[The scurvey.]
Being betwixt three or foure degrees of the equinoctiall line, my
company within a fewe dayes began to fall sicke, of a disease which
sea-men are wont to call the scurvey: and seemeth to bee a kind of
dropsie, and raigneth most in this climate of any that I have heard or
read of in the world; though in all seas it is wont to helpe and
increase the miserie of man; it possesseth all those of which it taketh
hold, with a loathsome sloathfulnesse, even to eate: they would be
content to change their sleepe and rest, which is the most pernicious
enemie in this sicknesse, that is knowne. It bringeth with it a great
desire to drinke, and causeth a generall swelling of all parts of the
body, especially of the legs and gums, and many times the teeth fall out
of the jawes without paine.
[The signes.]
The signes to know this disease in the beginning are divers: by the
swelling of the gummes, by denting of the flesh of the leggs with a
man’s finger, the pit remayning without filling up in a good space.
Others show it with their lasinesse: others complaine of the cricke of
the backe, etc., all which are, for the most part, certaine tokens of
infection.
[The cause.]
The cause of this sicknes some attribute to sloath; some to conceite;
and divers men speake diversly: that which I have observed is, that our
nation is more subject unto it then any other; because being bred in a
temperate clymate, where the naturall heate restrayned, giveth strength
to the stomacke, sustayning it with meates of good nourishment, and that
in a wholesome ayre; whereas comming into the hot countries (where that
naturall heate is dispersed through the whole body, which was wont to be
proper to the stomache; and the meates for the most part preserved with
salt, and its substance thereby diminished, and many times corrupted),
greater force for digestion is now required then in times past; but the
stomache finding less virtue to doe his office, in reparting to each
member his due proportion in perfection, which either giveth it rawe, or
remayneth with it indigested by his hardnes or cruditie, infeebleth the
body, and maketh it unlusty and unfit for any thing; for the stomache
being strong (though all parts els be weake), there is ever a desire to
feede, and aptnes to perform whatsoever can be required of a man; but
though all other members be strong and sound, if the stomache be
opprest, or squemish, all the body is unlustie, and unfit for any thing,
and yeeldeth to nothing so readily as sloathfulnes, which is confirmed
by the common answere to all questions: as, will you eate? will you
sleepe? will you walke? will you play? The answere is, I have no
stomache: which is as much as to say, no, not willingly: thereby
confirming, that without a sound and whole stomache, nothing can bee
well accomplished, nor any sustenance well digested.[72]
[Seething of meat in salt water.]
The seething of the meate in salt water, helpeth to cause this
infirmitie, which in long voyages can hardly be avoyded: but if it may
be, it is to be shunned; for the water of the [Corruption of
victuall.] sea to man’s body is very unwholesome. The corruption of the
victuals, and especially of the bread, is very pernicious; [Sidenote:
Vapours of the sea.] the vapours and ayre of the sea also is nothing
profitable, especially in these hot countries, where are many calmes.
And were it not for the moving of the sea by the force of windes, tydes,
and currants, it would corrupt all the world.
The experience I saw in anno 1590, lying with a fleete [Sidenote:
Azores.] of her majesties ships about the ilands of the Azores, almost
six moneths; the greatest part of the time we were becalmed: with which
all the sea became so replenished with several sorts of gellyes, and
formes of serpents, adders, and snakes, as seemed wonderfull: some
greene, some blacke, some yellow, some white, some of divers coulours;
and many of them had life, and some there were a yard and halfe, and two
yards long; which had I not seene, I could hardly have beleeved. And
hereof are witnesses all the companies of the ships which were then
present; so that hardly a man could draw a buckett of water cleere of
some corruption.[73] In which voyage, towards the end thereof, many of
every ship (saving of the _Nonpereil_, which was under my charge, and
had onely one man sicke in all the voyage), fell sicke of this disease,
and began to die apace, but that the speedie passage into our country
was [The remedies.] remedie to the crazed, and a preservative
for those that were not touched. The best prevention for this disease
(in my judgement) is to keepe cleane the shippe; to besprinkle her
ordinarily with vineger, or to burne tarre, and some sweet savours; to
feed upon as few salt meats in the hot country as [By dyet.]
may be; and especially to shunne all kindes of salt fish, and to reserve
them for the cold climates; and not to dresse any meate with salt water,
nor to suffer the companie to wash their shirts nor cloathes in it, nor
to sleepe in their cloaths when they are wett. For this cause it is
necessarily required, that provision be made of apparell for the
company, [By shift.] that they may have wherewith to shift
themselves; being a common calamitie amongst the ordinary sort of
mariners, to spend their thrift on the shore, and to bring to sea no
more cloaths then they have backes. For the bodie of man is not
refreshed with any thing more then with shifting cleane cloaths; a great
preservative of health in hott countries.
The second antidote is, to keepe the companie occupied [By
labour.] in some bodily exercise of worke, of agilitie, of pastimes, of
dauncing, of use of armes; these helpeth much to banish [By
early eating and drinking.] this infirmitie. Thirdly, in the morning, at
discharge of the watch, to give every man a bit of bread, and a draught
of drinke, either beere or wine mingled with water (at the least, the
one halfe), or a quantitie mingled with beere, that the pores of the
bodie may be full, when the vapours of the sea ascend up.[74]
The morning draught should be ever of the best and choysest of that in
the ship. Pure wine I hold to be more hurtfull then the other is
profitable. In this, others will be of a contrary opinion, but I thinke
partiall. If not, then leave I the remedies thereof to those physitions
and surgeons who have experience; and I wish that some learned man would
write of it, for it is the plague of the sea, and the spoyle of
mariners. Doubtlesse, it would be a meritorious worke with God and man,
and most beneficiall for our countrie; for in twentie yeares, since that
I have used the sea, I dare take upon me to give accompt of ten thousand
men consumed with this disease.
[By sower oranges and lemons.]
That which I have seene most fruitfull for this sicknesse, is sower
oranges and lemmons,[75] and a water which amongst others (for my
particular provision) I carryed to the sea, [By Doctor Stevens
water.] called Dr. Stevens his water, of which, for that his vertue was
not then well knowne unto me, I carryed but little, and it tooke end
quickly, but gave health to those that used it.
[By oyle of vitry.]
The oyle of vitry[76] is beneficiall for this disease; taking two drops
of it, and mingled in a draught of water, with a little sugar. It taketh
away the thirst, and helpeth to clense and comfort the stomache. But the
principall of [By the ayre of the land.] all, is the ayre of
the land; for the sea is naturall for fishes, and the land for men. And
the oftener a man can have his people to land, not hindering his voyage,
the better it is, and the profitablest course that he can take to
refresh them.[77]