Hom[oe]Opathic Soup

Take a robin's leg     (Mind, the drumstick merely);         Put it in a tub     Filled with water nearly;         Set it out of doors,     In a place that's shady;         Let it stand a week     (Three days if for a lady);         Drop a spoonful of it     In a five-pail kettle,         Which may be made of tin     Or any baser metal;         Fill the kettle up,     Set it on a boiling,         Strain the liquor well,     To prevent its oiling;         One atom add of salt,     For the thickening one rice kernel,         And use to light the fire     "The Hom[oe]opathic Journal."         Let the liquor boil     Half an hour, no longer,         (If 'tis for a man     Of course you'll make it stronger).         Should you now desire     That the soup be flavoury,         Stir it once around,     With a stalk of savoury.         When the broth is made,     Nothing can excell it:         Then three times a day     Let the patient smell it.         If he chance to die,     Say 'twas Nature did it:         If he chance to live,     Give the soup the credit.