Page:Lives of British Physicians.djvu/143

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RADCLIFFE. 125 all patience, and found himself obliged, in a very becoming manner, to advertise tlieir master of it, with his desires to him to admonish them for the forbearance of such insolences ; yet, notwithstand- ing this complaint, the grievance continued unre- dressed, so that the person aggrieved found him- self under a necessity of letting him, that ought to make things easy, know, by one of his servants, that he should be obliged to brick up the door, in case of his complaints proving ineffectual. To this the doctor, who is very often in a cholerick temper, and from the success of his practice ima- gined every one under an obligation of bearing with him, returned answer, that Sir Godfrey might even do v/hat he thought fit, in relation to the door, so that he did hut refrain from jjaintiug it; alluding to his employment, than whom, none was a more exquisite master of. Hereupon, the footman, after some hesitation in the delivery of his message, and several commands from his master to give it him word for word, told him as above. ' Did my very good friend. Doctor Rad- clifPe, say so ? ' cryed Sir Godfrey. ' Go you back to him, and, after presenting my service to him, tell him, that I can take anything from him hut physic! A reply more biting than true, though allowable, from what he had received from the aggressor : so, if the one was at the height of ex- cellence in his unequalled skill in physic, the other had attained to as consummate an experience in the art and mystery of limning." At the close of the year 1689, when he had gained additional credit and fame by a cure he