This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this text, in whole or in part. Please contact project staff at eebotcp-info@umich.edu for further information or permissions.
THus far we have demonstrated that all Astral Disea∣ses rise from the being of poison. But perchance some will object, feeing that the being of poison is at∣tracted spiritually by inspiring, wherefore is not the whole body but some part, and not the heart but some other more principal Members transmutated? It is an∣swered by the common sentence of Philosophers, that Nature rejoyces for Nature, and Nature receives that
Nature which it meets with; verily in man all the pro∣perties and stars of the Heaven and Earth are contained, and for this cause man is called a Microcosm, though they shew the contrary; but yet he is so by reason of the like effects, as Libavius could not deny; for there are not only bad properties in man but good, as the form of Darnel lies closely in the seed of the Wheat. Therefore like do congratulate with like, and good properties do ever yield to the more strong, when as bad are super∣added, as the form of Wheat yieldeth and granteth the Empire to bad properties, the tinctures of the Lilly be∣ing superadded. These Transplantations are frequent in the Generation and in the Curing of Diseases. But cer∣tainly when the temperature of the bad properties and not of the first or second qualities (of which, Galen, distemperature rises) excelleth, and receiveth more nu∣triment from inordinate and bad diet, or from the in∣fluence of the stars, the natural actions of the Members are hurt, weakned, hindred, or altogether extinguished, from whence it is a true saying, As many Members as many Deaths. When a Physician helpeth diseased Na∣ture by the like Remedies fetcht from the signed art and anatomy, the temperature of the bad properties is ex∣pelled, and the Empire and Dominion of Nature is re∣stored.
And this is the true and proper Theory of the Genera∣tion and Cure of Diseases. That we may return unto our purpose, and propound more clearly the anatomy of astral Diseases, we will demonstrate this anatomy by an example of the Dysentery.
The poison of the Dysentery is of the Nature of the fiery impression, and the intestines of man have the same pro∣perties. Furthermore, the intestines receive that p••••∣son, and so it is conjoyned and united with the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and malignant properties, which lie closely in the 〈◊〉〈◊〉
stance of the intestines, as the form of the Darnel in the Wheat; which properties of the intestines being malig∣nant and strengthned in the Period of Evacuations expel Nature, untill that after the avoiding and ejection of all the Excrements and Humours the faculties be ex∣coriated, and so they expel and eject the blood, lit∣tle pieces of flesh, yea the very substance of the inte∣stines.
So likewise the Brain hath his stars, which if they be rightly tempered in the Macrocosm, the Brain i•• also well: but if they infect the air by Diseaseful resolutions, the Brain admits the same malignant properties, and re∣ceives them unto the Vein as unwelcome guests; which is not to be understood only of the Brain, but of the Heart, Liver, Reins, Lungs, Milt, and Gall. This is the anatomy of the Places and the Planets which first of all are to be observed and understood of a Physician. Of which Paracelsus in the 4. Chap. de duplici anatomia. This I count the chief and especial thing in a Physician, that he rightly understand the confluence of anatomy, and by what means Places and Diseases do agree a∣mongst themselves, not that it ought to be done with∣out the exteriour anatomy of the Macrocosm, but rather that it be deduced by the same influence.