CALLIRHOE, THE NYMPH OF ABERDENE, RESUSCITAT BY WILLIAM BARCLAY M. of Art, and Doctor of Physic.  
What diseases may be cured by drinking of the Well at Aberdene, and what is the true use thereof.  
Printed by ANDRO HART, ANNO DOM. 1615.   

TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL Sr. ROBERT KEITH of Benholme Rnight. WILLIAM BARCLAY DOCTOR OF PHYSIC wisheth health.  
RIGHT Worshipful, Demades, an Orator of Athens was wont to say to the people, that they never treated of peace, but in their mourning garments, when the enemy had killed their principal kinsmen. So the people of this Realm enter never in consideration of their health, but when they are overthrown with diseases. I would have your Worship to shun this blame, being so civil, so circumspect, so careful in all your other adoes: it were a blot to the worth of your many virtues, to neglect the remembrance of your health, even in the perfect possession of your health, that you may prevent the battle of diseases, when you are in the the other side. First then I divided so much of the land as I choosed to consider, in highland and Low-land: and I found the highland to nourish strong, rude, cruel, long living, laborious, and lecherous men: and that by reason of their food: milk, cheese, butter, fleshes, oat bread, much exercise. (I will remit the matter of Aqua vitae to another place.) And as I mused on these Highland men, I remembered that in our history of Scotland it is reported, that no diseases were known to this holy Island in time of our fathers, but the Gravel, the Cold, which Physicians call Catarrhus. For proof of which was there never a man in Strethspey vexed with the Tertian ague, while the year 1613. years: when that disease became in Murray and sundry other parts of this Realm epidemical or contagious. But leaving these highland diseases to their impostors, and barbarous leeches. I return to our low & civil pa●ts: where the inhabitants being more delicately trained up, as subject to greater diseases, the situation of the soil being toward the North & lying open to the East: the ground which they labour, must be cold and moist: the diseases of their bodies, Catarrhs, Gravels, Diarrhaees, Guts▪ Colickes, Apoplexies, Paralyses, & such like: and because the winds are boisterous and cold, the maladies of their minds are much worse than the diseases of their bodies, Pride, Anger, Hatred, Envy, Cruelty, Inhumanity, Inconstancy: neither will I proceed farther in this matter, reserving without flattery the true commendation of Aberdene, whose inhabitants beyond the nature of their soil, & in spite of AEOLUS & all his winds, do so civilize their burgh, with the continual practice of virtue & learning, & so replenish their hearts with courteous behaviour, that if their soil were not more barren and barbarous than their souls, even a French man himself might judge Aberdene to be the Lutetiola, or little Paris of this Septentrional corner of North Britanne. The third thing which a Physician should consider, is the water, which within the limits that I have chosen for to examine, is not so far from the best waters of the world, as it is from the worse: And in most parts of this North, it is wholesome and good, & needeth not to be ashamed to abide the trial of HIPPOCRATES rule. But leaving to treat more largely of this common sual uwater, I will lavell in my discourse, at the medicinal water which not only orneth the town of Aberdene, but blesseth the territory about it with a treasure of health, more worth than the wealth of CROESUS. I will not report the Antiquity of such Physic, neither shall I reckon the number of such famous fountains as have had virtue to cure innumerable diseases: but I will in few terms describe the nature and virtues of the Well which springeth at Aberdene. And before I enter to die my lips in that sacred liquor, I will make a suit to that more savoury water then the poetical Castalian● fountain: that as I wish all people to haunt & honour thy streams, so Dasecura tui, sit mihi sana suis. and I being preserved by thy virtue from such diseases, as I am persuaded thou canst cure, Tu fueris Musis Pegasus unda meis. Thus having premitted my protestation to that Aberdonian Nymph, I will begin to reveal the secrets of her birth, and dig under that hill, that I may discover the original of her spring. I will set down (that my discourse may carry a method) the true nature of that water, how to know if that water have such specific and magnetical virtues as I allege: and what are the effects of that water: and lastly, in what manner that water should be used and drunken. I lay then as a ground, that of all liquors, there is none more apt than water to receive the qualities and virtues of any simple: for which cause the Physicians most ordinarily make their infusions and decoctions in water: the reason of this is, because water of itself is void of taste, and so much the more fit to receive both the taste▪ and all other second qualities from all simples: yea, not only second qualities, which are manifest and known by the senses, but also hidden and occult qualities, of which, some do alter the taste: as the infusion of Rheubarbe: some do not alter the taste, as the infusion of Antimonium, or the decoction of gold. Notwithstanding that water be a fit subject to receive the impression of diverse tastes, yet doth it not receive so commodiously the diversity of odours: and in that respect the perfumers do not infuse their sweet odoriferous drugs in water, but in oil, which we call oleum Balaninum, which oil is as void itself of all odours, as water is of sapours: this is the reason also why the dainty, delicate & saucy victuallers or cooks in their restoring and Venerean pasties put the root called Petatoes, which of itself is tasteless and unsavoury to receive the temper and pickle of all the other spices & nourishing aliments. Having then settled as a principle in Physic that water is a commodious matter to receive the accidental forms of all simples, I conclude that this water of the Well of Aberdene hath received qualities & virtues from such minerals as it floweth thorough: which are Iron and Vitriol: for the effects do argue the mixtion of these two. In so much that I dare affirm this Aberdonian Nymph to be sister German to the Well of Forges in Normandy, and may well work as many worthy cures as it, if it were as wisely used, and as frequently. There is no dogmaticke Physician in Europe, which doth not allow the use of Iron & Vitriol in the cures of many diseases: so that Nature herself in this water having intermingled so prudently the qualities of these two simples, it standeth with reason that this water being imbrued with the most thick slimy humours, the passages of the liver ditted with indigest chyle, it were a rash and careless boldness to hazard our health, seeing this water runneth through the channel of our veins, with such impetuosity that it carrieth with it, whatsoever crudity it encountereth in the way.  
— Non alius per pinguia culta,  
In mare purpureum violentior instuit amnis.  
No water natural or artificial can pass more swiftly through man's body to the bladder, where the sea of all our humidities are collected, than doth this vitriolical liquor. But hereafter shall be declared by what means the patient shall dispose and prepare his body, that is, to crave aid and relief at the hands of this courteous and cristaline Aberdonian Nymph.  
For better understanding of the following discourse, I will premit two things. First, that there is no dis●ase that chanceth to man's body, that can receive any great detriment from the right use of this water, except it be the diseases of the lights: because this water moveth the cough, and increaseth the dolour to the pulmonickes.  
Secondly, this water is a present and sure remedy against all obstructions, which are the mothers and authors of most part of our diseases. Now I call obstruction a ditting or stopping of any passage of the body, which obstruction cometh most ordinarily in the small veins of the mesentere and liver, in the passages of the gall, in the ureters or passages of the bladder, in the veins which open towards the matrix or mother, through which ditted and obstructed ways this water pierceth without any harm or detriment by a detersive and penetrant virtue, and taketh away the slimy, thick, gluey, teugh matter, which sticketh to the banks of the channels, while this water as another Nilus washeth away those corrupted excrements from this hidden interior Egypt of our bowels. This water worketh not with every one after one sort: for if the matter be in the neires, the ureters or bladder, it expelleth the humours by urines: if the cause of the disease be in the melt, in the mesentere or the liver, this water worketh by the passage of the stool: if the matter be in the matrix, the water worketh by the ordinary purgation of that part. And yet albeit this water be such a justiciar, as executeth her sentence against the diseases of every part, by banishing the material causes, through their own passages, yet she disburdeneth the greatest part of all the morbificke causes by the urines. I have seen sundry men and women cured of great and tedious diseases by vomiting after the drinking of this water.  
This Nymph beyond the custom of all her sex, refresheth and augmenteth the weary and dull spirits of any patient, she corroborateth and an art. I saw at London in the late Queen ELIZABETH'S days an impostor hanged, because he avouched that he was the son of God, and had sent his supposed prophets through the country, to vaunt of his coming. This Irlandish impostor doth imitate that pseudochrist, and sendeth through the country, his prophets to abuse the people with a false rumour. I protest before God, I envy not his estate, but I would wish that he could do the thing that he sayeth: but I cannot abide such abuse of that art, wherein I have spent many years under the discipline of the most learned Physicians of France. Yet albeit this water cannot dissolve such a stone, it doth much good to those that are vexed therewith: for it fortifieth the bladder, and washeth away the slime which is about the stone, the which slime maketh the stone greater than it is indeed, and riveth the wound too much at the cutting.  
The second question is, whether this water hath any virtue to cure the hydropsy or not. To which I answer, First that of all remedies this is the surest to prevent the dropsy, and to correct the disposition from whence the Dropsy proceedeth: which ordinarily is weakness of the liver, through exorbitant heat: I know that hydropsy floweth at times from a cold liver also, but the most frequent cause is hot. Doctor MARTIN at Paris, one of the most learned men of Europe, not in Physic only, but in languages and all other sort of literature, finding himself inclined to hydropsy, postponing all other sort of medicament, he took resolution to pass to the Well of Forges, not far from Rouvan in Normandy, which Well is sister German to our Nymph, with hope to return from thence in health, or then never to see Paris again, and in this resolution he took leave from threescore of Physicians his colleagues, and went to Forges where he recovered his health, and lived many years thereafter, I answer secondly, that a man being perfectly hydroped, his hydropsy being caused of an obstruction and hot intemperie of the liver or melt: this water will cure him, or nothing else will cure him, because it correcteth the intemperie, it openeth the obstructions, and it voideth water out of the belly.  
The third question is, whether this water hath any force to help those that are subject to the Arthritis or general or particular gout. For by this discourse it appeareth that this water openeth the passages, and giveth place to the serous and watery humours, to go to the joints and lithts, where the gout is form: for it is called the gout, because the watery humours guttatim cadunt in articulos. I answer that this water openeth the passages of the mesentere, the liver, the melt, the reins, but I think that it taketh no leisure in the body, to go to the joints, because it passeth so suddenly through the first and second region of the body, that it stayeth not to go to the third region, and albeit it did go, it fortifieth the ways: for it hath not only an opening force, but a roborating virtue also, and besides that, draweth water out of the joints, rather than filleth them with water, and because a hot intemperie of the liver, is the original cause of Arthritis, this water curing that intemperie, it must of force cut away the spring of that disease.  
At last now I think expedient to declare how the patients should behave themselves towards this Nymph, to the effect they have no just occasion to think evil, either of her or me: the meetest time to drink of this water is, when the weather is hottest and driest, as it is in june, july, and a part of August, because then the water is lightest, and of easiest digestion, the superfluous vapours being drawn out of the earth by the heat of the sun. Before we enter to drink of this medicinal water, it is meetest that our bodies be prepared and purged by the advise of some learned Physician, and when I say a learned Physician, I seclude barbarous apothecares, Highland leeches, impostors, and montbankes, Mercurial medicines, that is to say, rubbers with quick silver, and all those which can give no reason of their calling.  
Amongst the Lacedæmonians he was accounted the most gallant man that could steal most, providing that he were not apprehended flagranti delicto. In Britain he is esteemed the best Physician, who killeth most, providing that he be not accused. But if there were such search here as is in France or Italy, the people would be better served, and the King have more subjects. I saw a weighty matter pleaded before the court of Parliament at Paris. The history was this, A Physician had prescribed to a noble man a certain quantity of confectio Alchermes, it chanceth that the patient died within a little space. This confectio Alchermes had coloured all the chyle in his stomach like scarlet, which should be white. The Chirurgeon which bowelled the man, alleged that the patient was poisoned, the Parents accused the Physician, so it went to the Bar. And at last both parties heard, and all alledgance ponderate and considered, the Physician was absolved, and the Chirurgeon condemned as ignorant, and to pay a Fine, and to restore the Physician to his honour again.  
But returning to our purpose again: Whosoever disposeth himself to drink of this water, his body must be prepared by the counsel & advise of some learned Physician▪ by taking clysters & some purgative medicines: I will not here prescribe the forms, because I will not minister occasion to ignorant leeches to the abuse of men's health. In the mean space that they are drinking this water, it were meet to keep a good diet, and eat such meat as leave no crudity, and doth resist melancholy: their drink at their ordinare may be white wine, moderately drunken, mixed with water, and not with the water of this Well, as sundry do to their own hinder and prejudice: because this water used with their meat, helpeth to carry the meat to the neares and bladder before it be perfectly digested. After dinner and supper it shall not be amiss to use a digestive powder for to dissipate the wind, and close the stomach.  
Also it is sufficient to drink every day once of this water, and that in the morning some two or three hours after the rising of the sun. As concerning the quantity which ought to be drunken, it should be according to the disease and nature of every one: at the beginning they should use moderately, and every day ascend while they arrive at the highest of that which they may drink, neither hath it been found, that the drinking of four or five pounds have done any harm, albeit there be many men and women, that can not reach to that quantity. Always it is better to drink longer and less, then to drink a great quantity in few days.  
This is the sum of that which may be said concerning the nature and use of that water, neither will I weary the Lector with any longer discourse, beseeching him only to hear me patiently in few terms rander thanks to God, which for the benefit of our poor diseased persons in this I'll hath revealed this secrecy, and that in such a part, that the engine of man could not have devised it better: not in the Higlands' and Wilderness, not in some country beggarly village, as Spae and Forges are, but amongst the most civil, and courteous, and charitable people of this Realm, where the poor may be assisted with alms, and with Physicians, where the rich may be harboured, according to their estates, and where all sort of ranks may have fit company, honest recreation, good example, great piety, and all kind of eases and commodities that any man or woman can desire, Blessed and honoured be that Omnipotent and beneficial Father, Author of all health, and the first of all Physicians.  
FINIS.