resent my writing against a dead Man who is unable to answer for himself and so challenge me of baseness To this I answer that it appeareth Mr. Culpeper having astrologically foreseen that some would write against him after his death did pen that Pamphlet entituled Culpepers Ghost generously to excuse any that intended to do it and to excite others who inclined not to it and that he might not come short of them in the like work For it is impossible to exult so much over him after his death as he doth in that Pamphlet and others of his writings over others who were gone hence before his own birth Others will possibly condemn my noticeing and answering such scurrilous profane and unchristian expressions as are found in his writings and which no sober or wise man will care-for To these I answer that though it be impossible that he by being answered according to his folly can be rendered capable of being impeded from becoming wise in his own conceit yet such as survive him and are daily in his name printing books stuffed with such expressions as were familiar unto him may be taught this lesson It ought to be the lamentation of all who have any knowledge of the mysterious operations of sagacious Nature that there are so few who make it their study to discover more of her mysteries and that such as have made some progress in this work are so sparing in communicating their knowledge unto others especially in this age wherein there are so many who as Mr. Culpeper ever did offer nothing to the most delicat pallats but crambe recocta that is ov'r-nights Keal It is most probable that if Mr. Culpeper had been so far favoured by the heavenly powers as to have been made the first discoverer of the circulation of the blood as was the most learned and famous Dr. Harvey he would have made Aurum Potabile of it that is written of it to no purpose I am confident that the learned Dr. Thomas Willis considering the most laudable practices of Dr. Harvey in writing de Generatione Animalium Circulatione sanguinis and of Dr. Glisson in writing de Rachitide and that there are too many books already in the world writen concerning all subjects as they are already known did defer to employ the Press untill he had prepared something which would as all intelligent persons will acknowledge merit no small acceptation viz. his Diatribae duae Medico-Philosophicae de fermentatione febribus and his dissertatio epistolica de urinis which do demonstrat that he is one who maketh it his great study ingeniously to discover and candidely to communicat the knowledge of the mysteries of Art and Nature because à vulgari sententiâ tanquam via maximè trita paulisper recedens minus calcato insistens tramiti as he writeth in his Preface to his Diatriba de febribus But least this Epistle should become disproportionat to that to which it is presixed I will sum up all that I have to say in this request that you would put a favourable construction upon this attempt in doing of which you shall obliege Your cordial Well-wisher M. M. CULPEPER'S CHARACTER OR A CHARACTER of Mr. Culpeper and his Writings IT was by some reported of Cato that he never spake a word of which he had cause to repent and there are no doubt not a few who will say little less concerning what Mr. Culpeper hath wrote But such as believe what Solomon said Prov. 10.19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin will easily be convinced that he who made so many motions in so many volumns which he wrote could not but make some trippings If Bishop Latimer was more cautious of what he said before his examiners when he heard the pen of another writing behind the hangings because literascripta manet and nescit vox missa reverti how much more cautious should Mr. Culpeper have been in writing with his own hand and thereafter publishing in print such things as were most reprehendible by any sober man as you will annon be convinced I will first mention such of his expressions as are most derogatory to the glory of God and prejudicial to his servants In the Epistle to the Reader prefixed to his book entituled A directory for Mid-wives he writeth thus In this world the devil hath his agents and their actions are to keep you in darkness Who are our jaylors I say Scholars and thus I begin to prove it in divinity they have given us a translation of the Bible such a one as it is all the proper names in Scripture they have given you in pure Hebrew names in an English character Pray do so much as read the four or five first Chapters of the first book of Chronicles and see what instruction you can find there And a little after he writeth of the Scripture thus When you want knowledge you know whether to go for it not to an idle Priest but to one that will not upbraid you far your labour Besides all this whole sentences in Scripture are so translated that â—t would make a man sick to see them Had not the Priests formerly absconded the mysteries of the truth from us Sermons would have been cryed about the streets for three halfpence a dozen By these expressions you may know how the pulse of his soul did beat at the writing of them For Solomon hath said Prov. 21.23 Who so keepeth his tongue keepeth his soul Surely then when the tongue raileth against God himself and his servants it argueth the soul at that time to be in a lamentable estate by reason of most depraved principles Without transgressing against the rules of charity Mr. Culpeper no doubt may be called the most audacious Momus of this our age wherein he lived in daring to vilisie that most exact translation of the holy Scriptures in such a parenthized expression and also to speak the worst of evils concerning Dignities as you shall hear hereafter I am confident that if he had been more diligent in searching the Scriptures like the Bereans Act. 17.11 for edification he would have found more instruction from these Chapters in the first book of Chronicles for by comparing them and the like places with Matth. 1. and Luke 3. he might according to the judgment of all Divines have understood that they were penned by the Holy Ghost chiefly for this end that it might appear to the Church in after-ages that Jesus Christ our Saviour was lineally descended of Abraham and David and not only that we might be instructed by the etymological interpretations of the names else the Spirit of God would have set down the interpretations of them all in the Text as He did for reasons known to Himself of many in several places some whereof we will here insert Araham Gen. 17.5 A father of a great multitude or many nations Asher Gen. 30.13 Blessedness Babell Gen. 19.9 Confusion Ben-oni Gen. 35.18 Son of sorrow Beaula Isaiah
thing promised in the Title-page that the world can hardly produce another like it so that the old saying Parturiunt montes which contain those Mines and Minerals may be the motto of its Frontispiece and Nascitur ridiculus mus its Post-script Before I pass from this purpose I will give you a taste of Mr. Culpeper his found divinity and abilities in applying and interpreting of some passages of the holy Scriptures As 1. in his Treatise of Aurum Potabile pag. 3. he writeth thus Truly we considering how mysteriously God by his Spirit hath penned the Scripture to the sons of men that none but his own chosen ones understand the mysteries of it have ceased to question the integrity of Philosophers in penning such ridles meaning their writings concerning the Philosophers stone Aurum potabile c. that prophesie Isa 6.9,10 which is so often repeated in the New Testament must be verified Go unto this people and say hearing you shall hear but not understand and seeing you shall see but not perceive c. Let the judicious Readers who have any knowledge of the Scriptures consider whether or not that Prophesie was penned only or at all in relation to the writings of these Philosophers as his words do clearly import especially seing the Apostle Paul applyeth them more yea only spiritually Act. 28.25,26,27 2. Page 9. of the same Book from these words Gen. 3.22,23,24 The Lord turned man out of the garden lest he should eat of the tree of life and live for ever and he placed in the garden cherubims and a flaming sword which turneth every way to keep the tree of life he inferreth as very probable these conclusions 1. That the place of the garden is still probably remaining and sure he meaneth in it's primitive integrity because Angels had been but a feeble guard if they could not have keeped out a little water viz. at the flood of Noah when all the high hills that were under heaven were covered fifteen cubits upward Gen. 7.19,20 2. That the bodies of Enoch and Elias may be there It is admirable that he would not give Moses a place amongst them possibly because being the only chief Magistrat amongst the Israelites he looked too like to a King but it is more probable that if the garden of Eden was the Coemitery of Enoch and Elias that there also God buried Moses and that the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth-peor where God buried Moses Deut. 34,6 was the garden But it becometh no man to study wisdom in the matters of God above what is written and far less did it beseem Mr. Culpeper to doubt if not contradict those Scriptures 2 King 2.11 at the end And Elijah went up by a whirlewind into heaven Heb. 11.5 Enoch was translated that he should not see death 3. Page 11. He writeth thus We read Gen. 5.3 that Adam begat a son in his own likeness that is as we understand not of pure and temperat Elements of which he was created but of corrupted and mixed Elements as if at his first creation of temperat Elements they had not been mixed and therefore mortal This rare Divine alloweth no spiritual meaning unto those words It is more probable than any of these his opinions that an Assembly of the most ignorant Divines in the English Commonwealth wherein he lived which licenced his impudent Pen to scrible would have rejected him as insufficient for translating or interpreting of the Scriptures unto them In the next place take notice of his treasonable and scandalous expressions whereby he spoke evil of Dignities mocking at their afflictions in the day of their calamity and so in a superlative manner transgressing that command Obadiah 13. I shall pass by with silence those of them with which he larded his Almanacks when the Sun-like glory of Monarchy was eclipsed by the opacous Republican Parliament whose inconsiderable and base constituent atoms had no splendor but what was communicat unto them at first by the King the fountain of all honour and desire you only to notice such of them as were his most christian and charitable meditations in relation to the fifth Commandment when he was bidding farewell to the world viz. when he was penning that Pamphlet which he entituled Culpepers Ghost In the second and twelfth pages whereof he writeth such unchristian treasonable and scandalous expressions as cannot be mentioned without committing the like crimes and therefore I must forbear to insert them here referring you to his own writings and in these few words only give you my verdict of them Notwithstanding that Solomon the wisest of men who was inspired by the Spirit of God did affirm Prov. 28.2 For the transgression of a land many are the Princes thereof and chap. 30.21 When a servant reigneth the earth is disquieted and cannot bear it yet Mr. Culpeper was so foolish and hasty in his words Prov. 29.20 as to mock at the father of the state Prov. 30.17 and not be afraid of the judgment there threatned The Supream Magistrat of the Vniverse having put an happy end unto the long and Cimmerian dark night of Anarchy wherein such fiery meteors did appear in our Brittish Horizon but were not able to change the coats and far less the hearts of one truly loyal person I shall not determine their altitude in the region of Rebellion but only offer unto you some of the sanctuaries measuring Reeds by which you may do it your selvs Titus 3.1,2 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers and to obey Magistrats c. Exodus 22.28 Acts 23.5 Thou shalt not speak evil of the Ruler of thy people Ecclesiastes 10.20 Curse not the King no not in thy thought c 2 Peter 2.9,10,11,12,13 1 Peter 3.10 James 3. to ver 11. I shall conclude this purpose with those three sentences of Gods Word which a good Poet might convert into a most pertinent Epitaph upon Mr. Culpeper Prov. 21.24 Proud and haughty scorner is his name who dealeth in proud wrath Pov. 10.31 But the froward tongue shall be cut off Pro. 12.19 But a lying tongue is but for a moment Take now some of his most christian and charitable complements which he passed upon the Physicians of the Colledge of London of whom many for their singular abilities and diligence in their business were honoured to stand before the King and Princes of the â—and In the second page of his Epistle to the Midwives of England he calleth the Physiceans a company of lazy Doctors most of whose covetousness outweighs their wits as much as a Mil-stone outweighs a feather And in the Epistle to the Reader of that same book who are they that cry out against Empyricks who The Colledge of Physicians And why do they so they kill men for waâ— of judgment and who is the cause of this themselves forsooth for if they taught men the true rules of physick is any man so madd as to practice false ones I