Page:Merret - A short view of the frauds and abuses committed by apothecaries.pdf/63

 men of honesty and repute, would be ashamed to own, and must by using them in a short time be ruined and discredited. And such Cheats as these, the College of Physicians are bound by the Laws of the Land to decry, and punish (though by so doing it hath often incurred the censure and clamor of the vulgar) Besides the Statute of the 14th. and 15th. of Henry the Eighth injoyns us to it, declaring that 'tis good for the Common-wealth of this Realm, and therefore expedient, and necessary to provide that no person of the College of Physicians (for all practisers then were of the said body) be suffered to exercise, and practice Physic, but only those persons that be profound, sad, and discreet, groundly learned, and deeply studyed in Physic. Now certain it is, that none of the said body did or dare use any of the forementioned frauds and deceits, but will constantly indeavour (since 'tis impossible but there will be Cheatees; (according to the old Proverb, Populus vult decipi, The People will be deceived) to abridge the number of the Cheaters, who answer to the former part of the Proverb, Decipiatur, Let them be couzened.

I shall end this discourse by returning from my digression to the Apothecaries, who may and do use some of the tricks before-mentioned, and shall here briefly recite some great advantages they have, and make use of above Physicians. One is, that they live in this City 7 or 8 years as Apprentices, as also by their retail Trade, and by living in open Shops, by frequent converse with their fellow Citizens, whether in Commerce or Offices, by many friendly and Neighbourly mutual kindnesses and actions, wherein they Rh