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HEALTH, A POEM.
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HEALTH, A POEM.
SHEWING HOW TO Procure, Preserve, and Restore it.
To which is annex'd, THE DOCTOR'S DECADE.
By DARBY DAWNE, M. D.
The Fourth Edition, Corrected.
Published for the Benefit of the Inhabitants of N. England.
BOSTON: Re-printed by [...]. Fleet, for Benjamin Eliot, at the lower End of the Town-House, and John [...] on the South Side of the Town-House, 1724.
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THE PREFACE
IT was a usual Saying of the great Lord Verulam, That not one Man of a Thousand died a natural Death; and that most [...] had their Rise and Origin from Intemperence. Therefore,
Unerring Nature learn to follow close,
For quantum sufficit is her just Dose;
Sufficient, clogs no Wheels and tires no Horse,
Yet briskly drives the Blood around the Course▪
And hourly adds unto its Wastes, Supplies,
In due Proportion to what's spent and dies;
Whilst surfeiting corrupts the purple Gore,
And bankrupts Nature of her long-liv'd Store;
And thus the Soul is from the Body tore
Before its Time.—
[Page vi] Which, by a temperate Life, in a clean Cell,
Might full a hundred years with comfort dwell,
And drop, when ripe, as Nuts do slip the Shell.
Trust not to Constitution, 'twill decay,
And twisted Strength, its Fibres wear away;
As close wove Garments of a strong-spun Thread
The Woof frets out and tears away the Web [...]
So Soul and Body tho' ne'er so well conjoin'd,
The longer that they wear the more they g [...]ind,
Then the crackt Organ must impair the M [...]nd.
All finite Things tend to their own undoing,
But Man alone's industrious to his Ruin,
For what with Riot, Delicates, and [...].
Turns [...] himself to undermine.
Besides the [...]den Snares laid in our way,
The sudden Deaths we hear of every Day,
The smoothest Paths have unseen Ambuscades,
And Insecurity, Security invades;
For no Man knows what's the next Hour's Event,
Man lives as he does die, by Accident.
How soft is Flesh, how brittle is a Bone!
Time eats up Steel, and Monuments of Stone,
And from his Teeth art thou exempt alo [...] ▪
What Warrant hast thou that thy Body's proof
Against the Anguish of an aching Tooth?
How soon's a Fever rous'd by accute Pains?
The smallest Ails have all their Parti [...]ans;
[Page vii] And in intestine Wars they may divide,
And Life's Deserters list on the wrong side.
Diseases, like true Blood-hounds, seize their Dam,
And prey upon the Carkass whence they sprange.
Be always on thy Guard, watchful and wise,
Lest Death should take thee napping by (Surprize.
Drunkenness and Gluttony steal Men off silently and singulatim, whereas Sword and Pestilence do it by the Lump; but then Death makes a Halt, and comes to a Cessation of Arms, but the other knows no Stop nor Intermission, but perpetually jogs on and depopulates insensibly and by Degrees; and though this i [...] every Day experienced, yet Men are so enslaved by Custom and a long Habit, that no Admonotion will avail: so true is that Saying, That he that goes to the Tavern at first for the Love of the Company, will at last go thither for the Love of Liquor: and therefore it was excellent Advice the ingenious Dr. Baynard gave his Godson.
[...] a Tavern-Door, my Son,
[...] sacred Truth write on thy Heart;
'Tis easier Company to shun,
Than at a Pint it is to part.
[Page viii]
For one Pint draws another in,
And that Pint lights a Pipe;
And thus in th' Morn they tap the Day▪
and drink it out e'er Night:
Not dreaming of a sudden Bounce,
From Vinous Sulphurs stor'd within;
Which blows a Drunkard up at once,
When the Fire takes Life's Magazin.
An Apoplexy kills as sure
As Cannon Ball, and oft as soon;
And will no more yield to a Cure,
Than murd'ring Chain-shot from a Gun.
Why should Men dread a Cannon Bore,
Yet boldly 'proach a Pottle Pot?
That may fall short, shoot wide, or o'er,
But Drinking is the surer Shot.
How many Fools about this Town,
Do quaff and laugh away their Time▪
And nightly knock each other down,
With Claret Clubs, of No-Grape Wine!
Until a Dart from Bacchus' Quiver,
As Solomon describeth right,
Does shoot his Tartar thro' the Liver,
Then (Bonus Noscius) Sot good Night.
[Page ix]
Good Wine will kill as well as [...],
When drank beyond (our Nature's) [...] ▪
Then Wine gives Life a mortal Stab,
And leaves her weltring in her Wounds.
Wounds! that no Physick Art can heal,
And very rarely that they feel
The Stroke, the Moment it does kill.
Many a Soul with great Difficulty [...] weak and worn-out Carkass to its daily Rendezvous, who perhaps for many Tears has been nothing else but the Vintner's Conveniencer to carry his Liquors between the Hogshead and the Piss-Pot.
But when alas! Men come to die
Of Dropsy, Jaundice, Stone or Gout,
When the black Reckoning draws nigh,
And Life (before the Bottle)'s out:
When (low drawn) Time's upon the Tilt,
Few Sands and Minutes left to run;
And all our (past gone) Tears are spilt,
And the great Work is left undone.
When restless Conscience [...] within,
And in Despair begins to bawl,
[Page x] Death, like a Drawer, then steps in,
And asketh, Gentlemen! d'ye call▪
I wish that Men would timely think
On this great Truth in their full Bowls,
Both I and Will of Ludgate-Hill,
And all our Friends round Paul's.
When a Man's Distempers stare him in the Face, and he is summon'd to lay down his Dust, he, alas! then sees the Folly of his Ways, and what a miserable Purchase he has made with his mispent Time, Health and Money; and like a Malefactor at the Gallows, makes some short Speech of Warning to his Companions, who give him the Hearing, and perhaps are drunk with his own Cl [...]t at his Funeral.
But, alas! the Destruction of himself is the least Part of the Tragedy, the Mischief is struck deeper, and entails hereditary Diseases on his innocent Posterity, to the eternal Infamy of his Name and Family; when the poor Off-spring of his wretched Carcass inherits nothing but the Schedule of his Distempers, and dwindles away a miserable Life, in Pills, Plaisters, and Potions. I wish that Men may think of this, and prize and pr [...]erve a good Constitution and Stock of Health before it be too late.
[Page xi] I cannot letter close this Epistle, than as the same Author observes the old Romans to have done, to their Friends.
Cura ut Valeas: For Health once gone,
All Comforts perish with it, and are none;
Riches, and Honour, Musick, Wine, and Wit,
Wax fiat and tasteless with the Loss of it.
Could Youth but see with gouty old Mens Eyes,
One Stretch upon their Back would make em wise;
And Drunkenness (the damn'd first Cause) despise.
But such is giddy Youth's unhappy Fate,
When crippl [...]d and nail [...]d down are wise too late.
Unhappy Man! that drinks his own undoing,
As tho' his Business were, to pledge his Ruin.
And that brave Texture his found Parents knit,
With Pipe and Pot he does unravel it.
As if the Gods in Anger gave him Wealth,
To sacrifice to Bacchus, Youth and Health▪
Health of all earthly Blessings ' [...]i [...] the best,
Which most is valu'd when 'tis [...] possest.
[Page 1]
AN ESSAY TO A RULE of HEALTH
The Definition. HEALTH is a free, easy, and perfect Enjoyment of all the Faculties of Mind and Body to due Performance of the Animal Functions, without any Impediment, Pain or Molestation.
Which is thus to be [...]
IF twice Man's Age you [...]
Let Reason guide you, [...]
Let all the Passions of the [...]
Be subject unto her [...]
[Page 2] She checks all Rashness, and gives Time
To think, and re-think each Design:
Those that do thus, before they act,
'Tis rarely seen, repent the Fact:
This makes an easy, quiet Mind,
(The greatest Blessing of Mankind;)
And he that in this Bliss do's share,
Enjoys a Ray of Heaven here.
Fly all Excess, and first take Care
Of Wine and Women to beware.
Sport, dally, and tattle with 'em rarely,
And marry not a Wife too early;
Stay till you're grown, and Joints are knit,
And you have Money got and Wit:
For he that weds before he's wise,
Is shackled by a Fool's Advice:
Alas! then he may see his Fate,
And feel it too, when 'tis too late.
In single Life live pure and chaste,
Lest from your Face your NOSE you cast.
And is it not a great Disgrace,
To lose [...] of your Face?
Tho Tears [...] may attone for th' Sin,
Yet [...] no NOSE again:
So never [...] forbidden Fruit,
But think [...] [...]OSE, when tempted to't.
[Page 3]
Till Hunger pinches, never eat,
And then on plain, not spiced Meat.
Desist before you eat your fill,
Drink to dilute, but not to swill,
So no Ructations you will feel.
Let Supper little be and light;
But none makes always the best Night;
It gives sweet Sleep without a Dream,
Leaves Morning's Mouth sweet, moist, and (clean.
A little Breakfast you may eat,
But not so as to satiate:
But Dinner then you must postpone,
Till farther in the Afternoon;
For never load fresh Food upon
your Stomach, till the former's gone;
For whatsoe'er is swallow'd thus,
Turns putrid and cadaverous:
And taking more than Nature needs,
Of most Distempers are the Seeds.
Accustom early in your Youth
To lay Embargo on your [...]
And let no Rarities invite, [...]
To pall and glut your App [...]e:
But check it always, and giv [...] o'er
With a Desire of eating more.
[Page 4] For where one dies by Inanition,
A thousand perish by Repletion.
To miss a Meal sometimes is good,
It ventilates, and cools the Blood,
Gives Nature time to cleanse her Streets
From Filth and Crudities of Meats.
For too much Meat, the Bowels [...]urr,
And Fasting's Nature's Scavenger.
When as your Stomach nauseates,
And ke [...]ks at Smell or Sight of Meats:
By Vomit fetch away the Load
Of Phlegm and undigested Food,
And do it soon, before it dwells
So as to tinge its Tunicles;
And breed sow'r Ferment, which begets
Unsavoury Belches, and sick Fits,
And Steams, which taint the Mouth and Gums▪
With foeted Smells, like ulcer'd Lungs:
And after Vomits, always use
Emollients soft, to cool and smooth;
For Reaching makes the Stomach sore,
Which Lenitives will best restore.
Bleed only, when you find the Blood
Abound, or Stagnate, then 'tis good;
Which you may very easily guess,
By heavy, stiff, Unyieldiness.
[Page 5] Short Breath, high Pulse, & caetera▪
Then quickly take some Blood away▪
But more especially in Stitches,
Pleuritic Pains, and pungent Twitches;
Then out of Hand without Delay,
Take a good Quantity away.
For Purging I shall give no Rule,
But after Glutt'ny and cramming full,
'Tis good to empty and to cool;
Tho' forc'd Evacuations are,
Such as we ought to use with Care,
Since 'tis not known what we can spare.
For Physick drives off with the Blood,
Some Parts of the substantial Good,
And if you'd keep the Ballance even,
Dame Nature must be led, not driven;
By Methods mild, and by Degrees,
We should relieve her Grievances:
As Fasting, Exercise, and Time,
And Water heals the Wounds of Wi [...] ▪
But where the Fever's peracute,
It won't admit of long Dispute;
When Life's chief Fortress is attach'd,
Quickly consult, and quickly [...]
For many a Life hath slipt away▪
By careless trifling, and delay▪
So when the Case is very [...]
Spare neither vomiting, nor [...] ▪
[Page 6] Provided that your Judgment's tight,
And take the Indication right;
Ev'n then be not the only Agent,
Lest a dead Corps shou'd prove your Patient;
But call in Doctors of more Skill,
Who may you cure, or help you kill,
Then let it happen as it will.
You can't be found Felo de se,
If slain in learned Company.
When struck in Years, strong Drink forbear,
Especially of Wine beware;
Old Men of Moisture want Supplies,
And Wine of all Sorts, heats and dries,
Twitches & Cramps, their Tartars give,
Hence they step short, and straddle stiff;
For vinous Spirits prey upon
Nutricious Juice, and vital Balm;
This makes 'em rabid, lean, and thin,
With loose and flabby, wrinkled Skin.
Water and Whey, of Drinks are first,
They cool, dilute, and quench the Thirst;
And next to those is good small Beer,
Not sow'r, but smart, and brisk, and clear.
Not that in general I condemn
A Glass of gen'rous now and then;
When you are faint, your Spirits low,
Your String relax'd, 'twill bend your Bow,
[Page 7] Brace your Drum Head, and make it tight,
Wind up your Watch, and set you right:
But then again the two much Use
Of all strong Liquors is th' Abuse▪
'Tis Liquid makes the Solids loose,
The Texture and whole Frame destroys,
But Health lies in the Equipoise.
The greatest part o'th' World's content,
With Adam's Ale, pure Element;
And who so strong, and does more Work,
Than doth the Water drinking Turk?
And when the Stomach's out of order,
No Cordial, like a Glass of Water;
This, this has baffled all the Slops,
Of Ladies Closets, and the Shops.
As Water's best, so 'twas the first
Of Liquors made to quench [...] Thirst
Of Men, of Beasts, of Plants, and Trees▪
From whence they all have their Encrease ▪
Its Uses are too manifold,
And marv'lous great e'er to be told;
Its Particles constituent,
Are too minute an Element.
Its Make and Texture, Crasis, [...]
Are too stupendiously fine
For Virtuoso's to descry,
Tho' Glasses come t'assist their Bye
[Page 8] Cease then, vain Search! let that alone,
Hid, with all Essences unknown;
But be content that the Creator,
Has blest the World with so much Water.
It works itself (as being thin)
Int' all the Pores and Parts within;
Helps all Secrations in their Uses,
And sweetens sharp and sowre Juices;
Tempers hot Bile, thins viscid Phlegm,
And moderates in each Extreme;
Damps the fierce AEstus of the Blood,
Abates the Fevers boiling Flood;
Dilutes the Salts, melts off their Points,
And acrid Particles disjoints;
And is the only Liquor that
Never grows eager, sharp or flat:
Give it but Motion, Room and Air,
Its Purity will ne'er impair:
Experience daily shews it true,
That Water only this can do.
All other Liquors made by Art,
Grow rancid, vapid, sowre, and tart.
Chuse Water that is cool, and thin;
Such as feels smooth, and soft to th' Skin,
Looks clear, and bright, and chrystaline:
The lightest Water is the best,
That is, without or Smell or Taste:
[Page 9] Which standing long, yields few Contents,
Of Scum, or Clouds, or Sediments;
Such as will lather cold with Soap,
Tho' ne'er was sainted by the Pope,
(As Bridget, Anne, and Winifred,)
For 'tis the Water does the Feat,
The Saint's the Varnish and the Cheat;
And he that has a Spring like this,
Has with good Air a double Bliss.
Never give way to Sloth and Ease,
For Laz'ness is a great Disease;
And when it has Possession got,
It makes the Man a stupid Sot:
When Sleep does first desert you, rise;
Next, wash the Gum from off your Eyes:
Cold Water pure will clear the Sight,
Comfort the Eyes, and keep them bright.
Indulge not Drowsiness, unless
It does proceed from Weariness.
'Thout some Fatigue, there's no so and Sleep,
'Tis eating without Appetite;
For those that start in Sleep, or shake,
Find small Refreshment when they wake:
And when you rise, approach not near
A Fire, except the Cold's severe:
And then, at distance take the Heat,
Because it does inhebitate;
[Page 10] And Sloth, and sluggishness induce,
And spoil your natural Rest by Use.
This Custom, Students must avoid,
For Memory is by Heat annoy'd
And by hard drinking quite destroy'd.
For Reminiscence is strongest where
The Head [...]s serene, and cool, and clear;
This Truth is seen in Regions cold,
There what they read they always hold.
But 'tis the Nature of a Wit,
Soon to invent, soon to forget;
For from the Brain that's hot and dry,
The slight Impressions quickly fly:
Whereas in moist and phlegmy Brains,
The Stamp's struck deep, and long remains▪
Tho' 'tis allow'd, there are some few,
That have good Wits, and Mem'ry too.
Rise early, with the Summer's Sun,
Especally when you are Young;
For he that early walks the Fields,
Takes all the Sweets that Flora yields;
Just as the Sun unlocks the Blooms
Of all their fragrant, rich Perfumes;
Besides, with Morning Air he's treated,
Not by the Sun Beams over-heated;
Which cools the Lungs, and fans the Blood,
And makes the Spirits brisk and good,
After a bad Good-fellow-Hood
[Page 11] Had left their springy Parts uncurl'd,
Like a loose Sail that is unfurl'd,
Those Air and Action buckle up,
When ruffled by a Midnight's Cup.
After an idle drunken bout,
Walk and take Air, ne'er sleep it out;
By which you will avoid the Harms
Of Head-ach, and sick Stomach Qualms:
For sleeping with a Load of VVine,
Does all its Fumes within confine;
Which are of dang'rous Consequence,
For Apoplexies spring from hence.
Palsies, and Tremors, and the rest,
Which mostly Drunkards do infest,
From Ferments in the Body pent,
Which early rowzing may prevent▪
For Gouts, and Stone, and such Diseases▪
Dwell most where Luxury and Ease is▪
Such a Tormenter never rages
'Mong VVhey-Drinkers in poor Cottages▪
Who live in Health till mighty Ages;
And to the Grave at a hundred Years,
Carry their Mem'ry, Eyes, and Ears.
Who then in Ale, or worse brew'd VVine,
Wou'd drown his Health, and so much Time▪
For whilst Men tipple, prate, and lie,
Life on smooth Skeets slides swiftly by.
[Page 12]
In Walking let your Cloaths be thin,
But not too tight, or strait to th [...] Skin,
That cool fresh Air may close the Pores;
This oftentimes that Health restores,
Which too much Warmth turn'd out of Doors:
For loss of Strength declares what Hurt
Those get that wear a Flannel Shirt:
For thro' a constant Dilatation,
The Spirits spend by Perspiration.
In Bed lie warm, but not too hot,
Nor yet too soft, for that's a Fault;
Soft Feathers have Attraction such,
As draws the natural Heat too much,
The Flesh makes flabby, loose and weak,
The Coun [...]tnance dead, and pale, and bleak.
Of Heats and Colds take special Care,
Windows, and Doors, that let in Air;
A Crack, or Crevice, in the Wall,
Hurts more than doth an open Hall:
And safer 'tis to stand i'th' Street,
Than where two Doors of Entries meet▪
Walk to be warm, but not to sweat,
Or by Degrees take down your Heat;
[Page 13] Drink not until you'r very cool,
And gently move to get a Stool.
Yet sometimes let your Feet be wet,
But in your wet Shoes never sit;
For while you're running in the Dirt,
The Action keeps you from the Hurt:
And often wash your Skin all o'er,
It gives a Spring to every Pore;
Returns the Heat upon the Blood,
Which makes all bad Digestions good.'
Lodge not fine Touth with aged Bones,
Nor much converse with Pains, and Groans;
For Bodies that are old and dry'd,
From juicy Youth will be supply'd;
These suck their Spirits, make 'em pale▪
So vital Vigour needs must fail;
For th' aged, thro' the young one's Pores;
His own decrepid Limbs restores:
For what by Contract, what by Sweats,
What the Touth loses, t'other gets:
This makes 'em pallid, thin and weak;
As if Hag-ridden in their sleep.
And on the other Hand, it's naught
To lie with one that's over fat;
Such sweat and over-heat the Child▪
By which a good cool Habit's spoil'd;
[Page 14] For in a mod'rate Temperature,
The welfare of the Child's secure.
In short, observe, the tender Young
Shou'd be well nurs'd, but laid alone.
But above all, take special Care
How Children you affright and scare [...]
In telling stories of things seen,
Sprite, Daemon, and Hobgoblin;
Hence they'l contract such Cowardice,
As ne'er will leave them all their Lives,
And then th' Idea's of their Fears
Continued unto riper Years,
Can by no Reason be suppress'd,
But of it they'l be so possess'd,
They'l sweat, and quake, and start and stare,
And meet the Devil ev'ry where.
Terrors have changed some Men grey,
Took Limbs, and Speech, and Sense away;
Have topsy-turvy'd Brains and Sculls,
Turn'd some Men mad, and some Men Fools:
Have made a Soul skip like a Sprite,
And leave the Body bolt upright:
Stark staring ghastly, dead, and stiff,
Like Lot's sad monumental Wife.
Anger avoid, and also Grief,
They both are Enemies to Life,
[Page 15] And fatal often in Extremes,
To which side e'er the Passion leans.
In both let Reason mitigate,
She will the Fury soon abate,
If she's consulted not too late.
For I have seen fierce Anger checkt,
By seeming Deafness, and Neglect;
Take off the Fuel, th' Fire will die,
Silence alone will p [...]t it by,
If not blown up by a Reply:
Let it blow o'er, if you can bear,
In at one, out at t'other Ear;
Storms hurt not in a Thoroughfare.
Late Watching does much Injury
To Nature's whole Oeconomy;
Impedes, or wholly doth defeat
The making of her Work complete;
For all Secrations are made best
I'th' quiet state of Sleep and Rest;
When all the Faculties of th' Mind
Are to their (soporal) Cells confin'd;
Then all the vital Functions are
('Cause not disturb'd by mental Care)
Each to his Office to repair,
And mend the Breathes, and Decays,
Made by Disorder any ways
In Life's vast Labyrinth and Maze;
[Page 16] Which thro' unknown Maeander run,
And circulates to where't begun,
And restless in its Course, keeps on.
For th' Heart clacks on, and is a Mill,
That's independent of the Will,
And like an Engine squirts the Blood,
Forcing up Hill the purple Flood;
A constant Fountain that displays
Its Rivulets ten thousand ways;
Mov'd by a secret Power unknown,
And yet that Power is not its own:
Restless from the first Stroke it gives,
To the last Moment that it lives;
Its Office is to mesh and beat,
And make the Chyle consimulate
With balmy Blood and nitrous Air,
(All have i [...]th' Work their proper share)
Which Inspiration does prepare.
That Air again the Lungs explode,
When robbed of its nitrous Load;
This grinds Life's Grist, yet takes small Toll
For carrying of it thro' the Whole,
And lodging at each Office Door,
Sufficient for their daily Store.
And here I'd ask, what human Tongue▪
Can praise enough that wond'rous One,
That made this great Automaton?
[Page 17] Here let the prostrate World adore
His infinite Goodness, Wisdom, Power.
Of Exercises, Swimming's best,
Strengthens the Muscles of the Chest,
And all their fleshy Parts confirms,
Extends, and stretches Legs and Arms;
And with a nimble retro-spring,
Contracts and brings them back again.
As 'tis the best, so 'tis the sum
Of Exercises all in one:
And of all Motions most complete,
Because 'tis vi'lent without Heat.
And next to Swimming, Riding's good,
It shakes the Bowels, stirs the Blood,
And gives a Motion to a Stool,
But bad to ride with Belly full;
For shaking does precipitate,
E'er you've digested half your Meat;
Besides, your Guts, if fat, it squelches
And causes Fumes and sowre Belches:
'Tis also in hard Livers naught,
Or when oppress'd with Wind or Thought,
It stirs up Flatus Hypocon:
If so, desist from riding on:
For't makes it fly into the Head,
Where Dizziness and Fumes are bred;
[Page 18] Then Life's in Danger, if you totter,
Be your Horse Pacer, or a Trotter:
So let the Rider take a Care,
Lest from a stumbling Horse or Mare,
He don't take Earth in taking Air.
But the true benefit in riding,
Is much and long i'th' Air abiding;
Fasting and always jogging on,
And drinking nothing that is strong;
But guzzling on a Journey's wrong:
And then perhaps, you [...]ll gain your Point,
If your Horse keeps your Neck in Joint.
Of dry consumptive Coughs beware,
They always grow much worse in Air;
For Places high, and Air serene,
Are for thin Bodies found too keen:
For all the Air, on Hights, and Hills,
'Cause robb'd of watry Particles,
Holds Nitre naked, and not sheath'd,
And so are naught, for all short breath'd:
As well as Airs too thick with Smoaks,
One pricks and tickles, t'other choaks:
But where it's clear, and not too high,
With Mixture due of moist and dry,
'Tis there the Lungs have Liberty
To play their Fan most pleasantly.
[Page 19] The Air is best on rising Hills,
Also near grav'ly running Rills;
For where the Soil is hard and dry,
The Air is good, whether low or high,
The watry Steams will take off Heats,
And much abate nocturnal Sweats.
In Holland, where 'tis all low Ground,
Habitual Coughs are rarely found;
But when Catarrhs and Rheums infest,
Warm and dry Airs are surely best.
For if Consumptions cur'd can be,
(Which is a mighty Rarity)
Three Things in chief you need prepare,
Milk, Traumatics, and Change of Air.
And if with these, cold Baths you get,
To temper down the hectic Heat,
He may go bare-foot, as a Goose,
Who lives in hope of dead Mens Shoes.
Tho' riding is extremely good,
Yet, Health lies more in choice of Food;
A gen'ral Rule we may go by,
Is eating such things 'specially,
As are least apt to putrefy.
New Milk and Rice, Bread Corn and Roots,
Fresh Sallets, and fresh gather'd Fruits,
Sweet Butter, Oil, and well made Cheese;
For those who mostly feed on these,
[Page 20] Live long, and gently wear away,
Perceiving not their own Decay,
To th' utmost Point o'th' fatal Day.
Then without Pain, like Lamps expire,
With the last Spark of vital Fire.
For Life's a Lamp, its Oil well spent,
Leaves when't goes out, a fragrant Scent:
Thrice happy he, whose virtuous Name,
Is Incense, and perfumed Flame,
On th' Altar of immortal Fame.
So, Reader, if thou art so wise,
To put in Practice this Advice;
The World will wonder to behold
Thou look'st so young, and art so old.
[Page 21]
The Doctor's Decade;
Or the Ten Utensils of his Trade.
For in Ten Words the whole Art is compris'd▪
For some of the Ten are always advis'd.
VIZ.
Piss, Spew, and Spit,
Perspiration and Sweat;
Purge, Bleed, and Blister,
Issues and Clyster.
THESE few Evacuations,
Cure all the Doctor [...]s Patients,
If rightly apply [...]d
By a wise Physick Guide:
For an Error in these,
Is worse than Disease;
So can't be too wary,
Where Cases do vary;
[Page 22] For a Dose oft too much,
Turns PUG o'er the Perch.
What more they advance,
Is all done by Chance;
Even Steel and the Bark,
Do tilt in the Dark:
Tho' Opium, alas!
May put by a Pass,
And lull a Disease,
By a seeming false Peace;
Yet these Physick Allies
Use such Fallacies,
And fail us so common,
We can't depent on 'em;
So as to a Cure,
There' none can be sure.
Most other Specificks
Have no visible Effects,
But the getting of Fees,
For a promise of Ease;
(Much like the South S—)
Tho' our Glasses of late
Has furnish'd the Pate
With Philosophical Prate;
As to read learned Lectures
On a T—and its Textures;
And can see in the Sp—m
Generations to come:
[Page 23] Like Tad-poles a swimming
To the Land of the Living.
Yet for all this fine Show,
No more do we know,
Than did old Quid pro Quo;
That famous Compounder,
And first Physick Founder.
For then all their Blunders
Were esteem'd as Wonders,
And admired as much
As some do H—b C—h▪
For Physick then took,
Much more by the Look▪
Than by the Success,
Which is the best Test.
To look big, grave, and dull,
And talk half like a Fool,
Denotes a wise Skull.
To be deaf, and half blind,
Were Perfections of Mind,
For all such Defects,
Were to Folly as Checks:
For few were thought wise,
Who saw with both Eyes.
Yet none of these Blinkers
Were accounted Free-Thinkers,
As is seen by the Treacle
Where Health lay in Pickle▪
[Page 24] That ancient Farrago,
Exploded long ago,
Yet 'tis such a Med'cine.
Once had the Pope's Blessing;
And so is Catholick,
Tho' not Apostolick;
For't has not a Mission
From Luke the Pysician.
But why do we them blame,
When we play the same Game▪
And make up strange Mixtures,
Of different Textures;
Which fret and ferment,
Till their Fury is spent;
And in our Guts jar,
And there raise a War,
From a Heterogen Med'cine▪
The Strife is intestine.
But where the Ingredients
Are mix'd from Experience,
By their Homogeniety,
They'll never disquiet ye;
For ill Compounds are owning
To our Simples not knowing;
For their Virtues unless
The Plants will confess,
We must all acquiesce,
And Practice by Guess.
[Page 25] Till the College reveals
What their Prudence conceals;
For the Arcanas of Art,
To none they'll impart;
Those sacred Archives,
Which enrol all our Lives,
Are lodg'd on high Shelves,
Out o'th' Reach of themselves,
For when they fall sick,
What they give upon Tick,
The Doctors ne'er take,
For fear of Mistake:
But always mistrust,
What they believed at first;
Whilst the practising Youth
Swallows all for a Truth.
For whatever they read,
They believe as their Creed,
But will find when they try,
That Authors will lye;
For in Physick there's Legend,
As well as Religion;
But the older they grow,
The less they will know;
For in being oft out,
It creates in 'em Doubt:
So themselves they'll ne'er kill,
By Potion or Pill;
[Page 26] No Powders nor Bolus,
Nor Issue▪ o'th' Shoulders,
Nor en [...]ed in Blisters;
Those Shrouds of the Sisters
By the Devil contriv'd
To [...]lay Men alive,
As if the Sick didn't feel,
When they're skin'd like an Eel.
Then a P [...]iste [...] apply'd
To the Remains of the Hide,
Which tears off the rest,
Next time it is dress'd;
By some little Hell-Cub,
Or Spawn of old Belz'bub;
Or Mellil [...]t his Master,
With a whole Sheet of Plaister,
To shroud him compleat▪
From the Head to the Feet▪
Sent by his Physician,
To manage th' Inquisition;
For one half that dies
Are spur-gall'd by his Flies,
And flay'd out of their Lives
But the Devil a Doctor,
Will flay his own Back sore▪
What his Patients endure,
He'll avoid to be sure:
[Page 27] Their Groans and their Aking,
Does fright him from taking;
Nor shall any Slops
But Wine wet his Chops:
So all Med [...]cines defies,
As he does Spanish Flies,
From experienc'd Opinion,
There's little Help in 'em.
But as Death does draw near,
Their Art is their Fear;
Trusting more to Small-Beer,
A Horse and fresh Air,
Than to Physick and Prayer.
From whence I suggest,
They're too wise for the rest.
FINIS.