CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 239 



" For an head or eye 

 By Hillyard drawn, 

 Is worth an history 

 By a worse painter made." 



I found among my papers this receipt for the king's 

 evil, which I had from Dr. Stokes. Let the patient chew 

 the roots of Piperitis, and it will make him spit, and bring 

 away the malignity, and cure the distemper. 



In another letter of Jan. 21, 169|, are these words, 

 viz. " Mr. Lhwyd sent me a letter this week, acquainting 

 me he hath received an ear of rye (but without any grain) 

 taken out of a child's side of half a year old, under the 

 short j[ibs, in Merionethshire." 



London, Oct. 22, 1691. 



Dr. ROBINSON to Mr. RAT. 



SIR, All our sea officers and understanding seamen 

 agree that the Mediterranean sets out again into the 

 Atlantic; and a gentleman who was employed many 

 years in the mole of Tangier, brought back a chart with 

 him of this ebbing out of the Strait's mouth; I own 

 it is scarce reconcileable to the common notions of phi- 

 losophy that there should be two contrary declivities or 

 currents in the same channel ; but the seamen have often 

 laughed at my way of reasoning, telling me that the 

 same thing is frequent in many straits, as the Hellespont 

 and Bosphorus, but more notably in that of Negropont. 

 I would not be thought to bias your better judgment, 

 yet I must tell you that all the scholars about the town 

 who read your book, do agree you to be under an error ; 

 indeed general opinions never determine me when I am 

 inclined to think upon any subject (which happens 

 seldom), and to speak the truth, I doubt of this ; though 

 Dr. Lister, Mr. Aston, Mr. Hally, Mr. Flamsted, &c., 

 are all against you, so are all the seafaring men. 



