidays, 104

 

Bunyan's Successful and Persistent Preaching, 111

 

Burgess, Daniel, Pulpit Jokes of, 86

 

Burnet, Bishop, Against Pluralities, 151

 

 

Capacity of an Abbé, The, 100

 

Charles II. and his Chaplain, 30

 

Christian Names among the Puritans, 98

 

Civil to the Prince of Evil, 113

 

Clergy, Benefit of, 101

 

Commonwealth Preachers, South on the, 45

 

Cooper's (Sir Astley) Night-Cap Fee, 11

 

Crabbe, George, The Apothecary Poet, 144

 

Cucumber, How to Dress a, 18

 

Curate and the Duke, The, 23

 

Cure of Souls, A Desirable, 127

 

 

Dangers of Too Good Company, The, 82

 

Da Vinci a Great Anatomist, 77

 

Devotion of a Catholic Priest, 85

 

Diffidence in the Pulpit, 97

 

Donne's (Dr.) Prayerful Pun, 143

 

Drubbing-in Religious Feeling, 121

 

 

Fees, Ancient, of Magnitude, 89;

Early English, 89;

in the Reign of Henry VIII. and Elizabeth, 90;

After the Revolution, 91;

Large Royal, in Later Times, 92;

For a Political Consultation, 94;

Generous Refusal of, 95;

Sticklers for, 95;

Collectively Irresistible, 96

 

Flavel's "Day of Heaven", 24

 

Footscrapers Reproved, The, 17

 

 

Garrick's Precepts for Preachers, 147

 

George II. as an Amateur Surgeon, 148

 

Gibbon's Retort on the Physician, 51

 

Gilpin and the Northumbrian Brawlers, 19

 

Gospel, The, A Novelty, 34

 

Gregory, Dr., Generosity of, 73

 

 

Harvey and the Circulation of the Blood, 35

 

Herrnhuters, the, Extravagances of, 78

 

Hill, The Rev. Rowland, 157

 

Hour-Glasses in Church, 49

 

How to be Kept in Health, 64

 

Hunter (William) and Cullen, The Partnership of, 14

 

Hunter, John, the Anatomist, 139; Routing the Rout, 65

 

 

Iconoclastic Zeal in the North, 137

 

Indian Commerce, Origin of our, 122

 

Intercessor for Himself, An, 71

 

Interpolation, A Significant, 27

 

 

Jebb, Sir Richard, 40

 

Jenner, the Discoverer of Vaccination, 107

 

 

Kennet, Bishop, on Late Repentance, 42

 

Kirwan, Dr., Dean of Killala, 55

 

Knox, John, Fearlessness of, 105

 

 

Leighton, Archbishop, on Time and Eternity, 159

 

Lettsom's Liberation of his Slaves, 112

 

Licenced Lay Preaching, 62

 

 

"Make the Most of Him", 158

 

Mal-apropos Quotation, A, 43

 

Masses Transferred, 21

 

Massillon, Eloquence of, 12

 

Mathews on his Deathbed, 32

 

Mayerne, Sir Theodore, 92

 

Medicine, A Royal, 25

 

Methodist Dog, The, 50

 

Mild Criticism, A, 48

 

Monsey, Messenger, his Dying Jests, 132

 

 

Nash's (Beau) Treatment of a Prescription, 128

 

 

Pacific She, A, 158

 

Paley's Career, Turning Point in, 81;

Economy of Conscience, 97

 

Perkins' "Tractors" Exposed, 113

 

Perversion of scripture, A Clever, 136

 

Peter the Great as Dentist, 47

 

Physicians and their Fees, 86; and Clergymen, 159

 

Playing-Cards, Puritan Re-Christening of, 139

 

Pope's Last Epigram, 68

 

Prayer, A Loyal and Fata, 124

 

Preacher, A Popular, 16; A Witty French, 130

 

Preaching for a Crown, 54

 

Preaching to Purpose, Latimer's, 124

 

Preparing for the Worst and Best, 143

 

Prescription in Disguise, A, 18;

Prescription for Long Life, A, 61

 

Promotion, The Way to, 145

 

Pulteney's Cure by Small Beer, 128

 

 

Radcliffe's Enmity to Hannes, 30

 

Radcliffe and Kneller, 58

 

Revival of "Prophesying," Lord Bacon on the, 141

 

Revolution, The French, and the Bible, 107

 

Rude Truth for a Queen, 75

 

 

Saint's Bell, The, 39

 

Seaman Bishop, The, 27

 

Sermon Reading, Charles II. on, 44

 

Servant and Master, 126

 

Shedding his Blood for his Country, 54

 

Slaps for Sleepers in Church, 59

 

Sloane, Sir Hans, 154

 

Smith, Sydney, Bon-Mots of, 121

 

Sterne, A Home Thrust at, 34

 

Stillingfleet, Charles II. and Bishop, 123

 

Sunday Sports, James I. on, 37

 

Swift's (Dean) Contributory Dinner, 102

 

 

"Tapping" a Toper, 100

 

Tar-water, The Power of, 22

 

Taylor, Jeremy, on Marriage, 57

 

Tillotson, Archbishop, Charity of, 120

 

Transfusion of Blood, 68

 

Trump Cards, 52

 

Two-Edged Accusation, A, 58

 

Two Gates of Heaven, The, 51

 

 

Unconcern in Presence of Death, 137

 

Unlucky Coincidence, An, 61

 

Unmistakeable Identity, 134

 

Unpreaching Prelates, 28

 

 

Wasdale's (Dr.) Long Ride, 136

 

Wesley and Beau Nash, 106

 

Whately, Witticisms of Archbishop, 152

 

Whitfield, Persuasiveness of, 52;

his Influence on the Church, 72;

"Improving" an Execution in Edinburgh, 117;

Dr. Johnson's Opinion of, 118;

and the New York Sailors, 135;

and the Kingswood Colliers, 153

 

Wolcot, Dr. ("Peter Pindar") in Jamaica, 119

 

 

 

 

NOTE.

 

 

Clergymen and Doctors are so frequently associated, in connection with

the most pleasant and the most grave necessities and occurrences of

actual life, that if any apology is needed for uniting them on the

present occasion, it is only because the abundant fund of anecdote and

interest relating to both professions can therefore be drawn upon to

the smaller extent. In this, as in the other volumes of this little

series, the only plan followed has been that of striving to be brief

and interesting in each selection or summary. Much of the charm and

value of a collection of this kind consists in the large admixture of

personal incident, and liberal display of individual character--which

the nature and duties of the clerical and medical professions render so

easy. But it has also been sought to present, not of course in order or

in complete series, a number of such curious facts as throw a

side-light at once on professional and social history; and it is

confidently hoped that thus the collection will not only amuse, but

inform.

 

 

 

 

CLERGYMEN AND DOCTORS.

 

_CURIOUS FACTS AND CHARACTERISTIC SKETCHES._

 

 

 

 

SIR ASTLEY COOPER'S NIGHTCAP FEE.

 

 

Living as he long did in the City,--in Broad Street,--Sir Astley

Cooper, the most distinguished surgeon of his time, made a very large

income; which, however, naturally enough rose and fell somewhat in

sympathy with the state of the markets. In one year he made 20,000

guineas; and for many years his income was over £15,000. From one

Mincing Lane merchant, whom he usually visited at Croydon, Sir Astley

derived for a long period an annual revenue of £600. Large individual

fees, of course, were also paid by the wealthy traders and financiers

on special occasions; and once, and once only, Sir Astley received--and

received in a very whimsical fashion--the splendid _honorarium_ of a

thousand guineas. A West Indian millionaire, of the name of Hyatt,

during a painful and critical operation which he had to undergo, was

attended by Drs. Lettsom and Nelson as physicians, and by Sir Astley

Cooper as surgeon. The operation was successful, and the patient

speedily felt in himself the promise of recovered health and spirits.

He did not wait for his complete recovery to evince his sense of

gratitude and joy; but promptly rewarded his physicians with a fee of

300 guineas each. "As for you, Sir," the millionaire said, sitting up

in bed and addressing himself to Sir Astley,--"you, Sir, shall have

something better than that; there, Sir, take that!"--and he flung his

nightcap at the great surgeon. Sir Astley picked up the nightcap,

saying, "Sir, I pocket the affront;" and on reaching home he found in

the cap a cheque for 1000 guineas. In his younger days, however, Sir

Astley Cooper had sowed, by anxious and ill-rewarded waiting, the seeds

of his subsequent great renown and revenue: in his first year of

practice his profits were but five guineas; in his second, twenty-six

pounds; in his third, thirty-four; and only in the ninth year did his

income mount above a thousand pounds.

 

 

ELOQUENCE OF MASSILLON.

 

Jean Baptiste Massillon, born in 1663 at Hyères, was one of the

greatest pulpit orators of France. At the age of seventeen he entered

the congregation of the Oratory, at Paris, and won very high favour;

but, being enviously accused of some amours, he went into retirement

for a short time. The eloquence by which his funeral sermon, at his

retirement at St. Fonds, on the Archbishop de Villars was

characterized, led to his reluctant but triumphant return to Paris. The

applause with which his oratory met there, even at the Court, was

almost unparalleled. When he preached the first Advent sermon at

Versailles, Louis XIV. paid the following most happy and expressive

testimony to the power of his preaching: "Father, when I hear other

preachers, I am very well satisfied with them; when I hear you, I am

dissatisfied with myself." The effect of his first delivery of the

sermon "On the small number of the Elect," has been described as almost

miraculous. At a certain powerful passage in it, the entire auditory

was seized with such violent emotion, that almost every person half

rose from his seat, as if to endeavour to shake off the horror of being

one of those cast out into everlasting darkness. He spoke with that

strong, earnest simplicity which is the surest key to the hearts of all

but the utterly devoid of feeling. When asked once where a man like

him, whose life was dedicated to retirement, could borrow his admirable

descriptions of real life, he answered, "From the human heart; let us

examine it ever so slightly, we find in it the seeds of every passion.

When I compose a sermon, I imagine myself consulted upon some difficult

piece of business. I give my whole application to determine the person

who has recourse to me to act the good and proper part. I exhort him, I

urge him, and I quit him not until he has yielded to my persuasions."