The Grand Albert

Admirable Secrets of Albert the Great

 Introduction
Translator's preface

THE name of the Grand Albert resonates with its infamous

counterpart, the Petit Albert. Both of these grimoires are reputed to contain
the writings of Saint Albert the Great, who was one of the greatest minds of
medieval Europe during the XIIIth century, a Dominican friar and a teacher
of Saint Thomas Aquinas himself.

Most of the following texts were originally compiled into four books in the
XVIth century, and so their attribution to Saint Albert is sometimes exact,
as in the case of the first book, sometimes exaggerated. They however offer
scientific knowledge passed down the centuries, from the Greek and Latin
physicians of Antiquity to the Renaissance alchemical works of Paracelsus.

This grimoire was popularized in rural France, when salesmen would travel
from village to village, selling it as a sort of talisman along with almanacs
which were very useful to illiterate peasants. The subjects handled here are
much less diabolical than those in the Petit Albert, a later work, and are
more concerned with natural sciences applied to country life. Both works
contain knowledge that was mostly hidden at the time of their publishing,
and are therefore occult in their own right.

This present edition, fully translated in modern English for the first time, is
based on the standard French publication from 1703.
 Prayer

MY God, Who have shined upon my spirit in the writing of this work,
and of several others; I am grateful to You, and I ask for Your forgiveness,
if I have forgotten anything; I implore the help of Your divine grace, which
grants all wisdom and eternal life, which I hope to receive through Your
goodness, my God who are all powerful, all glorious and master of all
things; I ask this grace of You, my Savior, Who reign with the Father and
the Holy Spirit, and Who make and shall make the tranquility, rest,
happiness and joy of the Saints for all eternity. Amen.
 Foreword

What the prince of the philosophers has to say about man, how he is
formed, and the reasoning of the doctors and the philosophers on this
subject, etc.

THE prince of the philosophers says that man is the best and most
perfect creation in the world, and that the world is a compound of all active
and passive creatures. So this is our reasoning: if something receives its
value from the nobility of its principle, it is necessary that man is not only
the most noble of all creations, but also the best. This reasoning is clear and
indisputable, because the body of man is generated from the purest blood of
both sexes united together, not unlike how cheese is made from curdled
milk, if we believe the teachings of doctors. But the philosophers think
otherwise, and they say that in the process of generation, the woman’s
blood is the matter, while the man’s seed is the form, so that the man is to
the woman what the craftsman is to his work. Such is the belief of Averroes
and of the Philosopher, but regardless, the matter from which man is made
is the most noble and precious of all. This can be further supported by the
fact that we know what is good when it is united, and when it appropriates,
so to say, the nature of what is most excellent and elevated. Therefore on
this basis, we claim that man represents what is best in the world, because
there is much communion and sympathy between man and Heaven, which
stands above the whole of nature. This truth is of course illustrated by the
correspondence between the limbs of the body and the twelve celestial
signs. For example, the Aries, the Gemini and the Leo communicate their
heat to the heart, the liver and the testes through their marvelous virtue; the
Cancer, the Taurus and the Virgo likewise communicate their coldness to
the intestines, the bladder and the diaphragm. The Scorpio, the Aquarius
and the Pisces communicate their moistness to the brain, the stomach and
the lungs, and the Capricorn, Sagittarius and Libra rule over the spleen, the
gallbladder and the kidneys. As a result, Aristotle says that the celestial
body is a contained compound that communicates itself.
 People of a curious mind must carefully dedicate to the reading of this
book, which speaks of the generation of man, and of which Albert the Great
is the author, albeit he has taken many passages from the writings of
Aristotle and especially from those on animals, which are the results of his
travels with Alexander; It is considered at the front end of natural
philosophy, as he wrote another book not only about natural things, but also
about medicinal matters.
 Book One

Chapter I

Of the spawning of the embryo, and how man is

engendered.

HAVING spoken about the subject that we will treat in this book, it is
now relevant and even necessary to start with a mention of the embryo; we
remark that, according to the opinion of the philosophers and doctors, every
man is naturally engendered from the seed of his father and the pure blood of
his mother. Aristotle differs in that he believes the fetus to be formed solely
from the blood of his mother.

Then, we must note that a woman’s menses are nothing more than the
result of superfluous alimentation. Women typically experience this
discharge at least once every month, as soon as they reach the age of twelve,
thirteen, or most often fourteen, and its purpose is simply as a natural purge.
To some, it happens on the new Moon, to others later. And not all women
experience it at the same time, nor do they suffer equally, some more, some
less; some yet tend to bleed longer than others, according to their
temperament. Much is left to doubt after what we have already mentioned,
firstly, regarding how and through what kind of heat this discharge happens.
What is certain is that in all cases it has the color of blood, except for those
women who are corrupted and filled with vile humors, so that their blood has
the color of lead.
 Chapter II

Of the way in which the fetus spawns, and the influence of celestial
forces on the fetus.

IN this chapter, we are going to explain how the fetus forms. The first
seed to reach the womb resembles milk for six days; then in the space of
nine days, it changes and takes the color of thick, dark blood, after which in
the space of twelve days, the limbs of the fetus consolidate and join
together.

According to the philosophers, every individual is composed of the four

elements: as earthly matter contributes to the bones, so does aqueous matter
contribute in its own way, and so of the other elements. Within eighteen
days, nature shapes the face and length of the fetus, as well as its width and
depth, and from this time onwards, the fetus grows more and more until it is
born. Note that a female fetus takes its shape in only fourteen days.
Everything that we just mentioned in length can be found in these four
verses:

For six days, the aspect of milk it resembles;

And after nine, of blood it borrows the color;
For twelve days afterwards, all the limbs assemble;
In eighteen, man is made, and then takes on vigor.

There are many who believe that one planet rules over all of the hours
in a day; because this particular science is very useful to understand what
we are talking about in this book, and lest you think I forget to mention it
by ignorance, I will speak about this.

It must be known that according to Avicenna, there are three kinds of

incidences. The first kind is caused by the disposition of matter; another is
caused by form; and the third finally is caused by form and matter
altogether. And because this dual combination of form and matter is natural
in all things, the incidences that are observed in all things are classified in
these three ways. That being said, there are also incidences caused by the
soul, such as the will to move from one place to the other; and some wise
scholars of nature concede that all of the powers that the soul possesses
over the body descend from the superior, celestial bodies. Indeed, the virtue
of matter to exist and move at all is derived from the first mover, to which
all lower spheres are bound in their motion.

The sphere of Saturn, according to the astronomers, is next to the

firmament; and from this planet the soul receives reason and judgment.
Then comes Jupiter, who grants generosity and several other passions to the
soul. Mars instills hatred, wrath and much more. The Sun grants science
and memory, Venus, the ways of lust, Mercury, joy and pleasure; finally the
Moon, source of all natural virtues, fortifies the soul. While the soul
receives all virtues from the celestial bodies, these virtues are also attributed
to the soul and the body themselves, because one type of incidence alone
does not explain them fully.

The body itself is created and formed from the embryonic stage, by the
operation of the celestial bodies which we call planets. And first, the matter
from which a man shall be engendered is subjected to the coldness and
dryness of Saturn, from which it receives a naturally fortifying and
vegetative virtue.

From this reasoning arises the question of whether Saturn rules over the
conception of all embryos; we reply that prime matter is bound to the
celestial bodies and their movements, and the philosophers show the same
opinion when they say that everything inferior is subject to everything
superior and the movements thereof. That being said, it is necessary that all
lower beings depend on the entire celestial sphere, because nothing can be
generated from the elements alone in their participation and Influences.
This is what makes Aristotle say that nature never acts separately from the
direction of superior intellects. And so as the planets interact with earthly
beings, one planet has the property to produce one special form, and
another planet another form; which is in accordance to the opinion of the
Philosopher, who insists in his first Treaty on Generation and Corruption
that all lower beings are ruled and maintained by the alternate actions of the
planets and the elements which are generally part of composite bodies. He
adds that animals, however, depend entirely on the planets, which determine
and provide their being; in all cases, all lower bodies, in particularity and in
universality, receive an influence from those above. If then all that is
created depends on and is subject to the celestial bodies, it is necessary that
one particular planet gives one particular thing a determined form of some
kind, because if a thing received a form from the whole celestial body, it
would be undifferentiated, as the pattern that would bind this thing to a
form would also bind it to others (all forms being indifferent within the first
motion), and consequently, a body being arranged by the first motion would
need to receive, through the influence of one planet, the disposition to a
particular form or kind, since a physical cause alone is not enough even
combined with the influence of superior bodies. This is clear and
indubitable, because otherwise when the semen enters the womb and its
power is being indifferently influenced by all planets, it would follow that
instead of receiving the form it is supposed to take, the resulting matter
would take another contrary form. Such is the reasoning of Aristotle in his
second Book on Generation and Corruption, where he observes that by
sunrise, animals are filled with life, and by the time they sleep, they become
languid. This example shows us how all creatures, as they have been
prepared and disposed by the first of all intellects, are still subject to the
special influence of one celestial body, which imprints a particular form on
them.

So, we see that there are two distinct powers attributed to Saturn: the
power to prepare matter in general, and the power to give a specific form to
matter. But as we have said that Saturn always governs the conception of
the embryo, what we mean is only that it instills a disposition that no other
planet can. In the case when Saturn does not rule during certain hours of the
day or night, and when its influence stops during this time, that is because
another planet or star instills another form that is unlike Saturn; or because
active bodies can only act on a subject that is prepared to receive their
influence. If you are wondering why all things are disposed as they are, we
must answer that God wills it in such a way that regulates and governs all
things, and provides all things with the virtues that are fit for their own
nature.
 As Saturn has power over the embryo during the first month, Jupiter
takes over on the second, and by virtue of its special favors, it provides
matter for the limbs to form. Through its marvelous warmth, it also
reinforces the matter of the fetus and moistens what had been dried by
Saturn on the first month. During the third, Mars through its warmth forms
the head, and then separates the limbs from each other; for example it
separates the neck from the arms, the arms from the ribs and so of the rest.
The Sun dominates the fourth month and imprints the different forms of the
fetus, shapes the heart and sets the sensitive soul in motion, as some doctors
and astronomers believe; but Aristotle maintains that the heart is
engendered before all other parts, and that they spring from it afterwards.
Others go even further, and claim the Sun as the source and origin of all
life.

Venus in the fifth month polishes some of the outer limbs and shapes
others, such as the ears, nose, bones, penis or prepuce for males, vulva and
teats for females. Furthermore, it separates and distinguishes the hands, feet
and fingers.

During the sixth month comes the influence of Mercury, which shapes
the organs of the voice, the eyebrows and eyes; at the same time the hair
and the fingernails begin to grow.

The Moon achieves in the seventh month what was started by the
previous planets, as its moisture fills all the gaps of the flesh. Venus and
Mercury, also moistening the entire body, provide it with the necessary
nourishment.

The eighth month is attributed to Saturn, which cools and dries the fetus
a lot, and thus makes it tighter; this is why astronomers say that a fetus born
during this month shall come out dead or dying, as we will explain later.
But Jupiter which rules over the ninth month rejoices the fetus with warmth
and moisture, and one who is born during this month shall be strong,
healthy and live a long life; the warmth providing strength, and the moisture
longevity.
 Now, we must say that all the limbs of the body depend on the twelve
signs of the Zodiac. The Aries is the first of all celestial signs, which, when
it is crossed by the sun, communicates warmth and moisture, and stimulates
generation. Thus we call the movement of the Sun in the Aries the source
and principle of life, and so we attribute to it the head of man and all its
parts. Just like the head is the noblest part of the body, the Aries in the sky
is the noblest of all signs; and not without reason, since the combination of
the Aries and the Sun stimulates the warmth and moisture in nature, in the
same way that in the head of man is the principle of vital forces.

The Taurus governs the neck; the Gemini the shoulders, the Cancer the
hands and arms, the Leo the chest, the heart and the diaphragm; The Virgo
the stomach, the intestines, the ribs and the muscles. All these signs that
share half of the sky only govern half of the body. The Libra, in the second
half, governs the kidneys and is the origin and principle of other members;
the Scorpio, the lustful parts of men and women; the Sagittarius the nose
and feces, the Capricorn the knees and everything below, the Aquarius the
thighs; and the Pisces, which comes last, communicates its influence to the
feet. Such are, in a few words, the influences of the twelve signs of the
Zodiac on the different parts of the body. Do not believe that these notions
are feigned and imaginary, because they can be experienced in many ways.
You should know that it is dangerous to have a limb injured when the Moon
crosses the sign that governs this limb, because the Moon will make it
moister, and as one can clearly see, if you expose raw flesh to Moon rays
during the night, it will spawn maggots; and while that does not always
happen, it generally does during full Moon.

To really explain what we have just said, Albert the Great remarks that
there are four different states to the Moon. In the first state it is warm and
moist, in the second, warm and dry until fullness; then in the third state it
turns cold as it declines, and in its last quarter it keeps cold until
approaching the Sun; It is in this state particularly it corrupts what is moist
and since it makes the limbs moister, it would be unwise to strain one, lest it
be dangerously hurt, because one cannot add moisture to moisture without
danger.
 You must know, brothers, that while most women have no knowledge
nor experience of this science, there are some who know about it, and use it
to do great ill when they have affairs with men; and often men get terrible
infections of the penis, by means of a piece of iron used by some reprobate
women, if they have experience in this kind of malice. I would say more if I
was permitted, but as I fear offending God my creator, I shall keep silent for
now.

Through another experiment, we could show here the effect of the

Moon in its last quarter: as the rays of the Moon pervade in the head of a
sleeper at night, they may give him a headache, and a cold. The reason for
this has been mentioned earlier.
 Chapter III

Of the influence of the planets, how they act upon the body, and why
sometimes several fetuses form in the womb.

IT is now appropriate to speak about the influence of planets, which

were named by the ancients after the Gods of nature.

Saturn is highest, darkest, heaviest and slowest among the planets, and
it causes someone born under its influence to have swarthy skin, dark and
thick hair, a large hairy head and a small stomach, and slit heels; in regard
to his soul, he is vile, sneaky, treacherous, irritable, melancholic, likes filth
and enjoys wearing vile clothes; he is no subject to luxury or salaciousness,
but hates it. In a few words, we can say, following the opinion of my master
who is well experienced in this science, that any men who comes into this
world under Saturn has every possible vile quality of the body and soul.

Jupiter which is a mild, glowing, temperate and joyful planet, makes a

man handsome, with fair eyes and a round beard; also his two upper teeth
are larger and further apart; his face is white and red, and he has long hair.
Regarding his soul he is good, honest and modest, and shall live a long life;
he loves honor, beautiful clothes and ornaments; he enjoys good tastes and
smells; he is merciful, benevolent, magnificent, agreeable, virtuous, sincere
in his words and solemn in his walk; he often gazes at the ground.

A man who is born under Mars, immoderate in its warmth and dryness,
has a red face like a sunburn; his hair is short, his eyes are small, his body
crooked and crude; he is fickle, deceitful, shameless, subject to anger,
treacherous, proud and prone to sowing dissent.

The sun, ordinarily known as the eye and light of the world, gives the
man born under it a lot of flesh, a beautiful face, large eyes, quite a strong
beard, with long hair; Some say that such a man is hypocritical and only has
a beautiful appearance, but others say that he loves sciences and shall
become very wise; some believe him to be steady, pious, devout, wise, rich,
loving of good people, hating and running from bad people.

He who is born under Venus, a benevolent planet, is handsome, with

fleshy eyes and eyebrows, of an average height; regarding his soul, he is
frank, pleasant, wise, loves music, pleasures, entertainment and dances; he
enjoys wearing nice clothing and his walk is agreeable.

Mercury, which the astronomers say is always close to the sun, and gets
its light from it, makes a man neither too tall nor too small, with a beautiful
beard; his soul is wise, sharp, he loves philosophy and study, he speaks
fairly, makes friends easily and is never too rich; he gives good advice, is
sincere, holds true to his word, is incapable of infidelity and treason, never
advises to do wrong, nor may be found in bad company.

The Moon, which is more agitated than other planets, makes a man
vagrant and erratic, true to his words and great at nothing, agreeable, with
one eye always larger than the other.

You should know that each planet influences and communicates with
another by a divine virtue, and always acts with necessity, so that we can
safely affirm that all earthly things are governed by superior and celestial
things. Sacrifices and holocausts are therefore useless and cannot stop the
influences of the celestial bodies, which grant life or death.

Someone may believe that I have fallen for two big mistakes; the first
being that upon superficial examination of my words, one would conclude
that nothing happens in the world without absolute necessity, and the
second being that in this book, I would be trying to contradict and
undermine the catholic faith; but I have explained myself so amply, and
spoken with such clarity and so usefully of the influence of the planets over
lower bodies, that I think it is useless to say more. Although I shall note that
sometimes several fetuses form in the womb, and that is due to the
separation of the seed, which may encounter several smaller chambers, and
get inside in such a quantity, that there is enough to form a fetus; and this is
why sometimes, there may be four, five or even more forming at the same
time.
 Chapter IV

Of how imperfect animals are engendered, the admirable effects of a

woman’s hair, the diversity of animals and where it comes from.

IN order to shine light on what we have already said, it is necessary to

step away from the problem of human generation, and to talk about that of
imperfect animals, which form out of corruption, and not out of seed. For
example flies, worms and other animals of this nature are imperfect and are
formed out of corrupt matter, as opposed to perfect animals which are
formed out of seed.

Avicenna, according to his Treaty on the Flood, believes that imperfect

animals are engendered from both seed and corruption, and he explains it in
this way: there could be another global flood, in which everything alive
would die and become corrupted; and when all animals would have died,
there would come divine influences on their corpses, from which new
animals would spawn in their likeness; and if an animal was to spawn from
a rotten corpse, it would be able to engender others like itself with its seed.
From this Avicenna deduces that imperfect animals can form from the seed
or from corruption. He explains it with another example: take the hair of a
woman who is having her menses and place it under rich soil where manure
was spread during the winter, early spring or summer; then, when the sun
rays reach this spot, it shall spawn a snake, which shall in turn spawn
another snake of the same species with its seed. The same thing is true of
rats which spawn from corruption. We could further explain this
phenomenon, but that would require a longer commentary, which is not
needed here.

However, we know that Avicenna is wrong, because if this was

possible, as every single thing would be made from its own matter, there
should also be a particular agent and a particular form for every single
thing; and since animals have differing forms, they should consequently be
made of differing matter and through differing generating processes.
Aristotle believes that all animals can be engendered from seed or formed
from corruption, just like health can be conserved through science or nature
alike; and as such, he disagrees with Avicenna, who claims that perfect
animals cannot be engendered without seed, while we believe that a
completely global Flood, whether by fire of water, is impossible in nature.
Albert the Great testifies to this, when he says that a Flood can only come
from a warm or moist constellation, and so as the moistness would
submerge the side of the earth that it is facing, the warmth would
proportionately dry the side that it is facing; consequently, a global Flood is
impossible, and Avicenna’s claim is null.

As an answer to this problem, we say that imperfect animals can spawn

without seed, and we can give an explanation for this, which is that warmth
has the power to draw the subtle matter out of a corrupted body, leaving
behind what is wasteful, to form a new body. Properly speaking, this is not
warmth that we are talking about, but rather the influence of a celestial
constellation. We think that the matter from which animals are formed has a
subtle moistness to it, on which nature’s warmth may act through the means
of a higher influence, and this same warmth being proportionate to the
matter, provides it with the shape of a given animal, and separates it from
the coarse parts of the corrupted body. We also believe that this generation
is virtually univocal and not formally so, which removes any doubt that an
animal can only be engendered from one of the same species. And so from
the same matter several different animals may spawn, for example flies,
wasps and many others of different shapes and colors from the dung of a
horse.

The reason for such diversity among animals is the division of the seed
in the womb, which is especially true in perfect animals. There are several
small chambers in the womb, and as the male shall sometimes lay his seed
in several of them, multiple fetuses can form. The same is true of imperfect
animals, which are formed from another kind of matter than a womb and a
seed, and so they multiply in proportion to the division of the moistness as
it travels through the pores of a putrefied body, which is why several
different species of animals can spawn from the same body.

The difference between some animals being tall and lanky, and others
short and stubby, is a result of the diversity in moistness. If it is warm, dry
and bilious, it shall form a long, thin and slender shape, and if it is cold and
phlegmatic, a short and large shape, because of the water that expands and
of the cold that tightens. But if the moistness is warm and blood-colored, it
shall form an animal of average shape, as a result of a temperate balance
between warmth and moistness. Melancholic moistness spawns a very
small and tight body, because both dryness and coldness prevent it from
expanding and lengthening. Otherwise, an animal formed from a bilious
moistness that is warm by some accident, shall be long and quite slender,
because of the warmth which lengthens it a lot, and the temperate dryness
which loosens it. Here we remind the reader that the bilious is yellow, the
sanguine red, the melancholic black and the phlegmatic white. There is no
doubt that those which have a mixed nature, also have a mixed color and
quality.

In this chapter, we have thus demonstrated how perfect and imperfect

animals are engendered, how multiple fetuses are formed, and we have
explained the reasons for an animal being tall or short, and having a
particular color over another.
 Chapter V

Of the birth of the fetus, why women sometimes give birth on the sixth
month, and why some suffer more than others.

LET us return to the generation and formation of the embryo; we must

now examine the manner in which the fetus comes out of the womb. First, it
is necessary to explain how and when the three faculties of the soul, which
are vegetative, sensitive and intellectual, act upon the matter of the fetus;
and while that is not directly relevant to the subject at hand, we shall say a
few things about this.

In the second Book on Animals, we see how this vegetative faculty has
two effects, the first being to engender and the second to make use of food,
because a plant spawns plants, and an animal spawns animals. We know
that there is a generative faculty which serves for the generation of the
embryo, and that then, following the exigencies of nature, a sensitive soul is
bound to the body, and finally the soul of a particular species. These two
faculties, vegetative and sensitive, are distinguished in their operations, and
furthermore in their respective ends, yet both are similar in essence, even
though in different ways, according to the philosophers.

First the embryo lives as a plant, then as an animal, and finally as an

animal of a particular species; furthermore, man possesses the intellectual
virtue which is not engendered by matter, but innate and granted from
above; thus, this virtue is considered to be the ends and perfection of all
forms in the universe. The physicians say that the first life is hidden, the
second apparent, and the third excellent and glorious. They also say that the
natural senses come from the first life, the animal senses from the second,
and the spiritual senses from the third, which are at the basis of discernment
and reason.

Most often, the fetus leaves the womb during the ninth month; however
sometimes it comes out during the eighth, the tenth, the eleventh or
sometimes even later.
 Some women happen to give birth during the sixth month, usually due
to a wound, and instead of giving birth to a child, only produce a white
fleshy substance similar to milk. There are several possible causes to this
incident: the matter of the menses may have become corrupted, the womb
may have ruptured due to excessive agitation, or simply the act of traveling
to another place. Indeed, lustful women who are experienced in this malice
often travel when they feel that they are pregnant, going from one land to
another, dancing and agitating themselves as much as possible.

Young women may often get hurt due to fear, or to a thunder strike. As
a result, the fetus usually dies, and if it does not, the seed may lose its
future, natural human shape. This is because fear affects the entire body and
chokes the fetus; and when lightning penetrates deep inside the body, it
destroys and burns that which stands in its way. In this case, most often, no
trace of burning remains due to the subtlety of the vapor, which is
sometimes so strong that it may kill a man from the impact alone rather
than from the heat; and by consuming the entirety of the essential moistness
in the fetus, it kills it. Do not think that this is a false testimony, because
Albert the Great assures, regarding the effect of thunder, that he once saw
the effect of lightning on a burnt shoe while the foot inside was unharmed,
and that another time he saw a foot entirely consumed, while the shoe
remained intact. It is certain that if a venomous snake is struck by lightning,
it shall decay within a few days, and engender many worms; it is also
certain that if a barrel is punctured by a lightning strike, the wine shall not
spill until some time has passed. We shall say no more on these phenomena.

During the seventh month; the fetus is healthy; if it is still inside during
the eighth month, it shall begin to prepare its way out, but if it comes out at
this point, it shall die, for it is yet too weak. The fetus that comes out during
the ninth month is healthiest, because it has had time to recover from the
activity of the previous months.

Now, some women suffer more than others in childbirth, because

sometimes the hand or the foot of the fetus comes out first, which inevitably
causes great suffering. The midwife may assist in pushing the fetus back,
though not without causing pain, and so many women are in danger of
death unless they are very strong and robust. Sometimes also, the womb
may split from the front to the rear. In this case, the experimented midwife
shall use a certain ointment and reposition the womb properly. Indeed, if
she wants to assist women in childbirth, she must be very skilled. I have
also learned from midwives that when the fetus presents the head first, the
other limbs follow naturally, and so the whole process becomes milder and
less painful.

As we reach the end of this chapter, we shall address the manner in

which the fetus receives its sustenance, since the womb is shut from all
sides. Indeed, the fetus is well confined within the womb, and it is so by a
natural power that is hidden and unknown. First, there is a certain vein that
traverses the womb straight to the breasts, which swell and harden as soon
as the fetus is properly formed, because once the womb is enclosed, the
substance of the menses travels to the breasts; this substance then becomes
white in aspect after being subjected to intense heat, and that is what we
know as milk. The milk returns to the womb through the vein to serve as
sustenance for the fetus. This is the vein that the midwife cuts off after birth
has occurred, and this is why she ties it into a knot to prevent some
substance from leaving the body of the newborn through this vein, which is
now separate from the womb and known as the navel.
 Chapter VI

How monsters of nature are formed.

ARISTOTLE, in his second Book on Physics, says that nature, much

like art, has its own flaws. His philosophy is very useful in light of the
subject we are now getting into, because monsters of nature are nothing
more than individuals of a given species that happen to lack a few body
parts, or to have a few too many. This can be seen in men who are born with
only one hand or only one foot. Now, we must remark that these flaws can
be caused by several phenomena; sometimes due to a shortage of matter,
sometimes to an excess thereof, depending on the case. Normally, nature is
industrious and wise enough to form the main limbs that a child is expected
to possess, and once they are shaped and ordered properly, nature works on
the rest of them with what matter is left available; if some parts then happen
to be shorter, this is a result of a shortage of matter, and the reason behind a
monster. Thus sometimes the head of an animal shall be bigger or smaller
than its nature would ordain, and as the naturalists and doctors say, one can
expect the same of other body parts. It should be noted that a shortage of
matter is attributed to the constellations which rule on their respective body
parts.

Following the reasoning of the philosopher, what is mixed and has a

composite nature comes from the four elements. So if for example
something results from the nature of fire, it shall conserve the quality of
fire, and of course the same goes for the other elements. By that I do not
mean that elements are formally present in composites, for that would be
contrary to the opinion of the philosopher, who, in his first Book on
Generation, explains that they only are virtually and potentially. Sometimes
the seed of man is in shortage due to some impediment, and if this shortage
comes from the earth element, it shall be seen in the bones, which draw
most of their matter from this element. When matter is scarce, children are
sometimes seen being born with only one foot or one finger, and sometimes
even without arms; but on the contrary, when matter is abundant, they are
sometimes seen being born with eight fingers or toes, two heads, or similar
phenomena.

That being said, monsters are not always the result of a shortage or an
excess of matter, as we said, but also often the result of an ill-disposed
womb.

An excess of matter can be at fault in various ways. When matter is

abundant in all body parts and in excess to the requirements of nature,
tumors may form inside the limbs. This is because nature has more seed at
disposal than needed, and results in strange phenomena such as two heads,
or two feet, one always much larger than the other, or yet a lump on the side
of the stomach or on the back.

Albert says that there are not only monsters in the flesh, but also
monsters in the spirit. He gives mention of two twins; one had a wart on his
right side, and wherever he went, he could open any iron locks in the
surroundings of his deformity. The other, possessing the opposite power on
his left side, could close open locks at will as he came near them (In this
way, they were able to lock and unlock house doors at whim). There is no
doubt that this power did not come from matter, nor yet from any
constellation, but rather from an inclination of matter for such a peculiar
effect; for active agents can only act on matter that is properly disposed to
them, as we have said earlier.
Likewise, we often see upon splitting certain stones that they have been
imprinted with a human or animal shaped figure inside, through the
influence of some constellation. And so there should be no wonder in
noticing these phenomena in two twins, since they also happen in many
more instances. That being said, these defects and monsters can only come
to being in two ways: firstly due to a shortage of matter, which is the
opinion of Avicenna in his second Book on Metaphysics, and of Aristotle in
his third Book on Meteors; secondly due to the ill-disposition and lack of
preparation of matter to take the shape of a particular species, because of a
hindered womb.

One shall of course be tempted to conclude that because monsters exist,

nature loses its virtue to act according to infallible rules. But following
Avicenna, we reply that when it comes to a particular nature, it is not
always possible for all of matter to tend to its purpose, because it lacks any
purpose once it leaves its ordinary course of action. And this is why there is
no contention over sickness and death, as they are not quite a result of
nature, but of that which governs it and is named Intelligence, in agreement
with the philosophers who have studied nature thoroughly.
 Chapter VII

How to know whether a fetus is male or female.

HERE, we shall disclose a few ways to tell the gender of a fetus, which
are true and attested. When a woman is pregnant with a boy, her face is red
and her movements swift. If her stomach swells and becomes round on the
right side, she is also expecting a boy. If the milk coming out of the breasts
appears thick, and does not separate or liquefy when placed on a clean
surface, then this is also the sign of a boy. Otherwise, take a drop of milk
from a pregnant woman, or a drop of blood from her right side, and throw it
in clear water, or in a glass filled with her urine; if it sinks to the bottom,
she is pregnant with a boy. To the contrary, if it floats on the surface, then
she is expecting a girl. If the right breast is bigger than the left breast, it is a
boy; if the left one is bigger, it is a girl. If you sprinkle salt on the nipples
and it does not dissolve, then it is a boy.

There is yet another way to tell if she is expecting a boy, and that is if
she always moves her right foot first. Now, if she is clumsy and pale, if her
stomach is elongated and round on the left side, leaning on a dark hue, if
her milk is black, insipid, livid and watery, if it separates when placed on a
surface, all of those signs indicate that the woman is pregnant with a girl.
Furthermore, if she feels pain on the left side of the stomach, that indicates
a girl, and on the right side, a boy.
 Book Two

Chapter I

Of the virtues of herbs.

THE philosopher says that every science is good in itself, but that its
practice can be good or bad depending on the ends sought, and the use of it.
Therefore we deduce two things, the first being that magic is neither
forbidden nor evil, since it can be used to stave off evil. The second being
that any operation must be praised by its ends, and that often a science is
disapproved of because it does not tend towards good or virtue. So any kind
of science is either good or bad, as we can say of magic: it is good to be
knowledgeable about, but also very dangerous when used to understand
natural phenomena.

I shall begin this treaty by disclosing the virtues of certain herbs, then of
certain stones, and finally of certain animals.

These are the herbs that we shall talk about: the heliotrope, the henbane,
the catmint, the small teasel, the celandine, the periwinkle, the
houndstongue, the lily, the mistletoe, the cornflower, the sage, the verbena,
the balm.

The heliotrope’s name comes from Elios which means the Sun, and
Tropos which means change, because this plant changes according to the
Sun. It is admirable when harvested in august, while the Sun is in the Leo
constellation, for if you wrap it in a laurel leaf with a wolf’s tooth, and wear
it on yourself, no one shall be able to speak ill of you, to the contrary. Also,
if you place it under your head during the night, you shall be able to see
potential robbers. Furthermore, if you leave it in a church in the same
manner, and if there are women in this church, those who have betrayed their
husband shall not be able to leave the church. This is a sure and tried secret.

If you take the nettle herb and hold it in your hand with yarrow, you shall
not fear ghosts. If you mix it with balm juice, then rub your hands with it,
and throw the rest of the preparation in water, you shall be able to catch fish
by hand.

The small teasel is admirable. If you take some and mix it with mandrake
juice, then feed it to a bitch, it shall shortly give birth to a puppy of its kind.
If you then take a molar tooth from this puppy and place it in contact with
food or wine, those who eat or drink of it shall fight between each other, and
this can be reversed by feeding them verbena juice.

The Celandine grows during the time when eagles and swallows make
their nests. If you wear it with the heart of a mole, you shall dominate your
enemies, and overcome your hardships. If you place it in the same manner
on a sick man’s head, then if he is to die, he shall sing loudly; if he is to live,
then he shall weep.

The periwinkle, when ground in a fine powder with earthworms, can

make men and women fall in love with each other. The same composition,
when thrown in a pond along with sulfur, shall kill all the fish. It can also
kill an ox, or if thrown to the fire, turn the flames blue. These have been
tried recently.

The catmint is an interesting herb. If you combine this herb with a stone
found in a hoopoe’s nest, and rub it on the belly of some animal, it shall bear
offspring of a very dark color. If you rub this composition on the nostrils of
some beast, it shall fall stone dead to the ground, and recover shortly. Or if
you rub it on a place where bees dwell, they shall not leave, but gather there
instead. If those bees then seem to be dying, place them in said composition
and they shall recover after an hour. The same is true of flies that were
choked under hot cinders.
 If you take the herb houndstongue, combine it with the heart and the
womb of a small frog, and place it wherever you wish, then nearby dogs
shall gather there. Wearing this composition under the big toe stops dogs
from barking, and if you hang it to a dog’s neck, it shall run in circles until it
dies. All of these have been tried recently.

Take the herb called henbane, combine it with realgar and snake’s head
iris, then feed it to a rabid dog; it shall die instantly. If you press henbane
juice in a silver pot, it shall shatter; if you mix it with the blood of a young
hare, folded in the animal’s skin, nearby hares shall gather on the spot.

The lily is another marvelous herb. When the Sun crosses the Leo
constellation, mix it with laurel juice, and place it in manure for a while. You
shall obtain worms. If you then grind those worms and spread the powder on
someone’s clothes, he shall not find sleep. And if you directly rub the
powder on his skin, he shall become sick. Else, if you mix lily juice with
cow’s milk and cover the jar with a cow’s skin, nearby cows shall not
provide any milk.

The mistletoe grows among trees that have been perforated. When
combined with another herb called silphium, it shall open any lock. If you
hang mistletoe to a tree with a swallow’s wing, all the birds within two
leagues and a half shall gather there. I have tried this myself a few times.

Magicians claim that the cornflower herb has a great virtue: if you mix it
with the blood of a female hoopoe, and add this to an oil lamp, all of those
present in the room shall think of themselves as magicians, as they shall see
their heads and feet upside down. If you throw this in a fire while the stars
are visible, they shall appear to pursue and bump into each other. If you
apply this to someone’s nose, he shall be very afraid and run far away. This
is certain and tried.
If you take sage, then put it in a glass vial and let it rot in a pile of
manure, it shall spawn a worm, or a bird, with its tail like the tail of a
blackbird. If you rub its blood on someone’s stomach, he shall lose sensation
for more than two weeks. If you burn this worm and throw its ashes in a fire,
immediately you shall hear a loud thunder strike. Else if you add those ashes
to a lamp, and light it, the entire room shall appear to be filled with snakes.
 Verbena, according to the magicians, should be harvested when the Sun
crosses the Aries constellation, and mixed with the seeds of a one-year-old
peony, to cure the falling-sickness. If you leave this composition in rich soil
for seven weeks, it shall spawn worms deadly to touch. If you place one of
these worms in a dovecote, pigeons shall gather there. Else, if you grind the
previously mentioned composition into a powder and expose it to sunlight, it
shall appear blue. Or if you throw this powder between two lovers, they shall
be at odds.

Macer says that if you gather some balm and throw it along with the
juice of a one-year-old cypress in gruel or soup, it shall appear to be filled
with worms; a man who wears balm shall be mild, agreeable, and above his
foes. If you tie balm to the neck of an ox, it shall follow you around. And if
you mix balm with the sweat of a red-haired man, and soak a belt in this
preparation, it shall instantly crack in half.

The rose bush bears a famous flower. If you take a rose seed, a mustard
seed and a weasel’s paw, and hang these to a tree, it shall become barren and
stop bearing any fruit. If you place this composition in fishnets, nearby fish
shall gather there. If you lay it at the foot of a dried and dead cabbage, it
shall flourish again within half a day. Moreover, if you put this in a lamp,
everyone in the room shall appear as black as a devil. If you grind this
composition into a powder and mix it with olive oil and bright sulfur, and
then spread it over a house while the Sun is shining, that house shall appear
to be on fire.

The giant hyssop is well known. If you bury it in the ground with a
clover leaf, it shall spawn green and red snakes. If you crush these snakes
into a powder, and add it to a lamp, you shall see snakes everywhere. Or if
you place the herb under someone’s head, he shall not find sleep.

Now of course, the way to use all of these secrets properly is to know
when the right or wrong planets rule, according to their days and hours.

The seven herbs we shall now talk about, according to Emperor

Alexander, draw their qualities from the influence of the planets.
 The first is of Saturn, and is called adder’s tongue. Its juice is great
against kidney ache, and leg pain. It is also great for those with bladder
afflictions. If you cook its root and wear it in a white cloth, it prevents
melancholia; the same root can also drive mischievous spirits away from
your home.
The second is of the Sun and is called knotgrass. It cures the ills of the
heart and stomach. Touching it shall give you virtues according to the
influence of the ruling planet during the time of your birth; drinking of it
shall stimulate sexual excitation, and wearing its root appeases eye ache.
When worn on the stomach, the same root appeases frenzy. This herb is
great for the lungs, and also to stimulate the blood flow of melancholics.

The third is of the Moon, and is called lily. Its juice appeases heartburn.
Its flower cleanses the kidneys and cures them; it grows and diminishes like
the Moon. It is very good against eye ache, and gives good sight. If you
grind its root and apply it to the eyes, it clears the eyesight, as the eyes relate
closely to the Moon, and depend a lot on its influence. If you drink of it, it
makes meat digestion easier, and is great against scrofula.

The fourth is of Mars, and is called arnoglossa plantain. Its root is great
against headache, for it is believed that the Aries, which rules over the head
of men, is the domain of Mars. This herb is used against testicle pain and
rotten ulcers, when Mars is in the Scorpio constellation, which preserves the
semen. Its juice is admirable against dysentery and hemorrhoids, and great
for the stomach when drunk.

The fifth is of Mercury and is named cinquefoil. Its root cures wounds
and callousness, if prepared in a plaster. It removes scrofula in little time if
you drink its juice with a bit of water. Also, the juice cures stomach and
breast pain. In the mouth it cures tooth ache, among other ills. If you wear it
on yourself, it shall be of great help, for if you need to ask something of a
king or prince, it makes you wise enough to obtain what you wish for.

The sixth is of Jupiter and is commonly called henbane. Its root removes
ulcers and prevents them to grow back, as well as their inflammation. If you
wear it on yourself before an ulcer or tumor starts to grow, none shall appear.
The root is great against gout, if ground and applied on the painful spot,
especially when the constellations that possess feet or that rule above are in
command. If you drink its juice with honey, or with a mix of honey and
wine, it is wonderful against liver ache, because Jupiter rules over the liver.
It provides sexual excitation for coitus. If you want to be desired by women,
wear it on yourself, as those who wear it become joyous and pleasant.

The seventh is of Venus, and is named verbena. Hanging its root to the
neck cures scrofula, parotitis, ulcers and strangury, if you prepare the plant
in a plaster and apply it to the lesion. It is second to none against anal
abrasions and hemorrhoids. If you drink its juice with honey and warm
water, it freshens the breath. It can also make you fall in love. Moreover, if
you wear it on yourself, you shall be strong and fit for coitus, as long as you
wear no garment but the herb itself. If you place it in a house, on the soil or
in a vineyard, those places shall yield a lot of income. Children who wear it
shall become well-mannered, with a good temper and a love for science.
Finally, it is very useful for purging, and drives away mischievous spirits and
demons.

Regarding these seven aforementioned plants, you must know that in

order to be used properly, they need to be gathered from the twenty-third to
the thirtieth day of the Moon cycle only, beginning with Mercury; they can
be gathered during any hour of the day, but when you pull them from the
soil, you must state the virtues that you wish to draw from them. Then you
must store the herbs on beds of wheat or barley, until you want to use them.
 Chapter II

Of the virtues of stones.

HAVING spoken on the virtues of herbs and how to use them, we need
to talk about the virtues of certain stones, and their admirable effects. These
are the most renowned ones:

The lodestone, the ophtalmus, the onyx, the diamond, the agate, the
coral, the crystal, the heliotrope, the hephaestite, the chalcedonite, the
celandine, the jet, the hyena, the isthmus, the tabrice, the pyrite, the selenite,
the topaz, the lipercol, the urice, the lazulite, the emerald, the iris, the
gallasia, the galerite, the dragonite, the aetite, the terpistrite, the jacinth, the
alectoria, the alabandite, the medora, the mephis, the abaston, the amethyst,
the beryl, the celonite, the chrysolite, the geratite, the alabaster, the quirin,
the radaim, the orite, the sapphire, and the sauna.

If a man wants to know whether his wife is faithful and chaste, he must
take the stone called lodestone, which has the color of iron, and is found in
the Indian sea, and sometimes in Almany, which is now eastern France, and
he must place it under his wife's head. If she is indeed faithful and chaste,
she shall embrace her husband, or jump off the bed instantly. Also, if you
grind this stone and spread it on coals in the four corners of the house,
everyone who spends the night there shall leave and abandon everything, so
that thieves may come as they please.

To turn invisible, take the stone named ophtalmus, which has an

indefinable color, because it has more than one. This stone has the virtue of
completely blinding everyone who looks at it. Constantine, by clenching
this stone in his hand, was able to turn invisible at will.

If you want to cause grief, and to frighten someone, or to cause discord,

take the onyx stone, which is black; the best kind being filled with small
white veins, and found in Arabia. If it is hung to the neck, or worn on the
finger, whoever wears it shall quickly become sad and easily frightened; he
shall have horrible dreams at night and quarrels with his friends. This secret
has been tried in our time.

If you want to burn the hand of someone without fire, or to cure phtisis,
take the stone called pyrite, which is yellow in color. When hung to the
neck of an emaciated person, it has curative properties, and when clenched
in the hand, it burns; which is why you must touch it with caution.

To make someone joyful and awake, take the stone named selenite,
which forms in the bosom of turtles in India; it is white, red and purple;
some say it is green and found as a pearl, and assert that it grows larger
during the first quarter of the Moon, and then smaller during the last. Some
philosophers claim that whoever wears it can see and know what shall
happen to him. Also, when placed under the tongue, especially during the
new Moon, one can know if something must happen or not. If it must, the
stone shall attach itself so strongly that it shall be hard to remove; if not, the
stone shall fall off by itself. Some have also said that it can cure phtisis and
feebleness.

If you hold a topaz stone in your hand and then place it in water, all the
water shall spill over. This stone is named so because of an island of the
same name, or because it resembles gold. There are two kinds : the one
which resembles gold is the most precious, and the other which is yellowish
in color is less prized. One of our brothers has recently found in Paris, that
when this stone is placed in boiling water, all of the water spills over. The
topaz is also great against hemorrhoids.

If you want to flay the hands of someone, take the medora stone, which
takes its name from the land of the Medes; there are two kinds, white and
green. The ancient and modern philosophers say that if you crush and throw
green medora in hot water, those who wash their hands with it shall lose
their skin, or if they drink of it they shall die, despite all remedies and care
that you may give them. Others yet have said that this stone is great against
gout and eye ache, and that it improves eyesight.

To prevent someone to feel any pain, take the stone named mephis,
which gets its name from the city of Memphis. This stone, according to
Aaron and Hermes, is so powerful that when crushed and mixed with water,
then applied on a man who must be burned or submitted to any other
torment, it shall make him so insensitive that he shall not feel a thing.

To make everlasting fire, take the stone called abaston, which has the
color of fire, and is most often found in Arabia. When set on fire once, this
stone shall never extinguish, for it is of the same nature as the hair know as
feather of the salamander, which is very moist as well, so that once kindled
it shall preserve fire for a long time.

Those who want to defeat their enemies must take the stone we call
diamond, which has a bright color, and is so hard that only the blood of a
goat can break it down. It is found in Arabia and in Cyprus. If you wear it
on the left side, it is great against enemies, it preserves reason, makes
ferocious and venomous beasts flee before you, protects you from the evil
deeds of those who would murder you, or do any other ill to you, also ends
quarrels and trials. Moreover, the diamond is very efficient against poisons
and mischievous spirits.

If you wish to avoid any dangers and to fear nothing in the world, or to
be more generous, take the agate stone, which is black with white veins, or
in a similar kind, white. A third kind, with black veins, can be found on a
certain island. Agate can help against perils and give you courage, can
make you mighty, pleasant, of jolly mood and well received everywhere
you go; in short agate is great against adversities.

If you want to obtain anything from someone, use the stone called
alectoria, which is white and is found inside a four-year-old rooster or older,
which has been castrated. The stone is the size of a bean, and makes a man
mild and steadfast, and when placed under the tongue, quenches one’s
thirst. I have experienced this myself.

If you want to reign over all beasts, interpret dreams and predict the
future, take the stone named alabandite, which has various colors. This
stone counters poison, gives dominion over your enemies, and protects you
from their ill intentions; it allows you to interpret and solve all sorts of
dreams and enigmas.
 To have a good spirit, and never get drunk, take the amethyst stone,
which is purple in color, the best kind being found in India; it is great
against drunkenness and for preparing the spirit to scientific study.

If you want to make light of your enemies and end your disputes and
trials, take beryl, which is pale and clear like water. Wear it and you shall
not fear your enemies, and you shall win your trials, if you have any. It is
also great for children, for it allows them to progress in literary studies.

If you want to know who stole something from you, take the stone
named celonite, which is often of purple color, and some other colors; it is
found in the bosom of turtles. You can see the future by holding it under
your tongue.

If you want to silence storm and thunder, and to cross rivers, take coral,
which can be red and white. Coral can stop a bleeding instantly, and the
man who wears it is always prudent and well-reasoned; many a respectable
person has tried this recently. It is also admirable against storms and other
perils of the sea.

To light a fire, take the crystal stone, expose it to sunlight next to

something easy to burn, and as soon as the Sun glows, that thing shall catch
fire; and when a wet nurse drinks of a mix of crystal and honey, she shall
yield a lot of milk.

If you wish to become wise, and not do anything foolish, simply take
the stone called chrysolite, which is green and shiny; embed it in gold and
wear it on yourself.

To make the Sun seem to have the color of blood, take the heliotrope,
which is green like emerald, and spotted as with blood droplets. The
necromancers call it the gem of Babylon; if you rub it with the juice of the
herb of the same name, you shall see a Sun red like blood, the same way as
during an eclipse. The reason for this is that when water boils with lots of
steam, the air gets thicker and the Sun cannot be seen normally. Now, this
doesn’t happen without pronouncing a few magical words. This is the stone,
as I have learned, which the priests used to guess and interpret the oracles
and the words of idols in their temples. Whoever wears it shall enjoy a good
reputation, be healthy and live a long life; the ancient philosophers say that
along with the herb of the same name, it has many virtues, and is found in
Ethiopia, Cyprus and also India.

To rid yourself of illusions and all sorts of fantasies, take the

chalcedonite, which is pale and dim; if you pierce it in the middle and hang
it to the neck with another stone called sinerip, you shall not fear illusions.
By its virtue, you shall overcome your enemies, and keep your body strong
and vigorous.

If you wish to be pleasant and agreeable to everyone, take the stone

called celandine. It is black and yellow, and is found in the bosom of a
swallow. The yellow stone, if folded in a linen cloth or calf skin, and tied
under the left armpit, can cure frenzy, and most of the ancient and inveterate
diseases. It is also good against lethargy and epidemics. Evax assures that
this stones makes a man wise, jolly and agreeable. The black stone guards
from beasts, appeases quarrels and helps one achieve his goals. If you fold
it in celandine leaves, it dims the sight. Both stones are to be harvested in
august, and there are usually two of them in every swallow.

The stone we call jet is admirable for vanquishing enemies, and the
ancient philosophers assure that Prince Alcides used it often with great
success, and that as long as he was wearing it, he was always victorious. It
has various nuances and always resembles the skin of a young goat.

Those who want to know the future can use the hyena stone, which
resembles the tooth of a beast. As long as you have it placed under the
tongue, according to the ancients, you shall be able to tell the future.

To prevent cloth from burning, take the isthmus stone, which according
to Isidorus resembles saffron, and is found in some places in Spain and near
the strait of Gibraltar, at the Pillars of Hercules; it is filled with fierce
winds. If you rub it on a cloth, that cloth shall become incombustible, so
that fire may not consume it. This is the stone which is commonly known as
white coal.
 If you want to obtain favors and honors, simply wear the stone named
tabrice. The ancients Evax and Aaron say that this stone shall make you
wise, loving and honorable, and that it can cure dropsy. It resembles crystal.

To banish ghosts and to cure madness, take the chrysolite, embed it in

gold and wear it. Some say that it makes you wiser and is great against fear.

If you want to read the mind and motives of others, take the geratite
stone, which is black, and place it in your mouth; also if you wear it on
yourself, you shall be joyful and well received by everyone.

To vanquish your enemies and to be loved, take alabaster, which is

white and shiny; it is often used in ointments for funeral rites.

The quirin stone is marvelous, if you want to know what a man thinks,
because it makes him say everything in his mind, if placed on his head
while he sleeps. You can find this stone in a hoopoe’s nest, and it is
commonly known as the stone of traitors.

If you want to obtain something from someone, wear the stone called
radaim, which is black and shiny; it can be found in a dead rooster’s head
shortly after it has been eaten by ants.

If you want to guard some animal from hounds or even hunters, place
the jupiter stone on the ground, and nearby animals shall be drawn to it.
This stone is found in Libya. All sorts of beasts come close to this stone,
which they use as shelter and protection against hunters and hounds alike.

To burn someone’s hand without fire, use the urice stone; if one
clenches it strongly in his hand, it shall burn like fire, which is both
surprising and admirable.
If you wish to cure someone from melancholia and quatrain fever, take
the lazulite stone, which has the color of the sky, with small golden veins
inside. This secret is infallible and periodically tried, wearing the stone
against the ills mentioned above.
 He who wants to become wise, to gain wealth and to tell the future,
must use the emerald stone, which is clear-cut and shiny, the yellow variety
being the best, and often found in a griffin’s nest. It preserves and fortifies
the flesh. If you wear it on yourself, it shall give you a sharp wit and
memory; and if placed under the tongue, the ability to prophesize.

If you want to materialize a rainbow, simply take the iris stone, which is
white as crystal, square or irregular. If you expose it to sunrays, you can see
on a nearby wall a rainbow through the refraction of the rays and the light
of the Sun. This stone is found in a few places, especially in Sicilia and
Ethiopia.

If you want a stone that never heats, take the gallasia stone, which
resembles a hailstone, and has the color and hardness of a diamond. If you
were to throw it in an ardent fire, it would never heat up, for its pores are so
tight that heat cannot penetrate them. Evax and Aaron also say that wearing
this stone appeases anger, lust and other fiery emotions.

To know whether a wife is unfaithful to her husband, and loves another

man, take the galerite stone, which is the same as the cinnabar, found in
Libya and in Brittany. It exists in three colors, black, yellow, or green
verging on white. It helps against dropsy and diarrhea. Avicenna claims that
if you crush this stone and wash it, or have a woman wash it, then if that
woman is lustful, she shall piss instantly.

To defeat your enemies, take the dragonite stone, which is found in a

dragon’s head; it is marvelous against poison and venom, and when worn
on the left arm, it shall grant you victory against all adversaries.

If you want to make two persons fall in love with each other, take the
stone named aetite, which is usually found in an eagle’s nest. It is purple in
color, found at the edge of the ocean, especially in Persia, and it contains
another stone which rings upon touch. The ancients have said that when tied
to the left arm, this stone makes a man and a woman love each other. It also
guards pregnant women from miscarriage, and is great against the falling-
sickness. Furthermore, the Chaldeans say that if you rub the aetite on
tainted meat or any other tainted food, you may eat of this food safely, after
removing the stone. I myself have seen one of our brothers experience this
secret.

If one wishes to be safe, he must use the hephaestite stone, which forms
in the sea, and has a shiny red color. It is said that when worn on the heart,
it preserves from danger, and puts riots and quarrels to rest. It is also said to
protect the soil from locusts, birds, hailstorms and thunderstorms. Some
recent scholars have found, that when exposed to sunlight, it shall cast rays
of fire. And if you throw it in boiling water, the water shall stop boiling
right away, and cool down shortly after.

If you want to travel safely, take the jacinth stone. It comes in different
colors, but the green one with red veins is always the best kind, especially
when embedded in silver. Some books claim that it comes in two sorts,
aquatic and sapphirine. The aquatic variety is yellow verging on white, and
the sapphirine kind, which is the most precious, is shiny with no aquatic
quality. The ancients say that when travelers wear the stone on the finger or
neck, they shall go anywhere they please without fear, and they shall be
well received by their hosts. The sapphirine variety, due to its coolness, can
help someone fall asleep.

If you want to avoid all sorts of accidents, and to guard yourself from
venomous bites, wear the orite stone. There are three kinds of it, green with
white spots, black, and a third kind that is part polished and part gravelly,
and has the color of an iron blade. This stone must be worn against the
woes mentioned above.

To establish peace between people, take the sapphire stone, which is

found in eastern India, the yellow and dim variety being the best. Wear this
stone to provide peace and harmony, faith and devotion, to inspire goodness
in the heart, and to quench the fire of inner passions.

If a woman wishes to preserve her virtue, she must use the sauna stone
which is found on the island of the same name. This stones fortifies the
mind of the person who wears it, and if a pregnant woman wears it on her
finger, she shall not be able to give birth, for the infant shall be held back in
the womb, which is why pregnant women must be kept from touching this
stone.

Many more secrets can be found in the book that Evax and Aaron have
written concerning numbers; but you must know that in order to use these
stones successfully, before touching them, your body must be washed and
spotless.

Before we conclude this treaty, we wish to communicate a marvelous

secret coming from Isidorus. He claims that an admirable white stone can
be found in the head of a licania. This stone is great against strangury,
which is an impairment of the bladder, and also great against quatrain fever;
furthermore, this stone protects the women who wear it.
 Chapter III

Of the virtues of animals.

HAVING now spoken on the marvelous properties of stones, it is

important to say something in this chapter about several animals and their
surprising properties. Here are the names of the main animals whose virtues
are known:

The eagle, the lark, the tawny owl, the squirrel, the lion, the seal, the
pelican, the crow, and a few more that we shall mention.

Of the eagle.

The eagle is a known bird. Evax and Aaron say that it possesses admirable
properties and virtues, for if you grind its brain into a powder and mix it
with hemlock juice, those who eat of it shall keep tearing off their hair until
the substance leaves their body. The reason is that the eagle's brain is so
warm that it generates fantastical illusions, obstructing the body canals with
smoke and steam.

Of the lark.

The lark is not unknown either. Aaron assures that if you wear the legs
of this bird you shall never be persecuted, but instead always assertive. You
shall be victorious and strike fear in your foes. Fold the right eye of this
bird in the skin of a wolf, wear it and you shall be agreeable, mild and
pleasant; place this among meat or wine, and you shall be loved by whoever
eats or drinks of it; this is a recent experience. Place the aforementioned in
manure, and it shall spawn worms so venomous that those who eat them
shall fall in a deep sleep, which they shall not wake from until they are
perfumed with birthwort and lentisk.

Of the tawny owl.

 No one ignores the existence of the tawny owl, and the virtues of this
bird are most surprising. Place its heart and its right leg by a sleeper, and
right away he shall speak of what he did, and answer any of your demands.
One of our brothers has experienced this recently. Also, if you wear the
aforementioned under your armpit, hounds shall not bark at you; and if you
add its liver to this and hang this composition to a tree, many birds shall
gather in this place.

Of the goat.

The goat is a known animal. Bring its lukewarm blood to a boil with
vinegar and glass, and the glass shall become tender as dough and shall not
break if thrown against a wall. If you then place this composition in a vase,
and rub your face with it, you shall see horrible and frightful things. If you
cast this in the fire, and there stands someone who suffers from the falling-
sickness, present him with a magnetic stone and he shall fall dead to the
floor. If you then make him drink water or the blood of an eel, he shall be
cured in no time.

Of the camel.

The camel is a common animal. Place the blood of a camel in the skin
of a stellion or gecko, while the stars are shining, and you shall see the
figure of a giant so tall, that his head seems to touch the sky. Hermes
himself assures to have experienced this. If by fortuity someone eats of it,
he shall soon lose his mind, and if you light a lamp which the blood of a
camel was rubbed on, everyone in the room shall appear to have the head of
a camel, as long as there is no other light.

Of the hare.

Few are those who do not know about the hare; many marvelous things
are said about this animal. Evax and Aaron say, that if you tie its foot
together with a stone or the head of a blackbird, and wear it, you shall
become so daring that not even death shall scare you. If you then bind this
to your arm, you shall be able to go wherever you please, and safely return.
Feed this to a hound with the heart of a weasel, and it shall never bark, even
if you were to beat it to death.

Of the magpie.

The magpie is well known, and if you burn its claw and feed the ashes
to a horse, it shall not eat for three days. If you mix this with turpentine, it
shall appear to glow, then to become dark and murky; if you throw some of
its blood in the water, you shall hear loud thunder strikes.

Of the lion.

The lion is well known. Turn its skin into to a belt, wear it and you shall
fear no foe; eat of its flesh, or drink of its urine for three days, and your
quatrain fever shall be cured. Wear the eyes of this animal under the armpit,
and all beasts shall bow and flee before you.

Of the seal.

The seal is a sort of fish. If you take some of its blood and a piece of its
heart and cast this in water, then all the fish nearby shall gather there; if you
wear this under the armpit, you shall surpass anyone in wit and spirit, and if
a criminal wears this, his judge shall be mild and favorable to him.

Of the eel.

The eel, according to Evax and Aaron, has many marvelous virtues.
When an eel dies due to a lack of water, take its intact corpse, some strong
vinegar and the blood of a vulture. Mix the whole and place it in manure
somewhere. Then, any dead creature that you place there shall return to life.
If you eat the still-beating heart of this animal, you shall be able to tell the
future.

Of the hoopoe.

The hoopoe is a common bird. Wearing its eyes on yourself shall make
you gain weight. When worn on the stomach, you shall reconcile with all of
your foes; and if you carry its head in pouch, no merchant shall deceive
you.

Of the pelican.

The pelican is well known. This bird has admirable virtues; if you kill
its young without damaging the heart, then take of its blood and pour some
in their beaks, they shall return to life. If you tie it to the neck of any other
bird, it shall not stop flying until dead. Also, if you place its right foot under
something warm for three months, there shall spawn a live bird, as Hermes
and Pliny have claimed.

Of the crow.

The crow is known to all, and possesses wondrous properties, according

to Evax and Aaron; If you boil its eggs, and then put them back in the nest
where you found them, the mother crow shall fly to the island where
Alodricus was buried, and bring back a stone with which it shall touch its
eggs, and bring them back to their former state; which is most surprising. If
you embed this stone in a ring, with a laurel leaf, and then touch someone
bound in chains, or the lock of a locked door, right away the chains shall
break, and the door unlock. Place this stone in your mouth, and you shall be
able to imitate the song of all sorts of birds to call them forth. This stone is
called Indian, because it is ordinarily found in India and sometimes in the
Red Sea; it appears in different colors and can appease disputes.

Of the kite.

The kite is a known bird. If you take its head and wear it on your
stomach, everyone shall appreciate you, and especially women. If you tie it
to the neck of a hen, it shall run incessantly, and if you rub its blood on the
comb of a rooster, it shall stop crowing. There is also a stone in the kidneys
or testes of this bird, if you look well enough; if you serve it with meat that
two foes are going to eat of, they shall become good friends right away, and
live in total peace and harmony.

Of the turtledove.
 The turtledove is well known. If you wear the heart of this bird in the
skin of a wolf, it shall extinguish the fires of lust, and the desires for love; if
you burn its heart and then place it on the eggs of another bird, they shall
not hatch. If you hang its feet to a tree, it shall not bear fruit; if you mix
some of its blood with water in which a mole was boiled, and apply this on
a hairy spot, any black hair that grows on this spot shall fall off.

Of the mole.

The mole is known by almost everyone, and has admirable virtues and
properties; if you wrap one of its feet in a laurel leaf, and place it in the
mouth of a horse, it shall be scared and run off instantly; if you place it in a
bird's nest, its eggs shall become useless, and nothing shall grow inside. If
you want to expel moles from a place, take one and place it far away with
bright sulfur, which you shall then burn, and all other moles shall instantly
gather there. Also, if you rub a black horse with water that was used to boil
a mole, it shall turn white.

Of the weasel.

The weasel is well known, usually found in bushes, or in hay barns. If

you eat its still beating heart, you shall predict the future; if you feed its
heart, eyes and tongue to a dog, it shall stop barking; and if you feed only
its heart, and the feet of a hare, to a dog, the same thing shall happen. These
phenomena are true, and I have tried them myself.

Of the blackbird.

The blackbird is a very common bird, the virtues of which are

admirable. If you hang the feathers of its right wing to red twine in the
middle of a house, while nobody is inside, no one shall be able to sleep as
long as they are hanging there. If you place its heart under the head of a
sleeper, and question him, he shall speak out loud; and if you throw it in a
well with the blood of a hoopoe, and then rub someone’s temples with the
water from this well, he shall become mortally sick.
 The manner in which to use all of the secrets we have mentioned is to
experiment under a proper and favorable planet for good deeds, such as the
influence of Jupiter and Venus, and when you intend to cause harm, under
the influence of Saturn and Mars; each of these planets rules over certain
days and certain hours. If you really observe what we just said, there is no
doubt that you shall see the truth of it, and put it to great use, as I have with
many of our brothers.

There are some who fool themselves, by not knowing the signs, or the
times over which planets rule. If they knew, they would fulfill their goals,
and make great use of the stones and other things that we have talked about.

Isidorus says that if a woman wears the ashes of a fat frog on her belt,
her menstrual cycle shall stop. Or if you hang them to the neck of a hen,
you shall not be able to bleed the hen. Also, if you soak the same ashes in
water, wherever you rub it on, no hair shall grow. If you wear the heart of a
dog on the left side, hounds shall not bark at you. If you wear the right eye
of a wolf on your right sleeve, no men, nor hounds or any other animal shall
harm you.

And so that what we have said and shall say, may be of use to those who
know the stars, we remark first that two kinds of hours are to be
distinguished, the equal hours and the unequal hours. The equal hours are
those of the clock, because they always have the same duration; the unequal
hours are measured as days extend and shorten, because the astronomers
look for the time when the Sun is on the horizon, which they call day, and
the time when it is not, which they call night; and they separate the day in
twelve equal parts, which are the unequal hours, and everything that we
said about the day is also true of the night, in reverse.

In order for you to better understand this, suppose that the Sun leaves
our horizon at eight in the evening; there shall be seventeen hours from
sunrise to sunset, which we multiply by sixty, as many minutes as there are
in these hours, and we get the number nine hundred and sixty minutes,
which we divide by twelve, as many hours as there are in a day; and we find
that each of these hours holds eighty minutes, which corresponds to an hour
and a third. Meanwhile, we note the planet which reigns over this hour,
which we shall see next. So in our case, each hour of the night only lasts
forty minutes, which we count with the same arithmetic as above,
depending on sunrise; the hour between day and night is not counted as a
daytime hour, as the day only corresponds to the time during which the Sun
appears. Then, those who wish to know which planet rules, since they rule
alternately on every hour of day and night, shall have to count the hours
using this method; after this precise consideration, they shall be assured of
the fulfillment of their goals. You must know that for the following table,
we begin the day on the first afternoon hour of the previous day, so for
example, we divide the time of Sunday in two equal parts, and so of
Monday and of the next days.
 Chapter IV

A table of planets.

YOU must know that Sunday corresponds to the Sun, Monday to the
Moon, Tuesday to Mars, Wednesday to Mercury, Thursday to Jupiter,
Friday to Venus, and Saturday to Saturn.

You must know that every deed must be performed under its ruling
planet, and that it is even better to perform it on the day and time on which
the planet rules. Explanations are given below:

Saturn rules over life, buildings, science and alteration. Jupiter rules
over honor, wishes, wealth and tidiness. Mars presides over war, prisons,
weddings and hatred. The Sun provides hope, profit, happiness and
inheritance. Venus rules over friendships, lovers, affairs and travelers.
Mercury presides over illness, loss, debt and fear. The Moon rules over
wounds, dreams, negotiations and thefts.

You shall always count the hours starting from daytime Sunday. Over
the first rules the Sun; the second Venus, the third Mercury, the fourth the
Moon, the fifth Saturn, the sixth Jupiter, the seventh Mars, the eighth the
Sun, the eleventh Venus, the tenth Mercury, the eleventh the Moon, the
twelfth Saturn.

Nighttime Sunday: the first Jupiter, the second Mars, the third the Sun,
the fourth Venus, the fifth Mercury, the sixth the Moon, the seventh Saturn,
the eighth Jupiter, the ninth Mars, the tenth the Sun, the eleventh Venus, the
twelfth Mercury.

Daytime Monday: the first the Moon, the second Saturn, the third
Jupiter, the fourth Mars, the fifth the Sun, the sixth Venus, the seventh
Mercury, the eighth the Moon, the ninth Saturn, the tenth Jupiter, the
eleventh Mars, the twelfth the Sun.
 Nighttime Monday: the first Venus, the second Mercury, the third the
Moon, the fourth Saturn, the fifth Jupiter, the sixth Mars, the seventh the
Sun, the eighth Venus, the ninth Mercury, the tenth the Moon, the eleventh
Saturn, the twelfth Jupiter.

Daytime Tuesday: the first Mars, the second the Sun, the third Venus,
the fourth Mercury, the fifth the Moon, the sixth Saturn, the seventh Jupiter,
the eighth Mars, the ninth the Sun, the tenth Venus, the eleventh Mercury,
the twelfth the Moon.

Nighttime Tuesday: the first Saturn, the second Jupiter, the third Mars,
the fourth the Sun, the fifth Venus, the sixth Mercury, the seventh the Moon,
the eighth Saturn, the ninth Jupiter, the tenth Mars, the eleventh the Sun, the
twelfth Venus.

Daytime Wednesday: the first Mercury, the second the Moon, the third
Saturn, the fourth Jupiter, the fifth Mars, the sixth the Sun, the seventh
Venus, the eighth Mercury, the ninth the Moon, the tenth Saturn, the
eleventh Jupiter, the twelfth Mars.

Nighttime Wednesday: the first the Sun, the second Venus, the third
Mercury, the fourth the Moon, the fifth Saturn, the sixth Jupiter, the seventh
Mars, the eighth the Sun, the ninth Venus, the tenth Mercury, the eleventh
the Moon, the twelfth Saturn.

Daytime Thursday: the first Jupiter, the second Mars, the third the Sun,
the fourth Venus, the fifth Mercury, the sixth the Moon, the seventh Saturn,
the eighth Jupiter, the ninth Mars, the tenth the Sun, the eleventh Venus, the
twelfth Mercury.

Nighttime Thursday: the first the Moon, the second Saturn, the third
Jupiter, the fourth Mars, the fifth the Sun, the sixth Venus, the seventh
mercury, the eighth the Moon, the ninth Saturn, the tenth Jupiter, the
eleventh Mars, the twelfth the Sun.

Daytime Friday: the first Venus, the second Mercury, the third the
Moon, the fourth Saturn, the fifth Jupiter, the sixth Mars, the seventh the
Sun, the eighth Venus, the ninth Mercury, the tenth the Moon, the eleventh
Saturn, the twelfth Jupiter.

Nighttime Friday: the first Mars, the second the Sun, the third Venus,
the fourth Mercury, the fifth the Moon, the sixth Saturn, the seventh Jupiter,
the eighth Mars, the ninth the Sun, the tenth Venus, the eleventh Mercury,
the twelfth the Moon.

Daytime Saturday: the first Saturn, the second Jupiter, the third Mars,
the fourth the Sun, the fifth Venus, the sixth Mercury, the seventh the Moon,
the eighth Saturn, the ninth Jupiter, the tenth Mars, the eleventh the Sun, the
twelfth Venus.

Nighttime Saturday: the first Mercury, the second the Moon, the third
Saturn, the fourth Jupiter, the fifth Mars, the sixth the Sun, the seventh
Venus, the eighth Mercury, the ninth the Moon, the tenth Saturn, the
eleventh Jupiter, the twelfth Mars.

Jupiter and Venus are benevolent and joyful planets, Saturn and Mars
are mournful and carry bad omens. The Sun and the Moon are in between.
Mercury is benevolent and favorable when used for good deeds, and woeful
when used for bad deeds.
 Chapter V

A treaty on the wonders of the world.

BECAUSE it is a wise man’s burden to research everything

extraordinary that manifests itself, we have restlessly read and re-read the
writings of the great authors, until we have discovered most of the wonders
of the world. Yet, there is one wonder that almost overcomes our
comprehension, and is extremely surprising, albeit it acts mundanely on the
senses; that is the power to use enchantments, sigils, spells, charms and
other things to manipulate the world at will, which seems impossible and
unnatural. But upon examination, we must admit that Avicenna was right
when he said that men have the power to change things, when they cannot
use other means to their ends, or when they love or hate something strongly
enough. We can see for example that as soon as someone blindly follows
the ways of their passion, they can bend and change things, so to say,
according to their will. I must admit that I have struggled to believe it, but
having read the books on necromancy, images and magic, I have found that
the will of man is the only and principal cause of all of those things,
whether due to an excessive change in his body and what goes into it, or
because his dignity is so strong that everything below obeys him, or yet
because some favorable hour or higher power should coincide with this
excessive ambition; however the deed is done, it is always said that a man
did it, which evidently shows that the enchantments and spells which
invoke wrath, hatred, friendship, sorrow and joy depend on an excess of
feelings. We notice this when we look at how people apprehend those
things, and how they seem to desire the blessings of pious and dignified
people even more as they also fear their curses, because they imagine that
there is some power or virtue attached to the feelings of those people
towards whoever they talk about. Thus, everything that we consider
marvelous and supernatural, and that we vulgarly call magic, comes from
the power of the will, or the power of some celestial influence on a
particular hour. And as it would take too long to explain everything on this
subject that has been discussed by the philosophers, the astrologers and the
necromancers, we shall dive straight into the secrets of natural things; we
choose this direct approach so as not to lead astray the small-souled, who
tend to lose the essential content of a book for insignificant details. Also,
Albert the Great has deemed it useless to ponder more on this subject in this
little treaty, and has preferred to disclose the ways to perform many
experiences, which are both useful and marvelous to the common folk.

If you wish to perform the following experiments safely, first you must
know whether the things you shall use are warm or cold in nature, and their
natural dispositions, whether you want to provoke, for example, boldness or
dread, attractiveness, sterility, etc. because every being communicates with
the beings it is associated to, their virtues and natural properties: see the
lion, a naturally bold and intrepid animal. If you wear a lion’s eye, heart, or
the skin between its eyes, you shall become courageous, intrepid, and you
shall strike fear in other animals. The same goes for a prostitute, who tends
to be shameless and brazen: the ancients claim that if you wear the shirt of a
prostitute and look at yourself in a mirror that she has used herself, you
shall also become shameless and brazen. The rooster is also naturally bold,
and makes the lion tremble; in short all kinds of animals that tend to be bold
have the power to instill courage in those who wear their body parts. Likely,
animals that are naturally or accidentally sterile can also communicate their
nature; according to the philosophers, this is true of the mule, and also of
eunuchs. The same applies if you want to provoke love: you must find an
animal of the warmest nature, at the hour when it is most eager to mate, and
then take one of its body parts that is closely related to love, such as the
heart, testicles or womb, and finally give it to the person you want to fall in
love. For example, a man can feed testicles to a woman, and a woman can
feed a womb to a man.

Because the swallow is a naturally warm animal, the philosophers say

that this bird is great for sexual excitation, as are the turtledove, the pigeon
and the sparrow. Their power increases when they are in heat, and as such
they inevitably provide love to those who eat their body parts.

If you want someone to talk a lot, feed that person the tongue or the
heart of a dog. To become wise and agreeable, eat a sparrow. These are the
ways to use the natural properties of beings, by virtue of the qualities that
they are reputed to have, for they receive them from nature itself, and can
communicate them to men. You shall see more examples later, as this was
merely a prelude to help the reader understand what we are talking about.

An author claims firstly that certain things can be understood directly

with the senses and thus transcend reason, and secondly that other things
are learnt through reason only, as they are experienced beyond the senses.
In the first case, one should not challenge reason but trust the senses
instead; in the second, sensation should not be trusted, because some things
can neither be felt, nor touched. This is why experience uncovers things that
men cannot possibly understand, while reason allows men to understand
things that do not depend on the senses in any way. Indeed, while we do not
understand how lodestone attracts iron, seeing it happen with our eyes
prevents any doubt that it does. And as such, because learning from direct
experience can be surprising, we should then not be any more surprised by
many more experiences that are known to happen, without a determined
cause or reason. The ancients, talking about the palm tree which has male
and female specimens, claim that if you draw a female tree and a male tree
closer with ropes, the female’s branches shall soften and lean towards the
male; and if this is admirable of the palm tree, why cannot we believe in
other marvels, despite not being able to explain them? Mesné says, in his
book about animals, that if a pregnant woman wears the garment of her
husband, and then gives it back to him unwashed, he shall recover from
quatrain fever, if he suffers from it.

In the treaty on animals, it is said that leopards run before a human

skull, and also that if you place one in a dovecote, all nearby pigeons shall
gather there, and breed so much that there shall be no place left.

Gallienus says that the basilisk, which is pale white with three hairs on
the head, shall die instantly if someone sees it, and that its hiss is deadly to
men and beasts; also that any beast that eats of its body after it has died
shall be poisoned. Some authors have written that if you take the milk of a
woman feeding a daughter older than two, and place it in a glass vial next to
the exit of a dovecote pigeons shall stay inside and multiply indefinitely.
Some also say that if a man suffering from the quatrain fever wears a dead
man’s bone, he shall be cured; a bone can also cure bellyache in no time.
 Some believe that when a young child loses his teeth, if you take them
and embed them in silver, and hang them to a woman’s neck, she shall not
be able to get pregnant or give birth. Likewise if a woman drinks the urine
of a mule each month, she shall not get pregnant. Alexander claims that if
you take the umbilical cord of a newborn child and place it under the stone
of a silver or gold ring, the man who wears this special ring unknowingly
shall never suffer from colic, and if he does prior to wearing it, he shall be
cured shortly. It is also certain that if you wrap a barberry seed in a piece of
cloth and apply it to a woman’s left temple, she shall not get pregnant as
long as it stays there.

Gallienus says that eating barberry leaves loosens the stomach. He also
says that if you have scrofula, you must hang a barberry root to your neck
and you shall be cured. The philosophers claim that in order to make a beast
return to its stable, you must simply rub a squill on its forehead.

Aristotle, in his book on animals, teaches that if you grind wax and rub
it on the horns of a calf, you shall lead it anywhere with no effort; and that
if you do the same to a cow, its foot ache shall be cured, and also that if you
rub geranium oil on the horns of a bull, it shall be covered in ulcers; doing
the same to a cow shall kill it. If you rub garlic on the tongue of an ox, it
shall sooner die of starvation than eat anything, unless you wash its mouth
with salt and vinegar. If you rub oil on the cloaca of a rooster, it shall not be
able to mate, and if you rub oil on its head and comb, it shall stop crowing.
Aristotle also says that if you sit on a lion’s hide, you shall not suffer from
hemorrhoids.

The ancients claim that if a woman wears the ring finger of a dead fetus
on her finger, she shall not get pregnant for as long as she wears it. The
same thing shall happen if she drinks the urine of a sheep or the blood of a
hare. If you grind oregano into a powder, and spread it on a place where
ants dwell, they shall leave the spot instantly.

If you have scrofula, hang the head of a goat to your neck and you shall
be cured. If you take goat's dung, mix it with wheat flour, grind it and heat
it with oil, then rub it on the shaft of your penis before intercourse, your
wife shall love no other man.
 To prevent oxen or other beasts from eating anything while they are in
the stable, hang the tail or the skin of a wolf to the roof of the stable. If you
do not want a woman to fall in love with any man, take the penis of a wolf,
the hair from a wolf’s eyelids and chin and burn these together, then give
her the ashes to drink unknowingly.

If your wife despises you, take tallow from a goat neither too tall nor
too small, rub it on the shaft of your penis, have intercourse, and you can be
assured that she shall love only you, and despise other men.

When a tortoise gets poisoned, it shall eat oregano to cure itself; indeed,
this herb is great against poison and venom. Also when a weasel gets bitten
by a snake, it shall eat rhubarb, because it knows by instinct that it is helpful
against snake venom.

If you rub a rat on a scorpion sting, it shall heal. It is said that if you rip
off the paw of a live weasel, and hang it to a woman’s neck, she shall not
conceive, but if you remove it, she shall get pregnant.

The philosophers have noted that a barren woman can become fertile if
she uses things that contribute to sterility.

If you take the testicles of a weasel, wrap them and tie them to the thigh
of a woman who also wears a weasel’s bone on herself, she shall not get
pregnant. It is also said that if you put a sponge in a mixture of wine and
water, and then take it out, it shall only exude water, and the wine shall
remain in the vase; and if it is undiluted, the sponge shall not exude
anything.

Tabariensis says that if you hang a sponge stone to the neck of a child
who suffers from cough, he shall recover. If you place this stone in the ear
of an ass, it shall fall to the ground instantly, and not recover until the stone
is removed.

Also, if a man bites another while eating lentils, this bite shall be
incurable.
 It has been found that if you make a ring out of a myrtle stem and wear
it on the ring finger, it shall cure ulcers on the armpits. Aristotle says that
white henbane root can relieve bellyache, when hung to the neck.

Hermes assures that if you throw leek seeds in spoiled vinegar, it shall
become fresh again. Bellinus teaches that mixing alum with an egg white,
rubbing it on a sheet and washing said sheet with salt water, prevents it
from catching fire.

A certain author says that if you take realgar and alum, grind them
together and mix them with houseleek juice and laurel sap, then rub this on
your hands, you shall be able to handle a hot iron without suffering any
burns.

If you want to make an entire place darker, dip the lamp’s wick in
whipped sea foam before someone lights it. To make everyone in the same
room appear headless, place yellow sulfur in a lamp, mixed with oil; then
light it and place it between the guests.

Balbinus says that if you place purslane in your bed, you shall not have
any dreams during the night.

Aristotle notes that the smoke of an extinguished lamp can cause

miscarriage in mares and sometimes even in women.

The ancients have claimed that the feathers of an eagle shall burn and
spoil other feathers that they are paired with.

If you want to banish snakes and scorpions from a house, you must
perfume it with the lung of an ass. The smell is great against venomous
animals.

The tongue of a hoopoe, when hung to the neck, restores memory and
reason for those who lost them.
 It is written in the Book of Cleopatra, that if a wife is displeased with
her husband, she must take the marrow from a wolf’s left paw, and wear it
on herself, and then surely he shall love no other woman. If you take the left
thigh of a male ostrich, and boil it in oil, then rub it where some hair grows,
it shall no longer grow on that spot.

If you apply a snake molt to the side of a pregnant woman, it shall

facilitate birth, but it must be withdrawn as soon as the child is coming out.

If you suffer from quatrain fever, take the teeth of a snake that were
ripped out while it was still alive, and hang them to your neck. Snakes can
also appease toothache upon touch. It is said that lions are afraid of white
roosters and of fire, and that if you rub your body with the fat from a lion’s
kidneys, you shall be able to go anywhere without fearing beasts, for they
are all afraid of the lion. To strike fear in wolves, you must rub hare's dung
on yourself.

If you suffer from gout, take the right foot of a tortoise and hang it to
your right leg, and you shall be appeased. If the disease affects your left leg,
repeat with the left foot of the same beast, and so of the rest of your limbs.

Hermes notes that when a man is unexpectedly seen by a wolf, he

becomes frightened; but when he wears the wolf’s eye on himself, he shall
be bold, victorious and above his foes. Also if you make a ring out of the
mane's hair of an ass, any epileptic who wears this ring unknowingly shall
be cured.

If you want to banish flies, simply mix poppy juice with lime and water,
and rub the walls of the house with this mixture.

To make a woman tell the truth, take the heart of a pigeon and the head
of a frog, dry them, grind them to a powder and spread this on her stomach
while she sleeps; she shall speak her very soul, and when she is done,
remove the powder, or she shall wake up. Some claim that if you place a
diamond on the brow of a sleeping woman, you shall know whether she is
faithful to her husband, for if she is not, she shall jump off the bed; if she is,
she shall kiss her husband with passion.
 If you hang the hide of an ass over children, they shall not be afraid;
Architas says that if you take the grease from a dog’s left ear and hang it to
the neck of someone with quatrain fever, he shall recover in no time. If you
tie a vial of sea foam to a woman’s left thigh while she is suffering in
childbirth, she shall be relieved; if you perfume your home with the hair of
a mule, flies shall stay away from the place.

To restore a person’s memory and reason, you must tie the head, eye or
brain of a hoopoe to their neck.

To make a woman fertile, grind the horn of a deer into a powder, mix it
with cow's dung, and have her wear it on herself while she has intercourse
with a man; she shall become pregnant.
If you tie the tooth of a foal to a child’s neck, its teeth shall grow
without ache.

If a woman fails to conceive, give her mare's milk to drink

unknowingly; then as soon as she has intercourse with a man, she shall get
pregnant. You can expel rats from your house by perfuming it with the hair
of a horse or mule.

If you place camphor in water, it shall burn instantly. If you want to

catch birds by hand, take any sort of grain, and soak it in a mixture of wine
lees and hemlock juice, then throw it on the ground; any bird that eats of
this shall not be able to fly.

If a woman has given something to a man to make him love her, and he
wants to be delivered, he must remove his shirt and piss through the right
sleeve, and surely he shall be freed from the spell.

If you want to prevent your wife from being unfaithful, take some of her
hair, burn it and reduce it into a powder, then throw it on a mattress that was
previously rubbed with honey, and have intercourse with her on this bed;
she shall love none but you.
 If you rub jenny's milk on yourself, gnats shall gather around. If you set
aside several egg whites, within a month they shall turn to a glass-like
substance strong like stone; sometimes this is used to make counterfeit
topaz stones with saffron and red soil. Also, if you mix sea foam with wine
and the sweat from the testicles of a deer, horse or ass, and then give this to
someone to drink, he shall not tolerate the taste of wine for an entire month.
Likewise, if you place several eels in a wine pot, and let them die inside,
whoever drinks of it shall hate the taste of wine for a year, and maybe for
his entire lifetime.

If you take a rope that was used to hang a thief, place it in a clay pot
with straw, and then place this pot among other pots, they shall shatter. It is
also said of such a rope, that if you tie it to a bread peel, whoever tries to
shovel bread with it shall not be able to, and the bread shall be cast out of
the oven.

To make everyone in a room appear without a head, take the skin of an

adder, greek pitch, rhubarb, beeswax and the blood of an ass, grind it all
together and transfer this to a large clay pot filled with water, let it simmer,
then let it cool down, make a candle out of it, and everyone present in the
room shall appear headless.

If you want people to appear with the head of any animal of your
choice, take bright sulfur and litharge, grind these into a powder and place it
in a lamp filled with oil, then make a candle with virgin wax and the dung
of the animal of your choice. Then while holding the candle that you shall
light with the lamp, give wine to someone who is in the same room, and he
shall appear to have the head of this animal.

If you take the grease from a dog’s ear and rub it on a brand new cotton
cloth, then place it in a brand new lamp of green glass, and then light it, as
you place the lamp between two men, they shall appear to have a dog's
head.

Make a rope from the hair of a dead ass, let it dry thoroughly, then take
the marrow from the largest bone of its right shoulder, mix it with virgin
wax, and rub this mixture on the rope. If you then place the rope under the
threshold of your house, those who enter shall appear to have three heads,
and they shall see anyone already inside with the head of an ass.

If you rub the scrapes of the hoof of an ass on someone’s head, he shall
appear to have the head of an ass.

To make a capon bounce in its dish, take quicksilver and calamite

powder, then place these in a tightly sealed glass vial, wrapped in
something warm or in the capon’s carcass; the quicksilver, when heated,
shall make it bounce around. If you want to see what others cannot, take the
dung of a cat with the fat of a white hen, mix these together in wine, and
rub it on your eyes. Also, if you want to understand the song of birds, take
two friends with you in a forest on the fifth of the calends of November, and
also hounds, as if you were hunting; return with the first beast that you shall
catch, eat it along with the heart of a fox, and you shall instantly understand
the song of birds. If you then want someone else to hear it, simply kiss him.

If you want to break ropes or iron chains, you must travel to the forest
and find the nest of a magpie with its young inside. Once you do, you shall
climb on the tree and block the hole through which the magpie reaches the
nest, using anything you want. Unable to reach the nest, it shall fetch a
certain herb which it shall use to break and tear through whatever was
blocking the access to the nest; you must place a sheet underneath the tree
so that the herb safely falls upon it. Then, you can pick it up and use it for
the purpose mentioned above.

In a hoopoe’s nest can be found a certain stone, the color of which

varies; the man who wears it shall turn invisible. To make a man impotent,
feed him a piece of one of these worms that glow during summer nights.

To make a woman confess to what she did, take a living frog, tear off its
tongue, release it in the water and place the tongue on the heart of the
woman while she sleeps; she shall answer to your questions and stay asleep.

If you want to scare a sleeper, lay the hide of a monkey on him.

 To catch a mole, place an onion, a leek or a garlic bulb in its hole, and it
shall come out shortly. Snakes hate garlic and flee from it, and dogs do not
eat anything that has been rubbed with it.

Take the fruit which is called bladder cherry, grind it and mix it with
dolphin fat, then shape it into beads the size of a lemon seed. Then if you
throw these on a fire lit with the dung of a wet cow, while making sure that
the smoke can only escape through the door, anyone in the house shall
appear as tall as a horse or an elephant, which is most surprising and
admirable.

To predict good and bad things while sleeping, take the coagulated
blood of an ass, mix it with the fat of a lynx, shape it into beads and use
them to perfume the house. Then when someone is sleeping, you shall hear
them predict the future.

To give men any appearance that you want under the light of a lamp,
take the eyes of a tawny owl, the eyes of two kinds of fish, one which is
called Asseres, the other Libinitis, and a wolf’s dung. Mix these together by
hand, and pour the mixture in a glass jar. Cover the jar, then take some fat
from the beast of your liking, as this is what the secret depends upon, add it
to the mixture and rub it on the wick of a lamp, which you shall then light
in the middle of the house, and immediately see those inside with the head
of the animal of your choosing.

To appear with a black face, take a black lamp and fill it with elderberry
oil, mercury, and some drawn blood.

If you make a wick out of a mortuary shroud, or a black shroud, and

light it in the middle of a room, you shall see wondrous things. Take a green
frog, cut its head off on a mortuary shroud, dip the shroud in elderberry oil
and make a wick out of it. Light it in a green lamp, and you shall see a man
in black, holding a lamp in his hand, and several stranger things.
Take the hair from the tail of a black dog, and some of its fat, rub it on a
wick made out of a mortuary shroud; then light it in a green lamp filled with
elderberry oil, in an otherwise dark room, and you shall see admirable and
surprising things.
 If you want to see a house filled with snakes and ghosts, make a wick
from the fat of a black snake and a mortuary shroud. Then place the hide of
that snake in the middle of the room, and light a green lamp using the wick
and some elderberry oil.

To make a candle wick which goes out in contact to oil and catches fire
in contact to water, mix quicklime with wax and balm oil, lemon juice and
sulfur, and shape this into a wick.

To make another candle wick, which when lit makes everything appear
white and silver, take a lizard, cut off its tail and gather the inside
component, which is similar to quicksilver. Then, rub it on a candle wick
and light it, and the whole house shall appear bright, of a white and silver
color.

Take the fat of a crocodile and mix it with white wax under sunlight,
then make a wick out of it, which you shall light in a place where frogs
dwell, and as long as it stays there, the frogs shall not croak.

If you take the blood of a hare and mix it with that of a bird named
Solon which resembles the turtledove, dip a wick in this mixture, and then
light it in the middle of a house, you shall see men and women dancing
around.

To prevent someone from sleeping in your bed, throw an ounce and a

half of bladder cherry on the bed. Also, if you make a wick out of the hair
of a sturgeon, and light it in a room, everyone present shall feel sick and
uncomfortable. If you take a yellow locust, grind it and place it in a piece
of mortuary shroud, and then light it after dipping it in elderberry oil, in any
place you want, the same thing shall happen.

If you want to appear to be on fire from head to toe, without being hurt,
take the juice of a white mallow, mix it with egg white, rub it on your body,
and let it dry; then rub alum on your body, spread powdered sulfur on
yourself, light it, and you shall be able to set yourself on fire without
danger, as you can test simply with your hand.
 To prevent anything from catching fire, take fish glue and alum, mix
them together, add vinegar made from wine, rub this on whatever you want,
and then you shall be able to throw this in the fire without fear.

To make a statue that catches fire in the water, take quicklime, mix it
with a bit of wax, sesame oil, white clay and sulfur; then make a statue out
of this, dip it in water and it shall catch fire.

If you want to extinguish a lamp by opening your hands, and to light it

by closing them, take the spice called Indian scum, grind it and mix it with
camphor water, then rub it on your hands. Then if you open them in front of
a lamp, it shall go out, and if you close them, it shall light up again.

If you rub the blood of a bat on your face, you shall be able to see and
read as well during the night as during the day. If you want to bleach
something, you can simply perfume it with sulfur.

To make the fruit fall from an orange tree, take five parts bright sulfur,
as much black sulfur, two parts white sulfur and cinnabar, grind and mix
these all together, and spread this composition around the base of the tree.
All the fruit shall fall off.

If you want to kill a snake in no time, take as much birthwort as you

want, grind it well, along with a moor frog. Then place this in a folded
paper, on which you shall write down that which you cherish most, and then
throw it at snakes; they shall die instantly.

To make a room appear to be filled with snakes, take the fat from a
snake, mix it with a bit of salt, then take a piece of mortuary shroud which
you shall cut into four wicks, and dip those in the fat; light them in each
corner of the room with elderberry oil, and you shall see this effect in
action.

If you take a piece of mortuary shroud, mix it with the ground brain and
tail feathers of a bird, make a wick out of it, and then place it in a green
lamp lit with olive oil, everything in the house shall appear to be green and
to fly like a bird.

Another experiment on the same matter, to see a house filled with

frightful snakes: Take the skin of a snake, the blood of another, and the fat
of a male snake, mix all three together, and wrap this in a mortuary shroud,
light it in a brand new green lamp, and you shall see the desired effect.

If you want to make a candle that moves, take the skin of a wolf and
that of a dog, make a wick out of them and light it using olive oil.

To scare someone by lighting a candle, take a brand new and white linen
cloth, wrap the ear of a snake in it, make a wick out of it, which you shall
place in a lamp with olive oil; if you give that lamp to someone, he shall be
afraid as soon as he lights it.

The ancients say that behind the head lies the first and foremost part of
the head; and that shortly after a man dies, worms spawn from that part,
which turn into flies after seven days, and become dragons after fourteen,
whose bite means instant death. If you take one and bake it in olive oil, then
make it into a candle with a piece of mortuary shroud as the wick, and place
it in a brass lamp, you shall see a most horrible and frightful wraith.

This is a marvelous secret which allows men to pass through fire

without being burnt, to carry fire or to hold a glowing iron safely: take
marshmallow juice, parsley seed and quicklime, grind these all together,
and then mix this with egg white and horseradish juice. Rub it on your
hands or body, allow it to dry, and rub it on again; then you may pass
through, walk on or carry fire without being hurt.

To make burning water, take black wine, strong, thick and old, mix it
with a quarter of quicklime, as much powdered bright sulfur, tartar made
from good wine and coarse salt, pour it all together in a tightly sealed
bottle, underneath an alembic, which you shall use to distill the burning
water. It must only be kept in a glass vial.
 If you want to make Greek fire, take bright sulfur, tartar, sarcocolla,
small wine, baked salt, common oil and petroleum, and boil this all
together; anything that you cast in this mixture shall burn.
 Book Three

Chapter I

Of marvelous and natural mysteries.

WISE man Albert has spent most of his time experimenting with
natural things, which are incomprehensible to men. He has had so much
success, that it would seem as if this science was innate to him. As I have
found that his writings can be put to use, I have drawn as much as I could
from them, including some of his most peculiar secrets.

Firstly, Albert says that in order to render an egg soft and flexible, so that
it can pass through a ring without breaking, you must soak it in vinegar for
five days; after which it shall pass through any hole. If you want to entertain
the whole assembly during a feast, take four verbena leaves, soak them in
wine, and splash some of this wine around the place where the feast shall be
held; everyone invited shall be joyful and content.

To know whether a man shall die of sickness or recover, go see him with
verbena in your hand, and when you are near the patient’s bed, ask him how
he is feeling; if he says that he is feeling better, he shall recover, otherwise,
he shall not make it.

If you want to be loved by a man or a woman, rub verbena juice on your

hands, and then lay hands on the person of your interest; this is a tried secret.

To cut through iron or steel with a knife or sword, take the herb called
barberry, which you shall rub on the edge of the blade, and let dry, and then
you shall be able to cut through anything.
 To expel fleas from a room, spray it with the urine of a mare and they
shall leave. Pliny assures that this is the best remedy to be found.

To kill bedbugs, take a cucumber the shape of a snake, let it pickle and
soak it in water, then rub it on your bed; or take the gall or dung of an ox,
mix it with vinegar, rub this on the bed, and there shall be no bedbugs left
anymore.

To take bedbugs alive without touching them, place comfrey under your
bedside; the insects shall gather and remain there, as this has been tried
several times before.

To banish snakes from a place, boil the feathers of a vulture and place
them there. If you wear the heart of a vulture, you shall not fear snakes. Also
if you bind it with the hair of a lion or wolf, you shall be able to drive devils
away.

To obtain what you wish for, tear off the tongue of a vulture without
using a knife or iron, wrap it in a clean sheet and hang it to your neck; this
has been tried with great success.

To show the Devil to a sleeper, take the blood of a hoopoe, rub it on his
face and he shall see many devils around him. If you want to travel with ease
and without getting tired, take wormwood in your hand and tie it as a belt
while walking; then if you boil the herb and wash your feet with it, you shall
never get tired.

Also, if you make sure to always carry wormwood, you shall neither fear
evil spirits, nor poison, nor water, nor fire, and nothing shall harm you. If
you keep some in your home, lightning shall not strike it, and no miasma
shall infect it, as long as the herb is kept near the entrance.

To remove grease from clothes, and all kinds of stains, take half a pound
of ash made from wine dregs, two ounces of white soap, two ounces of gum
Arabic, two ounces of alum foam, an ounce of glue, an ounce of
elecampane, and mix these together with clear water; you shall be able to
degrease and clean anything using this water.

To write in golden or silver letters, take an ounce of touchstone, two

ounces of sal ammoniac, half an ounce of gum Arabic, and crush it all
together. When you want to use the powder, pour it in fig juice, and use this
to write what you want, after which you shall rub the metal of your choice
on the writing.

To prevent discord and divorce between a man and his wife, you must
take the heart of two quails, male and female, and give the heart of the male
for the husband to wear, and the heart of the female to the wife. As long as
they wear this, they shall love each other tenderly and no one shall tear them
apart, not even with the use of sorcery.

To make small children grow their teeth without pain, take the brain of a
hare and cook it, and then rub it on their gums. It is certain that their teeth
shall grow without them even noticing.

Pliny says that if you take a large bone that is found in the right side of a
frog, and then throw it in a cauldron of boiling water, it shall stop boiling
instantly, no matter the strength of the fire, until the bone is removed. He
also says that in the left side of a frog is another bone with the opposite
virtue, for it causes cold water to boil; this bone appeases the fury of dogs,
and if you place it in a glass from which you drink wine or liquor, it provides
sexual desire. If you tie it to the thigh or close to the genitals, it induces lust.

To prevent snakes from biting your legs when walking the countryside,
take ash leaves, and wear them on yourself. You shall see that when a snake
smells ash leaves, it runs away. It can also be verified through this
experiment: if you make a circle out of ash leaves and place a live snake in
the middle, it shall remain there without moving, as if dead. If you start a fire
on the side, and break the circle where it is closest to the fire, the snake shall
rather throw itself to the flames than stay inside the circle.

If you want to gild iron, place a clay crucible on a fire, fill it with
quicksilver and thin gold leaf finely mixed together, until the gold has
melted; then rub this mixture on an iron as long as you think is needed, after
which you shall place the iron in the fire, where the quicksilver shall melt
away. Then you shall soak it for five days in a pot filled with urine, and
finally rub it clean using quince juice. You shall see that this gilded iron now
looks exactly like gold.

If you want to write something on a peach or almond pit, take a pit and
plant it in soil when the weather is right, leave it there for six or seven days,
until it is half sprouted. Then take it out without damaging it, and using
cinnabar, write something on it. Let it dry, wrap it in a thin mesh cloth and
place it back in the soil. If you wait until it grows into a tree and bears fruit,
you shall see that each fruit has the same thing written on its pit. This has
been experienced recently.

To cure the plague, take half an ounce of barberry juice, one drachma of
theriac, and mix them together. While the mixture is lukewarm, give it to the
patient to drink, then cover him to make him sweat. Provided that he has not
had an infection for a long time, he shall recover. This secret has been
approved by several good authors, ancient and modern alike.
 Chapter II

Of the virtues and properties of dungs.

THIS treaty shall not be too lengthy, and we shall not, unlike sophists
tend to do, ponder on a thousand useless words which may lose the reader
instead of enlightening him. We shall follow the exact method of the
authors who have searched for the truth, and we shall speak simply of the
subject that we are to talk about in this treaty, which is the virtue of dungs
of both man and animals. And since man is the most noble of all creatures,
his dung has particularly marvelous properties against several illnesses; this
is where we shall begin, and order the different sorts of dung according to
their medicinal properties. We refer to Hippocrates, Galen and several
others among the most famous and experienced doctors.

Of man's feces.

Dioscorides in his twelfth book, Galen in his tenth book, and Paul of
Aegina in his seventh book on simples, hold man's feces in very high
esteem, and they assure that those feces alone can cure the ills of the throat,
especially tonsillitis. Here is a way to prepare the remedy: you shall take a
young, healthy man and feed him lupini beans for three days, along with
baked bread made with leaven and salt, and nothing but claret wine to
drink. You shall discard the feces produced on the first day as useless. On
the next two days you shall gather the feces and store them carefully, and
then mix them with honey in the same quantity, and either drink this
mixture or use it topically as a cataplasm, against tonsillitis.

Of dog's dung.

Lock a dog inside with nothing but bones to chew on for three days, then
gather its dung and leave it to dry. It is admirable against dysentery. The
way to use it is to take pebbles from a river, heat them in the fire, then
throw them in a pot filled with milk and some of this dung reduced to a
powder. Then you must give this milk to drink for three days to someone
who suffers from dysentery, without telling him what it is. Under the
authority of the aforementioned authors, this remedy has been beneficial to
many, and I myself have cured more than two hundred people in a single
year, when more than two thousands had died of the same ill after trying out
countless other remedies. I can confirm to the reader that this dung is one of
the best desiccants against tenacious and malignant ulcers.

Of wolf's dung.

Everybody knows that the wolf is a cruel animal, which often devours flesh
and bones indifferently. If you take the bones that you shall find among a
wolf's dung, grind them to a powder, and then drink this in wine, your
diarrhea shall be promptly cured.

Of cow’s dung.

If you take fresh dung from an ox or cow, wrap it in vine or cabbage leaves
and then heat this in warm ashes, it can be used to cure inflammation of
wounds, or sciatica. If you mix cow's dung with vinegar, it shall drain
scrofula of their pus. I have also seen several times that this same dung is
marvelous against testicular tumors. My method is to take fresh cow’s dung,
fry it in a pan with chamomile flowers, roses and melilot, then to apply it to
the testicles, so that they heal within a day, as if they were unharmed in the
first place. I have encountered a poor winegrower who had spent a lot, and
whom the surgeons had reduced to misery without relieving his pain, and so
I have used this method without telling him about the recipe, with great
success, in no time and no cost.

Galen talks about a doctor from Mysia who would cure all sorts of
dropsy by applying warm cow’s dung on the swelling; and I also want to
mention Oribasius and Paul who used this dung with great success against
bee and hornet stings.

Of hog’s dung.

A common saying is that nothing from the hog should be thrown away,
except for the dung; but this is false, as I have found out myself, and indeed
nothing is more valuable. I can demonstrate this through an interesting
experience. There was once in a city a man who would constantly cough,
and so all the surgeons and doctors were called to his bed; they tried all
manners of cures to no avail. His desperate mother invited me to see her
son; I replied that there was nothing that I could do where so many wise
men had failed. Yet, while clenching her finger, I told her how not all
secrets reside in one head, and that often God provides hidden talents and
secrets to the common folk. As she understood what I was saying, she
promised me a great reward if I were to succeed. And immediately, without
caring for the reward, but out of compassion for this desolate mother, I
prepared my remedy as follows: I mixed hog’s dung with the same quantity
of the sick man's spit, and fried this with fresh butter, before serving him
this to eat. Believe it or not, on the next day, the doctors who had
abandoned the sick man were most surprised to see him walking the streets
safe and sound.

Of goat’s dung.

Goat’s dung has the property to drain all sorts of tumors. Galen used to mix
this dung with barley flour, vinegar and water, and to apply it as a cataplasm
on knee tumors. It is great against mumps, when mixed with fresh butter
and walnut oil dregs. This next secret might seem extravagant, but it is true,
as I have used it to cure more than twenty people of jaundice; by giving
them each morning as a drink, for eight days, five small goat dungs in a
glass of white wine.

Of sheep’s dung.

You should never eat of this dung, unlike the others, but instead use it
topically. It has the same properties as goat’s dung. It is great against all
kinds of warts and boils, when mixed with vinegar and applied on the skin.

Of wood pigeon and rock pigeon’s dung.

Pigeon’s dung is admirable against pain in the ischium bones, when mixed
with cress seeds. If you want to drain a tumor, take an ounce of this dung,
two drachms of mustard and cress seeds, an ounce of extracted oil from old
tiles, mix it all together, and apply it on the spot. It is certain that many have
been cured with a mix of this dung and peach kernel's oil.

Of goose and duck’s dung.

Galen in his tenth book on simples says that goose dung is useless, because
it is too acrid. Yet I can say, through my own experience, that he has never
seen the virtues of this dung. There was once in Lisbon, near Cape St.
Vincent, a Franciscan monk who would cure jaundice in no time; this
ambitious and mercantile Brother would claim that he was using precious
and rare remedies, but his ruse was found out, as he was using nothing more
than goose dung mixed with white wine, which he gave people one drachm
to drink each morning for nine days; I have used this secret several times
successfully.

Of hen’s dung.

Dioscorides says that hen’s dung is only useful against burns, when mixed
with rose oil and applied topically. Galen and Paul of Aegina advise to mix
it with honey, vinegar and water to relieve those who have eaten too much
mushrooms or pumpkins, for it can be used to spit out food that is heavy on
the stomach. I have tried this in Lisbon on young pages of the king of
Portugal; a doctor from Galen’s time used it against all sorts of colic,
mixing it with hippocras made from wine and honey.

Of mouse’s dung.

If you mix mouse’s dung with honey, and rub it on a spot where hair has
fallen out, it shall surely grow back.

Of a small lizard’s dung.

If a woman is old and wants to remain attractive, I recommend this dung to

her, as it can be used to remove all kinds of wrinkles and to make the skin
fairer, providing a beautiful and pleasant skin tone. Because women are the
glory and pleasure of men, I want to provide them with the recipe for a
foundation that far surpasses anything they could find in the trade of beauty
preservation. Here is the way to prepare and use this mixture, which is as
easy as it is curious and necessary to the fair sex:

Take the dung of a small lizard, cuttlebone, white wine tartar, ground
deer horn, white coral, rice flour, all in the same quantity, grind it all
together in a mortar, then let it soak for one night in water infused with the
same quantity of almonds, vine slugs, mullein flowers; then add the same
quantity of white honey and grind it all together again; this composition
must be carefully kept in a silver or glass vessel; when needed, rub it on the
face, hands, breasts and neck, and you shall invariably experience the
goodness and truth of this secret.

Of the virtues of urine.

We believe that it is relevant here to mention the faculties and virtues of

urine, which can be demonstrated in two ways; we shall not ponder on the
first one, because Galen has already talked enough about this in his treaty
on crises; but we shall speak as much as we can of the second, and show the
marvelous effects of urine, whether it is used topically or as a drink.

Urine is warm and acrid, and I believe that it is more precious than the
theriac of Andromachus, or the secrets of Rufus, because these excellent
remedies can become scarce, and urine is infallible in its properties. While
one may naturally be reluctant to drinking urine, if you drink that of a
healthy young man, you can be assured that there is no better remedy in the
world; while it may not cure ringworms, suppurating ulcers of the ears or
festering wounds, it is useful against many more ills, and its value must be
considered; the reader shall surely benefit from reading about its virtues.

In the isles of Spain, there is a great variety of snakes, asps and other
venomous beasts, whose bite cannot be cured with theriac. After searching
long and hard for a remedy, doctors have put the following preparation to
great use. They take mullein leaves, the herb named carnation, redcurrant
leaves, a fistful of each, and boil this all together with strong vinegar and
urine in the same quantity, then let it reduce to half; then they rub this
mixture on the bite, and if the venom has traveled through the body, they
give the sick man half a glass of this mixture to drink, so that he shall
recover in little time. This remedy has been approved several times and is
still being used in Spain.

Of the virtues of bones.

Do not reject the properties and virtues of bones, for they are as estimable
as dung and urine. Indeed, men show very little practicality when they
travel far, and they spend a lot to find things that do not equal the things
that they despise, which they would find to be very precious, if the effects
of these things were known; and so we are going to show these effects.

Of man’s bones.

Human bones especially have a hidden and marvelous virtue against

epilepsy or the falling-sickness, when they are reduced to a powder and
given as a drink, on an empty stomach, to someone who suffers from this
ill. The Arabic doctors say that these bones should be drunk with claret
wine, and that the bones of a man should be given to a man, and the bones
of a woman to a woman. However, I have cured a young woman from
Tours who was suffering from this ill, by giving her to drink each morning
for forty days, the ashes from animal bones in a peony decoction. Likewise
this powder is very good against arthritis, when drunk each morning with a
cinnamon decoction, on an empty stomach.

To this chapter on bones, I shall add mention of the horn from the
hooves of pigs and cows. If you burn the horn from a pig’s hoof and reduce
it to a powder, and then give it to someone to drink, it cures inflammations
of the epigastrium. If you do the same with the horn from a cow’s hoof
mixed with honey, it strengthens and solidifies loose teeth. It also kills the
worms inside the body; and if you dilute this mixture with water and
vinegar, it appeases spleen ache.

Of man’s saliva.

Man’s saliva comes in three kinds. The first, after a meal, has little to no
virtue at all. The saliva of a man whose stomach is empty and who has not
drank anything for a while has great properties, because it is very acrid; and
the saliva that comes after digestion is in between. Human saliva is deadly
to asps, snakes and other venomous reptiles, upon touching their body. I
myself have killed large asps with a staff that was coated in saliva. Wet
nurses can cure all sorts of inflammations with their saliva, including boils
and scabies on children. Saliva is indeed great to drain a tumor, especially
with wheat that has been chewed for a while and then applied to the lesion;
and as we can see in the Book of the Arabs, saliva mixed with quicksilver
appeases the malignancy and impetuosity of tumors.
Moreover, if you mix quicksilver with saliva, the sole act of inhaling it
can cure the plague; this secret should not be made known, as it is very
curious.

Of the virtues of slugs.

Slugs are admirable and very useful creatures, and they have many
properties on the human body; as there are several kinds of slugs, we shall
mention them one after the other.

Of red slugs.

Here are some of the secrets I have experienced using red slugs. I bake
some of these slugs in the oven inside a tightly sealed pot, then I reduce
them to a powder and incorporate this powder in soup for younger children,
or in pottage for older ones; and with this remedy, I can cure all sorts of
hernias, without any topical application. For frail children, you can boil the
slugs in a water bath and give them this water to drink with sugar, or mixed
with porridge, which has the same effect as the powder. Take equal parts
red slugs and rosemary, mince these together, then place this in horse
manure for forty days in a tightly sealed lead pot. Then extract the oil from
this pot, and expose it to the sun in a glass vial for some time; this oil is
great against the cramps that women endure before or after giving birth.
Those whose stomach has become wrinkled from multiple pregnancies may
also use it, so that their skin shall become as smooth as if they were
wenches.

Snails possess wondrous properties, for if they are ground and placed on
the stomach of someone who suffers from dropsy, they shall drain excess
water. They should be left there until they fall on their own.

Galen teaches us a wonderful secret which I have experienced myself

several times. If you mince slugs, mix them with incense and aloe powder
until the mixture is as thick as honey, and then apply this on the forehead,
any inflammation of the eyes shall heal. I have once, in a single night, cured
a miller who had been stung and had injured his nerve, by applying snails
on his wound with some of the flour from his mill.

In the year 1535, several people were dying of dysentery in Narol, and
the doctors were helpless. I cured more than three hundred of this ill, by
feeding them a mixture of powdered baked slugs, blackberries, white
pepper and galls. When finely chopped and applied on the navel, slugs shall
stop any kind of discharge. Some say that if you apply them to a wound,
they shall extract anything that is still inside.

If you boil slugs, they shall prove to be admirable against urinary

retention, and against gonorrhea. Take about one pound of slugs and one
pound of egg whites, one pound of the four coldest seeds, half an ounce of
lettuce juice, four ounces of cassia, three ounces of Venice turpentine, grind
everything together, leave it for one night, then boil it. Use the water only
after leaving it to rest for some time. You shall give the sick man half an
ounce of this water with one drachm of white sugar, on an empty stomach,
and within nine days he shall be perfectly cured.

Of earthworms.

Earthworms are well considered in medicine, however they are used. To

demonstrate this, we shall report on what the wisest doctors have written, in
much different terms. Galen, while he never experienced it himself, says
that according to Dioscorides, when ground earthworms are applied on a
severed nerve, it shall repair itself shortly. Also, if they are chopped and
cooked in water and honey, and then drunk, they can cure urinal retention,
however resistant it is.

Dioscorides says that worms, when cooked in goose fat, appease all the
pains and ills of the ears, and that when cooked in oil, they prevent tooth
ache, if they are placed in the opposite ear while still warm. The same
Dioscorides assures having read in some books, that the worms, when
drunk in wine, dissolve all kinds of bladder stones. In the book that Galen
wrote to Piso concerning theriac, it is written that drinking worms with
water and honey is good against jaundice; some doctors, in order to avoid
causing disgust to the sick, administer worms in a powder, without telling
them when and how.

Of shield bugs.

While there is no filthier or worse smelling insect than shield bugs, they
still have their own properties, and can sometimes be necessary; for if you
drink them with strong vinegar, they expel leeches from the body, if you
have swallowed any while drinking water.

Of old shoes.

There is a common proverb: I have as much consideration for you as for my

old shoes, which means that you despise someone and have no use for him.
Yet, it would not be said so often if we all knew how useful old shoes can
be. If they are reduced to ashes, they shall relieve bruises on the heels, the
same way as scorpions do, when pus is involved. Those ashes should be
mixed with rose oil. You can also extract oil from old shoes, which is
admirable against all kinds of edemas and tumors.

Of rotten wood.

Sometimes what we despise and reject as useless happens to be necessary in

some occasions. Such is true of rotten wood, which can be used to cleanse
and drain purulent ulcers when applied on the wound.

Of walnut partitions and shells.

While walnut partitions are not edible, they do possess a hidden and
excellent virtue against all sorts of diarrhea, when soaked in white wine and
then drunk. Dioscorides says that if walnut partitions are burnt and mixed
with wine, and then applied on the navel, they can stop the blood flow of
menstruating women.
God has sealed a great secret within the shells of walnuts, for if you
burn them and mix them with wine and oil, they nourish hair and prevent it
from falling. A whole walnut, burnt in its shell and applied on the navel,
appeases the pain of childbirth, which nurses refer to as womb ache.

I shall not ponder too much on walnut oil, since Dioscorides did not
mention it often; yet it has been found recently that nothing in medicine
surpasses walnut oil made in sunlight with elder flowers, to appease injured
nerves. Though the outer green husk is usually shunned, Galen makes a
juice out of it, which he cooks in honey, and uses to cure all sorts of throat
aches, including phlegmatic and purulent ills.

Of horn.

The modern doctors hold the horn of a unicorn in great esteem, and they say
that it is great against venom, whether drunk or applied topically. They also
recommend it against poison, and against the plague, even once it has
settled in the body; to sum it up, they recommend it as a general remedy
against all kinds of diseases. I have wanted to experiment on this myself,
but I have not found as many virtues in this horn as in a deer’s horn or a
goat’s horn, which possess the virtue of bleaching and cleansing the teeth,
as well as tightening the gums. Both of these horns can also relieve
dysentery and stomach ache when burnt and taken as a drink.

Some will be tempted to say that I have not experimented on my

reports, and that I am merely paraphrasing Celsus, Galen, Paul of Aegina
and several other wise men; and this I admit, because I have never been
tempted to disguise lies as truth. However, they can have faith in my words
under the authority of these most competent doctors, who assure that
ground deer horn, as a drink, is admirable for anyone who is spitting blood,
suffering from diarrhea or womb ache, or weeping often due to an excessive
moistness of the eyes.

Of old tiles and pots.

The powder from old tiles or old pots, mixed with honey, is a great remedy
for bleaching the teeth; likewise, soaked in strong vinegar, it is useful
against scabies, itchiness of the skin and warts. If it is well ground, mixed
with wax and applied on scrofula, it allows the pus to drain.

Old tiles are used to produce a kind of oil that has received several
different names; the Arabs name it divine oil, others name it blessed oil,
some oil of the philosophers, and some finally, referring to the matter that it
is made of, name it oleum de lateribus. Mesue confers several virtues to this
oil, and says that it is good against many ills.

Of street mud.

Mud is so vile that when one wants to indicate contempt for another, he
may say that he has no more use for him than for the mud of his own shoes.
However, mud should not always be discarded, as experience often shows,
and despite the ancient doctors not mentioning it.

If you take mud from the streets and apply it on a burn caused by fire or
boiling water, it shall prevent the formation of blisters. I have noticed
several times that the mud from the underside of a water bucket can close
knife wounds when applied topically. There is an admirable secret to relieve
women who suffer in childbirth; some, after giving birth, experience a
strong fever due to an abundance of milk in their nipples. This can be
fought by taking mud from the bottom of the bucket of a knife grinder, and
rubbing it on the sore nipple, so that the pain goes away overnight; this
would be much slower, over fifteen days, if you were to use hemlock, lye or
populeum. If the woman is too sensitive to stand the smell of this mud, you
may mix it with rose oil.

Of brine.

Brine possesses abstergent properties. It is good against diarrhea, as an

enema or clyster. Galen claims to have relieved peasants of hardened knees,
using a topical remedy made of old, rotten cheese and the brine of a ham.
Of a swallow’s nest.
No one ignores that the powder from a swallow’s nest is an inestimable
remedy against inflammation, when mixed with honey and rubbed on the
spot, outside and inside if possible. If you bake a swallow’s nest in white
wine, through a peculiar virtue, rubbing it on the stomach will relieve the
pain in no time; believe this if you want, and as for me, I shall always trust
this remedy to deliver me from my pain, against any syrup, oil or other
remedy of western or eastern medicine.

Of soot.

None of the ancients has spoken about the common soot, which gathers in
fireplaces, but they have thoroughly mentioned that of incense, myrrh,
turpentine, storax, cedar pitch; yet we should not cast it aside, simply
because our predecessors did not know its virtues; indeed, God has not
revealed every secret to our fathers. The soot from our fireplaces, mixed
with strong vinegar, is useful against frostbite, but first you have to rub the
injured spot until it becomes red; this same remedy is also great against
residual itching from illness, if the soot is made by burning butter in an oil
lamp. It must be stored carefully, for it is a treasure of medicine to prevent
excessive weeping, to close lacrimal fistulas and against other ills of the
eye. The ancients would make soot from pitch, which, according to
Scribonius Largus, appeases inflammations of the ear, when mixed with
rose oil and placed there.

Of the stem of a cabbage.

It would take a long time to describe in detail what wise men have said
about the great properties of cabbage. I refer the reader to these doctors
about the most useful part of the cabbage, which is the stem. If you burn it
with its root and mix it with the oldest lard that you can find, it can be used
to cure all sorts of pains on the sides. I know full well that Galenists and
Nicholians may not approve of my remedy, because some of them shall not
find it in their recipes, and because others are no less than what they believe
themselves to be, as in faithful bigots of Galen; but I do not care for either
of them.

Of spiders and their webs.

According to the doctors, a spider can either harm or help man a lot; but I
shall only mention its beneficial and useful properties. Firstly, a spider,
when ground and placed in a piece of cloth on the forehead and temples,
cures tertian fever; and if you apply a spider’s web on a wound, it stops the
blood flow. Furthermore, it keeps wounds and ulcers from inflammation.

Of a hare’s brain.

The brain of a hare is very good, as experience has shown us, to help
children grow their teeth by rubbing it on their gums. Someone who is
easily afraid may eat of it as often as possible, and he shall surely be
delivered of his imaginary terrors. Following Pliny, I have cured more than
thirty boys and girls of involuntary urination, by giving them some of this
brain to drink in claret wine.

Of a cat’s brain.

A cat’s brain, when rubbed on the outside of the throat, can cure
inflammations caused by strong and sustained fevers, in less than two days.

Of oyster shells.

Such shells, when ground to a powder, raw or burnt, and mixed with a bit of
fresh butter, possess a marvelous power against old hemorrhoids. When
applied on old and purulent ulcers, they dry and cleanse the wound
admirably.

Of hair.

I only know of two sorts of hair, which medicine has any use for. Man’s
hair, reduced to a powder and drank for seven or eight days with white wine
in the morning, cures jaundice. Hare’s hair, burnt and applied on a wound,
stops the blood flow instantly. Also, if you give it to someone who suffers
from dropsy or calculus to drink with white wine, he shall be cured.

Of glass.
Glass is very useful for the common man, and no less as a medicine. It is
written in several books by the doctors, that if you place glass seven times
in the fire and seven times in saxifrage juice, and then grind it, and give it to
drink to someone who suffers from calculus, the stone shall dissolve, no
matter in which organ it is. Some pride themselves in having cured dropsy
sufferers with said powder, when drunk with hydromel.

Of eggshell.

Galen, in several texts, praises the yolk and the white of an egg, not only
because they are quite nourishing, but also very useful in medicine. He has
never said anything about the shell, however, and we shall say that when
you take the cracked shell of a hatched egg, grind it and drink it with white
wine, it dissolves calculus in the kidneys and in the bladder.
 Chapter III

Approved secrets for the handling of metals.

IN order to harden iron, take verbena with the root still attached, grind
it and preserve the juice in the receptacle of your liking. When you wish to
use it, mix it with urine and the blood of a small worm in the same quantity.
Then, heat the iron moderately, soak it once in this mixture and let it cool
by itself until you can see yellow marks on it. Place it back in the mixture,
and if it turns blue, this means that it is not hard enough yet.

To harden knives.

Cool your knives or other pieces of metal in the marrow of a horse.

To harden a file, etc.

Take a pair of old shoes, burn them, grind them to a powder and add the
same quantity of salt. Then place your files in an iron box between two
layers of this powder the thickness of a coin, and place the box in a fire
until it glows red. Quench it in cold water, and then your files shall become
hard and sturdy; alternatively you may rub flax oil or goat’s blood on them.

To harden any other matter.

Gather cinquefoil and wormwood juice in a glass. Grind worms and press
them in a piece of cloth; then rub this cloth on the heated piece, and let it
cool in the glass.

To keep steel hard and sharp.

Heat the piece of steel, and let it cool in a mix of urine and clear, lukewarm
water; or place it in strong mustard made with strong vinegar, provided that
the steel is clean and well-polished.

To prevent metal from shattering when hardening.

Melt tallow and pour it in cold water, until it becomes thick and forms a
layer the thickness of a finger on the surface. Then take your hot piece of
steel, quench it first in the tallow and then in the water, and you can be
assured that it shall not crack; this is how chainmail is quenched.

To soften iron or steel.

If you want to render iron or steel as soft as copper, take the same quantity
of quicklime and alum, and grind this together in a mortar; then mix it well,
and place some of this mix on a cloth, the thickness of a finger. You shall
then place the piece of metal that you want to soften on this cloth, and
throw it in the fire for an hour, until it cools by itself. You can be assured
that the iron or steel shall become as soft as copper.

To soften crystal.

Take burnt lead and crystal in the same quantity, break it up on a stone, and
place it together in a crucible to melt; in this way, it shall become as
malleable as you want. Or take quicklime and ash made from wine dregs in
the same quantity, to make a detergent that you shall filter nine or ten times,
and then soak your piece of steel or crystal in this liquid for twenty-four
hours, after which it shall turn soft.

To soften iron.

Take some of the water that floats atop a bleeding man’s blood, and place
your iron in a fire so that it glows red. Then, you shall dip a feather in the
aforementioned water and rub it on the iron until the feather comes apart.
This is an infallible secret.

To soften iron or steel, in order to curve or straighten it to your liking.

Take as much chamomile flowers, herb-Robert and verbena, stuff this in a

well-sealed pot filled with warm water, then bring it to a boil, and leave
your iron to soften in this composition.
 To weld all sorts of metals, even cold iron.

Take an ounce of sal ammoniac, an ounce of common salt, an ounce of

tartar salt, three ounces of antimony; grind it all together, and filter this
through a sieve. Then place it in a cloth surrounded with clay the thickness
of a finger, and leave it to dry; afterwards, lay this on a pot shard, on a small
fire which you shall slowly increase until the composition becomes red and
melts together. Let it cool and grind it to a powder, and when you wish to
use it for welding, place the two pieces of metal on a paper sheet as close to
each other as possible, and apply some of the powder between both. Then,
you shall boil borax in some wine until it is consumed, and use a feather to
rub some of this mixture on the powder. The surface of the metal shall
begin to boil, until the welding is complete; if there is any residue left, you
shall remove it by rubbing, as it may not be filed away.

To weld iron.

File the surface of two pieces of iron where you wish to join them, then
place them in a fire, and throw some powdered Venetian glass on. They
shall join instantly.

A powder to turn any metal liquid.

Take a quarter of antimony, sandiver and common salt, grind it all to a

powder, take three parts of this powder with one part of your metal of
choice, and let it melt together.

To carve on all sorts of metals.

Take one part linden coal, two parts vitriol, as much sal ammoniac, and
soak it all in vinegar, until it turns into a soft paste; and when you want to
carve into iron or some other metal, you shall trace the pattern of your
choice with a mix of vermilion and flax oil, which you shall leave to dry.
Then, you shall cover it with a layer of paste, the thickness of a finger, and
as hot as possible. When everything has dried, remove the paste and wash
the carving thoroughly. Otherwise, take two parts copper resinate, one part
common salt which you shall grind in a mortar, adding strong vinegar, and
proceed as mentioned. Or, take vitriol, alum, salt, vinegar and do the same
thing.

To carve with water.

Take copper resinate, quicksilver, sublimate, vitriol, alum in the same

quantity, grind it well together, and place it in a glass for half a day, stirring
often. Then, trace the pattern of your liking with a mix of ochre or
vermilion and flax oil, and rub the water on this pattern. Leave it to dry for
one day or longer, if you want to carve deeper.

Another stronger way.

Take a quarter of copper resinate, alum, sal ammoniac, tartar, vitriol,

common salt. Mix it all together in strong vinegar, and leave it this way for
an hour. When you want to do the carving, trace the pattern with ochre and
flax oil, leave it to dry; then heat the composition in a pan. Place your piece
of metal in the pan, and pour some of the water on it, using a ladle, for
fifteen minutes. Make sure that the water does not get too hot, or the oil
may spread from the pattern. Finally, scrub the piece of steel with cinder or
quicklime, and you shall see the pattern raised from the rest of the piece.

To give the color of gold or silver to all sorts of metals.

Take one part ochre, two parts graphite, four parts Armenian bole, and as
much eau de vie. Grind it all together with flax seed oil, and add four or
five drops of varnish. If the mixture is too thick, you may add a bit more oil.
Then gather it all in a thin cloth, and once it resembles honey, rub it on your
piece of metal; finally apply the gold or silver on the piece, and you shall
witness the truth of this secret.

To give a yellow hue to tin or copper.

Take dry varnish, amber and alum, both of these in the same quantity, and
add varnish and flax oil; place all this on the fire to boil, in a lead pot. Mix
it well and try the mixture with a knife. If it is too thick, add some oil, and if
it is not thick enough, add some alum instead.
 To give a golden hue to tin.

Place well refined flax oil on a fire, then add amber and aloe in the same
quantity, and mix it all so as to get a thick mixture. Remove it from the fire
and place it under the soil for three days; then, if you rub some of this
mixture on a piece of tin, and cover it with gold, it shall take on the color of
gold.

To give a silver hue to copper.

Take wine tartar, alum, salt; grind these together on a stone, then add one or
two pieces of silver foil. Boil it all in water, using a lead pot. Then, if you
place a piece of copper in this pot, and rub it, it shall gradually take on the
color of silver.

To gild iron or steel.

Take one part wine tartar, half as much sal ammoniac, one part copper
resinate and a bit of common salt, boil it all in white wine, and then rub the
mixture on your piece of iron or steel. After the metal is polished enough,
leave it to dry, and apply the ground gold to it.

To make a gilding water for iron or steel.

Take an ounce of ash made from wine dregs, an ounce of white wine, an
ounce of alum, half an ounce of rock salt, an ounce of alum, as much
copper resinate and copper sulfate, common salt, and a pint of running
water; boil everything together until it is reduced to half its initial volume,
and then place the mixture in a new pot, which you shall cover with seven
or eight pieces of paper and a large clay shard, so that it is not exposed to
the air. When you want to gild something, you can use this water with great
success.

To clean iron, weapons and any metallic object.

Take ground lead, place it in a covered pot with some olive oil, and leave it
like this for nine days; then rub some of this oil on any piece of iron, steel,
any metallic weapon or tool, and it shall not rust. Some tallow extracted
from the boiled feet of an ox is also admirable for the same purpose.
 Book Four

Chapter I

A Treaty on physiognomy, and how to tell the character and

inclinations of men from their body parts, etc.

AS we have formerly spoken on the subject of the body parts of men

and women in general terms, it is now necessary that we treat of each body
part in particular; there is no doubt that the curious-minded reader shall be
pleased with this small treaty on physiognomy, which is an ingenuous and
natural science for knowing the inclinations of men, or the properties of
animals. And because there are simple organs such as the tongue and the
heart, and some that are more intricate, like the eye, the nose, etc. we shall
provide two ways of knowing them, firstly using visible signs, and secondly
using dreams, which have been explained to us by the ancients. Thus, there
are many differences between men and women in regards to physiognomy;
and what follows shall implicitly apply to men, because men are more robust
in nature.

A good physiognomist, before rendering his judgment, must carefully

examine a person and pay special attention to the difference in sex, for while
male and female faces are similar in appearance, a closer look shall reveal
many differences. The same is true of every other body part; and so the same
judgment may not apply to both sexes, because women have a much weaker
constitution.

In order for this treaty to be easily read and accessible for the reader, we
shall speak of one body part at once, beginning with the head, and once we
are done with every part from head to toe, we shall end this treaty by giving
grace to God, who has shaped everything from nothingness into existence,
and who governs the universe with an admirable and infallible wisdom.

Of hair.

The man who has long, white or blond hair, fine and soft to touch, is
naturally timid, frail, pacific, always welcome and agreeable everywhere he
goes. He who has thick, coarse and short hair is strong, intrepid, bold,
worried, superb, most often deceitful, intrigued by beautiful things, rather
simple than wise, although happiness always accompanies him. Frizzy hair
is the mark of a tough, very simple man. Those who have a lot of hair on the
temples and the forehead, are simple, glorious, subject to lust, shall easily
trust others, believe everything that they are told, are weak in spirit, rude in
their speech, and always in a bad mood.

Rough, curly and wig-like hair denotes a very simple, bold man, superb
and tough, easy to anger, untruthful, lustful, wicked, and prone to bad deeds.
He who has curly hair, sparse on the forehead, so that it is high and wide, is
simple, neither kind nor wicked, but musically gifted. Those with thick hair
across the whole scalp are lustful, have an easy digestion, are superb, easy to
trust, neglectful, of shallow memory, curious and unhappy. Red hair is the
mark of a jealous man, cunning, deceptive, superb and slanderous.

Very blond hair denotes a man who is good at everything, and loves
honor and vainglory. A man with black hair shall easily overcome his
enterprises, is more likely to do good deeds and to serve others, and is
hardworking, discreet and happy.

Whitish, green or azure hair signals an honest man, perfect, fearful,

sheepish, feeble, of great judgment, but of mediocre ability. The man who
has sparse hair of an unremarkable color is agreeable, more inclined to good
deeds, loves getting rest and cleaning himself, and has good manners. Those
who have gray hair in their youth are inconsistent, subject to lust, superb,
and talk a lot.

Of the forehead.
A high and round forehead is the mark of a man who is liberal toward his
friends and siblings, happy, of good judgment, and well-received by most.

He who has strong skin and bone in the forehead is pernickety, superb,
deceitful, and rather simple than wise. He whose forehead is very narrow on
each side has a lot of wit and judgment, is bold, prone to bad deeds,
courageous, curious of beautiful things, and loves honor.

A forehead with pointed temples, as if the bones were protruding,

denotes a proud man, inconsistent, weak in all things, simple and of weak
judgment.

A man with fleshy temples and fat cheeks is courageous, superb, choleric
and tough.

He whose forehead is wrinkled, oval and split as if he had two, and

whose nose is also split, or not, is good, bold, has a lot of wit; but fortune is
always against him.

A large forehead, wide on both sides, slightly rounded, bare and hairless,
marks a courageous man, of noble spirit and good judgment; cunning,
wicked, bold, easily angered, unjust and of little conscience, therefore
deceitful.

He whose forehead is long and raised in a round shape, and whose face
sharpens toward the chin, is simple, good, of small composition, fair and of
good conscience, yet unhappy.

Of the eyelids.

When eyelids are shaped like an arch and go upward while blinking, they
denote a superb man, violent, proud, marvelous, bold, menacing, curious of
beautiful things, and dexterous in everything.

Those whose eyelids drop when they are speaking or looking at a person,
are wicked, deceitful, treacherous, greedy, slothful, reserved, and they do not
speak often.
 He who has thin eyelashes is simple, superb, weak, credulous and of nice
company.

Eyelashes that do not fold near the edge mark an ignorant man, slothful,
distrustful, greedy, envious, easy to fool and to seduce.

Those who have short, white eyelids are polyvalent, timid and gullible.
Those with long and wide eyelids are the opposite.

Of the eyebrows.

Thick eyebrows mark a sparing man, secret, wise, very curious of beautiful
things, rich in appearance.

He who has long eyebrows has little capacity, and a subtle spirit; he is
quite bold, happy, and a sincere and true friend.

Of the eyes.

Eyes that are large usually denote a slothful man, bold, envious, shameful
and who does not keep secrets, polyvalent, generous, superb, somewhat
deceitful, choleric, of wicked memory, rough spirit and little judgment, and
much less wise than he believes himself to be.

Those whose eyes are deep set and who see far and wide, are suspicious,
wicked, hot-tempered, of bad manners, have a lot of memory and are bold,
cruel, menacing, vicious, lustful, envious and deceitful.

Eyes that protrude from their sockets mark a mad, shameless man,
somewhat generous, helpful, of rough judgment and spirit, inconsistent and
prone to change.

A man who stares a lot and whose eyes are wide open, is wicked,
deceitful, delusive, envious, sparing, secret, impious and without conscience.
 Small and round eyes show that a man is shameful, weak, simple, easy to
manipulate, of rough spirit and slow judgment, often unfortunate, and
liberal.

Those who look sideways are deceitful, pernickety, greedy, envious,

misleading, subject to wrath and quite prone to bad deeds.

The man whose sight is inconsistent is usually deceitful, proud, simple,

lustful, seducing, gullible, envious, violent, curious of beautiful things and
indifferent to good or bad.

Those who blink often and whose eyelids are constantly moving, are
lustful, inconsistent, most often deceitful and mendacious, treacherous,
unfaithful and presumptuous.

Eyes that have yellow spots on the white part, denote a man who is
deceitful, vain, misleading, lustful, does not keep his word, and who is quite
reserved, attached to his feelings and unbound in his violence.

A man who has a slow, yet fine sight and whose eyes move a lot, is quite
wicked, superb, slothful, deceitful, unfaithful, envious and contentious.

Those with red, tear-soaked and bloodshot eyes, are subject to anger,
superb, contemptuous, cruel, shameless, unfaithful, deceitful, proud, simple,
shallow, misleading and easy to become pious or insincere.

Big, ox-like eyes mark a simple man, slow to judge, of wicked memory,
and quite rough-mannered, who can make do with any food.

Eyes that are dark, and neither too big nor too small, denote a man who
is peaceful, honest, conscientious, of great spirit and solid judgment, always
willing to serve others.

Of the nose.

A long and fine nose marks a courageous man, curious in his undertakings,
subject to anger, superb, inconsistent, weak of body and spirit, and quite
gullible.

A long, wide nose with a bigger bottom part signifies a wary man, secret,
obliging, somewhat loyal, honest in his actions, secretive, and capable to
dominate or submit to a friend.
He who has a snub nose is violent, superb, deceitful, lustful, weak,
inconsistent, gullible and easy to manipulate.

He whose nose is wide in the middle and curved in the upper part, is
usually deceitful, superb, lustful, speaks a lot, and always has fortune against
him.

A big and long nose marks a man curious of beautiful things, simple in a
good way, prudent with bad deeds, fortuned, passionate in his wishes, secret,
and less wise than he thinks himself to be.

A pointed nose, neither too long, too big, nor too wide, denotes a man
who is easily angered, ruled by his feelings, contentious, prudent, of weak
constitution, wicked, cunning, menacing, and who has a very good memory.

Those whose nose has a round end and small nostrils, are superb, robust,
persuasive, proud, liberal and loyal.

Those with an extremely long nose, wide in the extremities rather than
big, and quite round, are bold in public, honest in their actions, quick to
insult, deceitful, envious, greedy, secret, and they wish the best for others,
although they often have bad intentions without letting it be known.

A nose that is raised in the top part, and long with large edges, marks a
bold man, superb, greedy, envious, covetous, lustful, deceitful, cunning,
proud, glorious, unhappy and contentious.

A nose that is strongly raised in the middle part denotes a man who is
usually deceitful, vain, inconsistent, lustful, persuasive, importune, of
excellent spirit and rough character, wicked and rather simple than wise.
 A man whose nose is redder than usual, is greedy, impious, lustful,
surprising, kind, of rough character and spirit, and shallow capability.

He whose nose is somewhat big, and slightly bigger on the edges, enjoys
peace and work, is loyal, secret and of good judgment.

Those who have hair in the extremities of a big nose, and between the
eyebrows, are moderate in all things and quite inconsistent.

A nose that is big overall, with large nostrils, marks a man of rough
spirit, rather simple than wise, deceitful, disingenuous, misleading,
contentious, envious, vain and glorious.

Of the nostrils.

Thin and narrow nostrils are the mark of a prudent man, contemptuous,
deceitful, loyal, vain, glorious, curious of beautiful things and modest in his
actions.

Big and wide nostrils mark a man who is well disposed for love, lustful,
treacherous, vain, delusive, bold, deceitful, envious, curious, of rough spirit,
greedy and somewhat timid.

Tight nostrils denote a mad man, deceitful, superb, warlike but without
fortune.

Of the mouth.

A mouth that is big and large when open or shut, marks a bold, shameless
man, who loves to go to war and to spread gossip, lies often, speaks and eats
a lot, has a rough spirit, is greedy, and somewhat mad.

A small, tight mouth is a sign of a pacific man, timid, loyal, secret,

greedy, liberal, sheepish, erudite, who does not eat a lot.

Those who have a foul breath are sick in the liver, and usually deceitful,
vain, lewd, misleading, shallow, surprising, envious, curious, quite liberal
toward their friends; they love to hear and to spread new stories, they are
gullible, and rather simple than wise.

He whose breath smells pleasant enjoys giving and receiving, is prudent,

quiet, handsome, gullible, and inconsistent.

Of the lips.

Full and protruding lips mark a man who is rather simple than wise, and
quite compliant.

Thin, protruding lips show that a man is quiet, secret in all things,
prudent, subject to anger, and has a lot of wit.

He whose lips have a pleasant color and are quite fine, is moderate in all
things, prone to change, and closer to virtue than vice.

Those with unequally shaped lips, so that one is bigger than the other,
have more simplicity than wisdom in themselves, have a rough spirit, a slow
judgment, and are sometimes lucky, sometimes unlucky.

Of the teeth.

Small, weak and sparse teeth mark a man who is weak, witty, delicate,
honest, just, loyal, secret, timid, short-lived, and prone to good and bad
deeds alike.

Teeth that are unequal because of how the gums are arranged, so that
some are closer together and others further apart, show that a man is prudent,
witty, bold, contemptuous, envious and easily influenced.

Those with long, sharp and gapped teeth are envious, gluttonous, brazen
and shameless, deceitful, misleading, disloyal and suspicious.

Those with yellow teeth, long or short, have more madness than wisdom
in themselves, a rough character, and are gullible, fierce, deceitful, envious
and suspicious.
 Big, wide teeth, whether they are protruding or gapped, show that a man
is superb, lewd, strong-willed, gullible, simple, misleading, deceitful and
shallow.

Thick and strong teeth denote a long-lived man, curious of beautiful

things, tough, of a rough spirit, courageous, stubborn in his feelings, who
likes to learn and spread stories, and is quite gullible.

Weak, small, sparse and thin teeth mark a feeble, short-lived man who is
prudent, kind, gullible, sheepish, honest, mild and who loves justice and
righteousness.

He who has many, well-aligned teeth shall live a long life, and is subject
to lust and gluttony, is bold, strong and quiet, and trusts his own feelings.

Of the tongue.

A sharp, agitated tongue marks a man who is rather simple than wise, of a
rough spirit, of perverse judgment, very gullible, and capable of doing good
and evil alike.

He who stutters is quite simple, superb, inconsistent, subject to short

bursts of anger, obliging and weak.

He whose tongue is big and rough is prudent, smart, somewhat obliging,

vain, disdainful, secret, treacherous, timid, impious, and loves to relay
stories.

He who has a ready tongue is prudent, ingenious, ordinarily timid,

gullible, and easily influenced.

Of the breath.

A strong breath is the mark of a strong wit, and the opposite is also true.
 A shortness of breath may be caused by small lungs, or by a corruption
in the chest; and so, animals that possess a deep breath tend to be very strong
and to drink a lot.

Of the voice.

A deep and loud voice marks a robust man, bold, superb, lustful, drunken,
warlike, deceitful, misleading, secret, subject to anger, envious, who follows
his feelings and shouts a lot.

A soft and weak voice, caused by a shortness of breath, marks a man

who is weak, timid, of good judgment, prudent and who eats very little.

He who has a clear and resounding voice is somewhat resourceful,

sincere, prudent, deceitful, ingenious, glorious and gullible.

He who can sustain his voice while singing is quite strong, has a lot of
wit and good judgment, and is greedy and covetous of others.

A trembling voice marks an envious man, suspicious, slothful, glorious,

weak and timid.

A high voice is the sign of a strong, robust man, bold, outrageous and
attached to his feelings.

He who has a rough voice while speaking or singing, also has a rough
spirit, judgment and character.

A voice that is either too high or too low pitched, denotes a man rather
simple than wise, robust, easy to feed, vain, inconsistent, very timid,
deceitful and persuasive.

A man who has a soft, full and agreeable voice, is pacific, secret,
apprehensive, sparing, subject to anger and attached to his beliefs.

He who often raises his voice is easily angered, fierce, bold and firm.
 He who has a soft voice when calling another is weak, mild, honest,
greedy and prudent.

He who has a loud, high pitched voice when calling another is robust,
easily angered, bold, prudent, wicked, quite proud and superb.

A cracked, loud and fluent voice is the mark of a timid man, superb,
violent, lustful and gullible.

Of the laughter.

Mad men laugh a lot, because they have a bigger spleen than most.

He who laughs easily is simple, vain, superb, inconsistent, gullible, of

rough character and judgment, obliging and obtrusive.

He who rarely laughs is consistent, greedy, prudent, of subtle judgment,

secret, loyal and hard-working.

A man whose mouth is strained while laughing is wise, very attached to

his feelings, ingenious, patient, greedy, dexterous in his work, easy to anger
and to oppose others.

To the contrary, a mouth that laughs with ease denotes an inconsistent

man, envious, gullible, and who tends to switch sides.

He who twists his mouth while laughing, or pulls a grin, is arrogant,

misleading, greedy, choleric, deceitful and usually treacherous.

Of the chin.

A wide and fleshy chin marks a pacific man, mediocre, rough, conscientious,
secret and prone to change.

A sharp and somewhat fleshy chin denotes a man of good judgment, of

generous character and of moderate temperament.
 He who appears to have two chins split in the middle is pacifistic, rough,
vain, very gullible, reasonably helpful to others, quite discreet and secret in
his actions.

The man who has a sharp and fleshy chin is warlike, bold, irritable,
disdainful, timid, weak and quite obliging.

A curved chin, wider toward the jaws, fleshy, and somewhat sharp,
marks a very wicked man, simple, bold, superb, menacing, envious,
misleading, swift and easily angered, treacherous, thievish and secret.

Of the beard.

Men do not start growing a beard until they are fourteen of age, and from
this age on the beard slowly grows longer and thicker. They also grow hair
around their natural parts. It is known that hair grows from a surplus of
ingested food, the vapors of which travel through the jaw like smoke through
a chimney, and then come out through the skin as hair strands, commonly
referred to as the beard. Almost no women have a beard; instead the vapors
that are responsible for the male beard go into the menses, which flow once
or twice in a month. Girls experience them from the age of eleven onward,
as well as women who are not pregnant; often, these menses become milk
inside the breasts.

Yet it is true that occasionally, hair shall grow on a woman’s face as a

result of these subtle and naturally warm humors, and most often around the
mouth because the flesh is warmer on this spot. It is certain that such a
woman is deeply in love because of her warm temperament. She who has no
hair on her face, especially around the mouth, has a good constitution, is
timid, fearful, sheepish, chaste, weak, soft and obliging; to the contrary, a
hairy woman possesses the opposite qualities.

Children have no beard, because their nature is not strong enough yet,
and the pores of their jaws have not opened. The same thing can be said
about menses for little girls.
 A nice, lush beard marks a naturally good man, of reasonable character,
who accommodates to everything in time and occasion.

He whose beard is sparse and scanty, in the likeness of eunuchs who

have had both of their testicles removed, is closer to a woman in his
character and inclinations.

Of the face.

A face that gets sweaty from the smallest effort marks a warm-tempered
man, vain, lustful, gluttonous, of rough character.

A fleshy face denotes a timid, somewhat happy person, liberal, quiet,

lustful, of wicked memory, gullible, well-meaning to others, erratic, envious,
inconstant and presumptuous.
A meager face signifies that a man is prudent, hard-working, of good
judgment, rather cruel than pious, tender and shallow, disdainful.

He who has a small, round-shaped face is simple, timid, weak, of wicked

memory and of rough constitution.

A man whose face looks like that of a drunkard loves wine, is ribald,
vain, robust and drinks often.

If his face looks furious, he is easily angered, and shall remain so for a
while.

A long and meager face marks a bold man in his speech and actions,
simple, contentious, superb, outrageous, misleading, impious and lustful.

A face that is neither too long nor too round, too meager nor too fat,
marks a polyvalent man, more prone to good than bad deeds.

He who has a fat and large face is more simple than wise, rough, slow to
act, gullible, glorious, inconstant, lustful, vain, forgetful of evil, deceiving,
slanderous and secret.
 An even, high face with a small forehead, marks a polyvalent, kind man,
who is very gullible, prudent, loyal and more simple than wise, patient in
adversity.

A slanted, meager face signifies an outrageous man, envious, misleading,

deceitful, contentious, hard-working, of rough spirit, simple in all things,
slow to judge, without a conscience, and who gets angry easily.

A man whose face widens from the forehead to the jaw, and is more
raised than usual, is simple in his actions, envious in his words, sometimes
timid, sometimes bold; sparing, deceitful, vain, misleading, violent,
contentious, of rough character and wicked spirit.

He whose face is well shaped and has a nice color, is generally good at
everything, and flees from vices and virtues equally.

A pale face marks an unhealthy man, mild, treacherous, deceitful,

superb, lustful, greedy, envious, presumptuous, rough, disloyal and without a
conscience.

A face with a beautiful and nice color marks a perfectly healthy man,
naturally happy, quite gullible, somewhat obliging, of good judgment, and
capable of change in many ways.

Of the ears.

Big and large ears mark a simple man, stupid, slothful, of rough character,
wicked memory, and rough constitution.

Small and thin ears mark a man of good spirit and judgment, wise,
secret, pacifistic, prudent, timid, sparing, modest, vain, violent, of happy
memory and quite obliging.
Ears that are somewhat longer than usual, or larger across, signify a bold
man, shameless, vain, slothful, without judgment, quite obliging, who works
little and eats a lot.

Of the head.
A large and round head marks a secret man, prudent in his actions,
ingenious, quiet, staunch and of good conscience.

A head with a big mouth and neck area, which leans toward the ground,
is the sign of a prudent man, greedy, pacifistic, secret, very attached to his
feelings and staunch in his undertakings.

A long head with a long face, tall and misshapen, signifies a senseless
man, wicked, very simple, vain, gullible and envious, who likes to hear and
spread stories.

A man who turns his head to every side is mad, simple, vain, deceitful,
misleading, presumptuous, inconstant, slow to judge, perverse, shallow,
somewhat liberal, and loves to invent and spread stories of his own.

He whose head is big with a large face, is suspicious, very violent,

curious of beautiful things, simple, prudent, rude, secret, bold and almost
shameless and indecent.

A head that is big and not nicely proportioned, with an awry mouth and a
big neck, signifies a man who is quite wise, prudent, secret, ingenious, of
solid judgment, sincere and very obliging.

He whose head is small, with a long and narrow mouth, is weak, a bit
mad, eats little, loves science and is never really happy.

Of the mouth.

A white mouth, meager or fat, marks a glorious man, vain, timid, lewd,
deceitful, somewhat prudent, violent in his anger and disdainful.

A fat and small mouth with visible veins marks a man who is always
unhappy, weak, timid, slothful, indelicate, gullible, and switches sides like a
weathercock.

Of the neck.
He who has a long neck and thin, long feet, is simple, indiscreet, timid,
weak, envious, deceitful, misleading, ignorant and inconstant.

A short neck marks a prudent man, greedy, misleading, secret, constant,

discreet, subject to anger, ingenious, very understanding, quite strong,
peaceful, and who likes to govern.

Of the arms.

Long arms that extend to the knees, although rare, mark a liberal man, bold,
superb, violent in his fancies, weak, simple, who does not ponder on his
deeds, and is glorious to the point of stupidity.

A man with very short arms compared to his body is courageous,

ungrateful, bold, envious, superb, foolish and greedy.

He who has thick bones in fleshy arms, is quite superb, presumptuous,

envious, curious of beautiful things, and persuasive.

Fat and muscular arms mark a man who is glorious to the point of
foolishness, curious, who enjoys various things and is rather mad than wise
in his undertakings.

If a man has hairy and somewhat fleshy arms, whether they are thin or
fat, he is lustful, shallow, weak, very jealous and quite wicked.

Hairless arms mark a mediocre man, violent in his anger, persuasive,

vain, lewd, deceitful, weak, misleading, and ingenious in bad deeds.

Of the hands.

Tender, plump and long hands mark a man of good judgment, shallow,
fearful, peaceful, with a good conscience, quiet, obliging and talkative.
 Those with big and short hands have a rough spirit, are simple, vain,
deceitful, strong, hard-working, loyal, persuasive and they do not stay angry
for long.
Those whose hands have thick hair and big, curled fingers, are lustful,
vain, deceitful, of rough spirit, rather simple than wise.

Curled hands that are raised toward the fingers denote a liberal and
obliging man, able, prudent, brutal, envious, who keeps his anger for
himself, of good judgment, and somewhat secret.

Of the stomach.

A big and large stomach marks a very bold man, superb, greedy, subject to
anger, clingy, curious, envious and prudent.

Those with a narrow stomach, raised in the middle, possess a subtle

judgment and spirit, are good counselors, sincere, tidy, ingenious, prudent,
wise, violent in anger, irritable and quite secret.

A hairy stomach denotes a lustful man, very prudent, rough, liberal,

hard-working, and obliging.

He whose stomach is hairless, is weak and shallow.

If a man has an even, flat, meager and hairless stomach, he is timid, lives
a well-ordained life, has a lot of spirit and a good capacity, is peaceful, secret
and does not like to talk about many affairs.

Of the back.

A hairy, meager and straight back marks a shameless man, cunning, brutal,
perverse in his judgment, weak, easily tired and slothful.

He whose back is big and fat is strong, rude, vain, slow, slothful, and
subject to roguery.
 If the back of a man looks thin and large and rather meager than fat, he
has a pale face and is weak, contentious and gullible.

Of the belly.

A fat belly marks a man who eats and drinks a lot, and is slow, courageous,
glorious to the point of foolishness, rogue, ribald, deceitful, both
conscientious and treacherous at the same time.

A large and wide belly marks a hard-working man, consistent, prudent,

of good judgment and shallow capacity.

Those with a hairy belly from the navel to the bottom are very talkative,
bold, prudent, of good judgment and shallow capacity, somewhat polyvalent,
erudite, fearful, obliging, big-hearted, and somewhat unhappy.

Of the flesh.

Soft and tender flesh around the whole body marks a weak man, happy,
timid, of good judgment, shallow, loyal, who does not eat a lot, and often has
fortune against him.

Those with tough and rough flesh are strong, bold, of tough constitution,
vain, superb, rather foolish than wise, and always unhappy.

If the flesh appears fat and white, a man is vain, glorious to the point of
foolishness, stupid, forgetful, very curious, somewhat timid, modest,
humble, prudent, wicked, lying and distrustful.

Of the ribs.

Fat and fleshy ribs mark a strong, slow and very simple man.

Ribs that are fine, thin and with little flesh on them, mark a weak man, unfit
for work, prudent, cunning, conscientious and just.
 Of the thighs.

Thighs with thick, rough hair mark a ribald man, who loves to court and
whose sperm is excellent for conceiving; to the contrary, he who has little to
no hair on his thighs is not very lustful, but rather chaste and does not
impregnate easily.

Of the hips.

Those with plump hips are strong, bold, superb as a rooster or a hawk.
Of the knees.

A man with fat knees is timid, liberal, vain, and does not work a lot; to the
contrary, one with meager knees is strong, bold, secret, walks a lot and does
not tire easily.

Of the legs.

Men have soft flesh behind their legs, because they do not possess a tail; so
says Aristotle in his Book on Animals.

Those whose legs have thick bones or a lot of hair, are strong, bold,
prudent, secret, of rough spirit, slothful, slow and tough.

Small legs with sparse hair denote a weak man, timid, of good judgment,
loyal, obliging and rarely ribald.

Legs with no hair at all are the mark of a chaste man, weak and fearful.

If a man has very hairy legs, it is a clear sign that his natural parts have a
lot of hair around them, and that he is lustful, robust, simple, inconstant and
filled with wicked humors.

Of the ankles.

Fat, big and strong ankles mark a modest man, timid, fearful, weak, unfit for
work, prudent, loyal and compliant.
 Those who have visible nerves and veins on their ankles are bold, strong,
superb and violent.

Of the feet.

Big, fleshy feet, long in proportion and with tough skin, mark a simple,
strong, vain man, who has a rough temperament and a slow judgment.

Those with ponderous, nimble, meager and tender feet have a good
judgment and wit, and are timid, weak, prudent, unfit for work and gullible.

Of the fingernails.

Thin, long nails with a nice or pale color are the mark of a healthy man,
whose mother did not eat salty foods during pregnancy, but rather sweetish
foods.

Of the heels.

Those whose heels are small and meager are easily scared, and weak.

Those with big and fat heels are secret, strong, bold, rather foolish than
wise, and do not tire easily.

Of the soles.

One can guess the fortune or infortune of a man from his soles, as well as his
inclinations, his manners and the length of his life. We shall note that soles
with long creases are an omen of dangerous diseases, grieves and misery to
come; soles with short creases mark all sorts of woes.

If the skin under the feet is thick and tough, it marks a strong man, solid,
subtle and of mediocre temperament.

Of the walk.
He who walks slowly and with wide steps has a short memory, a rough
spirit, a fierce judgment, hates working, is greedy and incredulous.

A man who walks fast and with small steps is swift in his actions,
ingenious and delicate.

If someone walks awry with wide steps, he is simple, rough and

mischievous like a fox.

Of the body movements.

If a man shakes his hands, feet, head etc. with no reason while talking,
sitting or standing idle, he is messy, indiscrete, slanderous, vain, inconstant,
deceitful and unfaithful.

He who moves very little while talking is quite polyvalent, prudent,

greedy, obliging, constant and of good judgment.

A man who moves abruptly for no reason, forward or backward, is

simple, of rough spirit, dishonest in his words, envious, altruistic, and quite
polyvalent.

Of the humps.

Those with a humped back are prudent, spiritual, of short memory,

misleading and somewhat wicked. He who has a hump on the front says one
thing to some and another thing to others, and is rather simple than wise.

Of the body.

A tall man with a straight back, rather thin than fat, is bold, cruel, superb,
glorious to the point of foolishness, greedy, grand, shouts a lot, does not
believe rumors easily, keeps is anger for himself, and is often lying and
wicked.

A long and quite fat body marks a strong man, infidel, deceptive, of
rough spirit, sparing, ungrateful and hidden.
 He who is tall, meager and nimble, is imprudent, vain, lying, robust,
unquiet in his desires, gullible, slow in his actions, and very attached to his
opinions.

A short and fat body denotes a vain man, envious, jealous, rather simple
than wise, stupid, quite obliging, credulous, who stays angry for quite a
while.

He who is small, meager and shapely is naturally prudent, ingenious,

sparing, superb, bold, secret, glorious and foolish, quite wise, of good
judgment and quite secret.

A man who slouches naturally, not because of old age, is prudent, secret,
stupid, rough, severe, sparing, hard-working, stays angry for a while, and
does not easily believe rumors; to the contrary, a man who leans backward is
stupid, mediocre, robust, vain, of shallow memory and changing like a
weathercock.

A wise and curious remark.

If you see a man who is all at once reddish, faithful, tall, wise, plump,
simple, good, handsome, neither foolish nor glorious, poor, unenvious,
white, sensible, well-spoken, industrious, honest, shapely, not very bold,
incredulous but never critical of anything without reason, and who is not
easily afraid, who speaks with modesty, who is not secret, yet prudent, who
does not have a hot temper, nor hair on his face and thighs, who is not
lustful, nor two-faced, deceitful, vain or misleading, who is skilled in his
craft, and uses his wealth honestly without wronging the poor, who is honest
in poverty, impious, merciful, subject to illness, who sells without begging
nor lending his wares, who is slanderous, of good reputation, and who does
not have many enemies; then you must give grace to the one God and to His
blessed mother, because this man can only be the work of a divine power
that surpasses the ordinary course of this transient and mortal world’s nature.

A conclusion on this treaty.

A true physiognomist must have perfect knowledge of what we have
mentioned in every previous chapter, lest he fall into error. He must first
carefully examine each testimony and conjecture of each limb and body part
of a person, and then express his general sense while taking notice of as
many signs as he can; for if he stops at each limb in particular, he shall
invariably contradict himself, some limbs having opposite marks to others,
as of the hands, legs, feet, which often do not possess the same signs as the
head, eyes, etc. Therefore, let him be careful of this. Also age, inclinations
and temperament should be taken in account, as they may help him find and
speak the truth. It would be off topic to expand any more on the subject of
this science, after what we have already explained as clearly as we could,
and we shall end this treaty by begging the reader to be grateful to the
author, who has presented this for his use and pleasure.
 Chapter II

Joyful and mournful days.

TO make sure that nothing is missing from the perfection of this small
book, and so that is may be curious and useful to the public, we shall add an
abstract on several patriarchs and others of the Old Testament, with an exact
chronology of either their birth or other life events for each day of the
month; here we shall tell apart joyful days from mournful days, and which
are proper for doing a given thing.

Adam, the first man, was placed in Eden after it was created, and God
gave him absolute dominion over all creatures; blessed would he be, if he
had retained it! But here is no place to lament the blindness of our first
father. He was created on the first day of the Moon, and this day shall not
be favorable to those who fall sick, because their sickness shall last a long
time, although they shall be cured eventually and in no danger of death. If
you have dreams during the night of this first day, this means that you shall
have joy, and the child who is born on this day shall live a long life.

On the second day, Eve was created as a spouse for Adam and for the
expansion and preservation of mankind; her weakness in the face of the
serpent was baneful for all and would still be today, had the second Eve not
repaired the fault of the first. On this day, one may travel safely on earth
and sea, and be well received everywhere. It is fit for procreation, and for
all who wish to have children; it is good for asking and obtaining what you
want from kings, princes and lords. It is fit for building, making gardens,
orchards and parks, plowing the soil and sowing; if anyone steals on this
day, he shall soon be found and caught; if you fall sick, your sickness shall
be brief; and do not place trust in the dreams that you shall have during the
night of this day, as they will have no effect. A child who is born on this
day shall grow up fast and visibly.
Eve gave birth to Cain on the third day, and he saw fit to sacrifice his
brother; The way in which God punished him for fratricide should make us
abhor this vice, which is all too common in this age. Do not undertake
anything on this day, not even sowing, nor planting; if one falls sick, his
disease shall be dangerous, yet he shall recover with a proper life regime.
Dreams shall be useless and ineffective, and a child born on this day shall
not live very long; this day is very mournful.

Abel, the second son of Adam and Eve, was born on the fourth day of
the Moon; he was murdered by his brother, and jealousy was the sole cause;
for as it is written, his sacrifice was more favorable to God than that of
Cain. This day is fit for undertaking and building mills and ships for sailing
the sea; it is fit for finding stolen goods, like cattle; sicknesses caught on
this day are very dangerous. Dreams shall have an effect if they are good,
and no effect if they are bad. A child who is born on this fourth day shall be
a traitor.

Lamech was born on the fifth day; if someone has committed a crime or
a wicked act on this day, he shall not escape punishment; one shall not find
what he lost, if a man falls sick, he shall not recover, dreams shall be
doubtful, and the child born on this day shall not live long.

The sixth day is joyful in many ways; Hebron was born on this day.
Students shall learn a lot in science, thefts shall be easily found, and
sicknesses shall be short. On this day, dreams must be kept secret and
untrusted; children shall live long.

The first murder in history happened on the seventh day of the Moon.
Abel fell victim to his brother; this day is very fit for bloodletting. Rogues
and cut-throats shall not escape punishment of their crimes committed on
this day, sicknesses shall be short and easy to cure, dreams shall come true
and children shall live long.

Methuselah, the man who lived the longest life, was born on the eighth
day; this day is favorable to travelers and unfavorable to those who fall
sick; dreams on this day shall come true, and children born on this day shall
live a long life.

On the ninth day, Nebuchadnezzar the impious king, who used of his
royal dignity wrongly, was born, and we know well of the things that
happened to him as punishment for his crimes; this day is neither joyful, nor
mournful. Sicknesses shall be life-threatening at first, and dreams shall have
their effects shortly. Children born on this day shall live long.

Noah, the second father of mankind, who, along with his family was the
only one that God would save from the Flood by means of the ark that He
ordered him to build in order to shelter all sorts of animals, was born on the
tenth day. This day is good for many undertakings; dreams are vain and
without effects, sorrows are short; sicknesses shall be deadly, unless care is
shortly provided. Children who are born on this day shall be avid travelers.
Samuel, who is often mentioned in the scriptures, was born on the
eleventh day, a day that is fit for traveling from one land to another; women
who fall sick on this day shall have a hard time recovering; children who
are born on this day shall be very spiritual, ingenious and shall live long.

Nothing must be undertaken on the twelfth day, as it is absolutely

mournful; dreams shall come true, sicknesses shall be fatal, and children
shall walk with a limp; this day saw the birth of Canaan.

The thirteenth day is similar, and nothing shall be undertaken on this

day; sicknesses shall be perilous; dreams shall come true in little time, and
children shall live a long life.

God blessed Noah and his whole family as a reward for his good
actions, on the fourteenth day of the Moon; it is a very joyful day, and
sicknesses shall have no complications; dreams shall be doubtful, and
children born on this day shall be perfect and well-versed in everything.

The fifteenth day shall neither be joyful nor mournful; sicknesses shall
not be fatal; dreams shall be reliable and come true in little time, and
children who are born on this day shall love women.

Job, a man of God and an example of patience, whom God called His
faithful servant when the Devil requested the permission to tempt him, was
born on the sixteenth day; this day is very joyful for merchants of horses,
cattle and all sorts of animals; dreams shall come true, and children shall
live long. This day is also fit for travelling to another land and climate.
 The infamously vile cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, full of debauchery,
perished on the seventeenth day and paid for their crimes in a miraculous
fire; only Lot and his family were preserved from destruction. Nothing must
be undertaken on this day, doctors shall be of no help against sickness.
Dreams shall become true three days later, and children born on this day
shall be happy.

Isaac, Abraham’s only son, who came close to being immolated by his
own father but was delivered by an angel who told Abraham that God was
satisfied of his obedience, came to life on the eighteenth day of the Moon.
On this day, sicknesses shall be dangerous, dreams shall be trustworthy, and
children shall be hard-working and become rich.

The nineteenth day saw the birth of Pharaoh, a king who took his whole
life’s pleasure in opposing God and oppressing His people. For a long time
he kept Abraham’s wife in his palace; his heart became so hardened that in
the pursuit of his crimes, he died as he had lived. On this day, it is better to
stay withdrawn in solitude, than to frequent many and to get drunk;
sicknesses shall not be harmful; dreams shall have effects in no time;
children born on this day shall be neither wicked, nor rogue.

Prophet Jonah, who was engulfed in the belly of a whale for three days
as per the will of God, because he was unable to convince the people of
Nineveh to repent, came into this world on the twentieth day, which is fit
for all sorts of undertakings; sicknesses shall last long, dreams shall be
likely to come true and children shall be wicked, deceitful, rogue and
depraved.

King Saul, who is well known in the scriptures, although especially for
his hatred of David, was born on the twenty-first day; this day is fit for
feasting and for dressing up; it is good for making provisions; thieves shall
be found shortly; sicknesses shall be dangerous and most often fatal,
dreams shall be useless and without effects, and children who are born on
this day shall be hard-working.
 Jacob, who was blessed by his father, came into this world on the
twenty-second day; nothing must be negotiated or undertaken on this day;
the sick shall be in danger of death, dreams shall have effects and children
shall be kind, honest and have many qualities.

Benjamin, whose name is well known because of its etymology and

meaning, was born on the twenty-third; this day is fit for gaining honor;
sicknesses shall be long-lasting, but not fatal; dreams shall be untrue,
children ugly and counterfeit.

The twenty-fourth day saw the birth of Japheth; this day is neither
joyful nor mournful; sicknesses shall last long, but without danger; dreams
shall have no effects, children shall be kind, honest and shall love feasting a
lot.

It was on the twenty-fifth day that God willed to punish Egypt of its
crimes and disobedience, by the means of a plague and other ways of death;
on this day, the sick shall risk dying; children shall neither be unhappy, nor
exposed to dangers.

After Moses had warned Pharaoh of his crimes several times on the
command of God, he split the sea, in which the entire army of the king was
engulfed. Saul and Jonathan also died on the twenty-sixth day, and this is
why this day is mournful and unfit for undertakings; the sick shall die,
dreams shall be true and children shall be quite happy and fortunate.

The twenty-seventh day is fit for work and undertakings; sicknesses

shall be transient, dreams shall be dubious, children kind and friendly.

On the twenty-eighth day, anything may be undertaken; let the sick have
no fear, as their sickness shall not be dangerous, and the children of this day
shall be neglectful and slothful.

Herod the impious king, who dared threaten the life of his Savior, and
who, in his failure, pushed his rage, ambition and cruelty to the point of
slaughtering every young child in his kingdom, was born on the twenty-
ninth day. This day is woeful for all sorts of affairs and undertakings;
dreams shall have effects, the sick shall be delivered, children shall live a
short life, and be unwelcome in companies.

The thirtieth day of the Moon is joyful and fit for any enterprise; the
sick shall be in danger of death unless they are tended to shortly and with
good care; dreams shall yield good things in no time; children born on this
day shall neither be smart, nor cunning.

This is what we can say of the days of the Moon, and we hope that those
who read this information shall use it profitably.
 Chapter III

Of the characteristics of malignant fevers.

NOBODY ignores the woeful effects of malignant fevers; the

widespread cases in recent years are all too evident to be ignored. This is
also the reason why the translator of the Secrets of Albert the Great has
decided to include this short treaty, which delves deeply into these
dangerous sicknesses in order to fight their mournful consequences; it was
found, among other writings of the wise man, in an ancient library.

These fevers are acute, and are accompanied with worms and purple
abscesses which assuredly manifest a great corruption. A burning fire,
which dries the tongue and loads it with grease, with an insatiable thirst, a
slow pulse and a continuous failing of the heart.

These sicknesses are usually fatal and more dangerous in the summer
than in the winter, because when the heat comes, corrupted humors seep
their venom into every noble part of the body.

Thus, I have felt obliged to tend not only to my own patients, but also to
those of my friends, by prescribing memoirs to instruct them about the
necessities of these afflictions, and the remedies thereof.

There are two sorts of remedies, one which is divine, and one which is
natural.

Of divine remedies.

Divine remedies consist in prayers and trust in the ability of God to deliver
men from all dangers and ills. This relates to Psalm 16 where the royal
prophet addresses his prayer to God in this way:

God is my guard and my defense against the beasts, His hand shall be
my shield against the darts of my enemies; I am without fear, should there
be a hundred thousand around me. God has surrounded me with His armies
and I shall not lose myself under His lead.

Through the prayers of the prophet, the Israelites were delivered from
the plague; the same grace was granted to the prayers of Moses and Aaron.

While the pagans have not known the one true God, they have also
resorted to prayer in their afflictions; during a great plague, the Athenians
raised altars in several places to the God unknown to Europe, Asia and
Africa; begging him to appease his wrath, they recited these words: great
God, heal us and deliver us.

Titus Livy relates that the plague was in Rome during the time of
Camillus. Immediately the Romans resorted to prayers and alms, reconciled
with each other, put an end to their trials and disputes, and did all sorts of
good works to appease their Gods, whom they believed were angry against
them.

Valerius Maximus also says that while contagion was in Rome, an

effigy of Asclepius was brought from Epidaurus, because the sibyls had
predicted that the sickness would not cease until this was done. This is all
that I have to say about divine remedies and their historical use not only by
the Christians, but also by the Pagans.

Of natural remedies.

Natural remedies are of three kinds; external, internal, and of the life
regime. Purging and bloodletting are internal remedies, some of which are
simples and some composites; simples are, for example, rue and lemon;
pills, theriac and mithridate are composites, and we shall mention their
virtues and admirable properties, which are true and verified by reason and
daily experience.

Purging and bloodletting are the first internal remedies, for when the
body is filled with excrements and corruptions, it is vulnerable to a plague
infection; and this is why purgation is often used, although as gently as
possible, in order not to disrupt the humors.
 A purgatorial bolus.

Grind together cassia, licorice, allspice and sugar. You shall take this in the
morning, three hours before eating; those who abhor doctors may use our
purgatorial tisane instead, which easily empties the stomach.

A purgatorial tisane.

Take half an ounce of licorice with two pints of water, place this on a fire,
and take it away when it starts boiling. Let it cool for twenty-four hours and
then add two drachms of cassia. You shall drink of this tisane for two days,
on every hour and during meals. On the next morning, you shall draw some
blood from the basilica vein, in order to release the stagnating humors;
those who fear bloodletting, instead, may take the following pills three
times a week, at least four hours after dinner.

A cordial pill.

Take aloe, myrrh, dittany or Armenian bole, angelica roots, saffron and
sweet almond oil, and clump this together into small balls. Myrrh prevents
the corruption of humors, aloe has the same virtue, and both fortify and
clean the stomach; saffron restores corrupted humors and strengthens the
heart; angelica, dittany and Armenian bole are efficient against the venom
of contagious sicknesses; if you use of these remedies as indicated, they
shall prove to be an invincible rampart against this enemy of nature.

A cordial preserve.

If you do not want to use pills, take three ounces of lemon, including the
peel and seeds, well grated and ground; add the same quantity of liquid rose
preserve, two drachms of alchermes, thirty rue leaves, neither green nor dry,
but in between. You shall consume two measures in two days, the size of
half a nutmeg in the evening, before sleep.

Of the properties and virtues of lemon and rue.

Democritus, in his third Book of Athenaeum, mentions a remarkable thing
about the virtue of lemon, which he claims to have learnt from one of his
friends who was a governor in Egypt. This governor, in conformity with the
law of the land, had condemned two criminals to be thrown to the asps; this
torment was ordinary and common among Egyptians, especially when they
wanted to kill someone painlessly. As the poor criminals were being lead to
their death, a fruit merchant passed by, and feeling compassion for them,
gave them lemons to eat. Then, as they were bitten by the snakes, the
venom had no effect and they did not die, to the surprise of the judge; as he
was told that they had eaten lemons, he ordered to bring them back on the
next day, when he gave a lemon to one of them, but not to the other; the
man who ate a lemon was unharmed, and the man who did not died on the
spot; for the venom of an asp is so quick and deadly, that it shall kill a man
in less than two hours.

At the very instant of the bite, the face is struck with pallor and a cold
sweat, and then an extreme sleepiness is felt, along with a slight unrest that
is closer to pleasure than pain; then, a fainting similar to that which happens
during bloodletting, and shortly after, death.

Queen Cleopatra chose to die in this way, and she was found with her
two servants looking as if she was asleep, her cheek in her right hand,
which shows that she died very gently.

Rue is present as an ingredient in the recipe that Pompey found in the

cabinet of King Mithridates, written by his own hand, which he would take
every morning on an empty stomach, and which would preserve him from
poison and venom for an entire day:

Take two dried walnuts, two figs, twenty rue leaves, a grain of salt, and
grind these together. Or take a dried walnut, five leaves of rue, a grain of
salt, grind these into a paste, stuff it in a fig, roast it and eat it this way.

This king had the curiosity to try his recipes on criminals who were
condemned to death by poison, in order to find antidotes. All of the wise
doctors have held this remedy in high esteem.
 No less are the properties of rue excellent against several kinds of
poison, including wolfsbane, toxic pumpkin, snakes, scorpions and rabid
dogs, whether ingested or used topically.

Aristotle, in his ninth book on the History of Animals, says that before a
weasel attempts to fight a snake, it shall eat rue in order to prevail against
the venom. The Heraclean people were also used to eating rue before
leaving their house to guard themselves from their prince Clearchus, who
had several of them poisoned.

Of mithridate and theriac.

King Mithridates gave his name to this remedy; he took great care of
gathering all the simples that he knew were useful against venom, and
combined them into this admirable preparation, not only against poison, but
even against the plague. Theriac is not much different, and Andromachus,
Nero’s first doctor, only added the flesh of a viper to its recipe; certainly
theriac has a marvelous power against the venom of vipers, but otherwise
mithridate works best against everything, being naturally milder and less
warming.

King Mithridates used his remedy against poisons, and he grew so

accustomed to it, that when he tried to die from poisoning to avoid falling in
the hands of his enemies, he failed and had to be killed by one of his
servants.

Emperor Antoninus, persuaded by his doctor Demetrius, preferred

theriac to mithridate, and he took some of it on every day. He became very
healthy, as these remedies preserve the flesh, purify the blood, fortify and
restore health. They are marvelous against the most dangerous of
sicknesses; paralysis, epilepsy, apoplexy, dropsy, gout, mania, stones,
leprosy, and all sorts of weaknesses of the private parts, although this
emperor only used them against poison, like others since Nero.

It is unnecessary to further show how great these remedies are against

the plague, after the demonstration of Aelianus Meccius, a famous doctor
from the time of Antoninus, who, during a plague, proved all other cures to
be useless. That being said, they have to be chosen carefully and taken at
the right time; we are now going to speak of their admirable effects.

If you place some of the remedy in a viper’s maw, it shall surely die; the
same shall happen if you take some in your mouth and spit on a scorpion.
Snakes flee from everything that has been rubbed with it, and if you blow
some on medicine, you shall prevent its effects. Also, if you take a rooster,
feed it some good theriac and pit it against snakes, it shall not die from their
bites, when other roosters would. These remedies are like the fire which
consumes venom and poison, and purifies corrupted air.

I compare them to fire because of their great virtue for cleansing the
heart and dissipating the corrupted and venomous humors around it, but not
because of their warmth, at is it quite mild, and does not pass the tenth
degree of anise and fennel.

On this matter, several ancient and modern doctors have proscribed the
use of these remedies, because they believe them to be warmer than they
actually are; and while they are composed using warmth, it is well tempered
enough by the quantity of added opium. One of the wisest doctors of this
time, reflecting upon the quantity of opium in this composition, which is
one grain per drachm more than other drugs, has placed these remedies on
the first degree of warmth.

This is why tempered men may use them without fear, as long as they
observe discretion and moderation; and they shall see how these remedies
prevent the corruption of humors, soothe the blood in the veins, give
strength, preserve health and extend life.

More than twelve years are necessary to render theriac in its perfection.
I say more, because the climate that we experience is colder than in Italy or
Africa, where the ancient doctors used this time to render it perfectly; this
remedy may only be used after this time period. It can be kept strong and
potent for thirty years, and up to forty years. Galen has used theriac for up
to sixty years, against benign diseases.
 In this cold land, fifteen good years are needed to perfect the confection
of these divine remedies, so that through a long boiling process, every vile
component in the opium may be purified, and so that several distinct
qualities may join together, although unnoticeably, to produce marvelous
effects.

One should then always take theriac between twelve and forty years, in
order to receive the full benefits of it; the way to use it is to take twenty
grains in the morning, four hours before eating, or in the evening, four to
five hours after a sober dinner. It is best taken after digestion is complete,
when the stomach is clean and void of any food.

These remedies can be taken every day like the Emperor used to, not
only against poison and venom, but also against all of nature’s discomforts;
however, they should be proscribed during the warm days of summer to
those who are subject to bile, and those who are younger than twenty-five
years should take them in moderation. They should be kept from children,
to whom they do more harm than good, not because of their warmth, but
because of their essential qualities. These remedies are sovereign for old
men, and they should use them often, like a divine providence for health
preservation.

The daily abuse that I witness in the usage of these remedies has caught
my attention and pushed me to overcome the limits that I had set for myself,
because many people take them without reserve as if all sorts of theriac
were alike, and blindly trust the merchants, which tarnishes the reputation
of these remedies, even though they are the best and most precious ones in
medicine.
I have felt necessary to prove the excellence of the properties of the five
preservatives that are the lemon, rue, cordial pills, mithridate and theriac, in
order to use them with confidence and fearlessness, following the
prescribed methods; for while they have much power against venoms, they
have no less against the corruption of the air, which is easier to resist; this is
the end of the chapter on internal remedies, and we are now going to talk
about the manners in which to use external remedies.
 Of external remedies.

In this chapter, we shall ponder on external remedies, in order to prepare

against these dangerous sicknesses that spawn from the corruption of the air
we breathe. Here we shall provide the remedies that are guaranteed to
prevent these infections from reaching the heart.

The city of Athens was once struck by a great plague, due to corrupt
winds that came from Ethiopia. Hippocrates, seeing this, had several fires
lit all around the city and in all public places, which provided an end to this
peril.

The same should be done around private houses and even in bedrooms,
with fragrant perfumes such as juniper, laurel, rosemary, thyme, lavender,
cloves, cinnamon, rue, incense, myrrh, lentisk and more. You shall perfume
the house several times in a day, as often as necessary; it is even beneficial
to breathe those perfumes. Vinegar alone is an excellent perfume if you
place embers in it.

Ideally, contagious places should be deserted, but if this is not possible,

you should vent the purest air ahead of yourself while traversing them.

Of the life regime.

As far as the life regime goes, it is good to use moderation and to leave the
table with a bit of appetite, rather than a full stomach. Indeed, the axiom
“rather full than empty” is not always appropriate; and to the contrary, one
should be neither full nor empty, in the example of Hippocrates, who says
that excessive repletion and excessive abstinence both cause harm, if they
exceed the natural limits of a person; one overwhelms the body with an
abundance of humors, and the other weakens, dries and consumes the
substance of inner and outer body parts. When weakened, the body offers
less resistance to harm, and the corruption which is the source of the plague
is readily created from an overabundance of food according to Galen, who
says: no more humors, no more corruption; no more corruption, no more
danger. Because health consists in moderation, which is the true rule that
must be followed, it should be applied to the life regime and to all bodily
actions.

Excessive sleep and idleness engender superfluities in nature,

weakening its strength, troubling the senses and the mind; staying up for too
long is harmful to the digestion of food, and fills the body with viciousness.
Excess is contrary to nature and ruins it, while temperance maintains,
fortifies and enhances it.

As for the quality of meats, they must be juicy, easy to digest. Flesh is
easily corrupted by the infection of the air, which is why it is good to soak it
in vinegar or verjuice, to salt it, to wash it before cooking, or to boil it in
sorrel verjuice, orange juice, lemon juice or vinegar.

As for fruit, most are neither good nor healthy, except for cherries,
plums and apples. Olives fortify the stomach, capers cleanse the liver and
spleen, prunes are good against heat in the liver and other noble parts; dried
figs, grapes and almonds purge obstructed veins, purify the lungs and chest,
and all of these fruits prevent corruption, as the humors that they produce
never warm up or become corrupt.

Thirst warms the blood, which is why drinking with moderation is good
in order to avoid an inflammation of the blood that could lead to fever.
Delicate wine must be preferred to rough and smoky wine, and may be
delayed with water, according to the strength and capacity of a person.

One should always be cheerful, and avoid any occasion to get angry;
and as much as possible, one should refrain from sadness and grief, and
should keep a calm spirit, for as the poet says, it is rest that must always
escort the soul, and that preserves and maintains the health.

Of bloodletting.

Hippocrates, during an epidemic, refused to open a man’s vein because, as

Galen says, while his sickness had not declared itself at this point, he died
on the next day; which shows that every action has a proper time to be
performed. However, it must be conceded that bloodletting is necessary for
someone who has a lot of blood and experiences pain, inflammation,
oppression, shortness of breath and other similar afflictions. Care must be
taken to only draw blood in proportion to the strength and capacity of the
person, and this is a universal rule in medicine.

Experience and reason call for drawing blood from the side where the
affliction is felt, and where most of the pain and heaviness are. The cephalic
vein is fit for parts of the neck and head, the median vein for the chest, ribs
and armpits; the saphenous vein, for the groin and lower parts. When
bloodletting cannot be performed, suckers are used with scarifications.

An affliction must always be prevented and fought before it takes root

and becomes inveterate. A cordial potion must be administered first, and
thrice again in the same hour, if the patient throws up; also an enema and a
bleeding during the same time, but only if it is possible, for if a bubo has
already formed, bloodletting will only cause more harm. All of these
treatments can be performed in two hours, in order to dispose the patient for
sweating.

Of the manifestations of the plague.

Oftentimes, the venom of a plague fever lays hidden in the flesh without
any outer manifestation, so that it is more difficult to identify and more
dangerous; but it may also show through exterior purple or black marks,
and buboes.

Against purple ulcers, the only needed remedy is the one we mentioned
before; but against black and bubonic ulcers, specific remedies are needed,
depending on whether the signs manifest before or after the fever. Black
ulcers must be drawn as much as possible using proper attracting agents,
and the inflammation of bubonic ulcers must be appeased through gentle
applications, in conformity and proportion to the intensity of the warmth
and pain experienced.

A cataplasm against buboes.

Take common onions or lily bulbs, roasted under ashes in the ground. Add a
few egg yolks, some pigeon’s droppings, some yeast, and make a cataplasm
with flax oil. Some may add a bit of mithridate or theriac to the mix.

Others instead shall use boiled scabiosa, which they grind into a
cataplasm with lard.

Some who fear a propagation of the venom to the heart shall quickly
apply a catheter to the sore in order to open it and release the humors.
Vesicants or suckers may also be used, although only if the pain allows it;
for oftentimes the pain inflicted to a patient under the pretext of relieving
him shall become fatal, most people preferring death to such torment. Also,
pain is very weakening to the heart, in which all hopes of recovery are
placed; and thus, one may imprudently fall into Scylla while trying to evade
Charybdis, which is to say, fall for an evident peril in fear of a less
dangerous one. Therefore before attempting anything, a doctor must take a
good consideration of things.

If none of these remedies may be applied on painful ulcers, they shall

instead be applied on the underside or nearby; otherwise doctors shall
appease the inflammation with some kind of mild decoction.

A cataplasm against black ulcers.

Take three handfuls each of mallow, marshmallow, scabiosa, viola,

pellitory, chamomile and melilot leaves, and an ounce of flax seeds; add a
quarter of lily oil with a bit of theriac, make a cataplasm with this and apply
it on the ulcer at any time. Flax or quince seed mucilage, extracted in
pellitory juice, is also very good. So is scabiosa and sorrel roasted under the
ashes and ground with egg yolks and fresh butter, provided that the
cataplasm is frequently renewed.

Another cataplasm.

Take three ounces of rye flour, an ounce and a half of common honey, two
egg yolks, and mix the whole with spring water. Renew this cataplasm at
least six times in a day.
 Such is what I have vowed to reveal to the public concerning malignant
fevers, which can never be treated with enough precaution, and concerning
the admirable effects of the antidote; I wish for my remedies to be helpful,
and that God may not inflict these dangerous sicknesses upon men
anymore.

A most efficient remedy for afflictions of the lungs.

Boil one chicory root in four pots of water, let them reduce to half their
volume, and draw one pipette of each. Add a spoonful of honey, one
licorice root, and boil again for a quarter of an hour. Then, give this to drink
to the patient on every hour, outside of meals.

A remedy against dropsy.

Take five or six ounces of well grated bryony root, and infuse it in white
wine overnight, on the ashes; filter through a white cloth in the morning,
and give the filtered wine to the patient to drink.

If the first intake does not cure the patient, you shall keep administering
the remedy; but let him take two days of rest between each time. He also
needs to drink some broth three hours afterwards, because this remedy
causes nausea, purges and a lot of urination. Note that this recipe is quite
harsh, and therefore should only be used on a robust patient.

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