Athothis : a satire on modern medicine / by Thomas C. Minor.

" This is probably the enjoyable condition alluded to in 'De Berum Natural " observed Paulus Androcydes, " where it says : "'Odors incessantly stream from many things, As doth the cold from the river, As doth the heat from the sun, As doth the spray from the sea, That crumbier of walls on the shore, As the moist flavor of salt, As we wander beside the green waves—' " " Stop !" cried Athothis. " Methinks the classical Lucretius would not relish such a rendition of his lines." " Nevertheless, this well expresses my peculiar sensa- tion of taste at this moment," responded Paulus Andro- cydes ; " for it is so closely allied with the olfactory sense that I can not distinguish the difference. Ah ! this spiritual gustatory faculty is entrancing ! Oh ! this is divine rapture ! I inhale the delicious fragrance of this stew, and believe more than ever that there is no soup-making aliment equal to turtle flesh." " Egypt was the land of terrapin," said Athothis, sadly; " yet with us it was not considered a luxury, and I never did fancy the dish. Besides the two turtles, from which this stew was made, were inhabited but yester- day by Epicurus and Chrysippus. They were captured by a bare-legged fisher-boy, while quarreling as to the use of human flesh as an article of diet, Chrysippus insisting that such meat, when properly prepared, was most excellent." " Having finished the soup, let us devote our attention to oysters," remarked Paulus Androcydes, smacking his spiritual lips. " These bivalves are the delicate creatures which Matron eulogizes as ' sea truffles,' although I must