348 lawson's history 



rattle made of a gonrd with peas in it. This the 

 king delivers into the doctor's hand, whilst an- 

 other brings a bowl of water, and sets it down. 

 Then the doctor begins, and utters some few words 

 very softly; afterwards he smells of the patient's 

 navel and belly, and sometimes scarifies him a 

 little with a flint, or an instrument made of rattle 

 snake's teeth for that purpose ; then he sucks the 

 patient and gets out a mouthful of blood and serum, 

 but serum chiefly, which, perhaps, may be a better 

 method in many cases than to take away great 

 quantities of blood, as is commonly practiced, 

 which he spits in the bowl of water. Then he be- 

 gins to mutter, and talk apace, and at last to cut 

 capers and clap his hands on his breech and sides, 

 till he gets into a sweat, so that a stranger would 

 think he was running mad, now and then sucking 

 the patient, and so, at times, keeps sucking, till 

 he has got a great quantity of very ill colored mat- 

 ter out of the belly, arms, breast, forehead, tem- 

 ples, neck, and most parts, still continuing his gri- 

 maces, and antic postures, which are not to be 

 matched in Bedlam. At last you will see the doctor 

 all over of a dropping sweat, and scarce able to 

 utter one word, having quite spent himself; then 

 he will cease for a w^hile, and so begin again till 

 he comes in the same pitch of raving and seeming 

 madness, as before, all this time the sick body never 

 so much as moves, although, doubtless, the lancing 

 and sucking must be a gj-eat punishment to them, 

 but thev certainly are the patientest and most 



