[figure description] Page 081.[end figure description]

Here I was lodged comfortably,
and had all the attention paid me,
which good nur&longs;es and ignorant physicians
could render. The former were
men, who had made a vow of poverty,
and who&longs;e pro&longs;e&longs;&longs;ion was to attend the
couches of the &longs;ick; the latter were more
ignorant than tho&longs;e of my own country,
who had amu&longs;ed me in the gayer days of
life. They had no theory nor any systematic
practice; but it was immaterial to me.
I had ca&longs;t my la&longs;t anxious thoughts upon

[figure description] Page 082.[end figure description]

my dear native land, had ble&longs;&longs;ed my affectionate
parents, and was re&longs;igned to
die.

One day as I was &longs;unk upon my bed,
after a violent fit of coughing, I was awakened
from a doze, by a familiar voice,
which acco&longs;ted me in Latin. I opened
my eyes and &longs;aw at my &longs;ide, the Mollah,
who attempted to de&longs;troy my faith.
It immediately &longs;truck me that his purpo&longs;e
was to tempt me to apo&longs;tatize in my la&longs;t
moments. The religion of my country
was all I had left of the many ble&longs;&longs;ings, I
once enjoyed, in common with my fellow
citizens. This rendered it doubly dear
to me. Not that I was in&longs;en&longs;ible of the
excellence and verity of my faith; no. If
I had been expo&longs;ed to &longs;everer agonies than
I &longs;uffered, and had been flattered with all
the riches and honours, the&longs;e infidels could
be&longs;tow, I tru&longs;t I &longs;hould never have foregone
that faith, which a&longs;&longs;ured me for the miseries,
I &longs;u&longs;tained in a cruel &longs;eparation from

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my parents, friends, and intolerable slavery,
a rich compen&longs;ation in that future world,
where I &longs;hould rejoin my beloved
friends, and where &longs;orrow, mi&longs;ery, or
&longs;lavery, &longs;hould never come. I judged
uncandidly of the prie&longs;t. He acco&longs;ted
me with the &longs;ame gentlene&longs;s, as when at
the college, commi&longs;erated my deplorable
&longs;ituation, and, upon my expre&longs;&longs;ing an aversion
to talk upon religion, he a&longs;&longs;ured
me that he di&longs;dained taking any advantage
of my weakne&longs;s; nor would attempt
to deprive me of the con&longs;olation of my
faith, when he feared I had no time left
to ground me in a better. He recommended
me to the particular care of the
religious, who attended the &longs;ick in the hospital;
and, having learned in our former
conferences that I was educated a physician,
he influenced his friend the director
of the infirmary to purcha&longs;e me, if I
regained my health, and told him I would
be &longs;erviceable, as a minor a&longs;&longs;i&longs;tant. If

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any man could have effected a change of
my religion, it was this prie&longs;t. I was
charmed with the man, though I abominated
his faith. His very &longs;mile exhilerated
my &longs;pirits and infu&longs;ed health; and,
when he repeated his vi&longs;its, and communicated
his plan of alleviating my di&longs;tre&longs;&longs;es,
the very idea, of being freed from the oppressions
of Abdel Melic, made an exchange
of &longs;lavery appear de&longs;irable. I
was again attached to life, and reque&longs;ted
him to procure a &longs;mall quantity of the
quinquina or je&longs;uits bark. This excellent
&longs;pecific was unknown in the infirmary;
but, as the Algerines are all fatali&longs;ts,
it is immaterial to the patient, who is his
phy&longs;ician, and what he pre&longs;cribes. By
his kindne&longs;s the bark was procured, and
I made a decoction, as near to Huxham's,
as the ingredients I could procure would
admit, which I infu&longs;ed in wine; no brandy
being allowed, even for the &longs;ick. In a
few weeks, the diagno&longs;tics were

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favourable, and I recovered my pri&longs;tine health;
and, &longs;oon after, the director of the hospital
purcha&longs;ed me of my late ma&longs;ter, and
I was appointed to the care of the medicine
room, with permi&longs;&longs;ion to go into the
city for fre&longs;h &longs;upplies.

p407-309

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