The parfait mareschal, or Compleat farrier. Which teacheth, I. To know the shapes and goodness, as well as faults and imperfections of horses. II. The signs and causes of their diseases, the means to prevent them, their cure, and the good or bad use of purging and bleeding. III. The way to order and preserve them, when upon travel, to feed, and to dress them. IV. The art of shoeing, according to a new design of shoes, which will recover bad feet, and preserve the good. Together with a treatise, how to raise and bring up a true and beautiful race of horses: as also instructions, whereby to fit all kinds of horses with proper bits, whereof the chief draughts are represented in copper-plates. / Written originally in French by the Sieur de Solleysel Escuyer, sometime one of the overseers of the French Kings Royal Academy of Riding, near to the Hostel de Conde in Paris. And translated from the last Paris impression, by Sir William Hope of Kirkliston Kt. Lieutenat Governour of the Castle of Edinburgh. By whom is also added as a supplement to the first part, a most compendious and excellent collection of horsemanship, taken from the best and most modern writers upon that subject, such as Mr. De la Brow, Pluvinel, and the Great Duke of Newcastle. Part I.

CHAP. LVIII. Of Purging in General.

IN all things wherein we may either act right or wrong,* 1.1 it is fit to have Rules 〈◊〉〈◊〉 direct us; we are to know that which is Right, that we may put it in praction and that which is wrong, that we may evite it, for without precepts 〈◊〉〈◊〉 act but blindly; and as the Errors in purging horses are very considerable, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 cannot be warry and careful enough to cause a horse take a Potion seasonably, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 there is required Address to cause a horse swallow it easily, knowledge and skill to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 if he stand in need of it, and also what medicament is most fit for him, to regular its quantity, to resolve after what method it should be administrate, to cause 〈◊〉〈◊〉 take it at a proper and seasonable time, and lastly to practise exactly all the circ•••• stances which should be observed.

First. It is certain that the seldomer a man purge a horse, it will be always the ••••∣est side he chooseth, for it should never be attempted without a great necessity, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 they are easily enflamed, and so much the more readily, because they require great quantity of Drugs to purge them, which cannot possibly be given without 〈◊〉〈◊〉 printing a strange heat in their bodies, and which finding a disposition in their par•• and humours, doth many times either degenerate into a Feaver, or leave behind 〈◊〉〈◊〉 great impression of its heat, which is not soon extinguished.

The second reason why horses should not be purged, except in a great necessity,

that the medicaments are commonly twenty four hours in their bodies, before they begin to operate, so that during that time they alwayes overheat or alter some of the parts, seing they don't rest there without moving, over-heating, or irritating nature: If people could act upon horses, conform to the doctrine of those who disapprove purging, they would certainly prevent a great many disorders, because whatever precautions people may observe in preparing them for it, yet they so frequently re∣mark such considerable disorders after its operation, that we may confidently conclude nature suffers a great deal by such an evacuation; If we could find out remedies, whereby we might so fortifie and redress nature, as that she could discharge her self of her own accord through the common passages, of that which were prejudicial to her, and that she could either overcome and destroy these bad humours, take away their malignity, or fix them, then certainly People might be freed from that trouble they have in purging them; but for my part, whatever care and diligence I have taken, I have not as yet discovered these remedies, and if there are some Medicaments which may perform a part of this effect, yet they do it not wholly, but leave the re∣mander of the humours more attached and fastned, and more difficult to be evacuate, then the whole would have been, had the remedy been altogether a Specifick for them.

Necessity hath no Law, and therefore people are many times obliged to purge horses, but then it should be performed by observing the Climate, Season, the different aspects of the Planets, the disease, the constitution, age, and if possible the very nature and disposition of the horse, which being void of reason and speech, cannot discover to us his distemper, and far less what is fit for it.

The third reason, for which we should observe exact precautions in purging, proceeds from the difficulty of knowing the condition of the disease, and the disposition of the humours, which when concocted and digested by nature, are easily evacuate, but being crude and unprepared are rebellious, and don't yeild to the Remedy; and be∣cause there are several kinds of these humours, it is very fit to give here a slight de∣scription of them.

The division that Hippocrates maketh of the parts of Man, is to be observed in all Creatures; he establishes first the solid parts, as the bones and flesh, next the li∣quid parts, as the Blood and humours, and lastly the spirituous parts, which are the Source of life, the principal Organs of Action, and the first Springs of all our motions.

The Liquid parts, are those humours which are of no fixed and stable consistence, they are produced of the Food which people take, and after divers preparations, a part of them is converted into the proper substance of the solid parts, which is called Nutrition; another portion of them repaires the loss and dissipation of the Spi∣rits, and the rest is rejected as useless; if the food be proper, right chosen, and taken in time, and in a just quantity; if the concoction and preparation of them be made it as ought, and that all the parts which contribute to digestion, acquit themselves exactly well of their functions, and if the unprofitable and superfluous part of them be thrown out, and expelled in its due time, and in just quantity through the common passages, then there is formed a perfect Health, which is rare in Men; because their passions, and the disturbance of their Body and Spirits, produce a great deal of disorder, from which horses are exeemed; and I do really believe, that the passions, and irregular desires in Men, are a considerable part of the cause, why they have not a health so throughly and firmly established, as otherwise it would; yea we even see, that horses without having passions, are not in a perfect state of Health, and that through la∣bour which is either given them immoderatly, or unseasonably, or otherways by reason of bad nourishment, as I shall show you more at large in the 2d. part.

If it happen that the food be improper, altered and corrupted, and either taken unseasonably, or in too great or small a quantity, if the Digestion be out of order, or if the Excretions or voidings are disordered, then is the whole Oeconomy of the Body perverted, its forces diminish, and Diseases are brought upon it, so that in this disor∣der it produces humours, which degenerate from the excellency of the Blood; and to facilitate the understanding of these according to their different Comparisons, people make several kinds of divisions of them: some compare them to Milk, and say that the purest blood, considered in the perfection of its mass, answers to the intire substance of Milk, and that there are three parts which compose it, Bile answers to Butter, Melancholly to Cheese, and Phlegm to Whey; those again who compare the Humours to the Elements and Seasons of the Year, say that Blood corresponds

to the Spring and to Air, and give it the qualities of hot and moist, that the Bile sembles Summer, to which they give the qualities of hot and dry, not formally virtually, and that phlegm hath an affinity to water, which is cold and moist, therefore hath a conformity to Winter and to the Moon; that Melancholy is cold dry, and so cometh near to the nature of Earth, because of the cold which is esse•• to it.

The Chymists have attempted to find out a conformity, betwixt the humours; their own principles, but seeing they have not as yet agreed about it amongst the selves, it is difficult to establish any thing which may prove solid, upon prince which are still controverted and debated; therefore we shall have no regard to the but adhere to that which is most agreeable to the ends of Purging.

People should not think of purging blood, considered as Blood, because if it abou•• in too great a quantity, it requires evacuation by bleeding; and so likwise if it be 〈◊〉〈◊〉 heated, to give a freedom to, and facilitate the motion of the Spirits, and then 〈◊〉〈◊〉 wards it may be clarified and purified, by rightly appropriate Remedies, where shall discourse at large, in treating of the Diseases which have their rise and o•••• from the corruption of the blood; because if it be altered in its quality, or com•• in its substance, it degenerats into some other Humour, so that to consider and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 more exactly the Humours which should be purged, people have observed these 〈◊〉〈◊〉 cuations which nature procures to her self, for the easing and allaying Diseases, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 so they might in some measure be assistant to them, in the choice of proper purg••••.

People observe four kinds of them, without considering that by blood; 〈◊〉〈◊〉 is, when there cometh from the body, Bilious, Yellow, Green, sharp, bitter, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and overheated humours; the second is when it sendeth forth Humours which a phlegmatick, thick and viscuous, like to the glaire of Eggs, many times 〈◊〉〈◊〉 but sometimes sharp and saltish; the third is when there cometh forth bla•• mours, which are bitter and harsh, and sometimes so very corroding, that they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 what resemble Aqua fortis; the fourth sort of Evacuation, and which hath a kind of a finity to the second, is when the body sendeth forth humours, that are clear and liquid and which are called Serosities.

Experience hath discovered, that there are remedies which purge those 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and that there are likewayes some which have this property, that they expell 〈◊〉〈◊〉 humours sooner than others, upon which account people have assigned them 〈◊〉〈◊〉 distinct Classes; there are then some purgatives which are appointed to evacuate•• or choler, others to expell phlegm, so that according as people know the preat∣nant humour they appoint remedies most proper for that which occasiones the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 It would be to no purpose to enquire after a reason why a remedy purges, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 what manner that evacuation is made, for whether the Medicament attracts to it self humour in the Body, as the Adamant or Load-stone doth Iron, or whether it 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Nature by its Acrimony and malignity, so that feeling something which is 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and troublesome to her, she therefore endeavours to expell it, for which the•• some probability, yet it is no great matter which of the two it be, prove people know that by giving such a remedy, there will follow that effect which 〈◊〉〈◊〉 expect; This is abundantly sufficient to those who seek only to cure their horses, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 not the grounds of the reasons of Medicine, which is but of small use to a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 many people.

To order a purgative potion seasonably, and to proceed methodically, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 should know the Subject, and if the horse be either too young or too old, or 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hath been too much fatigued, for in that case he would stand more in need of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 feeding than Purging; as also if he can with ease endure purgation.

A man should also understand the Nature of the Disease; for example, in the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of a Feaver and in the pains of a Collick, it would be very improper to admini•• a purge, because in either the one or t'other, a man will soon have cured his horse it, of all diseases.

People should also endeavour to discover the humour offending, because if it be a great abundance. it must have a more violent remedy, but if it be only in its 〈◊〉〈◊〉 then it will be more easily expelled; if it be too sharp it will need to be sweetned too thick and viscuous it must be attenuate, and if the passages are stopt, they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 opened; In fine all the humors had need to be prepared, that so they may the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 easily yeeld to the Medicament: I shall discourse sufficiently of the Nature of Dise•••• in the 2d. part of this work, in which I shall also discover to you the occasions whe•••• it is expedient to purge, so that the little I have said in this place concerning the Na••

of the humours, will be sufficient to give you at this time a reasonable knowledge of them; it is therefore now time that I discourse of Purgatives.

People call that a purgative Medicament, which being taken inwardly, hath the faculty to expell through the common passage of the Belly, those humours which it meets with in the Body; there are some of these which purge only by lenifying and sweetn∣ing, such as Oyles, Greases, and Butter, and which by moistning and Greasing the interior superfice of the intestines, facilitate the descent and evacuation of the excre∣ments, and other humours; there are others of them again which by their abundance of moisture, dilute and soften so extremely the humours, that they cause all of them that are contained in the bowels, to glide along with them and be evacute, such as Whey, the decoction of Beets, of Pellitory of the wall, of Coleworts, of Spinage, and others; and so likewise Grass which is given to horses in the Month of May, purges them by soaking and softning the humours, and causing them to pass easily through the Bowels, by reason of their great humidity.

All sharp and piquant things, do likewise irritate and excite the expulsive faculty, such as almost all Salts, the seed of Nettles, and many others; but all these remedies, are rather laxative and detersive, than true purgatives.

Those remedys which have the faculty, to purge mostly conform to the humours which they evacuate, are of four sorts; these are called Cholagogs which Purge Bile and Choler.

These Phlegmagogs, which purge pituite or Phlegm.

Those Melanagogs, which purge Melancholy or adust Choler; and those Hydra∣gogs which purge Waters, and the superfluous serosities of the whole Body.

Now notwithstanding of this people must not fancy, that the remedys of one class do only purge and expell one particular humour, for how simple soever the Medica∣ment may be, yet it will purge a part of all: Sene, for example, is so universal a Drug, that there is no Medicament wherein it may not be used, nor none of the humours which it doth not expell; those who say that purgatives Act conform to the Similitude of substance, have a great deal of difficulty to discover the resemblance, which so simple a Drug hath with humours so very different; but that which people should cheifly consider in a purgative, is its strength or weakness.

Neither must it be thought that in a Malignant diftemper, a gentle remedy will perform a great effect, it would also be very unreasonable, for a small indisposition to make use of a violent remedy, if people fail in any side, it should rather be in giv∣ing too weak, than too strong remedys; and as all purgatives have a kind of Malig∣nity, it is therefore very fit they should be corrected: People should also know that a remedy given in Substance, for example in powder, should be made use of in a less quantity, then when it is only infused in some Liquor, and the solid Substance thrown away.

Generaly speaking, no infusion of any Drug whatsoever will purge a horse, he must therefore have the remedys given to him in their proper Substance, because their infusion passes too quickly, and continues not long enough in a horses Body, that so it may purge him, for he is a creature so difficult to be wrought upon, that although a Drug be given him in Substance, yet it will be four and twenty hours in his Body before it begin to purge, and an infusion which is liquid, passes commonly in five or six, so that it hath little or no effect: Indeed people may make use of an infusion as they do of a decoction, to mix these Drugs withall, wherewith they intend to purge the horse, and give him them both together, to increase in some measure their ver∣tue, but not otherwise.

Notes

• * 1.1

  CHAP LVIII Of Purging in general.