man the dose he should take. To the poor, it gives bad drugs gratuitously; to the rich, pills to stimulate the appetite: to the latter, premiums for luxury; to the former only speedy refuges from life! Alas! either your Apothecary is but an ignorant quack, or his science itself is but in its cradle. He blunders as much as you would do if left to your own selection. Those who have recourse to him, seldom speak gratefully of his skill. He relieves you, it is true—but of your money, not your malady; and the only branch of his profession in which he is an adept, is that which enables him to bleed you!—Oh, Mankind!" continued Augustus, "what noble creatures you ought to be! You have keys to all sciences, all arts, all mysteries, but one! You have not a notion how you ought to be governed! you cannot frame a tolerable law for the life and soul of you! You make yourselves as uncomfortable as you can by all sorts of galling and vexatious institutions, and you throw the blame upon 'Fate.' You lay down rules it is impossible to compre-
Page:Paul Clifford Vol 2.djvu/161
This page has been validated.
PAUL CLIFFORD.
153
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Paul_Clifford_Vol_2.djvu/page161-1024px-Paul_Clifford_Vol_2.djvu.jpg)