56 IDLEHURST : 



he does not know a tithe of the herbs by sight, and 

 never gathered simples under sun or moon. He 

 sometimes tells me there's a deal more in those old 

 books than what you'd think for. " Doctors " (here 

 bubbles up the latent distrust and hostility to the 

 regular practitioner, which goes together with absolute 

 dependence upon that hardworking gentleman in 

 hours of need : a sentiment running back perhaps to 

 times of witchcraft and home medicine of the pro 

 mirifao kind, a rebellion against hard and fast rules and 

 the stern categories of osis and itis) " doctors, 

 they don't seem to reckon much on 'em ; but it might 

 be better for some on us if we used them herbs more. 

 Father, he was wonderful fond of them ; he'd go out 

 of a night to gather 'em under the Planets. Once " 

 (and here comes the inevitable triumphant instance) 

 " he was bad with the 'sipelas in the face ; and the 

 book said as how mash-mailer was the thing to cure it ; 

 and he hadn't got no mash-mailer, so he took and put 

 on the tea-leaves out of the pot, two or three times ; 

 and that took it clean away. And them gipsy-women, 

 he declares, they be won'erful clever, sometimes. 

 There was one came to the door sellin' skewers a 

 year' two ago, and she told his wife to take dandelion 

 tea ; and that took the slug off her liver as quick as 

 quick." Such is Bish's general position toward physic 



