An excellent treatise teaching howe to cure the French-pockes with all other diseases arising and growing thereof, and in a manner all other sicknesses. Dravvne out of the bookes of that learned doctor and prince of phisitians, Theophrastus Paracelsus. Compiled by the learned Phillippus Hermanus, phisition and chirurgion. And now put into English by Iohn Hester in the spagiricall arte, practitioner.

Capit. 4. Of vvashing vvith water.

THere is yet another peece of cun∣ning deuised by the subtill Pock-maisters, which perceiued y^t they coulde not longer vse their Mercu∣rie without hurt or shame, and al∣so without thanke of the Patient, for the Patients perceiuing the great perils that ensued by the an∣nointing, & how manie were ther∣by spoyled, woulde not anie longer trust their annointing, and so fared it also with their fumi∣gation, for when they sawe the numbers that thereby were killed, they feared, and woulde not anie longer be smoked: whereuppon the Pock-Maisters, were enforced to prepare their Mercurie after another order, that hee might be more secret and vnknowne, that they might yet vse him, for they wist wel, that without him there was no cure to be wrought, for as yet Guaicum was vnknowne, therefore they tooke sublimated Mercurie, and sodde it in Aqua vitae, and wyth the said Aqua vitae, they washed the Patient: which is a ve∣rie subtill and forcible manner of curing, and very perrilous, which manner of curing, I doo counsaile all men to leaue vn∣doone. But in this manner following, you shall not onely a∣uoide all daunger, but shall also haue good successe in your workes, which if (for the great labour and charge which is required in the preparing of your Mercurie) you will not fol∣low, I would wish you to leaue washing: for of all manners of curing, there is none the like for force and daunger, there∣fore if you wil not otherwise correct your Mercurie, it is not lawfull for you to cure any man by washing, for that they

which are this way cured, are in greater daunger then one man which dooth fight against two other for life and death. But if you will prepare your Mercurie as heereafter shal be shewed, you shall not onelie eschew all daunger which other∣wise may happen, but shall also performe as much as shal be requisite to the curing of this disease, & as much as hath béen hetherto performed by anie man, wherefore flie sloth, and vse diligence in preparing your Mercurie, whereby you shal not onely obtaine your desire in curing the disease without feare and danger, but also with great credite to your selfe, and pro∣fit to the Patients.

In this washing, besides this afore written, there is yet another abuse, that is, that they haue washed all the partes of the body, as well those that were sounde, as those y^t were diseased, then the which they could not haue cōmitted a grea∣ter ouersight, for by that means they haue brought the sound parts into a worse case then the diseased, for Mercurie vsed in such sort, is in the operation as hote as fire, so that in those partes wherein there is no corrupt matter to bee dryed out, there he goeth to worke, and drieth out all the good and na∣turall moisture, and thereby spoyleth the whole member.

Therefore aboue all things you must take heede that you doe not wash the whole parts, but onely those that are disea∣sed, for the diseased parts haue matter, wherein the Mercu∣rie may worke, and which is needfull to be dryed out. Nowe I will shewe you howe to prepare and to vse your Mercurie, but first I will shewe you those simples wherewith these Masters vse to washe, which are these. Mercurius sublima∣tus, Auri pigmentum, Arsenicun, Cerusa, Camphier, Aqua vitae. These thinges if I shoulde minister in this sorte crudlie without other correction, I thinke I shoulde kill all the Patients that I shoulde take in hande. For by reason of the strength of the Aqua vitae, the Mercurie be∣commeth so subtil and so fierie, that it is a great wonder that they die not all that are taken in hand to be cured in this or∣der. For of all other, this manner of curing is most daunge∣rous,

for the Mercurie by his subtiltie, and by meanes of the heate of the Aqua vitae, doth performe his operation in the inward parts of the Patient with such force, as manie sicke Patients haue better felt then I can describe, and though this be most true, yet there are some y^e vse it dailie, as though it were good, but I say that it is a secrete kinde of poyson, which though it be but outwardlie applied, doth yet not with∣standing (with great force) performe his worke inwardly in the bodie, for it inflameth and stirreth vppe the bloode in such sort, that the Patient oftentimes falleth a bleeding, bléeding themselues to death, others are like to be choked, so forciblie draweth this venime to the hart, but peraduēture some will defend his dooings herein, and say, I haue holpen many there∣with, but I would faine heare the Patient himselfe report it, yet nouerthelesse, I doe thinke well, that some one amongst a hundred, may be cured by this meanes, but I conne them no thanke therefore, but rather nature, which herselfe hea∣led the disease, and resisted the storme, but howe manie haue they spoiled and holpen vnder the grounde before they haue cured one, verilie a great number I am certaine, but to a∣uoide such a daunger, and to attaine credit in this arte, doo as is aforesaid, leaue off your washing, or els prepare your Mer∣curie as followeth.

The correction of this washing with Mercurie.

Take Mercurie which is sublimed, by himselfe with∣out any addition, as I will teache you in the fore alledged Booke, the same you shall sublime yet foure times with cō∣mon prepared Salt, then you shall poure vpon the said Mer∣curie, good rectified Aqua vitae, as I haue taught you to recte∣fie it in my booke of Distillations. This Aqua vitae you shall set on fire with a little Paper, and let it burne till it be con∣sumed, then pouré on more, and doo likewise, dooing it so of∣ten vntill the Mercurie doo cease to bite or eate vppon the

tongue, then seeth the Mercurie in Persic••••ie water, or in Celendine water, halfe an houre long, then let it be colde, and poure of the water, that the Mercurie be not vsed with his bodie, but that his spirit & his strength may come foorth, and be coupled to the disease, for in the spirit of the Mercurie is the vertue to cure the disease, and in the bodie of it, is the force to kill and spoile the Patient. Therefore it is the grea∣test ouersight that may be, to take Mercurie and to seeth it in Aqua vitae, and therewith to washe the Patient, for by that meanes, it entereth corporallie into the bodie of the Pa∣tient, and spoyleth and killeth him, as all other poisons natu∣rallie doe, therefore take heed that in no wise you vse it cor∣porallie, but onelie the spirit as is aforesaid, and so nothing can ensue to the Patient, but good.

With the aforesaid water ye shall washe or make wet, the diseased parts of the Patient, euery night when he goeth to bedde, then you shall lay him to sweate, vsing him in all points as is shewed in the other Chapter, and you shall con∣tinue this manner of washing, euery day once, vntill such time as he be perfectly cured, and that he feele no more pain. You need not feare to vse this manner of curing in this dis∣ease, for if you do as I haue here taught you in this Chapter, there can happen nothing but good to the Patient, and cre∣dite to your selfe, so that you shall wonder to see what shall come to passe in this order of curing, so that you may wyth credite and a good conscience, aske your reward. Thus much concerning washing.