XLII. THAT OF THE ARTICULATING SKELETON.

 There was a worthy¹ Doctor once

Who unlike Mother Hubbard

Had many bones (a skeleton)

Shut up within a cupboard.

One night the worthy Doctor dreamt,

(He'd been up rather late)

His articulated skeleton

Did thus articulate:—

 

"Come! Doctor, come! confess that you're a fraud

A very specious² humbug³ and a sham⁴.

Though meek⁵ as any lamb.

Don't glare at me! I'll tell it not abroad

But merely in your ears alone applaud

The wily artifice⁶ of pill and dram.

"You know as well as I do, you don't mean,

One half the things you tell 'our patient.' No!

Why, I can clearly show,

That Mrs. Gobbles' ailments⁷ are but spleen,

('Tis quite the simplest cause that e'er was seen)

And yet what crack-jaw names you now bestow⁸.

"Because, forsooth, the longer you can prey⁹

Upon her pocket, that doth please you best,

So, Doctor, you protest

'The case is serious,' from day to day,

'And it must run its course,' you gravely say

With wisest head-shake and a look distressed¹⁰.

"And then those pills! Absurd you know to try

To gammon me with bolluses of bread;

While Aqua P. I've said,

Often, is good (if nothing else be nigh)

To drink when thirsty and our throats are dry,

But not for medicine—though coloured red.

"So, Doctor, when we're by ourselves alone,

Don't try to put on 'side' with me, good lack,

For I can surely track

Full many a 'fatal case' you'd fain disown.

And I can tell aright why you should groan¹¹

When harmless ducks in passing cry 'Quack¹²! Quack!'

* * *

The Doctor woke. "Dear me!" said he,

"This skeleton's too wise

For me." He therefore packed it up,

And sent it off to Guy's.

1 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

2 specious   

adj.似是而非的；adv.似是而非地

参考例句：

• Such talk is actually specious and groundless.这些话实际上毫无根据，似是而非的。
• It is unlikely that the Duke was convinced by such specious arguments.公爵不太可能相信这种似是而非的论点。

3 humbug   

n.花招，谎话，欺骗

参考例句：

• I know my words can seem to him nothing but utter humbug.我知道，我说的话在他看来不过是彻头彻尾的慌言。
• All their fine words are nothing but humbug.他们的一切花言巧语都是骗人的。

4 sham   

n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的)

参考例句：

• They cunningly played the game of sham peace.他们狡滑地玩弄假和平的把戏。
• His love was a mere sham.他的爱情是虚假的。

5 meek   

adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的

参考例句：

• He expects his wife to be meek and submissive.他期望妻子温顺而且听他摆布。
• The little girl is as meek as a lamb.那个小姑娘像羔羊一般温顺。

6 artifice   

n.妙计，高明的手段；狡诈，诡计

参考例句：

• The use of mirrors in a room is an artifice to make the room look larger.利用镜子装饰房间是使房间显得大一点的巧妙办法。
• He displayed a great deal of artifice in decorating his new house.他在布置新房子中表现出富有的技巧。

7 ailments   

疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His ailments include a mild heart attack and arthritis. 他患有轻度心脏病和关节炎。
• He hospitalizes patients for minor ailments. 他把只有小病的患者也送进医院。

8 bestow   

v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费

参考例句：

• He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.他希望将那些伟大的荣誉授予这位英雄。
• What great inspiration wiII you bestow on me?你有什么伟大的灵感能馈赠给我？

9 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

10 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

11 groan   

vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音

参考例句：

• The wounded man uttered a groan.那个受伤的人发出呻吟。
• The people groan under the burden of taxes.人民在重税下痛苦呻吟。

12 quack   

n.庸医；江湖医生；冒充内行的人；骗子

参考例句：

• He describes himself as a doctor,but I feel he is a quack.他自称是医生，可是我感觉他是个江湖骗子。
• The quack was stormed with questions.江湖骗子受到了猛烈的质问。