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 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 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 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.