34.6 ss: The nine andtwentieth Booke 
foone after,whers he was knowne onceto carie acruell hand over his poore patients, in cutting, G: 
Jauncing,difmembering,and cauterizing their bodies, they quickly began to alter his name,and, 
totearme him the blondie Butcher or Slaughterman ; whereupon not unelyall Phyficians, but 
Phyficke alfo grew into abad name and becamieodious ; as may appeare evidently by the monu- 
ments and bookes of 14C ato,a worthie perfonage,and in regard of whofe vettties and commen- 
dable paris, his triumph and Cenfurefhip, as famous and honourable as they were, deferve the 
Jeaft part of his authoritie and reputation, fo much was there in himfelfe,above the gifts and gra- 
ces of Fortunes] will therefore infert in this place, word for word, an Epiftle of his unto hisfon 
Marcus touching this matter, wherein hee thus writeth : Concerning thefe Greekes ( fonne Mareus) 
I will write in place and time convenient what I have found out and knowne by themin Athens: and 
namely that it were good to looke into their bookes andread them (as it were) by theway,but ia nowife A 
tofludie upon them much and learne them throughly, I have alreadte given the attempt and intend to 
convince and put downe the wickedest race and moft perver{e and obftinat kind of them, And learne 
this of me,as from the mouth of a true Prophet That whenfoever this Greekifh nation [ball bring into 
Rome their P hilofophie they will corrupt and marre all: but let them fend once their P hyficians hither, 
you hal! fee a greater wrecke and confifion thereby, For 1afjurethee,they have complotted and fworne 
ae a oue to another for to murder al!™ Barbarians by meanes of their Phyficke, Andeven to effect and bring 
ec. * this about they will bee fed alfa and take moncy ;t0 the end,that both wee [hould trust them therather, 
and they alfohave the better meanes to worke the featand difpatch folke with more factlitie, As for us, 
it pleafeth thews ufually to name us Barbarians,yea,and they give unto us more filthie tearms than amy 
¥ Opiciwers a gthers,and mifeall us *Opiques, Well remember thou once for all,that Ihave given thee warning of J 
certain PSOE’ their Phyficéansand forbidden thee to be acquainted with them . Now Catoywho wrote this letter, 
mous forther died in the fix hundred and fift yeare after the foundation of our citie, when himfelfe was foure: 
unhanet di © _ {core yeares old and five : wherby a man may fee that he wanted not grounded knowledge when 
guage, quai he delivered this {peecttunto his fonne; for he had both the pradtife of former times in publicke 
apunrun 4 — affaires,and age {ufficient ofhis owne to furnifh him with experience of privat examples. What 
sms fay we then to this refolution of his ? Are we to judge and beleeve chat he hath condemned ther- 
by a thing fo neceflarie and profitable as Phyficke is? God forbid : For himfelfe fetteth downe a 
little afrer,what Phyfickeand what medicines both hee and his wife were acquainted with, and by 
meanes whereof they came to bee fo aged as they were: and thofe were no other(verely butthe 
u‘eof Simples,whercof we now are in hand totreat. He faith moreover and profefleth,that hee K 
hath made one Treatife expreflely, containing certaine receits for the cure of hisfonneand fer- 
vants,and for the prefervation of their health : the which] have not omitted, but difperfed here 
and there,according tothe occurrences of accidents and difeafes of fundrie forts, whereof [have 
had foie occafion to {peake of ,& {till fhall have more. Wherby it is plain,that our ancient fore- 
fathers blamed not the thing it felfe,] meane Phyficke, and medicines 5 but the artand cunning 
of Phyficians,who had the handling thereof.And moft of all,they held off and were afraidto en- 
tertaine thofeamongft them, who fought fuch exceeding gaines fortheir handieworke,efpecial- 
ly where they endaungeted theitliveswithall. Andchat they madéfome account of Phyficke, 
may appeare by this, thatwhen theyreceived E/culapias as a cannonized god into their Ka- 
Why the cé- lender, they built one temple for him without the cittie of Rome, yea,ard the fecond,whichin L 
-pleof Bfewla- his honor they erected,was fituat within the Ifland apart from other buildings. Alfo at what time 
_ without the 
pis Rood as by vertue of anediét all other Greekes were banithed Italie, Phyficians wereexcepted ; and 
- citicof Rome? that was many a yeare after Cao his time.And here by the way,one word will I{peake to the ho- - 
See Piwarkog nour of our Romanes for their fingular wifdome and providence,namely, That howfoeverthey — 
Quefionum 
Romanorum, at€ growne to good proofe and be accomplithed in all other arts and profeffions of the Grecks, 
yet their gravitie hitherto hath beenefuch, asthey would not give themfelves to the practife of 
this onely Science. And notwithftanding the exceeding wealth thataccrueth by Phyficke,yet ve- 
ry few or none of our natural] Romane citizenshave medled therewith.And thofe alfo that have 
betaken themfelves unto it,prefently have forfaken their native language and gone to the Greek 
tongue. For this opinion verely there isot this art, That if the profeffors therof handle itintheir M 
vulgar and mother tongue,or otherwife in any other than Greeke, all the authoritie,grace,and 
credit thereof isloft,even with thofe that be altogether unlearned and knownot fo muchas the 
Greeke Alphabet.See the nature and foolith propertie of our countreymen,to have lefle confi- 
dence and truftin thofe things which concerne their life and health, if they bee a re 
delive- 
