“Among the plants of our soyl, Sir William Temple singles out Five [Six] as being of the greatest virtue and most friendly to health: and his favorite plants, Sage, Rue, Saffron, Alehoof, Garlick, and Elder.”
“But these Five [Six] plants may admitt of some competitors. The QUINQUINA—How celebrated: Immoderately, Hyperbolically celebrated!”
Of Ipecacuanha, he says,—“This is now in its reign; the most fashionable vomit.”
“I am not sorry that antimonial emetics begin to be disused.”
He quotes “Mr. Lock” as recommending red poppy-water and abstinence from flesh as often useful in children's diseases.
One of his “Capsula's” is devoted to the animalcular origin of diseases, at the end of which he says, speaking of remedies for this supposed source of our distempers:
“Mercury we know thee: But we are afraid thou wilt kill us too, if we employ thee to kill them that kill us.
“And yett, for the cleansing of the small Blood Vessels, and making way for the free circulation of the Blood and Lymph—there is nothing like Mercurial Deobstruents.”
From this we learn that mercury was already in common use, and the subject of the same popular prejudice as in our own time.
His poetical turn shows itself here and there: