[Bishop Burnet confirms this account.--"Being under an unlucky
accident, which obliged him to keep out of the way, he disguised
himself so, that his nearest friends could not have known him, and
set up in Tower Street for an Italian mountebank, where he practised
physic for some weeks, not without success. In his latter years he
read books of history more. He took pleasure to disguise himself as
a porter, or as a beggar; sometimes to follow some mean amours,
which, for the variety of them, he affected. At other times, merely
for diversion, he would go about in odd shapes; in which he acted
his part so naturally, that even those who were in the secret, and
saw him in these shapes, could perceive nothing by which he might be
discovered."--Burnet's Life of Rochester, ed. 1774, p. 14.]

His secrets consisted in knowing what was past, and foretelling what was
to come, by the assistance of astrology: and the virtue of his remedies
principally consisted in giving present relief to unfortunate young women
in all manner of diseases, and all kinds of accidents incident to the
fair sex, either from too unbounded charity to their neighbours, or too
great indulgence to themselves.

His first practice being confined to his neighbourhood, was not very
considerable; but his reputation soon extending to the other end of the
town, there presently flocked to him the women attending on the court,
next, the chamber-maids of ladies of quality, who, upon the wonders they
related concerning the German doctor, were soon followed by some of their
mistresses.

Among all the compositions of a ludicrous and satirical kind, there never
existed any that could be compared to those of Lord Rochester, either for
humour, fire, or wit; but, of all his works, the most ingenious and