L I B. I V. Of the Advancement of -Learning. 1 2 5 





dangerous fymptome, may make and conduce to recovery '-, but even 

 when all hope of recovery being gone, it may ferve to make a fnir and 

 eafie pailagc out oflife. For it is no fmall felicity, which Augnjius Ca- Aug.'*"'''* 

 fur w.ts wont to xpiji} to htmfelf, thdtfavte Euthanafia ^ which wa;j alfo no- 

 ted in the Death oiAntonins Pifts^ who Teemed not fo much to dye, a^ 

 to be caft into a fvveet and deep fleep. And it is written of Epjciims 

 that he procured this fame ealie departure unto himfelf, for after his, 

 difeafe was judged defperate, he drowned his ftomach and fenfcs with 

 a largedraught, and ingurgitation of wine ; whereupon the Epigraram 



was made hinc Stygias ebrins hattftt aqnas. He took away by thefe Laer'-inf 



draughts ofwiae, the hitter tafi of the Stygian miter. But in our times Epic^ro, 

 Phyficians make a kind of fcruple and nicety of it, to ftay with a pati- 

 ent after the difeafe is part hope of cure ; whereas in my judgment, if 

 they would not be wanting to their profeffion, and to humanity it felf, 

 they ought both to enquire the skill, and to give the attendance, for 

 the facilitating and ajftpaging of the P/tinr and Agonies of Death at their 

 departure. And this part, the enquiry de Euthanafta Exteriori, (which 

 we fo call to diftinguifti it from thn Enthanafia, oi fivcet-cdra Dying, 

 procured by a due preparation of the foul) we refer to the number ofDe- 

 ficients. 



§ So in the Cures ofDifeaJes., I find generally this Dejiciencc 5 that the * 

 Phyficians of the time, though they do not impertinently purfue the ge- d e m e- 

 neral intentions and fcope of Cures --, yet for particular Receipts, which a v^ ^^ '^ 

 by a kind of propriety refpccl; the cures of fpecihcal difeafes j either they y "/'i 

 do not well know them, or they do notr|JigJbufly obfervethem. For 

 the Phyficians have firuftrated and taken away the fruit of Traditions, 

 and approved experience, by their Magifiralities ^ in adding and taking 

 out, and changing ingredients of Receipts at their pleafure j and almoft 

 after the manner of Apothecaries, putting in ^id pro ^g j comman- 

 ding fo prefumptuoufly over iviedicine, as the iVJedicine can no longer 

 command the difeafe. For except Treacle^ and Mithridatiim^ and of 

 lite^Diofcordiun/^ andthe confeftion o^ Al\ermes^ and a kw more Me- 

 dicines j they commonly tie themfelves to no receipts feverely and 

 ftridly. For theconfeftions of fale, which are in the fhops, they are 

 in readinefs rather for general purpofes, than accommodate and proper 

 for particular cures 5 for they do not exaftly refer to any difeafe in fpe- 

 ciah but generally to the opening of obftruftions, comforting conco- 

 ction, altering Diftemperatures. And this is the caufe why Emperickj 

 and old women are more happy many times in their Cures, than Lear- 

 ned Phyficians^ becaufe they are faithful, aud fcrupulous in keeping 

 themfelves to the confeftion and compofition of approved Aledicines. 

 J remember that a Vhyfician with us here in England , famous for pra- 

 Gice, in religion half Jew, and almoft an Arabian for his courfe of ftu- 

 dy,wont to fay, your European Phyficians are indeed Learned men, but • 

 they ({notv not the Particular Cures of Difeafes. And the fame perfc»n u- 

 fed to jeft, but unrevercntly, faying, That our Phyficians rvcre like Bipnpj, 

 they had the Keys of binding and loofing, and nothing elfe. But to fpeak 

 the truth in earn- ft 5 in our opinion it would be a mjtter of good con- 

 (equence, if fome Phyficians of Note for Learning and Practice, would 

 comi^\\& a work^of Probations, and experimented Medicines for the cure 

 nf Particular Difeafes. For that any man, induced by fome fpecious rea- 



fon 



