Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A41093
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Alberti Ottonis Fabri medici regii exer. Suec. Paradoxon de morbo Gallico libr. II, or, A paradox concerning the shameful disease for a warning to all against deceitful cures / translated out of the High-Dutch by Johan Kauffman.
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Faber, Albert Otto, 1612-1684.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing F67; ESTC R41246
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24,117
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81
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make a close Chamber very hot like to a Hot-House wherein they set up a small Tent on which stands written Carnificinaseu Tortura the Hang-man's room for tormenting In the midst of it there stands a stool or chair and a close Coal pan full of glowing Coals next to it Then there is prepared for the Patient some comfortable food as a couple of new-laid Eggs and a Caudle and a draught of good Wine mixt with Conserve of Roses and other Aromatical Confections Here the Patient must first drink and be refreshed before he is brought to the Slaughter-house or place of Executions then he comes along stark naked without a shirt and sits on the stool which is closed round about and behind the Tent stands the Barbers-man who flings of the prepared Mercury one piece after another on the glowing Coales 21. O ye Barber Surgeons and the like ask I pray the Gold smiths let them tell you and the Myners will inform you and the Chymists know by experience that the fume of Mercury is a deadly poyson 22. Fernelius saith that he knew a Goldsmith who meerly by the fume of Mercury fell deaf and dumb and into a Lethargie 23. Forestus writes that it be fell a Goldsmiths Journey man who being about the gilding of a silver Cup the fume of Mercury so wrought upon him that a shaking and trembling held him continually and the hairs of his head were shed and he look'd as pale as death 24. Oethus relates that a young Gentleman being troubled with Crab-Lice on his privy parts and to rid them away he annointed the place with a Mercurial Salve whereby he was so much spoiled that he became quite unable unto procreation 25. How much more is such a thing to be feared if a Patient be for a whole hour twice in a day yea for a whole Week fumed therewith that he often falls into a swounding Fit and so must be pull'd out and refresht ' but if he dieth then they say that he died of the French disease and no man enquireth further but if it succeeds well then he foameth and casts up every day a matter of ten pounds of stinking poisonous stuff till he spews up at last his soul also For how is it possible that a man who scarce weigheth a hundred and fifty pound weight could hold out so for ten dayes together and live None considers it from whence such filthy spittle comes whether it come not through the Mercurial quality and its poisonous ferment in its corrosive which in the thence conceived fermentation of mans blood breaks out in such a stinking Flux of corrupt matter runs on and ceaseth not as long as there is a drop of blood in that man's body Oh misery and great ignorance yea rashness 26. But after all this they have invented a costly Mercurial Water which at last shall do the Work yea do the Work so that nothing shall remain They take sublimed Mercury and let it boile in a great quantity of Fountain Water so that its astringent and acrimonious poisonous taste be scarce perceived But I assure and warn every body that whoever drinks of this Water it wil be a Water of death unto him which will not cease to stir up strange symptomes one after another such as he never felt before piercing thorough bones and marrow and will not suffer him to rest neither day nor night till he yeilds up his soul 27. Thus is it found daily by experience that many which fall into the hands of Barber-surgeons fare ill fall to ruine and die or are not restored to health to the great prejudice and shortning of their lives to the weakning unto death of the remaining strength of their vitals by their indiscreetly groundlesly usurped Mercurials Purgings and Salivations Bathing Sweating letting of Blood and the like all which is done out of a rash dumb blindness And because they are not curbed in it they go on grow proud and are conceited they have great knowledge of things insomuch that now-a days there is not a Barber-surgeons Apprentice who as they boast should not know to cure the French Disease 28. But tell me good people what is Mercury or Quick-silver What is Mercurius Praecipitatus or dulcis What are the Flowers of Mercury Aurum Vitae Aquila and whatsoever they may call it Do ye know it Who told it you Where have ye read it Come hither and instruct us that we also may know it Teach us we wil not be ashamed to learn we wil attentively hearken to and observe what ye say But lo ye stand and gape for understanding as a blind man for the day-light For you see and expermentally find that your Mercury is an unchangeable water though ye put all kind of Masks upon him and your Mercurial water together with your Praecipitate and Mercurius dulcis what is it else but a concealed poisonous Corrosive For why is the Sublimaâ—e and Arsenic a poison unless it be by reason of the Corrosive which has so corroded it and turned it to a white Masse Separate the Corrosive from Arsenic then shall you see that the remainder is a Metal and from the Sublimate then hast thou a running Quick-silver one pound of which you may safely drink without hurt or good but not when it was yet united with its Corrosive and was called Mercurius Sublimatus some grains whereof are enough to bereave thee of thy life 29. Hence we see that Mercury without the Corrosive doth not work for as it is poured in to the throat so it runs out again below Thus it hapned to an Apothecarie's Journy man who coming home at night quite tippl'd went into the shop to take as he used a dram or two of Aqna Vitae before his going to bed and so in the dark groaping after the bottle his sellow-servant had removed the bottle and set in the place of it a bottle of Quick-silver out of it he took his draught and went to bed when he awakened in the morning he found in the bed that which he drank last over n ght gathered it together and put it again into the bottle for another draught 30. But if they will have the Quick-silver to work either for one way or other then it must be dissolved in Aqua fortis or the like Corrosive and be reduced into subtile Powder whereby the subtilest and sharpest part of the Corrosive in the evaporating joins it self to the Mercury and represents it to the eyes under the mask of a red or white Masse either with or without taste 31. But as soon as the Corrosive which holds it thus bound gets away again then is it as before a running Quick-silver Therefore we have already told you that Mercury is an unchangeable water but its Corrosive is to mans body and health a dangerous poison whether it shew its effect shortly or long after which sometimes causeth a trembling and shaking of the members as long as the party liveth as ye have heard
round and in the midst thereof there was a fair Court in its center or middle point there stood a deep Well costly adorned with all manner of fair figures and statues In the middle of the Well there stood the image of the Sun like unto bright glittering Gold when it s melted but in the midst it was blood-red and therein it stood Persectio and a cypher by it Beneath about the edge of the Well there stood the Statue of Mercury such was the inscription painted of a glittering red and had a yellow Cane in his hand On it stood written with silver Letters Electrum immaturum and on the other side Agens Naturae and above Drachmae duae Next to this stood the Statue of Saturn painted black and had in his hand a grey glittering ball on which stood Coagulatio secunda and underneath jv and xij Next followed Jupiter painted pale yellow and had in his hand a flaming Cross on which stood written Coeteris venenum and in the midst stood xij and iv Then came Mars painted of a liver-colour and had a bow in his hand bent and anarrow laid upon it with this Superscription Indigus indigentibus subsidio and beneath stood Nam xiv and ij Venus also was present painted green fair in the highest degree and covered her privy part with her hand over which stood written Noli me tangere and on the hand Cave â—e Caves and beneath viij and viij Luua smiled was painted green-blew and with her right arm she reached after the Sun on which stood written Nondum perfecta Nam II and XIV Now when I had viewed these Statutes I thought how am I thus come among the Heathen Gods it seems as if I were in a Heathen Kings House Yet I set down their inscriptions in my Table-book and stepped nearer unto it and would also my self look into the Well but as soon as I leaned over it and lookt into it an invisible sume smote my face that upon a sudden I lost both sight and hearing I suddenly stept back again and stood long before I could fetch breath my eyes run over and I was tickled in my nostrils When I came to my self again me thought I had seen flames of fire beneath in the Well and had a good mind to look in again that I might learn the very truth of it I thought How shall I go about it I wil keep in my breath and use Spectacles to save my eyes Being thus cautiously armed I stepped thither again and would look into it but behold there arose a fume out of the depth of the Well which fill'd all the Castle-Court in manner of a stinking mist insomuch that I could not see at all onely above on the brim about the Well it stood written FONS IGNIS SINE QUO NON But the myst which came up out of the Well was so great thick and strong that I was forced to be gone I run up and down in the Castle from door to door and knockt to see whether one or other would open to let me in for I was almost choaked Then one door opened when I run by and I was pull'd in suddenly and presently it was locked again it was a black fellow in Linnen breeches without a doublet he sweated all his face over and he said to me Sit down I drink to thee for he had a pot of been in his hand I said Much good may it do you He said but how com'st thou hither Who hath let thee in I answered and said I do not know it my self I wish I were out again He answered and said Pray do not grieve because the fume hath nipped thee a little dost thou not see how I look And I said Are ye a coal-burner He answered me and said Yes thou hast hit it I am a Coal-burner for in my time I have consumed well a hundred Load of Coales and smiled I thought indeed said I that ye could not look so like a Smith for nothing But what kind of mad Well is that which ye have in the Court He answered me and said The Well is not mad but it is a Well of Life unto those which stand by it and he that draweth out of it and drinketh he is healed thereby though he had the French disease But I answered to him and said Yea a Well of death for it cost me almost my life when I would but onely look into it He answered me and said My Son too much is nought The Well is good and without this Well we cannot make sire but onely we know how to deal carefully with 〈◊〉 I said How must one do it For when I came a little near to it it beat into my face that I could neither smell nor see and I thought no other but that I must â—eild up my Ghost in the very place He answered me and said We have a silken rope therewith we let down the bucket and thus we draw and pull it up again We do not come so near unto it but we stand off a little way How can ye then said I stand so long in the Court by reason of the strong mystie fume He answered and said That 's no matter as soon as the Sun is high and shines clear then the myst falls Thou art come to it a little too soon Why said J do ye use a silken rope and not rather an Iron chain but he answered no Iron can resist this water for its nature and quality is wonderful all Mettals melt in it as Butter melts in warm water We could never fathem its depth and its strength and virtue is every morning new it keeps constantly in one vigor and all poyson digested therein turns instantly unto a wholesom Medicament J said Then I pray you impart some of it unto me Very willingly saith he and gave me a whole bottle full and told me withall how J should use it And many other things he told me of this Well and of this Castle but J took my leave of him and he brought me into a deep Cellar there was a subterranean secret way which was paved with all sort of precious stones with Carbuncles Diamonds and Saphirs Smaragds Rubies and Topaz which cast such a lustre whereby this Subterranean passage was bright light And J saw that it was above and at both sides full of fair pieces of Gold Oar Mineral Cinober and Silver Oar Oar of Lead Pewter Loath-and iron-stone betwixt there hung here and there yellow ice-sickles J beheld all with admiration and thought this is indeed a rich Myne or Metalline Rock such another Myne-work may happily not be in the World And at last we went thorough a long passage till we came to a door there he knocks and gave the word which I understood not and the door went open There I espied through a little hole the day-light afar off but when we came to it it was of that bigness that one could creep through it but there