Book II.

A [mile from Souldiers that are unarmed.
De civitat,V(i c. i4.
T'
inCtYQl.tiiep-
pr,
is longer a burning. So tender bodies, when popular difeafes firft begin to reign, like Souldiers unarmed, are loon (lain in war ; and next of all, women with child cannot eafily ftand out againft it, becaufc they can hardly bear the burden they carry about them, and arc ready to faint already : whereupon when any light difeafe invades them, notfo fierce as the Plague, they presently fink under it. But Priefts and Monks becaufe they are given to fleep and idlc- nefte, and never ufe exercife or to labour, can very hardly refift thefe difeafes. But Porters and Carriers, and other common people, that are deficient in their diet, and all the courfc of their life is irregular, and becaufe they live fordid! y, they are not freed from thefe difeafes, though many of them whofe bodies are hard- ned by labour are longer before they fall into them. But fince children in acute difeafes cannot endure the violence of them, yet in more mild difeafes they can ftruggle with them as long as lu- fty you .g people can, andean hold out as long in lingring and walling fickncffes, for Children have in poffibility what young men have adually. For there is animbred force and vigour in this age that muft be continued to laft many years. Hence St; c/fuguftine faith children have a kind of perh&ion, for they arb conceived and born with it, yet they have it’ in poffibility, and in their reafonablc foul, and not in bignefle of their bodies. For all the parts are in the feed, and they grow forth by degrees, and come to their full magnitude and beauty: For in time as they grow up, the force of reafon and other gifts of Nature do {hew themfelves. Whence our Country people ufe to fay when they commend young children, and bring them up in hopes. This child, hath a man within him.
CHAP. LI I.
Divers documents of Nature , and a fit conjunction of feveral matters , which becaufe I purpofed to handle, them with a convenient brevity 5 / have bound them uf> together in one bundle.
Iftilled water that we draw from green and frefh hearbs ne¬ ver corrupts, becaufe all earthly matter is conco&ed in them, and wafted, and there is in it a kind of acreali fubftance, whence it comes that it will endure no boyling. For if you fet it to the fire to boyl, it lofeth all its vertue : for it being pure and purged,there is nothing that can betaken from it 5 and thence it is that it putre¬ fies fooner, and grows mouldy on the top,than fountain water boy- led doth. So Ale boyPd, ot fountain or pond-water, though it be thick aud tti add y, is of a better tafte, and not fo fowre, as that Which is made ©frain and clear water. For troubled water being boy led, iftherebeany corruption in it, it is boyl’d away and grows better. It is a memorable thing that Hermolaus Barbara Ipeaks off, that water that hath been corrupted feven times, and
Ch2p. 5 2.
Divers documents of Nature.
i ^ o 1 / _>
purged again, will never corrupt more. Becaufe, asltnink, all the earth W fubftance is taken from it, and voided away, and it is wholly purged of all its dregs chat were the caufe of us cotrupr- ing. So it is oblervcd that that kind of drink the people call l'prufe Beer, at a certain time of the year will grow iowre, and afterwards Itrangely come to its former vigour: the fame happens in that outlandifh wine called Baftard, and black Spanifh-winc, that ftains ones hands and napkins, and makes all liniicn of a deep red colour, asthcAttian Cherries do, which we commonly call More lien.
There arc two iiquours no leffe delightful! than healthfull for mens bodies, chat is wine within,oyle without : the ufe whereof if it be moderate, keeps men in found health, and makes them green in old age. Buc as hard Boots and skins that grow ft iff, and are mouldy, will grow loft being oy Fd ; So mens bodies, chiefly old men liquoured with wine, are made more gentle, and not fo rigid and froward. Butoylingand annotating, though they are out of ufe almoft with moft Nations, and the cullome is loft, yet is it healthfull for the bodies of both young and old people, for they will condenie bodies chat the outward ayr and winds cannot pene¬ trate into them, or elfe they ferve toloolen them, that they may not be fmothered by fumes within. Alfothe skin anointed with oyi refifts poyfon, that if any man fet on caufticks to eat the skin, apd firft annoint it withoyl, he fhall lofe his labour, for corroding medicaments applied will not ftick nOr penetrate. Alfo taken in¬ wardly it dulls the acrimony of poy fon, and will not let it enter the veins, but cafts it forth by vomit. Oyl powred on wine or any other liquor, doth prefer Ve it : that it (Ball neither grow dead nar corrupt, Br it drives away the Ayre and ihuts out all vapours that might corrupt ir‘.
Amber draws unto it, ftraw and all dry light matter, but if they be anointed with oyl it will not touch them, whereupon it doth drive off Bafil from it. So a Loadftone fnicered with Garlick will not draw Iron, bee a ufe there is afatfubliance inGarlick,that blunts the vertue of it, chat it will not cleave fo much to it.
Cucumbersand Gourds, being they are full of rhoyliurc, and are fed by it, they dofo avoidand refufeoyl, that being put to it they will fall back, and cantraft themfelves. For all plants fpriftkled withoyl will corrupt.
If Vines grow barren, and bring forth nothing but leaves and unprofitable boughs, if you water it with thorp old urin, it will grow fruitful! j for being choked with’ too much moifture, it being thus heated and thcfupcrtiuousmoiftureconfumed, it will bear fruit abundantly, the fatac is performed by wine-lees powred to theToot of it. But our Couhtry-men do very ill who make a great pit about the root of the Vine, and fill it with foot of a Chimney to make it bear fruit j for though foot feems to have a fat fubftance in it,yet by its hot burning quality it deflftoyes the vitie, and makes it wither by its corroding quality. *
The
wine.
Oyle.
A [mile from a sl^w oylcd.
1 ~ *
« 1 fwvw c
Oyl rep(ls poy- fox.
Oyl poured on any liquor pre •* ferves it.
Amber.
Cucumbers de~ fire water , but refafe Oyl.
To maty a Fixe fruit full .
O. IftlMKM ■ .Vtrit
Soot is very
■5
.vsM
- — - - - - - - - — - - - — l
Divers documents of Mature. Book II*
C/47.
To make the bands fmooth.
To make the forehead and winkled breafls fmooth and white.
The Apothecaries call Clary Centrum G alii, the feed of it hath an atrra&ive vertue, and draws lorth chaff, duft, and other things that fall into peoples eyes. For that put into the cyc^, is roled about in them every way, and draws the humour to it, and difeuf- feth blindnefie,and comes out fwoln, and covered as it were with a thin membrane. But the plant it fclf bruifed will draw forth thorns and fplinters, and will haften hard and difficult child-bear¬ ing, when women cannot be delivered in time : put into wine it rejoyceth the mind, and drives away forrow, and provokes luft j yet taken too much, by its ftrong fenc it makes the head ake. The decodtion of'Mallows, and marfh* Mallows will make chape rug¬ ged hands fmooth ; but the feeds offenigrcec,and Linfeed will do it better by their oyly fubftance. With us men make lees of oyl, by bruifing the Linfeed, and prdfing forth the oyl, they are made four-fquare Cakes, that are fit to make Cattell fat 5 and if you fleep a piece of this in raia- water, and wafh your hands with it, it will take away fenfibly all fcabs of the skin, and make the parts fmooth and delicate ; alfo the dregs of Linfeed, and Lees of oyl will make fmooth and comely the flagging breafls and wrink¬ led forehead, if you add to it a little Gum Arabick, and Traga- canthum, and Maffick, with a little Camphir, that will help alfo red eyes, and fuch eye lids as are bleared with drineffe, and fuch as are chapt, and will reff ore them to their former comdi- neffe.
why fome do It feems a very ftrange matter to fome people, to fee fome men
not tbir(ltn jn got feav^rs and their whole bodies allmoft burnt up with them,
which yet are not thirfty at all: but thecaufe is becaufe the heat diffufeth it felf to the external parts, and flicks notin the heart, nor in any principall patt ; whereby fweat breaking forth, and the heart being ventilated, and that vapourous heat being difeufled which did pofleffe the internall bowels, they ceafe to be thirfty; but contrarily, they whofe heat doth not break forth to the out¬ ward skin, but lies inward fccretly , they are extream thirfty, though outwardly no figns of heat appear, and thefe kind of Fea- vers are the rooft dangerous of all.
The white of an Egg beaten, and mingled with quick-lime, will To fodder. fodder broken glades, and will fo glcw together all earthen ware, that they cannot come affunder, by reafon of their clammy and gluttinous fubftance. For fince quick-lime mingled with any li¬ quor will harden into a ftone, fo especially when it is mingled with the white of an Egg that is like fnot or bird-lime. contra!^ *** ^at *s £*vcn 10 gardning, and would fain get profit by it, fhers. y he muft obferve what plants agree and what are at enmity one with the other. For one plant will hinder the 'growth of another. So a vine if it grow near Cabbage, will either decay or die. For the V inc being full of juice, and the colewort greedy of moyfture. The Bay. tree an it draws away all the juice and robs the vine. Alfo the Bay- tree Vm.t9tbC and the Ivy are enemies to the Vine, and dry it up by their hot drying qualities 5 which Lavanderalfo doth to many hearbs by
its
Chap. 5 2.
Divers documents ofT^ature,
*75
its great heat, as alfo Radifh-root that by its acrimony burns up all plants near it ; wherefore it’s good againft drunkenneifc, and takes off the force of wine. nejfl
Garlick fet near Rofcs makes them fmell the more fwecr,becaufe Rgresgrow the acrimony and heat of Garlick draws forth their natural forces more j-»eet near and llirs them up; for what is faint with cold, is recreated by Gailic^ heat.
The Olive Tree is a remedy for Chich-Peafon, for it drives ?&***»*£ away Caterpillars that eat and fpoil them, and that by reafon of lhiQlive' its (frong fmell, and therefore worms will not breed in it. But the Olive Tree being bi;tcr, it makes Cabbage and other moift hearbs to wither, which alfo Origanumdoth, andRuc, and Sow- rhereafbaof bread by their hot drying faculty. I know that many things of this things u
kind are done by a fccrec irabred force, and from the property of ln~cxtllCtlblt~ the whole fubftance, fo that a man cannot alwaies give a reafon or fhew the caufe of filch an effect. Yet it delights a lover of Phy- fick, and one that is induftrious tofeek out natural caufcs exqui- fitely, to find out probable caufes : which if he cannot exactly obtain, yet he will not derogate from the truth of chings tnanifeft, nor calumniate the offers, but will alwaies admire God in the works of nature made by him.
There are a multitude of things, whereof Wc may render a pro¬ bable reafon; As for example, PUrflane cures teeth aftoni(hed, Pur (lane cum which difeafe comes by eating fharp and fowre things, becaufe ^ "**&** it is a glutinous clammy plant, whereby it affwageth and eafeth ** ’ the teeth that are affected by fowre things, and fupplcth the nerves that are bound by them, and fo repairs the inconvenience by its glewy mpifture. But to rub them with Salt will do it by reafon of its heat and aftriCtion, or if we do but chew a little green cheefe 'made of (heeps milk. For itdryes and makes the aflonifhed teeth firm, andfaftneththofethatareloofe by reafqn of a cold moift or fowre humour.
Thofe tltar have dull nofes, and have loft their fmclls or impa- Ho-wtoreforg ted them; are effectually reftored by the feed of Melanthium fmrfling. which Hierom on £\aiat tranflates Gitb, by Sourhernwood and Rue, and as many things as are of a fharp and piercing fmell. For thefe open the paflages, and diflol ve and difeufle the humours and hurt- full vapours. But I have found that nothing will fooner do it, even toroid people, than to put Mints into their noftrils, whofe fragrancy they manifcftly perceive, and it ferves for all whofe m tni' lenle of fmelling is hardned againft the moft (linking fents, and have wholly loft that faculty of fmelling. Radifh-roots tnuft be eaten firft of all, for fo it provokes the appetite to meat, and lefle Radijk. offends theftomach.
Therefore our Country-mep are to be blamed that eat it when fupper or dinner is almoftat an end, for they think it will help them the better to concoCt their meat ; but ic is an enemy to the ftomach, Unlefic it be eaten before meat with water and Salt, for otherwise it caufeth ill vapours, and (linking belchings to rife up.
And
17 6
Divers documents of nature.