CHAP. III. Of the variety of the sick, and of their Diseases and Medicaments.
THe peculiar diseases of the Northern people are these: The Cough, Stone. Tooth-ach, pains in their Eyes, Collicks, Agues, Flegme, Scabs, the French Pox, and small Pox; the Plague also, but that comes but seldom: and there∣fore when it comes, it more cruelly destroyes those that are over-given to glut∣tony and excesse. There is also another disease in the Camp, that vexes the besiegers and the besieged, and it is such a one, that their fleshy parts grow stu∣pid, and melt like wax, with corruption under the skin, and will pit with your fingers touching them; and the teeth are ready to fall out; their skins grow white and wan, and they grow sluggish, and nauseat meats, desiring to have help. In the vulgar tongue of the Nation it is called Schoerburh; in Greek, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, it may be, by reason of that soft corruption under their skins; and it seems to breed from eating salt meats, that are not digested, and to be fostered by a cold exhalation from the walls. But it is not so forcible where the walls are covered with boards on the in-side. But if this mischief grow spreading over∣much, they strive to cure it by drinking Wormwood Beer, as they use to cure the Stone perfectly by drinking old Ale and Butter boyl'd: and thus they to∣tally help, or much ease the pain of the Stone in the Kidneys.