COnsidering that many as vvell in times paste as in oure late dayes, haue aboun­dantly vvryten of this dreadful and perelous sicknes: I nede to speake litle of it. Yet seing al men ether can not reade them, or els vnderstand them, I thought it mete to set it forth for all mens health: in so muche as all [Page] men shalbe in daunger of so cruell an enemy. And firste, as touching the cause of it, there are diuers, one is the sinnes and vvickednes of the people for vvhich God haue and do sende the pestilence for the revvard of synne. An other is taken of the sterres and cōstellation. Nam ortus & occasus syderum, magnae coniunctiones, luminum eclipses, mutationes magnas in corporib. nostris fa­ciunt. The last is taken of the phy­losophers and phisicians, vvhich is the inspiration and dravving in of the pestilentiall and corrupte aire, into the body ful of ravve humors, and suche as are apte to receiue cor­ruption. The next vvay to preserue the body from this infirmitie is to open a vayne or purge, to flee from the corrupt aire, to vse abstinence, moderat diet, exercise, also fleeng [Page] long sleepe, of often eating and drinking vvhan as nature require it not this make the body preparid to the pestilēce. Also not to go abrode in the aire before the sunne haue she­vvid, & vvhā you go abrode in the aire, eate some electuary, or other alexipharmacū fastingas, Methridatum, treacle, bole armeniꝰ, and such like▪ vvering also some pomeābers, vvell made to smell on, and not to eate meate and drinke in the mor­ning, as som do, thinking therby to resist the corrupt aire, but hovv ig­norantly they do, I referre that to the iudgementes of such as are ler­nyd in phisicke. The signes hovve to knovve if thou art infecte vvith this sicknes, is not to be takē of the vrine, for that do often deceiue the most expt therin, but thou shalt fele thy self ꝓne other vnto much slepe, or [Page] els that thou canst eat in any case slepe vvith found imaginatiōs also pricking and tingling in the fleshe, cold vvithout, but invvardly extreme hoat vvith drines, hedach, oftē vomiting, and heauy cheare vvith out a manifest cause▪ the cure of this sicknes is to open a vayne if the age of the pacient, strength, and time of the yeare agree hereto, nere to the place vvhere the svvelling apere (if ther be any) els in the part vvher he felith most grief, this ons being en­did, geue thē this potiō to drinke. ℞. Of the rootes of tormentill, di­tanie, gentian, betony, set vval, of e­uery one .3. dragmes, of Bole arme­nius, and terra sigillata, eche tvvoo dragmes, of myrrhe and aloes hepaticke one ounce, of saffron halfe a dragme, beate theis & make of thē a fine and subtil pouder, of vvhiche [Page] let the sicke take in Scabies or Tur­mentill vvater, halfe a dragme, and so being in bedde, he must be made to svveet .v. or .vi. houres accor­ding to the strength of the pacient. And in all the time of his svveet, let him nether sleepe, eate, nor drinke. After the svvet endyd, let him be dried vvith vvarme, and clene clo­thes. And if he desire to eate, giue him a litle broth made of a chickin, or suche like, but no great quantitie Let him keepe his chamber for cer­tain daies after, and haue mery company, and musicke, vsing perfumes in his chamber vvitth Masticke, Myrrhe, Olibanꝰ, Frākensence. etc.

If he haue any carbuncles, or sores, because the Sur­gians haue the dailie practise of it, I vvil omit it.

OMytting all other kynde of Feuers, I vvill speake of the causon or burnyng Feuer, because there is as great feare of it this year, as euer vvas the last tvvo yeares past: as vvell in Englande, as in our clymate, by certaine and son dry constellations, in the Sommer season. Therfore suche as are vexid vvith this burning feuer, before al­thinges let them be let bloud, yea ad animi ferè deliquiū. Othervvise the great heate vvill not be asvva­gid. Let them drinke ptisanes, and could vvater, strovving their chambers vvith vine leaues, bovves of vvillovve, colde herbes, and suche lyke. And giue them to drinke si­rope [Page] of Violets, Roses, Nenuphar, yea and if you vvil, bathing shall be very profitable. So that all the cure of this disease, dooe consist in theis tvvo pointes, that is, in expel­ling the humor collerick abunding in the body, vvhiche is by lettinge bloud, vomyte, and svveating: and by extinguishing the great inflamatiō of the liuer, vaines, arteries. etc. vvhiche is done by drinking colde vvater, ptisanes, colde siropes, and Iulepes, before mensionid. This done being vvare of sodain al­tering the body, thou shalt by gods helpe come to thy perfit health.

YF the enemies of A­stronomy vvil maintain their folish, and arrogāt opinions a­gainst hir, this vvare sufficient argument to ouerthrovve them, in that they do manifestly, se hovv the body of man is alterid, and troublid diuers vvayes, by the influence of the heauenly creatures (I meane the pla­nets, and fixid sterres,) as among o­ther the quartaine is one, vvhose forse I suppose, vvas not of longe time so generally knovven. Yea & the heauens shall giue suche vnse­sonable vvether, that the humors rather shalbe more, and more sub­iect, to corruption: then to be alte­rid to the health of the body, so that [Page] the quartaine shall not avvay at the spring (as many suppose) but driue vntyl Sommer, et vix tunc finietur. therfor in the spring it shalbe good to purge melancholicke, and phleg­matick humors, yea and vnto strōg natures, to opē a vaine. They must absteyne from porke, biefe, salte meates, ravve frutes, gose, svvanne, crane, ducke, and all foules liuinge in maryshe placis. And vse meates light of concoction, vvith good vvine vvhight and pleasaunt, and finally all his diet must be, hovv to make his body, hoat and moyst. And to flee thinges that are colde and drie, asvvel outvvardly as to be in­vvardly re­ceiued.

MY mynde is rather to prescribe a good order of diet then a vvay of curation, in this and other agues vvhich do long moleste the body, because vvhere time do serue, there may be remedy and counsell sought at the learned, but for their cause I vvrite, vvhiche dvvell farre frō the maisters of Physick in cuntrey tovvnes, and villa­ges. The quotidian do inuade such, as be grosse, cold, and slugishe. And the fitte continevv from the begin­ning to thende .xviii. houres. The diet must be extenuās, et incisoria. Vsing at the beginning, clysters, af­ter vvhan the disease doe more in­crease, vse Oximell, and thinges to [Page] prouoke vrine: as the roote of sma­lage, persely, fenell, flovverdeluce, and the .iiii. great seades vvhich are cold. &c. Also in this case it is good to vomite, and anointe the stomack fasting, vvith the oyle of vvorme­vvoode, mastick, or petroleum.

DYsenterie in Greke, may be namid in Lattine tor­mina, but vvith vs an ex­ulceratiō of the bovvels. Of this disease there be foure son­dry kindes, as Galene vvriteth▪ but I vvrighting to the vnlearned, vvil omitte them, mynding rather to make them vnderstande both it, and the remedies: then to make them cō ning in Galens doctrine, although ther is nothing more better, or mo­re [Page] nere in this case. The disease is manifest of it selfe for vvhan in the stole you perceiue yelovvishe, or saffron color, oylishe, and fatte, or blody vvith fylmes (as it vvar per­chement vvete: they cal it excoria­tion of the guttes) vvith invvarde griping, pricking, and extreme pain so that they cum, ad animi deliquiū great heat, and maruelous drines. The vvaye to cure this sicknes, is first to giue him mylke hoat from the covv, or els boilid, for to drink, if so be he haue no ague. (But if he haue an ague, then it vvill corrupte in the stomacke, and make his ague the more vehemēt.) Also you may giue him to eate boylid tenderlye, colevvortes, also plantayne, sorell, &c. vvith the yolkes of egges. Let his drinke be rayne vvater but not ronning out of leaden spoutes: and [Page] if you can not haue pure rayne vva­ter, and holsome, then take of foun­tayne vvater of the rock, and dippe in it a gadde of stele red hoote, and let him drinke it: for it is meruai­lously comfortable vnto the stop­ping of the fluxe. Or if his stomack can not suffer vvater, you may giue him vvine vsid as you do the vvater aforesaid. So that al the scope of cu­ring this malady is, per adstringen­tia, resiccātia, vrinā mouentia. etc. medicines vvhiche in this case vve vse, are thies. The rootes of rosecā ­pine, holyoke, the leues of vvillovv revvpontick, sanguis draconis, ter­ra sigillata, bolus armenius, mulbe­ries, raysine curnelles, the huske of a pomegranate, the shels of sea crab­bes, beatē in pouder. etc. But if light thinges helpe not, then vvith all spede seke the helpe of the learnyd [Page] maisters, of phisick. For I can not, nor any man, set forth all the parti­culer accidentes, that come in this sickenes, they be so variable, and therfore cannot appointe any sure, and perfit remedie.

PLuresie, being Mor­bus per peracutꝰ (and therfore moste daun­gerous of any other before rehearsid ex­cept the pestilence,) I thinke it mete, not litly to ouerpasse it, but also for thy vvelth sumvvhat to make mention of it. This infir­mitie spring of muche and aboun­dant bloud, flovvyng to the ribbes, and ther inflammed. The signes of it are shortnes of breath, a sharpe, [Page] and hard pulse, a great pricking vn­der the ribbes, vehement payne, vvith a continual ague: vvhiche al­though at the first he feele not, yet in the processe he shall (if the vehe­my of the other, dooe not make it the more sufferable.) He must for the first .iii. daies vse only a ptisane, aftervvarde milke of almondes, or fine bread vvith the broth of a cock, or in the end of the sicknes, to drink vvater, in vvhich cinamome is boillyd. And also eate skaled fyshes of cleane, and pure vvaters. The chefe practised remedy in this our time, is presently to let bloud, on that parte the payne is. Nam natura ibi molitur euacuationem. The vaines in this case, is the lyuer vayne, or vayne of the splene called lienaria, if at the seuenth daye he feale great anguyshe, and griefe, you must vse [Page] boxing vvith scarification, to sucke sanious bloud and matter. Also emplasters made of dill, camomylle, rosecampine. &c. boylid: not ne­glecting oyntmentes to rype the thing, vvith medicines to cause him voyde by spitting, the aforsaid cor­ruption. Such is diadragacanthes, diapenideon, pastilli pectorales, e­cligma de pulmone vulpis, glicir­rhize, saccharum violatium, &c.

VVhiche diuers make mention of, in the cure of this disease.

CAtarrhus cum vvhā as the humour fall from the brayne, in to the mouthe, and iavves. This maye spryng of tvvo cau­sis: [Page] ether by heat, dissoling the hu­mors conteinid in the head: or els by coldenes, of vvhich at this time I vvill touche the curatiō. Therfor it is very expedient, to auoyde all thinges vvhiche fill the head vvith vapours, as to muche drynking of vvyne, bathing, and vvashinge the head, vvith slepyng after meate, & kembing the head also after meate, vvith great suppers, and late. Also onyons, garlycke, mustard, radishe rotes: and al ravve herbes, and fru­tes, be augmenters of this mischief. Therfor (abstaining the thinges a­boue mentionid) it shalbe profita­ble to anoynte the head vvith oyle of lylies, revve, dill, and almondes. Also you may by the aduise of som learnyd man, take some clyster, or other potion, vvhiche do expel the hurtfull humor. You may moreo­uer, [Page] make a tvvilte, and applie it to your head, vvith theis thinges folovving, made in pouder ℞. of the floures of betony, melilote,, and camomyll, the leaues of roses dried, laurel, penereal, and orage, of euery one halfe an handful, of cinamome, and cloues, one dragme: of nutmegs a dragme, and an halfe: of macis half a dragme: bring all thies in to pou­der, and make of them a tvvilte, ac­cording to vse and art. It is also ve­ry good to purge the head by sternutation, and nesing, vvith the iuse of of beetes, or colevvortes, loking tovvard the sonne, or such like thing▪ moreouer it is very ꝓfitable to dry the brayne, vvith odoriferous bals, and pomeambres: and also vvith fumes made on the coles, holding his head ouer it fasting in the mor­ning. You may in this case, vse ma­stick, [Page] lignum aloes, gallamoscata, frankensence, baye beries, am­ber, muske, rosemary, cloues, cinamome, &c. vvhich be very medicinable in this behalfe.

ANNO CHRISTI. 1559. Mense Martij.