3

years; yet all this shuffling, in Baronius's opinion, doth nothing stain suc cession: Yea, though he cannot deny that Boniface the Seventh, who sat as Pope one year and one month, was a wicked varlet, a plain tyrant, a savage beast, an usurper, one that had no good property of a pope: Though he cannot deny, but that Leo the Eighth, who was a schismatick, and an intruder, and an antipope, 2 in his opinion, kept the place almost two years. Though he cannot deny, but that John the Twelfth, who was but like a pope in a play, kept it nine years; and John the Eleventh, the bastardly brat of Sergius above named, who came to it by evil means, and managed it accordingly, kept it six years; and John the Tenth, as false a lad as any of his fellows, who entered by fraud, and ruled with violence, kept it fifteen years; yet this lessens nothing the credit of his succession. I warrant you, Baronius was of Genebrard's opinion, who, though he granted that fifty popes together came in unlawfully, and governed as madly, would not yet let his hold of succession go.

Pap. Iis there any further inconvenience which may light upon us, if this story be true?

8

5

7

Prot. Yes; for if it be granted there was such a pope, the popish priests among you may well doubt of the lawfulness of their mission; and you lay-papists of the sufficiency of the absolutions, which they give you upon your ear confessions, and of the truth of the real presence, and transubstantiation. For, unless the popish priests be priested by a lawful bishop, their priesthood is not worth a rush; unless you lay-papists be absolved by a lawful priest, your absolution is nought worth; and, unless the words of consecration be uttered by a lawful priest, intent upon his business, there follows no substantial change in the creatures of bread and wine. Now how can your priests be assured, that they were priested by lawful bishops; and how can you lay-papists be assured that you are absolved by lawful priests; or that your masses are said by lawful priests; seeing we read (as before I shewed) that Pope Joan gave orders, Pope Joan made deacons, and priests, and bishops, and abbots? For it may be well enough, that the priests of this present age are descended from those who were ordained by her; especially seeing we no where read, that they were degraded by succeeding popes, who had their ordination from her. Her successors dealt not with her shavelings, as Pope John the Twelfth did with Leo the Eighth's shavelings. 10 John the Twelfth degraded them all, and compelled every of them to give him up a paper, wherein it was thus written: Episcopus weus (meaning Leo the Eighth)

1 Scelestissmus vir, ad ann. 974. num. 1. nefandissimus parricida, truculentus prædo, qui ne pilum habuisse dici potest Romani Pontificis, ad ann. 985. num. 1. 2 Tom. x. ad ann. 931. num. 38. Ostensus fuit tanquam in scena mimus pontificem agens, tom. x. ad ann. 955, num. 4. 3 Tom. x. ad ann. 931. num. J4 Invasor & detentor injustus Apostolica sedis ad ann. 928. num. 1. 5 Chronolog. lib. iv. Seculo. 10. ad ann. 904. 6 In Eriscopis de jure divino residet ista potestas creandi sacerdotes. Tolet. Summa Casuum Conscient. Lib. i. cap. 1. 7 Anathoma sit qui dixerit non solos sacerdotes este Ministros absolutionis. Čenc. Trid. Sess. 14. Can. 10. 8 Semper in Ecclesia pro indubitato habitum est, ita necessariam esse ordinationem sacerdotalem ad Eucharistiam conficiendam, ut sine ea nullomodo confici possit. Bell. lib. iv. de Euchar. cap. 16. 9 Pag. 84. 10 Sigebert. in Chron. ad ann. 963. Baron. Annal. tom. x. ad ann. 962. num. 9. Joh. de Turrecrem. Sum. de Eccles. lib. ii, cap. 103.

1

nihil sibi habuit, nihil mihi dedit; had nought for himself, and gave me nought; but so did not Benedict the Third with her's. Unless you say, that communis error facit jus, as lawyers said in the case of Barbarius Philippus, I know not what you can reply with probability to this; and yet that will not serve your turn, for, though it may be so in matters of the commonwealth, in matters of the church it cannot be so. For an error in the beginning, in matters touching the church, proves often an heresy in conclusion. In matters of the church, prescription adds no credit to actions of evil beginning,

1 ff De Officio Prætoris.

THE

BATHS OF BATH:

OR,

A NECESSARY COMPENDIOUS TREATISE CONCERNING THE NATURE, USE, AND EFFICACY OF

THOSE FAMOUS HOT WATERS;

Published for the Benefit of all such as yearly, for their Health, resort to those Baths. With an Advertisement of the great utility that cometh to Man's Body, by the taking of Physick in the Spring, inferred upon a Question moved, concerning the Frequency of Sickness, and Death of People, more in that Season than in any other.

Whereunto is also annexed a Censure, concerning

THE WATER OF ST. VINCENT'S ROCKS,

NEAR BRISTOL,

Which begins to grow in great Request and Use against the Stone.

By THO. VENNER, Doctor of Physick, in Bath.

London, printed by Felix Kyngston, in 1628- Quarto, containing twenty-six pages.

Serenissima Principi Maria, Angliæ, Scotia, Francia, & Hiberniæ, Regina,

Hoc de Thermis Bathoniensibus opusculum humillime dedicat & consecrat

THO. VENERUS, Med. Dr.

TO THE READER.

Good Reader, seeing, in the few years that I have exercised physick at the Baths, the yearly concourse, in the spring and fall, of people of all sorts, and from all parts of this kingdom, to those famous waters; and the little benefit that many, after great expence and trouble, receive thereby; I was induced to publish this ensuing treatise, wherein I have very briefly shewed the nature and efficacy of those waters; touched the causes that many find not comfort, but oftentimes rather hurt, that resort to them; with such advertise

ments concerning the use of the said waters, which, if they be rightly observed, I am persuaded, few will hereafter complain that they have been at the Baths in vain, and so the waters regain that esteem which, in respect of their singular vertues, they are worthy of. But here you must take from me this one advertisement, which is, That sickness is a symptom of sin; and therefore first, pænitentiam agendo", before your departure from home, make peace betwixt God and your conscience, and then repair to the Baths, que te faustum ducat, atque sanum reducat, qui solus id potest. Valet.

ATH, so called from the baths in it, is a little well-compacted city, and beautified with fair and goodly buildings for receipt of strangers. Although the site thereof, by reason of the vicinity of hills, seem not pleasant, being almost invironed with them; yet, for goodness of air, nearness of a sweet and delectable river, and fertility of soil, it is pleasant and happy enough; but for the hot waters that boil up, even in the midst thereof, it is more delectable and happier than any other of the kingdom.

There are in it four publick baths, so fairly built, and fitted with such conveniency for bathing, as the like, I suppose, is not elsewhere to be found; besides a little bath for lepers, called The Lepers-bath.

They all have the original of their heat from one matter, namely, sulphur, burning in the cavities of the earth, thorough which the waters flowing, receive their heat. They partake of no other mineral that I can find; what may lie hid in visceribus terræ §, I know not; of this I am sure, that such diseases, as cannot receive cure elsewhere, here do.

These baths, as they differ in their heat, so in their operations and effects. The King's Bath is the hottest, and it is, for beauty, large ness, and efficacy of heat, a kingly bath indeed, being so hot as can be well suffered. This bath is of so strong a heating, opening, resolving, attracting, and exiccating faculty, and therefore only convenient for cold and moist bodies, and for cold and moist diseases.

Next to the King's Bath, for efficacy of heat, is the Hot Bath, and the difference in their heat is so little, that it is scarcely to be discerned. This bath is good for the same infirmities that the King's Bath is, and, for the effects which it worketh, I cannot find it to be inferior unto it. They are two excellent baths for cold and moist diseases, and for very cold and moist bodies.

The Queen's Bath is a member of the King's Bath, a well only going between them, with a passage therein, to go from one to the other. This bath is not altogether so hot as that, and therefore the use of it is convenient for them that cannot well endure the heat of the King's Bath,

• By repentance.

+ Where may that God, who is only able to cure thee, lead thee safe, and bring thee home again in good health. Farewell. See the letter of observations by Tho. Guidott, M. B. in 1674. In the bowels of the carth.

The Cross Bath is for heat the mildest, being very temperately warm. It is a dainty bath for young, weak, and tender bodies, that cannot endure the heat of the hotter baths, or for whom the hotter baths may not be convenient. It is an excellent bath for temperate bodies, by way of preservation, because such the hotter baths may soon distemper, and occasion hurt; neither is this bath good only for such as are of a temperate state and constitution of body, by way of preservation; but for them, and others also, by way of curation, in some cases, where the hotter baths are not fit to be used. This bath, by reason of the mildness of its heat, is of a notable, mollifying, and relaxing faculty; good, therefore, in contractions of any member, in obstructions of the breast, spleen, liver, and kidnies; and effectual also for aches, when it is in its prime and vigour of heat, especially for such, whose temper, or habit of body, shall prohibit the use of the hotter baths. This bath attains not to its perfection of heat, till the weather grow to be constantly hot, and when the other baths, by reason of the fervour thereof, cannot be used, but by such, whose diseases and state of body are intensively cold.

I cannot, in regard of the diversity of bodies, insist upon every particular in the use of these baths; wherefore I will only, for your better instruction and direction herein, give you some special advertisements, and thereupon leave you to some learned physician, that can accordingly guide you in the use of them.

These famous hot waters are of singular force, not only against diseases gotten by cold, or proceeding from a cold and moist cause, but also bring, in time of health, exceeding comfort and profit to all cold, moist, and corpulent bodies; for they open the pores, resolve, atte nuate, digest, consume, and draw forth superfluities, and withal strongly heal and dry the whole habit of the body.

They are of excellent efficacy against all discases of the head and mews, proceeding from a cold and moist cause, as rheums, palsies, epilepsies, lethargies, apoplexies, cramps, deafness, forgetfulness, trembling, or weakness of any member, aches, and swellings of the joints, &c.

They also greatly profit windy and hydropick bodies, the pain and swelling of any part of the body, so that it proceed not from an hot cause; the sluggish and lumpish heaviness of the body, numbness of any member, pain in the loins, the gout, especially the sciatica; cold tumours of the milt and liver, and the yellow jaundice in a body plethorick or phlegmatick.

They are also very profitable for them that have their lungs annoyed with much moisture; and, to make slender such bodies as are too gross, there is nothing more effectual, than the often use of these waters. Wherefore let those that fear obesity, that is, would not wax gross, be careful to come often to our baths; for by the use of them, according as the learned physician shall direct, they may not only preserve their health, but also keep their bodies from being unseemingly corpulent.

They are also singularly profitable to women; for they help them of barrenness, and of all discases and imperfections of the matrix, proeceding from a cold and moist cause. They also cure all diseases of