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. 5. Of the great paine in the head, which taketh away the sleepe.

THis intollerable paine is called Cephalea, or Hemicrauea, and is so great and so vehement aboue the eyes, that oftentimes the Patient is like to runne madde therewith, & although many meanes be vsed, yet the paine decrea∣seth not. To cure this and such like paines in the heade, you must first consider the complexion of the Patient, whether be be chollerick, phlegmatick, melancholick, or sanguine, which you shall know in this sort.

If the Patient be chollericke, his vrine is verie yellowe coloured, and the paine is sharper vpon the right side of the head then in other places, he is leane of bodie and his mouth is commonlie bitter. If he be sanguine, he is somewhat fat∣ter of bodie, but not much, and hath a sweete mouth, his v∣rine is also verie much coloured, and thicke. The phlegma∣ticke is commonlie fat, and grosse of bodie, and slow, his wa∣ter is white and thicke. The mellancholicke are leane and withered, or dry, and beauie spirited, enuious, and angrie, wishing well to no man, his vrine is bleake and thin, in ma∣ner like water, and he is alwaies sad.

Hauing taught you to knowe the complexion of the Pa∣tient,

we will teach you the preparing of each of their Medi∣cines seuerallie. And first of the Chollericke and the San∣guine, because in this they doo agree, to wit, in heat, although the Chollericke man be much dryer then the Sanguine, yet because they are both hote, we will conclude them bothe vn∣der one cure, which shall be in this order.

First you shall take Diacarthami, and Diaphenicon, of each three drammes, this you shall breake and mingle toge∣ther with Fewmetorie water, that it may be a drink, which you shall giue the Patient to drinke at foure of the clocke in the morning warme, and suffer him not to sleepe, to eate, nor to drinke, till such time as it haue doone working, for y^e shall expell part of the matter (whereof the disease groweth) by siege, y^e same day you shal cherish him wel with good meates, such as are before shewed for his diet, béeing dressed after the aforesaid order. The next day you shal giue him of this drink following, eyght ounces, the drinke is this. You shall take of the best wood that you can gette (being broken as smal as is possible) halfe a pound, of cléere spring water eight pound, this you must seeth as is taught in the thirde Chapter, and giue the Patient thereof to drinke morning and euening, at each time eyght ounces, causing him to sweate in such order as before is shewed.

But if so be that the Patient cannot keepe within doores but must goe abroade about his busines, you shall then make his drinke of halfe wine, halfe water, taking foure poundes of vach, but in séething your drinke with wine, yee must see that the Pot be very closelie stopped, because the wine is of such a subtile and piercing nature, so that if it once get anie vent, the vertue of it flieth away. Your drinke béeing thus prepared with Wine, may well be ministred to such Pati∣ents as cannot keepe at home but must goe abroade, but yet in verie foule wether they must tarrie at home, and in faire wether they may goe abroade about their busines, after such time as they haue sweat and taken their diet as aforesaide. In this sort are all such Patients to be vsed (for the paine in

the head) as are hote of complexion, the space of eight daies, vntill the ninth day earlie in the morning, at which time you shall giue him the aforesaide Purgation, kéeping him from sleepe, from meate, and drink, till the Purgation haue doone working, and that the Patient feele no more paine or gréefe in his bellie, and then you shall giue him his diet, the same day neither in the morning nor the euening shall hee drinke any drinke, but onelie the Purgation, except at his meales you may giue him of his drinke, mingling the same wyth wine, halfe one, halfe another.

In the morning he shall againe drinke of his drinke, and doe in all respects as I haue taught you before, vntill eyght dayes more be expired, and vpon y^e ninth day you shal purge him againe, and then he shall drinke againe as is aforesaid, in this order he shal continue vntill he be whole, and that the paine haue cleane forsaken him. This aforesaid drinke dooth excellentlie helpe hote and dry complexions by cooling them, and is contrarie to such diseases as are of nature colde & drye, expelling them.

The curing of the paines in the head of those that are Phlegmatick, and Mellancholick.

THe drinke for the Phlegmatick or Mellancholick per∣sons, must in operation be warmer and dryer then that aforesaid, and must therfore be made in this ma∣ner. Take of the wood three quarters of a pounde, bée∣ing broken as small as is possible, with sixe pound of water, and as much Wine, and put it in a stone Pot, and béeing ve∣rie close stopped, sette it to seeth tenne howres in a Kettle of water as is aforesaid, whereof the Patient shall drink mor∣ning and euening eyght ounces at a time, and at the ende of eyght daies, you shall purge him with the aforesaid Purga∣tion, vsing him in all points as is aforesaid, with sweating,

and otherwise, and he shall vndoubtedly be cured. But you must haue great regard in sweating, that you dry his heade well, for that shall much further his health. And heere you shall vnderstand, that the paine doth commonlie increase til it be at the strongest, and then it euery day decreaseth till at the last he feele it no more, therefore you shall not be dismaid though the paine increase in the cure, for that commeth to passe by the strength of the drink, and it is a very good signe, therefore let not the Patient be discomfited, but let him re∣ioyce, because it is a certaine signe of health.