A Professed Translation.
The next document presented is the Medicina de Quadrupedibus of Sextus Placitus, an unknown personage, who adds to the interest of his narrative by pretending that "a king of the Egyptians, Idpartus he was highten," sent this treatise to the Emperor Octavius Cæsar, "for," he said, "I wist thee worthy of this." Probably this manuscript was not a translation at all; if it was, the pretended authors were almost certainly fictitious. Most of the instructions here given relate to the medicinal uses of animals. The idea that foxes' lungs will strengthen ours is hardly dead yet. Here it is in this old Saxon document:—
"For oppressive hard drawn breathing, a fox's lung sodden and put into sweetened wine, and administered, is wonderfully healthy."
The fox had many other uses. Foxes' grease would heal many kinds of sores. His sinews soaked in honey would cure a sore throat; his "naturam" wrapped round the head would banish headache; his "coillon" rubbed on warts would break them up and remove them; and dimness of sight could be relieved by his gall mingled with honey. The worst recipe is:
For disease of joints. Take a living fox and seethe him till the bones alone are left. Let the man go down therein frequently, and into another bath. Let him do so very oft. Wonderfully it healeth.
There are scores of cures from parts of animals, some of them very disgusting. A few more specimens of decent ones must suffice.
For oversleeping, a hare's brain in wine is given for a drink. Wonderfully it amendeth.
