The gold-headed cane . deathof Dr. Conyers Middleton, (whom I have hadoccasion to speak of before, as the author ofthe attack on the dignity of physic, whichwas so warmly and triumphantly repelled byDr. Mead), his widow called upon Dr. He-berden with a MS. treatise of her late hus-band, about the publication of which she wasdesirous of consulting him. The religion ofDr. Middleton had always been justly sus-pected, and it was quite certain that his phi-losophy had never taught him candour. having perused the MS., which wason the inefficacy of prayer, told the lady thatthough the wor
The gold-headed cane . deathof Dr. Conyers Middleton, (whom I have hadoccasion to speak of before, as the author ofthe attack on the dignity of physic, whichwas so warmly and triumphantly repelled byDr. Mead), his widow called upon Dr. He-berden with a MS. treatise of her late hus-band, about the publication of which she wasdesirous of consulting him. The religion ofDr. Middleton had always been justly sus-pected, and it was quite certain that his phi-losophy had never taught him candour. having perused the MS., which wason the inefficacy of prayer, told the lady thatthough the work might be deemed worthy ofthe learning of her departed husband, its ten-dency was by no means creditable to his prin-ciples, and would be injurious to his memory;but as the matter pressed, he would ascertainwhat a publisher might be disposed to give ASKEW. 173 for the copyright. This he accordingly did;and having found that £150 might be pro-cured, he himself paid the widow £200, andconsigned the MS. to the PITCAIRN. CHAPTER IV. When the Radcliffe Library was openedat Oxford, which was done April 13th, 1749,with great solemnity, the degree of Doctorof Medicine was conferred by diploma uponDr. William Pitcairn; and the College ofPhysicians hastened to adopt him, in the fol-lowing year, into their corporate body. Hewas descended from the family of Dr. Archi-bald Pitcairn, celebrated as the founder ofthe mechanical sect of medicine, who, havingfollowed the fortunes of the exiled James, was,for a short time, Professor of the Practice of PITCAIRN. 175 Physic at the University of Leyden. Boer-haave and Mead had been fellow pupils of thisdistinguished man, and Dr. Wm. Pitcairn,into whose hands I now was delivered, hadstudied under Boerhaave; afterwards he hadtravelled with the Duke of Hamilton (towhose family he was related), though not ina medical capacity. His brother, a Major inthe army, had been killed at the battle ofBunkers Hill, and as there was not in theworld a mo
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