Galen

O quanti gran palagi, quante belle case, quanti nobili abituri, per addietro di famiglie pieni, di signori e di donne, infino al menomo fante rimaser vóti! O quante memorabili schiatte, quante amplissime eredità, quante famose ricchezze si videro senza successor debito rimanere! Quanti valorosi uomini, quante belle donne, quanti leggiadri giovani, li quali non che altri, ma Galieno, Ippocrate, o Esculapio avrieno giudicati sanissimi, la mattina desinarono co' loro parenti, compagni et amici, che poi la sera vegnente appresso nell'altro mondo cenarono colli loro passati!

Oh, how many great palaces, how many beautiful houses, how many noble homes, once full of families, of lords and ladies, were left empty, down to the last servant! Oh, how many famous family lines, how many vast inheritances, how many famous fortunes were left with no rightful heir! How many brave men, how many beautiful women, how many charming young people, whom even Galen, Hippocrates, or Aesculapius would have judged perfectly healthy, ate their morning meal with their relatives, companions, and friends, and that very evening dined with their ancestors in the other world!

X. It is Cavilled (for to say, Objected, would be too easy a word for such Impertinence) that this New Way comes to us from the Heathen, and we Christians must not Learn the Way of the Heathen. I Enquire, whether our Hippocrates were not an Heathen? And whether our Galen were not an Heathen? And whether we have not our Mithradate from the Heathen? And whether the first Inventer of our Treacle were not Nero's Physician? And whether we have not learnt some of our very Good Medicines from our Indians? But this New Way has been used by many Thousands of Christians; And it is from Christians we have the Communications of this New Way which we most rely upon. But are there none who pass for Courant-Christians that are worse than Infidels? And, Gentlemen-Smoakers, I pray, whom did you learn to Smoke of?

X. It is cavilled (for to say “objected” would be too easy a word for such impertinence) that this new way comes to us from the heathen, and we Christians must not learn the way of the heathen. I inquire whether our Hippocrates were not a heathen? And whether our Galen were not a heathen? And whether we have not our mithridate from the heathen? And whether the first inventor of our treacle were not Nero’s physician? And whether we have not learned some of our very good medicines from our Indians? But this new way has been used by many thousands of Christians, and it is from Christians we have the communications of this new way which we most rely upon. But are there none who pass for Courant-Christians that are worse than infidels? And, gentlemen smokers, I pray, whom did you learn to smoke of?