poison.”  I remember in Valleriola’s observations, a story of one John Baptist a Neapolitan, that finding by chance a pamphlet in Italian, written in praise of hellebore, would needs adventure on himself, and took one dram for one scruple, and had not he been sent for, the poor fellow had poisoned himself.  From whence he concludes out of Damascenus 2 et 3.  Aphoris. [2880]"that without exquisite knowledge, to work out of books is most dangerous:  how unsavoury a thing it is to believe writers, and take upon trust, as this patient perceived by his own peril.”  I could recite such another example of mine own knowledge, of a friend of mine, that finding a receipt in Brassivola, would needs take hellebore in substance, and try it on his own person; but had not some of his familiars come to visit him by chance, he had by his indiscretion hazarded himself:  many such I have observed.  These are those ordinary cautions, which I should think fit to be noted, and he that shall keep them, as [2881] Montanus saith, shall surely be much eased, if not thoroughly cured.

SUBSECT.  III.—­Concerning Physic.

Physic itself in the last place is to be considered; “for the Lord hath created medicines of the earth, and he that is wise will not abhor them.”  Ecclus. xxxviii. 4. ver. 7.[0000] “of such doth the apothecary make a confection,” &c.  Of these medicines there be diverse and infinite kinds, plants, metals, animals, &c., and those of several natures, some good for one, hurtful to another:  some noxious in themselves, corrected by art, very wholesome and good, simples, mixed, &c., and therefore left to be managed by discreet and skilful physicians, and thence applied to man’s use.  To this purpose they have invented method, and several rules of art, to put these remedies in order, for their particular ends.  Physic (as Hippocrates defines it) is nought else but [2882]"addition and subtraction;” and as it is required in all other diseases, so in this of melancholy it ought to be most accurate, it being (as [2883]Mercurialis acknowledgeth) so common an affection in these our times, and therefore fit to be understood.  Several prescripts and methods I find in several men, some take upon them to cure all maladies with one medicine, severally applied, as that panacea, aurum potabile, so much controverted in these days, herba solis, &c.  Paracelsus reduceth all diseases to four principal heads, to whom Severinus, Ravelascus, Leo Suavius, and others adhere and imitate:  those are leprosy, gout, dropsy, falling-sickness.  To which they reduce the rest; as to leprosy, ulcers, itches, furfurs, scabs, &c.  To gout, stone, colic, toothache, headache, &c.  To dropsy, agues, jaundice, cachexia, &c.  To the falling-sickness, belong palsy, vertigo, cramps, convulsions, incubus, apoplexy, &c. [2884]"If any of these four principal be cured” (saith Ravelascus) “all the inferior are cured,” and the same remedies commonly serve:  but this is too general, and