48 ANECDOTE OF BLACK AND BUTTON. 



a broad Scotch accent, which often heightened the humour 

 of what he said. 



" It chanced that the two doctors had held some discourse 

 together upon the folly of abstaining from feeding on the 

 testaceous creatures of the land, while those of the sea were 

 considered as delicacies. Wherefore not eat snails ? They 

 are well-known to be nutritious and wholesome, even sana- 

 tive in some cases. The epicures of olden times enumerated 

 among the richest and raciest delicacies the snails which 

 were fed in the marble quarries of Lucca : the Italians still 

 hold them in esteem : in short, it was determined that a 

 gastronomic experiment should be made at the expense of 

 the snails. The snails were procured, dieted for a time, then 

 stewed for the benefit of the two philosophers ; who had 

 either invited no guest to their banquet, or found none who 

 relished in prospect the piece de resistance. A huge dish of 

 snails was placed before them : but philosophers are but 

 men, after all ; and the stomachs of both the doctors began 

 to revolt against the proposed experiment. Nevertheless, if 

 they looked with disgust on the snails, they retained their 

 awe for each other : so that each, conceiving the symptoms 

 of internal revolt peculiar to himself, began, with infinite 

 exertion, to swallow, in very small quantities, the mess 

 which he internally loathed. Dr. Black at length ' shewed 

 the white feather,' but in a very delicate manner, as if to 

 sound the opinion of his messmate. ' Doctor,' he said, in 

 his precise and quiet manner, ' Doctor, — do you not think 

 that they taste a little — a very little, green ? ' ' D — d green, 

 d — d green, indeed, — tak' them awa', tak' them awa',' voci- 

 ferated Dr. Hutton, starting up from table, and giving full 

 vent to his feelings of abhorrence. And so ended all hopes 

 of introducing snails into the modern cuisine ; and thus philo- 

 sophy can no more cure a nausea than honour can set a 

 broken limb."* 



* Quart. Review xxxvi. 197. 



