THE copy Of a certain Large Act [Obligatory] OF younker LOVIS de bills, Lord of Koppensdamme, Bonen, &c. Touching the Skill of a better way of ANATOMY of man's BODY. Printed [in low Dutch] at Rotterdam, in the Printing-house of John Naeranus a bookseller, at the sign of the Book-binder in the street called haet Steiger.  
LONDON, 1659.   

To my much esteemed Friend Samuel Hartlib the Elder, Esq  
SIR,  
YOur desires were wont to tend so much to the public good, that your virtuosos would think I wanted Philanthropy as well as Civility, if I should refuse to comply with such as your Letter brings me. I send you therefore the Propositions of Monsieur de bills Englishéd out of low Dutch, at my request, by such a Person as you will readily think can translate very well, though he can better write things worthy to be translated; when I shall have told you that his name is Mr. Pell. The design avowed to be aimed at in the Propositions, and much more the matter of Fact, without which they might appear extravagant, made the Print (I confess) very welcome to me. For though in some Papers I formerly told you of, I had mentioned divers things I had intended to try, and some that I had already observed, in order to the preservation of Animal substances, and the making some of them more durable Subjects for the Anatomist to deal with: yet besides that most of the ways I proposed to myself were as yet little more than bare designs, I never aimed at, (and scarce so much as hoped for,) such strange things as in this Paper the ingenuous Publisher of it tells us he hath already actually performed. And therefore I suppose that it will not be unwelcome to you, if not having had the opportunity to see the effect of this Gentleman's skill myself, and being sufficiently indisposed to believe or affirm any strange thing that I have not seen; I annex the other Paper you lately desired of me. I mean that wherein the Proposers Dutch print came inclos▪ d to me from the Hague. For besides that it contains something of Particular; it comes from a French Gentleman whose testimony may well be considerable in matters of this nature; for he is one of that select Society of Parisian Philosophers of which You and I have sometimes discoursed, and you will find a celebrating mention made of him in the life of Gassendus, (whose Friend and Disciple he was.) And his curiosity leading him to imitate divers of the old Greek Philosophers, who travailed through many countries only to enrich themselves with what knowledge they could meet with in them, he went purposely to visit Monsieur de bills, soon after he had left England; which he lately traversed, and in his passage honoured me with several of his visits. I am so willing that You should be as wary as I in admitting unlikely things into your belief, that in putting the French I received into English, I have been (purposely to avoid straining his expressions) more careful to do right to his Words then to his Style. And as for those things that appear to have been left out by me, they are some of them such matters as concern not our Proposer and others but such compliments as require rather my Blushes then my Translating. The consent you desire of me to publish the proposals in our Language I must not refuse you. For 'tis the least we owe to a Person that hath endeavoured to oblige mankind, and to those that are willing to encourage such endeavours, by acquainting the ingenuous here with his Propositions, to strive to procure him Subscribers, and to afford them the opportunity of encouraging and assisting so useful a Work as This (supposing the truth of the Historical part of the Paper) is like to prove. It may also be hoped that the noise of such Discoveries abroad will rouse up our ingenuous Men at home, and excite them to endeavour to emulate if not surpass them: and to keep up that reputation for Anatomical discoveries and skill that this Nation hath of late deservedly enjoyed. Nor will it be amiss by the same means to give as many of those in Authority as may happen to read what the States of Holland have done in favour of a Stranger, occasion to take notice what countenance neighbouring Magistrates, that are not thought unpolitic neither, are forward to give to those designs that aim at the advancement of real Learning. Which may perhaps invite those that can do it, to give encouragement to the English Wits; which I am groundedly confident want nothing but encouragement, to perform things in this kind that would really advantage the public, as well as highly gratify such persons as Mr. Hartlib and his  
Affectionate humble Servant R. B. Octob. the 13. 1659.   

The Copy of a certain large Act of younker L. de bills, Lord of Koppensdam, Bonen, &c. Touching the skill of a better way of Anatomy of man's Body.  
THis day being the 26. day of May, 1659. before the Witnesses here-under named; and me Leonard Van Zyl, a public Notary admitted by the Court of Holland, and residing in Rotterdam, there appeared younker loviis de bills, Lord of Koppensdamme, Bonen, &c. Bailliu of the City and Territory of Aardenburg. And he declared, as he also doth further declare uprightly by this Writing, that, although he, the said Gentleman, having given, to the famous University of Leiden, divers Anatomical pieces of his own work, had resolved to trouble himself no more with Anatomy, and accordingly had done nothing in it for, fourteen years together; Yet he hath now taken up the contrary resolution, because of the earnest entreaties of divers famous, learned and judicious men both of this country and of foreign parts; as also because of that favourable permission and Granut, whereby the High-Mighty Lords, the state's general of the United Netherlands have given him power to take all the Bodies of those that shall be executed by the hand of justice, whether Military or Civil, as also of those strangers that shall die in the Hospitals, in ill parts belonging to the said States General; and to dissect the said carcases in such manner as himself shall think good for the satisfying his own Curiosity, and the promoting of Knowledge for the Common good. Being also further encouraged by the convenient place for an Anatomical theatre in that house which was lately the Court of the English Merchants in this City; which house the Honourable Lords the governors of Rotterdam have favourably granted him to that end, He, the said Gentleman, hath now at last resolved and begun to set up a merely new Anatomy of the body of Man, by many dead Bodies dissected and embalmed in an extraordinary manner, in which bodies shall be shown all the Veins, Arteries, Sinews and Fibres severed from one another, but remaining fast, both where they first arise, and where they end. Also the Heart, Liver, Lungs, and entrails, Eyes and Brains shall remain manifest in the said Bodies; and shall be so ordered that Lectures may be made upon them, as well in Summer as winter, with discovery and demonstration of mistakes both of Ancient and Modern Anatomists, who in their dissections are hindered, by the spilling of blood, from seeing to the bottom of their work: But these new Anatomies shall be completed without spilling any blood at all. In these the Anatomy-Reader shall be able to show the true ground of the Circulation of the blood, first found out by Doctor Hervey; as also to give further demonstration to that doctrine, by causing the veins to swell, so that they shall stand full of blood, which can hardly be seen otherwise. By which means men may see all the valvas venarum and the manner of the opening and and shutting of all those trapdoors within the veins; some of which doors are Semilunular, some of other shapes; as may be seen described in a little Book published [in Dutch] by the aforesaid Undertaker, bearing this title The true use of the gallbladder, &c. Whereby may be understood the office of that Passage commonly called Ductus Chyliferus with its branches and adjoined little Pipes: As also how the Chylils comes to the Heart and its little bag; how the tears come into the Eyes; how the spital comes into the mouth, how the watercourses come to the Liver, and how the whole Body is moistened.  
But because the foresaid Undertaker plainly sees it impossible to complete so great and costly a work as this, at his own charge, it having cost him already some thousands of Pounds Flemish; and he having always refused all offers of those that would oblige him to serve any other sovereign, Therefore, By these presents he makes known this his intention to all those who regard the good of mankind, and this useful knowledge: And he invites them to be helpful to his design, whereto divers famous learned men have persuaded him; namely, To provide almost fifty Bodies differently dissected and embalmed; according to which, pictures may be drawn and engraven in Copper, and Books may be written. Moreover, this his new manner of dissecting and embalming he promiseth to reveal to every one of those who shall contribute a small sum, which by many hands may quickly arise to the desired sum of twenty thousand pounds Cursiv. for so much will be necessary, considering that so many Bodies, before they be anatomised and Embalmed as is desired, will stand him in some thousands of gulden's, besides other expenses, which he hath already been at, and more he must yet be at.  
Whosoever, therefore, desires the aforesaid skill or the furtherance of it, let him bring or send his name with the sum of five and twenty Carolus Guldens at one payment (He that desires to hasten this design, may send in as much more as he pleaseth) to the foresaid Undertaker, who will bind himself to every one of those Contributors by a Solemn Obligation under his Hand and Seal, to satisfy every one of them, by a complete revealing of his skill in a Writing subscribed by the said Undertaker, and delivered to each of them within a year and an half after the first of July 1659. And if any of the Contributors, dwelling in foreign Countries, shall conceive the said Writing not clear enough to give them full Knowledge of the said skill, they may then either come themselves to him or send some countryman of theirs to Rotterdam to be present at his dissections, where the said Undertaker will show them the true manner of working; as also to all those Contributors that dwell in these countries, if they desire to see the way of handling, that they may so much the better perceive and understand the way, which he by long Experience and much practice hath found out for the dissecting of a whole Body without spilling any blood, and for the Embalming it for whole Ages in such manner as aforesaid: So that the said Contributors from that time ●●rward shall be able to do all those things as well as he, the said Undertaker, can do them, namely to dissect and embalm a whole Body with its blood, bowels, brains, and whatsoever is in it, without being subject to any putrefaction in the least.  
And if any man be curious to see beforehand some Effects of these Promises, he may come to the Undertaker at Rotterdam; and giving one Reiks Daler, he shall see four pieces of his Work, which shall be there showed unto him before he lays down the foresaid twenty five Guldens. Those Pieces are four anatomised human Bodies thus prepared & Embalmed, but dissected each of them in a different manner, wherein any man according to his desire, may view the veins, Arteries, Sinews, Membranes and Fibres in their order.  
But, if at the end of the eighteen months abovesaid, the abovesaid sum should not be made up, and so his foresaid design be hindered; He than promiseth, to all and every one of those that brought or sent him money, upon condition that he should teach them his skill, that upon their returns of his Obligations, He will readily repay their five and twenty Guldens, (or more, to those that contributed more) detaining no part of their money, save the Reiks-Daler which they gave for the sight of the aforesaid four anatomised Bodies, towards the charges which he hath already been at, or must yet lay out, to satisfy the Curiosity of those that shall come to view his foresaid pieces. And that all may be done without fraud or deceit, the said Gentleman, the Undertaker, shall by his delivered Obligation bind his Person and goods both movable and unmovable, to each of the Contributors, either to teach them his skill, or to restore their money.  
If this Undertaker come to die before the said term be expired, then shall his Wife be bound, by the same Obligation, either to deliver every man his five and twenty Guldens (or more, to those that contributed more) or else to give every such Contributor a Copy of the Description of the said skill; in which Description he the said Undertaker protesteth seriously that he hath expressed his uttermost Knowledge of his skill, so as may content any Learner. A fair Copy of this Description showed to me the Notary, and put up in a Latton Box, and sealed with the seal of my notary's Office, shall be kept by the Wife of the said Undertaker.  
Of all which above-written Declarations, the aforesaid Gentleman, the Undertaker, required me the Notary to make an Act in due form.  
Thus done in Rotterdam, in the presence of Justus Riikwaart and Laurence Jordaan, both Doctors of physic, entreated to come on purpose to be Witnesses of this Writing.  
Underneath stood Quod Attestor and was signed below L. van Ziil, Notar. Publ. Under the printed Copy was written thus, It agrees with the Original Act, dated and subscribed as above L. van. Ziil, Notar. Publ.  
The Dutch coin abovementioned, reduced to English money. 20. thousand pounds Flemish 12. thousand pounds sterling. 25. Carolus Guldens 50 shillings English. 1. Reiks-Daler 4. shillings, 6. pence.   

The forementioned Translation of the French gentleman's LETTER  
I Went into Zealand, partly to see there Monsieur de bills; but being informed at Middelburg that the Lords' States had invited him to Rotterdam, to erect there his anatomical Theatre; I presently resorted thi●ther, and made a weeks stay there, to visit him. I shall not tell Y●● Sir that I entertained him concerning You, and that, &c.— I shall content myself to acqua●●● You, that I desired him to give me the enclosed Print to send You that You might know what he is upon— His Two secrets are that of Embalming, and the Opening of dead Body's without spilling of Blood, which he pretends to teach those only that shall have contributed to 
What this amounts to in English money the Print will inform you.  the sum of sixscore thousand pound, when it shall have been made up. If his Experiments be true he revives the Title of the Liver to Sanguification, and believes himself to have discovered the original of tears, and spital, of the Serosity's contained in the Pericardium, and the passage of those which serve for the making of Urine, without traversing 〈◊〉 Heart. He holds forth also many other Propositions, very ingenious, if the things be such as he delivers. I have seen his four Embalmed Bodies, which are extremely fine; and divers smaller parts of the body by themselves. One of those is embalmed with all the Excrements in the Guts, and a little Faetus (that he hath) is embalmed whole.—  
 
Postscript.  
An abortive Faetus so preserved together with an intimation of the way by which it is preserved I have seen and mentioned in the Papers I lately told you off.   

A Extract of a LETTER written by the Learned Dr. horn public Professor of History in the University of Leyden to S. H.  

BIllii Anatomia sanè admiratione dignissima est: eam vobis dudum innotuisse non dubitabam. Tria Corpora jam olim spectaculo praeparaverat, quae etiamnum visuntur. Corpora quasi in Lapideam durittem congelat: ita sine sanguinis aut partium perturbatione singula naturalibus locis spectantur. Ex Anatomico nostro, datâ occasione, inquiram quae toius rei sit ratio.   

In English.  
DE bills his Anatomy is indeed Admirable, I made no question but you had heard of it long since. He had formerly prepared three Bodies after his new fashion, and they are yet to be seen. They are become almost as hard as stone, so that every part may be seen in its proper place without any removal either of the blood or other parts. The next time I meet with our Professor of Anatomy, I will get a particular account of the whole business from him.   
FINIS.