De morbo Gallico·

¶What power Guaiacum is of, and what sycknesses it hel∣peth. Cap. xxiiii. (Book 24)

THe mooste principall and the chieffest effecte of Guaiacum is to hele the frēche pockes cleane / pluckyng them vppe by the rootes, but specially whan a man hath ben disea∣sed with them of a longe tyme. For I haue sene them, that many a day laye soore pey∣ned with the pockes, sooner and better re∣stored vnto theyr helthe, thā they, on whom the scabbes beganne newly to appere. Not that on those, newely diseased any thynge shoulde be lefte vnhealed, but that the cu∣rynge goth forwarde more hardly, and the disease stycketh faster and is more greuous∣ly plucked out. For Guaiacum doth resolue and destroy meruaylously swellynges / ge∣therynges to gether of yll matters, hard∣nesses / bumpis, and knobbes. Fluxions or runnynges it vtterly taketh awaye / eyther consumynge or tournyng the same an other way. It causeth the soores to impostume, withoute any maner of grefe. And if any thynge lye hydde within, it rooteth it oute.

And so of some (as it dyd to me) it maketh the bones bare, of some hit sheweth the sy∣nowes, and breaketh the veynes, or eateth moste depely in, and it healeth these partis that be infected with this disease, and with suche stynche and fylthynesse / that the sauoure canne not be abyden. And therfore the phisitions saye, that the vertue of this medicine is to heate, to drye, and to amende the fautis of the bloud and of the lyuer: but it worketh all these thin∣ges with suche a temperance, that indiffe∣rently, whether the cause be hotte or colde it easeth the patientis. Wherfore with the drynes therof it restreyneth the flyxe, de∣stroyenge the hurtfull humours that flowe oute, or els plu••keth vp by the rootes the cause of theyr begynnynge, and restorethe agayne the good disposition of the body. It dothe extenuate fleme / and the poores or passages of the vrine, that chaunce many tymes by pervnctions to be shutte, and al∣so other in this disease hit openeth, ye and prouoketh & compelleth the vrine to make and haue way. For the whiche skylle some thynke it helpeth them that haue the stone, and that it compelleth the stones to issue out of the bladder. I haue experience, that hit

greately minysshe blacke colere. And ther¦fore it maketh a man more gladsome, and quencheth anger. Vndoubtedly hit hathe a greatte vertue agaynste Melancolye. And hit taketh awaye runnynges and droppyn∣ges, and it lyghtneth his heuynes, by hea∣tynge (as it may be thought) the brayne. It is sayde, that hit amendeth soores, whiche were before yll healed, howe so euer they came, and cuttethe agayne the scarres. It amendeth the leannes, whiche hath longe contynued in the body. And therfore whan this cure is done, mē waxe very fat al their lyfe after. They saye it hath a meruaylous vertue ageynst the stynkyng of the mouth, & doth amende the griefe of the brethe, whi∣che also cometh through the fa••te of an••yn¦tynge. It helpethe the inwarde parte••, and specially the stomacke, the whiche hit holle reneweth, and maketh the brookynge as good as euer it was before. His effecte is excellent for the membres that be fallen awaye and diminisshed, it increaseth them and fylleth them vp, it stretcheth forth the synowes, that are shronke, and those that be loose it fastneth and maketh stronge. It is also proued, that suche partis as throughe this disease be made deed & without felyng,

are ageyne quickened and brought to theyr olde felynge and lustynesse•• I sayde before / that as touchynge the bealy it varied. For some it dydde bynde, and some it made laxe tyll they were weary. And agayne some it dyd bynde in the begynnyng, and afterward it losed them, and made them lanke belyed. And that the verye shauynges broken as small as coude be, to the mountenaunce of halfe an vnce, was gyuen in drynk to {pro}uoke a siege. I haue also sayde, that the measure therof is not gyuen after the proportion of his strength, that receyueth it. For hit ma∣keth not one weaker whan it is mynistred. And now this one thyng I affirme, that if it be .iiii. tymes sodden, yet is not all the ver∣tue gone out. Wherin I do not beleue other men, but I my selfe haue proued it. Howe be it I denye not, but the fyrste brothe is moche stronger. Some there are, that sted∣fastly beleue, that it is very good for fistuls and cankers, and for the partes that be ea∣ten with cankers. Certayne hit is, hit hel∣peth them that fetche theyr wynd with pein, and can not breth, if that fault com through this sickenes, or through an oyntyng.

¶And for as moche as I haue shewed be∣fore, what euyls come w^t this syckenes, it ••ere but labour in vayne to repete them /

whiche all it taketh awaye, distroyeth, and vanquyssheth, as I before tolde: and that (if they be olde) very lyghtly. And in lyke maner it helpeth the gowte. For I my selfe haue sene two restored to helth, which were sore vexed in their feete: but yet the phisi∣tions saye, that it helpeth onely those, that haue gotten the gowte through colde, whi∣che thynge I leue to them to complayne of. It is also an helthefull remedy for the pal∣sey, and especially whan it is new and late∣ly be gonne. For than it quencheth and dri∣ueth it awaye: whiche thynge I do wryte vppon the reporte of faythfull and sadde mē, that haue knowlege therof. For as for me, I dyd neuer hytherto se any that was so delyuered.

¶Ricius told of a leper, the which though he were not cleane delyuered by this medi∣cine, yet was he made moch better and clea∣ner, and suche a man as men myghte suffer his company: so that Ricius iudgeth, that this medicine is able to hyde and stoppe le∣prosye, though it can not take it clene away. But if this cure were vsed ones agayne or often, than he beleued, that the great hurte of that disease shulde be put of for a longe tyme. And more ouer he had great hope,

that if this syckenes were thus preuented in the begynnynge, it myght vtterly be pur∣ged and clensed, and the syke restored. And for as moche as this medicine hath vertue to drye vp, some go aboute to minystre hit for the water betwyxte the fleshe and the skynne, whiche is called the dropsye, the ende wherof we loke for. It is well kno∣wen to be profytable agaynste the fallynge euyll, as the phisitions saye, if the disease be of a colde kynde. I haue sene them that were inwardely diseased and greued with manye other syckenesses, that were of an euyll and corrupted stomacke, and coulde but badly digeste, and whan they wolde re∣couer them selfes from theyr long feblenes and sycklynes, and repayre agayne theyr strengthe and helthe, haue prepared them selfes vnto this cure, the phisitions not ad∣uysynge them the contrary. And Ricius ap∣proueth the same in many. For so moche as he knewe (as he sayde) that a hoole man, or but lyttell acrased, myghte come vnto this cure without any hurte: and he dyd perfect∣ly beleue, that the good lykynge of the bo∣dye was kepte, preserued, defended, and confirmed therwith. Let it nowe contente you, to haue harde spoken these thynges

of the helpes of Guaiacum, of the whiche if any man wyll aske me the causes, I wyll sende hym to the phisitions that be expert. For as for me, I professe no suche thyng. Neyther yet dyd I begynne this boke / to thentent that I wolde by and by gyue a re∣son of these thynges that I wolde wryte, but this thyng I promysed what so euer I founde of Guaiacum, and perceyued by ex∣perience, other in my selfe, or in other, and what so euer I had eyther sene or harde of other, that wolde I faythfully and truely putte in wrytynge, leauynge an occasyon to many after me, to declare the thyng as it is worthye. And nowe that all menne maye knowe, what Guaiacum hath done in me / I wyll shewe in what partes of my body, and after what fascion I was diseased.