Nor is it any Objection against all _This_, that the _Liquor_ is innocent and harmless in the Mouth or Stomach of any one, so as that it may be safely tasted or sucked out of the Wound, and swallowed; for, _as_ we observ’d before, that many _Acid_ Substances taken into the Stomach are by the Action of that Part turned to _Alcalious_, so there is no Question but these Saline _Spicula_ are partly by the Muscular Force of the Fibres, partly by the Salival Juice, all broken and dissolved; or if any can pass into the Intestines, the Balsam of the _Bile_ will be an _Antidote_ for Them; the Reason of which will appear when we come to the Cure. In the mean time it may not be amiss to Remark, That even the Ancients seem to have known thus much concerning the Nature of this Poison; of this _Galen_ gives us Testimony in severl Places; particularly in his Book _de Temperamentis_ (17), where he takes notice, that _nothing has the same Power upon the human Body outwardly as inwardly; Thus_ (says he) _neither the Venom of the Viper, nor of the Asp nor frothy Spittle of the Mad Dog, are alike Mischievous when they fall upon the Skin, or enter into the Stomach, as when outwardly communicated by a Wound._ The chief of the _Latin_ Physicians (18), _Celsus_ has elegantly express’d the Matter in few Words, when advising to _Suck_ the Wound made by the Bite; he adds, _Neq; Hercules Scientiam præcipuam habent hi qui Psilli nominantur, sed audaciam usu ipso confirmatam, nam Venenum Serpentis, ut quædam etiam Venatoria Venena, quibus Galli præcipuè utuntur, non gustu sed in vulnere nocent_. And therefore brave _Cato_, when marching the Remains of _Pompey_’s Army thro’ _Africa_, very wisely told the Soldiers, almost choak’d with Thirst, yet afraid to drink of a Spring they came to, because full of Serpents (19), _Noxia Serpentum est admisto sanguine Pestis, Morsu Virus habent, & Fatum Dente minantur, Pocula Morte carent_―― In the like manner it was in those times also known, that the virulent Juice had the same bad Effects, when mixt with the Blood, by means of a common Wound, as when communicated by the Venomous Bite. This made _Celsus_ (20) advise in sucking out the Poison, to take care there be no Ulcer in the Mouth; tho’ this Caution be rather slighted and ridiculed by _Severinus_ (21), and others; who do hereby discover how little they understood of the Seat and Nature of this Poison. And _Galen_ (22) mentioning the Story of _Cleopatra_, relates from other Authors, that she killed her self _by pouring the_ Virus _of an Asp into a Wound made in her Arm by her own Teeth_.