Cerates are applied to several parts and frontals, to take away pain, grief, heat, procure sleep. Fomentations or sponges, wet in some decoctions, &c., epithemata, or those moist medicines, laid on linen, to bathe and cool several parts misaffected.

Sacculi, or little bags of herbs, flowers, seeds, roots, and the like, applied to the head, heart, stomach, &c., odoraments, balls, perfumes, posies to smell to, all which have their several uses in melancholy, as shall be shown, when I treat of the cure of the distinct species by themselves.

MEMB. II.

SUBSECT. I.-Purging Simples upward.

MELANAGOGA, or melancholy purging medicines, are either simple or compound, and that gently, or violently, purging upward or downward. These following purge upward. 1 1 Asarum or Asarabacca, which, as Mesue saith, is hot in the second degree, and dry in the third, "it is commonly taken in wine, whey," or as with us, the juice of two or three leaves, or more sometimes, pounded in posset drink qualified with a little licorice, or anise-seed, to avoid the fulsomeness of the taste, or as Diaserum Fernelii. Brassivola, in Catart., reckons it up amongst those simples that only purge melancholy, and Ruellius confirms as much out of his experience, that it purgeth 2black choler, like hellebore itself. Galen, lib. 6, simplic., and Matthiolus ascribe other virtues to it, and will have it purge other humours as well as this.

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Laurel, by Heurnius's method, ad prax. lib. 2, cap. 24, is put amongst the strong purgers of melancholy; it is hot and dry in the fourth degree. Dioscorides, lib. 11, cap. 114, adds other effects to it.4 Pliny sets down fifteen berries in drink

1 Heurnius: datur in sero lactis, aut 3 Crassos et biliosos humores per vomitum vino. 2 Veratri modo expurgat cere. educit. 4 Vomitum et menses cit; vabrum, roborat memoriam. Fuchsius. let ad hydrop. &c.

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for a sufficient potion; it is commonly corrected with his opposites, cold and moist, as juice of endive, purslane, and is taken in a potion to seven grains and a half. But this and asarabacca, every gentlewoman in the country knows how to give; they are two common vomits.

Scilla, or sea-onion, is hot and dry in the third degree. Brassivola, in Catart. out of Mesue, others, and his own experience, will have this simple to purge 1melancholy alone. It is an ordinary vomit, vinum scilliticum, mixed with rubel in a little white wine.

White hellebore, which some call sneezing powder, a strong purger upward, which many reject, as being too violent; Mesue and Averroes will not admit of it, 2" by reason of danger of suffocation," "great pain and trouble it puts the poor patient to," saith Dodonæus. Yet Galen, lib. 6, simpl. med. and Dioscorides, cap. 145, allow of it. It was indeed 4" terrible in former times," as Pliny notes, but now familiar, insomuch that many took it in those days, 5" that were students, to quicken their wits," which Persius, Sat. 1, objects to Accius the poet, Ilias Acci ebria veratro. 6" It helps melancholy, the falling-sickness, madness, gout, &c., but not to be taken of old men, youths, such as are weaklings, nice, or effeminate, troubled with headache, high-coloured, or fear strangling," saith Dioscorides. Oribasius, an old physician, hath written very copiously, and approves of it, “in such affections which can otherwise hardly be cured." Heurnius, lib. 2, prax. med. de vomitoriis, will not have it used 866 but with great caution by reason of its strength, and then when antimony will do no good," which caused Hermophilus to compare it to a stout captain (as Codronchus observes, cap. 7, comment. de Helleb.) that will see all his soldiers go before

1 Materias atras educit. 2 Ab arte ideo rejiciendum, ob periculum suffocationis. 3 Cap. 16, magnâ vi educit, et molestiâ cum summâ. 4 Quondam terribile. 5 Multi studiorum gratia ad providenda acrius quæ commentabantur. Medetur comitialibus, melancholicis, podagricis; vetatur senibus, pueris, mol

libus et effæminatis. 7 Collect. lib. 8, cap. 3, in affectionibus iis quæ difficulter curantur, Helleborum damus. 8 Non sine summâ cautione hoc remedio utemur; est enim validissimum, et quum vires Antimonii contemnit morbus, in auxilium evocatur, modo valide vires efflorescant.

him and come post principia, like the bragging soldier, last himself; 1when other helps fail in inveterate melancholy, in a desperate case, this vomit is to be taken. And yet for all this, if it be well prepared, it may be securely given at first. Matthiolus brags, that he hath often, to the good of many, made use of it, and Heurnius, "that he hath happily used it, prepared after his own prescript," and with good success. Christophorus à Vega, lib. 3, c. 41, is of the same opinion, that it may be lawfully given; and our country gentlewomen find it by their common practice, that there is no such great danger in it. Dr. Turner, speaking of this plant in his Herbal, telleth us, that in his time it was an ordinary receipt among good wives, to give hellebore in powder to iid weight, and he is not much against it. But they do commonly exceed, for who so bold as blind Bayard, and prescribe it by pennyworths, and such irrational ways, as I have heard myself market folks ask for it in an apothecary's shop; but with what success God knows; they smart often for their rash boldness and folly, break a vein, make their eyes ready to start out of their heads, or kill themselves. So that the fault is not in the physic, but in the rude and indiscreet handling of it. He that will know, therefore, when to use, how to prepare it aright, and in what dose, let him read Heurnius, lib. 2, prax. med. Brassivola, de Catart. Godefridus Stegius, the emperor Rudolphus's physician, cap. 16, Matthiolus in Dioscor. and that excellent commentary of Baptista Codronchus, which is instar omnium de Helleb. alb. where we shall find great diversity of examples and receipts.

Antimony or stibium, which our chemists so much magnify, is either taken in substance or infusion, &c., and frequently prescribed in this disease. "It helps all infirmities," saith 5 Matthiolus," which proceed from black choler, falling-sick

1 Etius, tetrab. cap. 1, ser. 2. Iis solum dari vult Helleborum album, qui secus spem non habent, non iis qui syncopen timent, &c. 2 Cum salute multorum. 3 Cap. 12, de morbis cap. 4 Nos facillime utimur nostro preparato

Helleboro albo. 5 In lib. 5, Dioscor. cap. 3. Omnibus opitulatur morbis, quos atra bilis excitavit, comitialibus, iisque præsertim qui Hypochondriacas obtinent passiones.

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ness, and hypochondriacal passions ;" and for farther proof of his assertion, he gives several instances of such as have been freed with it: one of Andrew Gallus, a physician of Trent, that after many other essays, "imputes the recovery of his health, next after God, to this remedy alone." Another of George Handshius, that in like sort, when other medicines failed, was by this restored to his former health, and which of his knowledge others have likewise tried, and by the help of this admirable medicine been recovered." A third of a parish priest at Prague in Bohemia, 8" that was so far gone with melancholy that he doted, and spake he knew not what; but after he had taken twelve grains of stibium, (as I myself saw, and can witness, for I was called to see this miraculous accident,) he was purged of a deal of black choler, like little gobbets of flesh, and all his excrements were as black blood (a medicine fitter for a horse than a man), yet it did him so much good, that the next day he was perfectly cured." This very story of the Bohemian priest, Sckenkius relates verbatim, Exoter. experiment. ad var. morb. cent. 6, observ. 6, with great approbation of it. Hercules de Saxoniâ calls it a profitable medicine, if it be taken after meat to six or eight grains, of such as are apt to vomit. Rodericus à Fonseca, the Spaniard, and late professor of Padua in Italy, extols it to this disease, Tom. 2, consul. 85, so doth Lod. Mercatus, de inter. morb. cur. lib. 1, cap. 17, with many others. Jacobus Gervinus, a French physician, on the other side, lib. 2, de venenis confut. explodes all this, and saith he took three grains only upon Matthiolus and some others' commendation, but it almost killed him, whereupon he concludes, 466 antimony is rather poison than a medicine." Th. Erastus concurs with him in his opinion, and so doth Ælian Mon

tus.

1 Andreas Gallus, Tridentinus medicus, salutem huic medicamento post Deum debet. 2 Integræ sanitati, brevi restituId quod aliis accidisse scio, qui hoc mirabili medicamento usi sunt. 3 Qui melancholicus factus planè desipiebat, multaque stultè loquebatur, huic exhibitum 12 gr. stibium, quod paulo post

atram bilem ex alvo eduxit (ut ego vidi, qui vocatus tanquam ad miraculum adfui testari possum), et ramenta tanquam carnis dissecta in partes, totum excrementum tanquam sanguinem nigerrimum repræsentabat. 4 Antimonium venenum, non medicamentum.

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taltus, cap. 30, de melan. But what do I talk? 'tis the subject of whole books; I might cite a century of authors pro and con. I will conclude with Zuinger, antimony is like Scanderbeg's sword, which is either good or bad, strong or weak, as the party is that prescribes, or useth it; "a worthy medicine if it be rightly applied to a strong man, otherwise poison." For the preparing of it, look in Evonimi thesaurus, Quercetan, Oswaldus Crollius, Basil. Chim. Basil. Valentius, &c.

Tobacco, divine, rare, superexcellent tobacco, which goes far beyond all the panaceas, potable gold, and philosopher's stones, a sovereign remedy to all diseases. A good vomit, I confess, a virtuous herb, if it be well qualified, opportunely taken, and medicinally used; but as it is commonly abused by most men, which take it as tinkers do ale, 'tis a plague, a mischief, a violent purger of goods, lands, health; hellish, devilish and damned tobacco, the ruin and overthrow of body and soul.

SUBSECT. II.-Simples purging Melancholy downward.

POLYPODY and epithyme are, without all exceptions, gentle purgers of melancholy. Dioscorides will have them void phlegm; but Brassivola out of his experience averreth, that they purge this humour; they are used in decoction, infusion, &c., simple, mixed, &c.

Myrobalans, all five kinds, are happily 2 prescribed against melancholy and quartan agues; Brassivola speaks out "of a thousand" experiences, he gave them in pills, decoctions, &c., look for peculiar receipts in him.

Stoechas, fumitory, dodder, herb mercury, roots of capers, genista or broom, pennyroyal and half boiled cabbage, I find in this catalogue of purgers of black choler, origan, feverfew, ammoniac salt, saltpetre. But these are very gentle;

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1 Cratonis ep. sect. vel ad Monavium mè dantur melancholicis et quaternariis. ep. In utramque partem dignissimum 3 Millies horum vires expertus sum. medicamentum, si recte utentur, secus 4 Sal nitrum, sal ammoniacum, dracontii venenum. 2 Moerores fugant; utilissi- radix, dictamnum.