The Hillsborough Recorder

The Physician of Toulouse and the Archbishop's Niece.

A physician of Toulouse took a gentlewoman to wife, who was niece to the archbishop. In two months after the marriage she brought him a female child. The husband, instead of being displeased, attended the lady with the greatest kindness during her illness, and demonstrated by physical reasoning, that such an event might happen without any imputation against her conduct. By these fair appearances of satisfaction on his part he tranquillised her fears, and she made no secret of the affair. After she had recovered he took her aside, thus addressing her: "Madam, I have paid you every attention in my power; I now entreat you out of regard for me, to return to your father's house, and I will take all possible care of your child."—The story, as might be expected, made a great stir among all the acquaintance and friends of the parties; at last it came to the bishop's ears that the physician had sent away his niece, on which he immediately ordered him to be brought before him, to reprimand him for his conduct. The physician heard menacing and rebukes, without saying a word to interrupt him.—And after the bishop had done, replied as follows:

Sir, I took your niece to wife, thinking my property was sufficient to provide for her and her family and to support them respectably. My calculation was made on the supposition that she might have one child a year and no more; but the lady has begun to bring them forth at two months. Now, really, if things are to go on at this rate my property is not such as would enable me to maintain them; and it would by no means be to your credit, that your relatives should come to poverty. Let me therefore beg the favor of you to bestow her on some one who is richer than I am, in order that I may not bring disgrace upon the family.