Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/437

 THE MEDIEVAL REVIVAL OF LEARNING 387 The general laws of nature were as yet, nevertheless, by no means completely and satisfactorily worked out. The facts that had been collected had not been prop- Belief in I erly systematized and much misinformation was ^ult I mixed in with them. Magic, of which we saw virtues j traces in the Roman Empire and to which the Arabs were I especially prone, still cast its spell over learning. Men were very credulous concerning reported marvels. A few indis- 1 putable facts for which they could not account, such as the magnet's attraction for iron, made them ready to believe i in a host of wonders. Marvelous occult virtues were attrib- I uted to herbs and even to parts of animals, such as the blood of a fox or the liver of a vulture. Snakes, mice, and various nasty substances were highly prized for their sup- posed medicinal properties. Going to a medieval doctor was far worse than a session with a modern dentist, for he was I likely to prescribe that the patient take whole in a little I wine or water "the worms with many feet that are found between the trunk and bark of trees." Gilbert of England ! the recommendation that the dose be accompanied by repe- i tition of the Lord's Prayer. As for toothache, among the j treatments for it listed in the medical work of a scholar I from the Spanish peninsula who finally became pope, we find filling the cavity with the brain of a partridge or with j the pulverized teeth of a dog, touching it with a dead man's I tooth or with a root shaped like a tooth, as well as the more sensible application of opium. The greatest virtues among terrestrial objects were attributed to gems, some of which, it was believed, could confer wisdom and eloquence, gra- 1 ciousness or success or riches upon their bearers, or even make them invisible. The supreme power in the natural universe was reserved to the stars. By the movements of the planets all changes in
 * prescribed this as a remedy for spots in the eye, but added
 * the world of physical nature and many in the Astrology -

life of man were supposed to be regulated. It and ' was from the stars that gems and herbs derived their occult virtues. Many doctors inspected the sky with