Chancellor of the University of Paris muttered a
short prayer, which reminded the newly elected
that, henceforth, he belonged to the Church in a
most especial manner, and was expected to
sacrifice everything, even life, to her: "Usque
ad effusionem sanguinis." With this ended the
ceremony of making a licentiate.

To reach the supreme grade of doctor, no
further examinations were necessary; it followed
as a final consecration, adding to the right to
practise already acquired, that of having a
deliberative voice in the school, and the enjoyment
of all the honours of the profession. No
longer period than six weeks legally intervened
between the Licentiate and the Doctorate, but
practically the time was considerably extended,
and though there were no more examinations, the
candidate had still a probation to undergo—a
minute inquiry by the dean into his morals and
general course of life. If the vote of the
Faculty were favourable, he was then admitted to
the "Vespérie," a prefaratory sitting, which, as
its name indicates, took place in the evening—
where speeches were made, chiefly eulogistic of
the learned body which then received another
member. Certain academical visits ensued, and
on the day of reception, when the Faculty were
assembled in full conclave, the grand apparitor
approached the future doctor, and, after a
profound salute, informed him that he was required
to take three oaths. ("Domine doctorande, antequam
incipius, habes tria juramenta.") The
articles were these: "1. You will observe all
the rights, statutes, laws, and respectable
customs of the Faculty; 2. You will attend the
mass for all deceased doctors on the morrow of
Saint Luke; 3. You will combat with all your
strength against all those who illegally practise
medicine, and spare none of them, to whatever
order or condition they may belong." "Vis
ista jurare?" and to this the candidate replied
by the "Juro" (which "I swear!" Moliere has
made immortal, in a kind of epilogue to his
"Malade Imaginaire"); and so the ceremony ended.

The inimitable buffoonery of this piece of
humour had its origin at one of those pleasant
suppers which used to be given by Madame de la
Sablière, when Boileau, La Fontaine, Ninon de
l'Enclos, and other joyous companions were
present, and was dashed off, as it were, in a moment,
Molière supplying the groundwork, and everybody
else throwing in a line. No doubt that
amongst the company were some of the more
liberal medical men, the friends of Molière,
such as Liénard, Bernier, and Mauvillain;
for certain technical expressions and intimate
details betray an acquaintance with the
proceedings of the Faculty which could hardly be
picked up by outsiders. It was not without a
motive that Molière made his Præses wish the
candidate  "a good appetite," for none of these
inaugurations took place without being followed
by a dinner. We have an account of one of these
banquets on the occasion of Guy Patin being
elected dean. "Thirty-six of my colleagues," he
says, "were present, and never in my life have I
witnessed so much laughter and hard drinking
among serious folk, even amongst our elders;
but, to be sure, the Burgundy was the best I
could procure. They dined in my own apartment,
where, above the tapestry, appeared the portraits
of Erasmus, the two Scaligers, father and
son, Casaubon, Muret, Montaigne, Charron,
Grotius, Heinsius, Saumaise, Fernel, De Thou,
and our good friend Naudé. There were also
three other portraits of excellent men, which had
belonged to M. de Sales, Bishop of Geneva, viz.
the Bishop de Belley, Justus Lipsius, and François
Rabelais. What do you say to the lot? Were
not my guests in good company?" It would be
untrue to say they were not, and censorious,
perhaps, to criticise the mirth that crowned their
cups when Rabelais looked down upon them.

Before we dismiss the Faculty as a body,
let us also say that, besides the good custom
of dinner-giving, many of its statutes were
worthy of all praise—such, for example, as
these: The doctors were bound to cultivate the
most friendly relations with each other. No
one was to visit a sick person without being
expressly sent for. The secrets of the sick were
to be held inviolable. No doctor was permitted
to reveal what he had seen, heard, or even what
he might have suspected, in the houses of
patients. All quarrelling was to be for ever
banished from the Faculty. The fees payable
for medical grades, were to be lessened or
remitted in the case of poor students of honourable
lives. And these statutes were religiously
observed—all except that one which prohibited
quarrelling. To "love one another," is not
exactly the precept for the observance of which the
members of the medical profession are famous,
and it is, perhaps, too much to ask them to do more
than is done by artists and authors. Molière, who
was in the secret, has not represented the doctors
of his day as so many cooing doves—witness the
angry contest in L' Amour Médecin.

We now come to the real personages whom
Molière has made his types. In the comedy
just named, he brings them forward en masse.
Lucinde, the daughter of Sganarelle, suffers
from an incurable malady—disappointed love.
Believing that her illness is a physical ailment,
and having an unbounded faith in the medical
profession, her father sends, not for a single
son of Esculapius, but for as many as he can
muster. "Vite, qu'on m'aille querir des médecins,
et en quantité. On n'en peut trop avoir
dans une pareille aventure; "and accordingly
Messrs. Tomès, Desfonandrès, Macroton,
and Bahis, make their appearance. Under
these names were represented the four court
physicians. It is said to have been Boileau who
supplied Moliere with the Greek designations
which implied their several characteristics.
Desfonandrès (otherwise the slayer of men), was
Des Fougerais, the first physician of Madame;
Bahis (the barker), who stuttered, signified
Esprit, the first physician of the queen-mother;
Macroton, who was excessively slow of speech,
was meant for Guénaut, the first physician of
the queen; Tomès (the bleeder), who was notably
addicted to phlebotomy, represented Valot,