when their vegetals will do no good,” they are compelled to seek the help of minerals, though they “use them rashly, unprofitably, slackly, and to no purpose.”  Rhenanus, a Dutch chemist, in his book de Sale e puteo emergente, takes upon him to apologise for Anthony, and sets light by all that speak against him.  But what do I meddle with this great controversy, which is the subject of many volumes?  Let Paracelsus, Quercetan, Crollius, and the brethren of the rosy cross, defend themselves as they may.  Crato, Erastus, and the Galenists oppugn Paracelsus, he brags on the other side, he did more famous cures by this means, than all the Galenists in Europe, and calls himself a monarch; Galen, Hippocrates, infants, illiterate, &c.  As Thessalus of old railed against those ancient Asclepiadean writers, [4274]"he condemns others, insults, triumphs, overcomes all antiquity” (saith Galen as if he spake to him) “declares himself a conqueror, and crowns his own doings. [4275]One drop of their chemical preparatives shall do more good than all their fulsome potions.”  Erastus, and the rest of the Galenists vilify them on the other side, as heretics in physic; [4276]"Paracelsus did that in physic, which Luther in Divinity. [4277]A drunken rogue he was, a base fellow, a magician, he had the devil for his master, devils his familiar companions, and what he did, was done by the help of the devil.”  Thus they contend and rail, and every mart write books pro and con, et adhuc sub judice lis est:  let them agree as they will, I proceed.

SUBSECT.  IV.—­Averters.

Averters and purgers must go together, as tending all to the same purpose, to divert this rebellious humour, and turn it another way.  In this range, clysters and suppositories challenge a chief place, to draw this humour from the brain and heart, to the more ignoble parts.  Some would have them still used a few days between, and those to be made with the boiled seeds of anise, fennel, and bastard saffron, hops, thyme, epithyme, mallows, fumitory, bugloss, polypody, senna, diasene, hamech, cassia, diacatholicon, hierologodium, oil of violets, sweet almonds, &c.  For without question, a clyster opportunely used, cannot choose in this, as most other maladies, but to do very much good; Clysteres nutriunt, sometimes clysters nourish, as they may be prepared, as I was informed not long since by a learned lecture of our natural philosophy [4278]reader, which he handled by way of discourse, out of some other noted physicians.  Such things as provoke urine most commend, but not sweat.  Trincavelius consil. 16. cap. 1. in head-melancholy forbids it.  P. Byarus and others approve frictions of the outward parts, and to bathe them with warm water.  Instead of ordinary frictions, Cardan prescribes rubbing with nettles till they blister the skin, which likewise [4279]Basardus Visontinus so much magnifies.

Sneezing, masticatories, and nasals are generally received.  Montaltus c. 34. Hildesheim spicel. 3. fol. 136 and 238. give several receipts of all three.  Hercules de Saxonia relates of an empiric in Venice [4280]"that had a strong water to purge by the mouth and nostrils, which he still used in head-melancholy, and would sell for no gold.”