Thou goddess! turnest Nature's wheel, To thee all beings do appeal; 'Without thee, neither joy nor love we feel. So passionate was he for a married Venus: To these lines I may annex a poetical hypothesis, de aquis chalybeatis, or chalybeate wa ters, made by a learned and ingenious man, alluding to the preceding discourse: Quid valet obdurum placide dissolvere Martem? Ecce Venus madidans mollit amore Deum. She melted, rising rears her head. Mars gives the strength, Venus the grace; Come hither, old, whom age has bent, • Drink, men and women, drink and swell, Drink, sirs and ladies; he, she dove, What here you drink, increases love. No more of Bacchus; Venus chill Appears, when Mars has no good-will, Venus is so, when Mars is cold. Notwithstanding all these encomiums of the waters, yet some are of opinion, they are not proper in some kind of maladies: as in a rheumatism, nor in hectick fevers, or consumptions: first, by reason of the ill success they are wont to have in using these waters. Secondly, because in them the parts are much weakened, and nature cannot throw off the glut of waters sent into the blood. In rheuma. tick persons the nervous juice degenerates from its crasis, and in clines to a sharpish nature, and is wont to be perverted by the fluid salts of the spaw-waters: as Dr. Willis well observes, as for hecticks, 6 they are commonly of a fine texture of body, much distempered with 'heat, dryness, and costiveness; all which symptoms are rather in. 'creased by chalybeates, than abated:' wherefore the learned Dr. Willis, in his chapter of chalybeates, says, that steel is not very proper in very hot and spirituous blood, nor where the bowels are of a 'hot temperament:' neither are these waters good, but rather hurtful to those who are in perfect health, according to Hippocrates's sentiments, who says, medicamenta non conveniunt sanis: medicaments are not convenient for sound and healthy persons. Moreover, they are judged not proper for women with child; because whatever provokes urine, as these waters do, provokes also the terms; and whatever provokes them in women, causes miscarriage; therefore not fit for them in this circumstance. Old and ancient persons are not to be too bold in drinking these waters, because their ferments, and natural faculties, are much debilitated by decay of nature, and not sufficient to exert their function, in distributing these waters, which, if remaining in the body, and not carried off, suffocate the vital flames of the heart and arteries wine therefore for them is most convenient. * For God has given wine as a physick-help against the morose austerity of age, that, by the moderate use thereof, old men may, in a manner, renew their lives, and forget their achs; even the habit of the mind, from a hardened condition, is become soft, as iron, by the help of fire, is made more tractable; whereupon wine is called lac senum, the old man's milk. The method, which is to be observed in drinking these waters, is as followeth: First, to drink for three or four days every morning Epsom or North-Hall waters, to purge the body, and prepare it in order to Tunbridge; for, unless the first passages are cleansed, medicines, designed for any use, will be depraved by the filth residing in them. These purging waters may be drank to three or four pints, either raw or boiled, and altered with milk. This being done, drink of Tunbridge, walking gently to the fountain-head. +For waters are more pleasant and profitable, taken at the fountain-head; whence once removed, they lose their vivifick spirits, in which all vertue does reside; which afterwards no diligence can recover, For, being impregnated with spirituous and volatile exhalations, they easily lose their vertue by the avolation of fugitive parts being * Deus enim vinum hominibus quasi auxilium adversus senectutis austeritatem pharmacum largitus est, ut reviviscere videantur, & mostitiæ oblivio capiat: atq; ipse animi habitus mollis e duro factus ut ferrum igni impositum, tractabilior fiat, unde vinum a nonnulis lac senum nominatur. Lossius. + Nam dulcius & utilius ex fonte bibuntur: delatæ enim ex propriis fontibus fieri non potest quin amittant vivificos illos spiritus in quoq; omnis vivamenti vis consistit, quos nullo posten labore restitui potest. Bacchius de Thermis. carried at a distance: That they are embodied with such subtile parts, you may experience it sensibly, by putting a bottle half full of them, about sun-rising, to your eyes; and from thence you will perceive such emanations of effluviums to come analogous to those of orange-peel when squeesed, as will stimulate and irritate the tender tunicles of your eyes. This I have by tradition from a physician, who for many years frequented Tunbridge, and made great scrutiny into the nature and idiosyncrasia of these waters; yet this I know, that chalybeate waters in long deportation, or being some space of time out of the fountain, will not tinge with galls or oaken leaves, at least not so intensely as before; whence I deduce that, in carriage to some distance, or being long out of the fountain, they are divested of their martial, and consequently medicinal power.* They are to be drank gradually, and with leisure, not in great draughts, with little or no intermission, because they are chiefly prescribed to purify and keep in its due crasis the blood and nervous juice, to open obstructions, and strengthen the tone of the nervous plexus: Now this they effect, by insinuating subtile and active par ticles, of a different state and origin, into the morbifick minera, conquering and subduing saline and irritative particles residing in the blood, and carrying some forth as prisoners, by urine. This mutual contest, betwixt the combatants of chalybeates and their antagonist, cannot be expected to be at an end in haste, or in a short space of time; but after many attacks and several collisions, and, as I may say, broken pates: but precipitate drinking destroys all these intentions, and leaves no time for alteration, assimilation, or mortification of particles of a different nature and figure; wherefore it is better to hasten slowly, and drink them leisurely, with due intervals. + Moreover, great draughts are generally held pernicious, destructive, and rather oppressing than alleviating nature; and, considering these waters are not vertuated so much by their quantity as quality inherent in them, the body participates more of the latter, frequently drinking a little, than by pouring in a vast and stupendious quantity `at one time, like Tricongius Mediolanensis, who drank three gallons at one draught, and from thence took his name. The compass of time, wherein the waters are usually drank, is an hour, or an hour and a half, walking betwixt whiles moderately,§ till you look red, but not sweat, lest you divert them from the uri. nary passage to the periphery of the body, for the same matter goeth by sweat as by urine, and cause too great an effervescency in the blood. The measure of time to continue the drinking of these waters, for good effect, is commonly a month, or six weeks: but, by the authority of Claudinus, and many other doctors, we may continue a steel course for the space of a year: Why not a fortiori, or much Unumquodq; quo magis elongatur a principio eo magis languescit. Η συμμαχία. Η σπεύδε βραδέας. Festina lente Hippes, omne nimium naturæ inimicum, quod vera paulatim fit, tutum est, præsertim si ab uno ad aliud progrediatur. Ad ruborem sed non ad sydorem. more, the use of these waters with as much safety and benefit, they being the most perfect course of steel; because here the elements of steel are in unconcrete and seminal principles, and display themselves, as I before mentioned out of Dr. Sydenham : Supposing, in this administration, there be respect had to the patient's strength, disease, euphory, or well-bearing, temperament of the air, and other circumstances. They are to be taken, gradually increasing and lessening the dose at the beginning, and before the end of the whole space of time appointed for the taking of them. In reference to the number of glasses, in my judgment, you may make it either odd, or even: tho' some philosophers, who are of opinion, that all things are composed of number, prefer the odd before the other, and attribute to it a great efficacy and perfection, especially in matters of physick: wherefore it is that many doctors prescribe always an odd pill, an odd draught, or drop, to be taken by their patients. For the perfection thereof, they alledge these following numbers. As seven planets, seven wonders of the world, nine muses, God is three and one;* with many other examples, which, for brevity, I supersede, and let them abound in their own sense. If there fall rain, then the waters are not seasonable, because they will be too much diluted and weakened; but a little wet does no harm, but rather good, because it washes the salt in the + crannies and interstices of the earth into the fountain, and more intensely impregnates them. To correct the crudities and rawness of the waters, and to accelerate their passing, carraway confects, and such like candied seeds masticated, are very good, and much commended, taken betwixt whiles: likewise a glass of small white-wine is a proper vehicle; and for all those who are inured to tobacco nothing better than a pipe of it for this effect, taken betwixt whiles. Those, to whom it is offensive, taken alone, may add thereunto some tea leaves, or catechu, to qualify the ingratefulness thereof, and render it inoffensive, taken pipe-wise. This warms the stomach without mixing any heterogene ous body with the waters, that may obstruct their distribution and passing, for it rarefies the pores and meatus in order thereunto. It is observed, that, in some, the waters, being drunk at the Fountain-head, either by the inclemency of the weather, or indispo sition of patient, will not easily pass, but remain too long in the body, to their great prejudice and detriment. To these persons my advice is, to drink them in their warm bed, without sleeping (which hinders all evacuation) for, as I said before, the gentle heat of bed dilates the passage, and consequently the distribution of the waters is much facilitated. The regimen, which is observed in eating and drinking at those waters, is as followeth: first, eschew all gross and obstructive meats, as, pork, beef, duck, pudding, sausages; all fried victuals, as, eggs Numero Deus impare gaudet. + Virtus unita fortior se ipsa dispersa collops of bacon, most sorts of fish and salads; all soused and pickled meats, as, anchovies, cucumbers, &c. refrain from milk, and all milk-meats; eat no roots, or any sort of fruit; let your meat be of easy digestion, and nutritive, as the Greeks say, süxupo nai πολύτροφοι. Toλurpop. Keep no days of fast or abstinence, during this time, if I may advise you as a physician, and not as a casuist, lest I incroach upon another's province, tractent fabrilia fabri, every one in his own sphere. Fast three or four hours after the waters, and, if at dinner you have an esurine appetite, take care not to eat too much, because the quantity of waters, you drank, has relaxed and distended your stomach; therefore little eating is best, according to the Latin proverb, Qui multum edere optat parum comedat: He, that desires to eat much, must eat little. Avoid variety of meats; but, if you indulge yourself to several sorts, let the easier of digestion precede the grosser, and not be postponed, as the Greeks advise us, εὐπεπία δύσπεπλοις, Let your drink be clear, well fermented, not stale, nor sowre, not thick, nor muddy, not heating, nor cooling, but temperate; all ale is prohibited, because thick and muddy. Nihil spissius illa dum ingeritur; nihil clarius cum egeritur : 'It goes in thick, and comes out thin, And therefore leaves its dregs within.' Begin your meals with a glass of white-wine*; I recommend Anjou wine beyond others, because it is small, clear, light, very diuretick, and of a singular vertue against the stone, or gravel, and all obstructions of the mesentery: yet, tho' you begin with liquids, nevertheless, be advised to conclude with solids: by this means you first wash and fortify your stomach, and at last close the orifice thereof, that no fumes or vapours arise to disturb your head. The French, who are esteemed a wise nation, are always observed, boucher la bottle, to stop the bottle, lest nothing exhale; so likewise they close their stomach with some desair, or sweet-meat, after eating, for the same intent. All excesses and debauchery, with late sitting up at nights, is pernicious and destructive, during this time, for many reasons, which I here omit, because every one may experience it easily in himself, after such nocturnal lucubration; therefore, bibas ut vivas, sed non vivas ut bibas; drink to live, but not live to drink, To change your linnen often will be convenient, if not necessary, while you drink these waters, because many sooty, fetid, sulphureous steams come from them, which render your shirt black, and some other particles obstruct the pores of your body, and make them im, pervious, and hinder insensible transpiration; which is an evacuation far greater, and more considerable, than any manifest or sensible Incipe cum liquido: sicco finire momento. Schola Salernitana. Ut vites panam, de potibus incipe canum. |