vnderstand not neyther the composition nor the vertue of the things wherof it is made nor yet the effectes therof And where you say that PhisitioÌ„s ought to be punished as mankyllers you are therefore worthy of great reprehension to presume that they of mallice would kyll any ne yet through ignorance they caÌ„not do it But for their straight examinatioÌ„ I doo not mistike but rather holde it for a thing conuenient notwithstanding the Phisition vsing well his office in the obseruing of Rule Arte and the Patient should happen to die he ought not to be punished for his death And of the same opinion was Plato appearing in the ninth Dialogue of his Lawes And also where Phisitions procure to be payde for theyr paynes they ought not therfore to be reprehended sithens that by the Law of God and man the laborer ought to haue his hyre God also coÌ„mauÌ„deth that the Oxe that freadeth out the Corne be not mustod Moreouer I may say that of too much sharpnes of wytte nay rather of mallice wher you presume that of industry they darcken their Arte with strauÌ„ge names of things for why if you vnderstoode them you would say that those names which seemed vnto you straunge opinion And before I had heard him speake I was not so great an enemy of Phisitions as now I am But whether I haue reason or no by mine aunswere ye shall heare Fyrst I say you haue well vnderstoode my desire wherein I would haue no office of Phisitions in a common weale at the least such as should cure for money But that we should one counsell cure an other And also we shall know vse such remedies which are already knowen prooued by auncient men of experience and to stick vnto the same If this thing might so be although there were some inconueniences yet truly they should be much lesse theÌ„ those which procéede from the good and euyll Phisitions By meanes of theyr purges repurges bléedings and rebleedings yea and you should haue as small a diffyculty therin if determynatly we should begyn to dyspute as to speake one language and to haue one custome which are auncient in our Countrey yea and the great vse of olde tyme should be as easy to cure the diseased as in these our dayes So that héere is proofe and argument to sée that for the one part of medicine which according to theyr owne opinion is the principall which they call â—suall that is to say to know of what the Patient ought to féede howe what it should be more or lesse the experience vse and couÌ„sell which they haue among them selues and now so commoÌ„ to men wherby without either counsell or receypt of the Phisition men know what to eate how in what quantitie And such rule wisemen dare vse and obserue I speak not of such who will voluntarily be disordred Why alas if in this which is the chéefest poynt we can lyue without tutors why should we not then bring to passe y e vse of curing should be as well knowen among vs for why the difficulty or peryl should be no greater as I will shew after that I haue made aunswer to your argument And therfore will I chauÌ„ge the forme of aunswering because we are contrary in opinion You meane to defend the Phisitions of tyme present saying that Christe our redéemer dyd compare himselfe to Phisitions and that truly is as much as to defend the cruelty of the Lyons because they are also called Lyons Besydes this your argument is verie weake because your coÌ„parison of Christ to a Phisition dooth not so well fit your purpose So that I say you may make them more perticuler yet you shall sée y e Christe dooth rather approoue my opinioÌ„ then yours for he dyd not appoynt amoÌ„g his Disciples one nor two to heale and cure but generally commauÌ„ded them all vnto whome he gaue especiall grace to cure and make whole as you your selfe affyrme so that this allegation maketh for me And where you speake of the Angell Raphaell and S. Paule truly those holy Persons sent not the sicke folke to the Phisitions of the Cittie to be cured but rather they themselues tooke y e cure in hand béeing none of that vocatioÌ„ and how I pray you iwis not with Purgations nor blood letting nor with your Diacatulicions nor Skamonea but the one with a lyttle Wine whereof he had experience the other with the vertue of a Fishe which God gaue him for that purpose And therefore Maister mine sithens that this Office is coÌ„mon to Angelles and to men it is not iust that two or thrée should ingrate the same lyke tyrants in the Towne because forsoothe they are learned men as you say as I would to God they were But if they be in good time be it for I say not that learning hurteth any But I say that for the vse of curing it is not néedefull for I holde not such thinges necessary but only for the knowledge of cléere and euident thinges For why it is not greatly materiall to knowe the first and secrete origen of a disease but rather to knowe what dooth helpe But the inquisition and intelligence of secrete and hydden causes and the knowledge of their naturall operations and y e rest which you say is necessary to be knowen I holde for a vaine thing and also impossible For besides that the secrets of nature are incomprehensible it is playne that this is so for why those that presume to know this matter are Phisitions and Philosophers who are diuers and contrary in theyr opinions and can giue no certayne rule nor resolution For how would you that the Phisition should know the radicall cause and first origen of all infirmyties theyr opinions béeing so variable as you your selfe haue declared And why should I more beléeue Hipocrates who affyrmeth the substaunce of the matter to be in the spirites then Erasistratus who attrybuteth it to the turning backward of the blood to the arteries And why should I credite more these then others who assygned other prynciples And howe will you knowe how disguestion is made in the stomack Truly I for my part dare no more credite the one then the other Séeing there are so many opinions vpon the case for some say y t the foode boyleth with heate others say that it rotteth by way of attrycion grynding others denieth them bothe each giueth such reasoÌ„s as séeme true so y t following the opinion of any of them the cure shalbe perticuler cleane contrary the one to the other So that séeing the causes origen so diffycult y e certeynty séemeth vnpossible I sée no cause for a man to weary himself therin But only to coÌ„tent and serue our selues with the remedy that experience hath taught vs. And coÌ„sidering that it importeth not to know what caused the infirmity but only the way to cure the same Nor yet I will not trouble my selfe to know how
of their seruauntes rather then for other purpose although in Castillia such high buyldings are most holsome so y t our houses béeing lowe the cause was not for want of knowledge but rather came of a good foresight Let vs now sée howe Don Nunio will buylde his house which hath a good beginning héere I sée much stuffe prepared for the woorke Iasper Let vs vnderstand what he dooth before we alight from our Moyles for sick persons may not be visited at all seasons Bernardo No but yet it seemeth by yonder Moile that Maister Velasques is with him therefore let vs alight and I will leade the waye Iasper God giue your Woorship health Don Numo I kisse your Maistershippes hand and am very glad that ye are comen at such time to fynde Maister Docter Velasques héere for if ye two will speake Latin he will vnderstand ye or els if ye will argue any matter as ye were wont to doo yee haue a good and present Iudge Bernardo No sir for now we come very conformable like good neighbours and we haue not wherevpon to Dispute if you throwe not in a bone as you were wont to doo Maister Senor Don Nunio Dooth not euill therein For alwayes good fruite proprocéedes out of a good discorde Bernardo At the least sir you haue small néede thereof for it is euident that you teach vs all But notwithstanding our talke sir how doo you féele your selfe Don Nunio Truely as yet I am very weake for my disease principally hath béene of a long continuance and also I was letten bloud thrée times therefore I cannot so soone recouer strength and I haue also an excéeding drines remayning in my mouthe so that I cannot abstaine from drinking and thinking my selfe neuer satisfied and surely I beleeue that the Phisitions hath not vnderstood the secretes of my disease to cure it accordingly Bernardo Sir beléeue me I know a man that would not be offended with the drines you speake of for on a time the same man hauing an exceeding burning feauer and drynes The Phisission would haue giuen him certaine thinges to myttigate the heate and drought vnto whom he aunswered very grauely Maister Doctor I pray you doo what you can to ease my extréeme heate But as for my thyrstinesse I would be contented to remayne with all Don Nunio Yea but I am not so great a fréend of drinke for when I am in health I flée from the thinges that should cause thyrstinesse But truly the extréeme drinesse which I haue now came of a Purgation that was giuen me Iasper Yea and therefore I defie Phisitions for I promise you if you had not purged your self you had bene sooner whole and not now so weake Maister Why syr the Phisitions know no better way to cure Iasper Mary syr and that way I would they knew not for it is not conuenient to be vsed Don Nunio If ye had séene what a disputation héere was about what should be giuē to purge me with all and about the letting of me blood ye would haue sayde somwhat Iasper Syr I néeded not to sée the thing for I haue other causes more sufficient to approoue that which I meane to speake of Long agone I knewe howe the Phisitions very seldome agrée in their opiniōs yea and I was about to say that fewer tymes they happen to doo y e patient good Bernardo Then must I say also that you haue for a custome seldome tymes to speake well either of Aduocates or Phisitions But say what you lyst you shall will or nill trust the one with your life and the other with your goodes Iasper Then accursed be I if I doo so at the least to put my lyfe in the Phisitions handes for in all my life tyme hytherto I was neuer let blood nor yet haue had any Phisitions counsell as long as I haue gone abroade in the world And I finde my selfe better in health and more sounder then you who alwayes hath to doo with such kinde of men Bernardo Yea and therfore you brag but I promise you if any disease should take you vehemently you would then crye out for the Phisitions Iasper It might so be that y e infirmitie might be such to depriue mē of my witte and so to demaund helpe of Phisitions but as long as my memorie serueth feare not that I commit any such madnesse for sithens God be praysed I haue lyued 45. yéeres without them yea and haue bene holpen of some infirmities with holsom dyet good regiment I meane not now to prooue new inuentions Dun Nunio Now truly Signor Maister this fire beginneth to kindle for these Gentlemen are armed for the purpose Bernardo I am not disposed to contend But yet I will alwayes defend the trueth Iasper And the same shall neuer want vnto me therefore if you haue any thing to say begin when you lyst for I am ready to aunswere Bernardo Truly Signor Iasper it séemeth a merry toy to call medicine a new inuenciō being as you know the most auncient Art in the world approoued and admitted by God himselfe by men Haue you not read in Ecclesiastes that God created medicine of the earth that the Wise man should not slée from it for the medicine dooth exalt honour the Phisition for medicine he shall be praysed in presēce of kings mighty men Also our Aucthors and humane woorks maketh no lesse accoumpt of medicine although they differ in whom was the inuenter thereof yet all agréeth to reuerēce honour all such Some say holde opiniō that Mercurie was the first others say Apis other affirme Aposto some Aesculapius Homero was also honored for a God fountaine of good writers in many places he I say commends medicine yea did not let to shew name medicinall hearbes how medicin hath ben estéemed of Emperors and kings you know better then I. You haue also read what reward Alexander the great gaue vnto Aristouolus Phisitiō and king Ptolome to Erasistrato Yea the incredible stipend fees which they had in y t tyme of Emperors in Rome wherof Plinie and others make mencion In conclusion looke what a treasure health is which passeth all worldly ioyes the felicitie of the soule excepted yea and contrary wise howe bitter is infirmitie So that these thinges considered you may sée what honour is due to medicine that conserueth vs in the one kéepeth vs from the other Maister Although it hath not bene much which Signor Bernardo hath spoken yet his study hath not bene small as appeareth by his explication Iasper You haue played the good Retorician and sithens you haue taken the payne I will doo the lyke But I would first you should vnderstand that I cōdempne not the good Medicine for I tolde you that I had cured my selfe with only good dyet and regunent yea and also with some hearbes and other thinges whereof I haue experience But I condempne the euyll Phisitions
they procured by all meanes to darcken the thing which ought to be common and knowen of all men Then what shall I say of the diuersity of theyr doctrine and opinions The Alarbes differ from the Greekes so that among them selues they are not conformable neyther the one nor the other The order and manner of curing theyr Auicena differeth from Galenus those of antiquitie euen so much that it séemeth an other thing nor yet those of our tyme cure lyke Auicena nor lyke the other for now all consistéth in inuencioÌ„s and opinions Yea if you call two or thrée together you shall finde each to be singuler in his iudgement But when they agrée iwis it is to the great peryll of the Patient if you heare each of them by himselfe it is a myracle to finde them conformable yea theyr receytes shall be diuers and conÌ„trarie each to other It shall not néede that I make any further recytall therof for dayly you see it before your eyes thereforeÌ„ I will not weárie my selfe in the rehearsall Maister Velasques It should séeme that these Gentlemen â—ame purposely to debate this matter héerein to shewe theyr learning knowledge because I sée them so earnest therfore we may doo well to cut of and abreuiate theyr communication Don Nunio No Syr that were not iust that Phisitions should thus remaine without defence Yea and for my part I doo greatly reioyce to heare this talke Therfore let the conclusion be that sithens each of them hath had his turne although Signor Iasper hath bene somewhat long in his discourse let each of them haue another course and no more which shall be as one that wryteth his minde and an other that replyeth in our iudgement court And then I am to desire you Signor Maister to giue sentence who hath the right Iasper I for my part am content reseruing the benefite of appellation if the senteÌ„ce be not giuen in my fauour Bernardo And I for my part am also agréeed hauing so great a confidence in my Iustice and also in the iudgement of Signor Maister by meane whereof I binde myselfe to his iudgement and sentence Maister Velasques A harde matter is commended vnto me But notwithstanding I will saye what God shall giue me to vnderstand to make an ende of your contencion seauing lybertie to each of you to doo what ye please Don Nunio Me thinketh Signor Bernardo is ready for the purpose begin on Gods name ¶ Heere followeth the aunswer of Signor Bernardo Bernardo AT the begynning of our talke I thought Signor Iasper that you iested But when I heard you touch in Doctrine and Histories then I knewe that your argument was in earnest And therefore will I aunswere accordingly that which I vnderstand of the thinges which you haue spoken is in conclusion that you thinke there should be no Phisions in the worlde at the least such as were knowen to be and lyue of that vocation But rather you would haue vs all to be Phisitions and to cure one an other also you would not haue medicine by Arte confounded in Science nor Philosophy But onelye to followe experience and conference and the voyce of the people as though we should lyue in the Mountaynes where no pollicie nor discretion should be vsed These two principall points I meane to ouerthrowe as a begynning to the processe and then to aunswer some of the other mallices which you haue spoken In the fyrst poynt touching Phisitions it is a cleare case that you haue no reason for the name of a Phisition is holie and amyable and ought not to be odious vnto you séeing Christe our redéemer dyd not despise both to be called and holden for a Phisition when he was speaking of himselfe sayth he then for the whole folke néedeth not the Phisition And againe when he cured the eyes with clay and spyttle and when he appoynted for medicine of the Samaritanâ— Oyle Wine yea he letted not to cure and heale infinite infirmities and the lyke commaunded his Disciples for S. Paule Doctor of the people tooke bothe person and office of a Phisition when he wrote to Timothens willing him to drink Wine to comfort his stomacke Saint Luke the Euangelist dyd name himselfe a Phisition and letted not to giue this Office vnto the Apostles The Angell Raphaell woulde also vse this Office wheÌ„ he gaue a receyt vnto Tobias wherwith he should cure and recouer the sight of his eyes So that in this poynt you haue no waye to contend because the name of a Phisition is profitable in the world And if there haue bene some Phisitions bothe false and couetous and also haue vsed of such things wherof you haue enlarged and I thereof ignoraunt you ought not iudge nor beleeue them But notwithstaÌ„ding the wise and good ought not to be cast of it is a méete thing that there should be perticuler and appointed persons of so high an Office and misterie and not rather as you would to haue all men Phisitions and so to walke in confusion and inconstancie with ignoraunce of the people Truly this way is not only vnprofitable but also a thing impossible The example also of the Romaines wherewith you helpe your selfe who were 600. yéeres without Phisitions I say with you that it is true But yet through simplicitie and want of knowledge as they were at that time ignorant of learning and other Arts so were they wanting of Medicine But after they vnderstoode what Doctrine Science was and had receyued the same of the Greekes they then embraced also medicine as one of the most necessarie things And lykewise the Maisters who had sight therein and euen so dyd the other Nations of whome you spake of And where in the second poynt you will not that we follow or obserue precepts nor yet to haue Arte nor foundation of Science nor you will vs not to followe reason cause but only experieÌ„ce which you allowe and therfore you iudge euill of the forme and order which is obserued in medicines and their compound wherof I doo not lyttle meruayle Fyrst you know how naked experience is in Science holden for doubtfull and consideration iudgement dooth change in yéeres with complexion with tyme place and many other thinges And therfore it is necessarie for him that wyll cure to knowe these differences the secrete cause and discouerie of the infirmitie for it is a thing vnpossible the knowledge of curing vnto him that knoweth not whereof and where the disease dyd spring It is therefore néedefull that hée vnderstand the composture and complexcions of humayne bodies their humors which of them beareth rule and what disease thereof may growe For without doubt the cure must otherwyse be handled if you preuent the infirmyties of all fowre humors as many Wise men affyrme And contrarywise if the cause be in onely moysture as Eropilus holdes opinion according to the writing of Cornelius Celsor and others or in the spirits as