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WHy halt ye thus between two opini∣ons, and will not come fairly and candidly to give the World an assurance of your sound Practice, which concerns their Lives and Souls, but still equivocate, playing fast and loose, tergiversating, wrangling, and quarrelling about Punctilio's in Physick, assu∣ming to your selves a strange Heteroclite or
Hermophraditical name, as Galeno-Chymists, invented by your brains to blinde the world; a name altogether inconsistent with a true Physician, who may very well be expressed by two syllables.
Why hath not your Sect yielded formerly to Helmonts fair Proposal, while he was alive, that there might be a final conclusion of these Controversies by matter of fact? (indifferent Iudges appointed on both sides to give their censure) Why do ye not accept of the same at this day, if ye were not conscious to your selves of your owne weakness? What poor shifts and starting-holes have ye found out, what pittiful fig-leaves have ye joyned toge∣ther to cover your nakedness, and to wave this fair, necessary, and most evincing way, to dis∣cover Truth by Action? Contrary to which, all your Sophistical Disputes, your Paralo∣gismes, your Quirks, your Tricks and plausible Juggles signifie nothing; no nor your great Schollarship, not rightly squared and applied to the use and benefit of mankinde, and the charity of your neighbour. Let not therefore any Physignathus, inflatus scientia, supercilious Critick, chattering Linguist, or one that knows how to dispute Problematically and Artificially to deceive his Brother; let not
such (we say) who professes and practises Phy∣sick, being grosly ignorant of the right know∣ledge of things, for the commodity and use of the world, boast or vaunt of his glittering en∣dowments in this kinde: but let him rather lay his hand upon his heart, and considering his own emptiness, reflect upon himself, how he hath deceived and been deceived; and at length let him, though a Senior, (for it is never too late to repent sincerely, and be wise to sal∣vation) embrace the sound Doctrine of Hel∣mont, who will teach him to save mens Lives as he ought.
If any be so ingenious to say, I have done what I can, and I know no other way then Bleeding, ordinary Purging, and Sweating Medicines, and doubt whether there be a bet∣ter, and would willingly learn; we shall un∣dertake to demonstrate to this man, that which will be very satisfactory to him, and question not to convince him, if he be not notoriously obstinate of his mistakes in this kinde.