THe mistery of this so famous Water-Drinker who at his pleasure (as the Spectatours have believed) can turn water into Wine, and at his vomit render not onely the tincture but the strength and smell of severall wines, and se­verall waters is the subject of this discourse: which being to satisfie the people (so often in this Nation and in forreign Kingdomes astonished at the wonder, I shall here study to declare unto you in as plain words as I can, and to contrive it in as few.

Howsoever I shall be most carefull to represent it to you in that manner, that the curtain being drawn open and the vizzard taken off, you shall see the whole pro­gresse and the face of the Imposture.

But before I come to close upon it, it will be no ways impertinent, to relate that the Master of this Mastery Bloise an Italian by name, from whom our impo­sture now in England received his Rudiments, and full Knowledge, was not long since questioned in Francis by the Cardinall Mazarine, who threatened him with all the miseries that a tedious imprisonment could bring upon him, which he would see most severel inflicted, unlesse he would discover to him by which [Page 4] Art he did it, Bloise startled at the sentence, and fearing the event made a provident discovery, for it was on these terms, that he would communicate it to no man else, by which means having made an experimentall proof of what so powerfully was expected, he not onely gained his liberty but the connivance of the Cardinal.

From this Bloise, the imposture in England, Floram Marchand by name, received al his instructions, and find­ing that Bloise was the more famous in the Artifice, by the advice of two English friends Mr. Tho. Peedle, and Mr. Tho. Cozbie, who brought him over, he abandoned Tours to come into England, where his moist cheat be­fore was never heard off, and where the cause of the wonder being utterly unknown, he promised himself to advance the wonder into all Advantages.

I shall trouble you with no further circumstance, the manner of the imposture is this,

To prepare his body for so hardy a task, before he makes his appearance on the Stage, doth take a Pill about the quantity of a hazle nut, confected with the Gall of an Heifer & wheat flower baked. After which he drink­eth privately in his Chamber, four or five pints of luke-warm-water, to take all the foulnesse, and slime from his stomack, & to avoid that loath some spectacle which otherwise would make thick the water, and offend the eye of the observer.

In the first place he presents you with a payl of luke-warm water, and sixteen glasses in a Basket, but you are to understand that every morning he boileth 2 ounces of Brazile thin sliced in 3 pints of running water, so long till the whole strength and colour of the Brazile is exhaust­ed: of this he drinketh half a pint in his private chamber before he commeth on the Stage: you are also to un­derstand [Page 3] that he neither eateth nor drinketh in the mor­ning on those days wherein he commeth on the Stage, the cleansing Pill and water onely excepted; but in the evening will make a very good supper, and eat as much as two or three other men who have not their stomacks so throughly purged.

Before he presents himself to the Spectators, he wash­eth all his glasses in the best white-wine vinegar he can procure. Comming on the Stage, he always washeth his first glasse, and rinseth it two or three times, to take a­way the strength of the Vinegar, that it might in no wise discolour the complexion of what is represented to be Wine.

In his first entrance, he drinketh four and twenty glasses of luke-warm-water; the first vomit he maketh the wa­ter seemeth to be a full deep Claret: you are to observe that his Gall-pill in the morning, and so many glasses of luke-warm-water afterwards, will force him into a sud­den capacity to vomit, which vomit upon so much warm water, is for the most part so violent on him, that he cannot forbear if he would.

You are again to understand, that all that comes from him is red of it self, or hath a tincture of it from the first Brazil water; but by degrees, the more water he drinketh, as on every new trial he drinketh so many glasses of water as his Stomack will contain, the water that comes from him will grow paler and paler: having then, as I said before, made his essay on Claret, and proved it to be of the same complexion, he drinketh again four or five glasses of the luke-warm-water, and bringeth forth Claret and Beer at once into two severall glasses; now you are to observe, that the glass which appeareth to be Claret, is rinsed as before, but the Beer glass not rinsed at all, but is still moist [Page 6] water from him in three pipes, the distance of four or five yeards. This is all cleer water, which he doth with so much port, and such a flowing grace as if it were his Master-piece.

He hath been invited by divers Gent. and personages of Honour to make the like evacuation in milk, as he made a semblance in wine, you are to understand that then he goeth into another room, and drinketh two or three pints of milk, on his return (which is always speedy) he goeth first to his pail and afterwards to his Vomite. The milk which comes from him looks curdled, and showes like curdled milk and drink. If there be no milk ready to be had he will excuse himself to his Spectators; and make a large promise of what he will perform the next day. At which time being sure to have milk enough to serve his turn he wil perform his promise.

His milk he always drinketh in a withdrawing room, that it may not be discovered, for that will be too appa­rent, nor hath he any other shift to evade the discerning eye of the observers.

It is also to be considered, that he never comes on the Stage as he doth sometimes three or four times in a day, but he first drinks the Brazile water, without which he can do nothing at all, for all that comes from him hath a tincture of the red, and it onely varieth and altereth according to the abundance of water which he taketh, and the strength of the White-wine-vinegar, in which all the glasses are washed.

To prove the truth of what here is delivered unto you, you shal have the two Gent. that brought him over with them from Tours viz. Tho. Peedle, and Tho. Cozby, by name, constantly resident at their lodging at the widdow Gilmans house in Golden-lane, the next door to the sign of the Peel, where every day after wednesday being the 26 of this instant June, from 12 of the clock until 6 in the evening, they will be present to justifie what is here discovered; and with glasses, and other accommodations in this business to shew actually in their own per­sons, what is here declared, and to convince any that shall contradict it.