Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 18.djvu/204

190 their decencies of dress; so far from it that I wish them with all my heart greater elegance, and finer apparel. Well fare the heart of that sprightly youth, a deacon of this church, who I foresee shall first adventure to hoop his canonical coat, and border his band or shirt with mechlin lace, or a modest fringe.

But to return from this incident to my subject again (from which a vast impetuous force of wit and learning, and love of my country, have led me devious): The nicest logicians will allow it a fair way of arguing, in all cases, to refer to things what is true as to persons; and therefore I conclude, if physick be a faculty more ancient than that of civil law, then it literally goes before it, i. e. takes place of it; and I hope it will not be denied, that physick is as old as the occasion of it, as old, indeed, within a few days, as mankind, which can by no means be said of the other (in comparison) upstart profession, unless any one will be so hardy to affirm, there was a doctor's commons or bishop's court in Paradise. And if any man should insist to know the year and day of the rise of physick, I take him to be ignorant of religion and history, and will disdain an answer; though I could tell him not only what the first distemper was, and that epidemical, viz. a falling sickness; but also who it was that cured it; but I do not think fit to satisfy dulness and ignorance so far.

I have ever blamed St. Jerom in my heart, for indiscretion, that when some pragmatical deacons set up for equality with presbyters, he, to humble them, made presbyters equal in effect to bishops: and I could do something of the same kind in the present dispute; and show those assuming civilians, that they can with so little reason arrogate a place above physicians, or an equality with them, that, in my ble