X. 13, f. 1.

rht ufe of tread.
ing themlelvcs. But becaufc old age is underpropped by feeding, the Proverb grew, thatffc* Mandible is the old ma?*s ftaffe. For whac old ageimpaires, and what fails of the natural moyfture of the body, meat and drink makeup again. Wherefore they and all fedentary people and Students and Magiftrates that ferve* for the public k good, may in the morning eat Raifins, Dates, Figs, Cur¬ rans, Pine kernels, Fifticknuts, Orange and Citron pills candied with Sugar, Myrobalans conlerved with honey when they are green, or fome other liquid corroboratives that lefle weary the ftomach, and trouble it not to digeft them. In the mean time.r- everyonemuft meafure his own ftrength, and confider his con¬ dition, and nature, and fee whac it will bear, and what itrefufech and cannot away with.
But chiefly obferve this, that no man drink Wine early in the morning, for it is very much contrary to Nature: for it dulls the vigour of the mind, clouds the underftanding, and hurts the nerves. Wherefore let every man wholly deny himfclf the ufe of wine in the morning 5 but eating a little food, let him drink fparingly, and what is well alayd. For Nature in the morning requires very little food, and a little will ferve to nourifli it, lelt natural heatfhould fail.
Wherefore it is good to follow their example, who when they mean to make a clear fire fome hours after, to roft or boyl with, firft they make the fire with fome fuel and dry matter, left the fire fhould quite go out, and when it is time they make a great fire to boyl with : fo when the ftomach a little before is made hot with fome fmall food, as to light the fire by, at dinner it will defire meat more greedily, and the veins being dilated, it will better digeft it : For many that faft untill dinner, lofe their appetite, the heat of their ftomach being very feeble, andalmoft quite gone out. Adde to this, that the paflages being fallen down and (hut whereby the nutriment fhould pafle, it fticks in the mid¬ way, and is long before it can come into the veins.
Moreover, by reafon of long hunger, the ftomach infilled with ill humours that it fucks from the parts that are near, and fo re- fufeth meat, and is foon fatisfied. Wherefore by reafon hereof men are fooner drunk at dinner, and fore-noon drinkings, than if they fhould drink much at fupper. For to pafle over other con- flderations for this, half the danger is taken off by the night, as Pliny faith, when men drink in expectation of fleep.For fleep helps to difeufle, and to take oft the fumes of the wine.
But fince bread is a great part of mans nourifhment and all meats without it are unfavoury, and not very healthful, I think fit to fpcak fomething of the ufe thereof. For fome maintain, that to eat much bread is hurtfull to the ftomach, and that eating of it immoderately and to repletion doth as much harm, as wine drank in too great abundance, I think their reafon is, becaufe it ftayes long in the ftomach, and binds the belly. But my opinion is, that choyce and a difference fhould be made. For wheaten
bread
123
Ch.2 i. They that eat a moderate breakf aft, will eat more freely at dinner.
r
bread well moulded and made with leaven, and well baked is
the mod commendable and healthful food for found bodies. Wherefore 1 would have all men perfwaded, that it is not good to joyn too little bread with their meat. For they that cat bread too (paringly, and fiqfh or fifb plentifully, their body growes They that ea, fpungy, and their defh loofe, and their breath (links and corrupts. ^ tenth Wherefore earing of fifh becaufe they fooneft corrupt, requires limits. mod bread with them.
We fee that all meats willfuddenly corrupt and ft ink, in thfee days or a little more unleffe you fait them. And Egs, Fifh, Flefh, and all fuch meats will be unfavoury. But bread never corrupts, x or fmeMs amide. Being over long kept it will grow mouldy, but it putrifies nor. Wherefore fuch as cram themfe-lves with meats, and eat little or no bread, fend a (linking fmell from their very entrails, and offend all that are near them.
Wherefore thofe that defire to be of (Irong and firm conftituti- on of body, let them eat bread with moderation at lead, chiefly when they mudexercifeand labour hard. For unlelle Ditchers,
Porters, Marriners, Carriers, Fencers, Wredlcrs , fhould eat bread in abundance, they could not fubfift, and endure fuch krf. bours. But I preferibe the ufe of bread more fparingly to tendef weak fickly conditutions, and to fuch whofe domachs are fairrt, and the pafiages narrow 5 It is bed to refrefh them with liquid” meats, and to reftore their flrength, for thefe will foon enter the veins. For fuch bodies are too tender and delicate for to receive hard meats. And the kingly Prophet David feems to me to have . obferved and confidered all thefe things very exa&ly. God the 4 maker of all things, caufeth the Grade to grow for the Cattle,
and heaibs for the fervice of man* * both Tick and well. So that his
* ^ ,
body anointed with oyle may fhine, and anointed with ointment may be refrefhed. That the heart of man may be cheered with Wine, and fadnefle being driven away may be made 'mer¬ ry, and that bread the flaffe of life may confirm and flrengthen
him.
CHAP. XXII.
*A Nutmeg and a Coral-ftone , carried about a man will grow the better , but about a woman the worfe.
> - -:r ' ' ■ i . f. ■ Ua\ i ■- .
THat a man excels a woman, and that his condition is far bet' & man excels a ter than hers, befid foul and body, whereby he abundantly goes beyond tier, inani¬ mate creatures, and fuch as have left growing and incrcafir.g do teftify, and prove by experience. For a Nutmeg if a man carry it about him, doth not onely keep its force, but will fwell and be¬ come more full of juice, For fince among thefe the beft weighs mod, and is mod full of juice, and being preded or pricked with
T *
a needle
I 24 Of thofe that are barren & unfruitful /, & how that comes to pa fi. Book’ll.
How to try a nctdic> will fwcac forth an oyly fubftance, with an excellent
Nutmegs. Iweet Imell : the heat ol man preferves thefe properties , and
which is wonderfull will make it more pieafant to behold, and to fwell more with this oyly juice, Specially if young lufty men carry it about with them. For fo pieafant and fweet fmell comes comment. forth of fuch bodies, and fuch excellent vapours, by reafon of the L'}' l4’ temper of their natural heat, and fo gentile and pleating, that the Nutmeg will draw them to it, and fo it being foked with them grows more clear, and fweet fenced. For it is fed and delights manaereal vapour, and a warmayre inclining to heat, and fuch youthfull bodies do breath it forth as a thing that is moft familiar why the cloths and agreeing with it. So it is written that ^Alexander the greac of Alexander King of Macedonia, had his cloths perfumed, not by any external tmu. pcfiume put upon them, but from the natural breathing forth of his imbred heat. But a woman abounding with excrements, and fending out ill fmells by reafon of her terms 5 makes all thirds worfe, and fpoils their natural forces and imbred qualities. Hence it is chat a Nutmeg by her touching of it will grow dry, light, rot¬ ten, pale, and blackilh, and fo (he will corrupt and lpoil hearbs, de-ftroy feed, and take off the Lufire from a looking Glafle. The Coral grows like reafon ferves for Coral : for this made into round pieces, and Zaawmit. Poli(hcd finooth, if a man carry it, it will grow more red, than if a woman fhould wear it about her. For by being long with a "f" woman it will grow pale and wan, and lofe its natural heat, part¬ ly by reafon of the fuliginous thick vapours that breath from her,
Matmakes co- a'nd partly becaufe #e. hath hm a weak heat, and is cold and rail red. Inolit or confticution > which qualities can keep and preferve no¬ thing : but a man hath a gentle fweet vapour that proceeds from his fubftance by natural! hear, and he is ailmoft aromatifed by
Vfdtldw U‘ For which cau^c Muftard-feed will make Coral more red
Cmiired. if it be covered with it, namely by reafon of its heat, whereby it
grows hot as by a thing that is on fire.
CHAP. XXIII.
Fey tf>e mojl pat t yuch are barren and unfruitfull tvhofe feed runs from them of its own accord , and they pollute therrfelves , and how that comes topajje.
Uvitt If. TT is fo foul a mifehief, that amongft the Jews thofe that were , v ,.,A JL polluted with it, were driven out from the Temple, and all mens company. The Greeks call it Gbnorrhtea, the Latines Seminis profluvium , bofh men and women are troubled with it. For their feed runs from them againft their wills, almojft without any pleafure or defire, or ereaion^ and it is watry and thin. Wherc- A Simile from fore it is unfruitfnlland unfit to beget children. For as a Willow unfruitfull that lofeth its fruit, cafts off his feed for lack of heat before it be Trees> ripe.
So
The Dutch call this the fowl droning.
They that have the French P ox are alwaics lea- chcrous.
Chap. 2 3 . Of thoje that are barren & nnfruiifuL (
So thefehave their generative humour too cold and moyfl, and it runs away from them. For the natural faculties are not able to perfect the feed, and make it prolifical. Whence it comes that cue humour is altogether excremental 5 and is the rudiment of iced newly begun and imperfebt, and wants the power of generati¬ on. But fince this difeafe arifetn from the vveaknefTc of cue fper- matick ycffels, lo there is alio another vice contracted by verier y and contagious copulation when men lye with whores. For a corrupt filthy matter diflili’s from the fecrets, lometimes of a .wan colour, and fometimes green as Copras or Leeks that lmell mod filthily. Whence it comes that the vtffels arc fometimes corro¬ ded, and the fecrets are hurt. But that moifiure and dropping of a moyft fowl humour is more virulent in women, and when it is corrupted it is like the whites of Eggs, whereby the guts are vex¬ ed with an intoilerable pricking, as if they were wet with Allum or fair, and by this means all that are difeaied with the Pox are ex- tream Lecherous by reafon of the acrimony of the corrupt humour, and they think to abate it and hinder ic by copulation, and to eafe themfelves of thegreateft part of the difeafe. Wherefore when they defire to rub rheir (cabby matter upon all, yet the bawdy Letchers chiefly feek and hunt after fuch as they know to be of a wholefome and found confLtucion. For they powre forth their filthy matter upop thefe, and corrupt them with their polluted Iced , for they can contract to themfelves no contagion by fuch co¬ pulation. For fince they are troubled with the flux of feed con- trabfed by whoring/and filthy copulation with Harlots. It is not a feminal and fruitfull excreement that runs from j.them, but a contagious filthy matter flows from their groins, that (links ill fa- vouredly,notofa white butgreen wan colour thaccaufcth ulcers in the fecrets, and in the fore-part of the yard, fo that their urine can hardly come forth, and is now and then iioptby the purulent matter. And if at any time they begin to lull and tickle and their yard to have erebtion, they fuffer intoilerable pains. For this part feems to be flretched as it were with a cord, by reafon of the nerves that are wet with a biting acrimonious humour, whence it comes that they have now and than a dropping of them urine, that comes not forth upon heaps and freely, but by little and little with intoilerable pain. This difeafe is taken from pocky. fick people,and by lying with whores whole privities are infc&ed with bubo’s,&: ocher contagions. Which difeafe being it confifl 5 about the pri¬ vities and fecret parts, and front putrid humours caufeth filthy tumours : it is call’d the gowt of the fecrets, or a tfimhefler-Gooi'c.
But if the contagion doth fpread it lelf, as it lifeth to do, when the body is not prefently purged after the difeafe con traded, and where outwardly djfcuflivc cataplafms that may reprefie the mat¬ ter, and not fuch as may ripen it are applied to draw it forth, the whole mafle of the body, together with the blood and fpirits isinfebted, and the whole collection of humours is carried to the nerves, panicles, membranes irmfcles, and caufeth intoilerable
pains,
Sbarpncjfeof urine is proper to this difeafe .