Take a Rams head that never medled with an Ewe, cut off at a blow, and the horns only taken away, boyl it well skin and wooll together, after it is well sod, take out the brains, and put these spices to it, Cinamome, Ginger, Nutmeg, Mace, Cloves, ana ʒ ß, mingle the powder of these spices with it, and heat them in a platter upon a chafing-dish of coals together, stirring them well, that they do not burn; take heed it be not overmuch dried, or dryer then a calves brains ready to be eaten.

Keep it so prepared, and for three daies give it the patient fasting, so that he fast two hours after it. It may be eaten with bread in an egg or broath, or any way, so it be taken. For 14 daies let him use this diet, drink no wine, &c.

Gesner. hist. animal. lib. 1. pag. 917. Caricterius pract. cap. 13. in Nich. de metri pag. 129. Iatro: Witenberg. edit. Tubing. pag. 62. mention this medicine, though with some variation; he that list may try it, and many such.

Odoraments to smell to, of Rose water, Violet flowers, Bawm, Rose-cakes, Vineger, &c. do much recreate the brains and spirits, according to Solomon, Provo. 27. 9. They rejoyce the heart, and as some say, nourish: ’tis a question commonly controverted in our schools, an odores nutriant; let Ficinus lib. 2. cap. 18. decide it, many arguments he brings to prove it;

as of Democritus, that lived by the smel of bread alone, applyed to his nostrils, for some few daies, when for old age he could eat no meat.

Ferrerius lib. 2. meth. speaks of an excellent confection of his making, of wine, saffron, &c. which he prescribed to dull, weak, feeble, and dying men to smell to, & by it to have done very much good, æquè ferè profuisse olfactu & potu, as if he had given them drink.

Our noble and learned Lord Verulam, in his book de vita & morte, commends therefore all such cold smels as any way serve to refrigerate the spirits. Montanus consil. 31. prescribes a form which he would have his melancholy Patient never to have out of his hands. If you will have them spagirically prepared, look in Oswaldus Crollius basil. Chymica.

Irrigations of the head shaven, of the flowers of water-lillies, Lettuce, Violets, Camomile, wild Mallows, wethers head, &c. must be used many mornings together. Montan. consil. 31. would have the head so washed once a week.

Lælius à fonte Eugubinus consult. 44. for an Italian Count, troubled with head melancholy, repeats many medicines which he tried, but two alone which did the cure; use of whey made of Goats milk, with the extract of Hellebor, and irrigations of the head with water-lillies, lettuce, violets, camomile, &c. upon the suture of the crown.

Piso commends a Rams lungs applied hot to the forepart of the head, or a yong Lamb divided in the back, exenterated, &c. all acknowledge the chief cure to consist in moistning throughout. Some, saith Laurentius, use powders, and caps to the brain: but forasmuch as such aromaticall things are hot and dry, they must be sparingly administred.

Unto the Heart we may do well to apply bags, Epithemes, Oyntments, of which Laurentius c. 9. de melan. gives examples. Bruel prescribes an Epitheme for the Heart, of Bugloss, Borage, water-lilly, Violet waters, sweet wine, Bawm leaves, Nutmegs, Cloves, &c.

For the Belly, make a Fomentation of oyle, in which the seeds of Cummin, Rue, Carrets, Dill, have been boyled.

Baths are of wonderfull great force in this malady, much admired by Galen, Ætius, Rhasis, &c. of sweet water, in which is boyled the leaves of Mallows, Roses, Violets, water-lillies, Wethers head, flowers of Bugloss, Camomile, Melilot, &c. Guianer. cap. 8. tract. 15. would have them used twice a day, and when they come forth of the Baths, their back bones to be anointed with oyle of Almonds, Violets, Nymphæa, fresh capon grease, &c.

Amulets and things to be born about, I finde prescribed, taxed by some, approved by Renodeus, Platerus, (amuleta inquit non negligenda) and others; look for them in Mizaldus, Porta, Albertus, &c.

Bassardus Visontinus ant. philos. commends Hypericon, or S. Iohns wort gathered on a friday in the hour of Iupiter, when it comes to his effectuall operation (that is about the full Moon in July) so gathered and born, or hung about the neck, it mightily helps this affection, and drives away all phantasticall spirits.

Philes a Greek Author that flourished in the time of Michael Paleologus, writes that a Sheep or Kids skin, whom a Woolf worried, Hædus inhumani raptus ab ore Lupi, ought not at all to be worn about a man, because it causeth palpitation of the heart, not for any fear, but a secret vertue which Amulets have.

A ring made of the hoofe of an Asses right forefoot carried about, &c. I say with Renodeus, they are not altogether to be rejected. Piony doth cure Epilepsie; pretious stones most diseases; a Wolfs dung born with one helps the Colick; a Spider an Ague, &c.

Being in the country in the vacation time not many years since, at Lindly in Lecestershire my Fathers house, I first observed this Amulet of a Spider in a nut-shell lapped in silke, &c. so applied for an Ague by my Mother. Whom although I knew to have excellent skill in Chirurgery, sore eyes, aches, &c. and such experimentall medicines, as all the country where she dwelt can witness, to have done many famous and good cures upon divers poor folks, that were otherwise destitute of help:

Yet among all other experiments, this me thought was most absurd and ridiculous, I could see no warrant for it. Quid Aranea cum febre? For what Antipathy? till at length rambling amongst authors (as often I do) I found this very medicine in Dioscorides, approved by Matthiolus, repeated by Alderovandus cap. de Aranea lib. de insectis, I began to have a better opinion of it, and to give more credit to Amulets, when I saw it in some parties answer to experience.

Such medicines are to be exploded, that consist of words, characters, spels, and charms, which can do no good at all, but out of a strong conceipt, as Pomponatius proves; or the Divels policy, who is the first founder and teacher of them.