84 SPRINGS, RIVERS, CANALS, LAKES, 



description, which, from the loose and unsettled stute of the science 

 in this early perod of its existence, are of no value in the present 

 day. Whilst upon this diocese, however, we rrm be permitted to 

 remark that Paderborn appears at i.he era befo e us to have been 

 celebrated for various spring* of ai> extraordinary nature, since m the 

 same volume we meet with the fo!io\ving account, whicl? v-e quote 

 rather for its singularity thai its containing any thing that can be 

 very minutely depended upon in the present more accurate and cau. 

 tious state of science. 



" Tn the diocese of Paderborn, about two leagues from that town, 

 is a spring,called Metborn, with three streams, two of Hii* ii nre not 

 above one foot and half distant from each other, and yet of such 

 different qualities, that one of them is limpid, bluish, lukewarm, and 

 bubbling, containing sal-ammoniac, oker, iron, vitrio), aluui, suphur, 

 nitre, and orpiment *, used against epilepsies, diseased spleens, and 

 the worms ; the other is ice cold, turbid, and whitish, much stronger 

 in taste, and heavier than the former, containing much orpimeiit, salt, 

 iron, nitre, and some sal-ammoniac, alum, and vitriol. All birds 

 that drink of the latter are observed to die ; which I have also made 

 experiment of, by taking some of it home, and giving it to poultry, 

 after having eaten oats, barley, and bread-crumbs : for soon after 

 drinking it, they became giddy, reeled and tumbled upon their backs, 

 with Convulsions, and so died with their legs much extended. Giv- 

 ing them common salt immediately after they had drunken, they 

 lived longer; giving them vinegar, they died not at all, but seven 

 or eight days after were troubled with the pip. Those that died 

 being opened, their lungs were found quite shrivelled. Yet some 

 persons who are troubled with worms, taking a little quantity of it 

 diluted with common water, have been observed by this means to 

 kill the worms in their bodies, and discharged great numbers of 

 them : and though it makes them sick, yet not so as to endanger 

 their lives. 



The third stream, lying lower than the other two, and about 20 

 paces distant from them, is of a greenish colour, very clear, and of 

 a sourish sweet taste, agreeable enough. Its weight is a medium 



* The chemical analysis of mineral waters was so imperfectly understood in 

 the 17th century, that little reliance can be placed on the number and propor- 

 tion of ingredients assigned in this and other i 



