HISTORY
OF
NICOLAS PEDROSA.
NICOLAS Pedroſa, a buſy little being, who followed the trades of ſhaver, ſurgeon, and man-midwife, in the town of Madrid, mounted his mule at the door of his ſhop in the Plazuela de los Affligidos, and puſhed through the gate of San Bernardino, being called to a patient in the neighbouring village of Foncarral, upon a preſſing occaſion. Every body knows that the ladies in Spain in certain caſes do not give long warning to practitioners of a certain deſcription, and no body knew it better than Nicolas, who was reſolved not to loſe an inch of his way, nor of his mule's beſt ſpeed by the way, if cudgelling could beat it out of her. It was plain to Nicolas's conviction as plain could be, that his road laid ſtraight forward to the little convent in front; the mule was of opinion, that the turning on the left down the hill towards the Prado was the road of all roads moſt familiar and agreeable to herſelf, and accordingly began to diſpute the point of topography with Nicolas, by fixing her fore feet reſolutely in the ground, dipping her head at the ſame time between then, and launching heels and crupper furiouſly into the air, in the way of argument. Little Pedroſa, who was armed at heel with one maſſy ſilver ſpur of ſtour, though ancient workmanſhip, reſolutely applied the ruſty rowel to the ſhoulder
