a friend intreated him If he was innocent that he would free him for his own sake but if he was guilty that he would yet free him for his sake but however he must free him If Vinegar be simple and uncompounded take it for its own 〈◊〉 mixed with other Antidotes take it for 〈◊〉 but however take Vinegar Pliny finds fault with Physitians 〈◊〉 his time for not knowing its excellent vertue Vinegar being contrary to most other liquors in distillation may well have something more than ordinary in operation The Spirits of Wine and Beer and other liquors presently exhale and flie away and have nothing but flegme but when Vinegar is distill'd the flegme rises first and the Spirits stay behind Now as Galen saith of Poysons the hundredth part of a Cantharides doth not hurt nor one spark of fire burn to any purpose so it is in Cordials too little will do little good there must be a considerable quantity and sufficient dose you cannot in reason think one spoonful of Vinegar enough to quench such a heat as the Plague brings 'T is for the vertue of Vinegar that I wrote this Book I would be loath to present you a Glo-worm instead of a Diamond or put a Bulrush instead of a Spear into your hand when you are to fight with such an Enemy Imagine well and think highly of this Medicine I value my own life as much as another man doth his I had rather take Vinegar by it self than many other nay then any other single medicine without it Despise it not because 't is easie to be had neither let it be contemn'd because familiar It is the more excellent because common the more precious because cheap the vertues of it so many they will hardly be believed and therefore the greater because incredible But because the pestilent venome hath a power to corrupt putrifie and inflame the humours and oftentimes the Sicknesse is accompanied with a Fever which sometimes may be almost as dangerous as the Plague there must be care taken thereof so that as you may not by too cold things strike in the Plague so by too hot you may not exasperate the Fever but have respect to both for which purpose you may take cordial and cooling Juleps made of distill'd waters of Sorrel Endive Cichory Borage Bugloss Meadow sweet Angelica Dragons Dandelyon Betony Scabius Balme Fumitory to which you may put as much oyl of Brimstone or Vitriol as will make it very sharp to your taste and to every quart thereof about half a dram of Lapi◠Prunella or Sal Niter or Sal Peter and afterwards sweeten it with any Cordial Syrups as of Gilly-flowers Citrons Lemons Violets adding to it if you please Alchermes and when you are hot and dry you may drink as much as you please and as often as you will As thus Take of Meadowsweet and Cichory water of each one pint of Borage and Buglosse water half a pint of Dragon and Angelica water of each four ounces put to it as much Oyl of Vitriol as will make it very sharp then adde to it a dram of Lapis Prunella powdered Syrup of Gilly-flowers four ounces Alchermes two drams and drink as much and as often as you please Or else you may make the Tincture of Roses thus Boil four quarts of spring-Spring-water then let it cool till it be but about scalding hot then put it into a glased earthen pot and put to it two good handfuls or two ounces of dried Red-Rose leaves and stir them in the water that they may be all wet then put to them one Silver spoonful of Oil of Brimstone or Oil of Vitriol or as much as will make the liquor very sharp stir it all about and presently the Roses and the liquor will be of a delicate red colour then let it stand covered about four hours then strain it gently without squeezing into an earthen pan and sweeten it with a pound or two of Loaf-Sugar more or lesse as you please and with more Oil of Vitriol make it very sharp for your taste and keep it in Glass-bottles and when you are hot and dry drink as much as you please and if you list you may put any Cordial Syrup to it as Gilly-flowers juice of Citron Lemons Poppies or the like Or else you may take some Spring-water and put it fresh into a Glass and drop some Oil of Vitriol or Brimstone into it to make it sharp and sweeten it with Sugar and drink it both as a Preservative against a Fever or the Plague and as a Medicine and Julep in time of Sicknesse and let me tell you that plain Spring-water and Oil of Vitriol or Brimstone is a better Julep in the Plague Pestilent Malignant and other burning Fever than almost any other distill'd water without it Note that it is a vain and scrupulous error to take when you are dry and burning hot but two or three spoonfuls of Julep at a time I never denied my Patients drink in the heat of a Fever but let them drink Julep as much as they please for a little Julep doth but little good and rather encreaseth the heat as the powring of a little Water on a Smiths fire doth make it flame the more and burn the hotter whereas a great deal doth quite extinguish it and put it out And because this Oil of Vitriol is so excellent and useful a remedy mixt with water in this and all hot Diseases I should advise every ingenuous person that lives in the Country never to be without it These Oils you must understand cannot be taken by themselves but with spring or distilled waters and you must be careful of spilling any drop on your cloths for then it will fret and make a hole in them Now if you refuse to meddle with them for fear of receiving any hurt you may as well do so by fire which you must not sit by least a spark light on your apron neither must men take Tobacco for fear of burning their faces And yet I must tell you that 't is better to have a spot on your gown or a hole in your cloths which the negligent slabbering of it may occasion than a Purple in your Skin or a Botch or Carbuncle in your Flesh which the discreet taking of it will hinder I have heard of a Norwegian that coming out of his frozen Country into the South parts of the World saw some Damask Roses growing in a Garden and said Well may the weather be so hot when fire grows upon the Trees at which the hearers fell a-laughing and told him they were most sweet and fragrant flowers as pleasing to the smell as delightful to the eye and gather'd him one and bid him smell to it but he refus'd neither would he take it into his hands for fear of burning his fingers nor smell to it least he should fire his beard or singe his furr'd cap. To perswade you not to fear but use this Oil of Vitriol let me
perswade them to the submitting thereto and have not in my Practise been unfortunate therein but have seen Diseases that have been exasperated by other Medicines beyond expectation cured thereby and do think it most commonly so excellent a remedy that many Patients admitting thereof would much shorten the time and lessen the cost and trouble of their Sickness and not stand-in need of one quarter of those Medicines and Antidotes those Preparatives and Corroboratives those Infusions and Decoctions those Pills and Potions Purges and Vomits Cordials and Bolus Juleps and Emulsions Extracts and Juices Waters and Spirits Salts and Oils Syrups and Conserves Electuaries and Powders Plaisters and Ointments Blisters and Glisters they are made to take and though there be many Medicines that will purge Flegme Choler and Melancholy yet none are yet known that will safely purge bloud or lessen it yet I cannot in this case of Preservation from the Pestilence advise any one to open a Vein but rather disswade them from it And because it may take better from another of more authority than my self I have gotten Iacob Sylvius in his Book of the Blague to deliver his opinion in plain English As for Blood-letting saith he it is no way profitable for the preventing of this Disease because the bloud being diminished the body is made more open and lyable to external injuries and the strength decayes by the loss of blood the food and treasure of life Of the same mind also is the most excellent Physitian Sennertus who though in the cure of most other Diseases he begins with Phlebotomy yet in this forbids it and the most learned Riverius is of opinion that bleeding causeth one to be infected the more easily as also to escape the more hardly it being in this venemous Disease as in those that have taken poyson who by bleeding draw the poyson inward and very difficulty are recovered and therefore upon the very suspition of being poyson'd most skilful Physitians abstain from letting blood Nevertheless they conclude that if there be any notable fulness of blood or necessary evacuation suppressed a vein may be opened upon 〈◊〉 account and then very sparingly but not in reference to the Pestilence And as to the present time of the year Galen forbids to let bloud in a hot and dry season of the Air. Of Purging and Vomiting Although as Hyppocrates saith in his Aphorismes That Those which are of sound and perfect health do quickly faint and grievously endure a purging 〈…〉 nor superfluous humor to draw out and work upon doth first dissipate the Spirits and then dissolves those parts of the body which are humid and moist and afterwards corrupts those which are solid and although as Crato saith there be no purging or vomiting Medicines which are primarily and directly opposite to the venom of the Plague yet because foul bodies are more subject to Infection than those which are pure and clean and the humours they abound with may disturb Nature and interpose themselves and take off and dull the Operation of any Cordials or Antidotes and being agitated by the Disease might flow and settle to some noble part and bring the party into a most grievous Fever Frenzy or some other Inflamation whereby he may be endangered as much as by the Plague There have been several purging medicines directed by Physitians and I shall prescribe these The Pills of Ruffus otherwise called the Common or Pestilential Pills are very excellent you may take of them once or twice a week when you go to bed the dose of them is half a dram for an ordinary constitution or a whole dram for a strong man You may have them at any Apothecaries or else make such like yourself Take fine Aloes two ounces fine Myrrhe one ounce English Saffron half an ounce make them into powder and with Venice Turpentine make them into pills and take half a dram or a whole dram as aforesaid The Aloes clears the Stomach from bad humors and the belly from worms the Myrrhe preserves the body from Putrefaction the Saffron cheers the Spirits and the Turpentine is good against the Pestilence Or else take this Dissolve an ounce and a half of Manna in six ounces or a little draught of spring water and one spoonful of vinegar warmed together on the fire then strain it and take an ounce of Venice Turpentine and put to it the yolke of a new laid egge and stir it about and mixe it and it will look like cream then by little and little put to it the liquor being first quite cold wherein the Manna was dissolved and stir it about and drink it up and keep warm ordering your self as is usual in other purges or vomits when it works upwards you may take posset drink and downwards broth If it had a pleasant taste those that know the vertue of it would never take any other medicine It is strong enough for any of the strongest constitution and for those that are weaker six drams or half an ounce of Turpentine is dose enough Women with child may use this Infuse a dram of Rubarb slieed six hours in six ounces or a little draught of Endive or Succory-water or Spring-water then strain it and put to the liquor one ounce or else two ounces of Manna and dissolve it over the fire and strain it and drink it up Children may take an ounce or two ounces or half an ounce of Manna dissolved in Succory of Endive-water or in Spring-water or Barly-water or Broth or Posset-drink But beware of strong purges and vomits which will sooner bring the Plague upon you than preserve you against it especially at this time when it is more probable that the Sickness is occasioned by the Corruption of the air than by the putrefaction of humors there having been no scarcity of provision whereby the poorer sort might have been necessitated to feed on unwholsome diet and therefore no necessity of taking any purging Physick I remember about four years since many were sick of a malignant Fever and the discontented party did attribute the cause to the keeping of Lent and eating of Fish what would they have said now if Lent had been strictly observed Of Sweating As purging vomiting and bleeding do draw in the humors and vapours from the circumference and outside of the body to the center and inside of the heart so medicines that cause Sweat expel them from the heart to the outside of the body and rarifie those humours into light and thin vapours which turn into a watery sweat as soon as they come out of the skin into the air and thereby drive out those humors and vapours which breed the Pestilence For which purpose it would not be inconvenient to take one or two drams of London or Venice-Treacle or of Mithridate or Diascordium or Confection of Iacynth according to the age or strength of the party or one dram of Electuary de Ov◠in White-wine Vinegar or a draught of Posset-drink made of
Vinegar and Water put into the Milk instead of Beer or Ale Or else this which is most excellent without heating of the body or hurting of the purse Take Crabs eyes one ounce burnt Harts-horn half an ounce the black tops of Crabs claws an ounce and a half make them all into a powder and take of it one dram or two drams in a glass of posset-drink when you go to bed and drink another draught of posset-drink after to wash it down Or else you may drink a draught of Oxymel Posset-drink made as followeth Boil a quarter of a pint of English Honey with a quart of water and skum it then put to it one pint of vinegar and let it boil nine or ten walmes then let it cool and boil a quart of Milk and turn it with a sufficient quantity of the Oxymel and put away the curd and drink the posset-drink when you go to bed Or else take a dose or quantity of the Antipestilential Vinegar of which hereafter Of Observation of Diet. Although you defend your self never so safely from the evil air and retain your Blood as the treasure and maintain your Spirits as the guard of your life though you purge out vicious humors and sweat out bad vapours yet if you by any neglect disorder excess or defect do recruit those humors corrupt your blood or spend your spirits it will be to no more purpose than if you had washt your cloths never so clean and yet afterwards should tumble them in the dirt or trample them in the mire By Observation of Diet Physicians understand the well ordering of a mans self in those six things which they call Non-Natures the Air Sleep and Watching the Passions of the Mind Labour and Rest Repletion and Evacuation Meat and Drink which some have called the six strings of Apollo's Harp wherein consists the harmony of health If these be in tune the body is sound but if any of these be skrewed up too high by any excess or slackened too low by any defect or intemperately used then is the body put out of tune and made subject to diseases 1. For the Air let it not be too cold nor too hot and choose rather to wear by day and to be covered at night with too many cloths than too few and let your apparel be rather stuff then cloth which will soonest catch and longest hold Infection but take heed of too great heat Mercurialis tells of many Smiths and Glass-men that died in the Plague at Venice who by the heat of fire had made their bodies too open and apt to receive Infection 2. As for Sleep let it be moderate and take heed of too much watching 3. Let your Passions be calm'd and your mind serene and as much as possible refrain Anger and banish Fear 4. Let your Exercise be moderate and forbear over-heating your body whereby you will be necessitated to draw in more air and it hath been observed that many hard Labourers have not onely been infected but died of the Plague 5. For Repletion and Evacuation take heed of Excess and keep your body neither too loose nor costive Look upon Venus to be as great a friend to the Plague as Mars or Saturn and the Venereal Marks and Swellings no preservative against the Spots and Botches of the Pestilence It is no lesse unfortunate and wretched than devillish and wicked advice for any to get the Pox to avoid the Plague for Experience which is the Mistriss of Fools hath taught some that have no care of their souls that it is as dangerous for the body to go into some other Houses as into a Pest-House Lastly For Meat and Drink you are to have respect not onely to the Quality that it be good and wholesome and take heed of surfetting on any Summer fruit but also to the Quantity of what you take As the body is not to be weakened nor the Spirits spent with Fasting so is it not to be overcharged with Surfetting They that will eat till they can feel the meat with their fingers and drink till they can paddle with the liquor in their throats and be ready to shed it out of their mouths are in the way of cutting their throat with their tongue and digging their grave with their teeth Mercurialis saith of his own knowledge They are much deceiv'd who think to preserve themselves by eating and drinking and tells of many great drinkers both at Padua and at Venice that died of the Plague from which they thought to preserve themselves by drinking Wine It was the Saying of a Politician that Maxima pars frugalitatis est bene domatus venter so it may be the Aphorisme of a Physitian Maxima pars sanitatis est bene domatus venter As he that loveth pleasure will not be quickly rich so he that is given to excess will not be long well Temperance and Abstinence as they are not onely remedies against most diseases as Lessius treats at large in his Spare Diet and Cornaro made experiment by a little and very wholesom food so are they also a great corrector of any inconvenience that comes by evil nourishment When the impregnable City of Carlile under the government of the most invincible and resolute Governour Sir Thomas Glenham in the late Wars was besieged by an Army of Warlike English and hardy Scots there was great scarcity of Provision the besieged did eat all the Dogs and Cats never Roast-beef was sold so dear as Horse-flesh of which when Horses were kill'd and sold in the Market no Family for their money might have above their allowance the best provision that an Officers wife could procure whil'st she lay in Child-bed was a young Colt the Souldiers were allowed but two meals a week and that was a quantity of beans and the water they were boil'd in and yet so couragious as to say Give us but a Bean a Day and we will keep the Town Though the City was full of Inhabitants and Garrison Souldiers and many of the Loyal Gentry and divers Valiant Knights and delicate and tender Ladies came to live there to defend and be defended in the place yet during all that Siege of above forty weeks as I have been credibly inform'd there was not one person sick or died except one Woman who surfeited upon Bread made of Hemp-seed And if you would know what an excellent Antidote Temperance doth furnish you with against the Plague Histories will tell you that in the most grievous Plague at Athens described by Thucidydes Socrates the Phylosopher lived free and not infected To conclude sleep when you are drowsie rest when you are weary drink when you are dry and eat when you are hungry and mixe with your Diet something that is cordial as Vinegar and Nutmeg where it is agreeable and rise from the Table with an appetite Of Issues Seeing it may easily come to pass that in unhealthy times notwithstanding the most exact Observation of Diet some bad humours