I Knowe how little leasure the Affaires of this Kingdome doe afford to your L. and I know how large a Discourse the Argument of this Letter doeth minister: There­fore I shall not distract your L. busied at­tension; neither shall I extende this pur­pose, [Page] but according to your L. intelligent judgement I shall contriue an obscure and intricate subject to a compendious narra­tion.

This latelie found, and newlie-knowne, too-too long vnknowne Well, ‘Si fama didicit jam non mentiri.’ This Well is so blazed abroade, and our Physicians, not without cause, are so loath to open their mindes concerning the same, that I, imboldened both by your L. coun­tenance and Vnderstanding, haue taken the hardinesse to breake the yce, and show to your L. so much as I can perceiue, tou­ching the causes and nature of this Water, and of the effects and vertues thereof, that the rest of my more learned Collegues may bee encouraged to dye their exercised Quilles in this wholsome Liquour.

IT is a mixed water by the continuall flo­wing thorow a Mettall, from whence it hath contracted a spirituall energie, and a certaine Mercuriall subtile substance: To be short, The Mettall which hath commu­nicated force and efficacie to this water, is [Page] Tinne. The reasons of my conjectures are taken from three heads:

• 1. From the sub­stance of the water:
• 2. From the effectes thereof:
• 3. And from the adjacent circum­stances.

From the water it selfe are manie pregnant reasons: As that the water being a compound, and mixed bodie, it carrieth no sauour or taste of anie thing, but of pure water; which argueth none other Mettall but Tinne: For anie other Minerall, or Semi-minerall, except Golde and Siluer, would bewray it selfe, by taste or colour. But Golde it is not, neither is it Siluer, which I affirme by the effectes: For all Physicians, both Dogmatickes and Spagy­rickes, receiue Golde and Siluer amongst their cordiall Medicamentes, and not amongst the Nephritickes: But this water is by experience Diureticke, and asswad­geth euidentlie Nephriticke dolours, was­sheth the vreteres, and the bladder: which effects the Paracelsians attribute to Saturne. I neede not to draw the consequent which willingly folowes the premisses. More, this water being distilled, or exhaled, leaueth in the bottome of the Alimbecke a Salt [Page] vnsalt, that is, a matter white like Chymik salt, which is vnsauorie, and somewhat in­clining to sweete, much like to the matter which the Alchimistes drawe from Tinne, and call it Saccharum Saturni.

Nowe secondlie, from the effectes I prooue it to be Tinne, Because the whole fornace of Paracelse keepe as a great secret in their Philosophicall extractions, That Saccharum Saturni, that is to saye, the salt of Tinne is the onelie speciall thing to cure an vlcere in the kidneyes, because it is diu­reticke, and so carrieth to the afflicted part, and then it is detersiue and drying, which qualities doe cure an vlcere, and which qualities wee finde in this water.

Lastlie, from the adjacent circumstan­ces, wee reason this way: It is not vnpro­bable, that there should bee Tinne in that part, because it is a Mettall familiare, and domesticke to this Yland, the best of Eu­rope being found in ENGLAND. And the channell of the water, in that clift of the Rocke where it floweth, hath participated of the tincture of Tinne, as appeareth to euerie one that beholdeth: The Rocke it [Page] selfe notwithstanding being as it were im­brodered, and pessimented with white la­ces of cleare and chrystalline stones.

AS Towardes the effectes of this Wa­ter, There are two thinges to be said, 1. What it might doe, beeing Physicallie vsed: 2. And what it hath done, beeing Vulgarlie abused. For the first I will super­ceede, because I am loath, at this time, to trouble your Lordship for the other.

This water is experimented to bee ve­rie aperitiue, and serueth verie much for the washing away of Sande, beeing taken in such quantitie as maketh a speate: (Neither hath it beene founde that an ex­ceeding great quantitie of it hath done anie harme) And it bringeth downe little stones from the kidneyes, and expelleth them also from the bladder. Yet it is not tried to haue force to diminish or demolish a conformed and solidated stone in the bladder, albeit it hindereth the intollerable doloures of the pitiable grauels, and quen­cheth the burning heate of their water, and causeth them make water without painfull [Page] dropping. It is very detersiue, for the which quality it louseth the belly of some. It is al­so very drying, and in this respect it bin­deth the belly of most part of Drinkers: as we remarke the same accidents fall out in the vse of Milke: For the croudy part bin­deth some, and the serous or wheyish part louseth others. Nowe joyning these two properties together, to deterge and to dry, it maketh a soueraigne remedie for all in­ternall vlcers, also for this detersiue quali­tie, it is good for the sight, because it taketh away all clouds or blots, which effuscate or dimme the Cornea tunica, and causeth the Species intentionales to passe more purelie & clearelie to the humor christallin.

I adde thus much more, That there is not a more daintie Fairde for Ladies: no not Oleum talci, which is so curiouslie euer sought, and neuer found. It plaineth & po­lisheth their faces, and taketh away all blots and furrowes, and leaueth no frumples in their Skinnes, with greater securitie and honour, than the venomous Sublimatum, or Cerussa, which they so frequently abuse, Because this water hath the most spirituall [Page] operation of Mercurie, quintessenced from the Tinne: which I confirme by two rea­sons: The one is, because it is sudorifick, & procureth sweate in aboundance, beeing drunken some number of dayes conse­quently. The other is, because the tempe­rament of it is hote, albeit it bee actuallie colde. The heate appeareth, in that it pro­cureth to the eyes first a smart, and next a great itch.

Lastly, this is a soueraigne and vnicke re­medie for that disease in Women, which they neuer acknowledge to be a disease, while it bee almost past remedie: and more than a disease, when Physicians haue none helpe, but only sorrow to heare their com­plaints, and the regrate of their lamentable negligence. So ceasing to prosecute this warsh matter of water, I will neuer cease to continue