He was also a man of arts and sciences, and developed plantsmanship, devised medical apparatus and carried out scientific experiments on coffee and tobacco.
[1] He was admitted to Gloucester Hall, Oxford, at the age of 16,[2] where he studied under Francis Bacon and William Harvey.
Of his plantsmanship Wood wrote "He was an ingeniose man, and had a philosophicall head; he was most curious for grafting, inoculating, and planting, and ponds.
[6] Wood wrote "He was much troubled with flegme, and being so one winter at the court at Ludlowe (where he was one of the counsellours), sitting by the fire, spitting and spewling, he tooke a fine tender sprig, and tied a ragge at the end, and conceived he might putt it downe his throate, and fetch up the flegme, and he did so.
"Take equal quantity of Butter and Sallet-oyle, melt them well together, but not boyle them: Then stirre them well that they may incorporate together: Then melt therewith three times as much Honey, and stirre it well together: Then add thereunto powder of Turkish Cophie, to make it a thick Electuary".He also devised a concoction called "wash-brew" which included oatmeal, powder of "cophie", a pint of ale or any wine, ginger, honey, or sugar to please the taste, to which could be added butter and any cordial powder or pleasant spice.
[2] In a chapter entitled "Experiments of Cophee" he noted that coffee had the power to cure drunkards.