t of its gates, to get on in the world, with the
advantages of some education, and the still further advantage of having
no father or mother to provide for, or relatives to pester them with
their necessities. It was so with me: I arrived at the age of fourteen,
and notwithstanding the promise contained in the letter, it appeared
that circumstances did _not_ permit of my being reclaimed. But I had a
great advantage over the other inmates of the hospital; the fifty pounds
sent with me were not added to the funds of the establishment, but
generously employed for my benefit by the governors, who were pleased
with my conduct, and thought highly of my abilities. Instead of being
bound 'prentice to a cordwainer or some other mechanic, by the influence
of the governors, added to the fifty pounds and interest, as a premium,
I was taken by an apothecary, who engaged to bring me up to the
profession. And now, that I am out of the Foundling, we must not travel
quite so fast.

The practitioner who thus took me by the hand was a Mr Phineas Cophagus,
whose house was most conveniently situated for business, one side of
the shop looking upon Smithfield Market, the other presenting a surface
of glass to the principal street leading out of the same market. It was
a _corner_ house, but not in a _corner_. On each side of the shop were
two gin establishments, and next to them were two public-houses and then
two eating-houses, frequented by graziers, butchers, and drovers. Did
the men drink so much as to quarrel in their cups, who was so handy to
plaister up the broken heads as Mr Cophagus? Did a fat grazier eat
himself into an apoplexy, how very convenient was the ready lancet of Mr
Cophagus. Did a bull gore a man, Mr Cophagus appeared with his diachylon
and lint. Did an ox frighten a lady, it was in the back parlour of Mr
Cophagus that she was recovered from her syncope. Market days were a
sure market to my master; and if an overdriven beast knocked down
others, it only helped to set him on his legs. Our windows suffered
occasionally; but whether it were broken heads, or broken limbs, or
broken windows, they were well paid for. Every one suffered but Mr
Phineas Cophagus, who never suffered a patient to escape him. The shop
had the usual allowance of green, yellow, and blue bottles; and in hot
weather, from our vicinity, we were visited by no small proportion of
bluebottle flies. We had a white horse in one window, and a brown horse
in the o