"And grant of me in return but one precious favour," added the Lord Cobham in an entreating voice, that did much increase the disturbance of Master Francis. "It be but to press that tempting lip, compared with which, the ruby must seem but pale."

"Indeed, that I can never do," replied she."Nay, hold me not so closely, my lord, I entreat of you.'

This put Master Francis in a perfect tremble, and he suddenly felt the blood a rushing to his cheek-yet was he like one chained to the spot; for though he felt desperately inclined to disturb them, he was so affected by the unexpectedness of what he had heard, that he had not the power of moving.

"Turn not away that exquisite countenance, admirable Joanna!" exclaimed the Lord Cobham, while a rustling was heard as if he was a struggling with her, which did increase Master Francis' disorder mightily: "and strive not to move from arms so eager to hold so perfect a creature in their fond embrace. In good truth, I must sweetest."

"Have done, my lord, I pray you! You hurt me, indeed, you do. Nay, some one will be a coming! How you tease! Well, if you will, it must needs be," was all that Joanna said in reply; and Master Francis, thinking from what she spoke, that she liked not my Lord Cobham's advances, with one desperate effort was about to break in upon him, when he heard the consent given, and immediately followed by the close smacking of lips, which moved him so against her, that he rushed from the gateway on the instant.

CHAPTER XIV.

I cannot hold; good rascal, let me kiss thee:

I never knew thee in so rare a humour.

BEN JONSON.

A part to tear a cat in-to make all split.

SHAKSPEARE.

Sir Toby. Come thy ways, Signior Fabian! Fabian. Nay, I'll come. If I lose a scruple of this sport let me boiled to death with melancholy.-IBID.

We hope to make the circle of your eyes
Flow with distilled laughter.

BEN JONSON.

Now must I transport the courteous reader, who hath followed me along hitherto with admirable patience, and I hope with some pleasure, into the shop of a noted barber chirurgeon, alluded to in the preceding pages, as living over against the jolly mercer's in Eastcheap. He was called Martin Lather and sometimes Master Lather by those who would seem to hold him in some respect; and he had for an ap

prentice one Harry Daring—a sturdy boy of some fifteen years or so; of both of whom more anon. First to describe the shop, which was of no little repute among the citizens. On a projecting window there were divers notices to acquaint the passengers of what Master Lather was skilled in: some of these were in rhyme, for he did pride himself mightily on his scholarship. As for instance

"Beards trimmed neatly;

And teeth extracted completely."

And mayhap close upon it would be found

"I breathe a vein

For a little gain;

And on moderate terms

I cure the worms."

While in another place the gazer should meet—

"Hair cut and curled

As well as any where in the world;
And in bald places made to grow,
Whether it will or no."

About there were some few shelves, having on them bundles of herbs, jars of ointment, and the like-(very famous in the cure of many disorders); and elsewhere in the shop were some drawers, shelves with gallipots, and bottles containing different coloured liquors, and some with powders in them. A lot of ballads and broadsheets were against the wainscot. Over the fire-place was framed a large writing, having for the title, very conspicuous, "Forfeits," which ran thus

"He that must needs be served out of his turn,
Shall pay a penny, and better manners learn.
He that the master would stay in his calling,

Or dispute in such terms as will lead to a brawling,
Or meddle with what he hath had no occasion,
He shall pay two-pence to his great vexation.
He that doth swear, or doth say any scandal,

Or prate of such things that be not fit to handle,

Or from the ballads shall tear or take any,

Straightway from his pouch there must come forth a penny.
And he that shall seek for to play any tricks,

With the pricking of pins, or the poking of sticks;

Or chalk on a doublet-or foul any hat,

Without doubt shall he forfeit a penny for that.
Likewise if against the queen's grace say he aught,
He shall, as 'tis fitting, be made pay a groat,
And ask pardon all round-the which to his pain
Will keep him from talking such treason again.”

A large black cat was cleaning of its skin upon a three-legged stool, nigh unto a table standing by the side of the fire-place, on which were sundry combs, brushes, scissors, phials, a pestle and mortar, and instruments for the pulling out of teeth; and a little closer to the

light, there sat in a huge high backed chair, an exceeding serious looking old man, rather short of stature, with some few grey hairs on his head, and a small peaked beard of the like sort; wearing on his nose, which was of the longest and of an excellent fine point, a pair of famous large spectacles, through which he was gazing upon what he was about. He was trimly dressed, with everything formal and grave about him. In one hand he held a lancet, and in the other a cabbage leaf. A boy stood before him seemingly very attentive. He was thickset and short of his age, with an honest plump face, and eyes that looked as if ever intent upon some mischief or another. In truth, it was a countenance that was not easy to be described, saving that it was a very dare-devil-care-for-naught-full-of-tricks sort of face as ever boy had. He had on a leather jerkin and breeches of the same, partly covered with an apron of linen, that looked as if he had been rolling on the floor in it-which was like enough. He wore yellow hose, and thick shoes of leather. These two were Master Lather, the barber chirurgeon, and his apprentice Harry Daring.

"Methinks you know pretty well by this time how to dress hair," observed the barber to his pupil with a monstrous grave countenance, "seeing that you have been curling of the old mop for some time past: the which be an admirable way for the learning of that part of our craft -for if you singe it, then shall no man rate you for the burning of his pate: which maketh good the saying of Aristotle, 'Ante illum imperatorem!' which meaneth, 'hurt no one and he shall not cry out.' "I promise you," replied the boy, seeming as if regarding his master with great attention, "without doubt I be as clever at it as any 'prentice in the city; and upon the strength of my skilfulness at the mop, I did essay to frizzle up the locks of Gammer Griskin, who wanted them done in a hurry when you were from home, at the which I succeeded marvellously."

"I remember me well," said the old man, increasing in the gravity of his features, "when next I dressed the old woman I found one-half of her hair scorched to a cinder, and enquiring of her what she had done to her head, did hear that you had been practising on it-whereupon I said nothing-remembering what is written in Epicurus, 'Nihil reliqui fecit,' the which translated is, 'hold thy tongue, and thy prating shall do thee no harm.' However, you are at least well skilled in the practice of shaving, seeing that you have put the razor over the scalded pig's head pretty often, and with a proper degree of cunning."

"Ay, master, that have I," answered the apprentice quickly. "Indeed I have tried my skilfulness on others besides the chaps of dead pigs; for be it known to you, Gaffer Gravestone coming one morning before you were up, with a beard of a week's growth, to get rid of which he was in too great a hurry to wait your coming down, I took upon me to lather and shave him to a nicety."

"True," observed the barber chirurgeon with additional solemnity, "the sexton did complain to me, with a face covered with plaisters, that as well as slicing of a piece off his chin as big as a rose noble, and gashing of his cheek in three several places, you had completely cut

off from beside his ear two moles of no ordinary size, that there had grown undisturbed and respected for a matter of forty years. But with some ado I managed to pacify him, upon promising that his face should look all the younger for it, and doing his cure free of expense; having in my mind at the time the words of that famous writer Averroes, "Tenuit hoc propositum,' that should be thus rendered in the vulgar, 'make amends if any have suffered by thee, but if it be not in thy power attempt it not, for thou canst never succeed in the doing of that which is impossible.""

"Well, seeing that you have sufficient insight for the nonce into these matters," continued the old barber very seriously, "methought 'twas fitting time you should be taught the more noble part of our excellent and profitable profession; so attend, and I will initiate you into the whole art and mystery of the breathing of a vein. See you this cabbage leaf?"

"I'faith, master, that I cannot fail of doing, it being right under my nose," replied the boy.

"Now, mark the different ridges in the leaf," said Master Lather, pointing to them for his inspection. "It hath been written in Galen, In suam tutelam pervenissent, which meaneth-man be exceeding like unto a cabbage leaf. And the similarity is manifest-for there be veins in the leaf, and there be veins in man also. Now, in the breathing of a vein it requireth some dexterity; for, mayhap, you may chance to miss it; then shall it not bleed of a surety. Taking this ridge for the vein-having, first of all, tied a bandage of broad tape, at a penny a yard, above the bend of the arm, here you see"--and then he bared his arm to shew. "You must hold down the vein with the thumb of your left hand, that it may not slip; then, in your right holding your lancet betwixt the thumb and finger, as I do, you will send down the point into the vein, making a moderate orifice by jerking it up thus ;" and thereupon he did penetrate the ridge of the leaf, whilst the boy was a looking on with exceeding curiousness.

"The reason you should first essay in a cabbage leaf is this," continued the chirurgeon: "That whereas, on a first trial or so, upon the arm of a living man, not having the necessary experience, you may chance to cut deep and draw no blood, whereat he may be in a monstrous passion; but though you draw no blood from the cabbage leaf upon cutting ever so, there shall be no falling out betwixt for truly is it said by Esculapius, Dulce est pro patriâ mori;' the which doth mean- -things that have no voice can give no abuse.' Observe you how it be done, and then make trial yourself."

you

and it:

"I warrant you I can do it famously," cried Harry Daring, taking the lancet into his own hand, and digging into the cabbage leaf after

the manner of his master.

"Villain! you have cut my finger!" bawled out Master Lather, dropping the leaf, and looking very dismal at his finger, which began a bleeding somewhat.

"O'my life, I knew not your hand was so nigh !" said the boy, with an exceeding demure face, though it be hugely suspected the young dog did it.on purpose.

"A murrain on you, I doubt you will ever make a chirurgeon, you be so awkward," added his master, as he tied up his wound-which, luckily, was no great matter.

"Nay, master, look if I be not marvellous skilful already!" exclaimed the apprentice, now holding the cabbage leaf himself, and digging at it in a very furious fashion.

"Not so fast!-not so fast, I pray you !" cried the old man. "Put you down the point a little inward, and make a sweep with it up. Let it not go in so deep. Nay, do it not as if you were digging a salad! Alack! that will never do! In truth, if you were serving a man's arm thus, he would cry out against you, and have reason for't: for is it not written in Galen, 'Rara avis in terris, nigroque simillima cygno;' which, done into English, is-'take heed you do no man any hurt, else marvel not he come to you for a plaister.' There, that is betternow put it down. Mayhap I will give you another lesson on the cabbage leaf to-morrow, for, indeed, you must in no way attempt to breathe a vein till you have thus learnt of me the way many times. Now, perchance you shall not have forgot that we had part of a calf's head for dinner?"

"No, i'faith, not I, master," replied the other, instantly, a smacking of his lips. "Seeing that I did pick the bones so superlatively clean, that puss hath looked daggers at me ever since."

"Well-get you into the kitchen and fetch me the jaw-for I have need of it."

"Marry, what wants he with it, I wonder?" muttered the boy to himself, as he went quickly on his errand. "Methinks he hath quite jaw enough as it is. And hath he not a calf's head of his own, too? Well, some folks be never satisfied!" On his return he found Master Lather with an instrument in his hand for the extracting of teeth.

"Now will I give you a lesson on another branch of our honourable profession," said the barber-chirurgeon, taking the bone into his hand, and handling his instrument so as to shew the way of fixing it on the tooth. "When one comes to you with a raging tooth, it be best to take it out straight, for thereby shall you ease him of his toothache, and be at least a groat the richer for your pains. Now, there be two kinds of teeth, as it be writ in Aristotle, 'malus puer,' an 'easy tooth;' and 'bonus puer,' an 'obstinate tooth;' that is to say, one that will out with a small tug, and one that you may try ever so at, and it shall stick as firm as ever. Now, suppose you that this be the jaw of one that hath come to you to do your office on him for the riddance of his pain-for of a sure thing it be better at first to practise on such a thing as this than meddle with a living mouth; which remindeth me of what hath been said on this very subject by the learned Podalirius: 'De gustibus non est disputandum:' which, rightly translated, reads thus

Touch but the tail of a living dog and he shall snap at you presently; but you may hawl a dead lion by the ear and he shall take it exceeding civil of you.' If the tooth be a back tooth, and in the under jaw (getting your patient to sit quiet and say nothing), you shall presently put your instrument into his mouth and fix the claw on the further side of the tooth, thus-holding it down firm with the finger