Note 199 — Chapter IV · THE EMBROIDERY OF LIFE
George Herbert Ely translation
“Gout,” cries Cardan, “is queen, gout is noble! She is a synthesis of ills! She is discreet and courteous; she attacks only the showable parts of the body. There is nothing hideous about her as about leprosy. She purifies man and raises his moral worth, as all pain does, but more than any other pain. Why is she the enemy of grand dinners, and of midnight toil, and of all the charming occupations of mind and body?” (De malo medendi usu.) A German song was dedicated to her:
O Gout my goddess, Gout my queen, What mortal wight but fears thee? Earth, sea and sky have ever been Thy subjects: Jove reveres thee. O mighty goddess, hear the prayer Of those that now implore thee: Give peace to every gouty toe, And grant to all who limping go Freedom from pain, release from care, And perfect health before thee. (Podagrae Laus.)