Tarlton's Jests: A Retelling

Book excerpt: This is an easy-to-read retelling of ""Tarlton's Jests, ""which tells anecdotes about Queen Elizabeth I's favorite jester. He is thought to have been the Yorick in Hamlet's famous soliloquy. This book contains the original ""Tarlton's Jests"" in addition to the retelling. 25. How Tarlton Deceived a Doctor of Physic [Medicine]. Tarlton, to satisfy the humors [moods] of certain gentlemen who were his familiar acquaintances, decided to test the skill of a simple Doctor of Physic, who dwelt not far from Islington, and this is what happened: Tarlton took a urinal, filled it half full of good wine, and carried it to this doctor, saying it was a sick man's urine. The doctor viewed it, and tossing it up and down, as though he had great knowledge, he said that the patient whose urine it is, is full of gross humors, and has need of purging, and needs to be bled some ten ounces of blood. "No, you dunce," Tarlton replied. "It is good p*ss," and he drank it all and then threw the urinal at the doctor's head.