none of them Stromer spekynge after this maner of this wodde with great grauitie of wordes sayde that he feared leest the helth som and excellent power of Guaiacum shulde be diffamed through the superfluous additions of vnlerned phisitions whiche thyng if hit were not done nothynge coude be founde better agaynste this syckenes And with his word is caused me streight without any taryeng to caste my selfe hedlynge into this experieÌ„ce of Guaiacum And therfore I wold this now ones spokeÌ„ shuld be generally vnderstond that as often as I shal coÌ„playne in this small treatise of phisitions al men shulde thynke me to meane them that haue no erudition nor experience and that boste them selfe amongest the common people of the title name of theyr doctorship which they bought that knew nother greke nor latyn and yet no science requireth more erudicion or knowledge of the tonges than phisike the whiche beynge moste ignorant do lyghtly abuse the symple people of Germaynie seinge there is no doubte made of his lernynge that is ones garnysshed with the name of Mayster doctoure But why haue I vsed in this thyng so many wordes Verily to make my cause good with the excellent prince and to defende my selfe agaynst them that by this occasion mought accuse me as one that spake wordes more snappysshe than besemed me Whiche thyng whan somme of the lawyers and diuines dyd of late agaynste whose lernynge they sayde I inueyed without good maner whan I dydde snybbe but onely the vnlerned and them whiche were sore greued and were bytter ennemies vnto suche good lernynge they caused many a good manne to thynke that I was agaynst them and yet was that thynge far from my maners and also the purpose wherin I than was occupied whiche thynge seinge I perceyue your excelleÌ„tnes to knowe well ynough I wyl leue these runne agate anoynters and theuysshe phisitions and also these vntaughte doctours and come vnto Guaiacum the whiche in medicine must thus be vsed ¶ The maner of curynge Capitulo .viij. THe pacient must be kepte in a close chambre without ayre or wynde where fyre must be nourysshed contynually or els he must be in a stewe after the maner of Almayn whiche shaâ—l not nede alwayes to be kepte hotte but muste be close and defended from ayre that no ayre blowe vppon hym for the tyme of this curation he must also beware of colde Therfore if he be cured in wynter or in Autumne he muste soke that he haue fyre in his chaumber erely in the mornynge speciallye before daye for than is the colde feruente he muste cause the cleftes of the wyndowes if any be to be stopped with playster or other lyke matter and vppon the chaumbre doore muste he hange carpettes or other lyke thynges within and withoute that no colde or ayre entre into the chaumbre or comme oute whanne he is thus ordered his meate muste be dymynisshed Fyrste the fourthe parte of that he was wonte to take and than the thyrde parte and shortely after the one halfe that he maye lerne to beare hungerâ— and his wyne muste be well watered Thanne muste he take a pourgacyon other with regarde that hit be suche a one as shall be thought sufficient to cutte awaye the cause or take awaye the matter that norissheth the disease other such a one withoute any regarde at all as maye emptye the hoole bealy For that thynge as I perceyue onely is requyred whiche thynge done thanne maye ye thervppon begynne this worke after this maner The docoction whiche was fyrste sodden and is strongest must be ministred vnto him twise a day mylke warme a gobblet or cyat ones in the mornyng at .v. of the clocke or ther about and agayn at nyght at viii of the clocke we call a ciates a cuppe that wyll receyue half a pound wherof we may gather seing .viii. pounde of water is required to the sethynge of one pounde of wod the one halfe therof muste be consumed in the sething that so there muste .iiii. pounde remayne and muste drynke therof twyse a day that the decoction of one pounde of Guaiacum is suffycient for foure dayes For hit is nowe a commen maner with phisitions to measure theyr syquores by weyghte and they haue cleane caste vp the names of measures It muste be dronke at one draughte withoute any brethe takynge After he hath dronke lette hym reste more than .iiii. houres and let hym the fyrste .ii. be couered that by the helpe of heate this medicine maye be digested abrode into the membres and the pacient maye swete out that that noyeth whiche thyng to do howe profytable it is I wyll declare whan place cometh And it shall not hurt if he be close couered one hole houre before he drynke that he may be hotte ¶ Some wyll not in any wyse he shuld rise frome his bedde in fyue houres after he hath taken his ciates of drynke ¶ He must take his meate in the myddaye and not before and than as lyttell as may be for this medicine aboue all thynges requireth an emptye bealy And therfore he muste eate nat to fyll his emptynes but to beare vppe the lyfe not to gather strength but to kepe hym self froÌ„ feinting Nother is there any ieoperdy to be feared For Guaiacum hath great strength in it selfe both to refresshe and also to comforte not suche as be full but onely those that are emptye Ye they saye that none faylleth eate he neuer so lyttell so that he drynke faythfully this decoction In the meane tyme he shall not be anoynted in the out syde excepte he haue soores or swellynges And for this there is a whyte oyntment made of Cerussa rose oyle of rosis with camphire whiche is layde on with a lynnen clothe Some anoynt them only with the skom of Guaiacum or els drye it into pouder and caste it vppon them And besydes this skomme there is nothyng of this decoction occupied in the out parte Some be healed in shorte tyme and some in longe The moste parte in .xxx. dayes They commaunde hym to be pourged agayne the .xv. daye For this reason I thynke bycause as Alexander Aphrodicius thynketh they that hunger and receyue not theyr meate as they were wonâ— to do falle awaye and gather a certayne sharpe matter and eger so that suche mater muste be auoyded that the body of the sike may be emptie This decoction shall not be dronken that mornynge whan he receiueth his purgation but at nyght lette hym take it agayne and after that day he may eate more largely And agayne the .xxx. daye more liberally how be it this more liberally and that more largely must be very lyttellâ— as I shall shewe you in the next chapiter But some leste any impediment shulde be to lette the operation of this medicine haue kepte one order of eatynge equallye through out the .xxx. dayes and truly the stronglyer a man abideth to hunger the better and more quyckely he shall be healed And although
maketh the brookynge as good as euer it was before His effecte is excellent for the membres that be fallen awaye and diminisshed it increaseth them and fylleth them vp it stretcheth forth the synowes that are shronke and those that be loose it fastneth and maketh stronge It is also proued that suche partis as throughe this disease be made deed without felyng are ageyne quickened and brought to theyr olde felynge and lustynesseâ— I sayde before that as touchynge the bealy it varied For some it dydde bynde and some it made laxe tyll they were weary And agayne some it dyd bynde in the begynnyng and afterward it losed them and made them lanke belyed And that the verye shauynges broken as small as coude be to the mountenaunce of halfe an vnce was gyuen in drynk to ê“uoke a siege I haue also sayde that the measure therof is not gyuen after the proportion of his strength that receyueth it For hit maketh not one weaker whan it is mynistred And now this one thyng I affirme that if it be .iiii. tymes sodden yet is not all the vertue gone out Wherin I do not beleue other men but I my selfe haue proued it Howe be it I denye not but the fyrste brothe is moche stronger Some there are that stedfastly beleue that it is very good for fistuls and cankers and for the partes that be eaten with cankers Certayne hit is hit helpeth them that fetche theyr wynd with pein and can not breth if that fault com through this sickenes or through an oyntyng ¶ And for as moche as I haue shewed before what euyls come w t this syckenes it â—ere but labour in vayne to repete them whiche all it taketh awaye distroyeth and vanquyssheth as I before tolde and that if they be olde very lyghtly And in lyke maner it helpeth the gowte For I my selfe haue sene two restored to helth which were sore vexed in their feete but yet the phisitions saye that it helpeth onely those that haue gotten the gowte through colde whiche thynge I leue to them to complayne of It is also an helthefull remedy for the palsey and especially whan it is new and lately be gonne For than it quencheth and driueth it awaye whiche thynge I do wryte vppon the reporte of faythfull and sadde meÌ„ that haue knowlege therof For as for me I dyd neuer hytherto se any that was so delyuered ¶ Ricius told of a leper the which though he were not cleane delyuered by this medicine yet was he made moch better and cleaner and suche a man as men myghte suffer his company so that Ricius iudgeth that this medicine is able to hyde and stoppe leprosye though it can not take it clene away But if this cure were vsed ones agayne or often than he beleued that the great hurte of that disease shulde be put of for a longe tyme. And more ouer he had great hope that if this syckenes were thus preuented in the begynnynge it myght vtterly be purged and clensed and the syke restored And for as moche as this medicine hath vertue to drye vp some go aboute to minystre hit for the water betwyxte the fleshe and the skynne whiche is called the dropsye the ende wherof we loke for It is well knowen to be profytable agaynste the fallynge euyll as the phisitions saye if the disease be of a colde kynde I haue sene them that were inwardely diseased and greued with manye other syckenesses that were of an euyll and corrupted stomacke and coulde but badly digeste and whan they wolde recouer them selfes from theyr long feblenes and sycklynes and repayre agayne theyr strengthe and helthe haue prepared them selfes vnto this cure the phisitions not aduysynge them the contrary And Ricius approueth the same in many For so moche as he knewe as he sayde that a hoole man or but lyttell acrased myghte come vnto this cure without any hurte and he dyd perfectly beleue that the good lykynge of the bodye was kepte preserued defended and confirmed therwith Let it nowe contente you to haue harde spoken these thynges of the helpes of Guaiacum of the whiche if any man wyll aske me the causes I wyll sende hym to the phisitions that be expert For as for me I professe no suche thyng Neyther yet dyd I begynne this boke to thentent that I wolde by and by gyue a reson of these thynges that I wolde wryte but this thyng I promysed what so euer I founde of Guaiacum and perceyued by experience other in my selfe or in other and what so euer I had eyther sene or harde of other that wolde I faythfully and truely putte in wrytynge leauynge an occasyon to many after me to declare the thyng as it is worthye And nowe that all menne maye knowe what Guaiacum hath done in me I wyll shewe in what partes of my body and after what fascion I was diseased ¶ What diseases this remedy hath taken from me Cap. xxv BY this one chaunce hit is knowen that we ought not to dispeire in ani bodily disease though we be brought neuer so nere to deathes dore For howe many were we after the phisitions had gyuen vs vppe that were restored to helth through the sodeine and as a man wolde say the heuenly helpe of Guaiacum ¶ I knewe one my very sure frende whiche whan he saw me so bytterly vexed with this siknes that for pein I could nother rest by nyght nother eate by day aduysed me to kylle my selfe seinge there coulde no remedy be founde and my body semed to droppe awaye in fylthy matter to my great peyne and sorowe and no hope at all of recouerye sayinge to me It becommeth the to be delyuered frome this euyll whether hit wyll or not But he hadde forgotten that we were christians and remembred to wel that we were frendes and louers For hit is our parte to beholde all thynges in them that wytnessed in tymes past whom we now calle martyrs vnto the worlde our sauiour Christe manfully sufferynge for his sake great tourmentes and peynes Howe be it if any thyng maye cause a man to longe for dethe truely it is the tourment of this sycknes For I vtterly deny that euer the father of Licinius Cecine suffered any suche sorowe or peyne whan he flewe hym selfe with the iuise of Papauers Or that euer any other whiche dyd lykewyse felt so intollerable euyls as this syckenes causeth For this pestilence besydes all his vexatioÌ„s and tourmentes whiche passe farre all other onely with his fowlenes and lothelynes is able to make one wery of his lyfe ¶ Whan Speusippus the philosopher was ones plucked and drawen with the palsey that he dispeyred to escape and then mette with Diogenes and bad hym well to fare and good helthe Diogenes they say answered sayinge And thou lykewyse farewell in no meanes seinge thou art such one and canst be content to lyue ¶ The same Diogenes that was wont to be so styffe a philosofer what trow ye wold he haue sayd
DE MORBO GALLICO LONDINI IN AEDIBVS THOMAE BERTHELETI M.D.XXXIII CVM PRIVILEGIO ¶ The preface of Thomas Poyneâ— chanon of Marten abbey translatour of this boke NOt longe agoo after I had translated into our englysshe tonge the boke called Regimen sanÃtatÃs Salerni I hapned being at London to talke with the printer and to enquire of hym what he thought and how he lyked the same boke and he answered that in his mynde it was a boke moche necessarye and very profitable for them that toke good hede to the holsome teachynges and warely folowed the same And this moche farther he added therto that so farforthe as euer he coude here it is of euery man very well accepted and allowed And I sayd I pray god it may do good and that is all that I desyre And thus in talkynge of one boke and of an other he came forthe and sayde that if I wolde take so moche peyne as to translate into Inglysshe the boke that is intitled De medicina guaiacà et morbo gallico wryten by that great clerke of Almayne Vlrich Hutten knyght I shulde sayd he do a verye good dede For seinge hit is soth as this great clerk writeth of this medicine GuaiacuÌ„ For he hym self hath had the verye experience therof how nedefull and howe beneficiall to the common welâ—h were it For almoste into euerye parte of this realme this mooste foule and peynfull disease is crepte and many soore infected therwith Whan he had sayd thus his fantasye aâ—d that I hadde bethoughte me and well aduysed his wordes I answered If I thought it wolde do good I wolde take the peyne with all my verye harte and hit were moche greatter and yet sayde I I feare me it be as moche or more than I am able to accomplysshe For I doubt whether I may come to the clere vnderstonding therof or not It is in ernest a matter straunge inough to translate not onely for the names of herbes and other diuers thynges therin conteyned but also for the phrase and eloquent style But what so euer aunswere I made hym I finally determyned to translate the sayd boke as I haue done in dede not so well I am sure so playnly and so exquisitely as many other coude if they wold vouchesafe to take the peyn but yet I trust I haue not moche erred from the true meanynge of the auctour And I saye not the contrarye but somme wordes haue I lefte barely englysshed and some nat at all but they be suche as are by those names in latine vsually knowen to phisitions without whose counsaylle specially those that be approued and knowen to be syngularly lerned in physike I wolde counsaylle noo maÌ„ to be to bold either to practise or receiue any medicine ¶ At Marten Abbey an dnÌ„i 1533. ¶ The table of this boke THe begynnynge of the frenche pockes and why it hathe dyuers names cap. j. fo 1. The causes of this disease Cap. ij fo 3. Into what diseases the frenche pockes are tourned cap. iij. fo 4. Howe men at the begynnynge resisted the frenche pockes cap. iiij fo 6. What helpe the author of this boke vsed in this syckenes cap. v. fo 8. The description of the wodde Guaiacum and of the fyndyng name therof ca. vi 10. Of the orderynge of Guaiacum in medycine ¶ The begynnynge of the frenche pockes and why it hath dyuers names Ca. i. IT hathe pleased god that in our tyme sycknesses shuld aryse whiche were to our forefathers as it maye be wel coniectured vnknoweÌ„ In the yere of Christ. 1493. or there about this pestiferus euyll creped amongest the people not only in Fraunce but fyrst appered at Naples in the frenchemennes hoste wherof it toke his name whiche kept warre vnder the frenche kyng Charles before hit appered in any other place By whiche occasion the frenche men puttynge from them this abhâ—rred name calle it not the frenche pockes but the euyl of Naples reckenynge it to theyr rebuke if this pestilent disease shulde be named the frenche pockes Not withstandynge the coÌ„sent of all nacions hath obteyned and we also in this boke wyll calle hit the frenche pockes not for any enuye that we beare to so noble and gentyll a nacion but bycause we fere that all meÌ„ shuld not vnderstande if we gaue it any other name ¶ At the fyrste rysynge therof some men supersticiously named it meuyn syckenes of the name I know not of what saynt some accompted it to come of Iob scabbe whom this syckenes I thynke hath brought in to the numbre of seyntes Some iâ—ged it to be the infirmitie wherwith the monke Euager was greued throughe immoderate colde and eatynge of rawe meates whan he was in desert And therfore he also was sought from ferre countreyes with great resorte of men offryng gyftes habundantly at his chappelle whiche is in Vestrike And bycause the name of sayncte Euager was not knowen amongâ— the common people of Almayne they called it Fyacres sickenes for Euagers Not enquerynge what the â—rues of these were but onely beleued that these coulde helpe them Suche opinions hadde the people and thus they dydde ryse There was ymages offered and hanged before saynt Roche and his olde sores were newe remembred whiche thynge if it were done of a godly mynde I do not reproâ—e but if it were done that those might get auaÌ„tage that were the inuenters therof I meruayle that disceyte shulde haue place in so great discomforte and sorow and in so myserable distruction of mankynde ¶ But the deuines dyd interpretate this to be the wrathe of god and to be his punysshement for our euyll lyuynge And so dyd openly prâ—ache as though they admytted into that hye counsaylle of god had there lerned that men neuer lyued worse or as who sayth in that golden worlde of Augustus and Tiberius whan Christe was here on erthe moste myscheuous diseases dydde not begynne or as who sayth that nature hath no power to brynge in newe diseases whiche in all other thynges maketh great chaunges or as who saythe that within shorte tyme in our dayes bicause men beth now of good fyuyng the remedy of Guaiacum is founde for this sickenes So well these thynges do agree whiche these mens myndes that declare god as they thynke do preache vnto vs. Than began the phisitions busynesse whiche serche not what shulde take away this disese but what was the cause therof for they myght not abyde the syght of it moche more they abstayned from touchynge For whan it fyrste began it was of suche fylthynes that a maÌ„ wold scarsely thynke this syckenesse that nowe reygneth to be of that kynde They were byles sharpe and stondynge out hauynge the similitude and quantite of acorneâ— from whiche came so foule humours and so gret stynche that who so euer ones smelled it thought hym selfe to be enfect The colour of these pusshes was derke grene and the syght therof was more greuous vnto the pacient than the