Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A40447
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The doctors physician, or, Dialogues concerning health translated out of the original French.; Dialogues de la santé. English. 1685
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Frémont d'Ablancourt, Nicolas, 1625?-1693.
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1685
(1685)
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Wing F2168; ESTC R36439
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73,469
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227
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for it so that you would do me a matchless favour if you would have the goodness to inform me in what manner Creatureâ—… act from their Birth to the time oâ—… their Death Nature For that end thou must address thy self to the Agent which I have in every Creature He it is that directs it to the end which I have proposed to it and disposes so absolutely oâ—… it that through him onely it subsists Physician What you call Agent iâ—… that which we call Reason in Man Instinct in Beasts and Vertues in Plants Nature What I call Agent is my self I animate and dispose the Matter according to the intentions and Idea's that are unknown to thee So that one Spirit moves all the different specifications in the World as the same Wind makes all the different Pipes of an Organ to play Physician Till now I always thought that an Animal was nothing but a Machine of parts all the Art of which consisted onely in some certain Springs which made it move without being susâ—…eptible of pain or pleasure Nature Supposing it to be so tell me who made that Machine of parts And who puts it in motion For there is no effect without a cause nor any motion without a mover If thou answer that â—…it is I who hath revealed to thee that I am made up of pointed globular and chamfered Particles And who hath given thee the power to measure me by Circles and Squares as if I were a property of Mathematicks I who inform all that is contained in the Elements Physician Instruct me then how I am to speak that I may not displease you for I will exactly perform all that lies in me that I may come to the knowledge of you Nature If thou studiest me thou shalt know me as much as man is capable of and as is needful for him But never expect to attain to it so long as thou seest not by the Eyes of the Mind what the Elements contain for the Elements which thou seest are to speak properly but the bark of the Elements which I use in the Composition of Creatures Hast thou never observed that so soon as a Creature is dead if the Fire be suffered to send back the parts whereof it was composed unto their several places there will remain no more but a few ashes all the rest escaping thy sight enter again into the bosom of the Elements from whence I took them Physician The Notion that I have of the Elements is that they are in continual War one with another whether they act of themselves or by means of that universal Spirit you speak of which inspires the same dissention into all Creatures Nature That Spirit is so great an Enemy of Disorder and Destruction that so soon as ever it is united to a new Creature it conceives so violent a love for it that it applyes it self solely to the conducting of that Creature to the end which I have proposed to it And though for the perfecting preserving and â—efending the same it must use a great many different means nay even wiles and new stratagems yet it omits nothing that is to be done in pâ—rforming what is prescribed to it because nothing can divert it from its Duty But seeing self-love might render the Creature so wilâ— as to become independent on Sociâ—ty I impose a necessity upon it of having â—eed of another to perpetuate it self Physician I cannot comprehend how one Spirit can at the same tâ—me act in so many different and contrary maâ—ners and aâ— little conceive whâ—t matâ—er thâ—t is which escapes our sight and whereof you make use in the Composition of all Creatures Nature For undeâ—standing of both consiâ—er those Vapours â—hat rise o t of the Sea aâ—mâ—re the bâ—auty â—f the Clouds which the 〈…〉 â—e wâ—iâ—h having lo g hovere◠〈…〉 â—r and â—een driâ—eâ— to and â—ro◠〈…〉 â—sts that they may be the 〈…〉 aâ—d impregnated by the beams of 〈…〉 â—ng 〈◊〉 length unable to bear any lo◠〈…〉 of the rich spoils where 〈…〉 â—e loaded you see how they f l◠〈…〉 thirsty Earth in gentle showers 〈◊〉 in gratitude for that kindness sends forth a perfume more delightful than the odour of Flowers Scarcely have these so much wished-for showers refreshed the Fields and Gardens but they produce almost as many different effects as the Clouds contained drops of Water In the mean time these drops of Water meeting together gather themselves into a body return to the Sea and laying aside their mud recover their saltness again If then by means of the grossest parts of the Elements I can produce so many wonders judge what that Spirit must be that animates and keeps them in motion Physician I fancy that these showers and dews onely refresh and moisten the Earth without contributing any thing else to the productions you speak of Nature That 's because your mind reaches no farther than your sight Consider that the Virtues of the Sun-beams though they be conveyed under ground by the Rains yet lose not the disposition they have of returning to the place from whence they came As these Waters then are filtrated in passing through the Earth so those Spirits disengage themselves and are detached Now if in mounting upwards again they meet with any Seed or young Root they cleave to it as a ready way to facilitate their ascent to the Region of the Air. But their motions and agitations in these Seeds and Roots instead of opening their Prisons lengthen onely their Chains and serve to make the different extensions and growth of Plants Trees and in a word of all Creatures Physician I admire what you say though I do not fully understand it Nature Wonder not at that the Body of Man is not a Vessel solid enough to confine a mind capable of knowledge Thou canst onely receive a slight tincture of it because Men are filled onely with Opinions Physician But is there no Knowledge mingled with Opinions Nature If mens Opinions contain any Knowledge that Knowledge is like Willy with the wisp in a dark Night whose light is more apt to make Travellers lose their way than to set those right who have gone astray Whereas the Knowledge I speak of is like the Sun-beams which burn every thing they touch if they be in the least contracted Physician Our Opinions however are founded on Reason that springs from our Understanding Nature If Man had Understanding Reason would be of no use to him Man is blind and makes use of the Art of Reasoning as of a staff to grope the way with Hence it is that he does but nibble and feel so long as he lives without being assured of any thing Physician What judgment is then to be made of all those great Men who have left us Books full of so profound knowlâ—dge that no new thing câ—n be discovered in the Theory or Practice of our Pâ—ofession which may not be found in these Works provided one do but dive into them Nature The
and not I. For satisfying that unruly Appetite which you foolishly justifie you have made me devour and consume more meat within these Ten years than would have served a sober Man for a whole Age and as often as I show'd any reluctancy against that excess presently I must be condemned to Physick Prejudice How many lies now do you pile up one upon another Stomack Nay it is but too true that I have taken so many Medicines and it so many different ways that it 's a Miracle they did not kill me For there is not a Receipt in all the dispensatory that to woful experience has not been tried upon me and as if it were not enough for meriting the glorious Title of the Martyr of the Faculty that I have been a Thousand and a Thousand times drenched and soaked with bitter drinks and as often let Blood they have glutted us in Summer with hot water and in the Winter with cold They have Prejudice They have ordered nothing for you in those Two Seasons but upon very good indications Would you have such knowing and disinterested Men as Physicians are see ones Health in danger and not reach it a hand that civil and officious way of acting hath by my means so wrought upon Reason that it hath conquered that Natural aversion which till then she always had for Physick Heart How can it be that Reason hath had so great an aversion to Physick and yet have Sacrificed us to Physicians Prejudice Had it not been for me she had hardly resolved upon it for in her own Nature she is very irresolute and you know that irresolution is not a Disease to be cured by Age. Heart To be cured of that the best Remedy is experience and indeed few are made wise by the experience of others Prejudice Of what use can experiments be when Two things never happen alltogether one way what did hurâ—… yesterday does good to day One thing is Healthful in infancy which in Old Age is mortal every thing in this World is singular So that consequences drawâ—… from the past signifie nothing for thâ—… future Heart These experiments however are less faulty than conjectures because one may far better judge of a Distempeâ—… by the effect of a Remedy than oâ—… Diseases by their causes which arâ—… unknown to us Prejudice I see what you drive at aâ—… that an able Physician says though fouâ—…ded on good sense and immemoriâ—… practice is with you no more than 〈…〉 Remedy prescribed at a venture and prâ—…paired by a blockhead from which oâ—… can promise himself nothing but preseâ—… pain and certain Death Whereas 〈…〉 you may be credited an odd Receiâ—… given by the first we meet is in yoâ—… opinion an infallible Specifickâ— anâ—… Universal Remedy But these ordinarâ—… Specificks and Universal Doctors arâ—… much like a flash of Lightning in a darâ—… Night which having given us a glance 〈…〉 objects leaves in us a greater obscuâ—…ty than before Heart Do'nt take me up before I 'm own I can make good what I say withâ—…ut your help know then that by â—…he word experience or experiment 〈…〉 only mean Natural and agreeable ways â—…f living which are followed by whole Nations and that successfully Prejudice That 's to say that according to these aphorisms you would in the Morning drink Coffee with the Turks and with the Chinesses Tea after Dinner Chocolate in the Evening with the Mexicans and Wine all the rest of the day with some people of Europe Heart Why do'nt you add to compleat the round of the known World that I would drink Milâ— with the Tartars and Affricans Mead with the Moscovites and Sherbet with the Turks but â—ince it is not necessary for one Man to make use of all the productions of Nature â—…or of all the emprovements of Art it is enough that every one in particular make some little experiments of whaâ—… agrees with himself there is nothing more easie than that For it is not wiâ—… the Stomack as with a Painters Paleâ—… which ought to be furnished with 〈…〉 the chief Colours if they intend to represent all sorts of objects to the Life seeing of one simple kind of Food Nature maketh flesh and bones and Painâ—… the Lillies and Roses of the Complectioâ—… as well as the Or and Azure of the Eye and hair Prejudice These Poetical flourisheâ—… are wide of the subject The questioâ—… is to know if that be the way to reduâ—… the Stomack to the Animal Life whicâ—… you affect by making it renounce 〈…〉 the preparations of Art and only receivâ—… from the hands of Nature Herbs and râ—… meat and eat Rice and Corn as theâ—… come out of the Ear. Stomack In the sad state to which 〈…〉 constitution that was once very goâ—… is now reduced I could not withoâ—… difficulty leap from one extremity toâ—…nother but yet allowing some eâ—… qualification I could with pleasure taâ—… the part of Nature for the most simple â—…ood is easiest to be found and soonest â—…igested To what end such Massacres of Oxen Sheep Foul and wild Beasts â—…hat croud of Officers that number of Engines and dresses to disguise them â—…nto a Thousand shapes when our Gardens furnish us with Strawberries Melons Figs and Grapes However 〈…〉 am still perswaded that one may keep his Health very well though he Taste of all but not surfet on any Heart I should be of the same opinion provided they would not oblige us to take Physick and would suffer us to renounce Ptisan and Barley-water Prejudice You make me sick both of you by this groundless aversion you have for Physick Reason wo'nt learn of you the way how to live and if she have occasion to change her course she 'l consult those who are more knowing and less headstrong than you Heart So long as Reason acts by your whimsey she 'l never bring us to a reconciliation that is too weighty an affair to be managed by so light a head aâ—… yours is Prejudice As light as it is if the Gutâ—… will be perswaded by me it shall noâ—… be long before you repent that yoâ—… have offended me Seventh Dialogue Prejudice proposes to the Intestine to enter into a combination again the Party of the Heart Prejudice The Intestines Prejudice YE are very still and quieâ—… below there my Masterâ—… de'ye fear nothing that this calm threâ—…tens ye with a sudden storm Intestines What are the three ordeâ—… of Medicine at a consultation abouâ—… then Prejudice You have hit it and it is already concluded to make you in the first place serve for the Funnel of a Chimney for that end they are enjoyning the Mouth and Lungs to fill you with the * An English Glyster smoak of Tobaco and if that do not work the fear that it will put you in will make you purge at least Intestines You are about to tell us a tale of a (2) It 's said that Bird gives it self Glysters and that therefore the Colledge of Physicians at Paris