203]"was by this restored to his former health,
and which of his knowledge others have likewise tried, and by the help of
this admirable medicine, been recovered." A third of a parish priest at
Prague in Bohemia, [4204]"that was so far gone with melancholy, that he
doted, and spake he knew not what; but after he had taken twelve grains of
stibium, (as I myself saw, and can witness, for I was called to see this
miraculous accident) he was purged of a deal of black choler, like little
gobbets of flesh, and all his excrements were as black blood (a medicine
fitter for a horse than a man), yet it did him so much good, that the next
day he was perfectly cured." This very story of the Bohemian priest,
Sckenkius relates _verbatim, Exoter. experiment. ad. var. morb. cent. 6.
observ. 6._ with great approbation of it. Hercules de Saxonia calls it a
profitable medicine, if it be taken after meat to six or eight grains, of
such as are apt to vomit. Rodericus a Fonseca the Spaniard, and late
professor of Padua in Italy, extols it to this disease, Tom. 2. consul. 85.
so doth Lod. Mercatus _de inter. morb. cur. lib. 1. cap. 17._ with many
others. Jacobus Gervinus a French physician, on the other side, _lib. 2. de
venemis confut._ explodes all this, and saith he took three grains only
upon Matthiolus and some others' commendation, but it almost killed him,
whereupon he concludes, [4205]"antimony is rather poison than a medicine."
Th. Erastus concurs with him in his opinion, and so doth Aelian Montaltus
_cap. 30 de melan._ But what do I talk? 'tis the subject of whole books; I
might cite a century of authors _pro_ and _con_. I will conclude with
[4206]Zuinger, antimony is like Scanderbeg's sword, which is either good or
bad, strong or weak, as the party is that prescribes, or useth it: "a
worthy medicine if it be rightly applied to a strong man, otherwise
poison." For the preparing of it, look in _Evonimi thesaurus_, Quercetan,
Oswaldus Crollius, Basil. _Chim. Basil._ Valentius, &c.

Tobacco, divine, rare, superexcellent tobacco, which goes far beyond all
the panaceas, potable gold, and philosopher's stones, a sovereign remedy to
all diseases. A good vomit, I confess, a virtuous herb, if it be well
qualified, opportunely taken, and medicinally used; but as it is commonly
abused by most men, which take it as tinkers do ale, 'tis a plague, a
mischief, a violent purger of goods, lands, health, hellish, devilish and
damned tobacco, the ruin a