Reliquiæ Baxterianæ, or, Mr. Richard Baxters narrative of the most memorable passages of his…

§ 134. At last my Weakness was grown so great that I was necessitated to use Breast Milk four Months together; and as much longer, or more, I remained somewhat repaired: But then I fell into a Disease in my Eyes almost incredible; I had near every Day for one Year, and every second Day for another Year, a fresh Macula, commonly called a Pearl, in one Eye, besides very many in the other; the first that I had continued divers Weeks, till by the ordinary Method of Cure I had almost lost my Eye. At last I found that Honey alone, or with other things, six or seven times a Day applied constantly discussed and cured it in one Day: and the next Night in my Sleep another still came, a spurious Opthalmy going before, and leaving the Macula behind it: And I found it came from the extreme thinness of the Blood, with the extreme Laxity of the debilitated Vessels, and the Flatulency pumping up the Matter.

§ 134. At last my Weakness was grown so great that I was necessitated to use Breast Milk four Months together; and as much longer, or more, I remained somewhat repaired: But then I fell into a Disease in my Eyes almost incredible; I had near every Day for one Year, and every second Day for another Year, a fresh Macula, commonly called a Pearl, in one Eye, besides very many in the other; the first that I had continued divers Weeks, till by the ordinary Method of Cure I had almost lost my Eye. At last I found that Honey alone, or with other things, six or seven times a Day applied constantly discussed and cured it in one Day: and the next Night in my Sleep another still came, a spurious Opthalmy going before, and leaving the Macula behind it: And I found it came from the extreme thinness of the Blood, with the extreme Laxity of the debilitated Vessels, and the Fatulency pumping up the Matter.

Thus I continued two Years, curing the Spot one Day, and finding it still returned the next Morning; so that I had about three hundred Pearls in those two Years; and though for the first Month I could neither read nor endure the Light, yet the rest of the time I went on with my Studies, though not without Pain and much Disturbance. No Purging nor outward Applications, nor other Medicines would Prevent the Return of it; till at two Years end I wrote to Dr. G. Bates for his Advice. The Humidities of my Stomach at the same time tasting like boiled Vinegar, or Vitriol, he prescribed me the use of Chalk in Substance (a spoonful shaved in a convenient Liquor) which powerfully precipitateth and dulcifieth acid Humours, and also hath a harmless corroborating Astriction (like Magisterial of Coral or Crabs Eyes:) the use of this gave a check to my Distemper, so that my Spots came seldomer than before: At last I had a Conceit of my own that two Plants which I had never made trial of, would prove accommodate to my Infirmity, Heath and Sage, as being very drying and astringent without any Acrimony: I boiled much of them in my Beer instead of Hops, and drank no other: When I had used it a Month my Eyes were cured, and all my tormenting Tooth-aches, and such other Maladies. Being desirous to know which of the two Herbs it was which I was most beholden to, I tried the Heath alone one time, and the Sage alone another while; and I found it was the Sage much more than the Heath which did the Cure: whereupon I have used it now this ten Years, and through God's great Mercy, I never had a Spot more for many Years; nor many since at all: Also these other Effects have followed it; 1. It easeth my Headache. 2. I have no other Remedy for my terrible Toothache, inward or outward that will serve; nor did this ever fail me, if it hath had but twelve or twenty hours to work. 3. Whereas before I could endure no strong Drink, but was fain to drink very small Beer, or Julep Alexande, and a Spoonful of Wine would have disturbed me a Fortnight, (with Ophthalmies, Toothaches, &c.) since I used Sage I can bear the strongest Beer, (so I disuse not my Medicine the while.) 4. The vitriolate cutting Acidity of my Stomach is more dulcified than I could possibly have believed it would be.