Herbs, plants, and other medicines manifestly operate, either by heat, coldness, dryness, or moisture, for the world being composed of so many qualities, they and only they can be found in the world, and the mixtures of them one with another.

But that they may appear as clear as the sun when he is upon the meridian, I shall treat of them severally, and in this order

• 1. Of Medicines temperate.
• 2. Of Medicines hot.
• 3. Of Medicines cold.
• 4. Of Medicines moist.
• 5. Of Medicines dry.

Of Medicines Temperate.

If the world be composed of extremes, then it acts by extremes, for as the man is, so is his work: therefore it is impossible that any medicine can be temperate, but may be reduced to heat, cold, dryness, or moisture, and must operate, (I mean such as operate by manifest quality) by one of these, because there is no other to operate by, and that there should be such a temperate mixture, so exquisitely of these qualities in any medicine, that one of them should not manifestly excel the other, I doubt it is a system too rare to find.

Thus then I conclude the matter to be, those Medicines are called temperate (not because they have excess of temperature at all in them) which can neither be said, to heat nor cool so much as will amount to the first degree of excess, for daily experience witnesses that they being added to medicines, change not their qualities, they make them neither hotter nor colder.

Their use. They are used in such diseases where there is no manifest distemper of the first qualities, viz. heat and cold, for example; In obstruction of the bowels, where cold medicines might make the obstruction greater, and hot medicines cause a fever.

In fevers of flegm, where the cause is cold and moist, and the effect hot and dry; in such, use temperate medicines which may neither encrease the fever by their heat, nor condensate the flegm by their coldness.

Besides, because contraries are taken away by their contraries, and every like maintained by its like, they are of great use, to preserve the constitution of the body temperate, and the body itself in strength and vigour, and may be used without danger, or fear of danger, by considering which part of the body is weak, and using such temperate medicines as are appropriated to that part.

Of Medicines hot.

The care of the ancient Physicians was such that they did not labour to hide from, but impart to posterity, not only the temperature of medicines in general, but also their degrees in temperature, that so the distempered part may be brought to its temperature, and no further; for all things which are of a contrary temperature, conduce not to cure, but the strength of the contrariety must be observed, that so the medicine may be neither weaker nor stronger, than just to take away the distemper; for if the distemper be but meanly hot, and you apply a medicine cold in the fourth degree, it is true, you may soon remove that distemper of heat, and bring another of cold twice as bad. Galen, de simp. med. facul. lib. 3. cap. 12.

Then, secondly, Not only the distemper itself, but also the part of the body distempered must be heeded; for if the head be distempered by heat, and you give such medicines as cool the heart or liver, you will bring another disease, and not cure the former.

The degrees then of temperature are to be diligently heeded, which antient physicians have concluded to be four in the qualities, viz. heat and cold, of each we shall speak a word or two severally.

Of Medicines hot in the first degree.

Those are said to be hot in the first degree, which induce a moderate and natural heat to the body, and to the parts thereof; either cold by nature, or cooled by accident, by which natural heat is cherished when weak, or restored when wanting.

Effect 1. The first effect then of medicines hot in the first degree, is, by their sweat and temperate heat to reduce the body to its natural heat, as the fire doth the external parts in cold weather, unless the affliction of cold be so great that such mild medicines will not serve the turn.

Effect 2. The second effect is, the mitigation of pain arising from such a distemper, and indeed this effect hath other medicines, some that are cold, and some that are hotter than the first degree, they being rationally applied to the distemper. These medicines the Greeks call Anodyna, and shall be spoken of in their proper places. In this place let it suffice that medicines hot in the first degree, make the offending humours thin, and expel them by sweat, or insensible transpiration, and these of all others are most congruous or agreeable to the body of man, for there is no such equal temperature of heat and cold in a sound man, but heat exceeds, for we live by heat and moisture, and not by cold.

Medicines then which are hot in the first degree, are such as just correspond to the natural heat of our bodies; such as are hotter or colder, are more subject to do mischief, being administered by an unskilful hand, than these are, because of their contrariety to nature; whereas these are grateful to the body by their moderate heat.

Effect 3. Thirdly, These take away weariness, and help fevers, being outwardly applied, because they open the pores of the skin, and by their gentle heat prepare the humours, and take away those fuliginous vapours that are caused by fevers.

Discommodities.] Yet may discommodities arise by heedless giving even of these, which I would have young students in physic to be very careful in, lest they do more mischief than they are aware of, viz. It is possible by too much use of them, to consume not only what is inimical in the body, but also the substance itself, and the strength of the spirits, whence comes faintings, and sometimes death: besides, by applying them to the parts of the body they are not appropriated to, or by not heeding well the complexion of the patient, or the natural temper of the part of the body afflicted, for the heart is hot, but the brain temperate.

Effect 4. Lastly, Medicines hot in the first degree, cherish heat in the internal parts, help concoction, breed good blood, and keep it good in temper, being bred.

Of Medicines hot in the second degree.

These are something hotter than the natural temper of a man.

Use. Their use for such whose stomachs are filled with moisture, because their faculty is too hot and dry; they take away obstructions or stoppings, open the pores of the skin, but not in the same manner that such do as are hot in the first degree, for they do it without force, by a gentle heat, concocting, and expelling the humours, by strengthening and helping nature in the work; but these cut tough humours, and scatter them by their own force and power when nature cannot.

Of Medicines hot in the third degree.

Those which attain the third degree of heat, have the same faculties with those before mentioned; but as they are hotter, so are they more powerful in their operations, for they are so powerful in heating and cutting, that if unadvisedly given they cause fevers. Use. Their use is to cut tough and compacted humours, to provoke sweat abundantly; hence it comes to pass they all of them resist poison.

Of Medicines hot in the fourth degree.

Those medicines obtain the highest degree of heat, which are so hot that they burn the body of a man, being outwardly applied to it, and cause inflammations, or raise blisters, as Crowfoot, Mustard-seed, Onions, &c. Of these more hereafter.

Of cooling Medicines.

Physicians have also observed four degrees of coldness in medicines, which I shall briefly treat of in order.

Of Medicines cold in the first degree.

Those medicines which are least cold of all, obtain the first degree of coldness; and I beseech you take notice of this, that seeing our bodies are nourished by heat, and we live by heat, therefore no cold medicines are friendly to the body, but what good they do our bodies, they do it by removing an unnatural heat, or the body heated above its natural temper.

The giving then of cold medicines to a man in his natural temper, the season of the year also being but moderately hot, extinguishes natural heat in the body of man.

Yet have these a necessary use in them too, though not so frequent as hot medicines have; and that may be the reason why an all wise God hath furnished us with far more hot herbs and plants, &c. than cold.

Use 1. Their use is first, in nourishment, that so the heat of food may be qualified, and made for a weak stomach to digest.

Use 2. Secondly, To restrain and assuage the heat of the bowels, and to cool the blood in fevers.

Therefore if the distemper of heat be but gentle, medicines cold in the first degree will suffice; also children, and such people whose stomachs are weak, are easily hurt by cold medicines.

Of Medicines cold in the second and third degree.

Use 1. Such whose stomachs are strong, and livers hot, may easily bear such medicines as are cold in the second degree, and in cases of extremity find much help by them: as also by such as are cold in the third degree, the extremity of the disease considered, for by both these the unbridled heat of choler is assuaged.

Use 2. Also they are outwardly applied to hot swellings, due consideration being had, that if the inflammation be not great, use those that are less; if the inflammation be vehement, make use of medicines cold in the second or third degree, always let the remedy correspond to the just proportion of the affliction.

Use 3. Thirdly, Sometimes the spirits are moved inordinately through heat, thence follows immoderate watchings, if not deprivation of the senses, this also must be remedied with cold medicines, for cold stops the pores of the skin, makes the humours thick, represses sweat, and keeps up the spirits from fainting.

Of Medicines cold in the fourth degree.

Lastly, The use of medicines cold in the fourth degree, is, To mitigate desperate and vehement pains, stupifying the senses, when no other course can be taken to save life: of the use of which more hereafter.

Of moistening Medicines.

There can be no such difference found amongst moistening medicines, that they should surpass the second degree. For seeing all medicines are either hot or cold, neither heat nor cold, seeing they are extremes, can consist with moisture, for the one dries it up, the other condensates it.

Use. Phylosophers therefore call moisture and dryness, passive qualities, yet have they their operation likewise; for moist medicines lenify and make slippery, ease the cough, and help the roughness of the throat. These operations are proper to medicines moist in the first degree.

Those which are moister, take away naturally strength, help the sharpness of humours, make both blood and spirits thicker, looses the belly, and fits it for purgation.

The immoderate or indiscreet use of them dulls the body, and makes it unfit for action.

Of drying Medicines.

Drying medicines have contrary faculties to these, viz. To consume moisture, stop fluxes, and make such parts dry as are slippery, they make the body and members firm, when they are weakened by too much moisture, that so they may perform their proper functions.

Yet although the members be strengthened by drying medicines, they have notwithstanding their own proper moisture in them, which ought to be conserved, and not destroyed, for without it they cannot consist: If then this moisture be consumed by using, or rather over use of drying medicines, the members can neither be nourished, nor yet perform their proper actions.

Such medicines as are dry in the third degree, being unadvisedly given, hinder the parts of the body they are appropriated to, of their nourishment, and by that means brings them into consumption.

Besides, There is a certain moisture in the body of man, which is called radical moisture, which being taken away, the parts must needs die, seeing natural heat and life also consists in it, and this may be done by too frequent use of medicines dry in the fourth degree: And it may be this was the reason of Galen’s writing, that things dry in the fourth degree, must of necessity burn; which is an effect of heat, and not of dryness, unless by burning, Galen means consuming the radical moisture.

The use then of drying medicines, is only to such bodies, and parts of the body, as abound with moisture, in which observe these rules.

1. If the moisture be not extreme, let not the medicine be extremely drying.

2. Let it be proper to the part of the body afflicted, for if the liver be afflicted by moisture, and you go about to dry the brain or heart, you may sooner kill than cure.

Thus have we briefly spoken of the first qualities of medicines, and in the general only, and but briefly, because we shall always touch upon them in the exposition of the other qualities, in which you must always have an eye to these.