On Popular Illuftons. yi 



ranks of men, among whom they were admitted 

 before. 



III. The remedies employed in difeafes fup- 

 pofed to be preternatural, may be divided into 

 magical and natural. Of the firft, the cure by 

 pronouncing certain words, or verfes, is the 

 moft ancient; for the method by emblem, of 

 which the brazen ferpent, erecled by Mofes, was 

 the firft exam.ple, was not magical, but mira- 

 culous. The former is generally termed the 

 Homeric cure, becaufe the oldeft inftance of ic 

 is found in the Odyfiey : A differtation on this 

 fubjedl is afcribed to Galen, Screnus thought 

 it efficacious (o), as did iEtius, Pliny, Alexander 

 Trallianus, Marcellus, Gordonius and Ferrerius. 

 Antonius Benivenius relates that an arrow was 

 drawn from a foldier's body, by a fong. Celius 

 Aurelianus had told that the Emperor Adrian 

 cured a perfon. of a dropfy, by reciting certain 

 words*. Who can wonder, after thefe exam- 

 ples, at the conduft of Buchanan's Francifcans? 



Conceptis verbis de fomno furgere, menfam 

 Ponere, adire, referre, jubere, orare, falutem 

 Picere, conceptis urinam reddere verbis, 



A colle<5tion of fome very ridiculous forms, for 

 the cure of different difeafes, is furniflied by 

 Wierusf. Bodinus thought it very impious, 



* Delrio Difq. Magic, p. 48. Fien. de Virib. Imaginat. 

 p- 92. f P. 376 de Curat, laef. Malef. 



F 4 and 



