Anton: if the -en form is a verb without expressed subject and without any other verbs preceding it, then I can really only see it as an infinitive (which can be used as an imperative). In the case of "palden probieren", imperative is really the only solution I can think of.
If a subject is expressed then it can be a simple present case if the subject is plural (they/we/you(pl) try).
We have something that looks like a grammatical ending here, so we should use it to our advantage in weighing the options.
About empiricism and medicine, certainly, but that's a modern, or at least renaissance concept. Medieval medicine relied on traditional wisdom. Some methods were effective, but others, like bloodletting, were rarely beneficial. I just don't have the impression that medieval medicine is something you try. It's something you do, and if you're lucky (God willing) you get better.
But again I might be wrong. If like you suggest "probieren" phrases might exist in this context, it would be a huge argument in favor of this interpretation.
If a subject is expressed then it can be a simple present case if the subject is plural (they/we/you(pl) try).
We have something that looks like a grammatical ending here, so we should use it to our advantage in weighing the options.
About empiricism and medicine, certainly, but that's a modern, or at least renaissance concept. Medieval medicine relied on traditional wisdom. Some methods were effective, but others, like bloodletting, were rarely beneficial. I just don't have the impression that medieval medicine is something you try. It's something you do, and if you're lucky (God willing) you get better.
But again I might be wrong. If like you suggest "probieren" phrases might exist in this context, it would be a huge argument in favor of this interpretation.