pass forth. This following powder of Vigo's description must be strewed upon the Suture. ℞ thu∣ris, sang. draconis, boli armen. terrae sigill. an. ʒ ij. aloes, mastich. an. ʒ j. fiat pulvis subtilis. And then the joynt must be wrapped about with a repercussive medicine composed of the whites of Eggs, a little oil of Roses, Bole, Mastich, and Barly flowr. If it be needful to use a Tent, let it be short, and according to the wound thick, lest it cause pain, and moreover let it be anointed with the yolk of an egg, oil of Roses, washed turpentine and a little saffron. But if the wound be more short and narrow, it shall be dilated, if there be occasion, that so the humor may pass away more freely. You must rest the part, and beware of using cold, relaxing, mollifying, humecting, and unctuous medicines, unless peradventure the sharpness of the pain must be mitigated. For on the contrary, astringent and desiccant medicines are good, as this following cataplasm. ℞. furfur. macri, farin. hordei, & fabarum. an. ℥ iiij. florum chamae. & melil. an. m. ss. terebinth. ℥ iij. mellis communis ℥ ij. ol. myrt. ℥ j. oxymelitis, vel oxycrat. vel lixivii com. quantum sufficit; fiat cataplasma ad formam pul∣tis. Or you may compose one of the Lees of wine, Wheat bran, the powder of Oaken bark, cy∣press nuts, galls and Turpentine, and such like, that have an astringent, strengthening, and drying quality, and thereby asswaging pain, and hindering the defluxion of humors. This following me∣dicine is astringent and agglutinative. ℞ terebinth, venet. ℥ ij. aq. vitae parum, pulv••ris mastich, aloes, myrrhae, b••li armen. an. ℈ ij. And also our balsam will be good in this case, if so be that you add hereto so much powder which dryes without acrimony, as occasion shall serve: I admonished you before to take heed of cold, and now again; for it is hurtful to all wounds and ulcers, but espe∣cially to these of the nervous parts: hence it is that many dye of small wounds in the winter, who might recover of the same wounds though greater in the Summer. For cold according to Hippo∣crates is nipping to ulcers, hardens the skin, and hinders them from suppuration, extinguisheth natural heat, causes blackness, cold aguish fits, convulsions, and distentions. Now divers excre∣ments are cast forth of wounds of the joynts, but chiefly albugineous, that is, resembling the white of an egg, and mucous, and sometimes a very thin water, all which savour of the nature of that hu∣mor which nourisheth these parts. For to every part there is appropriate for his nourishment and conservation, a peculiar balsam, which by the wound flows out of the same part; as out of the branches of the vine, when they are pruned, their radical moisture or juyce flows, whence also a Callus proceeds in broken bones. Now this same mucous, and albugineous humor, slow and as it were frozen, flowing from the wounded joynts, shews the cold distemper of the parts, which cause pain, not to be orecome by medicins only potentially hot. Wherefore to correct that, we must apply things actually hot, as beasts and swines bladder half full of a discussing decoction, or hot bricks quenched in Wines. Such actual heat helps nature to concoct and discuss the superfluous humor impact in the joynts, and strengthens them; both which are very necessary, because the natural heat of the joynts is so infirm that it can scarse actuate the medicin unless it be helped with medicins actually hot. Neither must the Chirurgeon have the least care of the figure and posture of the part, for a vicious posture increases ill symptoms, uses to bring to the very part though the wound be cured, distortion, numness, incurable contraction; which fault lest he should run in∣to, let him observe what I shall now say; If the forepart of the shoulder be wounded, a great boul∣ster must be under the arm-pit, and you must carry your arm in a scarf, so that it may bear up the lower part of the arm, that so the top of the shoulder may be elevated somewhat higher, and that so it may be thereby more speedily and happily agglutinated and consolidated. If the lower part be wounded, when flesh begins to be generated and the lips of the wound to meet, you must bid the Patient to move and stir his armes divers wayes ever and anon, for if that be omitted or negligently done, when it is cicatrized, then it will be more stiffe and less pliable to every motion; and yet there is a further danger lest the arm should totally lose its motion. If the wound be upon the joynt of the elbow, the arm shall be placed and swathed in a middle posture, that is, which neither too straitly bows it, nor holds it too stiffly out; for otherwise, when it is cicatrized, there will be an impediment either in the contraction or extention. When the wound is in the wrist, or joints of the fingers either externally or internally, the hand must be kept half-shut, con∣tinually moving a ball therein. For if the fingers be held straight stretched forth, after it is cica∣trized, they will be unapt to take up or hold any thing, which is their proper faculty. But if after it is healed, it remain half-shut, no great inconveniency will follow thereon: for so he may use his hand divers wayes to his sword, pike, bridle, and in any thing else. If the joints of the Hip be wounded, you must so place the Patient that the thigh-bone may be kept in the cavity of the huck∣lebone, and may not part a hairs breadth there-from, which shall be done with linnen boulsters and ligatures applyed as is fitting, and lying full upon his back. When the wound shall begin to cicatrize, the Patient shall use to move his thigh every way, lest the head of the thigh-bone stick in the cavity of the huckle-bone without motion. In a wound of the knee, the leg must be placed straight out, if the Patient desire not to be lame. When the joints of the feet and toes are wounded, these parts shall neither be bended in nor out, for otherwise he will not be able to go. To con∣clude, the site of the foot and leg, is quite contrary to that of the arm and hand.