or insensible transpiration (as they call it) but the one requires blood-letting, the other purgation, but scrosus or thin humours and filthy vapours, and such like superfluities, are to be expelled by sweat, and be wary in this too, for many of them work violently, and violent medicines are not rashly to be given.

Caution 2. Besides, swellings are sometimes made so hard by sweating medicines, that afterwards they can never be cured; for what is thin being by such medicines taken away, nothing but what is perfectly hard remains: If you fear such a thing, mix emolients with them.

Caution 3. Again, sometimes by using discussives, the humours offending (which physicians usually call the peccant humours) is driven to some more noble part of the body, or else it draws more than it discusseth; in such cases, concoct and attenuate the matter offending before you go about to discuss it.

From hence may easily be gathered at what time of the disease discussive medicines are to be used, viz. about the declining of the disease, although in diseases arising from heat of blood, we sometimes use them in the encrease and state of them.

They are known by the same marks and tokens attenuating medicines are, viz. by their burning and biting quality, they being very hot, and of thin parts, void of any biting quality, therefore they contract not the tongue in tasting of them.

CHAPTER VI

Of repelling Medicines

Repelling medicines are of contrary operation to these three last mentioned, viz. attenuating, drawing, and discussive medicines. It is true, there is but little difference between these three, some hold none at all; and if you will be so nice, you may oppose them thus. And so medicines making thick, correspond to attenuating medicines, or such as make thin, repelling medicines are opposed to such as draw, and such as retain the humours and make them tough, are opposite to such as discuss, some hold this niceness needless.

2. The sentence of authors about repulsive medicines is various.

For seeing an influxion may be caused many ways, a repulsive hath got as many definitions.

For such things as cool, bind, stop, and make thick, stay influxions, and therefore repulsives are by authors opposed, not only to attractives, but also to attenuating, and discussing medicines.

But properly such things are called repulsives, which do not only stay influxions, (for so do such medicines which stop and make thick) but such as drive the humours flowing to, or inherit in the place, to some other place.

The truth is, binding is inherent to repulsives, so is not coldness nor making thick: Yet such as are binding, cold and thin in operation, are most effectual.

Your taste will find repulsives to be, tart, or sharp, or austere, with a certain binding which contracts the tongue.

Use 1. Their use is manifold, as in hot tumours, head-aches, or the like.

Use 2. By these in fevers are the vapours driven from the head, Vinegar of Roses is notable.

Time of giving. They are most commodious in the beginning and encrease of a disease, for then influxions most prevail.