THE HYPOCHONDRIAC.

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and, therefore, ordering my tilbury, I drove overto Gloucester; threw myself into the mail; and onthe afternoon of the following day, found my-self seated in the little parlour of my friend'scottage. He could not at that moment be dis-turbed ; but John informed me, that he feared hismaster was now ill in good earnest; that he hadretained nothing on his stomach for four days;was delirious, and reduced to " an atomy." Iinquired what he had been doing. " Ah! Sir!"said John, " you know how fond he is of new doc-tors : he has had twenty since you saw him; andhas taken a waggon-load of physic. Lord, Sir!I have turned many a good penny on the emptyphials; but it wont do. I really fear that thepoor gentleman is dying." In a few minutes myfriend was ready to see me, and I entered his bed-room.

Alas! what a change ! a young man, not twenty-six, metamorphosed to an old, infirm invalid ofseventy ; his skin yellow and shrivelled, his cheekssunk, and his wan eyes almost lost within theirbony sockets. He could not rise to welcome me;