inflamed by any disease that it cannot be in greater torture the best thing we can use to take away this heat and pain is to eat Arsmart Those of ancient times when they used this herb they took away the biting of it by frying it with butter or oyl and so did eat it and being so eaten it cured those diseases for which it was intended And further this Herb by its benumming faculty is a Remedy for putrifaction it takes away the pains and diseases of the Lungs Cough pains of the belly and risings of the mother being outwardly applied it cureth that extreme inflammation called St. Anthonies fire and all other inflamed Ulcers but it must be wet in Rose-water before it be laid on It cureth likewise all pains which arise of corrosive humours or those subtil Salts which are dissolved in our bodies which do cause most tormenting pains Now where these corrosive or saltish humors are as in the teeth they cause the Tooth-ach in the finger they cause the Felon c. If you lay this herb upon the diseased part using it that way as hath been shewed before then it will certainly perform the Cure when all other Narcotick remedies cannot do it An Addition more fully explaining how this herb should be used for Wounds Vlcers c. THat you may be fully instructed concerning the nature of this Herb I have thought fit to add something concerning that first way of using it which I have before declared to you by the example of the Load-stone I told you before that this herb must be drawn through cold running water and the fresh herb being cold and wet must be laid upon the Ulcer Wound c. and then presently it must be taken off again and buryed Now the thing which I add here is this If the disease or other griefs accompanying the disease be so violent and strong that they will not easily yeeld to the Remedie then do thus Lay to the sore every morning a fresh herb after it hath been drawne through running water then take it and bury it and thus you must do three mornings and oftner if need be if you see the disease very hard to cure then you may do so twelve or fourteen mornings yea every morning till the cure be perfected If a man in his journey be hindred because his horse hath received some hurt or is extremely galled then lay this herb to the sore and do as I have now shewed you if he be not well after the first second fourth c. dressing yet you must continue this course till he be well Troublesome or violent diseases must have powerfull remedies and must be diligently look'd to And seeing in some diseases the aforesaid way of using this herb doth little good at first as one Purge or if the quantity of the purge be too little it doth little good in some diseases therefore I have thought good here to shew you how the first way of using this herb may be made so effectuall that there is not any sore whatsoever but it may be throughly cured by it Again you must remember to keep Wounds and Ulcers clean if you do it not you wil much hinder the Cure And likewise remember That it is good for the diseased person who uâ—seth this kind of Cure to be in motion and exercise so it be moderate for how much more he useth the part diseased so much sooner and better he shall be cured by the vertue of this Magnetick herb Again observe That other Medicaments may be joyned with this Herb such as are sutable to it and are by nature ordained to such Cures which being joyned with it may further the magnetick vertue of it Again there is one great secret in this herb which I will not hide from you viz. That the Cure which is performed by this Herb is a certain and lasting Cure You need not fear that an Ulcer c. cured by this Herb will break out again and it is such a Cure as Nature requires This magnetick Herb doth not close up that which Nature would have open nor will it leave that open which Nature would have closed As for example Where there is a passage for the effluxion of humours especially if there be a great deal of humour which purgeth out so as if such a passage should be stopd death would follow now this herb will not stop such a passage which should not be stop'd it only cures that which Nature would have cured it will not do any thing contrary or hurtfull to Nature Whereby it appears that this way of cure done by this herb is most natural If you would know how to use this herb for the Tooth-ach take some Arsmart and some of the bark of Henbane boil them together in Rose-vinegar when they are boiled enough take them out and bury them in the ground but the liquor you must take and wash your mouth with you must take it as hot as possibly you can and hold it in your mouth till it be cooled then put it out of your mouth and take some more of this liquor as hot as you did before and hold it in your mouth till it be cooled and thus if you do many times together you have a certain cure for the tooth-ach or you may take the herb it self not boyled and rub it upon the tooth and bury it and when it is putrified the pain of the tooth will cease The Correction of this Herb for those inward Diseases which I mentioned before is thus Let the Arsmart be boiled in the water of Night-shade or in the water of great Sengreen the decoction is to be drunk and the herb it self must be buried as hath been said before And you may do so likewise with it for outward diseases adding a little Camphire to it Besides all that we have yet spoken concerning Arsmart there is yet remaining a great and excellent secret But I conceive it better to be silent then to speak any more now concerning this noble Jewel TREATISE III. Of the Vertues and Preparations of CORALS CHAP. I. What kind of Coral is best The Vertue of it against Spirits Melancholy vain Phansies c. REd Corals are of two kinds one kinde of them is of a dark red colour or toward a purple colour another kind of them is of a bright shining red colour And as they differ in colours so they differ in properties There is another kind of a pale colour which hath very little vertue in it It is to be observed concerning the red Coral that how far short it is of a bright reddish it wants so much of its goodnesse and efficacy Experience teaches us that those Corals which are of a clear bright shining red colour full of boughs and no where broken are full of power and vertue But those Corals which have clefts or want any part which they should have are of lesse vertue As a tree which wants some of its boughs brings
false physicians when they hear of these secrets they cannot be brought to believe that they are true The Spider is a hateful creature yet it is of great vertue against Quotidian Feavers put the spider in a nut-shell and shut it up close in it and let the diseased person carry it about him but he must not know what it is let him carry it four dayes and he shall be well The Salamander is uselesse in Physick but the Alchimist hath laboured much in it to extract out of it a tincture f r metalls and thereby to make gold and for this it is indeed to be much regarded but you cannot meddle with it without great danger for the poyson of it is most deadly CHAP. VI. Paracelse compared with other Physicians HAving done with these hateful and poysonous creatures now I will speak concerning the other common contemptible small creatures and I hope I shall not be blamed for this nor shall these things I speak be esteemed as fained tales as false physitians do who will not use any common medicines such as may be gotten cheaply and easily not remembring this that God hath created nothing in vain but that even the least and most contemptible things have their peculiar vertues according to his divine pleasure And it is our fault that we know not these things for we are careless and incredulous and soon wearied in the search of nature Now if any do improve the gifts of God in them and are diligent in searching out the works of nature and do ingenuously declare their experiences publickly these corrupt Doctors will not be thankful to them for it nay they contemn such experiences they scoff at them and one way or other they will find fault with them Now I profess my self to be one of those who have found out the Secrets of Nature yea and that I am not one of the least of the searchers of nature and truly whatsoever art or experience I have I should have imparted it freely and plainly to you but your ambition and insolency hath made me change my mind because you will have all the praise to your selves and steale it from him who is your teacher therefore you are not worthy of my art which would be very advantageous to you if you would become true Physicians and lovers of your neighbours But you preferre the profit of your prrse and of your kitchin to the health of your patients and in this you are learned indeed and more skilfull then I. You accuse mee and blame mee because I doe not highly praise you It 's true I doe it not because I find you to be onely purse physicians such who are more able to cure the diseases of your purses then the diseases of your patients if it were not so how could you build such stately houses weare gold rings walke in your silkes You reproach me because of my poverty and mean clothes but if I should take as you do shamelesly such great rewards every where then I should be richer then any of you yet as I am I am richer then any of you for my riches are surer to me then your riches to you my skill is my great riches which neither thiefe can steale nor fire or water can devoure nor robber can take from mee They may take my life but they cannot get my Art that is hidden in mee and dieth with mee You see then what an excellent thing I enjoy which is farre better then your houses plantations clothes riches gold and silver and all your skill And if at any time I spend my mony largely amongst my pleasant companions yet I doe not diminish as the proverb is the principall sum that is my Art which through Gods gooddesse to me shall never leave me CHAP. VII The Medicinal vertues of Earth-worms NOw I will proceed to speak of that which I intended viz. of some simple medicines and of some living creatures and of some diseases of which no physicians before me have ever spoken any thing Truly I believe that they were ignorant of them or if they knew them then they slighted them so that these things were quite forgotten the most common and most inconsiderable Vermine are Earth-worms which after a showre creep out of the ground and who will believe that in these worms is so much Vertue for the good of the body of man they are especially good against that disease and pain which is in the fingers and toes which causeth extreme torment day and night The Whit flaw which the Ancients call'd the gnawing worm and indeed not without cause for they knew that this disease should be cured by the earth-worm the way is this Take an Earth-worm bigger or lesser according to the patient and the greatnesse of the pain if the patient be not very young but is of a good age and the pain very great then you must take a great earth-worm it must be large that it may be sufficient for the disease wrap this worm in a linnen cloth and so lay it upon the part where the pain is the space of twenty four hours till it dies and when it is dead the disease is cured and as it were dieth with the worm these things may seem to some to be superstitious and fained tales but by this it appears that God hath made nothing in the world so base and so contemptible which is not some way for the good of man CHAP. VIII The Medicinal Vertues of the Earth-worme and of the Crab fish Cancer THE Earth-worm is not only good against the foresaid disease but also against all kinds of worms in the body of man if it be dried and made into a powder and so it is to be taken in some liquor the best liquor is the whay of Goats milk for the powder of Earth-worms taken in this whay purgeth by stool all worms of the stomack or that stick in the guts The Mouse called the field Mouse is a great Secret for the ptisick And that kind of Crab called the Cancer hath often cured the disease called the Canker viz. thus bind a linnen cloth about the fish Cancer and about its toes and lay the toes of this fish Cancer upon the place where the Ulcer Canker is untill the fish-Cancer be dead and when it is dead the ulcer Canker is also kill'd but if the Canker was broken out into a sore then after it is mortified with the fish-Cancer you must apply the plaister which is used for thrusts or deep wounds By this fish-Cancer have been also cured Feavers and Hydropsies thus first you must cut off all the nailes of the patients fingers and toes then you must bind the fish Cancer to his back afterward put it into a river and let it goe and so the patient shall be cured Do not you think these to be vaine superstitious or Mountebank cures I assure you they are the true operations of nature and wrought by God himself who was pleased to give
for cleansing or closing up of Ulcers or Wounds and let some ordinary Stictick plaister be applyed to the sore This one Potion is better then all the Receipts Compositions Potions c. which are used for Ulcers or Wounds I will now conclude this Treatise of Tinctures giving this counsel in two words for the preserving of those from Ulcers who are or have been much enclined to them Once every year in the Spring time when the Sun enters into the first degree of Aries which falls upon the the eleventh day of March let them take one of these Tinctures in that maner which hath been shewed in the use of the Tinctures A Treatise of Aposthumes with their Cures I. IF any of the large veins be swelled and the swelling is of a blew or Lead-colour with a burning heat in it and much redness round it and a white head in the middle of it the Patient in the beginning of the swelling was aguish having sometimes a great heat sometimes a chilness over his body he cannot sleep and when he sleepeth he is very disquiet and much troubled with terrible dreams At last this swelling seems to strike inward divideth it self into two swellings then follows great inflammation and stitches in the sides the lips are chopped the Patient hath a great thirst yet he cannot drink much These are certain signs of death Cure The Patient must first be sweated with this Potion Take of the corrected Spirit of wine ten ounces of Treacle half an ounce of red Myrrhe and of Saffron of each an ounce of the liquor of Ginger and of Pepper of each half a dram mix them together of this mixture let the Patient take half an ounce in a draught of good wine and keep himself warm till he be well sweated then you must take a Saphyre stone and draw it round the swelling this will make a scurf to come upon the swelling which you may take off with Saller oyl or fâ—esh Butter then apply some consolidating plaister as the stictick plaister c. until the cure be perfected Observe The Chyrurgion must not cut this Apostume he must not lay Realgare or any other Cautery to it II. The Cancer is a red swelling which is in the brests of Women but in men it is betwixt their shoulders When it comes to be ripe it breaks out into a stinking Ulcer which hath great redness round it with a burning heat and continual pain and oft-times brings the Patient into aguish fits At last It eats into the heart and causeth suddain death Cure Whereas the cause of the Cancer in men is the Haemorrhoide humors in women it is their Monethly courses which leaving their right course they flow to this place where they cause the Cancer therefore we must begin the cure of the Cancer with changing the course of the humor turning it to its proper passage viz. thus To bring down the Haemorrhoide humor in men to the Fundament and to bring down the monethly courses in women Then you must mortifie the Ulcer with this viz. Take Frog-spawn and of the juice of Night-shade of each an ounce of varnish half an ounce and make them into an Oyntment if you anoint the sore with this three or four times it will take away the pain Or take of Fish-spawn a pound after you have turned it into water of the red powder of burned Coperas and of the flower of Brass of each one ounce and a half mix them and apply them to the Soar until it putrifie which will be in four days space Then take this from the Soar and apply a cleansing Medicine to it viz. this Take of Pitch of Pine-Rosin of common Rosin of each a pound of the best Turpentine one pound and a half of the common Turpentine a quarter of a pound melt them together and put to them so much of Wax and Sallet oyl as will make them up into a Plaister This Plaister you must lay to the Ulcer so often until their comes no corruption out of it Afterwards strow this powder upon the Ulcer viz. Take the powder of the dryed juice of Celandine of the dryed juice of Feverfew and of Centory of each half an ounce of Mummy one ounce These powders mixed together must be strowed upon the Soar morning and evening III. The noli me Tangere begins in the sace with small pointed Pustuls which break out into a waterish scab afterwards it comes to be an eating stinking Sore it eats up the flesh of the face viz. the Cheeks and Lips and eats into the nose At last If it be not cured it eats nose ears c. it quite deforms the face then it eats into the throat and goeth downwards to the neck and when it is past the face it is deadly Cure If the Noli me tangere be not far gone it may be cured by this Plaister Take of Rosin one pound of Barley-meal six ounces of Pine-Rosin eight ounces mix them and make them into a Plaister but if it be old and far gone then we must use first a mortifying Medicine then a cleansing Medicine then a consolidating Medicine or a Medicine to fill up with flesh The mortifying Medicine Take of Crystalline Realgare one ounce boil it vinegar two hours until the vinegar be consumed then adde to it three ounces of the oyl of Marjoram of Firr-tree-Rosin half a pound viz. That Rosin which is boiled out of the green Fruit of the Firr-tree in water Mix them together over the fire and apply them to the soar you must often wet it outwardly with the oyl lest it grow dry and hard let it lie at the soar two days then take it off and apply to the soar the cleansing Medicine described before in the cure of the Cancer And when it is cleansed then apply this consolidating or fleshing Medicine viz. Take of Wax and Pitch of each half a pound of the powder of Birth-wort three ounces the powder of Mummy two ounces the powder of Antimony four ounces melt your Wax and Pitch together put into them your powders make a Plaister which you must lay to the Soar morning and evening Another consolidating Medicine Take of Rosin half a pound of the dryed juice of Comfrey a quarter of a pound of the dryed juice of Celandine a quarter of a pound mix them over the fire and make a plaister But the cure of Noli me Tangere depends chiefly upon the mortifying and cleansing the soar IV. When there is a redness and an exceeding pain and burning heat in the leg afterwards it swells and breaks out into many foul corrupt holes sometimes dry and sometimes issuing forth a yellow or clear waterish humor like the Cancer or Noli me tangere At last It weakens the principal parts viz. Head Heart Stomack Liver c. the face comes to be discoloured and then death approacheth Cure First we must apply a defensive above the knee to keep back the humors that they fall not
influence of Jupiter to our selves or if we would turn away from us the influence of Mars or if we would draw to our selves the influences of such other Stars which are good Now this we cannot do as we can choose one herb and leave another I say we cannot do thus with the stars to keep off the influence of one and choose the influence of another as we please But thus much we may do if we observe the Sar before it put out its influence what is the most likely way of that influence viz. to what work business c. it enclines most and if it enclines to a business c. of that nature as ours is then we may by certain helps as those Images Rings c. which are made for the Planets draw the influence of that Star to work with us and assist us but these things I declare more fully elsewhere Fourthly many Herbs have somewhat lurking in them which can keep the life of man vigorous and flourishing for many ages for Herbs have an incorruptible essence the which when the Body of the Herb perisheth it entreth into some other Herb of the same kâ—nde or it remains incorruptible in the earth If we receive the essence of an Herb into our Bodies it stayeth with us till our Bodies perish and be putrified and then it enters into the earth So likewâ—se â—he essence and properties of Mans body leaves the body when it putrifieth Here we must remember the difference which is betwixt the property of the Herb and the essence of the Herb as for example the property of Hellebore makes Hellebore to be such an Herb differing from all other Herbs to have such and such vertues as Laxative c. So that the property of Hellebore can be in no other thing then Hellebore and when we receive the Hellebore or essâ—nce of the Hellebore into our body yet we do not receive the property of Hellebore The essence of Hellebore is the purest material substance of it containing the life all the vertues of the Hellibore in the highest degree Now when we take this essence inwardly it mixeth it self inseparably with that humor which is the chief seat of our life and preserveth this humor from destructive alterations and so long as this essence lasteth in us it doth us good it is of it self durable yet by the infection of our corruptible humors wherewith it is mixed it grows weaker and wasteth in time as Talce which cannot be consumed by fire yet it may be consumed otherwise in length of time I will here adde one thing further concerning the vertue of the place where we live viz. That there are some places which do so agree with the humor of life and do so preserve it that those who live there enjoy a wonderful long life and there are some other places which makes them immortal who live there The World may be divided into two parts the one part is the place of Mortality where we Mortals live in hope of Immortality by Grace the other part of the World is Paradise where death cannot be for whatsoever is there it is incorruptible naturally and not by a Miracle As our Phylosophick gold preserveth from Leprosie c. so it is the nature of Paradise to preserve from death that whatsoever hath its first being there it is thorowly undecayable in all its substance But we who live in this place of Mortality we have an incorruptible essence and we have a corruptible Body which can both be preserved without decaying in Paradise I will not write much of this because I have but little experience of it for the essence of Earth is the center of our experience and Paradise is far beyond our Travels so that what I speak of it I speak spiritually as in a dream rather then waking signifying to you that life is there perpetual continuing to the end of the world or if longer that is unknown to us But that you may more fully know how health and long life may be preserved you must consider the causes of health and the causes of diseases now health and all diseases are either from the minde or from the body The minde is the cause of such diseases which come by Witchcraft or our own imagination or the imagination of another or the influence of the Stars For when Imagination or Inchantment take hold of the minde and make an impression upon it so as the minde is disturbed and thoughts multiply and grow so strong that they overcome reason then at last by the power of that Imagination or Inchantment Reason is quite overthrown and so the evil operation of the Inchantment or Imagination prevails and thereby diseases are bred Thus also the influence of the Stars may overcome the minde and command it howbeit it be not bred in the minde nor depend of the minde as the former viz. Inchantment and Imagination yet it may powerfully encline the minde to good and bad operations as the Sun which pierceth through the glass and changeth that which is in the glass according to its own nature The other cause of health and diseases is the Body viz. The humors or complexions of the Body or some predominant quality or some principal member of the Body the Complexions are from the Body and are seated in those humors whereby the Body is sustained I will not here describe those diseases I conceive it not necessary neither will I here stay to discover to you the nature and causes of the minde and body or to tell you what choler is or what blood is or what Phlegm is or what Melancholy is but I will onely give you a hint of those things in general CHAP. V. The Life prolonging Medicine described how it should be used to what use it is chiefly intended and to whom it is most effectual I Now come to the Practice and first I will speak of natural remedies which are for those diseases whereof the Body is the cause and afterwards I will shew you how these diseases which come from the minde are to be cured which are not to be cured by natural remedies but they must be cured in such a way as is proper to them First then to preserve us from bodily diseases we must have respect chiefly to the humor of life which upholds the body governs the complexions of the body c. if it be kept in good case the Body is thereby preserved We need not be careful how we may renew the Complexions and Qualities of the Body or how to purge out hurtful or superfluous humors or how to cure the diseases of the Liver or Milt c. for these preservative Medicines which we use for long Life can do all this yea whatsoever defect or disease is in the Body they can throughly cure it and this they do not by that great vertue they have which is proper to the preservation of the humor of life and prolonging of life
necessary that we consider first what life is secondly which is the chief seat of life thirdly by what things life is shortned or lengthened Lâ—fe is not a body but a thing spiritual like hearing seeing smelling c. Now that which is a body we may easily finde it out by the course of Nature whence it is but we cannot finde out by the course of Nature what sight is or what is the cause of sight or how it is effected so neither can we finde out what life is or how it is produced for life comes not of natural seed according to the ordinary course of nature as the most part of natural things do but it comes from a natural beginning in a Spiritual and extraordinary maner As for example we strike fire with a steel and a flint and yet there is no fire either in the steel or flint neither are they of a fiery nature either by their predominant Element or their complexion they are bodies which will not yield to fire they are not easily consumed by fire they seem to râ—sist fire and yet we can bring fire from them After the same maner life comes from these things in which there is no life viz. seed root c. even as the fiery sparks comes from the flint in which there is no fire Now let us consider whether or not the life can be lengthned amended or strengthned seeing it is incorporal It is like fire which having more wood burns more vehemently So life the more it hath of the humor of life so much the more the Spirit of life abounds But that fire should come from that in which there is no fire the reason of this we cannot know Many do think that the hardness of the flint and steel is the cause of these fiery sparks which comes from them and so they rest satisfied But by this answer they do not yet satisfie our question viz. How any thing can come from that in which it never was The life as I said before is like a flame which feeding upon Wood or Oyl and fat substances c. as it were living in them visibly represents life to us and as a flame decaying is renewed again by adding more wood c. yea when the flame is gone and there is onely live coals yet by larger additions of suitable matter the flame shall become greater then it was before So the life is stronger or weaker according to the goodness or badness of that whereby the life is continued so that according to nature we may refresh and cherish life by supplying it with those things which are agreeable and delightsom to it whereby it is made stronger and of longer continuance We ought not then to think the time of mans life is so determined that every man must needs die such a day and such an hour nor is it suitable to Christianity to think this that the life cannot be prolonged by these Medicines which God hath created to this purpose God hath created these Medicines for our use and he hath granted us a liberty to use them the defect is onely in us that we do not know those Medicines Mans reason is very weak it fails in most things we are much short in discerning of things good or hurtful to us how few men know the largeness of that power which God hath granted to man Adam knew all those things perfectly he was the wisest of Mortal men and he had continued immortal if he had not been deprived of the Tree of Life the which Tree of Life hath its place in Medicine as well as in Divinity for howbeit it was the Tree of Life yet it was a natural Tree CHAP. IV. How the Life is prolonged by vertue of the place where we live by the four Elements by the Stars and by the vertues of Herbs THe third thing I promised to speak of is this viz. To shew you those things by which life in lengthned or shortned And first The Place where we live makes much for the prolonging or shortning of our life There is great difference in Countreys Climates Cities Mountains Valleys c. Some are far more agreeable to long life then others in some places there is better Air they yield more delight the vapors which rise out of the ground more wholesom c. then in other places Secondly the Elements viz. Earth Air Water and Fire work great changes in life sometimes to the better sometimes to the worse Out of the Earth groweth every thing which nourisheth our Bodies and that also which destroyeth our Bodies We have from the earth not onely that which is hurtful to us as poyson c. but we have also that which can cure us and keep us from the harm of such things as Gold Balm c. Do not think that we have Medicines created onely to cure diseases for if so then Medicines could have no operation in Bodies which are sound and whole but experience proves this to be false You must know this that the Earth brings forth not onely such things which can destroy us or take away our health but also gives us Medicines which not onely can cure our diseases but also can preserve our life and health Meat and drink if rightly used they are the means to preserve our life but if abused they destroy life as it appears oft-times by the effects of Drunkenness and gluttony for whatsoever we have from any of the Elements may be good or hurtful to us accordingly as it is used Again observe That what damage we receive by one Element it is recompenced by another Element Water doth resist fire and by this resistance it preserveth things that they are not destroyed by the consuming heat of fire and if there be any damage by fire or water the Air will make amends the Air will not forsake us nor leave life if we do not first forsake it Sometimes the Air is infected and by its infection may kill us but we may easily know when it is infected and so we may preserve our selves from it if we leave it and go where there is a better Air. Here observe this difference in Air and the rest of the Elements there is a general Air and a particular Air a general water c. Now of particular Airs one may be good and another bad also one piece of earth is better then another and some water better then other water so also fire some is useful and some is hurtful as Lightning c. Thirdly the Stars have a great and powerful influence upon the life and health of Man they can make sick they can restore health they can preserve health they can bring death or prolong life There is no kinde of thing in the world but there are some good and some evil of that kinde Then here lyeth the main business how to get the good and eschew the evil we cannot have always that which we would as if we would appropriate the
but by their incorruptible essence In this practice of preserving the Body three things are to be observed viz. The government of the Body the disposition of the Body the Medicine it self whereby the Body is preserved As for the Government of the Body in respect of the Country or place where we live it is not so much considerable as the other two indeed the chief thing that we are here to consider is the Medicine and the right ordering of it All our confidence is in this Medicine for this preserves both man and beast this preserves man however it findes him yong or old c. it will not suffer any superfluity or corruption to be in the Body and it doth so guard the body that no outward disease which comes by Witchcraft or from the influence of the Stars or the Imagination of another can enter into the Body neither will it suffer any Tartar to stick to any part of the Body or to stop any passage in the Body and if there be any Tartar any where it takes it away But I must tell you that he who hath but a vulgar understanding cannot understand these remedies of long Life which I set down here They onely can understand them who know the art or to whom I declare my meaning This following preservative Medicine which I will now describe to you it is to be used thus Take a dram of this Medicine in a draught of good Wine once a Moneth if nature be not too much weakned by age but if nature be much decayed you must take a dram of this Medicine once a week and when a man comes to fourscore years and ten or a hundred years of age then he must take a dram of this Medicine every third day This is to be well remembred that you must use more or less of this Medicine accordingly as you have more or less of the strength of Nature for amongst those men who are come to the vigorous part of their age we see the strength of Nature greater in some then in others some of them more able then others to endure c. therefore this preservative Medicine must be used accordingly as I have said already Nature is so weak in some that it cannot be preserved as those who bring this weakness with them from the Womb in whom the Foundation of Nature was never sound nor sure and therefore this preservative Medicine cannot be so effectual to such as to those who have a firm foundation because of that defect which is in them which makes them incapable of the benefit of this Medicine as we see in Stone and Wood in taking fire the stone cannot take fire so well as Wood c. If a Woman use this Cordial Preservative it will make her Courses continue with her even in old age yea and make her fit to conceive and bare children unless she be naturally barren for their Spirit of life being strengthned by this Medicine drives out of their Body whatsoever is contrary to it and makes every thing in the body be as it should be If a woman use this Medicine when she is with childe that childe shall have thereby a very sound and good Complexion Seeing long life depends upon the Spirit of life which preserveth life and upon the humors of life whence arise the Complexions and Qualities as several Branches from one root therefore we have framed our preservative Medicine according to this viz. to rectifie the Spirit of Life and the humors of Life and so the minde is also defended from hose troublers of Reason which arise from the Complexions as sadness or exsessive joy c. we need not then use several remedies for several humors this one is sufficient to keep those humors from distemper or any unnatural alteration to keep the body sound and well and to keep the minde free from all disturbances I will now describe to you our preservative Medicine for long Life so often mentioned it consists of two parts viz. of Simples and of Arcana or Quintessences we would not have the Simples and the Quintessences to be used severally but we joyn them together in one Receipt for the Simples have wonderful vertues yea almost equal to the Quintessences in prolonging of life there are some simples which can preserve the Life forty years and some Simples can preserve the Life an hundred years As the leaves of Hellebore which can preserve the life an hundred and twenty years I have declared the vertues of it in that Book which I have written concerning the nature of things here I will not write much of it because of peoples unbelief for whatsoever is not ordinary it can hardly be believed Likewise flowers of Secta Croa can preserve the life an hundred years there be many more no less admirable Vertues in those Herbs which I will not mention in this place but the Quintessences in our Receit have a greater faculty in preserving then those Herbs for they can strengthen comfort and nourish the Radical humor or the humor of life more then the herbs even as flesh and herbs do both nourish a man but not alike for the one yields more nourishment and strength then the other Nature doth more delight in it and receiveth it with greater benefit Now my preservative Medicine or Receipt of prolonging life in men or women for two or three ages it is this viz. Take of the Quintessence of Gold and the Quintessence of Pearls of each half an ounce of the Quintessence of Saffron of the Quintessence of Celandine and of the Quintessence of Balm of each five drams of the leaves of the herb Hellebore and of the flowers of the Herb Secta Croa let them be mixed together according to art then put them in a glass bottle for your use keeping them close from the air CHAP. VI. How we are preserved from those Diseases which come from the Stars or from Witchcraft or from Imagination c. HAving in the former Chapter desribed our preservative Medicine which is for the preservation of our Body and to preserve us from those diseases whereof the Body is the cause I will in this last Chapter shew you how to cure the diseases of the minde viz. Those diseases which proceed from the minde as also those diseases whereby the minde it self is infected which are all comprehended under one of these five 1. The diseases which come from the influence of the Stars 2. Diseases which are from Witchcraft or Inchantment 3 Diseases effected by the power of Imagination 4. Diseases which are produced by our own Thoughts 5. Diseases which are caused by Superstition And first to shew you how those diseases which come from the influence of the Stars are to be cured howbeit we cannot know the nature or causes or power of the Stars and therefore we cannot say any thing of it yet we speak of those effects which are visible produced by the influence of the Stars and we say
that the Stars have a prevailing power upon the minde of Man and their operations are so strong that they overturn the minde oppress it c. We cannot hinder the motions of the Stars nor can we hinder them to put forth their Influence yet we may preserve our selves from that influence As those who are in a Town besieged howbeit they cannot hinder the Enemy to fire his Guns upon them yet they may preserve themselves from the harm of the shot by keeping themselves within the Walls So we may keep off the evil influences of the Stars by those preservatives which may be prepared for that purpose Now you must remember that there are two kindes of Influences there is one kinde of influence which is good and necessary to us that as the body is sustained by nourishment even so we are sustained strengthned and preserved by this good influence there is another kinde of influence which is hurtful to us this hinders the former good influence that it cannot have any operation upon us to do us good and against those hurtful influences we must provide defensives to preserve us from their harm Those defensives are the Rings and Images of the Planets which are made according to the influence i. e. they are made in the time of a good influence I do not deny but that the Rings of the Planets as I have shewed elsewhere treating of Imagination have a power to preserve us and are helpful to the prolonging of life yet I do not approve of them for many reasons which I will not mention now The best way how we may preserve our selves from the evil influences of the Stars I conceive it is this To turn off the influence from our selves to another thing which will easily yield to the Influence as for example If some evil Star as Mars c. be enclined to ruine me and this inclination hath made some Impression upon my minde and begins to infect it whereby I may fall into some disease of the minde then I must make an Image like a man upon which the evil influence may have its operation and so I my self may be saved from the harm of that influence For a Star being enclined to ruine me and finding some agreement betwixt me and this Image and that it hath a readier way to fall upon this Image and hath less resistance in this Image then it should have in me therefore it leaves me who am more difficult to work upon and chooseth the Image which is more easie where it fulfils its operation with delight There may be many other reasons given why the influence removes thus from the person against whom it was intended to the Image but I will not now express them for they are not pertinent to the purpose in hand The second thing of which I am to speak is to shew you how we may be preserved from the harm of Witch-craft that our life be not shortned by it I have in many other of my writings shewed remedies for Witch-craft but you shall use the same way here for Witch-craft and Inchantment as you have been taught before for the evil influences of the Stars for Witch-craft or Inchantment hath the same way of working upon our minde or Body as the evil influence of the Stars But here we must use another kinde of Object upon which the operatâ—on of Witch-craft must be turned then that which is used for the influences of the Stars Thus I do I make an Image of Wax like a Man which I set in its own place and whatsoever evil is intended against me by Witch-craft it shall be removed from me to that Image and there it will be accomplished for the Inchantment proceeding from the minde of the Witch against me my minde keeps it strongly off and turns it upon the Image whereby there can be no harm done on either side The third thing is how we may save our selves from the harm of the Imaginations of others I may be killed by an others Imagination if it be accomplished in me if it be not turned some other way from me I will explain this to you by an example Suppose I have an enemy who hath an extream hatred against me so that he exceedingly desires my death daily he is no Witch but onely a violent enemy and this I do not know that he hath any such malice against me Now what must I do that this imagination wrong me not Certainly the best course that I can take for this is thus to settle my minde and to keep it in quiet free from all passions or disturbance as much as possibly I can not desiring any revenge or to do any wrong to any and by this good temper of my minde the others malicious imagination against me shall be thus overcome that it cannot do any harm to me Fourthly whereas our own thoughts do oft-times wrong us as when I think my judgement too weak for such a thing c. by this thought my reason is quite overcome and I lose my reason with it as I have shewed more largely elsewhere Now the best help for such thoughts is this Not to put more upon our reason then it can easily perform and so we shall not be troubled with such thoughts Another way to help these thoughts is thus If we conceive any thing to be much without the reach of our Judgement c. for this we may use the same Image which we use for the influences of the Stars and the Image standing in our stead and is as it were the same with us then those thoughts which would have wronged us will vanish and they will pass from us to the Image for the Image cannot make any resistance against these thoughts and there they may be fulfilled without any harm Fifthly By the thoughts and imaginations many Superstitions are made effectual which differ much from Inchantment or imagination As for example When I hear a Raven upon the top of my house then I have a Superstitious thought that this must be a sign of death in my house now this Superstitious thought growing strong may either cause sickness or the death of one who is sick in my house the truth of this appears oft-times by experience and I have given the reasons of this in my Treatise of Superstitions The way to prevent the harm of such Superstitions is thus I must perswade my judgement that such superstitious thoughts are vain and foolish and what I esteem to be a certain sign of such or such a thing to come to pass that this is my error I must endeavor to convince my Judgement of it and I must be always careful to exalt my Reason above groundless conceits and not to entertain thoughts upon the report or phansies of others nor to conform my thoughts to vulgar opinions as when I hear the croaking of a Raven upon my house I must think no otherwise of this but that it is onely the natural act of the Raven which signifieth no more to me upon my house then in any other place and thus this superstitious thought is overcome and made ineffectual A strong conceit of the truth and certainty of superstitious thoughts is the cause which oft-times makes them have their effect but if I examine these thoughts by reason and so come to see their groundlesness vanity and folly this will quite destroy them and prevent that evil which they might effect This I conceive is enough for those cures of the diseases of the minde If any do not understand these things which I have written here concerning long Life it is because they can neither perceive what I say nor what Nature doth I do not intend to make those things plainer to them for what I have written here I have written it onely for those who are grounded in the knowledge of such things and it is my desire that they may fully understand me If you would know what Dyet is best for long life observe these rules following 1. Let your meats and drinks be prepared with the preservative Medicine and this will drive out all superfluous humors which lurk in the Body 2. If you have any inward diseases then you must speedily use fit Medicines as Quintessences c. to ripen them Concerning the causes of diseases and their proper remedies I will not write any thing here for that I have done in many other of my Physical Treatises 3. The best Dyet for long life is a moderate dyet which I need not describe here seeing it is so well known to every Physician 4. Let your meats and drinks be rightly prepared that is They must be purged from all superfluities impurities and whatsoever is hurtful in them and this is to be done the same way which is used in the separation of the Elements as I have described in my Book concerning Restauration and Renovation Such purified meats and drinks with a moderate dyet are wonderfully helpful to the prolonging of life they nourish well and they never cause any disease in the Body this cannot be said of other meats and drinks To conclude Observe That those purified meats and drinks yield better nourishment to our Bodies then any other they do encrease flesh and good blood very much this is their use and the use of their preservative Medicine is to preserve the spirit of Life and the humor of life FINIS