Votivæ Angliæ, Englands complaint to their king:, or, The humble desires of all the zealous and true-hearted Protestants in this kingdome, for a speedy and happy reformation of abuses in church government, being the onely meanes to remove these distractions, and to avert the judgement of God from us. : As they were expressed in sundry petitions, remonstrances and letters, lately presented from them to the king, upon sundry occasions. / Collected by a wel-wisher to reformation.

A Discource of mad Dogs, and the danger of their bi∣ting, with some directions to cure the same.

I Came to Cambridge to my brothers Master Edward Spencers, as I take it, upon a Friday towards the evening, that night I went not in∣to bed, but towards morning fell asleep, and was much troubled with a dream, that I was at the re∣ceiving of the Sacrament, and when the Minister delivered the bread he was taken suddenly in such a maner, that he could not come at us, I was much troubled to think what we should do in such a case; but it pleased God I waked, and then was free of that feare. My brother came presently after, and desired me to go with him to see a friend, that could not live but till eight of the clock, it was Ma∣ster Twells his son, that was then Major, my bro∣ther tould me a strange discourse of the man∣ner

of his sicknesse, about a moneth before had a little dog that bit him by the finger and repelled the skin and bled a little and healed up againe the little dog grew mad, upon wednesday the young man found him very ill, and went to two or three of the cheefest Doctors of phisick, and they used their best indeavours but could not prevayle, but the young man grew worse; when I came into his chamber I found his mother weeping, and la∣menting, and two or three attending on him: he was a proper tall young man, spake strongly, and very religiously, with great apprehension of the ioyes of heaven: oh, that some good man would further me, with their prayers, I saw him so well disposed desired his father to send for some Di∣vines to pray with him: but he desired me to satis∣fie his desire since he made the motion to me, and so rather then it should not be done I prayed with him, the young man seemed to be greatly affected therewith and made great expressions of his ioy and comfort: he was very hot and dry but durst not drinke for then he thought he should presently die: and now let me tell you something that hath relation to my troublesome dream, the morning before I came young Master Twels was very desi∣rous to receave the Sacrament of the Lords supper and resolved to drink the wine though he died for it, and so the Sacrament was administred unto him, and they thought some of the wine went downe, but they had much a do to keep life in him: I tould his father that I feared he would fall into more extremities, but advised them not to binde him for that would make him worse: but I tould

my brother that if his sicknesse grew upon this oc∣casion he would be mad, I would have made him a bath of milke and plunged him in it over head and eares and let it run in at his mouth at his nose and his eares, and in this desperate case put it to that adventure, for otherwise there was no hope: but they had sent that morning to a skilfull man, to advise with, and was loath to make triall of it till they heard from him, and I was loath to presse it in such a desperat case; so in the afternoone I return∣ed home: but my brother told me that night he fell into a great rage and madnesse, and in his fits barked like a mad dog: but some houre or two before he dyed, it pleasd God to restore him to his sences againe, and he spake very religiously, and prayed earnestly unto God to pardon his sins, so departed. Now to give some directionsin such dan∣gerous cases: first, pray unto the God of heaven to blesse the meanes, and if the party so bitten with a mad dog be near the Sea let them with all speed throw him into the Sea water and plung him over head and eares and wash the wounds thorowly with the Sea water, if that cannot be had, then take the liver of the mad dog and make poridg of it and let them eat the liver and the broath as long as it lasteth, and take the hair of the mad dog and make tents of it and put it into the holes that the mad dogs teeth made, and this I saw in experience by one Richard Haines, a tall young man, pursued a mad dog a mastie neer the place where I dwell, and standing at the gap the mad dog would come thorow, clasped him in his armes, intending to hold him tell his fellows came, but the dog bit him

very grievously in his side and about his belly: they gat the mad dogs liver, and made poridge and stuf∣fed the wounds with the hair and so through Gods blessing the mad man did very well: Crabs clawes, and lobsters claws beaten to pouder and put into butter-milk or drinke is very good.

It is for the zeal of Gods glorie, the desire to yeeld comfort unto poore afflicted soules, and love of my country, which moves me to write upon this subject.

Samuel. 16. 23.

And so when the evill spirit sent of God, came upon Saul, David took an harpe and played with his hand, and Saul was refreshed, and was eased, for the evill spirit de∣parted from him.

NOw the question is whether this distemper and distraction grew out of some inordinate affection, which proud, ambitious, covetous and amorous men are subiect to fall into: the only help in this case is to pray unto God, to give them humilitie and patience, to submit themselves unto Gods will, and faithfully beleeve that God will turn all crosses and losses to the best, Rom. 8. 28. Againe consider what thy sinnes have deserved, and thine own unworthinesse of the least of Gods mercies despise the world, and prise heaven, this is the only musick to cheat the heart.

Secondly if it were some naturall in disposition, or distemper Pheniticall, timpheticall, then materi∣all drugges might rectifie the humour, so a sensible musick might recreate the spirits; so a man preferre the spirituall and inward remedies but the cor∣porall and outward also are not to be neglected, as

mirth good company or any comendable recreati∣on is not to be refused, but undoubtedly it was an absolute madnesse or melancholy fury with some intermission, in which time he could hear advice, and do mischief, those mischeivous actes of mad men, are both guilty before God, and punishable also before men, when the force of reason is not to∣tally transported and extinquisht. Again if it were a meer obsession that daibolicall spirit troubled and vexed him, and because the divell is Gods creature and at Gods comand he may be said to be an evil spirit sent from God, now in case of de∣monaicall obsession and affliction I cannot con∣ceave what naturall power musick or melodie sick can have for the profligation or repulsion of devils, and seeing a created Art hath properly, not farre upon any proternaturall habit unlesse musick doth delight the seuce, and so draw attention, and so alter the passion: but I resolve it thus this mu∣sick cured Saul not as musick, but as Davids musick, no musick but Davids musick could do it, otherwise seeing Saul so much hated him he would not have been so much behoulding unto David having ma∣ny other cunning Musicians in the temple, but their musick made him more mad: God was plea∣sed to work such an effect to bring him into favour with the king.