A Golden Chain

Furthermore, that physic may be well applied to the maintenance of health, special care must be had to make choice of such physicians as are known to be well learned, and men of experience, as also of good conscience & good religion. For as in other callings, so in this also, there be sundry abuses which may endanger the lives and the health of men. Some venture upon the bare inspection of the urine, without further direction or knowledge of the estate of the sick, to prescribe and minister as shall seem best unto them. But the learned in this faculty do plainly avouch,¹ that this kind of dealing tends rather to kill then to cure; and that sundry men are indeed killed thereby. For judgement by the urine is most deceitful: the water of him that is sick of a pestilent fever even unto death, looks for substance and colour as the water of a whole man:² and so doth the water of them that are sick of a quartane or of any other intermitting fever; specially if they have used good diet from the beginning: as also of them that have the pleurisy, or the inflammation of the lungs, or the Squinancy, oftentimes when they are near death. Now then considering the waters of such as are at the point of death, appears as the urines of hail and sound men, one and the same urine may foresignifie both life and death, and be a sign of divers, nay of contrary diseases. A thin, crude, and pale urine in them that be in health, is a token of want of digestion; but in them that are sick of a sharp or burning ague, it betokens the frenzy, and is a certain sign of death. Again, others there be that think it a small matter to make experiments of their devised medicines upon the bodies of their patients, whereby the health which they hoped for is either much hindered or much decayed. Thirdly, there be others which minister no physic at any time, or use phlebotomy without the direction of judicial Astrology: but if they shall follow this course always, they must needs kill many a man. Put the ⟨p. 801⟩case that a man full bodied is taken with a pleurisy, the moon being in Leon, what must be done? The learned in this art say, he must presently be let blood: but by Astrology a stay must be made, till the moon be removed from Leo the house of the sun:

Furthermore, that physicke may be well applied to the maintenance of health, special care must be had to make choise of such physitiās as are known to be well learned, and men of experience, as also of good conscience & good religion. For as in other callings, so in this also, there be sundrie abuses which may indanger the liues and the health of men. Some venter vpon the bare inspection of the vrine, without further direction or knowledge of the estate of the sicke, to prescribe and minister as shall seeme best vnto them. But the learned in this facultie doe plainely auouch,