The cure of old age and preservation of youth by Roger Bacon... ; translated out of Latin, with annotations and an account of his life and writings / by Richard Browne. Also, a physical account of the tree of life / by Edw. Madeira Arrais ; translated likewise out of Latin by the same hand.

NOTES on CHAP. XIII.

^a As in the former Chapter Woman, who was the Mediatrix of Sin and Death between the Serpent and Man, was made use of to pre∣vent

Death; so here the Serpent himself, the Arch-plotter of that Death, is taken in his own Snare, the Decree of the Almighty is ex∣ecuted upon him in the very literal sense, and though he can hurt Man's Heel, yet he must lose his own Head, and make one of the greatest Antidotes against his own invenom'd Spight and Man's Death, which he so much designed. Thus to his own cost hath the Ser∣pent perswaded us to taste of that Tree of Knowledge, by whose Experience we have found how to resist the Evil by the Good that is in himself. And herein our Author makes good, what in his second Chapter he told us, That in whatsoever thing the Most High GOD hath put an admirable Vertue and Property, there He hath also placed Hurt, as it were the Guard of that very thing.

^b The AEthiopian Dragon according to Bel∣lonius is thick about the Belly, hath two Feet, and as many Wings whole like Bats, and the Tail of a Serpent. They are so big, that without making Vse of their Poyson, they kill Elephants, and all other Beasts by mere Force. Whence Lucan lib. 9. sings thus:

Rumpitis ingentes amplexi verbere Tauros, Nec tutus Spatio est Elephas, datis omnia Letho, Nec vobis opus est ad noxia fata Veneno.

With mortal Gripe you squeeze out huge Bulls Guts, To th' Elephant's Bulk no Fence is, Death you bring To all; for Death you have no need of Sting.

^c The Viper is a Serpent about an Inch thick, and two Cubits, but generally less in Length, parti-coloured and Yellowish, he bears his Neck upright, and crawls with the rest of his Body: He leaps when he bites. The Male according to the Antients hath only two Teeth, and the Female four; therefore Ni∣cander saith in Theriacis,

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With Dog-Teeth two Man's skin Male Vipers gore Diffusing Poyson, Females bite with more.

But Baldus Angelus saith, the Male-Vi∣per hath four Teeth, only at certain Times he casts two of them, which made the Anti∣ents think he had but two. But if a Man will be at the trouble to anatomize Vipers, he shall find they have twelve Teeth, six on either side in the upper Iaw, and twenty two, eleven on either side, in the nether Iaw, in all

thirty four, which they use in eating; besides the Dog-teeth before mentioned, with Blad∣ders wherein they contain their Poyson, which once voided gathers again after the manner of Excrementitious Humors: And with these Teeth only they fight and poyson. The Male hath a narrower and sharper Head, thicker Neck and smaller Body than the Female. His Tail grows smaller by Degrees as in o∣ther Serpents: hers is small at once. He hath also rougher Scales at his Tail, which in his Anger he ruffles as a Cock doth his Fea∣thers. It is observable, that the Female-Vipers first conceive Eggs all of one Colour like Fish-Rows, and then bring them forth young Vipers, whereas other Serpents first lay Eggs, and afterwards hatch them. But the Female's biting off the Male-Viper's Head in Coition, and the Young ones eating themselves out of the old Viper's Belly, are both mere Fables.

^d The Land-Snake is a harmless Creature: For if he bite he inflicts no Venome, but the bare Wound. But the Bite of a Water-Snake is exceeding dangerous.

^e They should not be taken presently, as they come out of their Winter-Quarters; but when they are well fed; yet before they are with Young.

^f Hence it is evident of what Moment the true Preparation of Medicine is.

^g Treacle, the most serviceable Medicine in common Vse, sufficiently shows the Vertue of the Viper, which is the Basis of that famous Composition. Nay, Treacle alone or some Mixture with it is the Mountebanks Sheet-Anchor to save their Wrack in the Stygian Lake: For these Fellows must, to please the People, either poyson their Guts upon the Stage as often as they break their Fasts, or they must keep two Lents in one Year. I find Treacle in the Description of Orvietan's Secret, a noted illiterate Mountebank in Rome, who promised others immunity from Poyson by his Electuary, but at last dyed himself of Poyson.

These Cheats are well set out by the Father of the Poets.

Non enim sunt ii Scientia aut Arte Divini, Sed superstitiosi Vates, Impudentés{que} Harioli, Aut inertes, aut insani, aut quibus egestas imperat: Qui sibi semitam nonsapiunt, alteri monstrant viam.

For the sake of English Empiricks, thus:

In Science or in Art Divines they're none, But Superstitious Bards, who Charms do boast, Lazy, or Mad, or under Want they groan: They'd be your Guides that never that way crost.

^h The Reason of this may be drawn from that Similitude, our Author mentioned in his second Chapter, which by Physicians since his Time is called Signature. For as the Ser∣pent renews his Youth by casting his Skin yearly; so in Medicine he produceth the like Renovation.

ⁱ And so from his Spots we may guess him good against the Leprosie.

^k Here he illustrates what he said before in Chap. II. That

out of the Serpent, Hellebore and Gold no Man can fetch any noble or sublime Operation, unless he be Wise, Skilful, and have of a long time experienced them.