The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

136 NATURAL HISTORY. CENT. X.
then at Paris, there grew upon both my hands a fit figure of heaven. Fourthly, it may be applied
number of warts, at the least an hundred, in a to the weapon, though the party hurt be at great
month's space. The English ambassador's lady, distance. Fifthly, it seemeth the imagination of
who was a woman far from superstition, told me the party to be cured is not needful to concur;
one day, she would help me away with my for it may be done without the knowledge of the
warts: whereupon she got a piece of lard with the party wounded: and thus much has been tried,
skin on, and rubbed the warts all over with the fat that the ointment, for experiment's sake, hath
side; and amongst the rest, that wart which I been wiped off the weapon, without the knowhad had from n my childhood: then she nailed the ledge of the party hurt, and presently the part)
piece of lard, with the fat towards the sun, upon hurt hath been in great rage of pain, till the
a post of her chamber window, which was to the weapon was re-anointed. Sixthly, it is affirmed,
south. The success was, that within five weeks' that if you cannot get the weapon, yet if you
space all the warts went quite away: and that wart put an instrument of iron or wood, resembling
which I had so long endured, for company. But the weapon, into the wound, whereby it bleedat the rest I did little marvel, because they came eth, the anointing of that instrument will serve
in a short time, and might go away in a short and work the effect. This I doubt should be a
time again; but the going away of that which device to keep this strange form of cure in request
had stayed so long doth yet stick with me. and use; because many times you cannot come
They say the like is done by the rubbing of warts by the weapon itself. Seventhly, the wound
with a green elder stick, and then burying the must be at first washed clean with white wine,
stick to rot in muck.' It would be tried with or the party's own water; and then bound up
corns and wens, and such other excrescences. I close in fine linen, and no more dressing renewed
would have it also tried with some parts of living till it be whole. Eighthly, the sword itself must
creatures that are nearest the nature of excres- be wrapped up close, as far as the ointment
cences; as the combs of cocks, the spurs of cocks, goeth, that it taketh no wind. Ninthly, the
the horns of beasts, &c. And I would have it ointment, if you wipe it off from the sword and
tried both ways; both by rubbing those parts keep it, will serve again; and rather increase in
with lard, or elder, as before, and by cutting off virtue than diminish. Tenthly, it will cure in far
some piece of those parts, and laying it to con- shorter time than ointments of wounds commonly
suime: to see whether it will work any effect to- do. Lastly, it will cure abeast, as well as a man,
wards the consumption of that part which was which I like best of all the rest, because it subonce joined with it. jecteth the matter to an easy trial.
998. It is constantly received and avouched,
that the anointing of the weapon that maketh Experiment solitary touching secret properties.
the wound, will heal the wound itself. In this
experiment, upon the relation of men of credit, 999. I would have men know, that though I
though myself, as yet, am not fully inclined to reprehend the easy passing over the causes of
believe it, you shall note the points following: things, by ascribing them to secret and hidden
first, the ointment wherewith this is done is virtues, and proprieties, for this hath arrested and
made of divers ingredients; whereof the strangest laid asleep all true inquiry and indications, yet I
and hardest to come by, are the moss upon the do not understand, but that in the practical part
skull of a dead man unburied, and the fats of a of knowledge, much will be left to experience and
boar and a bear killed in the act of generation. probation, whereunto indication cannot so fully
These two last I could easily suspect to be pre- reach: and this not only in specie, but in indiviscribed as a starting-hole: that if the experiment duo. So in physic; if you will cure the jaunproved not, it might be pretended that the beasts dice, it is not enough. to say, that the medicine
were notkilled in the due time; forasforthe moss, must notbe cooling; for that willhinder the openit is certain there is great quantity of it in Ireland, ing which the disease requireth: that it must not be
upon slain bodies, laid on heaps unburied. The hot; for that will exasperate choler: that it must
other ingredients are, the blood-stone in powder, go to the gall; for there is the obstruction which
and some other things, which seem to have a causeththedisease,&c. But you mustreceive from
virtue to stanch blood; as also the moss hath. experience that powder of Chamcepytis, or the
And the description of the whole ointment is to be like, drunk in beer, is good for the jaundice. So
found in the chymical dispensatory of Crollius. again a wise physician doth not continue still the
Secondly, the same kind of ointment applied to same medicine to a patient; but he will vary, if
the hurt itself worketh not the effect; but only the first medicine doth not apparently succeed:
applied to the weapon. Thirdly, which I like' for of those remedies that are good for the jaundice,
weil, they do not observe the confecting of the stone, agues, &c., that will do good in one body
ointment under any certain constellation; which which will not do good in another; according to
commonly is the excuse of magical medicines the correspondence the medicine hath to the indiwhen they fail, that they were not made under a vidual body.