22 A NATURAL HISTORY 



" I T H 1 N K, fays a learned Phyfician, that God made no Poi- 

 -" fon, but all things in the World were made for the Ufe of Man j 

 " their chiefeft Deleteriiaii is either in the Quantity, or fome 

 " other Circumftance^ as in Lettice, Leeks,— -whofe Integra are 

 " Aliments, the Juices mortiferous. Thofe things that are per- 

 " nicious, by their external Form, as beaten Glafs, Sponges, have 

 " not deferved the Brand of Poifon ; thofe that are really lethife- 

 " rous, are but the Excrefcences of Sin, and came in with the^ 

 " Thorns. The Serpent was rather defl:ru(ftive to the Soul than 

 '« the Body." 



Among the Ancients was a Plant that killed Mice with its 

 bare fmell, according to Pliny : The Poets feign it to have fprung 

 from the Foam of the Dog Cerberus^ when Hercules dragg'd him 

 out of Hell. 



The Aconite Plants alfo are extremely cauflic and acrimo- 

 nious, in virtue whereof they have produced terrible Inflamma- 

 tions, that end in Mortification. So great was the People's Dread 

 of this Plant, for its venemous Quality, that they durft not touch 

 it J and yet, 'tis faid, they made ufe of it againft the Sting of 

 Scorpions, which is fuppofed to be deadned by the Touch of the 

 /Aconite, and reftored to its Vigour by that of Hellebore. 



N. B. The Root of the Plant is faid to cure all Difeafes pro- 

 ceeding from Melancholly, as DifafFedlions from the Hypo- 

 chondria, Herpes or cutaneous Inflammations. 

 It is alfo reported that Arrows dipped in the Juice of Aconite 

 Plants, proved mortal wherever they wounded. 



II. THE Globe we inhabit, abounds with Variety of Miner alsy 

 of a very 77iiJ'chievoiis Nature i ■!& Arfe7iic, found in Copper-mines ; 

 Orpime}it, a Mineral found among Copper-mines, in Stones oif 

 different Bignefs, Colour and Figure. Thefe, and others of the 

 fame venemous Nature, are lefs or more dangerous, according as 

 their Salts receive a different Force from the metallic Particles. 



The Mineral Kingdom is very fubjed to Damps, or noxious 

 Streams, and often found in Mines, Pits,— and in Kinds various. 

 There are alfo Exhalations, a fort of Fumes iffuing from Body,, 

 and diffufing themfelves in the Atmofphere. Some make diffe- 

 rence between Vapours and Exhalations : The Term Vapour, they 

 fay, is appropriated to the moift Fumes raifed from Water, and 



:Exha- 



