KING JAMES' CHARTER 17 



caries formed themselves into a City Company, 

 and undertook the difficult duty of improving 

 both the quality of drugs, sold to His Majesty's 

 subjects, and the qualifications of the vendors. 



The Grocers in the meantime were not idle. 

 In 1624 they induced the Lord Mayor himself 

 to petition the King to revoke his charter, and 

 the House of Commons to support the Lord 

 Mayor's appeal. The alarmed Apothecaries 

 hastily summoned a meeting, and a call of i 

 a head was made to defray expenses of counsel ; 

 but it was agreed to accept a fate which 

 appeared inevitable, and return (under certain 

 conditions) to the Grocers. An end to the 

 Apothecaries' Company seemed in sight. 



But the Stuarts, whatever their failings, 

 were on the side of science. King James 

 himself met the Mayor and Corporation, told 

 them that he gave the Apothecaries their 

 charter " from his own judgement for the 

 health of the people, knowing that grocers 

 are not competent judges of the practice of 

 medicine," and that his intentions would be 

 made known to the Speaker of the House of 

 Commons informed the House of Lords that 

 the establishment of the new Company was 

 " a general good," and sent a warrant to the 

 Apothecaries to proceed in the due execution of 

 their charter " notwithstanding the proceedings 

 in the House of Commons." The Company 

 was saved. 



Autocracy would be an excellent form of 

 government if autocrats were always wise. 

 It is unfortunate that the possession of 

 uncontrolled power so often corrupts its 



