Letter 2580

A young man in ye house where I lodgd complaind too or three days of a pain in his right Ear which had been subject to a running humor in which time was apply’d to it some wool clean pickd as a little clarified honey which gave him but little ease. At length a maid Servt in ye house perceivd his Ear something bloudy & upon her searching saw something working in his Ear like maggots upon which a neighbouring Woman was sent for who applyd to it ye steam of warm Milk & a little after I was desird to see him & searching his Ear could plainly perceive a great number of Insects working in ye Conduit of his Ear & by degrees I pickd out 24 large maggots in shape & Colour like those that commonly breed in putrefied flesh. I could still perceive more remaining behind but being disturbd they workd so farr into ye Cavity of ye Ear that I could not easily get ‘em out, upon which I left him for about an hour in which time he was very uneasy & full of pain & then returning to him, I could at first perceive nothing but a think bloody matter but by degrees they workd outward & I pickd out nine more, after this he found himself more at east upon which we concluded that there were no more; the next day he found himself better & complaind no more of ye pain. The nicer consideration of this I leave to ye curious but ye matter of fact I affirm & in Testimony have subscribd my name Hare Vic. De Cardington Bedfordsh: