encouragement it met with from the moft, as well as the most ancient Members of the Society, notwithstanding the vigorous oppofition of a few men, who thought it their intereft to defeat fo laudable a defign. The intention of this preface is not to perfuade mankind to enter into our quarrels, but to vindicate the author from being cenfured of taking any indecent liberty with a faculty he has the honour to be a member of. If the fatire may appear directed at any particular perfon, it is at fuch only as are prefumed to be engaged in difhonourable confederacies for 'mean and mercenary ends, against the dignity of their own profeffion. But if there be no fuch, then these characters are but imaginary, and by confequence ought to give nobody offence. The defcription of the battle is grounded upon a feud that happened in the Difpenfary, betwixt a member of the College with his retinue, and fome of the fervants that attended there to difpenfe the medicines; and is fo far real, though the poetical relation be fictitious. I hope nobody will think the author too undecently reflecting through the whole, who, being too liable to faults himself, ought to be less fevere upon the miscarriages of others. There is a character in this trivial performance, which the town, I find, applies to a particular perfon: it is a reflection which I fhould be forry fhould give offence; being no more than what may be faid of any phyfician remarkable for much practice. The killing of numbers of patients is fo trite a piece of raillery, that it ought not to make the least impression, either upon the reader, or the perfon it is applied to; being one that I think in my confcience confcience a very able phyfician, as well as a gentleman of extraordinary learning. If I am hard upon any one, it is my reader: but fome worthy gentlemen, as remarkable for their humanity as their extraordinary parts, have taken care to make him amends for it, by prefixing fomething of their own. I confefs, thofe ingenious gentlemen have done me a great honour; but while they defign an imaginary panegyric upon me, they have made a real one upon themfelves; and by faying how much this fmall performance exceeds fome others, they convince the world how far it falls fhort of theirs. THE THE COPY OF AN INSTRUMENT Subfcribed by the Prefident, Cenfor, most of the Elects, Senior Fellows, Candidates, &c. of the COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS, in WH relation to the SICK Poor. HEREAS the feveral orders of the College of Phyficians, London, for preferibing medicines gratis to the poor fick of the cities of London and Westminster, and parts adjacent; as also proposals made by the faid College to the Lord Mayor, Court of Aldermen, and Common Council, of London, in purfuance thereof; have hitherto been ineffectual, for that no method hath been taken to furnish the poor with medicines for their cure at low and reasonable rates; we therefore whofe names are here under-written, fellows and members of the faid College, being willing effectually to promote fo great a charity, by the counsel and good-liking of the Prefident and College declared. in their Comitia, hereby (to wit, each of us feverallyand apart, and not the one for the other of us) do oblige ourselves to pay to Dr. Thomas Burwell, fellow and elect of the faid College, the fum of ten pounds. apiece of lawful money of England, by fuch proportions, and at fuch times, as to the major part of the fubfcribers here fhall feem moft convenient : which money, when received by the faid Dr. Thomas Burwell, is is to be by him expended in preparing and delivering medicines to the poor at their intrinfic value, in such manner, and at fuch times, and by fuch orders and directions, as by the major part of the fubfcribers hereto fhall in writing be hereafter appointed and directed for that purpose.. In witness whereof we have hereunto fet our hands and feals, this twenty-fecond day of December, 1696.. Tho. Millington, Præfes. Tho. Burwell, Elect. and Sam. Collins, Elect. Rich. Torlefs, Elect. and Cenfor. Edw. Hulfe, Elect. Will. Dawes, Cenfor. John Hawys. Thomas Gibson. Charles Goodall. Edm. King. Sam. Garth.. Barnh. Soame. Denton Nicholas. Jofeph Gaylard. Oliver Horfeman. Hen. Morelli. Bernard Connor. J. le Feure, P. Syla |