Scot's Discovery of vvitchcraft proving the common opinions of witches contracting with divels, spirits, or familiars ... to be but imaginary, erronious conceptions and novelties : wherein also, the lewde unchristian all written and published in anno 1584, by Reginald Scot, Esquire.

CHAP. XII.

The opin••on of Ferrarins touching charmes, periapis, appensions, amu∣lets, &c. Of Homericall medicines, of constant opinion, and the ef∣fects thereof.

ARgerius Ferrarius, a physician in these dayes of great account, doth say, that forsomuch as by no diet nor physicke any disease can be so taken away or extinguished,* 1.1 but that certain dregs and reliques will re∣maine: therefore physicians use physical alligations, appensions, peraipts, amulets, charmes, characters. &c. which he supposeth may do good; but harm he is sure they can do none: urging that it is necessary and ex••pedient for a physician to leave nothing undone that may be devised for his patients recovery; and that by such means many great cures are done. He citeth a great number of experiments out of Alexander Trallianus, Aetius, Octavianus, Marcellus, Philodotus, Archigines, Philostratus, Plinie, &c Dioscorides; and would make men beleeve that Galen (who in truth despised and derided all those vanities) recanted in his latter dayes his former o∣pinion,* 1.2 and all his invectives tending against these magicall cures: wri∣ting also a book intituled De Homerica medicatione, which no man could e∣ver see, but one Alexander Trallianus, who saith he saw it: and further affirmeth, that it is an honest mans part to cure the sicke, by hook or by crooke, or by any means whatsoever. Yea he saith that Galen (who indeed wrote and taught that Incantamenta sunt muliercularum figmenta, and be the onely clokes of bad physicians) affirmeth, that there is vertue and great force in incantations. As for example (saith Trallian) Galen, being now reconciled to this opinion, holdeth and writeth, that the bones which stick in ones throate, are avoided and cast out with the vio∣lence of charmes and inchanting words; yea and that thereby the stone, the chollick, the falling sicknesse, and all feavers, gowts, fluxes, fistula's, issues of blood, and finally whatsoever cure (even beyond the skill of him∣selfe or any other foolish physician) is cured and perfectly healed by words of inchantment. Marry M. Ferrarius (although he allowed and practised this kind of physick) yet he protesteth that he thinketh it none other∣wise effectuall, than by the way of constant opinion: so as he affirmeth that neither the character, nor the charme, nor the witch, nor the devill accomplish the cure; as (saith he) the experiment of the toothach will manifestly declare, wherein the cure is wrought by the confidence or diffidence as well of the patient, as of the agent; according to the po∣ets saying.

Nos habitat non tartara, sed nec sider coeli, Spiritus in nobis qui viget illa facit. a

Not hellish furies dwell in us, Nor starres with influence heavenly;* 1.3 The spirit that lives and rules in us, Doth every thing ingeniously,

This (saith he) commeth to the unlearned, through the opinion which they conceive of the characters and holy words: but the learned that know the force of the mind and imagination, worke miracles by mira∣cles by means thereof; so as the unlearned must have external helps, to do that which the learned can do with a word onely. He saith that this is called Homerica medicatio, because Homer discovered the blood of the word suppressed, and the infections healed by or in mysteries.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Arg. Fer. lib. de medenai methodo. 2. cap. 11. De Homerica medicatione.
• * 1.2

  This would be examined, to see if Galen be not stan∣dered.
• * 1.3

  Englished by Abraham Fleming.