396 CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 



I have, by the person who will bring or send you this 

 letter, your friend and neighbour Mr. Bourchier, sent up 

 the three tribes of imperfect plants, to be speedily put 

 into the printer's hands to be begun upon. I am, 



Sir, 

 Your faithful friend to serve you, 



John Ray. 



I had almost forgotten to return you thanks for the 

 present of your eight century, which I received in a 

 packet from Mr. Smith. 



med frieud 

 , . . iver. 



Mr. Bay to Dr. Haijs Sloane. 



Black Notley, August 27, 1701. 



Sir, — I received yours of August 23, with the inclosed 

 from Dr. Preston, in answer whereto, first, I retm'n you 

 most hearty thanks for your great and unmerited kind- 

 ness many ways expressed, as for being concerned for 

 both mine and wife's illness. For mine own part I have 

 been in worse condition this summer, by reason of the 

 multitude of my sores, and their extreme painfulness, 

 than ever, though, I thank God, I have not been inwardly 

 sick or any way indisposed. About some three months 

 ago, a gentleman of mine acquaintance wrote me word 

 that a gentleman's son thereabouts, who had a running 

 sore in his back so long, that it had almost brought him 

 to his grave, and had had the advice of the ablest phy- 

 sicians and chirurgeons about town vdthout any success, 

 was brought back into the country, and at last, by the 

 prescription of a diet-drink given by a poor woman, was 

 perfectly cured. The diet-drink was this .- 



Of oak-bark, taken green from the tree, j of a pound ; 



