By W. H. Thompson.
In the “Canterbury Tales” we have an inimitable gallery of fourteenth century portraits, drawn from life, with all a great master’s delicacy of finish and touch. And in none of these pictures does Chaucer excel himself more than in that of his “Doctor of Physic.” We may take it for granted that the portrait is no mere fanciful one, with its pre-Raphaelite minuteness of detail, sketched with the poet’s own peculiar skill. With what mischievous and yet altogether playful and good-natured humour is the man of medicine presented to us!
“With us there was a doctour of phisike
In all this world ne was there none like him
To speak of phisike and of surgerie.”
What manner of man was this paragon of medical knowledge? In personal appearance he was somewhat of an exquisite. “Clothes are unspeakably significant” saith the immortal Teufelsdrockh, and every practitioner who has his clientele largely yet to make knows the importance of being well dressed. Chaucer’s grave graduate was apparelled in a purple surcoat, and a blue and white furred hood.
“In sanguine and in perse he clad was all
Lined with taffata and with sendall,”
and yet no luxurious sybarite by any means was he,
“Of his diet measureable was he,
For it was no superfluity,
But of great nourishing and digestable.”
A man of simple habits, even perhaps given to holding his purse strings somewhat tightly.
“He was but easy of expense,
He kept that he won in pestilence.”
For, as the poet adds with his characteristic merry sly humour,