God has kept the power of death in his own hands lest any man should bribe death.
If man knew the gain of death, the ease of death, he would provoke death to assist him by any hand which he might use. [16]
Mr Gibson used to tell him that his motto would always be 'kill or cure,' & to this Mr Coxe once made answer that he thought it was the best motto a doctor could have; for if he could not cure the patient, it was surely best to get him out of his misery quietly, & at once.
Mr Wynne looked up in surprise, & observed that he should be afraid that such putting out of misery might be looked upon as homicide by some people. Mr Gibson said in a dry tone, that for his part he should not mind the imputation of homicide, but that it would not do to make away with profitable patients in so speedy a manner; & that he thought that as long as they were willing & able to pay 2/6 for the doctors visit, it was his duty to keep them alive; of course, when they became paupers the case was different. Mr Wynne pondered over this speech; Mr Coxe only laughed.
At last Mr Wynne said: 'But you go every morning, sir, before breakfast to see old Nancy Grant, & you've ordered her this medicine, sir, which is the most costly in Corbyns bill?'
'Have you not found out how difficult it is for men to live up to their precepts? You’ve a great deal to learn yet, Mr Wynne!' said Mr Gibson, leaving the surgery as he spoke
'I never can make the governor out,' said Mr Wynne, in a tone of utter despair. 'What are you laughing at, Coxey?'
'Oh! Im thinking how blest you are in having parents who have instilled moral principles into your youthful bosom. You'd go & be poisoning all the paupers off, if you hadn’t been told that murder was a crime by your mother; youd be thinking you were doing as you were bid, & quote old Gibsons words when you came to be tried. "Please, my lord judge, they were not able to pay for my visits, & so I followed the rules of the profession as taught me by Mr Gibson, the great surgeon at Hollingford, & poisoned the paupers"
Mrs Gaskell: Wives & Daughters
