of thieves and pickpockets not only robbed and cheated the poor people
of their money, but poisoned their bodies with odious and fatal
preparations; some with mercury, and some with other things as bad,
perfectly remote from the thing pretended to, and rather hurtful than
serviceable to the body in case an infection followed.

I cannot omit a subtlety of one of those quack operators with which he
gulled the poor people to crowd about him, but did nothing for them
without money. He had, it seems, added to his bills, which he gave out
in the streets, this advertisement in capital letters; viz., "He gives
advice to the poor for nothing."

Abundance of people came to him accordingly, to whom he made a great
many fine speeches, examined them of the state of their health and of
the constitution of their bodies, and told them many good things to do,
which were of no great moment. But the issue and conclusion of all was,
that he had a preparation which, if they took such a quantity of every
morning, he would pawn his life that they should never have the plague,
no, though they lived in the house with people that were infected. This
made the people all resolve to have it, but then the price of that was
so much (I think it was half a crown[65]). "But, sir," says one poor
woman, "I am a poor almswoman, and am kept by the parish; and your bills
say you give the poor your help for nothing."--"Ay, good woman," says
the doctor, "so I do, as I published there. I give my advice, but not my
physic!"--"Alas, sir," says she, "that is a snare laid for the poor
then, for you give them your advice for nothing; that is to say, you
advise them gratis to buy your physic for their money: so does every
shopkeeper with his wares." Here the woman began to give him ill words,
and stood at his door all that day, telling her tale to all the people
that came, till the doctor, finding she turned away his customers, was