An history of the wonderful things of nature set forth in ten severall classes wherein are contained I. The wonders of the heavens, II. Of the elements, III. Of meteors, IV. Of minerals, V. Of plants, VI. Of birds, VII. Of four-footed beasts, VIII. Of insects, and things wanting blood, IX. Of fishes, X. Of man / written by Johannes Jonstonus, and now rendred into English by a person of quality.

CHAP. XIII. Of Brimstone and Stybium.

BRimstone is dug up in Islandia by the Mountain Hecla, and that without fire. It is yellow that is digged out of a Plain of Brim∣stone, which in Campania they call Virgin-Brimstone, because women paint their faces with it. It is so friendly to fire, that pieces of it laid about the wood will draw the fire to them. The Greeks and Romans did purifie houses with the fume of it; put into the fire, it will by the sent discover the Falling-sicknesse. Anaxilaus made sport with it,

carrying it about in a red hot cup with fire under it, which by reper∣cussion made the guests look pale as if they had been dead; Plin. l. 35. c. 15. The Chymists make such an effectual oyl of Balsome of Brim∣stone, that it will suffer neither live or dead bodys to corrupt; but keeps them so safe, that no impression from the Heavens, or cor∣ruption of the Elements, or from their own original, can hurt them Weck▪ Antidot, Spec. l. 1. I shall say something of Stybium. It hath an exceeding purgative quality, as we see by experience. Mathiol. ad Dioscorid, l. 5. c. 59. Andreas Gallus, a Physitian of Trent fell into an inflammation of the Lungs, Heart and Stomack, with a wonderfull thirst, swelling of the Throat, beating of the heart, and a strangling distillation allmost from the head. He took three grains of Stybium with Sugar rosat: first he cast up yellow choler 4, ounces weight, and afterwards 2 pound weight, symptoms ceased, and he recovered his former health. Georgius Hendschius writes, that the same thing hap∣ned to him in the pestilence; Also Lucas Contilis. Senensis: taking 4, grains of Stybium vomited up 12, bits of Turpentine Rosin, that he had swallowed 15. dayes before. But a Parish Priest of Prague that was mad of melancholy, taking 12 graines of the same, purged cho∣ler downwards, that had like scrapings of flesh mingled with it, and they appeared as great melancholly Veins called varices cut into peices.