the ifchiadic pains were totally driven off by the flux. For there is a great confent between the hæmorrhoidal parts and the legs; and I have often known the ifchiadic nerves grow painful on an approach of the piles, or menfes; and after the flux of thefe was fpent, the pains entirely vanish. An evacuation is very beneficial to fuch as are feized with the feiatica through a fuppreffion of the menfes; and I lately fucceeded very happily in an attempt to bring on the hemorrhage, by applying four dry cupping glaffes, repeatedly, to the infide of each thigh, and the proximate anterior parts, of a woman near forty years of age. I tried this about the time that the expected her ufual evacuation. If this experiment does not fucceed, bleeding in the feet is of fervice: for I have found, by conftant experience, that nothing is fo efficacious in bringing on the ute rine flux, as bleeding in the foot.' From a multitude of fuccefsful cafes, the author determines in favour of bleeding in the foot of the affected fide, contrary to the opinion he had firft entertained. When the disorder does not difappear after blood-letting, he advises the use of an emetic in fome cafes, opening the belly either by a purge or clyfter, and friction on the part affected. Refpe&ting the ufe of the latter, he delivers the following injunctions. That friction may be beneñcial to the patient at this period, it ought to operate in fuch a manner, as to affift by its preffure, and infinuate the inert humour which is entangled in the vagina of the nerve, into those mouths of the veins which are, perhaps, blocked up; and to caufe it to leave, by degrees, the ftation it occupied in the vagina by its fluggish quality: but great care must be taken that the friction only drives out the old humours, and does not draw new. Friction, therefore, is to be used in fuch a cautious manner, as that it may not be a ftimulus, but only a gentle preffure. This is, indeed, a very difficult thing. But, however, I find my intentions generally anfwered, by gently ftroking the part affected along the track of pain, with the naked hand, without flannel, or any other ftimulating fubftitute. And, left the hand or flefh fhould grow warm by this friction, and draw a quantity of blood to the part, I • ordered it to be fmeared plentifully with oil. The friction is to be used every morning, for a quarter of an hour at a time, with proper intervals; by which method I have known the pains of the fciatica totally vanish by degrees. I use oil of olives, or melted fuet; which the patient imagines is the great remedy, and the thing that frees him from his diforder: and to fuch as mete out health under the appearance of remedies, I recommend the Butyrum ex Cacao, the Oleum Vulp. fresh prepared; or vipers oil; or a thing whofe fcarcity will recommend it, human fat. It is for this reafon that patients chufe this or that oil for the friction. The more oil is poured on, the lefs apt the flesh flesh is to be inflamed. I always make use of cold oil, for when warm it encreases the pain.' During the profecution of the cure, when the pain is extremely violent, he recommends the ufe of opium. But if the patient has been fo accustomed to this remedy, that it pro duces no effect, he diffuades from increasing the dose, because he has obferved the ifchiadic torpor augmented by that means, and advises to adminifter the medicine in a clyfter, after cleanfing the intestines. We also meet here with fome obfervations op the effects of opium, which deferve to be perused. The author expreffes ftrong difapprobation of acrid clyfters, ufed frequently in this diforder by empirics. Cauftics, he also observes, are not of ufe in every fciatica, especially the arthritic kind. In the pofterior nervous fciatica, however, he has experienced the greatest benefit from blillers, which therefore he warmly recommends. After concluding his observations on this fpecies of the difeafe, he fubjoins the following account of the history and cure of what he has diftinguished by the name of the anterior nervous sciatica. This fciatica attacks the crural nerve, and the pain evidently follows its track: it is generated by the acrid matter which has infinuated itfelf into the vagine, and which has the fame origin as that of the ifchiadic nerve. As the crural nerve is furrounded on all fides with mufcles, and its vaginæ are, as it were, exercised by their alternate preffure, the matter is prevented from ftagnating, and the diforder confequently of fhorter continuance. I have often known this fciatica exacerbate at night; and have known it intermit. Like the pofterior, it has been found to be of longer continuance, and to grow more fe vere in warm weather, or by warm applications; and to be more gentle in the day time, in ferene or cold weather. It has often arisen by a man's receiving a violent fall on either fide; of which a man of fixty is an inftance, who got both the pofterior and anterior fciatica by a fall. I never make use of cauftics in curing this fciatica, for it is always conquered by bleed. ing, as you fee occafion in the hæmorrhoidal veins, or the foot; and then by loofening the belly in the morning with common clyfters. If I have any fufpicion of a venereal taint, I always make ufe of thofe remedies which I have already mentioned, in the evening; if not, I recommend gentle frictions, or riding, to diffipate the humours. Here, as well as in the pofterior fciatica, if the patient would reft comfortably, he Thould not lie on a woollen bed, but on a straw or hair mattrafs. By lying in this manner, I have known the nocturnal pains of this disorder, as alfo thofe of the rheumatism and arthritis, abate confiderably, and the patient fleep more easily and comfortably. E 3 In In the preceding quotation the author refers to the remedies he had formerly mentioned in the cure of the fciatica, when the diforder was fuppofed to arife from a venereal taint. Our medical readers need not to be informed that these are mercury, and the other ufual anti-venereal medicines. If we may judge from fome expreffions in this treatise, the tranflation has not been executed by a perfon acquainted with medical writings. But the work is perfectly intelligible, and claims the attention of the faculty, on account of the obferv ations it contains. X. Horda Angel-cynnan: or, a Compleat View of the Manners, Cuftoms, Arms, Habits, &c. of the Inhabitants of England from the Arrival of the Saxons till the Reign of Henry VIII. With a fhort Account of the Britons during the Government of the Romans. Ey Jofeph Strutt. 2 vols. 4to. 34. 31. White, IF F genuine zeal for the illuftration of the antiquities of our country, and an unwearied application in profecuting that attempt, be objects which have a claim to the candour and regard of the public, thefe are peculiarly due to the laborious refearches of this author, who has purfued the most intricate and difficult paths of enquiry, and carried his investigation into the earliest ages of British hiftory. In compiling this work, Mr. Strutt appears to have perufed with the closest attention all the authors who have treated of the subject; but his materials are chiefly derived from ancient manuscripts, the ocular inspection of yet remaining antiquities, and the furviving delineation of those which either time or accident has obliterated. periods, comHere the au The first volume is divided into five diftinct mencing with an account of the British æra. thor defcribes the manners and cuftoms of the ancient Britons, their government, arms, and accoutrements of war, &c. fortifications, their navigation, husbandry, habits, their priests, religion, and idols, with obfervations on Stone Henge, Au bery, &c. After an entertaining difplay of the foregoing period, Mr. Strutt proceeds to the ancient Saxon æra, where he takes a view of the ancient Saxons before their arrival in Britain; delivering an account of their arms and warlike customs, their perfons, form of government, ordeals, religion and idols, navigation, habits, &c. Next follows the Anglo-Saxon æra; containing a description of the fortifications of the Anglo-Saxons, their weapons and war warlike habits, religious buildings, domeftic buildings, regal courts, government, navigation, husbandry, domeftic employment, drefs and habits, banquets, mufical inftruments, sports and paftimes, with a variety of other fubjects, which it would be unneceffary to enumerate. The era of the Anglo-Saxons is fucceeded by the Danish, under which the author treats of the latter nation both before and after their establishment in England. Here we meet with an account of the government of the Danes, their arms, fortifications, fea affairs and fhipping, with obfervations on their drefs and customs. The fifth period comprifes the Norman æra, allotted to the review of the ancient Normans, the fortifications of the Anglo-Normans, their foldiers, arms, and warlike habits, military arrangement, and religious and domeftic buildings. To the detail of the antiquities of thofe different epochs, Mr. Strutt has fubjoined an account of the principal manufcripts from which the materials in this volume are collected. His access to thefe authorities was in the libraries of Oxford and Cambridge, and they are reputed to have been written. from the eighth to the eleventh century inclufive. The narrative part of the work is followed by fixty-seven plates in quarto, refpecting the various engravings which Mr. Strutt has met with in his researches, relative to the antiquities of which he treats. Whether or not these plates, however accurately copied from the originals, deferve to be confidered as faithful delineations of the objects, we will not take upon us to determine. We may reasonably fufpe&t, that the rude and uncultivated state of the imitative arts among our ancient countrymen would frequently prove the cause of involuntary deviations from defcriptive fidelity, exclufive of the fantastic inventions, in which it is probable that the artifts would fometimes indulge their own imagination. It must be acknowledged, however, that thefe plates are a curious addition to the repofitory of English antiquities. The multiplicity of fubjects on which the narrative is employed, having induced us to confine ourselves to enumeration only, we fhall lay before our readers a paffage from the work, as a specimen; and this we fhall felect from Mr. Strutt's account of the arms and warlike customs of the old Saxons, as being unconnected with the plates. According to Verftegan, befides the long fword above mentioned, they had a knife or dagger; the fword, or long feax, they wore by their fide, whilst the dagger, or hand feax, was kept in a fheath diftin&t by itfelf. This laft was the fort of weapon made ufe of by Hengitt and his followers on Salisbury Plain, E 4 when when he met Vortigern, king of the Britons, (with many of the nobles of the realm in his train) in order, as the Britons fuppofed, to conclude an amicable peace: the unfufpecting Britons came unarmed to this meeting, while the treacherous Saxons had each a knife, cr hand feax, concealed under his garment, when, on the watch word "Nem cour Seaxes," (that is, 'take out your knives) being given, they fuddenly drew their weapons forth, and inhumanly butchered the unhappy Britons. And this may also be the weapon mentioned by Witichindus, a Saxon writer, in thefe words," Great knives, or rather bended fwords, they truffed on little fhields across their backs.". The Saxons were undoubtedly a flout and hardy people, delighting chiefly in war, holding it at all times far more honourable to take the neceffaries of life by force from others, than by their own induftry to provide them for themselves. War was indeed a part of their religion, for they not only held it difhonourable for a man to die of a difeafe, or in his bed, but fuppofed that he would be entirely excluded from the joys of a. happy ftate hereafter, which was a place in Woden's Hall, where, in an endless round of quiet and contentment he should fit and quaff full cups of ale in the fkulls of his enemies; this was their heaven; and their place of punishment plainly proves their deteftation of floth and indolence, for they fuppofed the torments to be a continual fucceffion of laziness, fickness, and the most miferable infirmities. They had yet other fpurs to awaken in them a thirst for glory, and an enthufiaftic defire of martial fame; for if any quitted the field of battle without fuccefs, they were under a temporary difgrace; but if any one forvived, and left the field where his prince or general was flain, he was branded with perpetual infamy. • If a foldier loft his shield in battle, he was debarred from being prefent at their facred rites, for grief of which many of them deftroyed themfelves. When they elected a general (fays Tacitus) which was done by the votes of the foldiers, he was fet upon one of their fhields, and borne on men's fhoulders amidst the applaufes and acclamations of the people. They prudently chofe for a general one that had given undoubted proofs of his valour, and was well experienced in the art of war; because they repofed the greateft confidence in him, when elected; implicitly obeying his orders, and following him with unwearied affiduity. They paid the greateft attention to order and military difcipline, obferving their ranks, taking the advantage of the field, benefit of the day, and conftantly making their entrenchments in the dead of night; for fortune they held as always doubtful, but prudence and valour, they elteemed as certain. They would not go to battle, or undertake any great expedition without first confulting their wives, to whofe advice they payed the greateft regard: they alio fuperftitiously 1 |