Beauplan.
there, is the Cold, which some years is so violent, and excessive, that it is insupportable, not only for Men, especially to those that belong to the Army, but to the brute Beasts themselves, as Horses and other serviceable Creatures. Such as are expos'd to the rigor of it, if they lose not their lives, come off well with the loss of any part, as Fingers or Toes, the Nose, Cheeks, Ears, and even that part modesty forbids to be nam'd, the natural heat of which Parts is sometimes put out in a moment, and it produces a mortification. Sometimes those Parts escape a sudden mortification, but if not speedily reliev'd are subject to cancerous Tumours, as painful as those proceeding from a malignant burning Humour, which made me sensible whilst I was there that Cold has as much power and force to destroy any thing as Fire has to consume. The beginning of those Tumours is so small, that the place where the pain is at first is not so big as a Pea; but in a few days, nay sometimes a few hours, it grows so big, and spreads so that it destroys all the part: and thus two Persons I am acquainted with, in a trice lost the pleasantest part of them.
Sometimes, and that very frequently, it seizes Men so violently, that there is no possibility of escaping it, especially when both inward and outward precautions have not been us'd, and it kills two ways. The one is quick, being violent, and may be said to be easy, because a Man is not long in pain, and dies in his sleep. For they that are abroad, whether a Horseback, in Coach, or Waggon, if they have not us'd the necessary Precautions, and are not well clad and lin'd, and naturally of a disposition fit to endure such terrible Cold, it seizes the extreme parts of their Hands and Feet, and by degrees all the rest of those parts, in such manner that being become insensible of the Cold, they are taken with a sort of Lethargick heaviness, which cases an extraordinary inclination to sleep; which if they are suffer'd to give way to, they sleep, but never wake again; but if they use all possible means to shake off that drowziness, they escape death. And thus have I escap'd it several times, being very near it, for my Servants who were stronger, and more us'd to the like inclemencys of the Air, awak'd me. The other sort of death, tho not so sudden, is so cruelly painful and insupportable, that it almost distracts those that endure it. This it is that happens to the strongest Constitutions, the Cold seizes the Body on the right side of the Reins, and all about the Waste, the Troopers under their Armour; so pinching and straitning those parts, that it freezes up all their Belly, especially the Stomach and Entrails; so that tho they are always hungry, if they eat such things as are of easiest digestion, such as Broths or Gravy, when they are to be had, they are forced to cast them up as soon as they have swallow'd them, with such violent pains, and intolerable Gripes, as are not to be express'd. Those Persons who are thus seiz'd and tormentted, are continually complaining, loudly and frequently crying out that all their Bowels and other parts of their Belly are torn to pieces. I leave it to the ablest Physicians to examine into the cause of such horrible Pains; and this being none of my Province, I shall think it enough to relate what I have seen, assisted by the Curiosity of some of that Country, who being desirous to see what was the effect of so violent and irresistible a Distemper, caus'd some that dy'd of it to be open'd, the greatest part of whose Bowels they found black, burnt up, and as it were glew'd together; which made them sensible that such Diseases are generally incurable, and that as their Intrails consum'd and mortify'd, they were forced to complain and cry out day and night without respite, which rendred their Death terrible, tedious, and without intermission.
This terrible Cold assaulted us in the Year 1646, when the Polish Army entred Muscovy, to expect the return of the Tartars, who had made an irruption, to fight and take from them all the Prisoners they had seized. The Cold was so violent and cutting, that we were forced to remove our Camp, with the loss of above 2000 Men, most of whom dy'd in the cruel manner above mention'd, and the rest were maim'd. This Cold did not only kill the Men, but the Horses too, tho much more hardy and strong; for that Campagn above 1000 were spoil'd, that being seized with that cold fit, were never able to go, and among them six Horses belonging to Lieutenant General Potoski's Kitchin, he who is now Generalissimo and Castellan of Cracow. This Cold came upon us when we were near the River Merlo, which falls into the Boristhenes. All Remedies generally us'd are only by way of Precaution, as being well clad and provided with all things that warm and repel such violent Cold. For my part being in a Coach or Waggon, I kept a Dog upon my Feet to warm them,cover-
