Page:Life of Sir William Petty 1623 – 1687.djvu/69

 of prognostication found in our books, need not always be so religiously believed. Again 1000 accidents may prevent a growing disease itselfe, and as many can blow away any suspicious signe thereof, for the vicissitude whereunto all things are subject suffers nothing to rest long in the same condition; and it being no further from Dublin to Corke, then from Corke to Dublin, why may not a man as easily recover of a disease, without much care, as fall into it? My Cousen Highmore's curious hand hath shewn you so much of the fabrick of man's body, that you cannot thinck, but that so complicate a piece as yourself will be always at some little fault or other. But you ought no more to take every such little struggling of nature for a signe of a formidable disease, then to fear that every little cloud portends a cataract or hurricane. To conclude, this kind of vexation hath been much my own portion, but experience and these considerations have well eased me of it.

'The last enditement that I bring against you, is practising upon yourselfe with medicaments (though specifics) not sufficiently tryed by those that administer or advise them.

'It is true, that there is a conceipt currant in the world, that a medicament may be physick and physician both, and may cure diseases a quâcunque causâ. But for my part I find the best medicament to be but a toole or instrument: now what are Vandijcks Pencills and Pallet in the hands of a bungling painter, to the imitation of his pieces? Recommendations of medicaments doe not make them useful to me, but doe only excite me to make them so, by endeavouring experimentally to find out the vertues and application of them. There be few medicaments that can be more and more really praised than diafalma and Basilian; for they have been carryed up and down in all chirurgeons' salvatoryes for these many hundred years. Yet how few can perform any excellent cures by them or such others? How hard it is to find out the true vertues of medicaments. As I weep to consider, so I dread to use them, without my utmost endeavours first employed to that purpose.