100

THE

ELEVENTH BOOK

OF

NOTABLE THINGS.

1.

AN inward Imposthume may be broken by a sudden Passion, Laughter, &c. as appears by that memorable story of a Cardinal of Rome, who being at the point of death, and given over by all physicians, every one of his servants strove to get something for himself; and so divers of his gentlemen having some little box or cabinet, or little trunks under their arms, came and presented his service to him, and so passed away with a congee. The Cardinal keeping an Ape, and the Ape observing as he sat by the bed-side, how they all carried away somewhat, and were gone, he spied the Cardinal's Cap, which being upon the bed, he leaped and took it, and put it on his head, and came and bowed his head to the Cardinal, and so went out of his presence. The Cardinal perceiving that his servants had progged for themselves, and left him, observing the Ape how he strove to imitate them, could not forbear laughing extremely at the wit of the Ape, and the Servants' knavery, and so, by his violent laughter his Imposthume broke, and he speedily recovered his health.

2. The cure of that common disease of the Ague seems to be so hard, and the medicines used to be unprofitable, because physicians mistake the state and place of an Ague, and indeed because the practice of the true cure is altogether left off. For the Ague lies in the spirit, in the entrails, and in the blood in veins; for the spirit is irritated and oppressed. Therefore the ancient Greeks always opened an artery and so never missed of perfect and speedy cure; and if it was now practised, thousands would speedily find help for that shivering and quaking disease.-Proved.

3. For the Stone. It is certain, Thyme, Parsley, and Nettles, flourish most in stony ground; nay, lay the Seeds of these in a close place, even upon marble, and they will take root in it, and cleave and break it; so that mix the Spirit of these three or four plants together, of Thyme, Parsley, Roman Nettle Seed, and Fennel, of each a like quantity, and let the Patient take a little quantity in White Wine in the morning fasting, and at evening in bed, he will shortly, to his great comfort, find the benefit-Proved.

4. There have been many men and women who have been cut and wounded, and for want of some to staunch the bleeding, have been not only much enfeebled, and their spirits quite spent, nay oftentimes Gangrenes, and so amputation of a limb, if not death, bath followed; for the prevention whereof, till the surgeon can be had, let the Webs of Spiders (the more venomous the better for that use) be gotten, and applied to the Wound, and they will stop the Bleeding of the Wound, for they are of great force, and stiptick of all fluxes of blood; let it not be despised because it is easy to be bad, for the Web of the Spider is in many cases as good as Silkworm.-Proved.

5. There is not a safer remedy to kill Worms in Children, than to take six, eight, or ten Red Earth Worms, and let them purge in Bay Salt; then slit them open and wash them in fair Water or White Wine, and dry them in an earthen pot or dish, and when they are dried, let them be beaten to Powder, and so give them to the Child in the morning fasting, three or four mornings, and let them eat nothing for one hour's space, and the Worms will rot and void with the excrements.-Taisnier.

6. The Frog is commonly known, but the virtue of them physically used is wonderful, and scarcely known. All parts of him are good and profitable for mankind; their Heart, Arnoldus says in lib. 4. Breu, that one who was troubled with a Fistula at the lower region of his stomach, was perfectly cured by swallowing four or five mornings, the Hearts of Frogs. The Lungs are a preservative against the Falling Sicknesss; and so is the Liver, as Timotheus relates. The Liver dried and mixed with Honey, applied to the Tooth Ach, is a present cure, as Nicander hath it. Weckerus testifies the same, beaten to powder, lib. 2, Antidot speci. The Gall, as Pliny hath it, dissolved in Honey, cnres the Flux, called the Dysentery. The Blood is good against growing of Hairs. Their Fat, dropped into the Ears, cures Deafness. The Spawn or Sperm of them, put into a linen cloth, applied to the Hemroides or Piles, is excellent, as Gallius, in his Basilica Chymica. The same kills the Itch of the Hands, and Redness of the Face, and is good against Burnings, as Quercetan testifies, lib. 1. Pharmac. taken in March. All these are known for truth, as Aldrovaldus, that famous author, in his Hist. Quadrup. relates, lib. 1. p. 60.

7. Theophrastus says, that he that keeps Geese about his house, need not fear Thieves, and hath always those that will tell him assuredly, what Weather will ensue, for the Goose, bywatchfulness and clamour, will give the alarm against thieves, and by their eagerness of feeding, and fluttering in the water, they do presage a Storm at hand, and this is true, either summer or winter.—Theophr.

8. The Hairs of Goats burned and mixed with Vinegar, stops presently the Bleeding of the Nose, as Sextus, and cures the Lethargy. Marcellus and Esculapius affirm that the Hairs Burned and beaten to Powder, and given in Wine to drink, doth expel the Stone and cures the Strangury.This is true. 9. There is a wonderful story recorded of a young Man, who persuaded his Mother, being very rich, to make over all her estate to him, to the end that he may thereby marry a rich Wife; which she did perform. Her son marries richly, but presently slighted his aged Mother, and thrust her out of doors, so that she was forced to beg from door to door. The young Man and his Wife, and some other friends with them, made a sumptuous dinner, and about the midst of dinner, his Mother, being almost starved, knocked to come into the house; the door being opened, and the young Man hearing his Mother's voice, demanded the servants to cover the dishes of meat, and carry them away, that his Mother might not see them. She entered, and her Son talked a good while with her, but at last desired her to depart out of his house, which she did; and then he commanded his servants to bring the dishes of meat again upon the table; the servants opening the dishes, in three or four of them, wherein chicken and capon were laid drest before, were now ugly forked Serpents. The servants, affrighted, durst not come near the dishes; the master wondering at their stay, sent a maid-servant to bid them make haste; she coming, seeing so strange a change, ran and told her master the chicken and capon were turned to great Serpents in the dish. He rose up in great haste and said, Though the Devil was in the dishes, yet he would bring them to the table; so coming to lay hands on the dishes, the Serpents leaped furiously into his face, and folded themselves so fast about his neck, with their mouths to his, that with their rank poison he presently died, miserably swoln and stinking. A notable punishment to unnatural children, forcing their aged parents. I had this out of Cæsarius Histerbach. lib. 9. Illust. Mirac. cap. 27.

10. The signs and tokens to know whether a Horse be young or old, are various. Anatolius says, if you pull up the skin a little from the flesh, and it follows your hand as you draw it up, and presently returns to its place, it shews a Horse is young; but if it returns slowly to the flesh, it declares him old. Vigetius says, that to know the age of a Horse, count the wrinkles on his upper lip, from the first place of his biting to the furthermost part; the number of wrinkles shew the number of years. The dulness of his eyes, the baldness of his eyebrows, heavy looks, hanging down his head, slowness to motion, and white hairs intermixed, with thickness of s kin, pasterns, set dock, and great teeth yellow, declare him

to be old. He is a young Horse, whose face is fierce, rash, bold, fuming, fiery, furious, and neighing. Camerius says, a good and courageous young Horse must partake of three qualities from three creatures, viz. from a Wolf, eyes, stomach, and a stout neck; from a Fox, short ears, long tail, and a gentle gait; from a Woman, his breast, pride, and his hair. Aldrovand. de Quadrup. lib. 1.

11. It is known for truth, yet very strange, that a Gentleman being a little merry with Wine, came to Rochester over a bridge on horseback in the dark of the evening, there being but a plank laid over betwixt two arches, with small rails for footfolks only, for the bridge was repairing; he not knowing of it, nor his horse making any stop, when he came into his inn, the man bid him welcome, and wondering to see him there, asked how and which way he came into town; the Gentleman replied, over the bridge. It is impossible, said the Host, for a horse to come over. The other defended it. Next morning the Gentleman and his Host went to the bridge, and he seeing the height of it from the water, the narrowness of the plank, and the greatness of the water, fell down dead immediately, and could not be recovered. Many have been known to have been swallowed up with grief, and to make away with themselves, by thinking what evils they were to suffer. Scarce any, before this man, is known to have died, for escaping great and imminent dangers.

12. That famous Bridge of Rochester is all barricaded with iron bars of great strength and height, but few know the reason, and it is fitting to be divulged. A man's Wife in Rochester kept a Paramour, and because she could not enjoy him as oft as she would, they both plotted to murder her Husband, which they villainously performed: and having so done, they resolved to sew him up in a sackcloth, and in the dark to throw him over the bridge into the river. The Paramour having him on his back, the Woman spied one of his feet hang out. Stay, said she, I will stitch up this foot which hangs out, and in stitching, she stitched it fast to her Paramour's coat behind, unwittingly. He coming to the bridge, went to hoist him over, and violently casting him off, the weight of the dead body, of a sudden, pulled him over too, and so they both were drowned, who being taken up and known, the Woman was examined, she confessed, and was executed. And hereupon, to prevent the like mischiefs, the bridge was presently after encompassed with iron bars.

13. There is an admirable history concerning that beautiful and maiden city of Holland called Dort. The Spaniards had intended an onslaught against it, and so they had laid thousands of old Soldiers in ambush. Not far from it there did live a rich Farmer who did keep many cows in his ground,

to furnish Dort with butter and milk. The Milkmaids coming to milk, saw all under the hedges Soldiers lying; they seemed to take no notice, but went singing to their cows; and having milked, went as merrily away. Coming to the master's house, they told what they had seen. The master wondering at it, took one of the Maids with him, and presently came to Dort, told it to the Burgomaster, who sent a spy immediately, found it true, and prepared for their safety, by sending to the States, who presently sent Soldiers into the city, and gave orders that the river should be let in at such a sluice, to lay the country under water. It was done, and many Spaniards were drowned, and utterly disappointed of their design and the town saved. The States, to the memory of the merry Milkmaids' good service to the country, ordered the Farmer a large revenue for ever, to recompence his loss of house, land, and cattle; caused the coin of the city to have the Milkmaid under her Cow to be engraven, which is to be seen upon the Dort dollars, stivers, and doights to this day; and so she is set upon the water-gate of Dort; and she had, during her life, and bers for ever, an allowance of fifty pounds per diem. A noble requital for a virtuous action.

14. It is a certain means, upon a journey, to keep your Horse, if he be of strength, and sound, that he shall not tire, but go on to his journey's end. If he be dull, and cares not for a whip or spur, alight and go to a smith's shop, and get a horse nail, and run through the horse's ear, bend the sharp end of it, and let the clapper hang pretty low in his ear, which, whether by the sudden noise it makes in his head, or that it affrights and keeps him from heaviness, it is sure, that as long as that hangs in his ear, he will go on his way.-Probatum est.

15. Many men, with travelling in hot weather, and in places destitute of drink or water, are ready to faint, to hinder both these, take in your pocket two or three Olives, and as you are thirsty eat one of them, and keep the stone in your mouth, which will preserve you from fainting and thirst.Aldrovandus Hist. lib. 2.

16. Three Roman Ladies being met, whereof Cornelia, great Scipio's daughter, was one, the other two were of Campania, but lived in Rome. There fell out a contest betwixt them, which ofthem had and kept the rarest and richest jewels. The day was appointed to visit one another. Coming to the first, she shewed her diamonds, carbuncles, gold bracelets, earrings, collars, and coronets of rubies, and precious stones, set in gold, together with her rich and various attire and perfumes, et hæc omnia mea; and these are all mine, says she. So coming to Cornelia's house, she shewed them her children at their books, with their schoolmaster, and here are mine,