hemical preparatives of _Aqua
Chalidonia_, quintessence of hellebore, salts, extracts, distillations,
oils, _Aurum potabile_, &c. Dr. Anthony in his book _de auro potab. edit.
1600._ is all in all for it. [4273]"And though all the schools of
Galenists, with a wicked and unthankful pride and scorn, detest it in their
practice, yet in more grievous diseases, 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,