IN primus the Syrurgy on dothe cut awaye the heer of the heed / And he cutteth a crosse the skynne, the musculus flesshe / with the Pannycles & theyr Cōmyssuris with the Pelicraniū. and he putteth away all those partyes from the Cranium. (That is to saye) the skulle of the heed with his instrumentes called after some Cyrurgions a Spatter, Leuer, Slyse, Chyssel or other lyke Instrumen­tes. And then he putteth and layeth be­twene those partyes and the Skul Ron­lettes, stupes, or plagettes made of lynte, Cotten or other lyke stuped or dypped in hote Oyles / Mel Rosa (rum) or oyntmentes [Page] and playsters therupon. And at the next dressynge he wyl make more rome with his instrumētes. And thens the warden or certayne other parsons of the crafte or facultie of Cyrurgery muste be there at that dressynge. To saye that the Cyrur­gyon worketh lyke a cūnynge man yf he please to kepe the syke partie long vnder his handes / and to make hym to spende his mony, and that he may crepulat hym to proue masterys with his instrumētes called after some Cirurgyon, Trapanes, Graters, Rapes, Fyles, Chyssels, & other lyke instrumentes, for to make the bone to scalifie and fall, or to be taken awaye with theyr workes / & to blynde the peo­ple, & to make them to beleue that they haue done a great cure where no cause nor nede was so to worke. And so at the fyrste or seconde or thyrde dressyng many men and womē, and specyally those that be full of grosse humours they fal in to a febre called Effymera, and so after that in to another febre called Febre putrida, [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] and so the pacyent doth dye. ¶Then the Cirurgion doth say that the pacyēt doth dye of the wounde or elles ex visitacione diuina. ¶ And then he bryngeth other Syrurgions with hym for his wytnesse to exscuse hym of his noughty workemā shyp. And yf any other Cyrurgion do fortune to dresse the sycke man or woman / he shall lose a fyne yf he be one of theyr company. ¶And yf he be a straūger then the Cirurgions wyl sue theyr statute on hym of .v.lī. for euery moneth so occupy­eng of syrurgery to dryue hym out of the countrey, or to kepe hym in pryson tyll he dye. ¶ Forsoth the Cyrurgyons worke­manshyp is the cause of the death of the man or woman. ¶Therfore it is neces­sary for euery Cyrurgyon nat to cut the flesshe of the heed a crosse, nor none other membre of the body. ¶ Except there hap­pen any Arrowe, Quarell, Spereheade, Gonstone, or other lyke to enter into cra­neū called the Scull, or in any other bone of the body. ¶But no skynne nor flesshe [Page] to be cut a crosse but onely the heade and in all other places rome must be made a length the membres, & nat ouerthwarte for to take out the thynge that stycketh fast in the bone. ¶But in all such causes take counsayl of some good expert Phy­sycyon, or els study in Physyke your selfe by some good boke and noble auctours to knowe the febres, the causes, and the daūgers of them, so that the pacient may scape from deathe & to lyue longe. ¶ For yf there be any bone or grystell hurte or brused in any parte of the bodye / surely there is playsters and many other good and holsome medycynes that wyll cause the bones and grystels so hurte and bru­sed to scalifie and fal out by their selfe, or to knyt agayn by nature within a short space with a lytell payne or none. ¶And without cause or daunger of any febre or death. ¶Therfore let euery mā that wyl take vpon hym to be a Cirurgion and to heale any man or woman wounded to folowe this rule and Regemie. And stu­dye [Page] well and seke for those good play­sters & oyntementes, and other lyke me­dycynes / that maye be to the health and prosperitie of the kyng our Soueraygne lordes Subiectes and liege people.

¶And you shal haue moche more mony for your labours & paynes then you ha­ue had in tymes past / & better name and fame. And at your endynge the glorye of the kyngdome of God for your rewarde, to the whiche I pray God sende vs there to remayne. ¶But many Cyrurgyons doth vse to kepe men and women longe in theyr handes that hath any vlcere, vl­cus, pustyl, postume, or any other morbos gendred of humours, & falling into theyr legge or other membres descended out of the body into the skynne musculous fles­shes, vaynes, panyacles, or bones.

¶They do laye medycynes to them one whyle helyng, another whyle debatyng the flesshes, so that it may nat heale, say­ing that it is a prowde or a deade flesshe. ¶Then they lay corsyfe medycynes therto [Page] / as vnguentum Ruptorum, Mercuri sublime, Arsnike, sublimed, or such other malyng, and mortall corrosyns, or els to caltrice the flesshes and bones with read hote caltrysyng yrons, whiche is a mor­tal payne to the pacient to corrode, borne and mortyfye the flesshe & bones. ¶And then the bone must scalifie and a pece fal away after the core or after of the flesshe is taken away. And thus they do to ma­ke the pacyent to spende theyr mony.

¶Many men hath ben thus vsed that Cyrurgions many haue a lyuynge. And they make the people to beleue that they haue done a great cure & that they maye be called great cōnynge men. ¶Or elles they do it vpō ignoraūce that they know nat the cause of this humours aforesayd nor the ryght cure of them. ¶Therfore, I wolde that euery Cyrurgyon wolde leye a parte all those workes / and seke for some noble medycyns / that wyll put away the causes of the humours that cō meth out of the bodye. And those Empostumes [Page] or nodes that be engendred vpon the pany [...]les, ouer the bones and vnder the flesshes make your Insiciō at lēgth the membres into it, and then thrust out the Sania or corrupcion. ¶For the fles­she and bone wyl heale alone by nature / & then you shalbe the workeman of god to whome let vs all praye euermore for his mercy. Amen.