Walter Rumsey (1584-1660).
[906]Judge Rumsey: vide A. Wood's Antiq. Oxon.
Walter Rumsey, of Lanover, in com. Monmouth, esquier (borne there), was of <Gloucester Hall> in Oxon; afterwards of the society of Graye's Inne, where he was a bencher.
He was one of the judges in South Wales, viz. Caermarthen, Pembrokeshire, and Cardigan circuit. He was so excellent a lawyer, that he was called The Picklock of the Lawe.
He was an ingeniose man, and had a philosophicall head; he was most curious for graffing, inoculating, and planting, and ponds. If he had any old dead plumbe-tree, or apple-tree, he lett them stand, and planted vines at the bottome, and lett them climbe up, and they would beare very well.
He was one of my councell in my law-suites in Breconshire about the entaile. He had a kindnesse for me and invited me to his house, and told me a great many fine things, both naturall and antiquarian.
He was very facetious, and a good musitian, playd on the organ and lute. He could compose.
He was much troubled with flegme, and being so one winter at the court at Ludlowe (where he was one of the councesellours), sitting by the fire, spitting and spawling, he tooke a fine tender sprig, and tied[907] a ragge at the end, and conceited he might putt it downe his throate, and fetch-up the flegme, and he did so. Afterwards he made this instrument of whale-bone. I have oftentimes seen him use it. I could never make it goe downe my throat, but for those that can 'tis a most incomparable engine. If troubled with the wind it cures you immediately. It makes you vomit without any paine, and besides, the vomits of apothecaries have aliquid veneni in them. He wrote a little 8vo booke, of this way of medicine, called Organon Salutis: London, printed for Daniel Pakeman, at the Rainebowe, in Fleet-street, 1659, scil. the second edition, dedicated to Henry <Pierrepont>, marquess of Dorchester. I had a young fellow (Marc Collins), that was my servant, that used it incomparably, more easily than the Judge; he made of them. In Wilts, among my things, are some of his making still. The Judge sayd he never sawe any one use it so dextrously in his life. It is no paine, when downe your throate; he would touch the bottome of his stomach with it. There is praefixt a letter from the Judge to Sir Henry Blount, knight; to which is annexed Sir Henry Blount's ingeniose answer.