The composition or making of the moste excellent and pretious oil called oleum magistrale First published by the commaundement of the King of Spain, vvith the maner hovv to apply it particulerly. The which oyl cureth these diseases folowi[n]g ... Also the third book of Galen of curing of pricks and wounds of sinowes. A method for curing of vvounds in the ioynts, and the maner how to place them. Abreef gathering togither of certain errours which the common chirurgians dayly vse ... Faithfully gathered and translated into English by George Baker chirurgian. 1574.

To the Reader.

THere are two instru∣ments aswel in Surgery as in all other Arts whereby a man is directed to the scope or purpose which he intendeth, namely reason and experience.

Reason is occupyed about method, and method as Galen in the first book De methode medendi teacheth, is a contra¦ry thing to experience rashely made and at aduenture, and procéedeth a sure way taking iudications of the complex∣ion of the body, of the nature of the desea¦sed parte, of the causes and differences of the diseases and so orderly passeth frō iudication to iudication applying apt re∣medyes such as certain experience hath taught to haue vertue correspondent to such purpose as learned method prescri∣beth, til at lēgth helth (which is the scope and end of the art) be obtained.

By this discription of method: ye may sée plainly and distinctly the vse and ne∣cessitie bothe of reason and experience, but héer must you vnderstand by reason such learned iudgement as procedeth by discretion and certain knowledge of the

iudications abooue mentioned, and af∣terwards maketh apt choise of experi∣ments.

Experience also wherof Galen spea∣keth is a thing of more perfection then the rude obseruations of vndiscrete pra∣tisers of our time, but if they would read Galen his second book, De simplicium medicamentorium facultatibus. cap. x. they should learn better what appertai∣ned to experience how they try and ex∣amin their medicins and to iudge true¦ly of their vertues. And reason applyed to true method is the cause of certaintie in Phisick or Chirurgiry, so on the other parte when it is vsed at randon with¦out discretion and not deriued from true iudication but as fantasies doo féed the idle brain, it is a thing (as Galen wit∣nesseth) ful of great daunger. And ther∣fore he wished the vnlearned practisers of his time rather to vse the experience which they knew warely, then to busy them selues with deuising euery man a method after his owne way, which thīg passed their capacitie.

Such was the method of Thessalus before Galens time, and such is the met∣hod of Paracelsus in our time, but what

peril did insue of y^e rash method of The∣ssalus: is by Galen in sundry places de∣clared and how great harme hath béene doon and dayly is committed by the Pa∣racellistes both learned Erastus and De¦senius with others doo witnesse by their writings and dayly experience it self te∣acheth.

And although the common practizers doo by their experience hele many disea∣ses: yet as Galen saith in the same first Book of his method they thē selues must néeds confesse that the ende of their la∣bour dependeth vpon the pleasure of fortune. For sithens experiēce is but the obseruation or remembrance of the suc∣cesse had in particuler things as Galen him self defineth it, and that neither art nor science consisteth in particularities: it must néeds folow y^e naked experience maketh no art. And then for asmuch as those which be healed are healed either by art or by chaunce, then it must néeds folowe that those which cure by experi∣ence without method: doo heal by chaūce and not by art, and therfore are they wel termed of Galen to await the pleasure of Fortune.

Thus maist thou loouing Reader per∣ceiue

what great difference there is be∣twixt him that cureth artificially obser∣uing the learned method and order: and the vnskilful practizer which after some fantastical deuise bred in the braine of the vnlearned or by vndiscrete expery∣ence procedeth to the same.

So far dooth the one of these differ frō the other, as light from darknes, know∣ledge from ignoraunce, order from con∣fusion, and to conclude: certaintie from vncertaintie or blinde chaunce. Now let the sick man be iudge, whether is for him the more safetie tobe heled orderly, artificially and surely: or to depēd vpon the hasard of blinde Fortune, happy or not happy, at aduenture whether yea or nay. But if ye beleeue Hipocrates. Age re foeliciter est agere prudenter et age∣re infoeliciter est agere imprudenter, to be happy is to be skilful, and to deale vn¦luckely is to deale vnskilfully. Ther∣fore haue many obseruations of the day∣ly practises of many men perceiuing yea almoste dayly great errours committed in many things concerning mine art of Chirurgery for lack of true method, and that moste of all in the wounds of ioints and Sinewes or Sinewy, or musculous

places whiche require peculter & distinct method & order of cure from the cōmon wounds of other fleshly places, and the same béeing more painful, and for the greatnes of the accidents which folowe them béeing of far more daunger doo re∣quire therefore the greater care & more artificiall handling then any other.

I haue therfore for looue I bere to my facultie, which I wish void of infamy, and for the harty desire I bere to the pro¦fit of such as be hurt and diseased, inde∣uoured to set foorth some thing in our english tung, as those which are willing to learn: might therby be instructed and directed to the true method and trade of curing the said wounds of Sinowes. &c.

And as Aristotle requireth in Philo∣sophy: the same I think also in Chirur∣gery moste necessary. Vt exempla sunt non chaerilia sed homerica, that is, not to folowe the practise of bunglers or the vnskilful sort, but to learne at the best learned.

Then for asmuch as Galen by the Iudgement of the learned of all nations hath excelled all other that haue writen in Phisick but cheefely in his method: I thought good to translate into our natiue

tung, his third Booke of the composition of medicines accordīg to places, wherin bothe learned & abundantly he teacheth the curing of these wounds whiche my labour taking for the furtherance of such as be willing to learne to doo wel, if it be on thy parte (moste loouing Reader) wel accepted: I haue thē héerin my desire as for the wilful ignorant I leaue to them selues.

And thus beséeching God to blesse the handy woork of suche as faithfully and charitably deale in the affaires of y^e sick and diseased: I rest to trouble thée any longer from the reading bothe of the composition of the moste pretious Oil called Oleum Magistrale: and also of Galen him self.

From my house in Lon¦don the xv. of Marche 1574.