to kill them. Many and many, when they have brought their children to the grave, have nothing to say but I thought this or that had been best for them.'

But you will say, 'They do it in love; they mean no harm.' I answer, so false teachers deceive souls in love. But are you content yourselves to be killed by love? If I must be killed, I had rather an enemy did it than a friend; I would not have such have the guilt or grief. Love will not save men's lives, if you give them that which tends to kill them.

But you will 'We can be no wiser than we are: say, we do the best we can, what can we do more?'

if

I answer, I would have you not think yourselves wiser than you are: I would write over this word five hundred times, if that would cure you. About matters of diet and medicines, and health, this is it that I would have you do to save you from killing yourselves and your relations; 1. Pretend not to know upon the report of such as yourselves, or in matters that are difficult and beyond your skill; or where you have not had long consideration and experience. Meddle with no medicining, but what in common easy cases, the common judgment of physicians, and common experience have taught you.

2. If you have not money to pay physicians and apothecaries, tell them so, and desire them to give you their counsel freely, and take not on you to know more than they that have studied and practised it all the riper part of their lives.

3. Suspect your understandings, and consider how much there may be unknown to you, in the secresy and variety of diseases, difference of temperatures, and the like, which may make that hurtful which you conceit is good. Therefore do nothing rashly, and in self-conceited confidence, but upon the best advice ask the physician whether your medicines and rules are safe.

4. And be sure that you do rather too little than too much. What abundance are there, especially in the smallpox and fevers, that would have escaped, if women, (yea, and physicians) would have let them alone, that die because that nature had not leave to cure them, being disturbed by mistaken usages or medicines. Diseases are so various and

secret, and remedies so uncertain, that the wisest man alive, that hath studied and practised it almost all his riper days (were it an hundred years), must confess that physic is a hard, a dark, uncertain work, and ordinary cases, much more extraordinary, have somewhat in them which doth surpass his skill: and how theu come so many medicining women to know more than they?

But you will say, 'We see that many miscarry by physi cians, and they speed worst that use them most.'

I answer. But would they not yet speed worse, if they used you as much? If they are too ignorant, how came you to be wiser? If you are, teach them your skill.

But I must add, that even physicians' guilt of the sin which I am reproving, doth cost many hundred persons their lives, as well as yours. Even too many physicians, who have need of many days' inquiry and observations, truly to discover a disease, do kill men by rash and hasty judging, (I talk not of the cheating sort, that take on them to know all by the urine alone, but of honester and wiser men.) It is most certain that old Celsus saith, that a physician is not able faithfully to do his office, for very many patients: a few will take up all his time. But they that gape most after money, must venture upon a short sight, and a few words, and presently resolve before they know, and write down their directions while they are ignorant of one half; which if they knew, would change their counsels! And such is man's body and its diseases, that the oversight and ignorance of one thing among twenty, is likely enough to be the patient's death. And how wise, expedient and vigilant must he be, that will commit no such killing oversight!

And as too many medicine a man whom they know not, and an unknown disease, for want of just deliberation; so too many venture upon uncertain and untried medicines, or rashly give that to one in another case, which hath profited others. In a word, even rash physicians have cause to fear lest by prefidence and hasty judging, more should die by their mistakes than do by murderers, that I say not by soldiers in the world and lest their dearest friend should speed worse by them, than their greatest enemies. For as seamen and soldiers do boldly follow the trade, when they find that in several voyages and battles they have escaped;

but yet most or very many of them are drowned or killed at the last; so he that is tampering overmuch with medicines, may escape well and boast of the success awhile: but at last one bloodletting, one vomit, one purge or other medicine may miscarry by a small mistake or accident, and he is gone! And there are some persons so civil, that if a rash or unexperienced physician be their kinsman, friend, or neighbour, they will not go to an abler man, lest they be accounted unfriendly, and disoblige him; and if such escape long with their lives, they may thank God's mercy, and not their own wisdom. Soldiers kill enemies, and unskilful, rash physicians kill their friends!

But you will say, 'They do their best, and they can do no more.' I answer as before, 1. Let them not think that they know what they do not know: but sufficiently suspect their own understandings. 2. Let them not go beyond their knowledge: How little of our kind of physic did the old physicians (Hippocrates, Galen, Celsus, &c.) give? Do not too much. 3. Venture not rashly without full search, deliberation, counsel and experience. O how many die by hasty judging, and rash mistakes! Physicians must pardon my free speaking, or endure it; for I conceive it necessary. It hath not been the least part of the calamity of my life to see my friends and other worthy persons killed by the ignorance or hastiness of physicians: I greatly reverence and honour those few that are men of clear, searching, judicious heads; of great reading, especially of other men's experiences; of great and long experience of their own; of present sagacity and ready memory to use their own experiments; of conscience and caution to suspect, and know before they hastily judge and practise. I would I could say that such are not too few. But I must say to the people, as you love your lives take heed of all the rest: a highway robber you may avoid or resist with greater probability of safety, than such men. How few are they that are killed by thieves or in duels, in comparison of those that are killed by physicians; especially confident young men that account themselves wits, and think they may hit on such philosophical principles as will better secure both their practice and reputation than old physicians' doctrine and experience could do! Confident young men of unhumbled understandings, presently trust their undigested thoughts, and

rashly use their poor, short experiments, and trust to their new conceptions of the reasons of all operations; and then they take all others for mere empyrics in comparison of them: and when all is done, their pretended reason for want of full experience and judgment to improve it, doth but enable them to talk and boast, and not to heal; and when they have killed men, they can justify it, and prove that they did it rationally, or rather that it was something else, and not their error that was the cause. They are wits and men of rare inventions; and therefore are not such fools as to confess the fact. How often have I seen men of great worth, such as few in an age arise to, who having a high esteem of an injudicious, unexperienced physician, have sealed their erroneous kindness with their blood! How often have I seen worthy persons destroyed by a pernicious medicine, contrary to what the nature of the disease required, who without a physician might have done well! Such sorrows now upon me, make me the more plain and copious in the case. And yet, alas, I see no hope of amendment probable! For, 1. Many hundred ministers being forbidden to preach the Gospel, and cast out of all their livelihood, for not promising, asserting, swearing, and doing all that is required of them; many of these think that necessity alloweth them to turn physicians, which they venture on upon seven years' study; when seven, and seven, and seven, is not enough, though advantaged by the help of other men's experiments. 2. And others rush on practice in their youth, partly because they have not yet knowledge enough to discern uncertainties and difficulties in the art, or to see what is further necessary to be known: and partly, because they think that seeing skill must be got by experience, use must help them to that experience; and all men must have a beginning. 3. And when they do their best, they say, God requireth no 4. And they hope if they kill one, they cure many. But O that they had the sobriety to consider, 1. That the physician is but one man; and will his maintenance or livelihood excuse him for killing many? 2. That even one man's life is more precious than one man's maintenance, or fuller supply, is it not honester to beg your bread? That killing men by virtue of your trade without danger to you, doth but hinder your repentance, but not so much extenuate your sin as many think: which is aggravated

more.

3.

in that you kill your friends that trust you, and not enemies that oppose you or avoid you. 4. Your experience must not be got by killing men, but by accompanying experienced physicians till you are fit to practise: and if you cannot stay so long for want of maintenance, beg rather than kill men, or betake you to some other trade.

But if you be too proud or confident to take such counsel, I still advise all that love their lives, that they choose not a physician under forty years old at least, and if it may be, not under sixty, unless it be for some little disease or remedy, which hath no danger, and where they can do no harm, if they do no good: old men may be ignorant, but young men must needs be so for want of experience, though some few rare persons are sooner ripe than others.

And whereas they say that they cure more than they kill;' I wish that I had reason to believe them: I suppose that if more of their patients did not live than die, they would soon lose their practice: but it is likely the far greatest part of those that live, would have lived without them, and perhaps have been sooner and easier cured, if nature had not by them been disturbed.

And what calling is there in which hasty judging and conceits of more knowledge than men have, doth make great confusion and disappointment? If a fool that rageth and is confident, be a pilot, woe to the poor seamen and passengers in the ship. If such a one be a commander in an army, his own and other men's blood or captivity, must cure his confidence, and stay his rage. For such will learn at no cheaper a rate. How often hear we such workmen, carpenters, masons, &c., raging confident that their way is right, and their work well done, till the ruin of it confute and shame them!

If this disease take hold of governors, who will not stay to hear all parties, and know the truth, but take up reports on trust, from those that please or flatter them, or judge presently before impartial trial, and hearing all, woe to the land that is so governed! The wisest and the best man must have due information and time, patience and consideration to receive it, or else he may do as David between Mephibosheth and Ziba, and cannot be just.

What an odious thing is a partial, blind, rash, hasty and impatient judge, that cannot hear, think and know before he judgeth! Such the old Christians had to do with among