HIppocrates Lib. de aere locis & aquis, sect. 3. Qui artem meadicam re­cta investi­gatione con­sequi volet, is primum quidem anni tempora in cōsiderationē debet adhibere, quid horū quid (que) possit, ne (que) enim quicquā habent simile sed cum inter se plurimum differunt, tum etiam propter varias quae in eis contingunt mutationes. advises ear­nestly those which will apply them­selves [Page 2]to Artes, in the first place that they diligently ob­serve the times & seasons of the yere, with their altera­tion and change, as also the faculties of watersGal. l. de aere loc. & aq. cap. 1. Ne (que) vero negligentio­rem se circa aquarū fa­cultates cognoscēdas exhibere cō ­venit; quē ­admodum e­nim gustu differunt et pondere sic quo (que) vir­tute aliae ab aliss longe dissentire videntur. con­ducing much to the Diagnosticke, Prognostick, and Curative part of Medicine, as ap­peareth plainly in the foresaid Book, [Page 3]and in his Bookel. De ul­cer. sect. 6. ulceribus plerisquè calidum an­ni tempus magis quam hyems con­ducit, prae­terquam ijs quaesunt in capite ae­quinoctium. De Ʋlcer. Since therefore there is such necessitie, as also such power in these to preserve health, and main­taine a natural bo­dy, as also in gene­rating diseases of [...]arious formes, to [...]he perdition and [...]uine of the best Constitution and Temper, it beho­ [...]eth a Physician e­specially [Page 4]specially to studie the nature and dif­ference of them and all others to take notice and stricktly observe them, so farre as in their nature they are good or bad for common use for by this meane they shall be abl [...] to prevent a dan­ger, which other wise were inevi­table: for com­monly [Page 5]all diseases and distempers are conveyed to us in our prinoiples of generation or con­servation; to both which do chiefely concur the elemēts both by way of existence and con­sistence, and in both respects are Causes either of harmony or dis­pord in mixt bo­dies, and are Phy­sically [Page 6]divided in­to foure (that is to say) materiall, for­mall, efficient, and finall; medically into two, and they are per consensum medicorum divided generally into ex­ternall and inter­nall. But because external causes are prime & more uni­versall, therefore wee will chiefely explicat the nature [Page 7]and condition of them, so farre as they tend to our purpose. External causes are such as come from with­out, and of these we cōstitute three orders, divine, cae­lestiall, and sublu­harie: But wee passe by the two former, and (to a­toyde digression) wee will bound our selves within [Page 8]the limits of the later: and amongst sublunary causes, wee will princi­pally discourse ofHipp. sect. 3. fol. 66. demceps ve­ro de aquis nobis com­memorandū est, & quae mor bosae & quae salu­berrimae ex­istant. Waters, and con­sider them not on­ly philosophically, as elementary, but also medically, as they are corrupt or incorrupt;Plurimum enim mo­mentiad sa­nitatem consert. as a weighty matter in the government of our health. And of these wee will [Page 9]generally observe three differences (that is to say) aery such as distill from the clouds, second­ly marine, or such as are contained in the Ocean & parts adjoyning, third­ly terrene, or such as arise out of the Earth. Aery wa­ters are divided in­to rayne, or such as come of Snowe, Haile, and Frost; [Page 10]terrestriall are such as spring out of the Earth; & they are either nourish­ing or healing; the norishing are such as we call sweet, potable, and plea­sant to the taste. And of these are divers species, as of fountaines, mores, Standing pooles, rivers, & the like. Medicall Waters are also diverse, as [Page 11]from Mineralls of gold, silver, brasse, Iron, Sulphure, A­lum, Bitumen, &c. Lastly, Sea-water is such as is con­tained in the Oce­an, and maritime partes adjoyning. And these are their generall differen­ces. It behoveth now to discourse of their natures & qualities more par­ticularly, as they [Page 12]are good or bad, healthfull, or mor­bifical. Forasmuch as water that is simple, pure, and without alien mix­ture, is so necessary for the preservatiō of life, we wil first make a descriptiō of those which are set apart for com­mon use and pre­servation of man; and these are either such as spring out [Page 13]of wholsom earth, and of themselves are simple, pure, and sweet, or such as fall from the cloudes, and by transmutation are made water; both which offer them­selves to our view. Those therefore which arise out of the earth, and are pure altogether, and voyd of alien mixture, or such [Page 14]mixture as cannot bee discovered by sense (for they can bee knowne to us otherwise then by their consistence, nature, spirits, and qualities, by wch wee will in order demonstrat them) those are such wa­ters as are most wholsome and fit to bee taken into the body, and ought to bee such, [Page 15]as are without both sapor and o­dor. And if any object that passage of Hipp. li. de aeie loc. & aq. sect. 3. maxi­me vero com­mendantur quorum fon­tes ad solis exortus, prae­sertim aesti­vos decurrūt limpidiores enim & bo­ni odoris le­ves esse ne­cesse est. Gal. cap. 3. maxime ve­ro laddare eas oporter quarum flu­xiones ad so­lisexortus e­rumpunt & presertim ad aestivos, ne­cesse est e­nim sptedi­diores esse oderatas & leves. and Gal. in their booke de aere loc. & aquis, where they say, that sweet and o­doriferous waters are to bee com­mended; it is an­swered, that by sweetnesse is to be understood plea­santnesse, and such [Page 16]as are gratefull to the taste; adde al­so that insipidnes, is as it were the first degree of sweetnesse in wa­ter, but that which pertaineth to o­dor, is nothing else but a gentle smoothe vapour, w^th out any rough­nesse, and the wa­ter which is with­out smell, is said to smell best, because [Page 17]it ought to be void both of odor and sapor, as is above said. Secondly, good and health­full water is disco­vered byGal. cap. 3. hae enim dalces & albae sunt. the smoothnesse, thin­nesse, and cleare­nesse of the same: For waters by now much more pure they are, by so much they are more smooth, cleare, and thin, [Page 18]and by reason of theirHipp. l. 5. A ph. 26. aqua quae citò cale fit & citò re­frigeratur levissima. tenuitie and lightnesse, are soone made hott by fire, and soone cooled by the impression of the ayre; and the reason is rendred by Gal. Gal. com­ment. 5. Aph. Sed nunc levie­rem dixit aquam quae ventrem non gravat, & quae cito permeat. not because such water is light in respect of weight, but because it is without any sensible op­pression in the vē ­tricle,Gal. com­ment. 5. Ap. 26. primum quidem si ne (que) turbidae neque caeno­sae: deinde sine (que) in gustu, ne (que) in odoratu, aliquam ab­surdam qua­litatem prae se fert: tum & illud, quod nunc Hip: dixit, si cito refri­geratur & cale sit: nam perspicuum existit talem esse bene al­terabilem. [Page 19]when as the stomack is not troubled with the receipt of it, as al­so when it passeth quickly out of the body againe by u­rine. Contrarily wee call that wa­ter ponderous, which doth not passe through the body speedily, but is troblesom to the stomacke, ungrate­full to the taste, [Page 20]and smell; & there­fore Hipp. would haue us under stand, that such water as is soone hot & cold, by rea­son of levitie, te­nuitie and cleare­nesse, is most sub­ject to a suddaine and speedy change or alteratiō, which in meate & drinke wee call concocti­ble disposition, such as is easily [Page 21]transmutated or concocted by the [...]ētricle, indowed with a propertie, and dedicated by nature to such a use. But this des­cription offereth an objection, and peradventure som will urge or al­ledge, that raine water doth pos­sesse the same con stitution of limpi­ditie, tenuitie, and [Page 22]levitie, and yet is cōdemned by Gal. Gal. l. 4. de sanit. tu­end. cap: 6. Quan quam potest, qui volet, & ex pluvia aqua id conficere, ipse (que) si pluviam a­quam pro­tarem, id suaderem, verum nec ipsam pro­bo, & nihi­lo est deteri­us, siaccessit. as most unwhol­some, either in diet or medicine, as ap­peareth plainely in his discourse of Oximel, and the manner of ma­king the same me­dicament; affir­ming the use of raine water not to bee approved, and that of it selfe it is worst of all o­thers, [Page 23]especially if it grow sower & corrupt. To which answer, that nei­her our Master, nor any other lear­ned Phisician doth mislike or not ap­prove such water, because it is cleare, hin, and light, or asie of digestion, but because of an apt disposion, that raine water hath to putrifie [Page 24]more speedily thē any other water. And in this respect is much different from the former, which is also de­scribed by Hipp: Hip. de aere loc. aq. sect. 3. hae enim dulces sunt & albae modicum (que) vinum ser­re queunt, per hyemem calidae, per aestatem fri­gidae. to bee hot in winter and cold summer, which by reason of his in­colation, through the profound and deepe parts of the earth by antiperi­stacie is hotter in [Page 25]winter, and in fro­stie weather doth commōly wreak: For it receiveth alteration, both from the bowels of the earth throgh which it runneth, and also from the earthie ayre with which it is mix­ed. Fourthly, a­mongst fountaines and springs, from rocks or clifts, those are said to [Page 26]bee most health full and whole­some which flow through earth and sand: the reason is, because they are purified in their course, and by colation through such a body of sandie earth, they leave behind them their grosnes, and alien qualities, by which they doe infect, & are made [Page 27]by this colature much more whol­some. Fiftly, wa­ [...]ers which are moved are more [...]ure and whole­some, then those [...]hat want motion from the ayre or winds, as wels [...]r other enclosed springs; because open streames are [...]urified continu­ally by the wind and ayre, as is pro­ved [Page 28]by Arist. Arist. Meteor. l. 3. Finis est fa­cere aeris et aquae com­motionem, ne nimia quiete pu­trescant & ne putredine sua amman­tia enecent. in his discourse o [...] winds, affirming [...] that the end o [...] their generation is to cause commoti­on in the ayre and waters, lest by qui­et they should pu­trifie and destroy the creatures that live in them & of them; Lastly, the puritie of the ayre, fish and vegetals, demonstrate, the [Page 29]wholsomnesse of the water, and sa­lubritie for com­mon use externall or internall. By this time we have taught what wa­ters are principally to be elected, as al­so their nature and difference, and how to distin­guish them; for although all are esteemed whole­some that we have [Page 30]hitherto spoken of, according to some moderne o­pinions (that is to say) brewed: Yet some are more healthfull then o­thers, and stand in need of lesse cau­tion. Now there­fore I suppose it behoovefull that wee explicate the nature & qualities of morbifical wa­ters, such as offend [Page 31]in smell or taste, or otherwise, and [...]re neither repu­ [...]ed wholsome for meat or medicine.

Aire and water may affect human bodies three seve­ [...]all wayes; first as [...]hey are elements, [...]hey may hurt both by their qua­lities and substan­ [...]es, and that per se immediatly, or [...]mediatly per acci­dens: [Page 32]Secondly, as aliment, for so by respiratiō the spi­ritual substance of the ayre is said to nourish; water al­so is said to nou­rish, insomuch that it serveth for the distribution of aliment into every part of the body, and may also nou­rish in deed in re­spectAvicen. li 1. sen. 2. doct. 2. Non autem dicimus qd. aqua non nutriat quia nutriens est illud quod est in poten­tia sanguis. of its sub­stance. For the use [Page 33]of water is not on­ly necessary to nu­trition, as meat and drinke, but also to life, and the con­tinuance of the same; and there­fore by someRanchi­nus Patho­log. sect. 2. cap. 10. is called vitae potus, salus corporis. Yet Gal. Gal. li. 4. de vsu part. cap. 5. at enim in hac quoquè vena multa adhuc hu­miditate te­nui et aquo­sa plenus est sanguis: vocat autem ipsam Hip­pocrates [...]. conceiveth and seemeth to perswade others, that water doth not nourish per se, but instrumen­tally, [Page 34]so farre as it is a vehiculum of th [...] blood, and by th [...] thinnesse & moist­nesse of the sam [...] doth convey th [...] blood into every part, for the nouri­shing & strength­ning of the same Avicen Avicen. li. 1. fen. 2. doct. 2. cap. 16. aqua vnum existit ele­meatorum: quae sola in­ter omnia e­lementa ha­bet propri­um, ut in eo quod come­ditur & bi­bitur ingre­diatur, non ideo, ut nu­triat, sed quia nutri­mentum pe­netrare fa­cit, & ejus rectificat subst anti­am. also is o [...] the same opinion water (saith he) is the sole element indowed with [...] Propertie recei­ved [Page 35]either in meat or drinke, to mixe and incorporate with it, and yet not nourish, but that it may rectifie the substance of nutrimēt & make it penetrable, and in this respect is only said to nou­rish. Thirdly, if they bee conside­red as medica­ments; for by the use of medicall [Page 36]waters, as also the mutation of the aire, many disea­ses are begotten, & some are said to be cur'd: & for this cause the doctrine of aire, and wa­ter is not onely re­ferred to diet, but also to pathologie, and the curative part of medicine. In order therefore we will discourse of such waters as [Page 37]tend to the subver­sion of health, Neverthelesse be­fore I explicate their qualities and differences; give me leave to take up a question by the way, which peradventure may seeme a small di­gression, yet not so unnecessary, but that it may bee wel argued in this place. The que­stion [Page 38]is whether aire or water have most power in pre­serving of health, or generating sick­nesse: They that prefer water first ground upon A­rist. Arist. li. 1. probl. 13. cur mutati­onem aqua rum gravem esse affirmēt. where the Philosopher que­stioneth, why the mutations of the water are more turbulent, then those of the ayre; & produceth rea­son [Page 39]to prove it; for (saith hee) those things which are able to make a stronger and fir­mer impression, either by perma­nencie or crassi­tude, they seeme to bee more able, either to helpe or hurt; but water is more thicke then aire, and makes a longer stay in the body. Contrarily, [Page 40] Hippocrates cōcei­veth greater incon­venience in the ayre then in wa­ter, and draweth his reason from the necessitie; for (saith hee) the no­cuments of water may bee avoided, but the ambient ayre cannot bee shunned, but doth continually affect us, as doth appeare in hisli. de aere. lo. et aquis li. de natu­ra humana. li. de natura pueri. elegant [Page 41]gradation, saying; such as is the ayre, such are the spirits, because they are begotten of blood and ayre; such as are the spirits, such are the humours, as following the mature of them; such as are the hu­mours, such are the parts of the body, because they are nourished by them, and main­tained: [Page 42]To con­clude, such as is th [...] condition of th [...] part, such is th [...] state of the whole body. Hence ap­peareth the neces­sitie of ayre in ou [...] conservation and force in genera­ting sicknesse. But to set aside the de­crees, both of A­rist. and Hipp. the question is deter­mined thus; that [Page 43]the vitall and ani­mall parts of the body are more & sooner affected by the ayre then by water, and that the naturall parts are more hurt by water then the vi­tals: This being conceived, let us take notice of such waters as doe de­stroy the temper of the body, and are called morbifi­call, [Page 44]& after what manner they are said to be pernici­ous to the life of man, some more, some lesse, either internally or ex­ternally applied.

Morbificall wa­ters are such as are discoverd by sense to have a taste or smell; for those that are healthfull and wholesome, ought to have nei­ther, [Page 45]as is before said in the descrip­tion of wholsome water: Secondly, unwholsome wa­ters are such as have an offensive taste and stinking smell, such as are grips, ditches, and channels from salt marshes, or com­mon shores, and these are so un­wholesome as I need not urge au­thority [Page 46]to prove it, yet because I desire to satisfie, take one learned ancient, a [...] instar omnium. A­vicen Avicen. Tract. 5. fol. 585. Aquae mali odoris coeno­sae tardam descentio­nem suam a stomaco, & pen [...]tratio­nem cibi: & sitis qui­dem augetur cum aquis huju smodi, & virtus debilitatur, et quia ipsae non sunt pu­rae simplices, im o in hujusmodi aquis est terreci­tas plurima quare ex eis genera [...]ur humor a [...] phlegmaticus vitreus, aut melancholicus, et prop­ter illud multiplicāt aegritudines splenis in homi­nibus, qui plurimum bibunt de ipsis, & acciden [...] faciūt haemorroidas et hydropisim propter mall­tiam complectionis hepatis inductam ab eis, & mictum vrinae involuntarium propter malitia [...] complectionis renum. saith, wa­ters of this nature that are ill savou­ring, hinder the penetration & de­scent of meat, and [Page 47]by reason of their impuritie, beget viscous phlegme, or melancholy, & multiply Diseases of the spleene, in such manner, that those which drink them often either by coaction or o­therwise, are sub­jected to the hae­morroids & drop­sie by the imbeci­litie and defect of the liver, obtained [Page 48]by the ill qualitie of these waters, as also in voluntary mixtion by the ill disposition of the reines; other wa­ters there are of moores, standing pooles, and lakes, and these are said to smell, especially in the summer,Gal. lib. de aere & aq. cap. 3. quaecun (que) igitur pa­lustres sunt, & stabiles ac lacustres, eas necesse est aestate esse calidas, ac crassas & olentes, cum enim non deflu­ant, sed a­qua pluvia semper nova inferatur et sol urat ne­cesse est ip­sas decolo­res esse, & pravas & vitiosas. which doth ne­cessarily come to passe for want of perfluēce, for they [Page 49]are not as springs fitted of them­selves as they are emptied, but such as are augmented w^th new showers of raine, & exhaled again by the pow­er of the sun, inso­much, that necessa­rily they are grosse discolored, unplea­sant & corrupt; in winter begetting corrupt phlegme, by their congealed [Page 50]disposition, and in summer time vici­ous and cholerick by adustion; in winter they are cold & crude, and soon converted or transmutated into ice, and mixt with mud and snow, are not much un­like the dead sea, or some Stygian lake; but howe­ver they are very unwholsom, trou­blesome [Page 51]to the ven­ [...]ricle, and such as [...]oth viciate and [...]orrupt the whole [...]ody, poyson the [...]asse, and destroy [...]he best temper; after what man­ [...]er Hippocrates Hip. li. de aere loc. & aq. sect. 3. bibentibus autem lienes semper mag­nos esse & compressos, ventres ve­ro duros & tenues ac calidos hu­meros vero & iugula & faciem extenuari, in lienem enim carnes coliquescunt ideo (que) graci­les sunt. [...]heweth: The [...]rinkers (saith he) of such waters are alwayes or con­ [...]inually affected with large spleens, hard, thin, and hot [Page 52]bellies, shoulders, throat, & face ex­tenuat, the flesh re­solved into spleen, and the whole bo­dy wasted & con­sumed, they are al­so ravenous, and very thirsty, be­cause of the siccity and drinesse, both of the upper and lower venters: Adde also to these dropsies, and for the most part, such [Page 53]as are lethall, be­sides many dif­ficulties of the bowels and fluxes of the belly, long quartane fevers, which by protra­ction of time ter­minate in drop­sies, both particu­lar, and universal­ly of the whole body, by which they perish. And these diseases w^ch are generated of [Page 54]such corrupt wa­ter happen in the summer: But those of the winter, such as fall upon young bodies, are inflam­mations of the lungs & madnes; to those that are more ancient bur­ning fevers, by reason of the hard­nesse of their bel­lies:Hip. mu­lieribus ve­rò tumores proveniunt, & pituita alba, vix concipiunt, & cum dif­ficultate foe­tus magnos & tumidos pariunt, qui (que) postea dum educan­tur conta­bescunt, & deteriores evadunt, ne­que bona post partum [...]ulieribus purgatio contingit. women shall labour with phlegmatick swel­lings, [Page 55]it shall bee difficult for them to conceive child, and if they prove pregnant, their births shal be large & great, brought forth with diffi­cultie, and in short time perish; neither after child­birth doe they purge according to the custome of women: To chil­dren that drinke [Page 56]these waters chief­ly happē ruptures, and to men warts and ulcers of the anckles, of such a malignant condi­tion, as that they doe kill them in short time, and in the meane while do wither them, & make them seeme old or aged before their time: More­over such women seeme to them­selves [Page 57]to bee with child, and when the time of delive­ry commeth, the tumor vanisheth, and they are alto­gether deceived, and their expecta­tions frustrated: To conclude, these and such like are the common and ordinary effects of such waters w^ch are of moors, stan­ding pooles, and [Page 58]the like, through which wee have speedily waded, & find them good for nothing, but the nourishing of venemous crea­tures, especially raw; & therefore to bee shunned ac­cording to the ca­veat of Galen. Gal. de. sanit. tuend. li. 1. cap. 11. covendae ve­ro sunt, quae ex stagnis hauriuntur et quae tur­bide, & quae malae olentes, & quae salsae, deni (que) in quibus qualit as aliqua gustu deprehenditur. Now let us exa­mine & pierce the [Page 59]rocksHipp. ac hujusmodi aqua ad quidvis pa­ratus esse censeo; se­cundo loco eas quarum fontes in saxosis locis sunt (quas duras esse necesse est) aut si vbi calidae aquae existunt aut serrum nas­citur, aut as, aut ar­gentum, aut aurum, aut sulphur, aut al umen, aut bitumen, aut nitrum haec enim omnia caloris vi proveniunt. & mines, and taste what li­quor springs from them usefull and safe, or morbifi­call. These wa­ters that spring from rocks and clifts, are generally esteemed crude & hard, that is such as passe not easily through the body, but are turbulent to the strongest na­ture.Hip sect. 3 But those [Page 60]hot waters which spring from mine­rals of gold, silver, brasse, iron, sul­phur, alume, bitu­men, & the like; al these spring from the violēce of heat, insomuch, as some philosophers have thought these to be the shewers of fire & brimstone, that destroyed So­dom, and were thrown up by the [Page 61]force of some Earth-quake, out of some Aetna. But however they are such as beget strāge diseases in humane bodiesHipp. ne­que igitur ex hujusmo­di terra bo­nae aquae nascuntur sed durae & aestuosae, quae (que) per urinas non facile ferun­tur & alvi egestioni ad­versantur. and no good waters can spring from earth of this nature, for they are fervently hot and dry, they passe not easily by urine, and are a­verse from nature in common ege­stion. [Page 62]But because we shall have oc­casion to explicate them more parti­cularly in our fol­lowing discourse, therefore we will forsake the shore, and launch into the Ocean, where we chiefly observe the qualitie of sea water, to bee salt, and not to bee drunke, but abso­lutely prohibited [Page 63] Hip sect. 3 salsae vero et indomitae & durae, in totum qui­dem ut bi­bantur in­probandae. to bee received into the body; for which cause I will hasten out, lest Neptune inraged, should force mee to drinke whether I will or not, at festina lente, let me before I take my leave, acquaint you with the will of my Master Hippocrates, Hip. sect. 3 at vero de aquis salsis propter im­peritiam fal­luntur qui­dam quod (que) alvum sol­vere existi­mentur, cum maxime al­vi d [...]sectio­ni repugnēt, in domitae e­nim sunt et coquine­queunt; pro­inde (que) ah eis venter poti­us adstri [...] ­gitur. who would have it knowne, that for [Page 64]want of skill in the nature & qua­lities of salt water many are decei­ved; For they con­ceive them to re­laxe the belly, whē as they most of al constringe the same; besides they are indomitable, quite out of the government of na­ture, and not by a­ny naturall power to bee concocted: [Page 65]Therefore Ile take my leave of them, & returne to shore againe, and muse a little concerning caelestiall water, or such as falleth from the clouds in shewers, for these are also compre­hended in the pre­dicament of mor­bificall waters, such as principal­ly tend to the ge­neration of disea­ses, [Page 66]as also such as comes from snow, and ice, or the like.Gal li. de aere lo. & aq. cap. 4. aquae igitur pluviales levissimae et duteissi­ma & te­tenuissimae, & splendi­dissimae sūr, primum e­nim sol quod tenuissimum ac levissi­mum est in aqua edu­cit ac sur­sum rapit. Raine water in respect of substance, is light and concoctible, limpid and thin in respect of quality, sweet and grateful to the taste, and most proportiona­ble to the best of waters: But be­cause it is an exha­lation, although [Page 67]the thinnest part of all other waters extracted by the power of the sun, as is evident; and because of its uni­versall collection and commixture with ayre andGal. eod. cap. qua­propter ex omnibus a­quis hae ci­tissimae pa­tresount, & odorem ma­lum pluvia­lis aqua ha bet, eo quod ex plurimis congregata est ac per­mixta ut ci­tissime pu­trescat. clouds, which of­ten times are in­fected and ill aspe­cted; it is more easily disposed to putresaction, and not thought fit to [Page 68]bee used without correction, (that is to say) takenGal. ve­rum opus habent ut decoquātur, ac excolen­tur, sin mi­nus odorem pravum ha­bent, et rau­cedines & vocis gra­vitatem bi­bentibus in­de acce [...]ere par est. fresh boyled, and strained according to the decree of the ancients, else it soone corrupts and breeds rauci­tie or whorsnesse in those that drink it.Hip. sect. 3. pravae verò omnes quae ex nive & glacie fi­unt, ubi e­nim semet con [...]reverint non am plius ad pristi­nam natu­ram redeūt Snow & ice waters are all cor­rupt, for when they are once con­gealed, they never [Page 69]returne to their former nature a­gaine, but the clearenesse, levity, and sweetnesse, that is in them doth vanish, lea­ving behind a ter­restriall and pon­derous substance, as is proved by this experiment. Take a vessell of water, and keepe it till it be frozen, then set it in some [Page 70]hot place till it bee dissolved, then measure it againe, and you shall find it much lesse in quantitie then be­fore, and will plainely appeare, that the lightest & thinnest parts are expired; and for this cause it is said to bee morbificall,Hip. lo. cit. atque de a­quis quidem quae ex im­bribus nivi­bus & gla­cie colligun­tur ad hunc se res habet modum at verò calculo maxime tentantur, & renum morbis, ac urinae stilli­cidia et cex. endicum af­fectionibus corripiuntur herniae (que) ijs suboriuntur cujus (que) mo­di aquas bi­bunt. and most apt to generate the stone in the bladder, [Page 71]strangurie, paine of the hips, and ruptures, & these are the effects in general: The same also happen to the drinkers of river waters, which by reasō of their mix­ture, with pooles, ditches, & moores they obtaine an a­lien qualitie, ob­noxious and mor­bificall; and the only cause of such [Page 72]difference is their various participa­tion, and their mu­tations are answe­rable to their seve­ral mixtures, some qualities more pre­dominant, accor­ding to their im­pressive force, and therefore some are called salt, sulphu­rious, aluminous, bituminous, and the like; others sweet and cleare, [Page 73]others muddy and terrestriall, as ap­peareth by their setlings, but all are causes of affliction to those that drink them; yet some bodies shall bee moreGal. li. de aere loc. & aq. cap. 5. quod autem non omnibus consequen­tur declara­bo, quorum quidem al­vus satis fluida est, ac sana, & vesica non ardens, ne (que) stomachus vesica val­de coardes­cit, hi facile urinam eijciunt & in vesica ni­hil ipsis con­gregatur. able to re­sist then others, as those that have na­turally laxe and fluid bellies, and sound bodies, tem­perate reines and bladders; for such [Page 74]doe more easily & speedily pumpe it out againe, lea­ving little resi­dence in the blad­der; Contrarily where the belly is costive, hot, and fiery, the bladder must needs bee af­fected after the same manner, and whē it exceedeth a naturall temper, then the necke o [...] the bladder is soon [Page 75]inflamed, by w^ch meanes the pas­sage of the urine is hindered, or that which passeth, is the purest & thin­nest part of the same, the thicker being left behind, of which there is a graduall collecti­on of new mat­ter, which is dai­ly contracted till it groweth large, hard, and stony, [Page 76]and by the course and pressure of the urine in pissing, the stone is forced into the necke of the blader, which hindereth the pas­sage of urine, and procureth extre­mitie and paine; insomuch, as chil­dren when they labour with this disease, doe rub, and scratch, and teare the secret [Page 77]parts, as if there were the onely stopping of their urine; and it is a manifest signe of such a disposition, when as ordinari­ly the urine comes forth so limpid & cleare, and mani­festeth a stay of the grosse matter be­hind, the purer part being stray­ned from it, as it is reported by Bo­hemian [Page 78]beare

— Nil spissius illâ Dum bibitur, nil clarius est dum mingitur, unde Constat quod mult as faeces in corpore linquat.

And thus the stone is often begotten by the drinking of water, especially when the bladder is ill disposed; but inHip. sect. 3. gignitur autem & pueris ex lacte, si non salubre fue­rit sed val­de calidum et vitiosum. children it is often begot by the use of milke, if it bee not good and sound, but hot and [Page 79]cholericke: For by this meanes it heateth the belly and bladder, ex­asperates the u­rine; and in my opinion (saith Hippocrates) small dilute Wine is more wholesome for them,Hipp. in eodem lib. et mea qui­dem senten­tia praestat pueris vi­num quam­maxime di­lutum exhi­here cum nimirum venas mi­nus adurat & refecit. because it doth not scortch and dry the veines so much. Thus I have shewed, ac­cording to the me­thode [Page 80]of the anci­ent fathers of me­dicine, what wa­ters are wholsome and dieteticall; as also those that are unwholsome and morbificall: now wee are to consi­der how they are pharmaceuticall, and to bee used as medicaments.

To the end that we may more ful­ly satisfie, it will [Page 81]not bee vaine in our progresse, to cast our eye backe upon the streames that flow from minerals, & more particularly disco­ver the mischieses of them; because they are so highly advanced in the thoughts of some Physicians, and o­thers; upon what ground I know not, but sure I am [Page 82]that they were ne­ver so esteemed by any of the anci­ents in our facul­tie, either Greeks, or Arabians, or learned moderns, some respect they give them, and chiefely in exter­nall use, by the way of baths, lo­tions, and the like, and yet not ordi­narily so to bee used, but with a [Page 83]great deale of cau­tion; as will ap­peare hereafter, both in respect of tempers and dis­tempers of the bo­dies to which they are applyed: In so much as Hip­pocrates or Galen tooke little notice of them, which doth imply the lit­tle regard they had of them or their use in medicine, [Page 84]either for preser­vation or restaura­tion; for which cause we will tra­vell amongst the Arabians, to the end that wee may search out the na­ture, and use of them more direct­ly, and principal­ly take our view from that learned Avicen of such minerall springs, as are before no­minated: [Page 85]And be­cause Chymists con­stitute sulphur as one of the tria principia in mine­rals, therefore wee will in the first place discover the nocuments of such waters. As for their differences, they are as many as the minerals from whence they spring, and with which they are [Page 86]mixed; but in generall all of them are accoun­ted hurtfull and dangerous, exter­nally or internal­ly applyed, with­out speciall indica­tion and prepa­ration, without which they are very obnoxious; after what man­ner I am now to shew.

The nocuments [Page 87]of minerall wa­ters, by potation or drinking, and especially spring­ing from sulphur, are these, theyAvicen tract 5 Istae quidem a­qua adurunt humores & eos putrefa­ciunt, quare sequuntur in principio febres cho­tericae postea in fiae fe­bris melan­cholicae, propter a­dastionem sanguinis ex ets factum [...] et melācho­licus quidem humor qui ex hujus modi aquis generatur, est humor melancholi­cus malus qui nomina­tur cholera nigra, &c. scortch and putri­fie the humors, be­get cholericke fea­vers, which alter & are changed in­to melancholicke, by reason of adu­stion of the blood, & this melancho­licke humor thus [Page 88]generated is called adust choler, and is the worst of all melancholy: Moreover the ef­fects that come of drinking such wa­ters, are inflam­mations of the eyes, jaundies, hot rhumes, difficultie in pissing, & con­sumption of the whole body.

Avicen. nocumen­tum istarum aquarum est stipricare et constringere naturam, & exasperare pectus & vocem & causare difficulta­tem urinae & strin­gere vias cibi et cau­sare corpo­ris maciem. Aluminous waters are astrin­gent [Page 89]generally, and they exaspe­rate the breast, cause a difficultie of urine, and wa­sting of the body.

nocumen­tum istarum est composi­tum ex no­cumento a­quae alumi­nosae et no­cumento aquae sul­phureae, &c Vitriall wa­ters are compoun­ded of alume and sulphur, and there­fore the effects are answerable to both in respect of stiptication & ex­asperation, as also in adustion and [Page 90]putrefaction of hu­mors.

nocumen­tum istius aquae est si­mite nocu­mento sul­phureae. Al springs from silver should seem cordial according to the vaine appre­hension of the vul­gar: Neverthelesse by the same autho­rity they make up the number of morbifical causes, and the speciall nocuments are to ulcerate the bow­els, and the gene­rall [Page 91]are answera­ble to those of sulphur: So also are those waters whichnocumen­tum istius aquae est si mile etiam nocumento aquae sul­phureae ve­rum est ma­joris nocu­menti quam illud, &c. spring from green brasse, saving that the no­cuments are grea­ter then of sul­phur, violently o­pening the orifice of the veines, by which doth hap­pen pissing and spitting of blood, and bloody fluxes, [Page 92]all being excee­ding dangerous, and these are the qualities of them, & effects inward­ly taken, either as meate or medi­cine. Now let us consider their no­cuments external­ly applyed, as by way of bathing and the like.

Bathing in salt waters is some­what allowed by [Page 93] Avicen, where he affirmeth it to bee good to cure the itch and scabs; andHip. sect. 3. sunt ta­men naturae quaedam et morbi, qui­bus tales a­quae potu sunt com­modae. Hippocrates, al­though in gene­rall hee protesteth against them, and doth absolute­ly prohibit their use internally, yet (saith hee) the na­ture of some di­sease may require such a remedy, by which is to bee [Page 94]understood some extraordinary oc­casion, and after a most speciall man­ner to bee used: And so also may other compositi­ons of minerals be used; yet Avi­cen conceiveth it to bee somewhat doubtfull, and (however) the re­medie to be worse then the disease; for (saith he)Avieen. tract. 4. aqua salsa in balneo confert sca­biei et pru­ritui, verum caresacit cutem po­stea conden­sat, et quum non fuerit pruritus, tunc ipsa facit acci­dere pruri­tum. al­though [Page 95]it bee pro­fitable for the cu­ring of itch and scabs, so it is apt to generate the same in those that are cleare and sound, by reason of con­densation and ra­rification of the skin; besides it withereth the bo­dy, hurts the eyes, disturbes the sen­ses, and causeth ca­tharrs & rhumes; [Page 96]so as (if it be well considered) the re­medy is more ob­noxious then the disease.

aqua alu­minosa con­densat cu­tem et con­stringit ip­sam. Bathing in a­luminous waters, condenseth & con­stringeth the skin, causeth ephemeral fevers, cramps and convulsions, espe­cially in cleane bodies.

aqua sul­phurea & neptica cor­rumpit com­plexionem cut is corpo­ris et praepa­rat ipsam ad putredi­nem et facit accidere ca­tarrhas, Baths of sul­phurious and bi­tuminous [Page 97]waters, spoile the comple­ction of the body, and dispose it to putrifaction and rhumes; and if they continue in such a bath long it doth threaten a dropsie, but a jan­dice doth more frequently follow. The minerall wa­ters of iron are thought to be least hurtfull of all o­ther [Page 98]minerals, and yet of little use amongst the anci­ents for medica­ment or other­wise. Thus I have waded, through fountaines, pools, motes, moores, ri­vers, and as farre into the sea as I dare, or as is need­full, and have shewed both ge­nerally and parti­cularly their diffe­rence, [Page 99]use, and effects; by which description every man may know how to distin­guish for use, those that are whole­some, from those which are un­wholesome, and morbificall; as al­so how and after what manner they hurt, being taken into the body ali­mentally or medi­camentally, [Page 100]with­out speciall cor­rection; as also by their outward ap­plication; and all this confirmed by the doctrine & de­crees of the most learned and anci­ent doctors, and parents of medi­cine. Now it re­maineth that I ac­quaint the world with a new mine­rall spring, unheard [Page 101]of before, and lately practi­sed amongst us in our owne County of Norfolke; and although it be yet unknown to soūd and learned Phy­sicians, yet it is very adventurous­ly, and most dan­gerously practised against both rea­son and all autho­rity. For in my o­pinion it will ap­peare [Page 102]to bee a flat confutation of all, both ancient and moderne, as it is used and advised, the manner wherof I intend to set downe, and com­pare it with the former grounds; as also with those which are more recent, by which it will appeare, either that mine­rall waters differ [Page 103]this yeare from those of old, or else that our pra­ctise is either more learned or more rash.

The spring it selfe riseth out of a clift naked, and unsen­sed against the sea, and is imbraced and often covered by the raging oce­an, by which it obtayneth some mixture, both of [Page 104]substance and qua­lity from the same, which is not the least of our obser­vations, since it doth cōduce much to the ill or well disposing of the matter for use: the drinkers of the same have beene many, and they report some of them that it tasteth harsh and like rust of iron, others [Page 105]taste it like inke, and all thinke it a miracle, that by the infusion of a nutgaule it doth turnered, & alter the colour: To be short, the man­ner of practise is thus advised, and appointed by a Physician who is thought to be lear­ned, and hee had need to bee so, to make good the ad­venturous, [Page 106]and confident advising such a remedie up­on so small ac­quaintance & tri­all, which if Hip­pocrates may bee judgeHip lib. de prisca medicina. quandoqui­dem naturae cegnitio mini medi­co esse ne­cessaria vi­detur isque omni sludio deber con­tendare (si modo quod recte prae­slare volet) ut ir telligat quonam mo­do quis ad ca quae co­meduntur et bibuntur se habent, &c. will ap­peare to bee a fault. Moreover this spaw (as it is named by the chief Physician thereof) is resolutely deter­mined to be from a minerall, but of [Page 107]what mixture is yet disputable, and therefore the pra­ctise ought to bee the more doubt­full, especially be­ing to be received into the body: For which cause our learned coun­trey-man of the bath in his dis­course of minerall waters,Doctor Iorden. although his affection to such springs, per­swades [Page 108]him of much good use, that may be made of them, and great benefit to man in curing diseases if they were inward­ly taken, yet be­cause of his feare of some mixture with other wa­ters which may issue into them, for this cause only hee protests hee dares not advise [Page 109]the inward use of them; yet this our spaw lies more o­pen to such mix­ture then the bath, and a worse mix­ture from the sea, yet wee will not feare to drinke, and advise it to be drunke by pottles at one time and in the morning cold and fasting, as also in the open ayre, crude and raw [Page 110]from the spring, contrary to the practise of all that ever, were ratio­nall; and this course every mor­ning to continue for the space of thirtie or fourtie dayes, and it is said to cure all distem­pers, without any other considerati­on: So that if we examin this spring and the practise of [Page 111]it, wee cannot but see a direct oppo­sition to, and con­futation of all the ancients. But so it fares with too much confidence, as the Tragedian speakes, [...] Aio, nego, ne (que) ratio mibi constat ulla, cur aiam aut negem.

And that this may appeare, it is needfull that wee [Page 112]compare this pra­ctise and opinion with the practise of those times, es­pecially in this thing; which in­deed if it were but what it is by some thought to bee, it were then the complement of all medicine, which the lear­nedst Physicians never yet compre­hended. For al­though [Page 113]the vulgar claime power to make every wea­ver and apotheca­rie a physician, without either stu­die or learning, or authority from a­ny universitie; and thinke it a light matter to bee afacile qui­dem est esse medicum sed bonum medicum esse difficil­limum, ne dicam im­possibile. Physician; yet those that are so in­deed, never found it so easie a matter, Quolibet ex ligno [Page 114]non fit Mercurius. True it is, there are some which can act the carri­age of physicians, as Players doe the persons of Kings and Lords, and yet are none, ac­cording toHipp.li.de leg. quemadmo­dum enim illi quidem formam ha­bitum & person [...]m bystriones referant. Hip­pocrates. But to make good our undertakings, and to shew the diffe­rence of our spaw-practise from that [Page 115]of old, or any o­ther that is called learned: Avicen Avicen. tract. 5. cap. 1. potus pluri­mae aquae nocet tribus modis, quo­rum nous est, quod de­bilitat cali­ditatem na­turalem in nembris, et lebilitat membra principalia, quare accidit eis tuno debilitas vir­tutum quatuor naturalium, membris autem in­strumentalibus accidit debilitas motuum et tremor; secundus modus est quod virtus seque­strative in hepate debilitatur in sequestrando omnem aquositatem a sanguine, quare aut effū ­ditur aquositas ad partes inter mirach et si­fach accidit hydropisis aquosa: aut penetrat a­quositas cum sanguine ad membra & accidit hydropisis carnoso et virtus sequestrativa inre­nibus debilitature, qutaex eomictus urinae ir­voluatarlus cum difficultate in ed, et debilitan­tur renes. affirmeth the drin­king of waters in generall to de­bilitate naturall heate, enervate the [Page 116]instrumēts of mo­tion, deject the appetite, and wea­ken the liver: but this our spaw is said to incite appe­tite, temper natu­rall heate, inliven the members, and rectifie the liver. Hippocrates, Hipp. Gal­len. Avicen li. citat. Galen, Avicen, say all with one consent, that the drinking of waters cold and raw, unboy­led, [Page 117]unstrayned, or uncorrected, al­though otherwise they be not of mi­nerals, yet that such drinking doth en­large the spleene, and swell and har­den the substance of the same: but contrary to this, we say, our spaw­water drunke in large quantities, cold & raw from the spring, doth [Page 118]diminish, soften, and cure the swel­lings of the spleen; and by its mineral qualitie (if it were well knowne) is able to performe greater cures then these, to which I shall answer more fully in our fol­lowing discourse, when I discover the opinions of some moderne cō ­cerning the drin­king [Page 119]of minerall waters cold and raw.Avicen. loc. citat. Hipp. at vero calcu­lo maxime renian ur er renum morbis ac urinae stilli­ciaio. Moreover the said authors affirme the drin­king of water to generate waterie dropsies, the stone and strangurie, with other disea­ses in such as have imperfect and di­stempered reines: but this our Spaw is prescribed as a speciall remedie [Page 120]against the same difficultie of urine, the stone & drop­sie.Avicen tract. 5. aqua bibita in iejunio debilitat stomachum & facit ac­cidere ca­tarrhas in frigidan do cerebrum propter con­sensum sto­machi cum cerebro, & propter as­censum va­porum a­quosorum, nocet enim in frigidan­do hepar et splenem & preparat ad hydropisim, &c. Matutine or morning drinking of water (saith A­vicen) doth debili­tate the stomacke, breedeth rhumes, and refrigerateth the braine over­much by consent with the ventricle, as also by the as­cent of waterie vapors, and refri­gerating [Page 121]the liver and spleene, dispo­seth to the fore­said dropsies: but our Spaw-water drunke early in the morning, and cold, cornforts the heart, strengthens the stomacke, and so by consent the head, liver, and spleene. They al­low the drinking of no waters, ei­ther fresh, salt, alu­minous, [Page 122]bitumi­nous or sulphure­ous to bee whole­some,Gal. de sanit. tuen. lib. 6 cap. 9. Si tamen ipsis uten­dum quae ut [...] (que) dulces sunt: quod utile etiam aliqui ex ipsis p ove­niat, id vero nen perinde tuto dixeris. and al­though I incline somewhat to an exact correction, yet Avicen, maketh question whether minerall waters will admit of any or notAvicen. rectificatio istarum a­quarum si possibile est.: but they were ignorant of the vertue of our Spaw, for this is to be drunk with­out [Page 123]any prepara­tion, as if abun­dans cautela were hereticall in this our nimble age. Notwithstanding they were not ig­norant of them, as will appeare by Galen, Gal. loc. citato. satius au­tem sit e­jusmodi equas expe­rientia dis­ceraere: quando eti­am rarae inventu sunt. when as hee renders a rea­son of his dislike, which is the un­certainty of their mixture, and such (saith hee) as can­not [Page 124]not be discovered or found out o­therwise then by experience, and experience is dan­gerousHipp. aph. 1. experi­entia peri­culosa. (saith Hippocrates) the reason is taken from the dignitie of the subject, which is the body of man, upon which such expe­riments are tried: And for this cause Galen was feareful [Page 125]of their use, al­though wee may grant something to be profitable in them, as there is in every creature, in respect of their qualities, so they be rightly prepa­red and applyed; yet (saith he)Gal.loc.citato. Id vero non perinde tu­to dixeris. let no man say they are safe, or the pra­ctise of them; not that the ancients were so ignorant [Page 126]of their qualities,Gal.loc.citato. Calidarum autem quae sponte as­cuntur noxi­us his usat est: siqui dem quae sulphurosae bituminosae­ve sunt [...]ae propterca quod [...] a­ciunt ini­micissimae calida na­turaliter capiti sunt. (as some mo­dern Chymist; pre­tend) neither doe I conceive any great difficultie to prove their nova medicina to be but as a new cape set upon an old cloak, as also that mine­rals were as sub­stantially discove­red and distin­guished one from an other, in res­pect [Page 127]of name, na­ture and mixture, as also first and se­cond qualities, as they have beene by any Chymist; Although I am not ignorant of Para­celsus, Arnoldus, Lullius, Crollius, A­gric. & Libavius, which by way of explication, and laborious operati­on, have made it somewhat more [Page 128]cleare in specula­tion and practise. And yet all is but a dilatation or en­largement of an old foundation of the ancients, and no absolute new edifice of their owne, as some of them pretend. But however, because this practise of drinking minerall waters in our coū ­trey (I suppose) is [Page 129]chiefely incoura­ged by, and groun­ded upon our own learned countrey­man of the Bath,Doxtor lorden. who is not un­knowne to any Physician; there­fore it will not be amisse to tran­scribe his opinion concerning the use of minerall wa­ters, and whether the drinking of them may bee al­lowed [Page 130]after the manner of our mi­nerall Spaw; that is, to be taken in­to the body cold and raw. For al­though hee were much devoted to the use of them, yet he adviseth the externall use only in bathing, when as he saith we find many of these to be venemous and deadly, as procee­ding [Page 131]from Arse­nicke Sandaracha, Cadinia, and the like; therefore we had need bee very warie in the in­ward use of them, & therefore Nep­tunes well in Tara­cina was found to be so deadly, as that for this cause it was stopped up; by Montpellier at Perant is a well which kils all the [Page 132]fowles that drinke of it, the lake A­vernus kils all the fowles that fly o­ver it, so doe the vapours arising from Carons den, betweene Naples and Puteolum, so there are divers waters in Savoy and Rhetia which breed swellings in the throat, others proceeding from Gipsum doe stran­gle. [Page 133]But where we find waters to pro­ceed from whole­some minerals, and such as are convenient & pro­per for our in­tents, and upon good search, and long experience found to bee so, there we may bee bold to use th [...] both [...] [Page 134]doe not imagine them to bee such absolute remedies, as that they are of themselves able to cure diseases, with­out either rule for the use of them, or without other helpe adjoyning to them: Moreover the said Doctor doth confesse, that although the mix­ture of the Bath in Somersetshiere, [Page 135]in his owne o­pinion bee the most absolute and wholsome of all others, & he con­ceiveth as whole­some as any to bee taken into the bo­dy, yet (saith hee) the jealosie I have of their alien mix­ture with other vvaters adjoyning, doth deterre mee from the counsel­ling their invvard [Page 136]use, and the pra­ctise of them any other wayes, then by bathing. But if any adventure to drinke of such mi­nerall streames, he desireth them to be drunke hot by any meanes, both for the better pe­netration, and lesse offence to the sto­macke, then when they are taken crude & cold pro­ducing [Page 137]for proofe the ancient cu­stome of the Gre­cians & Romans, which drank most of their wine and water hot, and not cold & raw from the spring, accor­ding to the pra­ctise of our Spaw in Norfolke: Thus it appeares that neither anciēt nor modern do much affect the practise [Page 138]of drinking any water, except up­on such strict and warie termes and circumstances, as rarely or never will concurre. But however the drin­king of the water cold is absolutely prohibited, as con­trary to reason and antiquity: so that it must appeare, that the ground of this our practise, [Page 139]and the use of this our minerall spring is precipiti­ous & dangerous, as hath bin plaine­ly proved, both out of the ancients & also many lear­ned modernes; yet such is the vanity of our age, as thatAudax omnia per­peti Gens humana ruit per ve­titum nefas. Horat. Nitimur in votitum semper cu pimusque negata. prohibition is the greatest spurre to praecipitation, and doth hurrie us into mischiefes [Page 140]forbidden, as also cause us Narcissus. like to dote upon our own supposed perfection, trans­cending (if wee may be our owne judges) our reve­rend and learned fathers, as if wee were not [...] but [...] nay [...] as hee vaunts himselfe in the Poet; [...] Homer. Tydides me­lier patie. Horat. up­on which confi­dence [Page 141]in our own strength wee are ready to blemish them with do­tage, thinking, those learned fa­thers of medicine too old, and not wise enough to teach us; when wise men know we are too young to sound their depthes without their owne lines; For when wee [Page 142]have done all our best, even then we are compelled to acknowledge the truth of that ever­lasting sentence of Hippocrates, [...], that our lives are too short to mea­sure the extent of art; and for this cause I thinke my selfe bound to ad­mire that & those which I cannot [Page 143]comprehend, ac­cording to his judgement in Plu­tarch, upon a book of Heraclitus. [...] And although I had ra­ther be wise alone then erre with a­ny, yet in some re­spects I proclaime with Epiphanius Ferdinandus, Mal­lem errare cum Ga­leno & Hippocrate quam cum omnibus alijs sapere, not [Page 144]that I adore any mortall more then by a venerable e­steeme which is their due; and it were facriledge to rob them of it. But to returne to our subject, mine­rall streames have some toleration in externall use, espe­cially for bathes; and not so neither without speciall indication and re­tification; [Page 145]but for the wanton course of drinking them after such an irra­tionall manner, it was never counte­nanced by any an­cient, or learned moderne; For my owne part I could wish there were some such Nectar streames, that be­ing used after the manner of our Spaw, might not [Page 146]onely cure all di­seases, but also wash off that curse of mortalitie, changing age into youth (as Medea is fabled to have done) infirmities into perfection,Aesonidem mutasse ve­lim &c. Ovid. Me­tam. and weakenes in­to strength; and on this condition, who would not shake hands with Galen and all the rest, and breake up [Page 147]schooles of phy­sicke? for why should students smother themselus in their studies, when they might sit upon a clift and thence viewPsal. 107 24. Neptunnm procule ter­râ spectare fureatem. Horat. the wonders of the deepe, and drinke immortall health at so cheape a rate? And as I heartily desire to taste of such, so I abhorre the use of those [Page 138]that have contrary effects; as to cor­rupt them that are sound, to wea­ken those that are strong, to hasten age in those that are young, and in cōclusion to stran­gle and swallow up all in death; And such have bin the effects of mi­nerall wels and fountaines, as is exprest in our for­mer [Page 149]discourse, es­pecially used with­out such caution and circumstance, as is laid downe by learned and dis­creete practisers. And they are such also as can hardly or never bee re­conciled in one object. Therefore both out of my speciall affection to my friends, and charitie to my op­posites [Page 150](if there be any such) butPatria u­na omnes omnium charitates complecti­tur. Cicero. a­bove all in love to my Countrey, I have endeavoured to acquaint those that are not know­ing in these things (although other­wise learned) with the danger of un­knowne things, both in respect of their mixture and manner of using so rashly: For rash­nesse [Page 151]hath bin con­demned of old, and caution never knowne to hurt, [...] Epicharimu [...] nay to bee the very sinnewes of wisedome. How­ever, when I see Galen & others so strict in smaller matters prohibi­ting the use of rain water (which is little differēt from the best of waters) I cannot but bee [Page 152]zealous in matters of such great con­sequence, as the in­ward use of mine­rall waters with­out any extraction or correctiō, or so much as colation, which is the easiest of all other prepa­rations; Moreover if any shal say there is such perfect in­colation through the earth, as also such sufficiēt sepa­ration [Page 153]of heteroge­neall qualities, that they stand in need of no better it will soon be answered, that they are alto­gether ignorant, both of their gene­ration, qualities, & use; neither did they ever take no­tice of the sweats & labours, which many learned Chy­mists have taken a­bout the prepara­tion [Page 154]of those mine­rals, from whence the waters of this kind receive their tincture. But how­ever, were they in themselves sweet, light, thin, with­out either sapor or odor, and pleasant as wine, yet the large drinking of them cold, is most contrary to reason and all sound au­thority, as is plain­ly [Page 155]proved. But that I may now avoid prolixity, I wil ha­sten to shoare, and to conclude, am bound to advise a serious meditati­on of this subject, as a most necessary consideration, be­ing a maine cause of health or sick­nesse of divers kinds. Therefore I have plainly shew­ed the nature and [Page 156]difference of wa­ters by reason of their severall mix­ture with whole­some & unwhol­some earth, & such as have beene al­wayes esteemed & used both in di­et & medicine for sound and whole­some, all being confirmed by the practise & judge­ment of the most learned & ancient [Page 157]Physicians; not­withstāding I have left a libertie to e­very understāding agent, to make use of all as they may bee strictly & pro­perly indicated, o­therwise upon a meere logicall no­tion, or some nice distinctiō the pra­ctise thereof (for­sooth) is to bee prohibited. Not that I undervalew [Page 158]the true use of lo­gicke, as a hand­maid to all arts & sciences, but the excesse which is the essence of er­rour. Besides phy­sicians are sensible artificers, and not onely referre all to sense, but also are chiefly taught by sensible precepts, and therefore Ran­chinus by the au­thority of Galen [Page 159]condemnes distin­ctions, definitions and divisions that are too logicall as causes of confusi­on, rather then so­lid instruction, For which cause I have laboured to be the Eccho of those wor­thies, rather then the parent of my owne invention and judgement.