Qentnry I. 



17 



THere is a fecret Way of Cure, (unpraftized) By Affuetudeoi that which 

 in it felfhurteth. Poyfons have been made by tome, Familiar, as hath 

 been faid. Ordinary Keepers of the Sick of the Plague, are feldome infected. 

 Enduring of Tortures ,by Cnflome ,hath been made more eafie : The Brohking 

 of Enormous Quantity of Meats, fo of Wine or Strong Drink, hath been, 

 by Cufiome,\mdt to be without Surfeit,oz Drunkennef. And generally Di- 

 feafes that are chronically as Coughes, Phthificks, fome kinds of Palfies, Lu- 

 nacies,^, are moft dangerous at the firft : Therefore a wife Phyfitian will 

 confider whether a Difeafe be Incurable Or whether the Juft Cure of it 

 be not full of perill •, And if he find it to be fuch,let him refort to Palliation ; 

 And alleviate the Symptome, without bufying himfelf too much with the 

 perfect Cure i And many times,(if the Patient be indeed patient)that Courfe 

 will exceed all Expectation. Likewife the Patient himfelf may itrive, by 

 little and little, to Overcome the Symptome, in the Exacerbation, and fo,by 

 time,turn Suffering into Nature. 



Divers D/'/Mj^efpecially chronically (fuch as Quart ain Agues)zxe\om^ 

 times cured by Surfeit, and Eccfjes: As ExceJ? of Meat, Fxcefi "of 

 Drink, Extraordinary Fafiing, Extraordinary Stirring, or Latitude, and the 

 like. The Caufe is, for that Difeafes of Continuance' get an Adventitious 

 Strength from Cuftome, befides their Material/ Caufe from the Humours : So 

 that the Breaking of the Cuftome doth leave them only to their firft Caufe 

 which if it be any thing weak will fall off. Befides, fuch Excejjes do Excite 

 and Spur Nature, which thereupon rifeth more forcibly againft the Difeafe. 



THere is in the Body of Man a great Confent in the Motion of the feverall 

 Parts. We fee, it is Childrens fporr, to prove whether they can rub 

 upon their Breft with one hand, and pat upon their Fore -head with another •, 

 And ftraightwaies they (hall fometimes rub with both hands, or pat with 

 both hands. We fee, that when the Spirits, that come to the Nofthrils, 

 expell a bad Sent, the Stomach is ready to Expell By Vomit. We find 

 that in Confumptions of the Lungs, when Nature cannot expell by Cough, 

 Men fell into Fluxes of the Belly ^md then they die. So in Peftilent Difeajes, 

 if they cannnot be expelled by Sweat they hill likewife into' Loofenefi, and 

 that is commonly Mortall. Therefore Phyfitians mould ingeniously con- 

 trive, how by Motions that are in their Power, they may excite Inward Mo- 

 tions that are not in their Power , by Confent : As by the Stench of Feathers, 

 or the like,they cure the Rifing of the Mother. 



Hippocrates Aphonfme, In M 'orb 'is minm , is a good profound Aphorifme* 

 Itimporteth,that Difeafes, contrary to the Complexion, Age, Sex, Sea- 

 fon of the year, Diet, &c. are more dangerous than thofe that are Concur- 

 rent, A Man would think it mould be otherwife For that when the Acci- 

 dent of Sickneft , and the Natural! Diffofition, do fecond the one the other 5 

 the Difeafe fhould be more forcible : And fo (no doubt) it is ; if you fup- 

 pofe like Quantity of Matter. But that which maketh good the Aphorifme } 

 is, Becaufe fuch Dijeafes do fhew a greater Collection of Matter, by that they 

 . are able to overcome thofe Naturall Inclinations to the Contrary. And 

 therefore in Difeafes of that kind, let the Phyfitian apply himfelf more to 

 Purgation ,t\\ai\ to Alteration, Becaufe the offence is in the Quantity and 

 the Qualities are rectified of themfelves. 

 C 3 Phyfitians 



Experiment 

 Solitary, tou- 

 ching Cure by 

 Cuftome. 



6t ! 



Experiment | 

 Solirary,tou- j 

 chingCwre by \ 

 Excefs. 



6i 



Experiment 

 Solitary,tou- 

 ching Cure by 

 Motion of Con 



fent. 



63 



Experiment 

 Solitary, tou- 

 ching Cure of 

 Difeafes which 

 ar« contrary to 

 Predityofition, 

 64 



