There is no one commoditie in England, whereof I can make lesse report
than of our waters. For albeit our soile abound with water in all
places, and that in the most ample maner: yet can I not find by some
experience that almost anie one of our riuers hath such od and rare
qualities as diuers of the maine are said to be indued withall.
Virtruuius writeth of a well in Paphlagonia, whose water séemeth as it
were mixed with wine, & addeth thereto that diuerse become drunke by
superfluous taking of the same. The like force is found _In amne
Licesio_, a riuer of Thracia, vpon whose bankes a man shall hardlie
misse to find some traueller or other sléeping for drunkennesse, by
drinking of that liquor. Néere also vnto Ephesus are certeine welles,
which taste like sharpe vineger, and therefore are much esteemed of by
such as are sicke and euill at ease in those parts. At Hieropolis is a
spring of such force (as Strabo saith) that the water thereof mixed
with certaine herbes of choise, dooth colour wooll with such a glosse,
that the die thereof contendeth with scarlet, murreie, and purple, and
oft ouercommeth the same. The Cydnus in Tarsus of Cilicia, is of such
vertue, that who so batheth himselfe therein, shall find great ease of
the gowt that runneth ouer all his ioints. In one of the fortunate
Iles (saith Pomponius the Cosmographer) are two springs, one of the
which bringeth immoderate laughter to him that drinketh thereof, the
other sadnesse and restraint of that effect, whereby the last is taken
to be a souereigne medicine against the other, to the great admiration
of such as haue beholden it. At Susis in Persia there is a spring,
which maketh him that drinketh downe anie of the water, to cast all
his téeth: but if he onlie wash his mouth withall, it maketh them
fast, & his mouth to be verie healthfull. So there is a riuer among
the Gadarens, wherof if a beast drinke, he foorthwith casteth hoofe,
haire, and hornes, if he haue anie. Also a lake in Assyria, neere vnto
the which there is a kind of glewie matter to be found, which holdeth
such birds as by hap doo light thereon so fast as birdlime, by means
wherof verie manie doo perish and are taken that light vpon the same:
howbeit if anie portion hereof happen to be set on fire by casualtie
or otherwise, it will neuer be quenched but by casting on of dust, as
Caietanus dooth report. Another at Halicarnassus called Salmacis,
which is noted to make such men effeminate as drinke of the water of
the same. Certes it maie be (saith Strabo) that the water and aire of
a region maie qualifie the courage of some men, but none can make them
effeminate, nor anie other thing because of such corruption in them,
sooner than superfluous wealth, and inconstancie of liuing and
behauiour, which is a bane vnto all nature, lib. 4. All which, with
manie other not now comming to memorie, as the Letheus, Styx,
Phlegeton, Cocitus, &c: haue strange & incredible reports made of them
by the new and ancient writers, the like wherof are not to be found in
England, which I impute wholie to the blessing of God, who hath
ordeined nothing amongst vs in this our temperate region, but that
which is good, wholesome, and most commodious for our nation. We haue
therefore no hurtfull waters amongst vs, but all wholesome and
profitable for the benefit of the people. Neuertheles as none of them
is to be found without hir fish: so we know by experience, that
diuerse turne ash, some other elme, and oken stakes or poles that lie
or are throwne into them into hard stone, in long continuance of time,
which is the strangest thing that I can learne at this present
wherevpon to rest for a certentie. Yet I read of diuerse welles,
wherevnto our old writers ascribe either wonderfull vertues, or rare
courses, as of one vpon the shore, beyond the which the sea floweth
euerie daie twise a large mile and more; and yet is the surge of that
water alwaies seuen foot from the salt sea: whereby it should séeme
that the head of the spring is mooueable. But alas I doo not easilie
beleeue it, more than that which is written of the Lilingwan lake in
Wales, which is néere to the Seuerne, and receiueth the flowing sea
into hir chanell as it were a gulfe, and yet is neuer full: but when
the sea goeth awaie by reason of the ebbe, it casteth vp the water
with such violence, that hir banks are ouerflowne and drowned, which
is an absurd report. They ad also, that if all the people of the
countrie stood neere to the same, with their faces toward the lake, in
such maner that the dashing of the water might touch and wet their
clothes, they should haue no power to go from thence, but mawgre their
resistance be drawne into that gulfe and perish; whereas if they
turned their backs vnto the same, they should suffer no such
inconuenience though they stood neuer so néere. Manie other such like
toies I could set downe of other welles and waters of our countrie.
But whie should I write that for other men to read, whereto I giue no
credit my selfe, more than to the report which Iohannes du Choul dooth
make in his description of Pilots lake, "In monte Pilati in Gallia,"
or Boccatius of the Scaphigiolo in the Appenine hils, or F[oe]lix
Malliolus of Pilats lake "In monte fracto" (where Iacobus de Voragino
bishop of Gene, & Ioachimus Vadianus in Pompon. Melam doo also make
mention) sith I take them but for fables, & far vnworthie that anie
good man should staine his paper with such friuolous matters as are
reported of them, being deuised at the first by Satanas the father of
lies, for the holding of the ignorant & credulous in their
superstitions and errors. Such also is the tale that goeth of
Wenefrids well, & nothing inferior to that of Mercurie néere to port
Caperia in Rome, wherein such as went by would dip branches of baie,
and sprinkle the same vpon themselues: and so manie as stood about
them, calling vpon Mercurie, and crauing pardon for their sinnes, as
if that ceremonie had bene of force vnto forgiuenesse and remission of
their trespasses. And so it appeareth partlie by Cicero, who (being a
man neither thinking well of their owne gods nor liking of the
augures) dooth write in his first De legibus (except my memorie faile
me) "aspersione aquæ labem tolli corpoream, & castimoniam corporis
præstari," which maketh me to thinke further, that they thought it
equall with our late holie-water, wherewith it maie be compared. I
might further also (if I would) make relation of diuerse welles, which
haue wrought manie miracles in time of superstition, as S. Butolphs
well in Hadstocke, S. Germans well at Falkeburne, Holie well at S.
Albones and London, and sundrie other in other places: but as their
vertues are now found out to be but baits to draw men and women vnto
them, either for gaine vnto the places where they were, or
satisfaction of the lewd disposition of such as hunted after other
gaine, so it shall suffice to haue touched them far off. Onlie this
will I ad, that we haue no hurtfull waters, no not vnto our shéepe,
though it please Cardan to auouch otherwise; for our waters are not
the causes, but the signes of their infections when they drinke, as I
elsewhere haue noted in the chapter of cattell, as also that we haue a
spring neere Saffron Walden, and not farre from the house of the lord
Audleie, which is of such force, that it looseth the bodie of him that
drinketh therof in verie gentle maner, and beside that is verie
delectable & pleasant to be taken, as I haue found by experience. I
heare also of two welles néere London, of which the one is verie
excellent water, the other will beare no sope, and yet so situat that
the one is hard by the other. And thus much of waters.