Hoplocrisma-spongus: or, A sponge to vvipe avvay the weapon-salve A treatise, wherein is proved, that the cure late-taken up amongst us, by applying the salve to the weapon, is magicall and unlawfull By William Foster Mr. of Arts, and parson of Hedgley in the county of Buckingham.

Articulus primus.

Wherein Naturall Reason and Philosophy is brought to prove that this cure is not naturall, but Magicall and Diabolicall.

ALL lawfull medicines produce their effects either by divine institution, as Naamans seven times washing himselfe in the River Iordan to cure his leprosie, 2 Kings 5: and the poole of Bethesdaes curing such as entred into it after the Angels stirring it, Iohn 5. 5. or by naturall operation, according to such vir∣tues as God in the creation endued such creatures with, whereof the said medicines are composed. So the Prophet Esay prescribed King Ezekiah a lumpe of Figges to cure his Aposteme, 2 Kings 20. 7. And the Samaritan bound up the wounds of him that was halfe dead in the way, and powred in wine and oyle into them, Luke 10. 34. Both these were naturall medicines, found to have naturall virtue to produce their wished effects, by Sonnes of Asculapius, conversant in the inquisition of se∣crets of nature. Galen therefore the Prince of Physitians, directs the application of Figges to re∣bellious tumours, which hardly breake and come to suppuration. And Levinus Lemnius saith, that Figs are a powerfull and present remedy. And Fran∣ciscus Valesius, greatly commends not onely the charity, but also the judgement and skill of the Sa∣maritan for his fit and proper application. That which the Gracians call 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉▪ was in that case an artificiall and soveraigne fomentation. For

whether his wounds were compound (by contusion or dilaceration) or simple (by the sole solution of continuity) the medicine was most proper for the first intention. If compound, no∣thing more agreeable to the rules of Art: If sim∣ple, yet seeing the Patient had layne long in the aire destitute of helpe (his wounds not so much as co∣vered or bound up) his wounded parts were be∣come exasperate and refrigerated, Cui malo (saith my Author) nullare melius succureretur quam calen∣te 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which evill could no way better bee hel∣ped, than by fomenting the parts with wine & oyle warmed. But this Weapon-Salvo worketh neither of these wayes; Ergo, the cures done by it are not lawfull, but prestigious, magicall and diabosicall. The minor or assumption I prove thus. First, that it is not of divine Institution, because it is no where registred in Scripture. Secondly, it workes not na∣turally, because it workes after a different manner from all naturall agents. For 'tis a rule amongst both Divines and Philosophers that; Nullum agens agit in distans. Whatsoever workes naturally, workes either by corporall or virtuall contact. But this workes by neither, therefore it workes not naturally. It workes not by corporall contact, the bodies are disjoyned. Paracelsus saith, if the wea∣pon be annoynted, the wounded partie may be cu∣red, though 20. miles absent. Oswaldus Cr••llius, ••o∣••linius, Helmontius, and others, put an unlimited distance. Therefore there is no corporall contact. So that this cure (if lawfull) must needes be per∣formed by virtuall contact. But not so neither. All Agents working by virtuall contact worke within

a certaine distance, and limited sphere of activitie, beyond which they cannot worke. The loadstone workes upon iron by virtuall contact: but it works but a small distance. And if the Iron be rustie, or oyle, or a Diamond placed betwixt them, the stone cannot so affect the iron as to draw it: Say Divines, Philosophers, and Lapidaries. Vineger is a most subtile penetrating agent. It is like hunger; it eates through stone walles. Hannibal that great Carthagenian Captaine, made his passage over the rockey Alpes (before unpassable) with vineger. Yet the interposition of tallow stayes his appetite. Stones or other objects annointed with it remaine safe and undiminished in his voracious and sharpe set presence, though his jawes and teeth be set to it. Fire is the most raging agent of all; but a fire of tenne miles or greater compasse (if such could bee) could not burne, heate, or warme a man two miles distant from it. The celestiall bodies, as the Sunne and the rest of the Planets excell in virtuall ope∣ration all sublunary agents. The light and heate of the Sunne goeth through the whole world. It goeth from the uttermost part of the heaven, and runneth a∣bout to the end of it againe; and there is nothing bid from the heate thereof, Psal. 19. 6. But yet a little cloud interposed obscureth the light, and abateth the heate. The interposition of the earth keepes the light from Antipodes. The interposition of the bodie of the Moone eclypseth the Sunne in our Hemisphere, in part to some inhabitants, and totally to others, which in a diametricall descendent line inhabit under it. It never workes alike upon all parts of the earth. When it is Winter with us by

reason of his Southerne journey and oblique beames, it is Summer in the other temperate Zone, because his beames strike downe in a direct line, and cause a stronger reflection, and that stronger reflection the greater heate. And when againe it is Summer with us, it is Winter with them, by reason of the Sunnes approaching neere unto us, and de∣parting from them. So though it worke upon all things vnder heaven, yet it worketh not at all times alike, by reason it is not at all times from all things distant alike, nor at all times free from interpositi∣ons alike. Now then shall terrestriall agents by di∣stance and interposition bee totally, and celestiall partly hindred; and shall this Weapon-Salve worke from the weapon to the wound at all distances? Shall the interposition of neither ayre, woods, fire, waters, walles, houses, Castles, Cities, mountaines, heate, cold, nothing stay or hinder the derivation of the virtue of it, to the body of the party wounded? O Agent beyond all Agents! Certainely the An∣gels of heaven cannot worke at such a distance. Onely God whose Essence is infinite, and is Omnia in omnibus, all in all, can worke thus: because from him nothing is distant at all. For in him we live, move and have our being, Acts 17. 27, 28. Let the judici∣ous and religious Readers judge then, if these wea∣pon▪ curing mediciners make not a god of their unguent, and commit not idolatry in attributing that to a little smearing oyntment of their owne making, which is proper to God only, the maker of al things. I cannot be perswaded but that this Salve, consisting amongst other things, of Mosse taken from the skull of a theefe that hath beene hanged;

of mans fat; of mans blood warme: as it is taken from his body, collected and composed with a great deale of superstition (as hereafter shall be re∣lated) the divell usually delighting in such things) is accepted of the divell as a kinde of sacrifice, and that hee greedily takes it from the Weapon, and makes the mediciner beleeve it is spent by the vir∣tue of it going to the wound, whilst hee (skilfull by reason of his long experience in all Arts, and so in the Art of medicine) doth himselfe secretly apply some other virtuall operative medicine to cure the wound, and to delude his credulous Mountabankes, makes them beleeve that this Salve (which dropt out of the hangmans budget) hath performed it. And I am drawne to this opinion, by an argument à comparatis. Canidiaes, witches and impes of the divell when they go a hagging, annoynt themselves, and are suddainly carried into remote places through the ayre, riding upon a broome, a hogge, a goate or the like; and the divell makes them be∣leeve that this their transportation is naturally ef∣fected by virtue of their medicament. But in very deed these their oyntments (which are made be∣sides other things of the fat of infants, as testifieth Gaudentius Merula; mans flesh as S. Hierome; mans blood as Apuleius) doe not doe the feate, but the divell himselfe carries them, as testifieth Cajetan, Navar, Grillandus, Bodin, &c. And the holy Scrip∣tures which tell us of the presumption of the di∣vell to carry Christ himselfe and set him on a pin∣nacle of the Temple, Math. 4. 5. and on an excee∣ding high mountaine, verse 8. So the divell when men in this case annoynt the weapon, makes them

beleeve that it is a naturall cure,when in very deed (if any cure be performed) it is done by him selfe, by secret application of other meanesendued with virtue to produce such effects. And the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 vell doth this for his owne greater advantage, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shall more at large be related hereafter.

Notes

• 2 King. 5.
• Iohn 5. 5.
• 2 King. 20. 7.
• Luke 10. 34.
• Gale••▪ ••e Arte Curativa ad Glan••. lib. 2. cap. 7. Levin. Lem. Herb. Bibl. cap. 7. Francisc. Val••••. de sa〈…〉〈…〉 Phi∣••••s. cap. 8〈…〉〈…〉 pag. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• Idem Ibide〈…〉〈…〉
• See Aristol. Phys. l. 7. text. 10. 11. 12. Aqui••. 1. q. 8. Art 1. Durand. 1. Sent. dist. 37. 1
• Parace••s. Ar∣chidox. Mag. lib 1. p 12 〈…〉〈…〉 Oswald. Cr••ll. Chim. basil. pag. 278. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. tract. de unguent. Armar H〈…〉〈…〉, de.
• See C••s••. Com∣ment. in Ph••s. Arist. lib. 7. c. 2. August. de Civitat Dei. lib. 21. cap. 4. tom. 5. Pl••••. l. 37. c. 4. Sol••••. c. 55. &c 〈◊〉〈◊〉:▪ R••••i. degemmis, 1. 2. c. 15. pag. 254. Plutarch in vita Hannib.
• Psal. 19. 6.
• Vide Barth. ••ecker. Phys. lib. 1. c. 9. de Alterat. Theor. 3. pag. 73.
• Act. 17. 27, 28
• See Doctoris I••••n. Robert. Anatom. Sect. 43. & Magnet. Curae Impost. pag. 13. 14. Gaud. Merul. Memorab. lib. 1. cap. 13. Hieronyus. in Dan. cap. 2. ••om. 4. Ap••lei•••• Mo∣••amor. lib. 2. C••jet. 2. 2. q. 5••. art. 3. Mart. Navar. in Man. cap. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 1. num. 38. Paul. Gr••lland. de Sortilegi••s, l. 2. q. 7. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. B••di••. l. 2. c. 4. Mat, 4. 5. 8.
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Tostet. •• Gen. c. 13. l. 354. fol. 140. col. 2.