62 / 1070
Royal
Commentaries.
BooK
11.
hours timé it oegins to work W1ch fuch fqtieamiíh nefs
i11
the Stomach, and fuch
giddinefs in the Head, thac chey feel che fame irtdiípoliciorí, as thoíe who labour
of Sea-ftckneís, and purges chem boch upwards and dowhwai·ds with fuch
vio–
lence, chat ic brings away worms, and ali kmd of indigeíl:ed ina~tér, notwichfiart–
ding which, having firtiíhed its operation; it leaves che body íl:rong ánd without
decay of Spirits, and wich a íharp and hui1gry appecice: All which I can bold–
ly attefr; having my felf proved it, and taken
it
twice for a páin
in
my Sto–
rnach.
Theíe Cut€s
by
purging and bleedittg Were comrhonly pél-formed by old
W
o–
rnen, or by fome certain Botaniíl:s, whó
in
che times
of
the
ÍncM
were famous for
the
knowledge chey profeíled in che virme of Herbs; and cheíe by Tradition
transferred che fecrets of their learning to cheir Sons, who did not profefs to
be
Phyftcians cornrnon to ali, bue
to
apply their Are onely for mediti~ cheir JGngs,
and
Curacas,
and fuch
as
were lineally deícended from chern;
bue
che ordinary
People cured one ché other, by fuch Medicines a_s were of common Reporr.
Whqi
fucking Infants were fa:k df any diíeafe, eípecially lf it were a Fever, or
C.alenmre, chey waíhed them every mdtning in Urine, and then wrapped chem
up,
giving them forne ofcheir own Water to drink. At che Birth of cheir Chil–
dren, when che Midwife cut che firing of che Nave!, they !efe it at leaft a finger
in
length; which when it fell off from che Child ofic felf, chey con(erVed it care–
fully, and on any oécafton of indiípolicion, of which a whitenefs in the iv¡ouch
0f
the Child was cheir ufual íympcorne, they gave it
to
fuck of chis füing, which
commonly proved an aífuted rernedy,
.
What Reafons they had for cheíe $ecrets of Namre
I
knów not, nor did
I
ever
ask:
1
am fure chey macla no conjeél:ures by che chrobs of the Pulfe, much lefs
by Urine, having no ocher Sympcoms of a Calentare, than whac appeared
by
the
exceíiive heat and burnings of che Body. ThPir
Purges
and bleedings We're more
coihmonly uíed when che Patienc
was
b
e
a little indiípoíed, .!nd Wás able
co
walk, but noc afrer he had yielded
to
che Diíea(e, fer then rhey comm1tt'.'ed him
onely
to
che füength of Namre, and a regular Diec, they never arrived
to
che
knowledge of Clyíl:ers, or
co
Unguents or Plafier
s; chedd and íhaking
fü
of
a Qrnrtan chey called
Chucchu,
che hot
fit
Rnpa'r-,
whi.chis burning, che which
lndi(pofüions they gréatly feared by reafon of che uneafinefs chey felc boch
by
cold
and heat.
C H A
1,).
XIIt
.
Of theb- Medicinal Herbs, and
Phyflcal
Pf411ts.
T
Hey
have a certaln_ Tree which ch~~
cáll
M,:lli,
and che
SpaniardJ M_olle,
which
fweats
forch
a
kmd
of rafomy ¡uice; wh1ch hach
a
rnoíl: fovere1gn qualicy
for che cure of green Wounds; rhe herb or íhrub, called
Chi!!ca,
being heaced
io
an earchen pan, harh done wonderfull effeél:s on chofe who have been troubled
wich a pain i~ the joints and bones, calcen by cold ; rhey have a certain root, like
the root or Fibres of Gra(s, but fomething groffer, and fuller of knors, the name
of it
I
do not
well
remember, which rhey make
u(e
of
to
füengthtn che Teeth,
~n9 fortify che Gums; and in rhe preparing of it they roafl: it in rhe hoc embers,
and when ic is very hoc chey apply
it
to che Gums on eacb Ítde of che mouch
keeping it uncill ic is cold,
which
is of great corment to che Patienr;
for
it fcald~
the mouch exceedingly. This Remedy chey apply
in
the Evening, and nexc
morning doe che like,
fo
chat their Gums and Mourh look like roaíl:ed flefh, and
for two or three days are notable to chew, or receive ocher nourifhment chan by
a
fpoon; afterwards che whice fle(h of rhe Gums, which harh been caucerized
in
this
rnanner,
begins
to
fall
off,
and
a new and well coloured
forc
of Gum
füong