Of Thy sic al Experiments,

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Chap. II.

To make a Man out of his senses for a daj,

A Ft er these Medicines to cause sleep, we will speak of those which make menfmad - the business is almost the fame : for the same Plants that induce sleep, ifthey be taken in^a larger proportion, do cause madpets. But we will not tell thosethings which breed it for ever, onely which may make us sport for a day , and after-wards leave no harm. We will begin with,

How to Make men mad with Mandrake.

We have told you,That a small dose brings sleep ; a little more, madness ; a larger,death. Diofcorides faith, That a Drachm of Motion will make one foolish : wewill easilier do it with Wine, which is thus made : Take the Roots of Mandrake,and but put them into new Wine, boyling and bubling up : cover it close . and letthem infuse in a warm place for two months. When you would use it,give it to some-body co drink ; and whosoever shall taste it aster a deep sleep, wiil be distracted,and fora day shall rave : but after some sleep, will return to his lenses again, with-out any harm : and it is very pleasant to behold. Pray make trial. We may do thesame

tVith Stramonium) orSolanttm Manicum :

The Seeds of which, being dried and macerated in \yine, the space of a night, anda Drachm of it drank in a Glass of Wine, ( but rightly given, lest it hurt the aim)after a few hours will make one mad, and present strange visions, both pleasant andhorrible; and of all other sorts: as the power of the potion, so doth the madnessalso cease,after some sleep, without any harm, as we said, if it were rightly admini-stred. We May also infect any kinde of meat with it, by strowing thereon j threefingers full of the Root reduced into powder, it caufeth a pleasant kinde of madnessfora day ; but thepoysonous quality is allayed by sleep, or by washing the Templesand Pulses with Vinegar, or juice of Lemraon. We may also do the fame with ano-ther kinde of Solanum, called

Bella Donnd.ricsu/fy ^ VmcUy-

A Drachm of the Root of which , amongst other properties, hath this; that it willmake men mad without any hurt: so that it isa most plealanc spectacle co beholdsuch mad whimsies and visions; which also is cured by sleep : but sometimes theyrefuse to eat. Nevertheless, we give this prxeaution, That all those Roots orSeeds which cause the Takers of them to sec delightful visions, if their Dose be in-creased, will continue this alienation of minde for three days : but if it be quadru-pled,it brings death. Wherefore we must proceed cautiously with them. I had aFriend, who, as oft as he pleased, knew how

To make a man believe he was changed

into a Bird or Beast ; and cause madness at his pleasure. For by drinking a certainPotion, the man would seem sometimes to be changed into a Fish $ and slinging outhis arms, would swim on the Ground : sometimes he would seem to skip up, andthen to dive down again. Another would believe himself turned into a Goose,andwould eat Grass, and beat the Ground with his Teeth, like a Goose : now and thensing, and endeavour to clap his Wings. And this he did with the aforenamedPlants: neither did he exclude Henbane from among bis Ingredients; extractingthe essences by their Menstruum,and mix’d some of their Brain, He art, Limbs,a nd o-therparts with them. I remember when I was a young man, I tried these thingson my Chambcr-Fellows : and their madness still fixed upon something they hadeaten, and their fancy worked according to the quality of their meat. One, vyhohad fed lustily upon Beef, saw nothing hut the formes of Bulls in his imagination,

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