Another collection of philosophical conferences of the French virtuosi upon questions of all sorts for the improving of natural knowledg made in the assembly of the Beaux Esprits at Paris by the most ingenious persons of that nation / render'd into English by G. Havers, Gent. & J. Davies ..., Gent.

CONFERENCE CCI. Of the Water-drinker of S. Germain's Fair. (Book 201)

THis Person is of a middle Stature; hath a large Breast, as also a Face, especially his Fore-head; very great Eyes, and is said to be sixty years old, though he appears to be but about forty. He was born in the Town of Nota, in the Island of Mal∣tha, and is nam'd Blaise Manfrede, They that have observ'd him in private Houses, and upon the Theatre, relate that he makes his experiment not only every day, but oftentimes twice in one afternoon. Moreover, vomiting so freely as he does, he is always hungry when he pleases. His Practise is very disagree∣ing from his publish'd Tickets, wherein he promises to drink a hundred quarts of water; but he never drinks four, without re∣turning it up again. His manner is thus: He causes a pail full of warm water, and fifteen or twenty little glasses, with very large mouths to be brought to him; then he drinks two or three of these glasses full of water, having first washt his mouth, to shew that there is nothing between his teeth: Afterwards, for about half a quarter of an hour, he talks in Italian; which time being pass'd, he drinks three or four and twenty more of the said glasses, and thereupon spouts forth of his mouth with violence a red water, which seems to be wine, but hath only the colour of it. This water appears red as it comes out of his mouth, and yet when it is spouted into two of his glasses, it becomes of a deep red in one, and of a pale red in the other; and changing the situation of his glasses, on the left side of his mouth to the right, and of those on the right to the left, these colours always appear different in the same glass; namely, the one of a deep red, and the other yellow, or Citron-color. Some of the water is of the color of pall'd wine; and the more he vomits, the clearer, and less colour'd the water is. He hath often promis'd to bring up Oyl and

Milk; but I never saw nor heard that he did it. This done, he sets his glasses to the number of fifteen or sixteen upon a form or bench, to be seen by every one. After which, he drinks more water in other glasses, and brings it up again either clear water, or Orenge flower water, or Rose-water; and lastly, Aqua Vitae, (which are manifest by the smell, and by the burning of the Aqua Vitae) having been observ'd to keep this order always in the ejection of his liquors, that red water comes up first, and Aqua Vitae last. He performs this Trick with thirty or forty half glasses of water, which cannot amount to above four quarts at most; then having signifi'd to the people that his Stomack, al∣though no Muscle, (which is the instrument of voluntary moti∣on) obeys him, he casts the same water up into the Air with its natural colour so impetuously, that it imitates the Casts of water in Gardens, to the great admiration of the Spectators, who for six we••ks together, were seldom fewer than three hundred daily. For my part, I find much to admire in this action. For though men's Stomacks be of different capacities, and some one person can eat and drink as much as four others; yet I see not, possibly, where this fellow should lodge so much water. And again, he seems rather to powr water into a Tun than to swallow it, though the conformation of the Gullet doth not consist with such deglutition. Besides, vomiting is a violent action, and yet most facile in this Drinker. And as to the order of this Evacuation, 'tis certain, that all things put into the Stomack are confounded together therein, so that Concoction begins by Mixtion; and yet this fellow brings up what-ever he pleases, as 'twere out of seve∣ral vessels; so that he undertakes to eat a Sallad of several sorts of Herbs and Flowers, and to bring them up all again in order. Moreover, what can be more prodigious, than this mutation of Colours, Smells, and Substances? And, indeed, they say, he hath sometimes fear'd to be question'd for Sorcery. But the greatest wonder is that smartness and violence wherewith he spouts out water from his Stomack, not laterally, which is the ordinary manner of vomiting; but upwards, which is a motion contrary to heavie bodies, as water is. Some speculative person that had read in Saint Augustin, that a Man's being turn'd into a Horse by the power of Imagination, might refer the cause of all these wonders to that faculty; which daily producing new shapes upon the Bodies of Children in their Mothers womb, may with less strangeness, produce in this Man the above-mention'd alteration of one colour into another. And as for his facility of bringing up what-ever he hath swallow'd, I can find no better Reason for it than Custom, which in him is turn'd into Nature.

The Second said, That Ignorance being the Mother of Admi∣ration, we begin less to admire as we proceed to more Knowledg. Now if this Maltese were a Magician, he would do more mar∣vellous things, and of more than one sort; whereas all his power is con¦fin'd

only to the vomiting up of liquors which he drunk before; and the faculty of his Stomack being determin'd to this single kind of action, the same must be natural; because that is the de∣finition of natural powers. Moreover, no action ought to be accus'd of Magick, till good Reasons have evinc'd it to surpass all the powers of Nature; which is very hard to prove, because we know not how far they may reach: And should we accuse of Magick every thing when we understand not the Causes, almost all Natural Philosophy would be turn'd into superstition. Again, a Man that promises more than he can perform, drinking but the twentieth part of what he boasts of, and who can make but one sort of colour issue out of his mouth, though he exposes several others to the Spectator's Eyes, cannot pass for a great Sorcerer, or refin'd Magician. As for the easiness and violence where-with he casts water out of his Stomack at pleasure, it can∣not be either from Artifice or Custom alone, which cannot put free and voluntary motions into parts wherein there is none, nor procure new Organs necessary to this action; and no Man being able to accustom himself to move his Ears at his pleasure, unless the same be naturally dispos'd thereunto, as Manfrede's Stomack is. Now natural dispositions are only of two sorts; some depend upon the Temperament, which is incapable of this effect; others, belong to the Stomack, as it is an Organical part; namely, a particular Conformation, which may be easily conjectur'd from the example of ruminating Animals, who when they list, bring up their food out of their Stomack into their mouth: An action not impossible to Men; since Nature oftentimes by error gives one Species such a Conformation in some parts, as is of right peculi∣ar to another; and accordingly the faculty of ruminating is found in divers Men. Aquapendens saw two to whom this action was more voluntary than that whereby we void our excrements, when they importunately solicite us; observing expresly that they were not constrain'd to it, but by the pleasure which they took in it. And the same Author likewise records, that opening the Body of one that ruminated, he found one Membrane of his Stomack more fibrous and strong than ordinary. And the same is probably so in that of this Maltese, since this voluntary motion can proceed only from such a Conformation. In like manner these persons that have been able to move their Ears, have been ob∣serv'd to have the Muscles behind them more fleshy than other Men. And our Conjecture is further confirm'd by the Instance of the Bladder, whose Excretion is perform'd by the Pyramidal Muscles, which oftentimes are deficient; and in that case their office is supply'd by the carnous Membrane of the Bladder which is valid, and performs the motions of a Muscle, according to the opinion of the greatest Anatomists of this Age. So that what is so ordinary in the Bladder, is not to be admir'd in the Stomack: Besides that, Custom may have much increas'd the strength and dexterity of this faculty; and although it have not other∣wise

conduc'd in the least to the effect, but only as founded upon a natural Disposition. That all ruminating have not been able to do the like, is, because they neglected to increase the natural Disposition by use and practise; and as to the diversity of co∣lour and smells, there is nothing therein but artifice and fal∣lacy.

The Third said, That what is here thought most admirable, the drinking of a great quantity of Water, is seen every day at Pougues and Forges, where you shall have one Person drink sixty glasses: and those that have seen the Stomach, that hangs up in the Anatomical Theater of Leyden, and is capable of seven quarts, will not think it strange, that this Maltese drinks much less: As for the diversity of Liquors, which he brings up, discern'd by their several colours, smells, and the inflammability of the Aqua vitae, I attribute it to the perfection of the reasonable soul, which, as well as all other forms, imprints Dispositions in the matter; this being universal, that, besides the Properties common to the whole Species, there is a particular one in every Individual which distinguishes the same from others, and comes from the last Character of the form. That of the Maltese, is to turn com∣mon Water into Wine, Orenge-flower-water, Rose-water, and Aqua vitae. For the diversity of matter, and its dispositions, sig∣nifies nothing as to the mutations introduc'd therein by the Forms; though one may say, that in common Water, especially that of the Well, all the Elements, and the three Principles of Chymistry are found, having its Salt from the Earth, its Sulphur from the Bitumen and Naphtha, wherewith the Caverns of the Earth, and especially Wells abound; and, as for Mercury, 'tis nothing but water it self. No wonder then, if since every thing may be made of every thing, by the Maxim of the most ancient Philosophers, our Maltese fetches what he pleases out of his Stomack.

The Fourth wonder'd, if this Maxim were true, That every thing is made of every thing in the Maltese's Belly, even without any distinction or preparation of the matter, why this Water-drinker fetcht so great a circuit to get money, since 'twould be a shorter way for him to make it, and even Gold it self by the same reason; or at least he would make sale of his sweet Wa∣ters, and not suffer the Perfumers to be at such charge in fetching them from far. If he make it his excuse, that he would not get vent for such an abundance, why, if there be no cheat in the thing, hath he not taken occasion of the dearness of Wine in France this year, to sell the Wine he makes in Paris? But Experi∣ence renders it manifest, that the Wine he promises is nothing but water, and consequently, he is less able to make Aqua vitae, into which water cannot be turn'd but by first taking the nature of Wine; and indeed there needs more wine to yield the quantity of Aqua vitae he pretends to bring up, then he drinks water be∣fore he ejects it. Besides, Chymistry manifests, that Aqua vitae is

not made, but only separated. Nor can this change be a Proper∣ty in the Malteses Stomack, because all Properties are specifical, and belong to all the Individuals of the same Species, there be∣ing nothing peculiar in any man, but a certain degree of indi∣visible temperament, call'd Idio-syncrasie. And, if his temper be so hot as to turn common water in an instant into Aqua vitae, 'tis impossible to be cold enough to make Rose-water at the same time: if it have any transmuting vertue, it ought to turn all into one sort of Liquor; because the same Agent never makes but the same Effect, unless the Subject be diversifi'd by diversity of matter; whereas here 'tis all water from the same Spring. Neither could this Drinker drink Well-water without intoxication, because, being turn'd into Aqua vitae, the vapors thereof would mount up into his brain; and so to prescribe him water in a Feaver, would be no more refreshment to him then if one gave him Aqua vitae.

The fifth said, That the diversity of colours and odors of the Liquor he ejects, proceeds from the tincture of some mass of Es∣sence extracted from the same materials, which those Liquors represent; which Masses he holds between his teeth incorpora∣ted with some gum which fastens them there; so that, as the Water he drinks, passes impetuously between his teeth, it de∣rives colours and odors from the same: Which is the reason why the water he first casts forth, is most colour'd; whereas, if the Dye proceeded from his Stomack, it would be deeper at last of all, as having acquir'd more digestion by a longer infusion.

The Sixth said, That Histories are full of several particular Constitutions of the Natural Parts; witness the example of the Maid mention'd by Cardan, who drinking but two pints of wa∣ter a day, piss'd twenty; and that of the Emperor Maximinus, who commonly eat forty pound weight of meat, with propor∣tionable drink, and sweat so abundantly, that he fill'd — 'Tis said, That Theagenes the Thasian eat a Calf for his din∣ner; and Milo, the famous Wrastler of Croton, devour'd a 100. pound of Flesh, a Hogshead of Wine, and Bread proportion∣able. Such was that Parasite, who one day at the Table of the Emperor Aurelius, eat a Boar, a Sheep, a Pig, and an hundred Loaves, and drunk half a tun of Wine. All which stories ren∣der less strange the quantity of this Maltese's Drink, whose co∣lour possibly afterwards he disguises with powders hid in his Handkerchief which he handles so often, or by the help of a double Glass, of which his Vessels are made, or by some other trick whereto he ha's inur'd himself for many years.

The Seventh said, That mineral waters are usually drunk with more ease in great quantity by half than common water can be, because their tenuity makes them pass immediately into the ha∣bit of the Body. And if you consider that this fellow drinks on∣ly out of small vessels, and those not always full; as also with what nimbleness he dispatches his work, you will much abate

the opinion that he drinks so much as is generally believed. Be∣sides, though his pail be of a middle size, yet 'tis never quite full; and he spends much water in washing his mouth and his glasses, and some too is left behind. Nor is it absurd to think, that before his shewing himself to drink, he swallows a bolus of Brazil, or of Alkanet, or Fearn Root, or of red Sanders, or Indian Wood, or some such other thing in powder; after which drinking two or three glasses of water, he interposes some interval, that the same may be the better tinctur'd in his Stomack; which time being pass'd, he drinks about two quarts of water, which soon after he brings up red, appearing so both in the Air and in the glasses: Which colour being weak for want of time to be well imbib'd by the water, is wholly lost when the same is powr'd into a vessel, wherein there is a little Verjuice, Vinegar, juice of Ci∣tron, Spirit of Vitriol, or other such acid liquor, which is proper to consume the said color. And 'tis observable, that the last water he vomits, is continually paler than the first, the tincture being di∣minisht by the quantity of water. Add hereunto, that 'tis like∣ly his glasses are smear'd with some essences, which seem trans∣parent to the Spectators; for though he makes shew of washing them, he only passes the brims dextrously over the water, and lets none of it enter into them. As for the violence wherewith he spouts forth the water, it must be confess'd, that the fellow hath a great natural propensity to vomiting, which by frequent repe∣tition, is become habitual to him: Custom being capable to pro∣duce such effects, that I have seen a Beggar about fifty years old, by being exercis'd thereunto, piss as high as a pike.