befides people of good fame and reputation might be credited; confidering that they would fay nothing at all either against their own house, or against verity more than what apparent and cleare truth fhould neceffitate them unto: Which from themselves and under their hands, here I have done. There were also divers others, fuch as dwelled in the house, and fome that came in, who beheld it, after whom I have no leifure to enquire: But fuch who will scarce believe their Creed, or any true mans word, or that men have fenfes (which have alwaies beene reputed incorrupted Witneffes,) may go into the high buildings upon the Street in Saint Giles Parish, and at the corner house next the greene Dragon where the Young-man died; they may make further inquifition. Since which time the Mother hath removed her felfe into Bloomesbury neare unto the house of one Master Nurse, who directed me to her lodgings; a man well knowne in all that Region. Miftris Gentleman dwelleth neare unto S. Clements Church in the Strand, and the Chirurgion, or his man can direct them to the house. Moreover that day all of us that were prefent at this fight related to our friends, wives, or husbands what we had found, as they will testifie. The History therefore being verified by as much teftimony as humane perfwafion need require: Except nothing but oath will content fome, which if it shall be found neceffary to Authority: It will moft readily come forth alfo and obey. It is most requifite that fomething be faid of this or any fuch like matters generated in mans heart, both for the manner of their generation and the way of their cure, and by what means fuch rare and incredible caufes of death may be found out in time and taken away. Sud fen. II. §. 4. and Uch matters as these were worthy of your felfe, and a man of your long experience. Yet because this strange generation was found by me, I will confult with your learning, rather then by any hafty refolution, determine and difcourfe a little to ftate a queftion of no fmall difficulty; Hip de morbis fince Hippocrates firft hath given the occafion, which was this; Avicen 1. 3. Cor nullo morbo laborat: the heart laboureth of no difeafe Prince Avicen, cor lonquinquum anocumentis, the heart is far remote from dangers. And yet contrary to these : Very many Phyfitians enumerate these diseases of the heart; the Marafmus, Syncope, the Cordiack paffion Lypothymy, Apoftems, Ulcers, Botberalia, Corrofion of Sublimate; and I dare adde, difeafes which afflict the heart by reafon of diftilations from the head in fome who have had the unction: Tremors alfo and palpitations of the heart; as Peter Ebanus in his Booke de Venenis: And the Paralyfis of the heart, as old Aurelianus in his fecond Booke of Slow-paffions: After Herophylus and Erafiftratus have obferved. And now of late Skinkius and others have found wormes in Cordis capfulâ, which is the Pericardium: But I fpeak more precifely and punctually, that now in the left Ventricle of the heart, this Worme or Serpent hath beene found found: Which the Mother of the Young-man faith, was at least three yeares growth, for fo long he complained of his breaft, and as fhee faith would never button his Doublet in a Morning, but be open breasted in all weathers, till he had washed his hands and face, and was fubject to palpitations. Now then that wee may judge whether Hippocrates, and Avicen direct their fpeeches: these reafons are to be admitted. 1. First, from the situation of the heart, in medio medij pectoris, faith Avicen, in the middle of the middle of the breft: which mathematically is not true: for so the basis or upper part, or caput onely is placed in an Equidiftance from the diaphragma (the inferiour furcula,) and the Clanicule, (and furcula fuperior) and betweene the Vertebra of the backe and the anterior Sternon. 2. The Second is, that the heart dwelleth in a strong pannicle, and fuch an one, that non invenitur panniculus compar ei in Hip. 1. de fpiffitudine, ut fit ei Clypeus & tutamen: that no pannicle is comparable unto it, that it may be a fhield and defence unto the heart. Cord. 3. Thirdly, Avicen addeth, that the heart it felfe is created of strong flesh, that it may be longinquum anocumentis, in quo contextæ funt fpecies villarum fortium: Diverfe ftrong ftrings admirably woven together do bind and ftrengthen the heart, and give it aptitude for motion, and yet resistance. Hippocrates long before Avicen faith the fame, and things of greater confequence: Cor eft mufculus fortis, &c. The heart is a strong muscle, non nervo, fed denfitate carnus & conftrictione: not by his Hip. ubi funervous nature, but by folidity of flesh and conftriction: And pra. in the heart there lye hidden diverse skins like spiders webs extended, which do fo bind and fhut the endes of the Aorts, that no man ignorant, knowes how to take out the heart, but will take up one for an other. Neither can water or wind penetrate into the heart: and more; Cor tunicam babit circumdatam, & eft in ipfâ humor modicus, &c. Ut cor fanum in cuftodiâ florefcat: babet autem humiditatem tantam quanta fatis eft æftuanti in medelam : bunc humorem cor emungit bibendo ipfum affumens & confumens, pulmonis nimirum potum lambens: He fpeakes further of the cover called the Epiglottis, that nothing may enter that way but what is convenient; So that feeing the heart is fortified with fuch strength of ribs, with fuch covers, fuch skins, fuch fortitude of substance, fuch denfity of flesh, fuch excellence of liquor, fuch curious filaments, that nothing can enter, hurt, or come neere the heart to make it ficke: but that it is able to defend it felfe, both by its owne fituation, ftrength, and happy condition in very many refpects, and keep out or put backe whatsoever alfo by force fhall come neere unto it: It remaineth that the heart is not, neither can be fubject to any disease, or at least not easily. Yea those other men who enumerate the diseases of the heart; grant, as chiefly Valefcus de Tharanta and the Arabians all confeffe that a Syncope hapneth, or elfe death as foone as any disease approacheth, or hurt toucheth the fubftance of the heart; alfo Avicen, Petrus de Ebano, relate that the forementioned diseases kill as foone as any of them touch the fubftance of the heart: So alfo Herophylus confeffed that fudden death followed if a Paralyfis once fur furprized the heart: And for Bothors or Phlegmo's, or Erifipelas or the like they fay that they are diseases of the heart initiativè only, and not fubjectivè, to dwell there any time. And indeed I am fully perfwaded that the heart fuffereth a marafmus privative, by negation of due tranfmiffion from other parts, rather then that marcor fhould follow ad cordis fubftantiæ arditatem; for if any part have good substance in it, the heart hath; and therefore Hippocrates faith, that quando fontes reficcati fuerint bomo moritur: that the Ventricles have the last humidity in them: wherefore Galen feemeth to defert his Mafter in saying a cordis ariditate incipere malum. Viz, veram fenectutem & interitum naturalem. Whereas hee fhould have faid the contrary: that the aridity of the heart followeth the defication and want of due tranfmiffion of other parts: Yea if I may speake my minde freely, Hippocrates is not to be taken fimply, that the heart cannot be any wayes affected; but perhaps in the fenfe of Galen, that the heart fuffereth little or no paine by reafon the substance of Gal. 2. pla.8. the heart hath but little fenfation, having but one little nerve for feeling from the fixt Conjugation, and that is somewhat obfcure alfo. Or if hee meane, as indeed I am fure hee doth, that diseases doe not effect the heart; hee is to bee understood that ordinarily they doe not, but very feldome, by reafon of the carnous parts, Cor folidum ac denfum ut ab humore non ægrotet, & proptereo nullus morbus in corde aboritur, caput antem & Splen maximè funt morbis abnoxia, His fpeech is evidently comparative; elfe wee fee very often that which hee never faw in all his long life and experience: And indeed we fee now very frequently the heart affected with Impofthumes, with Wormes, with Abfceffes, with Fleamy concretion both in the Eares of the heart and Ventricles, yea and now with a Serpent: And yet men live divers yeares with them, and many other diseases both per effentiam & Confenfum, all kinde of diftempers both equall and unequall," of which the Ancients have left no memory nor mention unto us, with which the Books of late Phyfitians are repleate. Wherefore the propofitions of the Ancient Phyfitians must have a friendly interpretation; or elfe mens hearts now a daies are more paffible and obnoxious into difeafes then in former ages, which by me as yet cannot easily be admitted: Wee are forced therefore to conclude that the heart per effentiam & primariò & fubjectivè may be afflicted with a difeafe and caufe of death, and it cannot otherwise be conceived, seeing fuch creatures are begotten in it; yet doubtless exteriour diseases kill fooner then innate. §. 5. B Ut this then begets a greater queftion, how this Monster or fuch as this should bee begotten or bred in the heart, fo defended, as hath beene faid, more then all the body, and in the most defended part of the heart, the left Ventricle three times thicker of flesh and fubftance then the right? as alfo of what matter? feeing that Cell is poffeffed and replenished with the beft, purefst and most illuftrious liquor in the body, the blood Arteriall and the vitall fpirits There There are who conceive that pervious paffages may be found for little Wormes and the like to enter into the heart: but they must give a better way then any that I have yet feene doe, as alfo the Wormes must be very little. Others fay, that fuch matters are caused by the ill habit of the heart; by which if they meane the substance of the heart; it is not to be receaved, till the heart hath beene hurt by ill diftributions and tranfmiffions which in our cafe is otherwife: for halfe of the heart, the left Ventricle, (the Matrix of this Serpent) was folid and still good: Wherefore it is not in the ill habit of the fubftance. Others thinke that thofe Wormes which create fometimes the mal della luna, as the Italians terme it, living in the pericardium, and gnawing the heart Of which there are innumerable Stories. Hebenstreit lib de pefte telleth us one, of a Prince to whofe heart a white Worme was found cleaving with a sharp and horny nofe. Alexius pe demont anus, lib. 1. Secret. telleth us of an other: and fo Math: Corvar: lib. 2..c. 28. Confult. med. In Stowe's Cronnicle ad annum 1586. of 2. Elizabeth, a matter of this nature, in an Horse is recorded as, a memorable thing in these wordes. The Seventeenth day of March, a strange thing happned, the like whereof before hath not beene heard of in our time. Mafter Dorington of Spaldwick in the County of Huntington Efquire, one of her Majesties Gentlemen Pentioners, bad an horfe which died fuddenly, and being ripped to fee the caufe of his death, there was found in the hole of the heart of the fame horse, a Worme which lay on a round beape in a kall or skinn, of the likeneffe of a Toad; which being taken out and spread abroad, was in forme and fashion not eafie to be defcribed: The length of which worme divided into many graines to the number of fifty (pred from the body like the branches of a Tree) was from the fnout to the end of the longest graine Seventeene inches, having foure issues in the graines from which dropped forth a read water: The body in bignesse round about was three inches and a halfe, the colour whereof was very like a Mackerel. This monstrous worme found in manner aforefaid, crawling to have got away, was stabbed in with a dagger and died; which being dryed was fhewed to many honourable perfonages of this Realme. If this Horfe-worme or Serpent be Chronicled, how much more may this be memorized for Pofterity? Or that which you have, or that which you told me was found in the heart of the Lord Boclew. By reafon these were found in Men, that in an Horfe and this found by me of greater length, and more certaine forme, than that which they could not tell how to describe. As alfo thofe peeces of black flefh generated in the left Ventricle, of which Benivenius hoftorizeth one, C. 35. de abditis, in forme of a Medler, upon the Artery; and Vefalius, lib. 1. c. 5. de humani corporis fabricâ, speaketh of a moft Noble and learned Perfonage, in the left Ventricle of whofe heart, two pounds of blacke glandulous flesh were found; the heart extended like a pregnant wombe. Yea Yea and those pituitofe carnofities and other matters, so often feene in the left Ventricle, by Neretus Neretius that famous Phyfitian of Florence, and Eraftus, part 5. difputat. de feb. putrid: may be generated in the pericardium, either by drinkes of ill condition fliding into the Trachea, and fo Cornelius Gemmal de Natura divinis characterismis. into the Arteries, and the heart: and fometimes fome small feedes or attomes of creeping creatures; which Cornelius Gemma fetteth forth fufficiently, and hiftorifeth many strange matters in this kinde, as fome to vomit Yeeles and Serpents of strange formes and it is a common faying of the Pedemontanes, and fuch as drinke the waters of the Alpes; that every fuch man borne hath a Frog to his brother. Such things may paffe into the stomak, but rarely into the heart. BU §. 6. Ut that which I have to fay, is this; that these strange and extraordinary generations are caufed from the temperament individuall, for you well know that there is a double temperament; the one Specificall, the other individuall; the one is fixum and unalterable, the other is temperamentum fluxum, and accidentall. As for the Specificall temperament, although the vitall acts cease, yet the Specificall act is never changed; for you fee that the parts of this or that animall, retaine their fpecificall vertue when they are dead: as herbes, or thofe parties of herbes, as leaves, feedes or rootes, keepe their property, and retaine their owne heates or favours, when they are cut away, or taken up from the ground: Yea and there are certaine fpecifike attoms which alwayes continue after putrefaction and extream drineffe in the fixed falt. * Sunt igitur folida primordia fimplicitate Que minimis ftipata cohærent partibus arte This temperament is proper to every creature: for Man hath his temperament, the Lyon his, hyfopp his, and the rofe his owne: For God made every thing, fecundum fpecies fuas, & in genere fuo producat aqua in Species fuas, & omne volatile fecundum genus fuum. Et Deus fecit beftias juxtafpecies fuas & omne reptile terra in genere fuo producat terra animamin genere fuo, &c. Wherefore the Specificall temperament of Socrates doth not differ from the temperament of Hippocrates, Plato, Cato, or any other man: which may be well put against Ariftotle, who thought the foules of men did differ in nobility one from another : which difference can no way be founded upon the Lucret. lib. 1. tem |