The urinal of physick. By Robert Record Doctor of physick. Whereunto is added an ingenious treatise concerning physicians, apothecaries, and chyrurgians, set forth by a Dr. in Queen Elizabeths dayes. With a translation of Papius Ahalsossa concerning apothecaries confecting their medicines; worthy perusing and following.

TO THE READER.

Courteous Reader,

AS the Books came to my hands, I have presented them faithfully to you. If you accept of them, I shal account my labour well bestowed, intending it for the publike good; If o∣therwise you are offended at him that best ow∣ed them on me, he desires you would, be plea∣sed to present something of your own better; may oblige him and others to thank you for it; I thought fit lastly, to acquaint you that, since my fitting of Record this second time for the Presse, lighting by the help of a Friend, upon these two other Peeces: The one, A Detection of some faults of unskilful Physitians; Ignorant, and Covetous Apo∣thecaries, and Ʋnknowing, Running Chi∣rurgions;

Written by a Doctor of Phy∣sick in Queen Elizabeths dayes, a Book out of Print, and almost knowledge: I thought fit to put again to the Presse, as reproving the too frequent abuses of these times: And also a translation of Papius con∣cerning Apothecaries: Encouraged the ra∣ther, since the publishing of that translated, or rather transverted Dispensatorie by that Sapientum Octavus, Culpepper; wherewith I have presented, as it came to my hands, a cursorie passage (by some Well-wisher to that Honourable societie of Physitians,) prefixed before his translation; Intituled, The Tran∣slator to the Reader.

Curteous Reader,

THere is a Book lately put forth against Anthroposophia. It is conceived the sum of the whole Book, collected from what is scurrilous, and unworthy of an Academi∣an, may be comprised in little more then a sheet of Paper, whereby you may conceive how much the Author burtheneth the Rea∣ders patience with superfluous trash; He is much troubled with Sendivogius, and A∣nonymus; Books, I beleeve, his capaciy ne∣ver yet understood, and for his being graveld at what is wrote against Aristotle, hee will

finde it a greater task to answer Basson, Gas∣sendus, or Van Helmont in what they have taxed him, then to write Invectives without discretion. Concerning Mr. Culpepper, he saith, He that looks on a game, may see as much into it, as he that playes; 'Tis true, if he well knows the game, but you have plaid your game with the Physitians, and though your Gentilitie be not questioned, in∣genious men will give you the Epithite of E∣ques male moratus, though not according to Riders interpretation of Eques at Cards. You say the Liberty of our Common-wealth is most infringed by three sorts of men, Priests, Physitians, Lawyers; the one decei∣ving men in matters belonging to their souls, (if your father were a Priest as is re∣lated, why might not he do so) The second in matters belonging to their bodies, (hardly not more then you by your Dispensatorie) The third, in matters belonging to their E∣states (you are reported to dave tryed some other Professions,) but only fasten on the Rayler. Physitians you say walke in the clouds, and thats the reason men are led by the noses: 'Tis strange men in the clouds, should lead men below by the noses; but you have as visible a piercing eye to see that, as you have into Physick: But they are led by

a company of proud, insulting, domineering Doctors, whose Wits were born five hun∣dred yeeres before themselves; 'Tis a pret∣ty riddle a mans wit should antecede him five hundred yeers: If your own went but half so long before you, I should beleeve they would hardly gallop up to one another, and you scarcely wiser, in five hundred yeers sub∣sequent: But some have wasted whole E∣states in Physick (it hath certainly been with such wise Aesculapians as your self,) though I scarce beleeve any wiseman would fool out a groat on your judgement. It is unhan∣some and unbeseeming, you say, to see a Do∣ctor ride instate in Plush with a foot-cloth, (envie not their merits.) When a Traslator may be trusted with his own government, and writes any thing Dignum bono viro, he will be commended servum Reipublicae: but they dare not visit a visited house, not for that they fear themselves, but because they would not fear others, whose lives may be in as great danger: But you think you have paid them with two Proverbiall Verses, when the Patients ingratitude, when they are restored, may rather keep them away ac∣cording to this Verse:

• 1. Angelus adventu:
• 2. Cura Deus.
• 3. Exitu Abbaddon.

Concerning Physitians in Italy and Ho∣land, they have State-allowances, but if our Eques can regulate no better, between al∣lowances, and non-allo Wances, you will ne∣ver bee made a Justice for equall distribu∣tion. But in the Colledges Epistle, the not quoting of the vertues of the Receipts is ob∣jected against them, but his Wits had never quoted them, had not more ancient wits af∣forded him their light, though but a dark one to guide him. You say if Apollo had served the nine Muses, as they serve their Apothecaries, they would have had no more wit then nine Geese. I wonder whence the rare bird, or rather the feather of an Apo∣thecary, (for he was not fledg'd when he de∣serted the trade) aspired to this height to be able to teach the Physitians, whose Books, he is not worthy to carry, unlesse as an Ass carrieth meat for his Master, and for him∣self: He had rather be Disciple to Zoilus, then Apollo, He saith, The Nation are all already Physitians: If their own opinion have not made themselves so, your opinion labours to do it, with a grain of your selfe-conceited understanding; But all the An∣cients wrote in their mother tongues, and native languages, (but not all their works by his leave) yet all the people were not Phy∣sitians,

neither in Arabia, Grecia, nor Ger∣many; and both in Physick and Arts, they retain their Greek and Arabian names to this day? And concerning their Doses, how uncertainly they have delivered them, a searching man may easily discover; You had need collogue with the terme of worthy Countrymen, when you tell, the Colledge doth in effect say, they are great fools: but you would make them fit for the calling, if scurrility could fasten it on them.

The Apothecaries you say, would deserve the name of a company of Dunces, if they should complain against the Physitians, and not connive for their trade; but had my Gentleman gone out a Freeman in the pro∣fession, the Doctors would have been so bold with him as to have, examined his suffici∣encie, as they do others, before they passe their approbations for practise: You call Heaven to witnesse, none of the Colledge have provoked you; Whence comes this bit∣ternes then undeservedly against them, but from (as you write) the Saturnine disposi∣tion you were born under; you Astrologers, write, some Planets are evill in themselves, yet joyned with some others, qualified with their conjunction are better affected, though Scripture teach you, when God had surveyed

all his works, they were valde bona, and you can produce no place where ever the heavens were cursed. But to conclude with the Gen∣tlewomens. favours who must not be for∣gotten: You present the beginnings of your labours at their feet, in your low humility, with an Herculean undertaking to open un∣to them this famous, though too much abu∣sed Art of Physick, and so conclude with as much Arrogance, as you began with Folly;

Your Friend, Nisu bonos.