210 
THE COMPLETE HERBAL 
tion, and therefore the better able to call 
the offending humour to them. 
4. If I should tell you here a long tale of 
medicines working by sympathy and anti- 
pathy, you would not understand a word of 
it: They that are set to make physicians 
may find it in the treatise. All modern 
physicians know not what belongs to a 
sympathetical cure, no more than a cuckow 
what belongs to flats and sharps in music, 
but follow the vulgar road, and call it a 
hidden quality, because ’tis hidden from the 
eyes of dunces, and indeed none but astro- 
logers can give a reason for it; and physic 
without reason is like a pudding without 
fat. 
5. The way to make pills is very easy, 
for with the help of a pestle and mortar, 
and a little diligence, you may make any 
powder into pills, either with syrup, or the 
jelly I told you before. 
CHAPTER XV. 
The way of mizing Medicines according to 
the Cause of the Disease, and Part of the 
Body afflicted. 
Tuts being indeed the key of the work, 
I shall be somewhat the more diligent in 
it. I shall deliver myself thus; 
1. To the Vulgar. 
2. To such as study Astrology; or such 
as study physic astrologically. 
Ist, To the Vulgar. Kind souls, I am 
sorry it hath been your hard mishap to have 
been so long trained in such Egyptian 
darkness which to your sorrow may be felt; 
The vulgar road of physic is not my prac- 
tice, and I am therefore the more unfit to 
give you advice. I have now published a 
little book (Galen’s Art of Physic,) which 
_ will fully instruct you, not only in the 
_ knowledge of your own bodies, but also in 
_ fit medicines to remedy each part of it 
_ when afflicted ; in the mean season take these 
and the part of the body afflicted; for ex- 
ample, suppose a woman be subject to mis- 
carry, through wind, thus do; 
(1.) Look Abortion in the table of dis- 
eases, and you shall be directed by that, 
how many herbs prevent miscarriage. 
(2.) Look Wind in the same table, and 
you shall see how many of these herbs ex- 
pel wind. 
These are the herbs medicinal for your 
grief. 
2. In all diseases strengthen the part of 
the body afflicted. 
3. In mix’d diseases there lies some dif- 
ficulty, for sometimes two parts of the body 
are afflicted with contrary humours, as 
sometimes the liver is afflicted with choler 
and water, as when a man hath both the 
dropsy and the yellow-jaundice; and this 
is usually mortal. 
In the former, Suppose the brain be too 
cool and moist, and the liver be too hot and 
dry ; thus do; 
1. Keep your head outwardly warm. 
2. Accustom yourself to the smell of hot 
herbs. 
3. Take a pill that heats the head at night 
going to bed. 
4. In the morning take a decoction that 
cools the liver, for that quickly passes the 
stomach, and is at the liver immediately. 
You must not think, courteous people, 
that I can spend time to give you examples 
of all diseases; These are enough to let you 
see so much light as you without art are 
able to receive; If I should set you to look 
at the sun, I should dazzle your eyes, and 
make you blind. 
2dly, To such as study Astrology, (who 
are the only men I know that are fit to 
study physic, physic without astrology 
being like a lamp without oil; you are the 
men I exceedingly respect, and such docu- 
ments as my brain can give you at present 
(being absent from my study) I shall give 
> 
— foe 
