The Anatomy of Melancholy Part 46

But I return to their skill; many diseases they cannot cure at all, as apoplexy, epilepsy, stone, strangury, gout, _Tollere nodosam nescit medicina Podagram_; [4095]quartan agues, a common ague sometimes stumbles them all, they cannot so much as ease, they know not how to judge of it. If by pulses, that doctrine, some hold, is wholly superst.i.tious, and I dare boldly say with [4096]Andrew Dudeth, "that variety of pulses described by Galen, is neither observed nor understood of any." And for urine, that is _meretrix medicorum_, the most deceitful thing of all, as Forestus and some other physicians have proved at large: I say nothing of critic days, errors in indications, &c. The most rational of them, and skilful, are so often deceived, that as [4097]Tholosa.n.u.s infers, "I had rather believe and commit myself to a mere empiric, than to a mere doctor, and I cannot sufficiently commend that custom of the Babylonians, that have no professed physicians, but bring all their patients to the market to be cured:" which Herodotus relates of the Egyptians: Strabo, Sardus, and Auba.n.u.s Bohemus of many other nations. And those that prescribed physic, amongst them, did not so arrogantly take upon them to cure all diseases, as our professors do, but some one, some another, as their skill and experience did serve; [4098]

"One cured the eyes, a second the teeth, a third the head, another the lower parts," &c., not for gain, but in charity, to do good, they made neither art, profession, nor trade of it, which in other places was accustomed: and therefore Cambyses in [4099]Xenophon told Cyrus, that to his thinking, physicians "were like tailors and cobblers, the one mended our sick bodies, as the other did our clothes." But I will urge these cavilling and contumelious arguments no farther, lest some physician should mistake me, and deny me physic when I am sick: for my part, I am well persuaded of physic: I can distinguish the abuse from the use, in this and many other arts and sciences: [4100]_Alliud vinum, aliud ebrietas_, wine and drunkenness are two distinct things. I acknowledge it a most n.o.ble and divine science, in so much that Apollo, Aesculapius, and the first founders of it, _merito pro diis habiti_, were worthily counted G.o.ds by succeeding ages, for the excellency of their invention. And whereas Apollo at Delos, Venus at Cyprus, Diana at Ephesus, and those other G.o.ds were confined and adored alone in some peculiar places: Aesculapius and his temple and altars everywhere, in Corinth, Lacedaemon, Athens, Thebes, Epidaurus, &c.

Pausanius records, for the lat.i.tude of his art, deity, worth, and necessity. With all virtuous and wise men therefore I honour the name and calling, as I am enjoined "to honour the physician for necessity's sake.

The knowledge of the physician lifteth up his head, and in the sight of great men he shall be admired. The Lord hath created medicines of the earth, and he that is wise will not abhor them," Eccles. lviii 1. But of this n.o.ble subject, how many panegyrics are worthily written? For my part, as Sall.u.s.t said of Carthage, _praestat silere, quam pauca dicere_; I have said, yet one thing I will add, that this kind of physic is very moderately and advisedly to be used, upon good occasion, when the former of diet will not take place. And 'tis no other which I say, than that which Arnoldus prescribes in his 8. Aphoris. [4101]"A discreet and goodly physician doth first endeavour to expel a disease by medicinal diet, than by pure medicine:" and in his ninth, [4102]"he that may be cured by diet, must not meddle with physic." So in 11. Aphoris. [4103]"A modest and wise physician will never hasten to use medicines, but upon urgent necessity, and that sparingly too:" because (as he adds in his 13. Aphoris.) [4104]"Whosoever takes much physic in his youth, shall soon bewail it in his old age:"

purgative physic especially, which doth much debilitate nature. For which causes some physicians refrain from the use of purgatives, or else sparingly use them. [4105]Henricus Ayrerus in a consultation for a melancholy person, would have him take as few purges as he could, "because there be no such medicines, which do not steal away some of our strength, and rob the parts of our body, weaken nature, and cause that cacochymia,"

which [4106]Celsus and others observe, or ill digestion, and bad juice through all the parts of it. Galen himself confesseth, [4107]"that purgative physic is contrary to nature, takes away some of our best spirits, and consumes the very substance of our bodies:" But this, without question, is to be understood of such purges as are unseasonably or immoderately taken: they have their excellent use in this, as well as most other infirmities. Of alteratives and cordials no man doubts, be they simples or compounds. I will amongst that infinite variety of medicines, which I find in every pharmacopoeia, every physician, herbalist, &c., single out some of the chiefest.

SUBSECT. II.--_Simples proper to Melancholy, against Exotic Simples_.

Medicines properly applied to melancholy, are either simple or compound.

Simples are alterative or purgative. Alteratives are such as correct, strengthen nature, alter, any way hinder or resist the disease; and they be herbs, stones, minerals, &c. all proper to this humour. For as there be diverse distinct infirmities continually vexing us,

[4108] "[Greek: nousoi d' anthropoisi eph aemerae aed' epi nukti automatoi phoitosi kaka thnaetoisi pherousai sigae, epei phonaen aexeileto maetieta zeus.]"

"Diseases steal both day and night on men, For Jupiter hath taken voice from them."

So there be several remedies, as [4109]he saith, "each disease a medicine, for every humour;" and as some hold, every clime, every country, and more than that, every private place hath his proper remedies growing in it, peculiar almost to the domineering and most frequent maladies of it, As [4110]one discourseth, "wormwood grows sparingly in Italy, because most part there they be misaffected with hot diseases: but henbane, poppy, and such cold herbs: with us in Germany and Poland, great store of it in every waste." Baracellus _Horto geniali_, and Baptista Porta _Physiognomicae, lib. 6. cap. 23_, give many instances and examples of it, and bring many other proofs. For that cause belike that learned Fuchsius of Nuremberg, [4111]"when he came into a village, considered always what herbs did grow most frequently about it, and those he distilled in a silver alembic, making use of others amongst them as occasion served." I know that many are of opinion, our northern simples are weak, imperfect, not so well concocted, of such force, as those in the southern parts, not so fit to be used in physic, and will therefore fetch their drugs afar off: senna, ca.s.sia out of Egypt, rhubarb from Barbary, aloes from Socotra; turbith, agaric, mirabolanes, hermodactils, from the East Indies, tobacco from the west, and some as far as China, h.e.l.lebore from the Anticyrae, or that of Austria which bears the purple flower, which Mathiolus so much approves, and so of the rest. In the kingdom of Valencia, in Spain, [4112]Maginus commends two mountains, Mariola and Renagolosa, famous for simples; [4113]

Leander Albertus, [4114]Baldus a mountain near the Lake Benacus in the territory of Verona, to which all the herbalists in the country continually flock; Ortelius one in Apulia, Munster Mons major in Istria; others Montpelier in France; Prosper Altinus prefers Egyptian simples, Garcias ab Horto Indian before the rest, another those of Italy, Crete, &c. Many times they are over-curious in this kind, whom Fuchsius taxeth, _Inst.i.t. l. 1.

sec. 1. cap. 1._ [4115]"that think they do nothing, except they rake all over India, Arabia, Ethiopia for remedies, and fetch their physic from the three quarters of the world, and from beyond the Garamantes. Many an old wife or country woman doth often more good with a few known and common garden herbs, than our bombast physicians, with all their prodigious, sumptuous, far-fetched, rare, conjectural medicines:" without all question if we have not these rare exotic simples, we hold that at home, which is in virtue equivalent unto them, ours will serve as well as theirs, if they be taken in proportionable quant.i.ty, fitted and qualified aright, if not much better, and more proper to our const.i.tutions. But so 'tis for the most part, as Pliny writes to Gallus, [4116]"We are careless of that which is near us, and follow that which is afar off, to know which we will travel and sail beyond the seas, wholly neglecting that which is under our eyes."

Opium in Turkey doth scarce offend, with us in a small quant.i.ty it stupefies; cicuta or hemlock is a strong poison in Greece, but with us it hath no such violent effects: I conclude with I. Voschius, who as he much inveighs against those exotic medicines, so he promiseth by our European, a full cure and absolute of all diseases; _a capite ad calcem, nostrae regionis herbae nostris corporibus magis conduc.u.n.t_, our own simples agree best with us. It was a thing that Fernelius much laboured in his French practice, to reduce all his cure to our proper and domestic physic; so did [4117]Ja.n.u.s Cornarius, and Martin Rulandus in Germany. T. B. with us, as appeareth by a treatise of his divulged in our tongue 1615, to prove the sufficiency of English medicines, to the cure of all manner of diseases. If our simples be not altogether of such force, or so apposite, it may be, if like industry were used, those far fetched drugs would prosper as well with us, as in those countries whence now we have them, as well as cherries, artichokes, tobacco, and many such. There have been diverse worthy physicians, which have tried excellent conclusions in this kind, and many diligent, painful apothecaries, as Gesner, Besler, Gerard, &c., but amongst the rest those famous public gardens of Padua in Italy, Nuremberg in Germany, Leyden in Holland, Montpelier in France, (and ours in Oxford now in _fieri_, at the cost and charges for the Right Honourable the Lord Danvers Earl of Danby) are much to be commended, wherein all exotic plants almost are to be seen, and liberal allowance yearly made for their better maintenance, that young students may be the sooner informed in the knowledge of them: which as [4118]Fuchsius holds, "is most necessary for that exquisite manner of curing," and as great a shame for a physician not to observe them, as for a workman not to know his axe, saw, square, or any other tool which he must of necessity use.

SUBSECT. III.--_Alteratives, Herbs, other Vegetables, &c._

Amongst these 800 simples, which Galeottus reckons up, _lib. 3. de promise, doctor, cap. 3_, and many exquisite herbalists have written of, these few following alone I find appropriated to this humour: of which some be alteratives; [4119]"which by a secret force," saith Renodeus, "and special quality expel future diseases, perfectly cure those which are, and many such incurable effects." This is as well observed in other plants, stones, minerals, and creatures, as in herbs, in other maladies as in this. How many things are related of a man's skull? What several virtues of corns in a horse-leg, [4120]of a wolf's liver, &c. Of [4121]diverse excrements of beasts, all good against several diseases? What extraordinary virtues are ascribed unto plants? [4122]_Satyrium et eruca penem erigunt, vitex et nymphea s.e.m.e.n extinguunt_, [4123]some herbs provoke l.u.s.t, some again, as agnus castus, water-lily, quite extinguisheth seed; poppy causeth sleep, cabbage resisteth drunkenness, &c., and that which is more to be admired, that such and such plants should have a peculiar virtue to such particular parts, [4124]as to the head aniseeds, foalfoot, betony, calamint, eye-bright, lavender, bays, roses, rue, sage, marjoram, peony, &c. For the lungs calamint, liquorice, ennula campana, hyssop, h.o.r.ehound, water germander, &c. For the heart, borage, bugloss, saffron, balm, basil, rosemary, violet, roses, &c. For the stomach, wormwood, mints, betony, balm, centaury, sorrel, parslan. For the liver, darthspine or camaepitis, germander, agrimony, fennel, endive, succory, liverwort, barberries. For the spleen, maidenhair, finger-fern, dodder of thyme, hop, the rind of ash, betony. For the kidneys, grumel, parsley, saxifrage, plaintain, mallow. For the womb, mugwort, pennyroyal, fetherfew, savine, &c. For the joints, camomile, St. John's wort, organ, rue, cowslips, centaury the less, &c. And so to peculiar diseases. To this of melancholy you shall find a catalogue of herbs proper, and that in every part. See more in Wecker, Renodeus, Heurnius _lib. 2. cap. 19._ &c. I will briefly speak of them, as first of alteratives, which Galen, in his third book of diseased parts, prefers before diminutives, and Trallia.n.u.s brags, that he hath done more cures on melancholy men [4125]by moistening, than by purging of them.

_Borage_.] In this catalogue, borage and bugloss may challenge the chiefest place, whether in substance, juice, roots, seeds, flowers, leaves, decoctions, distilled waters, extracts, oils, &c., for such kind of herbs be diversely varied. Bugloss is hot and moist, and therefore worthily reckoned up amongst those herbs which expel melancholy, and [4126]

exhilarate the heart, Galen, _lib. 6. cap. 80. de simpl. med._ Dioscorides, _lib. 4. cap. 123._ Pliny much magnifies this plant. It may be diversely used; as in broth, in [4127]wine, in conserves, syrups, &c. It is an excellent cordial, and against this malady most frequently prescribed; a herb indeed of such sovereignty, that as Diodorus, _lib. 7. bibl._ Plinius, _lib. 25. cap. 2. et lib. 21. cap. 22._ Plutarch, _sympos. lib. 1. cap. 1._ Dioscorides, _lib. 5. cap. 40._ Caelius, _lib. 19. c. 3._ suppose it was that famous Nepenthes of [4128]Homer, which Polydaenna, Thonis's wife (then king of Thebes in Egypt), sent Helena for a token, of such rare virtue, "that if taken steeped in wine, if wife and children, father and mother, brother and sister, and all thy dearest friends should die before thy face, thou couldst not grieve or shed a tear for them."

"Qui semel id patera mistum Nepenthes Iaccho Hauserit, hic lachrymam, non si suavissima proles, Si germa.n.u.s ei charus, materque paterque Oppetat, ante oculos ferro confossus atroci."

Helena's commended bowl to exhilarate the heart, had no other ingredient, as most of our critics conjecture, than this of borage.

_Balm_.] Melissa balm hath an admirable virtue to alter melancholy, be it steeped in our ordinary drink, extracted, or otherwise taken. Cardan, _lib.

8._ much admires this herb. It heats and dries, saith [4129] Heurnius, in the second degree, with a wonderful virtue comforts the heart, and purgeth all melancholy vapours from the spirits, Matthiol. _in lib. 3. cap. 10. in Dioscoridem_. Besides they ascribe other virtues to it, [4130]"as to help concoction, to cleanse the brain, expel all careful thoughts, and anxious imaginations:" the same words in effect are in Avicenna, Pliny, Simon Sethi, Fuchsius, Leobel, Delacampius, and every herbalist. Nothing better for him that is melancholy than to steep this and borage in his ordinary drink.

Mathiolus, in his fifth book of Medicinal Epistles, reckons up scorzonera, [4131]"not against poison only, falling sickness, and such as are vertiginous, but to this malady; the root of it taken by itself expels sorrow, causeth mirth and lightness of heart."

Antonius Musa, that renowned physician to Caesar Augustus, in his book which he writ of the virtues of betony, _cap. 6._ wonderfully commends that herb, _animas hominum et corpora custodit, securas de metu reddit_, it preserves both body and mind, from fears, cares, griefs; cures falling sickness, this and many other diseases, to whom Galen subscribes, _lib. 7.

simp. med._ Dioscorides, _lib. 4. cap. 1. &c._

Marigold is much approved against melancholy, and often used therefore in our ordinary broth, as good against this and many other diseases.

_Hop_.] Lupulus, hop, is a sovereign remedy; Fuchsius, _cap. 58. Plant.

hist_. much extols it; [4132]"it purgeth all choler, and purifies the blood." Matthiol. _cap. 140. in 4. Dioscor._ wonders the physicians of his time made no more use of it, because it rarefies and cleanseth: we use it to this purpose in our ordinary beer, which before was thick and fulsome.

Wormwood, centaury, pennyroyal, are likewise magnified and much prescribed (as I shall after show), especially in hypochondriac melancholy, daily to be used, sod in whey: and as Ruffus Ephesias, [4133]Areteus relate, by breaking wind, helping concoction, many melancholy men have been cured with the frequent use of them alone.

And because the spleen and blood are often misaffected in melancholy, I may not omit endive, succory, dandelion, fumitory, &c., which cleanse the blood, Scolopendria, cuscuta, ceterache, mugwort, liverwort, ash, tamarisk, genist, maidenhair, &c., which must help and ease the spleen.

To these I may add roses, violets, capers, featherfew, scordium, staechas, rosemary, ros solis, saffron, ochyme, sweet apples, wine, tobacco, sanders, &c. That Peruvian chamico, _monstrosa facultate &c._, Linshcosteus Datura; and to such as are cold, the [4134]decoction of guiac.u.m, China sarsaparilla, sa.s.safras, the flowers of carduus benedictus, which I find much used by Monta.n.u.s in his Consultations, Julius Alexandrinus, Lelius, Egubinus, and others. [4135]Bernardus Penottus prefers his herba solis, or Dutch sindaw, before all the rest in this disease, "and will admit of no herb upon the earth to be comparable to it." It excels Homer's moly, cures this, falling sickness, and almost all other infirmities. The same Penottus speaks of an excellent balm out of Aponensis, which, taken to the quant.i.ty of three drops in a cup of wine, [4136]"will cause a sudden alteration, drive away dumps, and cheer up the heart." Ant. Guianerius, in his Antidotary, hath many such. [4137]Jacobus de Dondis the aggregator, repeats ambergris, nutmegs, and allspice amongst the rest. But that cannot be general. Amber and spice will make a hot brain mad, good for cold and moist. Garcias ab Horto hath many Indian plants, whose virtues he much magnifies in this disease. Lemnius, _inst.i.t. cap. 58._ admires rue, and commends it to have excellent virtue, [4138]"to expel vain imaginations, devils, and to ease afflicted souls." Other things are much magnified [4139]by writers, as an old c.o.c.k, a ram's head, a wolf's heart borne or eaten, which Mercurialis approves; Prosper Altinus the water of Nilus; Gomesius all seawater, and at seasonable times to be seasick: goat's milk, whey, &c.

SUBSECT. IV.--_Precious Stones, Metals, Minerals, Alteratives_.

Precious stones are diversely censured; many explode the use of them or any minerals in physic, of whom Thomas Erastus is the chief, in his tract against Paracelsus, and in an epistle of his to Peter Monavius, [4140]

"That stones can work any wonders, let them believe that list, no man shall persuade me; for my part, I have found by experience there is no virtue in them." But Matthiolus, in his comment upon [4141]Dioscorides, is as profuse on the other side, in their commendation; so is Cardan, Renodeus, Alardus, Rueus, Encelius, Marbodeus, &c. [4142]Matthiolus specifies in coral: and Oswaldus Crollius, _Basil. Chym_. prefers the salt of coral.

[4143]Christoph. Encelius, _lib. 3. cap. 131._ will have them to be as so many several medicines against melancholy, sorrow, fear, dullness, and the like; [4144]Renodeus admires them, "besides they adorn kings' crowns, grace the fingers, enrich our household stuff, defend us from enchantments, preserve health, cure diseases, they drive away grief, cares, and exhilarate the mind." The particulars be these.

Granatus, a precious stone so called, because it is like the kernels of a pomegranate, an imperfect kind of ruby, it comes from Calecut; [4145]"if hung about the neck, or taken in drink, it much resisteth sorrow, and recreates the heart." The same properties I find ascribed to the hyacinth and topaz. [4146]They allay anger, grief, diminish madness, much delight and exhilarate the mind. [4147]"If it be either carried about, or taken in a potion, it will increase wisdom," saith Cardan, "expel fear; he brags that he hath cured many madmen with it, which, when they laid by the stone, were as mad again as ever they were at first." Petrus Bayerus, _lib. 2.

cap. 13. veni mec.u.m_, Fran. Rueus, _cap. 19. de geminis_, say as much of the chrysolite, [4148]a friend of wisdom, an enemy to folly. Pliny, _lib.

37._ Solinus, _cap. 52._ Albertus _de Lapid._ Cardan. Encelius, _lib. 3.

cap. 66._ highly magnifies the virtue of the beryl, [4149]"it much avails to a good understanding, represseth vain conceits, evil thoughts, causeth mirth," &c. In the belly of a swallow there is a stone found called chelidonius, [4150]"which if it be lapped in a fair cloth, and tied to the right arm, will cure lunatics, madmen, make them amiable and merry."

There is a kind of onyx called a chalcedony, which hath the same qualities, [4151]"avails much against fantastic illusions which proceed from melancholy," preserves the vigour and good estate of the whole body.

The Eban stone, which goldsmiths use to sleeken their gold with, borne about or given to drink, [4152]hath the same properties, or not much unlike.

Levinus Lemnius, _Inst.i.tui. ad vit. cap. 58._ amongst other jewels, makes mention of two more notable; carbuncle and coral, [4153]"which drive away childish fears, devils, overcome sorrow, and hung about the neck repress troublesome dreams," which properties almost Cardan gives to that green-coloured [4154]emmetris if it be carried about, or worn in a ring; Rueus to the diamond.

Nicholas Cabeus, a Jesuit of Ferrara, in the first book of his Magnetical Philosophy, _cap. 3._ speaking of the virtues of a loadstone, recites many several opinions; some say that if it be taken in parcels inward, _si quis per frustra voret, juventutem rest.i.tuet_, it will, like viper's wine, restore one to his youth; and yet if carried about them, others will have it to cause melancholy; let experience determine.

Mercurialis admires the emerald for its virtues in pacifying all affections of the mind; others the sapphire, which is "the [4155]fairest of all precious stones, of sky colour, and a great enemy to black choler, frees the mind, mends manners," &c. Jacobus de Dondis, in his catalogue of simples, hath ambergris, _os in corde cervi_, [4156]the bone in a stag's heart, a monocerot's horn, bezoar's stone [4157](of which elsewhere), it is found in the belly of a little beast in the East Indies, brought into Europe by Hollanders, and our countrymen merchants. Renodeus, _cap. 22.

lib. 3. de ment. med_. saith he saw two of these beasts alive, in the castle of the Lord of Vitry at Coubert.

Lapis lazuli and armenus, because they purge, shall be mentioned in their place.

Of the rest in brief thus much I will add out of Cardan, Renodeus, _cap.

23. lib. 3._ Rondoletius, _lib. 1. de Testat. c. 15. &c._ [4158]"That almost all jewels and precious stones have excellent virtues" to pacify the affections of the mind, for which cause rich men so much covet to have them: [4159]"and those smaller unions which are found in sh.e.l.ls amongst the Persians and Indians, by the consent of all writers, are very cordial, and most part avail to the exhilaration of the heart."

_Minerals._] Most men say as much of gold and some other minerals, as these have done of precious stones. Erastus still maintains the opposite part.

_Disput. in Paracelsum. cap. 4. fol. 196._ he confesseth of gold, [4160]

"that it makes the heart merry, but in no other sense but as it is in a miser's chest:" _at mihi plaudo simul ac nummos contemplor in arca_, as he said in the poet, it so revives the spirits, and is an excellent recipe against melancholy,

[4161] _For gold in physic is a cordial, Therefore he loved gold in special._

_Aurum potabile_, [4162]he discommends and inveighs against it, by reason of the corrosive waters which are used in it: which argument our Dr. Guin urgeth against D. Antonius. [4163]Erastus concludes their philosophical stones and potable gold, &c. "to be no better than poison," a mere imposture, a _non ens_; dug out of that broody hill belike this golden stone is, _ubi nascetur ridiculus mus_. Paracelsus and his chemistical followers, as so many Promethei, will fetch fire from heaven, will cure all manner of diseases with minerals, accounting them the only physic on the other side. [4164]Paracelsus calls Galen, Hippocrates, and all their adherents, infants, idiots, sophisters, &c. _Apagesis istos qui Vulcanias istas metamorphoses sugillant, inscitiae soboles, supinae pertinaciae alumnos_, &c., not worthy the name of physicians, for want of these remedies: and brags that by them he can make a man live 160 years, or to the world's end, with their [4165]_Alexipharmac.u.ms, Panaceas, Mummias, unguentum Armarium_, and such magnetical cures, _Lampas vitae et mortis, Balneum Dianae, Balsamum, Electrum Magico-physic.u.m, Amuleta Martialia_, &c.

What will not he and his followers effect? He brags, moreover, that he was _primus medicorum_, and did more famous cures than all the physicians in Europe besides, [4166]"a drop of his preparations should go farther than a dram, or ounce of theirs," those loathsome and fulsome filthy potions, heteroc.l.i.tical pills (so he calls them), horse medicines, _ad quoram aspectum Cyclops Polyphemus exhorresceret_. And though some condemn their skill and magnetical cures as tending to magical superst.i.tion, witchery, charms, &c., yet they admire, stiffly vindicate nevertheless, and infinitely prefer them. But these are both in extremes, the middle sort approve of minerals, though not in so high a degree. Lemnius _lib. 3. cap.

6. de occult. nat. mir_. commends gold inwardly and outwardly used, as in rings, excellent good in medicines; and such mixtures as are made for melancholy men, saith Wecker, _antid. spec. lib. 1._ to whom Renodeus subscribes, _lib. 2. cap. 2._ Ficinus, _lib. 2. cap. 19._ Fernel. _meth.

med. lib. 5. cap. 21. de Cardiacis_. Daniel Sennertus, _lib. 1. part. 2.

cap. 9._ Audernacus, Libavius, Querceta.n.u.s, Oswaldus Crollius, Euvonymus, Rubeus, and Matthiolus in the fourth book of his Epistles, Andreas a Blawen _epist. ad Matthiolum_, as commended and formerly used by Avicenna, Arnoldus, and many others: [4167]Matthiolus in the same place approves of potable gold, mercury, with many such chemical confections, and goes so far in approbation of them, that he holds [4168] "no man can be an excellent physician that hath not some skill in chemistical distillations, and that chronic diseases can hardly be cured without mineral medicines:" look for antimony among purgers.

SUBSECT. V.--_Compound Alteratives; censure of Compounds, and mixed Physic_.

Pliny, _lib. 24. c. 1_, bitterly taxeth all compound medicines, [4169]

"Men's knavery, imposture, and captious wits, have invented those shops, in which every man's life is set to sale: and by and by came in those compositions and inexplicable mixtures, far-fetched out of India and Arabia; a medicine for a botch must be had as far as the Red Sea." And 'tis not without cause which he saith; for out of question they are much to [4170]blame in their compositions, whilst they make infinite variety of mixtures, as [4171]Fuchsius notes. "They think they get themselves great credit, excel others, and to be more learned than the rest, because they make many variations; but he accounts them fools, and whilst they brag of their skill, and think to get themselves a name, they become ridiculous, betray their ignorance and error." A few simples well prepared and understood, are better than such a heap of nonsense, confused compounds, which are in apothecaries' shops ordinarily sold. "In which many vain, superfluous, corrupt, exolete, things out of date are to be had" (saith Cornarius); "a company of barbarous names given to syrups, juleps, an unnecessary company of mixed medicines;" _rudis indigestaque moles_. Many times (as Agrippa taxeth) there is by this means [4172]"more danger from the medicine than from the disease," when they put together they know not what, or leave it to an illiterate apothecary to be made, they cause death and horror for health. Those old physicians had no such mixtures; a simple potion of h.e.l.lebore in Hippocrates' time was the ordinary purge; and at this day, saith [4173]Mat. Riccius, in that flourishing commonwealth of China, "their physicians give precepts quite opposite to ours, not unhappy in their physic; they use altogether roots, herbs, and simples in their medicines, and all their physic in a manner is comprehended in a herbal: no science, no school, no art, no degree, but like a trade, every man in private is instructed of his master." [4174]Cardan cracks that he can cure all diseases with water alone, as Hippocrates of old did most infirmities with one medicine. Let the best of our rational physicians demonstrate and give a sufficient reason for those intricate mixtures, why just so many simples in mithridate or treacle, why such and such quant.i.ty; may they not be reduced to half or a quarter? _Frustra fit per plura_ (as the saying is) _quod fieri potest per pauciora_; 300 simples in a julep, potion, or a little pill, to what end or purpose? I know not what [4175]Alkindus, Capivaccius, Montagna, and Simon Eitover, the best of them all and most rational, have said in this kind; but neither he, they, nor any one of them, gives his reader, to my judgment, that satisfaction which he ought; why such, so many simples? Rog. Bacon hath taxed many errors in his tract _de graduationibus_, explained some things, but not cleared. Mercurialis in his book _de composit. medicin._ gives instance in Hamech, and Philonium Romanum, which Hamech an Arabian, and Philonius a Roman, long since composed, but _cra.s.se_ as the rest. If they be so exact, as by him it seems they were, and those mixtures so perfect, why doth Fernelius alter the one, and why is the other obsolete? [4176]Cardan taxeth Galen for presuming out of his ambition to correct Theriachum Andromachi, and we as justly may carp at all the rest. Galen's medicines are now exploded and rejected; what Nicholas Meripsa, Mesue, Celsus, Scribanius, Actuarius, &c. writ of old, are most part contemned. Mellichius, Cordus, Wecker, Quercetan, Renodeus, the Venetian, Florentine states have their several receipts, and magistrals: they of Nuremberg have theirs, and Augustana Pharmacopoeia, peculiar medicines to the meridian of the city: London hers, every city, town, almost every private man hath his own mixtures, compositions, receipts, magistrals, precepts, as if he scorned antiquity, and all others in respect of himself. But each man must correct and alter to show his skill, every opinionative fellow must maintain his own paradox, be it what it will; _Delirant reges, plectuntur Achivi_: they dote, and in the meantime the poor patients pay for their new experiments, the commonalty rue it.