1772» April. w o concerning her good man’s rheumatifm, which in order to get rid o f by fweating, he was gone on a journey to the warm -baths. A houfe plaiftered up in a ilovenly manner with ■clay, a heap o f dirty icabby children) a female flave dragging after her a heavy iron chain fattened to one of her legS) the features of the old woman herielf, her peaked nofe, her perpetually fcolding her fervants, and laftly, her entertaining me with nothing but cold water, plainly indicated that poverty dwelt in her houfe, and at the fame time that the gout, had in her choleric temperament a very fertile foil to grow in. She advifed me to fet myfelf down in the Paarl (a trail o f ground a little way from thence planted with vines, and inhabited by vine-dreflers,) in order to make my fortune by turning quack. She informed me, that there had been a phylician there before, who had had no practice, as his price was too high. She faid, that ihe never could, nor ever lhould be perfuaded to be bled, or to take any kind of phyf ic; neverthelefs, ihe thought it very comfortable for a perfon to have accefs to a phylician in cafe o f ficknefs. You fee, Sir, that an African cottage will afford you a view of mankind, fimi- lar to what you may have had in the palaces o f Europe, where (it mutt be owned) they call in phyficians to their afliftance, but feldom fail to manage themfelves in a great meafure according to their own caprice. In purfuance of the information I got I took the road to the right, which, I was told, would carry me to the houfe o f a rich and infirm widow of fifty-two years o f age. My fervant, who was acquainted there, warned me not to frighten the good woman into fits with my infedts ftuck on the brim of m y ' hat; hat ; for which reaion, having arrived there about five vgj• o’clock, and been well received by her, I took care to turn the crown o f my hat away from her, and afterwards hid my hat in a corner o f the room. Immediately my mouth was crammed with bread, butter, and cheefe, wine and tea, and at the fame time was employed in giving differ- tations on the gout, apoplexy, violent bleedings at the nofe, coughs, and her poor deceafed huiband’s dropfy. The good lady was attentive to hear, and I to eat, as much as ever my ledtures would permit me. During thefe, a tell-tale huffey o f a female Have, who was a favourite with her miftrefs, had been pumping my fervant in the kitchen, on which the whifpered her miftrefs in the ear, that my hat was full o f little beafts ( kleine bejljes.') The old lady immediately quitted the fine inftrudtions that I was about giving her with refpedt to diet, in order to go and look at the ftrange and wonderful fight that was to be feen on my hat. But what attoniihed her the moft in this affair was, to fee the little animals run through the body with pins, and fattened to the brim of my hat. An explanation was required on the ipot. It was now neceffary for me to ceafe eating a while, for fear of being choaked with fome o f the big words and long Dutch phrafes, which I was obliged to coin on the fpot, in order to convince her of the great utility o f underftanding thefe little animals for medical and ceconomical purpofes, and at the fame time to the glory of the great C reator. Fortunately for me I defcant- ed on this fubjedt with.great fuccefs, though not without fome inquietude ; for, in cafe I had not fucceeded, I ihould certainly have been turned out of doors for a conjuror (bexmeejler;)
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