piece fit to govern a whole kingdom upon a shift." This said, he ordered the cane to be broken in open court, which was no sooner done, than out dropped the ten crowns. All the spectators were amazed and began to look on their Governor as a second Solomon. They asked him how he could conjecture that the ten crowns were in the cane? He told them that having observed how the defendant gave it to the plaintiff to hold while he took his oath, and then swore, he had truly returned him the money into his own hands, after which he took his cane again from the plaintiff this considered, it came into his head that the money was lodged within the reed; from whence may be learned, that though sometimes those that govern are destitute of sense, yet it often pleases God to direct them in their judgment. Besides, he had heard the curate of his parish tell of such another business, and he had so special a memory, that, were it not that he was so unlucky as to forget all he had a mind to remember, there could not have been a better in the whole island. At last the two old men went away, the one to his satisfaction, the other with eternal shame and disgrace: and the beholders were astonished; insomuch, that the person who was commissioned to register Sancho's words and actions, and observe his behavior, was not able to determine whether he should not give him the character of a wise man, instead of that of a fool, which he had been thought to de

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The history informs us, that Sancho was conducted from the court of justice to a sumptuous palace, where, in a spacious room, he found the cloth laid, and a most neat and magnificent entertainment prepared. As soon as he entered, the wind-music played, and four pages waited on him, in order to the washing his hands, which he did with a great deal of gravity. And now, the instruments ceasing, Sancho sat down at the upper end of the table, for there was no seat but there, and the cloth was only laid for one. A certain personage, who afterwards appeared to be a physician, came and stood at his elbow, with a whalebone wand in his hand. Then they took off a curious white cloth that lay over the dishes on the table, and discovered great variety of fruit, and other eatables. One that looked like a student said

grace; a page put a laced bib under Sancho's chin, and another, who did the office of sewer, set a dish of fruit before him. But he had hardly put one bit into his mouth, before the physician touched the dish with his wand, and then it was taken away by a page in an instant. Immediately another, with meat, was clapped in the place; but Sancho no sooner offered to taste it, than the doctor, with the wand, conjured it away as fast as the fruit. Sancho was annoyed at this sudden removal, and, looking about him on the company, asked them, "Whether they used to tantalize people at that rate, feeding their eyes, and starving their bellies?" "My lord Governor," answered the physician, "you are to eat here no otherwise than according to the use and custom of other islands where there are governors. I am a doctor of physic, my lord, and have a salary allowed me in this island, for taking charge of the governor's health, and I am more careful of it than of my own, studying night and day his constitution, that I may know what to prescribe when he falls sick. Now, the chief thing I do is, to attend him always at his meals, to let him eat what I think convenient for him, and to prevent his eating what I imagine to be prejudicial to his health, and offensive to his stomach. Therefore, I now ordered the fruit to be taken away, because it was too cold and moist; and the other dish, because it is as much too hot, and overseasoned with spices, which are apt to increase thirst; and he that drinks much destroys and consumes the radical moisture, which is the fuel of life." "So, then," quoth Sancho, "this dish of roasted partridges here can do me no manner of harm." "Hold," said the physician, "the Lord Governor shall not eat of them while I live to prevent it." "Why so?" cried Sancho. "Because," answered the doctor, "our great master, Hippocrates, the north star and luminary of physic, says, in one of his aphorisms, Omnis saturatio mala, perdricis autem pessima; that is, All repletion is bad, but that of partridges is worst of all!" "If it be so," said Sancho, "let Mr. Doctor see which of all these dishes on the table will do me the most good, and least harm, and let me eat my bellyful of that, without having it whisked away with his wand. For, by my hopes, and the pleasures of government, as I live, I am ready to die with hunger; and, not to allow me to eat any victuals (let Mr.

Doctor say what he will) is the way to shorten my life, and not to lengthen it." "Very true, my lord," replied the physician; "however, I am of opinion you ought not to eat of these rabbits, as being a hairy, furry sort of food; nor would I have you taste that veal. Indeed, if it were neither roasted nor parboiled, something might be said; but, as it is, it must not be." "Well, then," said Sancho, "what think you of that huge dish yonder, that smokes so? I take it to be an olla podrida; and, that being a hodge-podge of so many sorts of victuals, sure I cannot but light upon something there that will nick me, and be both wholesome and toothsome." 66 Absit," cried the doctor, "far be such an ill thought from us; no diet in the world yields worse nutriment than those wishwashes do. No, leave that luxurious compound to your rich monks and prebendaries, your masters of colleges, and lusty feeders at country weddings; but let them not encumber the tables of governors, where nothing but delicate unmixed viands, in their prime, ought to make their appearance. The reason is, that simple medicines are generally allowed to be better than compounds; for, in a composition, there may happen a mis. take by an unequal proportion of the ingredients; but simples are not subject to that accident. Therefore, what I would advise at present, as a fit diet for the governor, for the preservation and support of his health, is a hundred of small wafers, and a few thin slices of marmalade, to strengthen his stomach, and help digestion." Sancho, hearing this, leaned back upon his chair, and, looking earnestly in the doctor's face, very seriously asked him what his name was, and where he had studied? "My lord," answered he, "I am called Doctor Pedro Rezio de Aguero. The name of the place where I was born is Tirteafuera, and lies between Caraquel and Almodabar del Campo, on the right hand; and I took my degree of doctor in the University of Ossuna." "Hark you," said Sancho, in a mighty chafe, "Mr. Doctor Pedro Rezio de Aguero, born at Tirteafuera, that lies between Caraquel and Almodabar del Campo, on the right hand, and who took your degree of doctor at the University of Ossuna, and so forth, take yourself away! Avoid the room this moment, or, by the sun's light, I'll get me a good cudgel, and, beginning with your carcase, will so belabor and rib-roast all the physic-mongers in the island,

that I will not leave therein one of the tribe, of those, I mean, that are ignorant quacks; for, as for learned and wise physicians, I will make much of them, and honor them like so many angels. Once more, Pedro Rezio, I say, get out of my presence. Avaunt! or I will take the chair I sit upon, and comb your head with it to some purpose, and let me be called to an account about it when I give up my office; I do not care, I will clear myself by saying I did the world good service in ridding it of a bad physician, the plague of the commonwealth. Body of me! let me eat, or let them take their government again; for an office that will not afford a man victuals is not worth two horse-beans."

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288.-Special Means of Contentment.

BISHOP SANDERSON.

[ROBERT SANDERSON, Bishop of Lincoln, was born at Rotherham, in 1587; was educated at Lincoln College, Oxford; in 1641 was appointed chaplain to Charles I., and during the troubles remained for many years in retirement at his humble living of Boothby Pagnell, occasionally suffering persecution and poverty. Upon the Restoration, he was created Bishop of Lincoln, in 1660. He died in 1662. The following extract is from "The Christian Man a contented Man."]

The first thing to be done is to labor for a true and lively faith; for faith is the very basis, the foundation, whereupon our hearts, and all our hearts' content, must rest; the whole frame of our contentment rising higher or lower, weaker or stronger, in proportion to that foundation. And this faith, as to our present purpose, hath a double object, (as before was touched,) to wit, the goodness of God, and the truth of God; his goodness in the dispensation of his special providence for the present, and his truth in the performance of his temporal promises for the future. First, then, labor to have thy heart thoroughly persuaded of the goodness of God towards thee: that he is thy father; and that whether he frown upon thee, or correct thee, or howsoever otherwise he seem to deal with thee, he still beareth a fatherly affection

towards thee; that what he giveth thee, he giveth in love, because he seeth it best for thee to have it; and what he denieth thee, he denieth in love, because he seeth it best for thee to want it. A sick man, in the extremity of his distemper, desireth some of those that are about him and sit at his bedside, as they love him, to give him a draught of cold water to allay his thirst, but cannot obtain it from his dearest wife that lieth in his bosom, nor from his nearest friend that loveth him as his own soul. They consider that if they should satisfy his desire they should destroy his life; they will therefore rather urge him, and even compel him, to take what the doctor hath prescribed, how unpleasant and distasteful soever it may seem unto him; and then, if pain and the impotency of his desire will but permit him the use of his reason, he yieldeth to their persuasions; for then he considereth that all this is done out of their love to him, and for his good, both when he is denied what he most desireth, and when he is pressed to take what he vehemently abhorreth. Persuade thyself, in like sort, of all the Lord's dealings with thee; if at any time he do not answer thee in the desire of thy heart, conclude there is either some unworthiness in thy person, or some inordinateness in thy desire, or some unfitness or unseasonableness in the thing desired-something or other not right on thy part; but be sure not to impute it to any defect of love in him.

And as thou art steadfastly to believe his goodness and love, in ordering all things in such sort as he doth for the present, so ought thou with like stedfastness to rest upon his truth and faithfulness for the making good of all those gracious promises that he hath made in his word concerning thy temporal provision and preservation for conditions and limitations, and in that sense wherein he intended them when he made them, and then never doubt the performance; for say, in good sooth, art thou able to charge him with any breach of faith hitherto? Hast thou ever found that he hath dealt unfaithfully with thee? Or, didst thou ever hear that he hath dealt unfaithfully with any other? There is no want of power in him, that he should not be as big as his word; there is no want of love in him, that he should not be as good as his word. He is not as man, that he should repent; or as the son of man, that he should call back his word. There is no lightness or in