Part 3

Between the Years 1717 and 1720, Mr Beckett published in the Philosophical Transactions, Three Letters concerning the History of the Antiquity of the Venereal Disease. I. To Dr Douglass. II. To Dr Wagstaffe. III. To Dr Halley. Proving That Disease to have been known and cured in England long before the Discovery of the West-Indies.

Of these Pieces Dr Astruc, a French Physician, full of the Vanity peculiar to his Countrymen, seems doubtful as to their Proof, because he had never seen the Manuscripts, nor rare printed Authorities, cited by Mr Beckett; and treating of Dr Turner’s Syphilis, speaks slightly of that Gentleman, because he is of the same Opinion with Mr Beckett.

From the Publication of a small Pamphlet consisting but of 24 Pages, 8vo, Intituled, “A Letter from a Gentleman at Rome, to his Friend in London, giving an Account of some very surprizing Cures in the King’s-Evil by the Touch, (of the Chevalier De St George) lately effected in the Neighbourhood of that City, 1721. Wherein is contained the compleatest History of this miraculous Power, formerly practiced by the Kings of England, ever yet made public; the Certainty of which is confirmed by the most eminent Writers of this Nation, both Catholics and Protestants, as, Malmsbury, Alured, Brompton, Polydore Virgil, Harpsfield, &c. and Drs Tooker, Heylin, Mr Collier, Mr Echard, &c. Translated out of the Italian.” And the following Motto prefixed by the Catholic Translator, viz.

King Edward the Confessor, was the first that cured this Distemper, and from him it has descended as an Hereditary Miracle upon All his Successors. To dispute the Matter of Fact, is to go to the Excess of Scepticism, to deny our Senses, and to be incredulous even to Ridiculousness. See Collier’s Ecclesiast. History Vol. I.

Mr Beckett took an immediate Occasion to explode all these Legendary Assertions, and fully proved the Truth of Mr Collier’s positive ipse dixit to lye on the other side of the Question, in two Letters which he Published, I. To Dr Steigerthal, intituled “A Free and Impartial Enquiry into the Antiquity and Efficacy of Touching for the King’s-Evil.” II. To Sir Hans Sloane in “order to a compleat Confutation of that supposed supernatural Power descending from Edward the Confessor to the succeeding Kings of England. Also, A Dissertation concerning the ancient Method made use of, for the curing Diseases by Charms, Amulets, &c.” To which is added, A Collection of Records.

When in the Year 1722, it was feared that we should be visited with the Plague in England, after it had raged so violently at Marseilles in France; Dr Mead published his Preservative against Pestilential Distempers. And, among several other New Pieces written, and Old ones revived upon this Occasion, Mr Beckett voluntarily lent his helping Hand for the good of his Country, by giving his Judgment, and Publishing (Anonymously) A Collection of Pieces Written during the Plagues, which happened in the two last Centuries.

Mr BECKETT’s Chirurgical Observations, made at St Thomas’s Hospital Southwark; Published last Summer, were prepared for the Press by Himself, and Inscribed to Sir Hans Sloane and the Royal Society.

Sir HANS SLOANE.

Honoured Sir,

The last Paper Mr Beckett ever wrote, was an Address to you for a private Favour; in which he says, he likewise had reason to believe that Dr Mead would be his Friend. He therein acquainted you that he had, “contracted such a Cold by sitting to write, with his Neck against a North-Window, as he feared would be his Death; and if so, adds he, it may be said I dye a Martyr to the Improvement of the History of Physic and Surgery.” Thus concluded his Paper which he did not live to sign; it was found among his Collections relating to the Lives of the British Physicians, Surgeons, &c. He had copied fair, for the Press, the greatest part of his Papers; and tho’ it was an unfinished Work, yet from his Character, and the great Pains he had taken, I knew it would be very acceptable to the Public. Accordingly I put it to the Press, and intended to have published it in two Volumes in Octavo. Young Dr B * * * *, was recommended to me as a proper Editor: I sent for him and shewed him the Papers; but soon found, that he was much too young both in Character and Ability for such an Undertaking. I printed one Sheet, in Octavo, (of which there were but two Copies taken off) upon this, Dr Milward informed me, that he had been for some Years compiling An Universal History of Physic. He expressed his Desire of purchasing Mr Beckett’s Papers, and being fully convinced, from his Learning and Candour, that he would do Justice to the Author’s Memory, I readily let him have them. And Sir, that you, might in some measure be apprized of Mr Beckett’s PLAN, I have to this Volume prefixed his Introduction to the Work.

I Remain, Honoured Sir, Your Most Obliged, And Obedient, Humble Servant,

E. CURLL.

INTRODUCTION

TO THE

HISTORY

PHYSIC and SURGERY.

Concerning the Antient State of Learning, and the Antiquity of the Practice of Physic and Surgery.

Britain has been very happy in furnishing the World, in very early Times, with a great Number of famous and learned Men. Of the first Sort were the Druydæ, who, it is said, had their Original and Name from Druys Sarronius the fourth King of the Celts, who died Anno Mundi 2069. Next the Bardi, who celebrated the illustrious Deeds of famous Men, who had their Name from Bardus Druydus the fifth King of the Celts. Cæsar assures us, (and a noble Testimony it is) that the Learning of the Druydi, was first invented in Britain, and from thence transferred to France; and that, in his Time, those of France came over hither to be instructed. A celebrated German Writer, as quoted by Mr Ashmole in the Prolegomena to his Theat. Chem. says, that when the World was troubled with Pannonic Invasions, England flourished in the Knowledge of all good Arts, and was able to send her learned Men into other Countries to propagate Learning: And instances in Boniface, a Devonshire Man, and Willeboard, a Northern Man, which were sent into Germany for those Purposes. Mr John Leland, a famous Antiquary, in the Reign of King Henry VII, who was excellently well acquainted with our British Authors, assures us, upon his own Knowledge, that we have had a great Number of excellent Wits and learned Writers, who, besides their great Proficiency in Languages, were well acquainted with the Liberal Sciences. And Bishop Nicholson, in his Historical Library says, I think we may without Vanity affirm, that hardly any Kingdom in the World has out-done England, either in the Number or Goodness of her Authors; and that even in the darkest Ages our Lamps shone always as bright as any of our Neighbourhood. When School-Divinity was in Fashion, we had our Doctores Subtiles, Irrefragabiles, &c. But as the History of the Learning of this Nation in general is not my present Design, I shall confine myself more particularly to what relates to Physic and Surgery. An Historical Account of the Antiquity and Progress of which Faculties, with the successive Improvements they have received, has not hitherto been attempted by any Hand. And indeed the Difficulty which must attend an Undertaking of this Nature, must be very great, by reason of the little Knowledge we are able to get, in this Kind, from those Manuscripts which yet remain among us. The ancient Britains, who went without Cloaths, may be very well presumed to live without Physic; but external Accidents they must be liable to, as well in their Wars as from other Causes; and History informs us, they had Methods of Cure for such Misfortunes. The Saxons, while they possessed England, had their Leeches, a sort of Surgeons, but very little skilled in Methodical Practice. But under the Normans that Science began to be much more improved. About this Time the Monks and Fryars, and others in Religious Orders, out of a pretended Charity to their suffering Fellow-Creatures, intruded themselves into the Practice of Physic and Surgery, and continued it many Years, notwithstanding the Decree of the Council of Tours in 1163, where Pope Alexander III. presided; which forbids any Religious Persons going out of their Cloisters, to hear the Lectures in Law or Physic; and that it is absolutely forbidden, that any Sub-Deacon, Deacon, or Priest, exercise any Part of Surgery in which actual Cauteries or Incisions are required. Most of the Physicians who practised in England about this Time, were likewise well skilled in the Mathematics and other Parts of Philosophy; but the Surgeons of those Times were so much addicted to Astrology, as make some Parts of their Writings very obscure. After this both Physic and Surgery began to flourish much more, by the public Encouragement given very early by many of our Kings to several of the Practitioners in both Faculties, as will appear by the List of our Kings Physicians and Surgeons, to be inserted in it’s proper Place. Hector Boëtius informs us, that Josina, King of Scotland, who lived above a hundred Years before our Saviour, well understood the Nature of Scotch Plants, and their Use in Physic and Chirurgery; and John Bale, afterwards Bishop of Ossory in Ireland, assures us, he wrote a Book, de Herbarum Viribus. Buchanan relates, the Scotch Nobility were anciently very expert in Chirurgery, and it is particularly remarked of James IV, King of Scotland, Quod vulnera scientissime tractaret. It is said, that when Scribonius Largus attended the Emperor Claudius in his Expedition to Britany, he wrote a British Herbal, or Description of divers Plants in this Island. And our most learned and famous King Alfred, is said to have written a Book upon Aristotle de Plantis. Cinfrid, a famous Physician, is mentioned by that early Writer Venerable Bede, in his Histor. Ecclesiasticar. page 307, 308. And Ernulphus, another eminent Physician, in the Time of Nigellus, the second Bishop of Ely, is likewise recorded in the Anglia Sacra, Vol. I. p. 625. Many more Particulars might, in all Probability, have been met with relating to my present Design, had not one very great Misfortune attended the Suppression of the Abbies, which was the Destruction of a prodigious Number of Manuscripts. John Bale, before-mentioned, though an utter Enemy to Popery and Monastic Institution, remonstrates against this Piece of Barbarity, in pretty strong Terms, to King Edward VI. Covetousness, says he, was at that Time so busy about private Commodity, that public Wealth was not any where regarded. A Number of them, which purchased those superstitious Mansions, reserved of those Library-Books, some to serve their Jacks, some to scour their Candlestics, and some to rub their Boots, and some they sold to the Grocers and Soap-sellers, and some they sent over Sea to the Book-binders, not in small Numbers, but at Times whole Ships full. Yea, the Universities of this Realm, are not all clear in this detestable Fact: But cursed is the Belly which seeketh to be fed with so ungodly Gains, and so deeply shameth his natural Country. I know, says he, a Merchantman (which shall at this time be nameless) that bought the Contents of two noble Libraries for forty Shillings Price; a Shame it is to be spoken. This Stuff hath he occupied instead of gray Paper, by the Space of more than these ten Years, and yet he has Store enough for these ten Years to come. A prodigious Example is this, and to be abhorred of all Men, which love their Nation as they should do. Yea, what may bring our Nation to more Shame and Rebuke, than to have it noised abroad, that we are Despisers of Learning? I judge this to be true, and utter it with Heaviness, that neither the Britons, under the Romans and Saxons, nor yet the English People under the Danes and Normans, had ever such Damage of their learned Monuments, as we have seen in our Time. Our Posterity may well curse this wicked Fact of our Age, this unseasonable Spoil of England’s most noble Antiquities. Bale’s Declaration upon Leland’s Journal, published 1549. And Dr Thomas Fuller, in his Church History, speaking of the same Thing, tells us, Divinity was prophaned, Mathematics suffered for Correspondence with evil Spirits, Physic was maimed, and a Riot committed on the Law itself. However, notwithstanding this Devastation which was then made among our Manuscripts, our Colleges, and some of our Libraries, will furnish us with a great Number relating to almost all Parts of Learning: Some of which, more especially the most ancient ones, I shall here first give a Catalogue of, and then some more modern ones, confining myself to those which more especially relate to Physic and Chirurgery. And, first, we have in the Norfolk Library, belonging to the Royal Society,

Libellus de Arte Medicinali in Lingua Pictica conscriptus. And in Cottonian Library,

Præcepta nonnulla Medicinalia; partim & Divina ad dierum rationem Saxonice. Galbe. A. 2. 3. 1.

Exorcismi quidam & Medicinalia; partim Latine partim Saxonice. Galbe. A. 2.

Medicinalia quædam Saxonice & Latine Vitel. B. 3. 4.

Herbarium, Latine & Hibernice ordine Alphabetico. Vitel. F. 14. 34.

Tractatulus de Morbis, Latine & Hibernice mutilis initio & fine.

Astronomica quædam & Medica Literis Saxonicis Membr. in Corpus Christi Coll. in Oxon.

S. Dustan de Lapide Philosophorum. In the same College.

Tractatus Botanicus in Lingua Cambro-Britannica. In Jesus Coll. Oxon.

Medicinales Quæstiones Magistri Henrici de Wynton super Isagogen Joannitii. In New College Library in Oxon.