IT hathe pleased god, that in our tyme sycknesses shuld aryse, whiche were to our forefathers (as it maye be wel coniectured) vnknowē. In the yere of Christ. 1493. or there about, this pestiferus euyll creped amongest the people, not only in Fraunce, but fyrst appered at Naples, in the frenche­mennes hoste, (wherof it toke his name) whiche kept warre vnder the frenche kyng Charles, before hit appered in any other place. By whiche occasion the frenche men puttynge from them this abh [...]rred name, calle it not the frenche pockes / but the euyl of Naples / reckenynge it to theyr rebuke, if this pestilent disease shulde be named the frenche pockes. Not withstandynge the cō ­sent of all nacions hath obteyned / and we also in this boke wyll calle hit the frenche pockes, not for any enuye that we beare to so noble and gentyll a nacion, but bycause we fere, that all mē shuld not vnderstande / if we gaue it any other name.

[Page]¶At the fyrste rysynge therof some men supersticiously named it meuyn syckenes of the name (I know not) of what saynt. some accompted it to come of Iob scabbe, whom this syckenes (I thynke) hath brought in to the numbre of seyntes. Some i [...]ged it to be the infirmitie / wherwith the monke E­uager was greued, throughe immoderate colde and eatynge of rawe meates, whan he was in desert. And therfore he also was sought from ferre countreyes, with great resorte of men, offryng gyftes habundant­ly at his chappelle, whiche is in Vestrike. And bycause the name of sayncte Euager was not knowen among [...] the common peo­ple of Almayne, they called it Fyacres sic­kenes for Euagers. Not enquerynge what the [...]rues of these were, but onely beleued that these coulde helpe them. Suche opini­ons hadde the people, and thus they dydde ryse: There was ymages offered and han­ged before saynt Roche, and his olde sores were newe remembred, whiche thynge if it were done of a godly mynde / I do not re­pro [...]e / but if it were done, that those might get auātage that were the inuenters therof, I meruayle that disceyte shulde haue place in so great discomforte and sorow, and in so [Page 2] myserable distruction of mankynde.

¶But the deuines dyd interpretate this to be the wrathe of god, and to be his punys­shement for our euyll lyuynge. And so dyd openly pr [...]ache, as though they, admytted into that hye counsaylle of god / had there lerned / that men neuer lyued worse, or as who sayth in that golden worlde of Augu­stus and Tiberius, whan Christe was here on erthe, moste myscheuous diseases dydde not begynne: or as who sayth, that nature hath no power to brynge in newe diseases, whiche in all other thynges maketh great chaunges, or as who saythe, that within shorte tyme in our dayes (bicause men beth now of good fyuyng) the remedy of Gua­iacum is founde for this sickenes. So well these thynges do agree, whiche these mens myndes that declare god (as they thynke) do preache vnto vs. Than began the phisi­tions busynesse, whiche serche not what shulde take away this disese, but what was the cause therof, for they myght not abyde the syght of it, moche more they abstayned from touchynge. For whan it fyrste began, it was of suche fylthynes / that a mā wold scarsely thynke this syckenesse, that nowe reygneth, to be of that kynde. They were [Page] byles, sharpe, and stondynge out, hauynge the similitude and quantite of acorne [...], from whiche came so foule humours, and so gret stynche, that who so euer ones smelled it, thought hym selfe to be enfect. The colour of these pusshes was derke grene / and the syght therof was more greuous vnto the pacient than the peyne it selfe: a [...]d yet their peynes were as thoughe they hadde lyen in the fyre.

¶ This disease (not longe after his begyn­nyng) entred into Germania, where it hath wandred more largely than in any other place: whiche thynge I do ascribe vnto our intemperaunce.

¶ They whiche than toke counsayle of the sterres, prophisied / that euyl not to endure aboue .vij. yeres, wherin they were discey­ued, if they ment of this disease and all the iuel that cometh therof: but if they mēt it of the forsaid most fylthye kynde, whiche co­meth of hym selfe / & not only of enfection, but through the corruption of the ayre, or the ordinance of god: than were they not disceyued. For it taryed nat longe aboue the .vii. yere. But the infyrmitie, that came after, whiche remayneth yet / is nothynge so fylthye. For the sores at som tymes beth [Page 3] lytel, not so hye nor so hard. And somtyme there is a certayne brode crepynge scabbe / for his benym entreth deper, and bryngeth forth more diseases.

¶It is thought this kynde nowe adayes to growe in any person, but through infec­tion by defilynge of hym selfe, which thing especially happeneth by copulation. For it appereth manifestly, that yonge chyldren / olde men, and other, whiche are not gyuen to the bodily lust, beth very seldome enfec­ted therwith. And the more that man is gyuen to wantonnesse, the sooner he is infec­ted. And as they lyue, that beth taken ther­with / so other it shortely leaueth them, or longe holdeth them, or vtterly consumeth them. For it is very easy vnto the Italians and Spanyardes, and to su [...]he as liue soberly, but through our surfetynge and intem­perate lyuynge, hit dothe longe contynue with vs, and greuousely dothe vexe and chafe vs.

[Page]THe phisitions haue not yet certenly diffined the secret causes of this disease, although they haue long & peynfully w^t great variete serched therfore, but in this thing al do agre, which is very euident, that through som vnholsom blastes of the ayre, which were at y^• time / the lakes, foūtaines / flodes, & also the sees were corrupted, And therof the erth to receiue poison, The pastures to be enfected, venemꝰ vapors to come down frō the ayre, which liuinge creatures (in drawyng the breth) receyued. For this disese was foūd in other bestes like as ī mē. The astrologers fetch y^e cause of this īfirmite from the sterres / saying, y^t it ꝓcedeth of y^e cōiūctions of Saturn & Mars, which was not long before, & of .ii. eclipsis of the son, & they do affirm, y^t by th [...]se signes they might perceyue many colerik, & fleumatike infirmities to folowe / which shuld long continue, & slowly depart, as Elyphācia / lepre, tetters, & al yl kynd of scabbes & boils, and what so euer euils deformeth & vnfasshioneth the body, as the gout, palsey / sciatica / ioynt ache, & other lyke dāgers. And that these thinges shuld chāce rather in the north part by reson of this signe Aquarius, wherin fel the fyrst ecclypse: And in the west part by reason of this sygne Piscis / in the whiche felle the [Page 4] last eclyps. But the phisitions affirme this syckenes to come of yll and habundant hu­mours, as of coler blacke advst yelowe and fleume salt or advst, and that of one of these alone, or of certayn, or els of al these min­gled, whose sharpnes streking out to the outward partes of the body / burneth and dry­eth the skynne, and fylleth it ful of scabbes, but that whiche cometh of rawe heuye and grosse humours / they say is driuen into the ioyntes, and causeth greatte peine in them, and to arise knobbes & swellinges, & knot­tes to gether, and the skynne to ryuell. And moreouer the heed to ake, wherby y^e beauty of the body is clene altered & gone. Some breuely cōcluding say, that this infirmite cometh of corrupt, burnt, & enfect blode. And al these thynges were in doubtful disputatiō, y^e nature therof not yet knowen, but now it is knowē, they be also apꝓued. for in myn opiniō this sicknes is no other thing / but a po­stumatiō, & rotting of vnpure blode: the whiche after it beginneth to drie, it turneth into swelling & hard knobbes, the which thinge ꝓcedeth of the lyuer corrupt. ¶ To knowe more of the nature or qualities of this infirmitie shulde be very tedious & hard to iuge. For we se in our time, what diuers concer­tatiōs / & opiniōs haue bē to boldly disputed: [Page] and what peyne the phisitions haue taken therin, sens the begynnynge therof. The phisitions of Germaynie, for the space of ij. yeres, meddled with suche disputation, and yet whan I was but a chylde, they vn­dertoke to heale me: but what profite cam therof, the ende hath shewed, not withston­dynge they were bolde to medle with strāge dregges and spices, and to myngle and mi­nystre many thynges / whiche they shulde not haue ministred. And I remembre / they forbode me to eate peasen. For in some pla­ces there grow certeyn wormes in thē with wynges, of the whiche hoggeflesshe was thought to be in [...]ected, bicause that best spe­cially was deceas [...]ed either with this, or els with an other nat moche vnlyke vnto this.

THe peynes of this dysease all redye rehersed are este­med in maner as no peines: for this disease tourneth it selfe into great inconueniēce and peyne that naturally it [Page 5] hath of hym selfe: In so moche that all maner of syckenes, hauynge or causynge any peyne in mannes ioyntes, semeth to be conteyned therin. For fyrst there is sharpe ache in the ioyntes / and yet nothynge appe­reth: afterwardes the gatheryng to gether of humours causeth the membres to swell, but after that suche vyle matter is waxed harde, that a man shall fele the vehemente peynes therof. This is the fyrste commyng therof. For it semeth to edifye and fortifye a castelle, there to rest a longe season, and thens to disperse and caste into euery part of the bodye all maner of ache and peynes. And the longer the sayde swellynges tarye fro rottynge [...] and rypynge / the more peyne shall the pacient suffer. And aboue all other peynes of this infyrmitie, this is the violē ­test, and that troubleth man moste. I my selfe had suche a lyttell knobbe, and swel­ling aboue my left hele in the inner syde, the whiche after it was indurate and harde, by the space of .vij. yere, coude by no power of oyntementes or any maner lappynges and cherysshynges be made softe / or caused to putrifie and rotte, but contynued stylle lyke a boone, vntylle that by the helpe of Guaiacum it vanysshed away by lyttel and [Page] lytel. This thing as touching womē resteth ī their secret places, hauing in those places litle prety sores ful of venomꝰ poison, being very dāgerous, for those y^t vnknowingly medle with thē. The which sicknes gottē by such infected womē, is so moch the more vehemēt & greuous, how moch they be in­wardly poluted and corrupted. By this the senowes (at somme tymes) do slacke & wax hard again, at somtime they shrinke, & some time the sicknes turneth it self into the gout, or into the pal [...]ey or īto apoplexi & infecteth many one with lepre. For it is thought, that these infirmities be very neighbours one to an other. And y^t for many resons, which are comē to both euils. They that be takē with pockes, of [...]en times becom lepres, and often times through the sharpnes of their peynes they shake and queuer as men in a fevre.

¶After all this ther buddeth out & appere smal holes & sores, which turne thē self into cākers & phistuls, or cōtinual sores: & the more they putrifie, the more thei diminishe y^e bone. And whā the bones be putrified & corrupt, the paciēt through longe cōtinuāce of siknes, waxeth lene, for the fleshe consumeth awey / & ther remayneth but onely the skyn to couer the bones withal [...] & through this [Page 6] many a one chāseth to be thisiques, the whi­che inwardly be full of corruption. Beside all this, out of this infirmitie floweth an other, whiche some men do calle cacesia / the whiche fylleth a mans flesh & also his skyn full of water: Somme haue sores in theyr bladder, & oftē tymes many mens lyuer & stomake is vtterly consumed by this infyr­mite. And in this thing their opinion is fals that say that the gathering to gether of hu­mours & swellinges, wrinkels, and knottes come not of the nature of this infirmite, but that it chanced only to those that haue bene rubbed and anoynted with oyntmētes made with quick siluer. I am sure, the most part of the phisitions of Almayne be of this opi­nion, but yet they haue ben disceyued in this sickenes, as they be in many other. For I knowe it for a suretie, there be some, that haue had these infirmities & sicknesses, whi­che were neuer noynted with quicke siluer, as I haue had experience in my father Vl riche de hoten.

[Page]VVhan the phisitions were thus amased, the surgiōs came forward in the same errour, and putte to theyr handes: and first they be­ganne to burne the sores with hote yrons. But for as moche as it was an infinite labour / to touche them all, they wente aboute to ad­uoyde them by oyntementes, but dyuerse men vsed dyuers oyntementes, and all in vayne, except he added quicke siluer therto, they bete for this vse the pouders of mirre, of mastique / of ceruse, of beyberies, of a­lam, bolli armenie, cinaber / of veermelon, of corall, of burned salte / of rusty brasse, of leddrosses, of rust of yron, of Rosen, of Turpentyne, and of al maner of best oyles, oyle of bey / oile of pure roses & terebinthiū, oyle of gyneper, of greatte effect, oyle of spike / swynes greace, fatte of oxe feete and butter, made specially in may, talowe of gootes and hartes, virgins honye, pou­der of rede wormes dryed into duste, or consumed with oyle and beaten, camfere, enforbiū & castory: & with .ij. or .iij. of these fore­sayde thynges myngled to gether / they a­noynted the sicke mans ioyntis, his armes, [Page 7] his thyes / his backe bone, his neckebone, with other places of his bodye. Some a­noynted them ones a day, some twyes, som thryes, some foure tymes. The paciente was shutte in a stufe, kept with continuall and feruent hete, some .xx. and some .xxx. hole dayes: And some were layd in a bedde within the stewe / and anointed, and couered with manye clothes, and were compelled to sweate. Parte of them at the seconde a­noyntynge beganne to faynt meruaylously. But yet the oyntment was of suche strēgth & effect, that what so euer disease was in the hyer part of the body / it drew into the sto­make, & from thēs vp into the brayn, & thēs the disese auoyded both by the nose and the mouthe, and dyd putte the pacient to suche peyne, that excepte they toke good hede, theyr tethe fell out, all theyr throtes, theyr longes / their roffes of the mouthes, were full of sores, their iawes did swelle, their teethe were lensed, and contynually there auoyded the moste stynking skome and ma­ter, that coude be, and what so euer it rāne vpon, by and by it was polluted and infec­ted / wherby theyr lyppes so touched gathered sores, and within forthe their chekes were greuously peyned. Al the place, where [Page] [...]hey were, did stink. Which maner of curyng was so peinful, that many had leuer dy thā so to be esed. How be it scātly the hundreth ꝑson was esed / but shortly after fel down again: so y^t his ese dured very few days. wherby mē mai esteme, what I suffred in this disese, that ꝓued this maner of curing a .xi. ty­mes, with great ieoꝑdie & peril, wrastling w^t this euil .ix. yeres. And yet in the mene time taking what so euer thing was thought to withstōde & resist it. For we vsed bathes & herbis lapped about thē, & drīkes & coresies, And for this we had arsnicke, inke, calcan­tū, verdegres, or aqua fortis, which wrouzt in vs so bitter peyn / y^t they myght be iuged very desirous of life, y^t had not leuer dy thā so to ꝓlōge theyr life, but tho curingis were most bitter & peinful, which were made with oyntmētes, And was also so moche y^e more dāgerus bicause the ministers of it, knewe not y^e operation therof. For y^e surgions only dyd not vse it, but euery bold felow wēt a­bout playing the phisition, gyuing to al ma­ner of mē one ointmēt, either as he had sene it ministred to other, or as he had suffered it him selfe. And so they heled al men with one medicine, as the ꝓuerbe sayth, One s [...]oo for both fete. If ought happend amis to the sike, for lack of good coūsell, they wiste nat what to do or say. And these mē tormenters [Page 8] were suffred to practise on all persons what they wold while the phisitiōs were done as ī an vniuersal errour & ignorāce. And so without order or rule, with tormēt of heate and sweat plētie, al were cured after one faciō, without regarde of time, habite, or cōplec­tion. Nother these ignorante anointers had not so moche knowledge, as with laxes to take away the mater, whiche caused the e­uyl, or to diete them, or appointe any diuer­site of meate: but at length the matter must com to this point, that they shulde lose their tethe, for they were losed, their mouth was all in a sore, & through coldnes of the sto­mak & filthy stench, thei lost appetite. And although their thirst was ītollerable, yet foūd they no kind of drink to help the stomak, many were so light ī their brain, that they coud not stōd, & som were brought into a madnes & not ōly their hādis trēbled & shoke therw^t, but also their fete & al y^e body: som mūbled ī their speking as lōge as they liued, & cowd haue no remedy. And many I haue sene die ī the midel of their curing. And one I knowe did so his cure, that in one daye he killed .iii. husbandmē, through immoderat hete which they suffred paciently, shutte within an hote stewe, trustinge that they shulde the sooner obteigne their helthe / tylle throughe vehe­mente heate their hertes fayled them, and [Page] and perceyued not them selfe to dye, and so were wretchedly strangled. Other I sawe dye, whan theyr throtes were swollen in the intrie, that first the filthy matter, where they shulde haue auoyded in spyttynge / coude fynde no waye oute, and at lengthe theyr breth was lyke wyse stopped, and an other sorte, whan they coude not pisse, Ve­ry fewe they were / that gatte theyr helth / and they passed through these [...]ieopardies, these bytter peynes, and euyls.

AS often as I was anoyn­ted / to kepe these euylles from my mouthe, that cu­stomably came, I vsed only alam, whiche I kept in my mouthe rollynge it frome one syde to an other, vntyll it melted. And whan I went aboute to wrappe vp my so­res, and comforte my membres, I vsed these herbes, absinthio, camomilla, hys­soppe, pulegio, arthemisia, sage, & other suche boyled in wyne and water.

¶And ones for my sores I made an oynt­ment [Page 9] by the counsell of Eytelvolfe, of alam vardegrese, purist hony / and vinegre by equall portions.

¶And afterwarde I lerned of a souldiour in Italy an other oyntement, made of lyme and water / after this maner. I put well water or ryuer water into a newe potte, neuer seasonned before with any lyquor / and sod it therin [...] and whan it boyled feruently, I powred it vppon vnsleyt lyme (that is it / that no water hath touched) in a bason or a clene vessell of wodde, before not occupied with any lycour. And whan the lyme was dissolued, and after a lyttell reste laye in the botom: I toke awaye the skome that swom aboue, and mouinge not the lyme / powred oute the clerest water / and kepte that for my pourpose / whan I wolde occupie it: I toke a sponge or a lynnen clothe / and dep­ped hit in the water, somme tyme rolled, as I moughte, and often tymes war­med and moysted my sores therwith, was­shynge and wypynge away all the fylthy­nesse. Thanne I toke a peece of clothe, so moysted, and lapte it aboute my sores. And with this water my peynes were eased. and the swellynge swaged, the sores were clen­sid, and the heate and enflamations dryuen [Page] awaye. whiche thynge is to be meruaylled at, seing the nature of lyme otherwise is to kendle. I founde nothynge lyke this: And me thought I was well holpen therwith, and had auoyded the distruction / that was at hande. In so cruel assautes of this disese I vsed also cassia, if I wolde be laxatiue, and dyd often tymes sweat / & let go bloode drawen oute with gourdes. And whan I was in Italy monysshed, that to eate in the mornynge the quantite of a walnutte of ra­sins terebinthia, shuld be of great efficacite to amende the fautes of the bloode, what maner of thyng it is I knowe not / and to make the bely lanke, and helpe the stomak, whiche bothe thynges I founde trewe, I vsed the same. They sayde also, that it dyd helpe no lyttell thynge the synowes, and strengthed the ioyntes and membres. And by this meanes and abstinence of meate and drynke, and good dyete, I auoyded many thynges / whiche moughte haue vtterly di­stroyd me in so longe & iniurious seson, for the mooste parte wandrynge abrode in the worlde, and through pouerte dryuen to moche aduersite, neuer at rest and quietnes, but alwayes vexed and troubled. And haue so preserued my selfe, that all thoughe my [Page 10] legges were eaten with so many depe and greuous soores, yet was there not one sy­newe hurte / nor one bone perysshed. And if at any tyme the disease toke my face, no euylle happened in my mouthe and tongue, so that the inwarde partes were preserued: For I voyded awaye those thynges, that myghte hurte my stomake, and with a rare helpe defended my lyghtes and lounges: and by these helpes I moughte suffer and dryue forthe this dysease, but clerely putte hit awaye I coude not: whiche thynge was the easynge of peyne, and nat the cuttynge away of the cause of payne, the differryng of euyll, and not the takynge away therof. A better remedy came of Guaiacus, ye of that onely came helthe, which I do intend nowe to dis­cribe.

[Page]IF we ought to giue thankes vpwarde vnto god, bothe for good and euylle: howe moche are we bounde for the gyfte of Guaiacum? ye howe moche doth the glad­nes and ioye of his benignite towarde vs, passe the sorow and peyn of that infirmitie? The vse of this wod was brought to vs out of an ylond namyd Spagnola, this ylonde is in the west nigh to the contrey of Amerik set in that place where the length of Ame­rike, stretchynge into the northe / doth ende: and was founde af late dayes amonge the newe londes, which were vnknowen by the olde tyme. All the inhabitauntes of that ylonde somtyme be diseased with the french pockes, lykewyse as we be with the mesels, & small pockes. Nor they haue no other re­medy for it but this.

¶A certayne noble man of Spayne, being tresaurour in that prouince, was greuously troubled with that infyrmitie: And after the people of that londe hadde taught hym that medicine, he broughte the maner and vse therof into Spayn, shewing of what power & vertu it was in those partes. The phisitiōs wold not alow it, ꝑceyuyng that theyr profyt wold decay therby / not withstanding [Page 11] at lēgth they toke in hande to cure with the same wood, but with such arrogācie, attribu­tyng so moch to theyr preceptes and order, that excepte they were obserued, they affir­med / this woode shulde be spende in vayne. Whiche thinge I meruayle they coude per­swade to any man, and make hym beleue it. seinge it is playnly knowen / that in that y­lande were neuer phisitions. And yet hath this woode Guaiacum alwayes bene there vsed. But in this cure what besynes is mete for the phisition, I wyll here after declare. Nowe I wylle speke of the thynge inten­ded. They haue gyuen it this name Guaia­cum. For so the Spaniardes wryte it with latyne letters / folowynge theyr owne ma­ner of sounde: whiche worde the people of that ylande pronounce with open mouthe Huiacum.

¶And Paulus Ritius shewed me at the ci­tie of August / that he harde say of a Spa­nyarde / whiche had ben in that yland, that the fyrste syllable Gua, of this name / was nat pronounced of the Spagnolenses with G, but that his owne tonge dydde requyre it so to be wryten. And they of that Ilonde sounde it with, V, puffed out, as though it were Huiacum, a worde of .iii. syllables [Page] with them / and not Guaiacum. We maye gyue vnto it some excellent name, callynge it lignum vite / as Philo the phisition called his dregges the handes of god: and thi [...] daye the phisitions with great boste calle their cōfections manus Christi, apostolicū / gratia dei, Antidotum, Paulium, and many other such superstitious names. They say it groweth lyke an ashe with vs in height / & is rounde / bryngyng forth a nutte moche like a chesse nutte: his tymbre is oyle and fatte, in colour like boxe, but somwhat blackyshe. And they iudge that the best, that hath most blacke: but that whiche is lyke to boxe, differeth from that / whiche is blacke. For this is with in / and thother without: or to speake more playnely, the blacke is as hit were the harte and marowe. The wodde is meruaylous heuy / for the leest pece of hit, caste into the water, synkethe streyghte to the botome. There is no wodde so harde / as it. For hit is so harde, that hit wyll not cleue: nother hitherto haue we sene any, that was chyned. And they that selle it say, it wyll in no wyse yane or chappe. Whan hit bourneth and flameth / hit maketh a swete [...]dour: and there foloweth fro hit / whan it burneth / a gōme, whiche we yet knowe not, [Page 12] for what purpose it serueth: This gōme is somwhat black / & shortly after it is fallē a­way, it is verye harde. The barke is not so thick, but is meruaylous hard. which tokens wel marked, I thynk he that shal coūterfete this woode / can not deceyue the byer. For be it a man may be deceyued in the coloure, howe is hit possible all these thinges to be in one / a fatnes, smellinge, somewhat like rosen / suche weyght as no wodde hath be­side? Than the gōme that cometh from it / whā it flameth? such hardnes that may scātly be cut? And the lest pece cast into the water wyl nat swym aboue? And the tast ones knowē wyl neuer suffer a mā to erre, which as it is to al men vnplesant, so is it to me ye very plesant. They say it cōtinueth not after it be sodden / but paulleth / in the sommer after .iij. dayes, & in the wynter somewhat later. And therfore we must chose the fat­test and weyghtiest therof. For that which is olde / is lyght and leane. Vpon this de­scription lette the phisitions, if hit please them, drawe out the causes of suche efficacite by theyr longe disputations, as for me I more reioyce, that it is, than I serche what maner of thynge it is. Howe be it I graunt them worthy of moche thanke / that shall [Page] first shew vnto vs the nature therof through out knowen: But nowe there be some, that wey and esteme the strengthe and vertue of this tre bi these knowen ma [...]kes as though they had suffred it in all poyntes [...] whiche thynge is done, as me semeth, very hastily and tymely, thynkynge that the cause and reason of suche efficacie and power oughte to be serched for in this tre, after his nature and vse is knowen, lykewyse as it is done generally in all other medicines. But nowe of his vse, and how it ought to be prepared vnto medicine.

IT is orderered after this maner. The wod must first be made as smalle as maye be / whiche thynge some do, at a torne, and than without any more ado / they lay the shauynges a water / And som do fyrst broile or stampe them in a morter so moche that they brynge them into pouder and duste, [...]o thintent they maye the sooner be throughe soked, and theyr strength sodden out. But [Page 13] I wote not, whether that make any mater / I haue sene some, that haue cut it fyrst with a sawe, and than raped the peeces with a rape / and haue taken and putte them in­to water. Howe so euer it be / whether it be tourned / raped, or beaten to duste / they soke a day and a nyght one pounde weyght in eyght / of water, taken eyther of a well or of a ryuer, or as I dyd / of a pyt: than they sethe it in a newe glased pot, and clene was [...]hed, with a softe fyre of coles / by the space of sixe houres, and more / vntyll it come to the one halfe, with great hede ta­kynge and diligence, leefte hit runne ouer through moche heate. For that whiche ouer runneth loseth (they say) moche of his ver­tue, and is of lesse power. And therfore it may not be soddē in the flame, but it requi­reth fewe coles / and a potte not fylled all moste by the .iij. parte. The skome that floweth aboue, they taken away to anoynt the sores with: for we knowe it to haue moche power to drye. After it is thus sodden, they streyn it / & powre it in to a glasse. And than they put to the grondes eyght pound water and sethe it agayne (as before) as it were a seconde messhynge. This thynner they gyue them to drynke with their meate: the [Page] fyrste is dronke in the stede of a medicine. And this is all to gether, that delyuerethe vs from so great and greuous disease, this deco [...]tion is it. This is the chiefe poynt and anker of our helth. And it hath so lytel nede of any other thynge, that it wyll not abyde any maner mixture, or mynglynge, as I wyll shortly after declare. Somme wolde, that lyght water and clere shulde be gotten for this purpose. Some admytte all maner swete water indifferently, bycause in sething what so euer it be, it is purified. All wold that good diligence and hede shulde be ta­ken in time of sething, that it rūne nat ouer / or boyle to fast, & they byd that the potte be close stopped, that nothynge brethe out: but whā the skom is perceiued to ryse, it must be softely opened, and the skomme taken out, and so couered agayne. They putte this de­coction (whan it is strayned) into a glasse / onely bycause it shulde be sene, and bycause a glasse of al vessels is purest and clennest. The colour of this decoction is somewhat lyke muddye water, whan hit is somewhat troubled. Wete lynnen in it, and it wexeth grene of a meruaylous shewe. The relesse therof at the fyrste tastynge, is some what soure, but to hym that vseth hit, by lyttell [Page 14] and lyttel it waxeth pleasant. The phisiti­ons were so bolde, as to put, to a pounde of this .iiij. vnces of hony. Whiche thynge, as I do not improue, so do I denye it to be ne­cessarie. And I wolde nothynge shulde be added vnto suche a thynge, beinge of suche power, where as it nedeth not. For what nedeth a man there to bestowe his labour, where as no nede is: And to say the trouth the relesse of Guaiacum is not so greuous that it requireth to be tempred with hony: Yea were it not for my maysters the phisy­tions all men wolde be contented therwith. Howe be it what nedeth me to name phisy­tions, whan I speke onely but of tryflers? For they that be connnynge and expiert, as is O moste noble prince, Stromer thy phisition (and throughe frendeshyppe myne also) and thy other phisition Coppus, suche I saye, vnderstode and knewe, howe hit is not conuenyente, eyther to meddle it with vnknowen thynges, and myngle theym / or elles to adde oughte vnto these thyn­ges, whiche as yet are not perceyued to lacke oughte. The whiche thynge as hit chaunced vs to haue communycacyon of this woode Guaiacum, at the citie of Au­gust, whan many had auysed me to commyt [Page] my selfe to this maner to cure: and I, for newnes of the thynge wolde here none of them: Stromer spekynge after this maner of this wodde with great grauitie of wor­des sayde, that he feared leest the helth som and excellent power of Guaiacum shulde be diffamed through the superfluous addi­tions of vnlerned phisitions: whiche thyng if hit were not done, nothynge coude be founde better agaynste this syckenes. And with his word is caused me streight without any taryeng to caste my selfe hedlynge into this experiēce of Guaiacum. And therfore I wold this, now ones spokē, shuld be generally vnderstond, that as often as I shal cō playne in this small treatise of phisitions, al men shulde thynke me to meane them, that haue no erudition nor experience: and that boste them selfe amongest the common peo­ple / of the title & name of theyr doctorship, which they bought, that knew nother greke nor latyn / and yet no science requireth more erudicion or knowledge of the tonges than phisike: the whiche beynge moste ignorant, do lyghtly abuse the symple people of Germaynie, seinge there is no doubte made of his lernynge, that is ones garnysshed with the name of Mayster doctoure. But why [Page 15] haue I vsed in this thyng so many wordes? Verily to make my cause good with the, excellent prince, and to defende my selfe agaynst them, that by this occasion mought accuse me, as one that spake wordes more snappysshe than besemed me. Whiche thyng whan somme of the lawyers and diuines dyd of late, agaynste whose lernynge they sayde I inueyed without good maner, whan I dydde snybbe but onely the vnlerned, and them whiche were sore greued and were bytter ennemies vnto suche good lernynge, they caused many a good manne to thynke, that I was agaynst them, and yet was that thynge far from my maners, and also the purpose, wherin I than was occupied. whi­che thynge seinge, I perceyue your excellētnes to knowe well ynough, I wyl leue these runne agate anoynters, and theuysshe phisi­tions, and also these vntaughte doctours, and come vnto Guaiacum: the whiche in medicine must thus be vsed.

[Page]THe pacient must be kepte in a close chambre, without ayre or wynde / where fyre must be nourysshed contynually: or els he must be in a stewe, after the maner of Almayn, whiche sha [...]l not nede alwayes to be kepte hotte, but muste be close, and defended from ayre, that no ayre blowe vppon hym for the tyme of this curation: he must also be­ware of colde. Therfore if he be cured in wynter, or in Autumne, he muste soke, that he haue fyre in his chaumber, erely in the mornynge speciallye before daye: for than is the colde feruente: he muste cause the cleftes of the wyndowes, if any be, to be stopped with playster, or other lyke mat­ter: and vppon the chaumbre doore muste he hange carpettes, or other lyke thyn­ges, within and withoute, that no colde or ayre entre into the chaumbre / or comme oute. whanne he is thus ordered, his meate muste be dymynisshed. Fyrste the fourthe parte of that he was wonte to take, and than the thyrde parte, and shortely after the one halfe, that he maye lerne to beare hunger [...] and his wyne muste be well wate­red. Thanne muste he take a pourgacyon, [Page 16] other with regarde that hit be suche a one as shall be thought sufficient to cutte awaye the cause, or take awaye the matter, that norissheth the disease, other such a one with­oute any regarde at all, as maye emptye the hoole bealy. For that thynge, as I perceyue, onely is requyred, whiche thynge done, thanne maye ye thervppon begynne this worke after this maner. The dococ­tion whiche was fyrste sodden and is stron­gest, must be ministred vnto him twise a day mylke warme, a gobblet or cyat ones in the mornyng at .v. of. the clocke, or ther about / and agayn at nyght, at viii. of the clocke, we call a ciates, a cuppe that wyll receyue half a pound, wherof we may gather, seing .viii. pounde of water is required to the sethynge of one pounde of wod, & the one halfe ther­of muste be consumed in the sething, that so there muste .iiii. pounde remayne, and muste drynke therof twyse a day, that the decoc­tion of one pounde of Guaiacum is suffy­cient for foure dayes. For hit is nowe a commen maner with phisitions, to mea­sure theyr syquores by weyghte, and they haue cleane caste vp the names of measu­res. It muste be dronke at one draughte withoute any brethe takynge, [Page] After he hath dronke, lette hym reste more than .iiii. houres, and let hym the fyrste .ii. be couered / that by the helpe of heate this medicine maye be digested abrode into the membres, and the pacient maye swete out that that noyeth. whiche thyng to do howe profytable it is, I wyll declare whan place cometh. And it shall not hurt, if he be close couered one hole houre before he drynke, that he may be hotte.

¶Some wyll not in any wyse he shuld rise frome his bedde in fyue houres after he hath taken his ciates of drynke.

¶He must take his meate in the myddaye, and not before, and than as lyttell as may be, for this medicine aboue all thynges re­quireth an emptye bealy. And therfore he muste eate, nat to fyll his emptynes, but to beare vppe the lyfe, not to gather strength but to kepe hym self frō feinting. Nother is there any ieoperdy to be feared. For Gua­iacum hath great strength in it selfe both to refresshe, and also to comforte, not suche as be full / but onely those that are emptye. Ye they saye, that none faylleth, eate he ne­uer so lyttell, so that he drynke faythfully this decoction. In the meane tyme, he shall not be anoynted in the out syde, excepte he [Page 17] haue soores or swellynges. And for this there is a whyte oyntment made of Cerus­sa, rose oyle of rosis, with camphire, whi­che is layde on with a lynnen clothe. Some anoynt them only with the skom of Guaia­cum, or els drye it into pouder, and caste it vppon them. And besydes this skomme / there is nothyng of this decoction occupied in the out parte. Some be healed in shorte tyme / and some in longe. The moste parte in .xxx. dayes. They commaunde hym to be pourged agayne the .xv. daye. For this reason I thynke, bycause as Alexander A­phrodicius thynketh / they that hunger and receyue not theyr meate as they were won [...] to do, falle awaye / and gather a certayne sharpe matter and eger / so that suche mater muste be auoyded, that the body of the sike may be emptie. This decoction shall not be dronken that mornynge / whan he receiueth his purgation: but at nyght lette hym take it agayne: and after that day, he may eate more largely. And agayne the .xxx. daye more liberally: how be it this more liberal­ly, and that more largely must be very lyt­tell [...] as I shall shewe you in the next chapi­ter. But some, leste any impediment shulde be to lette the operation of this medicine / [Page] haue kepte one order of eatynge equallye through out the .xxx. dayes: and truly the stronglyer a man abideth to hunger, the better and more quyckely he shall be healed. And although the desyre of eatyng growe dayly more and more, yet must he remem­bre to absteyne, comfortynge him selfe with the suretie of helth, if he so do. For the bo­dye beynge so wasted and emptied, not only with hunger / but also with sweat, ye being longe tyme as a deed bodye, through the greuousnes of this euyll, shall hyghe faste to the appetyte of meate and drynke.

¶Whan this cure is comme to an ende, [...]o that the sycke is almos [...]e redy to go abrode, he muste than take agayne some medicine to purge hym with, but so that after that pur­ga [...]ion / he may drinke agayne as he dydde before .iiij. or sixe dayes space, wherwith they make vp the hole cure. Some wyl not that he shulde go out of the chambre, where he lyeth, before he be through hoole. Some thynke .xxx. dayes suffycient to kepe his chambre: and that he may than go forthe, but yet warely by lyttell and lyttell, and not streyght in to the open ayre: but fyrste he must walke in the same house, from chambre to chaumbre, and than to some neygh­bours [Page 18] house, nat ferre of: vntyll he be vsed to suffer the ayre. For there may be no so­deyne chaunge / but muste vse hym selfe to all thynges by lyttell and lyttell. And that whiche remayneth of the syckenesse they say wyll lyghtely be hoole / after he ones stere abrode. And that to be trew I haue proued in my selfe. For whan the .xxx. dayes were passed / the soores of my legges were nat yet closed, and therfore I kepte .x. dayes more. And whan these .x. days were gone / yet was not I hoole. Wherfore, feryng the colde, bycause wynter than begonne, I in­tended to kepe in other .x. dayes: but I was compelled by the phisitions counsell to go abrode, and put it in auenture / which thyng happed not amysse. Howe be it the soores that I had than, were not depe in the fleshe, or swollen outwarde: but onely in the hier parte of the skynne, and lacked nothynge els but skynne to couer them with: whiche they had scantly the .xl. daye after I went out. And I that tyme, in very sharpe wyn­ter, made my iourneye frome Vindele into Fraunce. The causes of this slowe hea­lyng I dyd coniect this to be. The phisition suffred me to eate more mete (as I after perceyued) than I shulde haue done, and also [Page] he sodde my drynke thynner than he ought. For I occupied nat fully .v. pounde of this wodde, where as other o [...]cupye .viii. and some .x. wherin my phisition was deceyued. For he, seinge my body weke of nature / and moreouer extenuated & consumed with the longe contynuance of this grefe, thought that a lyttell thynge was sufficient to driue away the disease / and for that cause fedde me the largelyer, fearynge soore leeste my strength shulde fayle me: which was double erroure. For so moche as he oughte not to haue loked what my body was thanne, but what maner body it was wonte to be, and agayn the nature of this medicine is suche, that it wyl suffer none to faynt for lacke of strengthe. Wherfore be they neuer so weke, they ought not therfore to ministre the lesse, but rather somwhat the more. For it dothe nothing sodenly, but werketh helth by lytel & litel. And therfore I alow best that decoction, that was longest at the fyre / and is comme to a lyttell of moche wode: so that I wolde counsaylle them, to the intente hit mought be the stronger, to sethe hit often tymes to the thyrde parte.

¶And if any wolde be lose belyed, that is wonte to be bounde / they wyll hym to take [Page 19] the pouder of Guaiacum soddē in the wa­ter, and to drynke halfe and vnce therof in the mornynge. And if that helpe not at the fyrste, to go th [...]vnto agayne. But this framed nat with me / no nat whanne I toke it agayne.

THere is yet moche a doo for the orderynge of a man, as touchynge his dyet. Some thynke beste to ete nothynge but breade, whiche Galenꝰ calleth the cleannest fedynge with a fewe rasins: whiche breadde they gyue to the weyght of .iiii. vnces, withoute salte or other sauce. And they thynke best to absteyne generally from all maner meate, excepte it be a lyttell brothe made with a chekyn: whiche they are contented he suppe or eate with his bread moysted therin ones a day. For at nyght they gyue nothyng but a fewe rasins / and an vnce of breadde. Other wyll that he haue halfe a chekyn, if it be yet yonge and tender: but if it be any [Page] thynge growen, they thynke a quarter y­nough, whiche muste be sodden in clene wa­ter. Whervnto they put nother salte, nother other sauce, but somme put a lyttell suger therto. Of breadde they gyue .iiij. vnces at nyghte, as before, a fewe rasins, with an vnce of breadde. But as long as he is vn­der cure / he muste take hede, that he neuer so moche as taste salte. They allowe white breade / made of wheate / well bulted, whi­che made for the nones, they season with suger. Whiche thynge is not euyl. There be som that adde to this feding (not so moch in the place of meate as of medicine) a lyttel borage, other of the leaues onely, or (if there be any) of the flowers, which he shall eate sodden in water alone, or with his chekyn. And this is the order of fedynge that some do kepe continually / some thynke .xv. dayes sufficient for this dyete / and thā they wyll his hunger to be eas [...]d: and the .xx. day they gyue hym meate twyse. But lette them take h [...]d [...] / that folowe that. For truly this medicine requireth, that the pacient be made as thynne with hunger as maye be possible. Howe be hit somme chaunce to be through healed within .xv. dayes, and yet that not withstandynge they put to a fewe [Page 20] dayes more therto. They drynk vnto their meate of that seconde decoction / not war­med but colde. And this is all the fare, for hyderto none durste passe this measure. Not withstandynge I dispyse not the phisitions, that dispute of the daungers, that maye chaunce to drye and hotte bodyes, if they be dryuen to this strayte dyete / bryngynge for them Galen and also Hipocras, whiche seme in many places to be agaynst this ex­quisite dyete in fedynge. But of these that vsed Guaiacum / I sawe as yet none in ieo­perdye, and I gather at this tyme precep­tes and monitions out of experience, & not doctrine out of bokes. And also I my selfe am of drye and hotte complexion, and yet this hūger brought me nother into a ptisike nor etike: whiche thyng they seme to feare.

¶For as moche as it is thought wysedom to prouyde for all thynges, I wyll that if any man feare hym selfe / that he get phi­sitions to kepe hym, and that this is suffi­ciently spoken of this thynge. I wyll nowe go forwarde with other thynges.

¶In the tyme of this cure, the pacient muste forbeare all busynes, and cutte away all sadde thoughtes, and rest from al care. And therfore they commaunde reste and [Page] quietnes from consultations / and also stu­dyes: so that the minde may vtterly be [...]ree from al motions & workinges, & gyue hym self holly to ydelnes and rest, losed from al trouble & care: whiche thynge must be vn­derstonde of al maner of men, but mooste specially of them, that be naturally melancoly: They muste also beware of angre: for that, as Galene sayth, kendleth chefly the colerike mater, And more ouer we must take hede, that nothynge happen in that tyme / that may moue vs to heuynes. Let the sicke person here syngers and min­strelles, and gyue hym selfe to sportes, pa­stymes, and musike, and some tyme delyte hym selfe with mery talkynge. But to com­pany with woman, howe moche he muste eschew that, I wyl shewe hereafter. I toke great pleasure in redynge & makynge mery thynges. And the phisitions spake agaynste hit, and nat without a cause, seinge they be­leued it to be labour and busynes vn [...]o me: but I toke it not as my studye, but as a pa­styme, and for my recreation. But yet wold I not this to be to other for an example.

¶Nowe [...]ome begynne to waxe very hun­gry after the syxte day: but I felt no grefe before the .x. day. And in this case this is [Page 21] the onely comforte / not to se other eate, nor to see meate, nor to smell the sauour therof. Neuer the lesse whan any perceyueth hym selfe to faynt, and wexe feble for lacke of meate, I wolde not that he shulde by and by receyue meate or straunge confection, to comforte and brynge agayne his strengthe, but to refresshe his spirites with odours & and pleasant smelles: for euen with the sa­uour and smelle of suche odors Galenus thynketh the spirite and lyfe to be nourys­shed and comforted. Yet in thi [...] thynge as regarde muste be had, what euery mannes complexion requireth, le [...]te lyke thynges be ministred to them, that be drye and hotte, and vnto them that be moyste and colde, or thynges of one qualitie be ministred vnto them all, that be of bothe extremes.

¶As I do more alow through out the thinges, that growe amonge vs / as familiar & nygh to our nature: so by the example of Democritꝰ, who with the vapour of hote breade made his spirite euen than departing to tarye hole .iii. dayes, thynke I that we shulde helpe them that faynte other with that breed / or els with a rosted oynion hold to the mouthe? For I playnly knowe / that in an oynion was sometyme suche vertue [Page] and power. Whiche thynge is also proued to be done with the odour of wyne. For therwith Philip the phisition dydde recouer Alexander / as we may se in Quintus Cur­tius. And by the traditions of the olde phi­sitions we [...]e his power and vertue in this purpose preferred aboue all. But by al meanes we must norysshe the spirite with the swete sauours and smelles: for so moch as that is the lyfe, and aboue all th [...]nge the odour of olde swete wyne is praysed in this thynge: Next is the smelle of hony, speci­ally rose hony: also of appuls, of the whi­che thynge Stromer neuer ceasseth to mo­nysshe me, affermynge that he knoweth, howe stronge / and how helpyng they be in this thyng. Of these som prefer orenges: o­ther prefer cotonia mala. Vineger is also praised / but specially vineger made with roses: and musterde is wel alowed. For these thynges, saye they, do refreshe the wyttes, and susteyne the strengthes. As for cyna­mom / nutmegges, styracke / citrous / saf­fron, a gisoflower, muske, camphire / and suche costly ware, I leue to deinte felowes, But cummin, anesse, coryander, lauan­der, amarake, roses, mynt, rue, rosemary, violettes, sage, castorye, with other gro­wynge [Page 22] amonges vs, none of the phisitions that haue any iudgemeut, improueth: but they affirme these to be good for this pur­pose. And I oftentymes do vse such helpes to the great comforte of my helthe. The sycke man may also vse rubbynges, so that they be softely done, by all the tyme of his saide lyinge: whiche as they are for other thynges profitable, so I beleue they wolde not hurte in this thynge. Lette his heed be rubbed with a warme clothe, and combed with an yuory combe.

FVrdermore this medycine wyll abyde nothynge to be putte to hit. Where at the phisitions be commenly a­stonied: whiche wolde we shulde haue none other me­dicines in price, but suche as receyue theyr power frō the .iii. partes of the world, which thynk that they shuld lose al their auctorite, [Page] excepte they ioyned to gether for vs in their poticarye compositions Indie, Aethiope, Arabie, and the Garamantes / that dwelle in the extreme parte of the worlde. For what wyll they allowe, that is not deere and costly? And I beseche god, that their counsell be neuer harde nor obeyed in the vsynge of this wodde Guaiacum. And that Stromer may be in this thynge as a pro­phete, and in my iudgement a trewe. For he feareth, and that very wysely, leest they at length wyll put theyr handes thervnto. Th [...]rfore lette all men beleue me / that haue proued this medicine, that it is sufficient to heale this disease: and that of it selfe with­out any other thynge. But as I sayd, a pur­gation in the begynnynge, and agayn a lyt­tell the .xv. day: and than in the laste ende, whiche thynge I wold haue done with somone thynge, not with any medicine made of many thynges. For I verely beleue, that the phisitions loke than to theyr owne pro­fyte and lucre, and nat for the helth of men, whan they saye, they must serche, what ta­keth away the cause of t [...]is infyrmytie: as thoughe this wodde dyd it not. And veri­ly this is euident, there is no other cause to vse suche purgations, but to clense the bely, [Page 25] and agayne with abstinence and hunger to drawe out and emptie the holle body: But what saye ye therto? In that rude countrey where this Guaiacum groweth / are no phisitions: no straunge nor ferfetched wayes nor rules of phisike: But perchaunce men vse there some herbe or rote to purge with, and all do vse one thynge / not to take away the grefe, but that whan the bely is emptied Guaiacum may the better worke. wherfore in this my counsell is, that ye tourment not your belye with thynges costely prepared / and speciallye to auoyde the compositions made of many thynges.

¶In this mynde I stycke surely, that I wolde suffre nothyng to be poured into me / but onely cassia by it selfe, and yet they offe­red me gladly many thynges, and I was also wont before to poure in not onely Re [...] barbarum but other thynges also more barbarous than Re [...]barbarum, but my counsel came to a very good ende. whiche counsell if any wyll folowe, he hath an exaumple, commaundement he hath none. For we tea­che not these thynges beyng our self taught of other, but we monysshe you / that which we haue proued / whiche thinge I wolde al shulde remembre / that I teache nothynge [Page] here rasshely, but that whiche I haue ler­ned by myne owne experience and proue, I delyuer vnto other. And if I had lerned ought els, it shulde not be kepte close, but nowe seinge by diligent serche and studious labour I haue founde oute the power and vertue of Guaiacū, whiche if I do not wel perceyue, it is a faute. But if I haue lerned it, as it is in dede: I do not greatly couet rewarde ne la [...]de / I wyl shew you al the hole faythfully. For that hath this medicine de­serued of me, excepte I wolde be vnthank­full for so great benefites. And therfore seynge many well lykynge men of nature are corrupted through the diuersitie of me­dicines, yea and some of them vtterly di­stroyed: my sentence is, that nothyng shall be added to helpe this medycine, for this wodde of hit selfe is suffycient to plucke vppe this dysease by the rootes. If a­nye thynge be putte vnto hit, specyallye of these thynges, that are inwardely re­ceyued, this medicine takethe no helpe therof, but rather is corrupted and lette from his workynge. This thynge muste be added herevnto, that they, whiche drynke of this Guaiacum, of whatte so euer state they be, in this sycknes haue so [Page 24] litel nede of bathes, that they be vtterly forbede by them that be experte, to wasshe so moche as theyr heed, as longe as thay shal be in this cure, and are permytted very sel­dome to wasshe theyr handes / but ne [...]er with colde water.

BVt nowe I know, that some suspecteth me to be of this mynde, that I wold no phi­sition to be vsed in this cure, whiche thynge is far otherwise. For my mynde is / that somme, that is well lerned and wise, shulde be gotten, whiche is not bolde ne liberall in po [...]rynge in of poticarye ware. his custody and also his order, if he haue lerned the vse of the admynistracyon of Guaiacum, I wolde the sycke personne shulde vse. And these myscheuous busy fe­lowes, whiche are so gladde to offer to vs this straunge waare, and medicines / if any be broughte from the heedes of Ni­lus, of whiche / the more they coste, the [Page] more they make of thē, auāsyng them aboue the mone, these I saye I wolde haue dryuen away / and in no wyse [...] to se the sycke no nat through a latis. I haue proued this thyng euen so to be as Asclepiades iudged, whiche thought all maner drenches vnfrendely to the stomake. And Celsus also saythe, that medicines for the moste parte hurte the sto­make / ye and moreouer that hap [...]ened to me, that the same author shewed before shulde happen, that medicines receyued into the body, whan they had ben kept in the lo­wer partis, were driuen back again into the heed, and caused great peyne, whiche thing lette all remembre that wyll enter into this cure, that they cōmyt not them selfe rasshly to suche tourmenters, not only bycause the nature of this woode is not yet well kno­wen / but also bycause it is theyr maner neuer to knowledge ignorance, but always to commaund somewhat, to ministre and gyue some what, vnto whome a man shall at no tyme shewe his water, howe well and hel­thfull so euer he be, but they wyll make theyr bylle to the poticaries, recipe, recipe take, take / sayinge that other they suspect [...] some sycknes to be begonne, other els that the whiche is nowe at hand / must be preue [...] ted [Page 24] or it come, excepte thou swallowe this (saye they) or drynke that, thou haste the axes. O myscheuous men [...] if they maye be called men, and worthye to be hated of all the worlde. But what so euer they be, they haue bene bolde to take vppon them many thynges of late about the administration of Guaiacum / thrustynge in them selfe, vnto that worke, the sellers therof helpynge them forwarde through some conuention & bargayn made betwene them I beleue. For whā they sawe, that by meanes of this rude, vile, and contemptible medicine there shuld be hereafter no nede of theyr discepta­tions, and yet durste not / for I know some that wolde withstonde so fauorable & good a thynge. And of the other syde, whan the marchantes feared, leest they shulde selle but lytel, if the phisitions allowed it not, for no man wolde lyghtly go vnto a medicine, that came from so strange a place, and was ministred so farre from the commen maner of medicines, than they agreed betwyxte them, I beleue, that this shulde be spredde amonges the commen people, that the phi­sitions labour was necessarye in this cure: So that they sellynge a remedye approued of the phisitions, moughte gette as they [Page] were wont, and the phisitions in the meane tyme shu [...]de lose nothynge of theyr stipen­des, seynge that they were called vnto this cure.

¶I knowe certayne phisitions of a better sorte, that went into Spayne in the empe­rours name / and in the name of a bysshop here, onely to enquere and serche for this thing. And these, whan they were taught of them that lerned & knew the thing in Spagnola, tolde nothynge in maner otherwyse than our experience hath: but that they ad­ded of theyr own braynes, what medicines, vpon what dayes, with what obseruations ought to be receyued, & by a mathematicall dyete, howe they shulde behaue them selfe in eatynge and drynkynge: whiche thynge I beleue, they dydde of no euyll mynde, but [...]ft [...]r theyr maner, and supersticiousnes vsed of some good phisitions, whiche are so [...]esyrous t [...] helpe the sycke, and are so tender towarde them, that sometyme they do more than they shulde. Their good min­des I do allowe, but yet I thynke it daun­ge [...]ous, to agree vnto all men in all thyn­ges. But to retourne agayn to these yf mynded phisitiōs. I thynke they be agreed with the marchantes, that they may he admitted [Page 25] into parte of the lucre and gaynes. For I my selfe dyd se a certayne phisition, if we vouchsafe to calle a rude and an vnlerned asse by this name, who with many wordes dispreysed this wodde Guaiacum, as a vayne thynge / & nothyng worthe: but that the marchātes fained it to do these thynges. But shortely after this lewde dispreyser was called vnto the cure of a certain ryche man, and shortely after to an other [...] And whan the man beganne to smelle the golde, and sawe great gaynes to comme through the multitude of suche sycke men / he began fyrste to be more gentylle, and to diminishe his cruelnes & malice more & more, & within a whyle preysed this wode, and greatly a­uanced it, and sayde: Nowe at the laste, I my selfe haue proued the meruay [...]lous po­wer and vertue of this wodde. Naye naye asse / but nowe thou haste founde thyne ad­uantage therin.

¶And after this maner this medicine se­meth to come into theyr canons / lykewyse as all other medicines haue done: whiche thynge if it be done by the auctorite of the wyse / experte / and lerned phisitions, I im­proue it not: howe be it my mynde gyueth me, and I verely beleue, that they can not [Page] do it as yet: And agayne I thynke it not very necessarye. For eyther in Spagnola, where are no phisitions / somewhat is lac­kynge vnto this medicine, or elles it oughte here lykewyse to be ministred without suche supersticiousnes and formalities. May ther any man be [...]o lyght of beleue, as to thynke that the phisitions can handle this busynesse more counnyngly, than they whiche knewe it by experience in them selfe, consyderynge howe that Guaiacum hath not contynued so longe with vs, that they might in that space haue serched and lerned his nature. And to speke in fewe wordes, men do yet meruayle at the thynge / & is nat as yet come vnto perfyte knowlege. Therfore canne hit not be vnder theyr canons in this shorte tyme, or any cause of his operation shewed.

¶Lette this therfore stycke fast in all mens myndes, that they thynke this symple dyete sufficient to cure and heale them, which we teache by experience, in our selfe. Let them be seene and looked vppon, of the sober and lerned phisitions: but lette them leaue the dregges and spices of this other sorte. Let them bede farewell for euer and adaye to these, that go about to restore vs from diseases with theyr disputations. These are [Page 26] they / whiche, as I sayde, allowe nothynge that is vile and of smalle price / and whiche thynke that I telle fables, whan I say that I haue driuen away the axes mo than eight tymes by drynkynge of myn owne water / by and by at the begynnynge: and with no other medicine. And that I haue sene men in Saxonie / whiche haue quenched al ma­ner diseases with drynkynge hotte buttred beere. And agayne they wyl not beleue me, that there is a seruant of my faders, which with .iii. certayne herbes sodden in wyne, hath healed a mannes brayne panne broken to peces: and many sore and euyl woundes hath he heled with a few herbis of our own growynge, sodden in wyne or water, and that within .x. or .xii. dayes, withoute any feare of feuer. But this they thynke a vile medicine / sayinge it is not done after theyr canons. And the same thynge do they iudge of Guaiacum, whose nature and power / howe clerely they vnderstonde, and what maner wordes they vse to haue of hit: we may perceyue by the answere of a certaine noble phisition, not nowe yonge, that he shulde begynne to practise / but of extreme age, that it is very lykely he fealeth Aui­cen, Mesuen, and other authors of phisike, [Page] as well as his owne nayles. This phisition whan I was wrytinge these thynges, and takyng my iourney from Frankeford, wher he was wrytynge his recipe, was asked of a certayne frende of myn, what he thought of Guaiacum: I haue not sene it / sayd he, but what so euer it be, the weyght / the co­lour, the sauour, must be consydered in quā ­tite and qualite. Than sayde I, his weighte is very heuy, and synketh in the water, how lyttell so euer the cuttynge be: and hathe the same colour almoste that is in boxe, and it smelleth fayntely / somewhat of rosen: doest thou knowe nowe by this, what the nature and power of Guaiacum is? Than he thynkynge to face me downe with wor­des, chattered I wot [...]e not whatte / out of Aristotels predicamentes. Than sayde I, It may be, good fader, seinge the disease is newe, and this a newe medicine, that the holle matter is yet vnknowen vnto you. Thou arte deceyued sayde he, it is no newe disease, seinge Plini wryteth therof. Than I, beynge desyrous to knowe, what he knewe in Plini, that I knew not, asked him, what name Plinie gaue vnto this disease? Mentagram sayde he, quía vexat mentem, that is to say, bycause hit vexith a mannes [Page 27] mynde. Than sayde I / why and do not other infirmities and sycknes than tourmēt and vexe a mans mynde? or doth not fren­syes, madnes, the fallynge euyll, and other rauysshynges of the wyttes this thing more than the frenche pockes? As he was inter­pretynge I can nat telle what: good olde man, quod I, lerne agaynste an other tyme to answere more wysely / and specially in suche thynges as apertaigne to mans helth. For if ye had redde Plinie / ye wolde not saye Mentagram to come a mente, but a mento. For in the chynne that disease fyrste began / whiche thynge declareth it to be an other syckenes than the frenche pockes. And who coude forbere to rebuke this mis­cheuous madde asse heed? But let vs passe ouer these raskall phisitions, of the whiche we se a great parte ryche in wordes / but in the knowlege of thynges very poore: and lette vs retourne to our purpose, whereof this is the pythe, that phisitions shall be ta­ken in this cure, not as ministers of medi­cins or healers, but as kepers. And these to be, as I haue ofte sayde / chosen, wise, and well lerned, and mooste experte, and suche as hadde leuer be wyse by them selfe, than erre with the comon sorte: And suche [Page] as if they coude heale a [...]ycke man with ea­tynge beanes, wolde not seke for any costly, and especially strange medicines.

VVhan they, which I tolde you went into Spayne / to know the vse of Guaiacū, enquered, whether chyl­dren, & gret aged persons moughte be holpen with this remedy. For seyng they were weake, it was in dout, where they coude abyde this diete: answer was made by them that had bē in that ylonde, that they neuer sawe chyl­drē by this remedye delyuered from sycke­nes: But the men of that ylonde shewed them, that chyldren were wont so to be cu­red, and women lykewyse wi [...]hout any dif­ference, and olde men also verye often. Whervpon I remembred the notable saieng of Hipocras / that olde men may wel away with fastynge, but men in stronge and sted­faste [Page 28] age scantly, yonge men moche wors, and chyldren worste of all, speciallye they that are of a forwarde and quicke mynde. Howe be it Galenus wyl not old men there to be vnderstonde men of the laste caste.

¶Furdermore it is well knowen, that they that are of a sanguine qualite of body, may abyde hunger better and longer than the colerike. For in the sanguine the humoures that nourysshe the body / are more abundant and plenteous, the hete is temperate and lesse burnynge: for it is myngsed with moysture to make hit slacker, but in these other, all thynges are thynne and drye, and nedy of humours. Nowe who doubteth, but they that be fleumatike may best abyde hunger, seinge they haue more moysture than them nedeth: Whiche thynges marked and par­ceyued, none that wyll take this matter in hande can lacke counsell / in what age or complexion so euer it be, but he shall knowe howe to diminysshe the meate, and howe to enlarge it: and agayne howe to brynge in strayte fastynge / and howe to lose it. No­ther that onely, but also howe moche or howe lyttell of Guaiacum oughte to be spende. Howe be it in this thynge I thynke lyttell regarde to be taken, bycause this de­coction [Page] to apperteyne to the Germayns, I wyll o­pen vnto all men.

¶They of Spayne thynke, this medycine ought to be like wyse ministred in all places for this disease, seinge it hath nothinge, but that that al men may vse euery where indifferently, and also hath ben proued amonge the people of .v. diuerse nations. Fyrste it came frome Spagnola in to Spayne, and than other nations about them sought what profite wolde come ther of. And whan they vnderstode, that many had vsed hit prospe­rously, the Sicilians receyued it. Frō thens it came into Italie: and shortly after we of Germanie haue lerned the power therof by experience. And of late we herde saye, that by the helpe of this wodde, many be cured in France. Whiche thinge seinge it is so, and seinge we lyue vnder that ayre, whiche is not so moche subiecte vnto sickenessis, as the coūtreie of Spayne and Italie are, through the subtilnes of the aire, and therfore nedelesse to feare those yuels, whiche may other wise chaunce, as the feuers, stytches, and suche other: And agayne seinge we haue stronge bodies, that maye well awaye with labours, hunger, and thurste. And also the myndes of the Germayns, for the mooste [Page 20] parte, are meryly set: what shulde cause v [...] to thynke, but that our region and men be very apte vnto this medicine? Which thing Paulus Ricius, a phisition of pure iugement and hygh erudition, approueth, and more ouer affirmeth / that he knoweth by playne experience, that no nation is more apte vnto this dyete. But if we had not sene some re­stored vnto helthe through the helpe of Guaiacum, and nowe shuld begyn to proue hit: we oughte not beleue, that god were so moche sette agaynste vs, that he wolde ey­ther kepe this helthfull medicine from vs, or defraude vs of the vertue therof, seynge it was brought frō Spagnola into Spayn, and had the same vertue there, whiche hit hadde at home: excepte a man wylle saye, that Guaiacum disdayneth to be caried vn­to vs / his nature fyrste not chaunged, or whan it commeth to the Germaynes / that than it suffreth that great and myghtye po­wer and strengthe of his, to be taken from hym, and no where els. And it is playnely knowen, that with vs his helpe is very present, and peraduenture more presente than els where. And our men, as they be moche gyuen to surfetynge, so can they, if nede re­quire, abyde very longe and strongly bothe [Page] hunger and thurste. And more ouer as our bodyes abunde with heate, so are they very stronge. For after the iudgement of Aristo­tle, they that inhabite cold countreys, haue moche naturall hete in them, and they that haue moche heate, for the most parte are of great strength. And bycause the Almayns vse moche eatyng and drinkyng, Ricius the phisition was demaunded of late, what he thought, whether it were best to remyt som what vnto them in this cure of this sklēder & thinne dyete, & he sayde: No by sayncte mary, not thus moche, but rather handle them the strayter, lette these great belyes vsed in eatynge and drynkynge be dryuen to a moche thynner dyete than these thynne and leane Italians. And he shewed me hym selfe, that he hadde punysshed with hunger one of these fatte felowes .x. dayes lenger than he ought to haue done, bicause he wold haue nothynge remayne that myght let the operation of Guaiacum.

¶This thyng and suche other I do glad­ly reherse by Ricius, and do make often mention of Stromer, that suche as shall rede this boke may vnderstond, whom I cal good and right phisitions, and how vnwor­thy I thynke these comen tormenters of mē of the dignite of this title & name. And that [Page 31] straunge countreyes may knowe, that Ger­maynie hath some good and excellent phi­sitions. And that I delyte as moche in the lernynge and amitie of them, that be good and well lerned, as I hate these vnlerned and foole hardy felowes, whiche after they be for theyr moneye ones made doctours, streyght professe / that they can reuyue the deed, and restore lyfe to them that are bu­ryed. But I wylle retourne vnto these .ij. whiche be of an other sorte, of the whiche two Stromer, whan I asked hym the laste yere a medicine to pourge me with, sayde / Do not vexe thy stomake with medicines in this age of thyn / in whiche nature is able of her selfe to do all thynges moche better. For as he is very scarse in pourynge in of medicines / so bryngeth he all sycke people vnto a verye strayte rule of dyet. Wherfore whan he had taken in hande to cure one in the cytie of August after these wayes, and he said, that he feared, leste he coude not ab­steyne hym selfe from women: Seing than (saide he) thou haste decreed to dye, thou hast no nede of my helpe, & so forsoke hym, and lefte him to his intemperancie.

¶Of this sorte there are two phisitions moo, of excellent name: wherof the one is thy phisition, mooste noble prynce, named [...] [Page] [...] [Page 20] [...] [Page] [...] [Page 31] [Page] Gregory Coppus / whiche hath holpen me no lyttell thynge in the wrytynge hereof: the other contynueth in the archebysshoppe of Colyns courte, called Iames Ebelly, a man of so great auctoritie / that four yere afore / that he was made the commen phisi­tion, all phisitions were they neuer so coun­nynge, gaue place vnto hym. The other was hadde in great honour of all the chefe lerned men of Papia. where this study flo­ryssheth, as well for his knowlege in phi­sike as for other good lernynge: whiche he had ioyned vnto phisik. But this is no place to reken vp the excellent lerned men / but my purpose is to wryte myne experience of Guaiacum. And therfore in this place I re­pete this to conclude with, that I verylye thynke, that this wodde wyll helpe al ma­ner of men, where so euer they be become, brought vp, or contynue.

[Page 33]IT semethe for somme causes that folowe, that it is better to proue this cure in sommer than in wynter. Fyrst bicause (as Galene sayth) the moi­sture in sommer increasethe and runneth in all the body, and dothe goo and comme: and therfore the pestilent hu­mours maye lyghtly be seperated from the good, and they may be expelled and banys­shed: and these that be holsome & good kept. Secondely bycause all diseases in wynter do fasten their rotes deper and take surer holde / and in sommer contrarye wyse, the humours be styll mouynge, and the body is apte vnto all chaunges. But these conside­rations appertayne generally vnto al dise­ses: But as concernynge this our cure of Guaiacum, for as moche as a great parte of hit stondethe in dyete and sufferaunce of great honger, therfore it is moste expedient to begynne in sommer. In that season a mā may better awaye with this dyete thanne in wynter, whan men are very hungry. For if the body, beynge hotte and boylynge of it selfe / as it is in sommer, shulde moreouer be loded with meate / hit wolde lyghtely be dissolued into diseases. But in the wynter it [Page] woll not so [...] / for so moche, as Hipocrates saythe / that in wynter a mannes bodye in­wardly aboundeth with naturall heate, and outwardly lacketh it, for so moche as than in auoydeth and fleeth from the sharpenes of the cold, wherwith the body outwardly is compassed / into the inwarde partes, as vnto a stronge holde and castell: and there closeth it selfe vppe: but contrary wyse in sommer the same naturall heate in mannes body foloweth, as Aristotle thynkethe, the nature of the ayre, and therfore puttethe forthe it selfe, and fleeth out to the extreme partes of the bodye. But so i [...] is, that the very nature and propretie of this medicine is / to reduce into the body, and bryng home agayne suche naturall heate as is loste. And therfore this it semeth vnconueniente to go in hande with, or putte in experience this cure in the winter. For thā is it thought daungerous, whan the hete of the outward partes is drawen vnto the inwarde partes, le [...]te the outwarde lymmes be forsaken and lefte emptie of their strengthe and power / specially in them that be colde of nature, whiche otherwyse in the wynter lose theyr heate, and haue their bodyes slayn through the violence of colde, and be lyke vnto deed [Page 34] folke.

¶But here maye we not passe ouer that, whiche Coppus admonysshethe, sayinge, Guaiacum moueth a manne to sweatte, ca­stynge out the euyll humours, that be noy­full to the body: Therfore saythe he, the sommer is moste apte for this cure / whan the humoures are more subtylle / and the skyn thynner. And in the wynter the wayes and poores, by the whiche the sweate shuld haue his course, and be expelled: are stop­ped, and the humours gathered to gether, and clodded. But on the other syde for so moche as in this cure done by Guaiacum, the sycke are greued with nothynge more, than with thurste it is thought, that the syck may worse absteyne from drynke in somer than in wynter. wherfore in Spayne, and where the heate is vehement, they durst not hytherto proue this experyment in the som­mer. Furthermore in wynter (after the mynd of Alexander Aphrodisius) there in­gendreth on man through moche eatynge. (For than haue men moche better appetite thanne in other seasons) an humour called pituita, that is fle [...]me, which thyng mought be auoyded, if this cure were than in hande: in whiche, great abstinence must be obserued [Page] and kepte. These thynges we haue spoken as touchynge the tymes of feruente heate and feruent colde, and nowe we wyll speke of the other two seasons that be betwyxte bothe, of the whiche two, Autumne semeth the worste of bothe. For than is there great abundance of all maner syckenes, and the humours waxe worse and worse, bycause this tyme of the yere is vnegall and with­out order, alwayes chaungynge and incon­stant / bryngyng in many kyndes of diseses. For as Celsus affirmeth, Autumne kylleth many a one.

¶Furthermore the french pockes are very noyfull to the synowes, and the sayd author teacheth, that wynter and Autumpne be not mete nor apt tymes vnto medicines / for the resolution of the synowes. But these are the reasons of them that dispute generally and speake not onely of the vse of Guaiacū. Wherfore this I thynke, that sommer (at the lefte wayes in Asmayne) may be beste taken: but that is that parte of sommer / that begynneth whanne vere endeth, as in Maye, for than there is not here so moche heate, but the sycke maye well abyde and suffer thyrste: And in wynter the colde is very feruent, and lykewyse in vere and Au­tumne [Page 35] the colde is sharper, than the sycke may abyde in this cure. For it is one of the chiefe poyntes for hym that is restored by Guaiacum, with all diligence to eschewe colde. And as for suche incommodities / as maye happen in the sommer, to the intente they may the lesse be feared, I haue spoken of before, and shall repete them agayne, whan place shall be. And neuer the lesse at this tyme I do affirme, that this drynke of Guaiacum dothe meruaylously stere vp the naturalle power and strengthe, and hath power and myghte to quycken and to make lusty the body / whiche for lacke of natural heate is weake and consumed: Which thin­ges if they were not as I haue sayde, and had not Hipocrates in a certayne place / if I well remembre me, sayde: that Vere and Autūne are the most aptest times to let blod and minister medicines: verily the counsell of Celsus shuld than haue semed best, whi­che saythe: that Vere is the holso­mest tyme to go to phisike / & next vnto that wyn­ter, and that is very dangerous, & Autumn mooste daungerous of all.

ANd maye I not boldely af­firme, this medicine to be gyuen vs of god, seinge hit neuer helpeth, excepte a mā be gyuen to holines of life? Verifye where as we be brought into the fauour of god by two ver­tues specially, that is by the chastite of bo­dye, and abstinence of meate and drynke, as the lawes of christen people beare re­corde, let hym be sure excepte he bynde him selfe straytly in these bondes, he shall not onely come vnto this medicine in vayne, but shall go forwardes also in the same wi [...]h no lytel danger. In so moch that it is playnly know [...]n, that he shall dye without remedy, that vseth any woman before the .xl. daye after the cu [...]e is begonne, either bycause the body so emptied, is not able to suffer the in­iurie of that acte, or elles bycause god wyll not that any mā shuld vse suche his great be fy [...]e vnpurely. And therfore amonges all th [...]m that proued this wodde in Almayne, it hapned one felowe to dye, & that through [Page 36] this faute, as they that were present affir­med by theyr othes.

¶And nexte vnto this the vse of wyne is knowen moste pestilent, an muste be auoy­ded in this cure. For it loseth the ioyntes of the body, and hurteth the synowes. And for as moche as it hath vehement power to en­ter into the lymmes, and shake al the body / it is thought, that this decoction of Guaia­cum shall not profyte in his body, that vseth wyne, but shall rather put hym in ieoperdy and feare of deathe, whan these thynges Guaiacum and wyne, which are most con­trary, mete and come to gether. Therfore some there be, that monyssheth to absteyne from wyne an hoole moneth after the tyme of this cure be paste, for so moch as this medicine kepeth his course of workynge many dayes after it is dronken. And therfore left any thynge shulde stoppe or set it, they take away the vse of wyne, and he that fleeth the voluptuous pleasure of the body muste take hede, that he gyue no place to glotonie. For the olde prouerbe witnesseth, that hun­ger neuer begetteth adulterye. And agayne it is sayd / that Venus waxeth cold without brede and wyne. Aelianus wryteth, that Zaleucus the lawyere of Locrense, forbede [Page] sycke men wyne vnder payne of dethe with out the phistions coūsel. But be it the nature of Guaiacum might suffer this voluptuous act, & dyd not abhorre wyne? yet dothe the phisitions bokes with ful mouth make mention that they are veri hurtful & greuous vnto that body, whiche is take, with this sick­n [...]s, and principally for the ioyntes. Wher­fore Celsus reporteth, that there were some that were vexed with ache in theyr limmes, whiche through one yeres abstinence from wyne and women haue bene safe all theyr lyfe. And the same Celsus concludeth / that suche as are borne chaste / or be gelded, or chyldren, or euer they fall to womans company / and lykewyse women, excepte them that haue theyr flowers stopped, are seldom tempted with this disease. And Alexander in his problemes sayth, that suche as drinke water onely, are quycker in all senses than other. For wyne stoppeth the wayes of the mynde / and dulleth the senses. And Cicero sayth / that for so moche as wyne profiteth the sycke but selde, and hurteth very often, it is moche better not to gyue it, than vnder the hope of doubtfull helth to runne into o­pen ieoperdie. And Venus, in what so euer state a man be, coldeth the bely, & dryeth it, [Page 37] if Aristotle be true. For in suche couplyng / the naturall heate departeth, and throughe the euaporation that than is made / drynes is caused and ingendred.

¶Lo sobernes and chastite two holy ordy­nances of lyfe, be the principall obseruation in this thynge, the highest precept / the chief poynt of helth, whiche diligently kepte, no ieoperdye can ryse. For be it they tary the medicine or vtterly stoppe and lette it, yet they putte not a manne in ieoperdye of his lyfe / whan they be neglected.

AMonges all the thynges that muste be auoyded / somme men do meruayle, why salt is forbiddē to be vsed for the space of this dyete, consyderyng there is other tymes nothynge more holsome for mannes bodye: and they say, that they can nat perceyue, howe any hurte shulde comme therof in this disease. The whiche commeth all together of the [Page] corruption and putrifaction of the bloode, seinge onely salte moste of all thynges pre­serueth and defendeth from both these. And more ouer the nature of salt is to make fast and drye vppe, to bynde and clense: whiche proprete were thought moste metest and ne­cessary to be ministred, to plucke vppe this disease by the rotes. Fyrste bycause the bo­dye infected with the pockes, is loosed and shaken: secondly bycause the humours pro­cede and flowe out from one mater: Thirdly, whiche is the chiefe poynt of al, bicause the corrupt and infecte bloode is yet within the bodye vnpourged. For this syckenesse is no other thynge / than a certayne order & state of the body changed through the trou­ble of the bloode: Euen as it hapneth in a cytie, whan a sedition & partakynge entreth into a commen welthe, and the cōmen peo­ple be moued in theyr myndes: than are all thynges skattered abrode withoute order, and moued out of theyr places, nothynge hangeth to gether, nothynge standeth, no­thynge abydeth, no quietnes, no peace, but all ful of trouble, vnto the whiche chaunge of the body, motion of membres, and sha­kynge of ioyntes, with all suche troubles, there muste come some sadde and wyse fa­ther, [Page 38] a man of hygh auctoritie in the comen welth: for his godlynes and good deser­uynges towarde all men (who as Virgyll sayth) maye gouerne and rule with wordes theyr hartes / and quiete theyr stomakes. So in lyke maner is it in salte / whiche as I sayde, through fastnyng, dryinge, bynding, and purgynge / dothe put to quietnes thyn­ges, that are moued, dothe vnite and knytte thynges that are broken, doth bynde to ge­ther thynges that are plucked aparte, doth make caulme and quiete thynges, that are troubled: and bryngeth quietnes and saue­garde vnto all thynges: yea howe greatte a thynge and howe necessarie thoughte Plinie salte to be, sayinge without salte a mans life can not indure? And therfore say they, how can that hurte in this syckenes / whiche in o­ther diseases conserueth all thynges? And for as moche as in this cure we muste take hede, that no corrupt humours be abundāt, and salte resolueth and clenseth all fylthye moystnes / and also kepeth down and restrayneth the flowynge of the body: it is thought we shulde be more plentuous of salte herein than els where. Not withstandynge these reasons / we muste haue an other considera­tion herein. And fyrste of all as moche as [Page] appertaynethe vnto this disease, howe the sycke muste forbeare salte meates, not all maner, but onely suche as are very sharpe: Lette it be asked of the phisitions, whiche haue longe before tyme prosecuted that matter to the vttermost: for this tyme, seynge the medicine of Guaiacum is specyally in­treated of, we may say, that though al phi­sitions knowe the vse of salte, excepte it be very lyttell, to be noyous and hurtfull in all other passions of the synewes, and in su­che diseases as sprynge of corrupte bloode, and of yelowe and blacke colour, or salte fleume, for so moche as with his tartnes, it sharpeneth coler, and burneth the bloudde, and with his na [...]iue dryenes causeth the hu­mours and nutrimēt of the body to dry vp, and by that meanes distroyeth all thynges, that shulde helpe vnto helthe. Yet neuer the lesse aboute the administration of Guaiacum they forbede vtterly all maner vse of salt, for the same consyderation they forbede all sharpe thynges, and moreouer all thynges penetratiue: and amonges these, spices, and wyne. For so moche as all suche through theyr sharpenes and persynge power, do o­pen all poores and entreyes / and go depe: whiche violence runnyng through the body, [Page 39] cum can haue no place to worke. If these re­sons do not satisfie those mens myndes / I wyll saye vnto them, as the philosophers saye of the stone Magnes, if it be anoynted with garlycke, it draweth not yron to hit, so lykewyse Guaiacum hath a certayne secret vertue / and can n [...]t tell whither it be as yet knowen, to abhorre specially the vse of salt, and whiche power is loste if salte ones come vnto it. And this haue we spoken of the for­bearynge of salte in this cure. Nowe wylle we speake of the sklender fedynge and hun­ger, wherwith the body muste be weakened and made leane, whervppon all the matter of this dyete hangeth.

ALthough we spake before of the smalle and thyn fe­dynge, that the sycke muste vse, and how his meat must be diminished, & he brought to hunger / yet we thynke it very necessary to warne you ones agayne of the same thynge, in this place: not onely bi­cause [Page] this medicine requyreth a voyde and an emptye bodye / from all maner fulnes / but also bycause I wolde declare / t [...]at in olde tyme the [...]e was a lyke maner to cure the like. And we may also rede in Diodoro, that the Egiptians dydde heale theyr sycke other with fastynge or els with vomyt. For they affirme, as he recyteth / that sycknesses are ingendred specially of the superfluite of meate: And therfore they thought that way of curynge to make moste vnto helthe / that taketh awaye the fyrste causes of the disease. Let not therfore these dronkerdes, these intemperate felowes, gyuen to surfe­tynge / be greued with this dyete, whiche as Persius sayth, delyteth only in delitious fe­dynge, and may lyue scantely halfe a daye without meate: whose bealy as the prophet saythe, is their god, and all theyr mynde and lyfe is nothynge but fedynge. Let suche felowes, as I sayde, ceasse theyr grudging against this dyete / seynge that therby so ex­cellent and so good a thyng is obteyned, and so great an euyll is auoyded with so lyttell labour. And let them not than in this thing speake of the great ieoperdye, whiche maye comme of weakenes, through longe absti­nence: as who saith, that he may faynt, that [Page 40] eateth after this maner. For Plinie saithe, that none dyeth for lacke of meate before the .vii. day: and may continue vntyl the .xi. day. And al be it he wryteth, that in his time there was a woman in Germani, which ly­ued sometyme full twentye dayes withoute meate: and sometyme .xxx. And that he sawe a man, whiche continued .vij. weakes without meate, drynkyng euery seconde day onely water. Plinie also sayth, that he kno­weth for a suretie / that the Scythians ha­uynge certayne herbes in theyr mouthes, a­byde hūger & thyrst somtyme .xij. days. And some also say, that the christen philosopher Amonius / neuer eate but only tosted bread / whiche thynge if any man greatly meruaile at, lette hym remembre / that this is also wrytten in the storyes, that certayne of the mages lyued ones by meale and herbes on­ly. And that Diodore writeth, that the olde Egiptians meate was herbes and rotes. And Hesiodus monyssheth / saying, we shuld lyue & eate Malus & asphodelo. And Pla­to writynge of the lawes maketh mention, that Epimenides was contented sometyme so to lyue. If any man wyl set these thinges before his eies, & cōsider thē, thā shal he perceiue, y^t we liue very deinteously in this diete [Page] and do take in a maner more than nedeth. But if it were a very harde thynge to ab­steyne so from meate, what is he that loueth hym selfe so lytell, but he wolde to get his helthe, suffer this griefe? or that hadde not leuer suffer .xxx. dayes hunger, than to be s [...]cke as longe as he lyueth? or had nat le­uer passe ouer so many dayes with stronger hunger / that he may lyue the resydue of his lyfe holle and sounde of bodye / than to a­uoyde this lyttell griefe, and to be tourmen­ted all the dayes of his lyfe with intollera­ble sorowes, and to haue runnynge frome hym stynkynge and fylthye matter? I haue tolde you: that this is no new maner of cu­rynge: for alwayes the best phisitions haue commaunded abstinence to the sycke. Of the whiche nombre is Asclepiades, who, as Celsus saythe, wryteth, that the moste so­ueraygne remedy agaynste the feuer is, as he hath proued it, to diminysshe the strength of the pacient with moche watche and absti­nence, in so moche that at the fyrste begyn­nynge of the syckenes, they shulde not so moche as wasshe theyr mouthe.

¶Abstinence, sayth Eusebius, both kepeth the bodyly helthe / and the shamefastnes of mynde. Wherby it appereth, that lyttel and [Page 41] perate fedynge is profytable to the flesshe and the soule, as wytnesseth Timotheus, whiche being on a season with Plato at sup­per, hauynge before hym suche meate as he was wonte to haue / tourned towarde his frendes & sayd: They that Plato receiueth to souper, shall be well at ease longe after, meanynge that after moche eatynge of dy­uers and aboundant costly dysshes, deynte­ously dressed, there folowed euyll and rawe digestion, and greatte grefe of the stomake. Wherfore afterwarde whan it chaunced him to mete with Plato, he sayde vnto hym: Ye Plato do ete this day rather for to morowe than for the tyme present.

¶And in Lucian Gallus the cocke Pitha­gory iugeth it a gret benefyt of god gyuē to Micyllus, because he coude alway with hū ger auoyde all feuers. And for that cause was without suche disease. Nowe what shall we saye to that, whiche as saynte Hie­rome wryteth, that certayne diseased with the ioynt ache and the gowte, after theyr goodes were gone, and were fro them, and were broughte to poore fare and symple meate, they dydde recouer theyr helth? For they (sayth saynt Hierome) toke no thought nor care for theyr housholde, and the habū ­dance [Page] of meate and drynke / which do breke both the body and the soule. And anon a [...]ter he sayth: There is nothynge that dullethe a mannes mynde so moche as a full bealy: rysynge and tournynge hyder and thyther, blowynge out wynde with baskynge fysting and fartynge.

¶This story maye be a lernynge vnto ma­ny men, whiche is redde of a certayne great belyed & fatte abbot. As he was caryed vn­to certayn bathes, hit fortuned hym to mete with a gentylman, who asked hym, whyther he was goynge? the abbotte made hym an­swere and sayde, that he muste go vnto the bathes. Why (quod the gentylman) are ye sycke? Naye (quod the abbotte) I am not sycke, but I haue no maner appetite vnto my meate. I go ther [...]ore nowe vnto the ba­thes to gette agayne myne appetite / whiche I dyd of late lose: for they are holsomme therfore. Verily ( (que) the gentylman) In this thynge I can be a better phisition vnto you. And toke the abbot with hym, & put hym in to a depe & darke dongeon, where he fedde hym certayne dayes hungerly: and than at laste he asked hym / whither he had an appetite to his mete? Ye ma [...]y (quod the abbot.) I fayth (quod the gentylmā) than is it reson [Page 42] that thou gyue me a rewarde for my medi­cine, and made hym pay .ii. hōdred crownes / and sente hym awaye in good helthe, with suche an appetite, that he coude haue eaten both beanes and lekes: where as before he refused all maner meate / were it neuer so deyntie: And so was he well ordered / seing he sought not mete with hunger, but hunger with meate. But paraduenture we haue spoken more than ynough of this thynge: ther­fore lette vs go vnto other matters: But fyrste I muste telle you (to make an ende of this chapiter) that Guaiacum requireth not a bealy that is replenysshed with varietie of meates, or troubled with wynde in the in­ward partes / but purified and clensed from all rawnes and grosnes of humours.

ANd this scarsenes of mete can nat onely be borne, but also maye easely be borne, and that through the ver­tue of Guaiacum: whiche after the bodye is ones brought downe, doth bothe preserue the life [Page] and also causeth that the sycke shal not nede to eate any thynge at all. Therfore dydde I not without a cause gyue warnynge, that the syck shulde absteyne from meate as mo­che as may be. And if he wax feble or faint, he may not be holpen with meate, but with the swete sa [...]ours, which I speke of, as moche as is possible / put to his mouthe, and specially with hote breadde. But if any fele hym selfe to be wasted and redye to slyde away throughe weakenes. Whiche thynge howe it shulde chaunce in any manne, I can not telle: for in me there happened no suche thynge at all, that I neded any maner help: Than I wolde counsayle hym to vse these thynges, whiche Plinie thynketh easeth hunger, and quencheth thyrste, whan they be very fy [...]tell tasted of, that is butter and ly­keresse, reclisse lykoresse. Orels in this thing we muste folowe Celsus, which sayth thus: This one thynge muste alwayes be ob [...]er­ [...]ed, that the phisition be often tymes cau­sed to sytte by the patient, to consyder what [...]rengthe he is of, and to cause hym as lōge as he hath any strēgth to wrastle and fight with hunger. And if he begynne to doubte of his weakenes, to helpe hym with meate. Excepte any had leuer folowe that, whiche [Page 43] Gellius sayth, that Erastrate dydde write / that the Scythians / whan they for somme cause muste nedes suffer hunger, do thruste together their bely and binde it round about very straitly with brode [...]wadlyng bondes, thynkyng that by suche pressynge to gether of theyr bealy, hunger may be putte away / or the easelyer borne. For seing, as he saith, hunger cometh of emptynes, and is caused of the voydnes and holownesse of the in­trayles / and of the bealy, than whan the bealy is gyrde in harde, so that the empty­nes is fylled / & the holownes ioyned, there can be no hunger where as these thynges be not, and vtterlye forbearynge of meate / may lightly be born. But why say I, vtterly forbearynge of meate / whiche can not be in this cure? I may wel calle it honger / what so euer it be, that any abydeth. For it maye be suffred well and easely / though a manne take nothynge in the worlde to helpe it. But vnto these deynteous sycke persones what thynge can be lyght? whiche can not onely suffer no hunger, but also not to haue a sto­make vnto meate, they thynke it intollera­ble. For the whiche if at any tyme they be sycke, we mought praye god, that they ne­uer recouer / consyderynge they esteme hit a [Page] greatte grefe to bye helthe with a lyttell sufferynge.

¶Of these maner persones if I speke some what largely, I do it after myn accustomed maner, specially whan I perceyue many of my countrey men the Almaynes, to erre in this behalfe.

BVt I beseche almyghty god / that this nation maye ones knowe it selfe. Whiche thyng I do not desyre so moche, bi­cause it is vncomely, that the people that rulethe all the worlde, shulde so lyue, as for that, that suche intemperancie and ryotte is an occasy­on to vs of great euyls, and also to be greatly dispised. If other people shulde eate and drynke as moche as they coude, they thinke they shulde passe the lawe of nature: but whan we cromme in so moche / that we can nat beare it, we loke after laude and prayse. What meneth these stryues and contentions of our valyant drynkers? Whanne he that [Page 44] drynketh is receyued with triumphe, whan it is glorye to ouercome in drynkynge, and no shame to be dronke and cast it vp agayn. O countray, o empire. As for the Poloniās, or if there be any other that passethe vs in dronkennes, I regarde them not, but this nation I say ought to remembre them selfe, and haue regarde to theyr dignitie: excepte it seme, that other nations are comen vnder this em [...]ire, not for the reuerence and opi­nion, whiche they hadde of our noble fore­faders, but to dispise and mocke vs. Verily it muste nedes be, that they were far other men / that had such honour gyuen vnto them than we be, that are thus dispised. Is there so moche as a chylde in Italy, that knoweth vs by any other name, than by the name of dronkerdes? Seinge that thanne other strāge nations do speake sooner of our vice than of our humanitie or vertue: shall [...]e not chaunge our lyuinge? Shal we not fere to lose this honour to our great rebuke and shame? Or shall we not thynke / that it is more shame to vs to lose the tytle and pro­fyte of the empire, that hath ben a glorye to receyue, whan it was offered vnto vs? Or that sober men and reasonable wylle be content to be vnder the rule and dominiō [Page] of a dronken and barbarous nation, beinge withoute all good humanite. But if hit can nat happen into the braynes of our men to vnderstonde theyr own shame, yet at the le [...]t lette them knowe theyr owne distruction. And if we set so lyttell by the losse of oure glorye, and the rebuke and shame of our voluptuous mynde, that we wyll not leue for that our vnthryfty lyuynge: l [...]tte vs at the leste wyse haue so moche wytte as to care for our bodely helth, whiche must nedes be troubled and brought to naught in suche fe­stynges, surfetynges, and drinkynges: a­bout the whiche, as the satirike poete sayth, leapethe and skyppeth in greatte compa­nies of al kindes of diseses. But Germanie hathe loste his wytte and vnderstondynge, and hath forgotten it selfe, not all Germa­nie, but many in Germanie. These be they that drawe their dyners vnto soupper, and theyr suppers in to farre nyghte. These be they, whiche through theyr mysorder, haue caused a straunge poete, but yet nat an ylle poete / for he semeth to hate yl men, to write to the greatte sclaunder of this countreye / sayinge: Bacchus sytteth at the deyse, And Appollo is caste out of all company. For al the lyfe there is nothynge els but drinkyng, [Page 45] that is, they set more by drynkynge than by wysedome. Howe be it these dronkerdes / that erre throughe madnes and lyghtnes, mought lyghtly be dispised: but these that with theyr deynteous fare, and nyce and wanton apparell cast them selfe heedlonge into the mydmayne see of voluptuousnesse and pleasures. These I saye, be worthy to be hated of all the worlde. These be they, that lye vpon theyr pyllowes of downe he­ped to gether, that consume what so euer may be gotten by lande or see, not to susteyn theyr lyfe, but to delyght their swete [...]ou­thes, that muste weare the fyneste lynnen, that muste be robed in purple, that reioyse, to be wrapped in softe myes skynnes, not so moche to kepe them from colde, as for de­licacie and wantonnes. These be they, that may not touche commen clothe, whose skyn can nat suffer but the fynest and softest thing that may be gotten: that take theyr counsel in quaffynge and in theyr counsels quaffe, that meddle with no sadde matters, but lede all theyr lyfe in feastynges.

¶These thinges ar not vsed (I say ageyn) through all Germanie / but specially, which thynge is to our great shame and rebuke, a­monge the chiefe and the nobles of Ger­manie: [Page] whiche pamperde vp dayly with all maner deyntie fare, exercisynge dyners and suppers meate for popes, in them they ban­kette, in them they brynge one to an other, and therin haue suche pleasure / that they had leuer dye, than to be plucked from hit. They haue none other care, but to fylle the bealy: by whom Salust if he had suspected such bestes euer to com in Germanie, might well haue spoken this his sayenge: Many men gyuen to fedynge and slepynge, haue passed euen as straungers theyr holle lyfe, without knowlege and lernynge. But let a man caste with hym selfe what opinion the Romaynes had in these dayes of the people of Germanie: and thanne sette before his eies, what a monster, and howe ha [...]eful this cherysshynge of our throtes, that we nowe vse, had bene than? In the whiche whanne we haue spente a great par [...] of our lyfe, and haue receiued thens those thinges that must nedes folowe that kynde of lyfe, that is in­numerable kyndes of diseases: than do not we cōfess [...] nor knowlege our fant, but do accuse god of crueltie. And thoughe hit be we our selfe, that gette and bye with great cost and expenses the sedes of all our syckenes / and norysshe with all oure harte our owne [Page 46] mischiefe and distruction / cherysshynge our euyls with the lost of our holle patrimonie: yet whan we be ones downe / and sette vppe with quosshens and pyllowes heped rounde aboute vs, not able to moue hand nor fote: than we blame nature, and saye, we maye thanke god of all our euyls and peynes. For no glottons do otherwyse, than they dydde, whiche Iuuenall speaketh of, whi­che beleue, that god in his fume and wrathe dothe cast these diseases vpon theyr bodies: and therfore calle them the gonne stoones and weapons of god. But wolde to god we wold returne to our oten porage, and be co­uered as we were in tyme paste, with wollē garmentes, so made that euery lymme and part of vs mought be sene, & to waxe wery of this sylke, & hate these garmentes so full of playtes. For what other thynges are all these, but fyrste the wastynge of our patri­monie, and than the purchasyng and incresse of all euylles and diseases? Verily our an­cetours / beynge verye nyggardes in this thynges, dydde great actes and excellent thynges with hyghe glorye. But whan dyd we, that to fulfyll our pleasant affection re­ceyue venom in the stede of meate / any thing worthye the honour and glorye of Germa­nie? [Page] It was farre better for vs to be called and counted barbarous, whan our lyuynge was homely and rude, than nowe to haue in this ryottous lyfe, and this shame / the laude and prayse of wyttes and good lernynge.

¶What wolde great Charles say nowe, if he came agayn to vs, and saw our princis in theyr vtter garmentes of sylke: seinge that he hym selfe wore a shert of habergyn? Or what wolde one of the Othons say, whiche stretched out and enlarged theyr vertue and valyantnes in duste and durte [...] whan oure men anoynte them selfe with straunge and costly bawmes?

¶There is a notable execration of Chry­syppus agaynst them, that vse oyntmentes voluptuously to the pleasure of other. The deuyll take these delycate felowes, saythe he, that haue sclaundered so good a thyng: the people that were wanton and gyuen to pleasure vsed it in tymes paste. But it was neuer thought / that the Germayns shulde euer come to this poynt, to smell of oynt­mentes and bawmes. And nowe we cal for pomāders, muskeballes, dam [...]ske pouders, and all maner sauers / as thynges necessary to our lyfe: and thynke it greate honour to vs to smelle of suche strange sauours. No­ther [Page 47] is hit women only that are in this faut, but men, specially princis and priestes.

¶Solon forbade oyntmentes to be solde in a cite of Grece: And the Lacedemones ex­pelled them from theyr citie, sayinge: that they corrupted and marred theyr oyle.

¶And Lycurgus toke away from the same Lacedemones bankettynge, feastynge, and costely dyners. And Socrates (as Xeno­phon saythe) dydde grenously rebuke suche ryottous abundance.

¶Truely the olde Germayns mynded no such voluptuous plesures, and they thought it a very straunge thynge / to lyue any thing wantonly or nycely. I haue hard some olde men say / that whan they were yonge men, it was a suspecte thynge to weare a gowne: whan we now a dayes do honour and wor­shyppe purpull. And therfore we may well crye, O corrupted and wretched worlde. They were couered with the skynnes of wylde beastes, and laye in their feldes vn­der the skye / and were made stronger with contynnall labour, where we that be wan­tonly and nycely clothed, and take our ple­sure vnder oure gaye gylted houses, be through all kyndes of ryotte and voluptu­ous pastymes vtterly weaked, and of all [Page] manly strēgthes depriued. And may any mā thynk, that this maner of lyuing can lightly haue an ende, seing the chiefe & principal exā ple therof cometh fro them specially, that be called prestes? What they be in dede god knoweth, and they onely / to whom it hath pleased god to gyue trewer eyes to se with. These do not vse al maner pompes and ex­cesses in thinges appertainyng vnto the ser­uice of god, but euerye one of them muste swymme at home in his house in all maner of costly and deynteous dyshes and cuppes, and they calle eatynge and drynkynge ly­uynge: or if they do not so call it, yet veri­ly they so esteme it. And therfore seing they do soo, other menne thynke they maye doo the same.

¶And this the laudable and naturalle cu­stome and fascion of Germanie is banisshed. For we be so farre gone, that we excede all other nations, be they neuer so euyll, in su­che abundaunce and voluptuous pleasures. It had more becommed vs to haue dryuen these thynges out from the myddes of vs, and as Diogenes dydde to the Tartis and fyne manchettis / so to haue sayde to this straunge ryottous maner: O gueste go and gette the hens quickely. Ye the examples of [Page 48] straunge nations ought ones to haue taught vs. And seinge to bankette and surfet most largely is nowe adaye counted moste kyng­ly, why do we not here the answere of Me­nedemus the philosopher, whiche he made to Antigonus, askyng hym whither he shuld go to a deynteous and costely f [...]ste or not? Haue in mynde (sayde he) that thou arte a kynges sonne. And Antisthenes, to a certain persone praysynge delicious fare, sayde: I wolde our ennemies fared delycately. The wordes also of saynt Paule ought to be writen in our hartes, sayinge: Meates are gy­uen to the bealy, and the bealy to meates: but god shall make an ende of bothe. The same Paule whan he condempned the wor­kes of the flesshe, amonges whi [...]he he nom­bred excesse of drynkynge and eatynge, he addethe to these wordes: Of the whiche thynges I nowe warne you, lyke as I haue before tymes warned you, that they, whi­che commytte suche thynges / shall nat be the inheritours of the kyngedome of god. But they nowe do the same thynges, whiche ought to be our gides into the kyngdome of god / priestes, chanons, bysshoppes, and prelates, in so moche, that it is nowe come into a prouerbe through out all Germanie: [Page] Let hym be made a man of the churche / that loueth to lyue pleasantly, as though suche a lyfe were meteste for them.

¶ The frugalitie of my grandefather Laure [...]ce Hutten / whiche is worthy to be wryt­ten, ought to moue vs vnto moche glorye, who all though he were ryche / and moche oc [...]upied in greatte matters of oure princis, both in warre and peace: yet wolde he ne­uer admytte into his house pepper, saffron, gynger, nor suche other strange spyces, nor vsed garmentes but only of our owne woll, al thoughe there were sometyme precious vestures gyuen vnto hym for the well doing of [...]is busynes. And he dydde not only this hym selfe, but also amonges his equalles he rebuked gretly the fascions & maners of men, sayinge: We seke euer straunge thyn­ges / as though we had not growynge with vs, wherwith our meate may be made deli­ca [...]e. If we wyll please and delite our taste, or as though the great price of our garmentes dyd increase the qualities of the mynde. But I wyll ceasse to speake more of this man, leest I shulde seme to couet myn owne glory. If I had fyrst told you this one thing me thynketh it is not so goodly a thynge to be borne of this my stocke and familye, in [Page 49] the whiche be somme causes besydes this, wherof I maye glorie, as to be borne his neuewe, that thus hath lyued. Our prede­cessours, and suche as I my selfe haue sene olde men, whan I was but a chylde / whan they dyd kepe, in their mete, drynke / and clothyng suche temperance, they were of good lykynge of body, and through great labour were hardned agaynst hunger and thurste, heate and colde, where as we at the fyrste frost, sheuer and shrinke together both hand & fote: & as sone as wynter beginneth we be treble furred, and be shut vp in our hot hou­ses, out of the which we go not vntyl myd­sommer / whan the sonne & heate bourneth and parcheth all thynges. And as I saye, where as nowe scantly the .x. person of the noble men can be founde in Germania, but he hathe eyther the gowte in his fete, or in his handes, or is greued with the dropsye, sciatica, or lepry, or is tourmented with this frenche euyll, whiche bryngeth these great­test euyls with hym.

¶But at the last let vs retorne & enter into that lyfe, whiche is metest for this nation & empire of Germanie, and which euen they, whome I tolde you lyued wantonly, can be well contented to here praised. For I thinke there is not one of these, that gyue them [Page] selfe to suche delycate & ryottous lyfe, but he hateth the same in other, excepte he be so blynded through intēperancie, that he loueth these vnthryftie manered Sardanapales, and Heliogabalos, or dothe hate the persi­monia of many, whiche be of the contra­ry facion. Truly vertue semeth very amia­ble euen to them that dothe lyttell folowe or regarde hit.

¶ It was an olde meate of Catos, poradge made with chese and egges. And Plinie re­hersethe, that gruelle made with otemelle grootes was ones the meate of the verye and true Germaynes, as it is yet of many vnto this daye. But we fede vppon straunge and beyonde see victuals, thynkynge that we haue so moche nede of them, that eue­rye house holder hathe decreed to selle these thynges, that growe with vs, to bye the other with: whiche one thynge hathe enry­ched the Fuchers: whiche in the meane sea­son, that we thus nouryshe our bodies, haue all the money, and lyke wyse all the excel­lent goodly places in Almayne. For they beinge the ministers of our voluptuous ly­uing, are so increased, that there is no prince in Almayne able to compare with them in ryches. So farre be we gone, and so lyttell [Page 50] perceyue we, what thynges Germanie de­uoureth and consumeth. Wherfore I thynke that he was of excellent wysedome (if any suche was) that feared in tymes passed, leste suche voluptuous and delycate lyfe shulde enter into Germanie: wherof (as euery mā may playnly see) spryngeth so moche pesty­lence, and so many diseases: and ageyn per­ceyued, that they shulde lyue quietly / that coulde be contented to lacke suche pleasures and delyciousnes. For they that dresse oure herbes, & lyue with them (as there be some trewe Germaynes yet remaynynge) they are of good helth and bodily lykynge: but they that be spyce fyngered, and belche sy­namom, and smelle all of cloues, and haue all theyr pleasure in goodly araye, these be they, that are subiectes to all kyndes of dis­eases and euyls. Howe properly therfore dydde the Satirike Poete calle the gowte Ryche? For it medleth not with them that are poore, and drynke no wyne, but hit is a companion for ryche men, dronkerdes, sur­fetours and delycate lyuers: which (as the same poete sayth) to gette swete morsels, leue no place vnserched.

¶And so, thoughe this countreye brynge forth that that is necessarye for the lyfe, yet [Page] as though nature had vtterly forsakē them, they ron vnto strāge thinges, fetchyng their garmētes, theyr meatis & medicines frō Hercules pyllers, from the ilonde of Taproba­na, from the ryuer of Ganges, and frome places farther of than these, euen almooste from the heed of Nilus.

¶The wrathe of god lyghte on these deed mens heedes, y^e fyrst receyued these euyls in to Germanie. For they haue done a thynge vnworthy for the grauite of the Germains Truely they, oure forefathers, were none suche: the which preferred the labours and peins of Hercules aboue the flesshely lustes, aboue the delycate meatis and softe beddes of Sardanapalus. But O lorde Chryste, howe delycate, howe holsomme fedynge is breadde made of rye or whete, and gruelle made of millio, oriza, ptisana, and otemele porage? Adde thervnto so many kyndes of herbes, and so many dyuers garden spyces, as anyse, coryandre, cynomum, fenell, mu­sterde, neppe, oynions, lekes, garlyke, and specially if we wyll beleue Plinie, persley hath a singular good grace, to season mea­tes with. And for drynke we haue ale and biere. And for the ryche men there is wyne, whiche is the pure and cleane drynke of the [Page 51] erthe, as Appollonius iudgeth: so that it be vsed scarsly, whether it grewe in France, or vpon the bankes of Rhenus. We haue also of our owne beestes flesshe bothe tame and wylde, whiche are not of vnpleasant taste. We haue fruites of trees, not to be dispised, howe ryche is Germanie, howe plenteous of all meates, howe abundantly dothe hit ministre all thynges necessary for the lyfe of man? Wherfore my chiefe desyre & vowe is, that they neuer lacke the gowte, nor the frenche pockes: that can nat lyue without pepper: And I pray god / they may ones be brought to extreme hunger, whiche nowe serche in all places, not for meate to lyue with: but for delycates and deintees, wher­with they may stere vp their swete mouthes and prouoke theyr appetites. Howe iustely dyd Galenus enuie helth to suche felowes, whā he forbode al phisitiōs from the curing of dronkerdes, & of them that are gyuen to the bealy? If such at any tyme were sycke, for they by and by (sayth he) throughe in­temperate lyuynge hepe vppe agayne gros [...]e and vndigested humours, so that they be clensed and purged in vayne.

¶The necessite of nature is lyghtly con­tented, sayth Hierom. Colde may be expel­led [Page] with course clothynge, and hunger with lytell meate.

¶ Whan Anaxerses the kynge of Perse was brought to that necessite, that he eate drye fygges and barly breade, than he be­holdynge his fortune, and suche a greatte chaunge, sayde: O what pleasure is this / that my regall abundaunce kepte me from? By the whiche example we may know, that they onely lyue in knowlege of theyr owne lyfe that lyue scarsely and soberly: And on the other syde, they that be gyuen to the no­rysshynge of theyr bodyes, and the pouryng in of all thinges, be as men erryng in darkenes, and perceyue not theyr owne lyfe, so farre are they from the lyfe of pleasure. Howe be it within short space, whan they be ones fallen into diseases, than they begynne to fele and perceyue, what lyfe they haue chosen, and what is the reward of the same. For as Persius sayth, whan the harde and stony goute, the braunches of their olde sur­fetynge, hath broken their ioyntes: than they mourne, that they haue passed theyr dayes so grossely, and consumed theyr lyfe so fylthely, and be so sorye to late of theyr lyfe to comme.

¶Do we than doubte, what is the cause of [Page 52] all the syckenes, that the Germayne haue? seing we may yet remembre, that this pesti­lence and mischiefe of the bodye dyd enter with that ranke and riottous lyfe. For here we do nowe so gyue our selfes to whores & pleasures, that we seme to stryue with other straunge people for the maystry of fylthye lyuynge, as menne do in games for the beste wager. And for this purpose we haue cer­tayne ministers very experte. These gette and conueye vnto vs from the fardest par­tes of the worlde prouocations of glotony. These brynge in from farre, with meruay­lous delyght / both to eate, to drynk / & also to clothe our selfes with. Wherin seing they haue longe and many dayes contynued, to theyr owne (as I sayde) great aduantage: they haue made some so delicious, that whā they be here in Almayne, they muste drynke wyne of Corse, they must haue meates out from Italie: and contrary wyse, whan they be at Rome, they vse wyne of Rhene, or that whiche Neccarius bryngeth forthe. O per­uersed custome of lyuynge. O myschieffe / worthy to be hated of all men: euen so mo­che the more that they be bysshoppes / whi­che do these thynges, and are the rynge leaders thervnto. Suche maner of persons [Page] I beleue do desyre of god / as Aristotle wri­tethe of Philoxenus, to haue the neckes of cranes.

¶Aristophanes reproueth the tables of the Syracusanes, and the voluptuous aboun­dāce of the Sibarites. If at that time he blamed suche thinges, what wolde he say, if he nowe lyued / aud sawe our bankettynge and feastynge, our quaffynge and drynkynge? Therfore as many as coueyte vertue and knowledge, lette them take hede and har­ken to Pythagoras, whiche saythe: that a man, that ryseth aboue man, can nat tast or atteyne any hygh thynge, that is to say, as longe as a man lyueth vnchastely and dis­solutely, he shall neuer do any great thynge with wytte or mynde. The moste holsomest fedynge for man (sayth Plinie) is one ma­ner meate, the heapynge of dyuers tastes is pestiferous, and sawces are worse than that.

¶Persius well perceyued these thynges whan he thus spake in great mode: Thou woldest haue lyttie ioyntes, and a hole bodye in age. Ye but the full dysshes, and the fatte denteous, wyll not suffer the goddes nor Iupiter to graunt thervnto.

¶And Cicero bryngeth in Cato saying: that a libidinous and intemperate youthe, maketh [Page 53] age very feble. And he aduyseth and coun­sayleth vs to eate & drink so moch as may susteyne the bodyly strength, & not oppresse it, thynkyng that nothing can be so vnfrendely vnto the mynde of man, whiche he callethe an heuenly reward and gyft, as voluptuous­nes is. Nor as longe as luste and pleasure bereth rule, Temperance can haue no place: Neither vertue may beare any stroke, where luste and pleasure reigneth. And therfore he iudgeth, that we ought to gyue great than­kes vnto age, whiche causeth that we lyste not to do that thynge, whiche we ought not. For voluptuousnes, sayth he, beinge an en­nemye vnto reason, stoppeth and letteth all good counsel, and blyndeth the eyes of the mynde, and medleth nothyng at all with vertue. And therfore he thinketh, that olde men are happy, whiche whan they lacke feastes, full dysshes, and the cuppes ofte walkynge, they lacke also dronkennes, rawnes of sto­macke, and be not combred nor vexed with dreames, whiche maner of thynges, accom­pany them that are gyuen to suche wanton­nes. For Hierom sayth, that diseses come of to moche eatynge.

¶There is a prety ieste, of a certeyne phi­sition of this countrey, whiche hadde a syke [Page] man in cure, that hadde rounnynge legges, and that not withstandynge was gyuen to bank ettynge and drynkynge myghtily, and yet complayned that his medicines preuay­led not, And that his soores ranne faster, than they dydde at the begynnynge: Truly sayde the phisition, they wolde ceasse roun­nynge out, if thou woldest cesse powrynge in.

¶Galenus affirmeth, that the great chuf­fes, whose lyfe and occupation is fedynge, may neither lyue longe nor be helthfull, and theyr myndes be so wrapped with ouer mo­che bloude and fatnes, euen as it were with myer, that they haue no maner heuenly me­ditation, but do alwayes thynke vppon ea­tynge, drinkyng, fartynge, and shytynge.

¶The olde Romaynes called that fedyng [...] necessarie, that was slender and sparynge.

¶And amonge the grekes litell meate was moche commended by the writinge of many.

¶The Effees, which were a certayn sorte of philosophers among the olde Iewes, are landed of Iosephus, bycause they had tour­ned their dayly abstinence into a custome, & an nother nature. The same Ioseph preyseth the continēcie of the Phariseis. He that wolde ones haue hadde vs distroyed, I thynke hath desyred / that this custome of li­uyng [Page 54] might enter amonge vs. And therfore seinge Marcus Cato (as hit is wrytten in Plinie) dyd take great care and feare, leeste the Grekes shulde inuade Italie, with their wanton and voluptuous lyuynge: whiche of our forefathers hath prouided / that none of these spycis and sylkes shulde be solde in Germania? farewell pepper, farewell saf­fron, farewell sylke. Or if there be any vse therof amonge other nations, I pray god that this nation neuer knowe it, or se it. And Christe sende our countrey men this mynde, that they may call home agayne the fruga­lite of their elders, & facion them selfes to their honest sparynge.

¶With what stout stomacke doth Anacharsis bost the order of his lyuynge? Vnto me (saythe he) hunger is a swete morsell / the grounde is my bed / a cloke of Scithia (that is a beastes skynne) is my garmente. Sober Demosthenes draue dronken Aes­chines out of the citie. Socrates hatyng the tauerne haunters, and such as haue al theyr delyte and pleasure in theyr throtes, sayd: Many men lyue to the intente to eate and drinke, but I eate and drynke to lyue. O, very wyse man / and worthy so to be taken by Apollos commendation.

[Page]¶And this sayenge of a greke poete is to good to be forgotten: Thou thy selfe must rule the brydell of thy bely.

¶What saye you? Whatte maner fellowe thynke you Epicurus was? Whom all the world persecuteth, as a felowe of pleasure / whiche put the hyghest felicitie in pleasure? Truely what so euer it be, that he made so moche of, he ment in the only vse of brede and water, & dyd moche commende slender liuynge, and suche as may quickely be got­ten. And writinge vnto a certayne frende of his, he sayth: Sende me a lyttel chese of Cithridi, that I may, whan I woll, fare somwhat more deynteously.

¶Anaxagoras sayde: He that eateth sa­uourly, nedeth but lyttel meate. Porphirius wylleth the mynde to be clensed and purged with abstinence. And Philostrate wrytethe / that Porus, the kynge of Ynde, was exce­dynge strong and mighty, not withstonding he neuer fedde but vpon breade and water. Masinissa lyued. lxxxx. yere without any maner deilcate fedynge. And Mithridates, kyng of Ponte, which kept warres with the Romaynes .xl. yeres, vsed to eate his meate standynge: so farre he was from our facion, that he wolde not sytte downe on a softe [Page 55] quoysshon.

¶Titus Li [...]ius writyng of Anniball saith: He measured his mete and drynke after the nede of nature, and not after pleasure. He had not the times of watchinge and sleping destincted by the daye and the nyght, but whan his besynes myghte spare hym, than toke he his rest, and yet nat suche as is cau­sed with a softe bed and silence.

¶And amonges the landes of Augustus Cesar, this is the chiefe / that he was con­tent with lyttell meate and drynke. But we hadde leuer order our lyfe after the facion and maners of glottons and pleasaunt fe­lowes, lyuynge contrarye vnto nature, to the destruction bothe of body and soule / thā to the preseruation of them bothe to sette before vs these examples of lyfe, so noble and so helthefull. And I praye you / the Turkes and other / that are not of this our religion / wyll they euer desyre to become christen men, whan they se vs thus to liue? But I truste that oure nation wyll ones at laste beware and waxe wyse agayne, beinge taught with our owne harme.

¶Nowe agayne vnto our pourpose. And for so moche as I haue spoken of abstinence and sklender fare, I wyll shewe whatte I [Page] thynke of hym, that orderethe hym selfe after this dyete, whether he maye be resto­red, whiche some men do thynke, euen without the drinkynge of Guaiacum.

OF them that be good oughte to be none euyll opinion, nei­ther suspition: but trewely these comen phisitiōs be sore greued, that this medicyne can do so moche / and that it alone can do it, euen without theyr medling. They fume very sore / that so many in euery place be sodeinly holpen, of whom they trusted to haue had a perpetual stipende and cō ­tinuall lucre. Wherfore they stryue verye styffely, fearynge leste in tyme to comme it shall take away the truste that men haue in them. They haue spoken of late certayne trifelynge & vayne wordes, whiche if they spake as they thought, muste be ascribed to theyr ignorance: but if they spake it of en­uie, vnto theyr mischeuous mynde. They say, that a syke man may be recouered only [Page 56] by this dyete and order of lyfe, whiche is prescribed in this cure of Guaiacū, though he neuer drinke of this decoction of Guaia­cum, nother receyue any other medicine. And I my selfe haue sene them, that haue promysed, that they wolde sethe the sha­uynges of Iuniper, and of oke, or asshe, or pine tree, or al these together, and they dou­ted nat, but that they wold with these helpe men of suche diseases, as well as with this decoction of Guaiacum. Where vnto (all thoughe I suspecte theyr malicious intent) yet I pray god sende them as good fortune as they wolde wysshe. For what coude be a greater commodite vnto this nation, than to haue such a remedy growyng in our own woddes / which must els be fet from so far? But I greatly feare, leste they go in vayne about this their rashe promise, both bycause I thynke this to be a greuouser disease than may be put away with hunger, without a­ny other medicine ministred, specially after it hath fastned his rootes depely, as for the most part it is wont to do. And also if these trees, whiche I spake of, coude do any su­che thinge, theyr vertue and power I thinke shuld not so longe haue gone vnknowen, se­inge they growe here amonge vs. Neuer [Page] the lesse I am contente, they make a profe. For what other thynge hath a phisition to do, but dayly to fynde out somewhat / and to knowe by experience, and to serche what wyll helpe euery griefe and sickenes? But this thynge I wolde all shulde be admonis­hed to beleue / wherof I spake before / that the helpe of frugalite and scarsenes, as hit is great in other diseases, so is it, and that specially, in the frenche pockes: but yet not so great that it may amende the bloude that is infected and corrupted throughe the ve­nome of this disease, without suche mede­cines, as haue their power & strēgth to do it. As by example. If two kepte warre toge­ther, and the one of them obteyned of me / that I shulde not helpe his aduersarie: ve­ryly I may impute vnto hym, that I hurte hym not / but that I haue holpe hym, I may in no wyse. And lykewyse the absteynynge from meate and drinke, as it doth nat take away the disease, so dothe it not norysshe. As one myght say, that he nother bounde a persone whan he myght, nother losed hym whan he might not.

¶I haue shewed you / that many haue ben restored to theyr helth from the gowte and ioynt ache / whan they brought them selfe [Page 57] to a more slender and a sobrer diet, & abstei­ned frō wyne & womē: but I neuer thought so of the frenche pockes / and the maladies that folow therof. For that entreth so depe that it can not lightly be plucked vp, & spre­deth so brode / that it can not with a lyttell thynge be brought to gyther, but it so infec­teth the hole body, on which it ones catcheth hold, that it can nat be taken from any part alone / but whan it is dryuen oute from the hole, as at one brayd or plucke. Beleue me, that haue proued many thynges herein to my great hurte, if any man moughte haue auoyded this euyll with sobre and scarse li­uyng / I had auoyded it longe syns. For by the space of .iii. hole yeres I kept my body as lowe and as leane as coulde be / in so moche that in that space I felt no grefe of my disease, but yet I was not cleane rydde from it. Never the lesse go to ye noble pro­mysers / sethe ye asshe / make ye redy Iuni­per and pyne tree, and take boxe to, if hit please you, and horne beame, and plane tree, and ye shall gette ryght great thanke of all men, if throughe your diligence we may haue here at home, that we muste elles seke so farre of. Ye and ye shall do moche more for vs, than the Fuchers shuld, though [Page] they made pepper or cynamum to growe in this countrey. And so gladly as I wold receyue this thyng at your hand, if ye wold euer gyue it forthe: so before ye gyue it, I wyll not beleue, that there is any such thing in you, no I wyll not so moche as hope for it, seinge I haue gaped so often tymes in vayne lokynge for those golden hylles.

AL the tyme of this cure the bealy a [...]oydeth very lyttell and harde, and that with moche ado, and that is not onely by cause he eateth litel but also by cause the nature of this medycine is to dry & bynde. How be it I haue harde say, that this thynge hap­neth nat to euery man a lyke. For some say that anone after the begynnynge they were lose belyed, and some were so continually: Whereof I did meruayle. For in these .xl. dayes it neuer wente from me so moche as ones, but as it was compelled. For in this diete it may be kepte to the .v. or .vi. day. without any ieoperdie: And than in the mor­nyng [Page 58] the shauynge of this Guaiacum soden in water must be dronken to the maynte­naunce of halfe an vnce. And if it moue not at the fyrst, it must be geuen agayn the next day, & so the thirde day, and if it help nat, so ye muste than poure in clysters vndernethe or suppositoryes prepared for y^e nones. For the bely muste nedes be losed. And if a man wyll lose hym selfe by drynkynge or eating Cassia, I thynke he dothe not moche amisse so that this be done but ones, and that mor­nynge lette hym not drynke Guaiacum: I wolde not that he shulde be eased with vo­mitis: for they make the bodye colde: and (as Plinie sayth) they be euyll for the eyes, and speciallly for the tethe. There be many thynges in this cure, that stoppe the bealy. Fyrst bycause the body is emptied in the be­gynnynge with a pourgation, and than by­cause there is lyttell meate receyued. But as this place is closed and shut from eiections, so is there somewhat in the meane season, other by sweatynge, through the strengthe of Guaiacum that expelleth thynges hurt­full and superfluous, or els in the vrine, the whiche is more moyste than that cometh of the meate. And one thynge is greatly com­fortable, that in the tyme of this cure there [Page] chaunceth no swellynge / nor there are no peynfull throwes or aches felt / nor the taste cometh not bytter, nor there ryseth no lo­thynge of meate, nor vapours breathe not lyghtly ascendynge from the stomake to the heed, as in other diseses. And that the paciēt is pourged, it is easely perceiued by making of water: nor to the intente that shulde be done / none other prouocacyon shulde be soughte. Nowe wyll I speake a lyttell of sweatynge.

IF the pacient can not sweat, somme thynke, that meanes shulde be sought to prouoke hym therto. And therfore they caste on hym many elo­thes, and lette hym lye thre or foure houres couered hotte. And though this amonge all thynges that we suffre, be one the hardeste: yet I felte euen to the ve­ry feyntynge, that so chanceth no fayllynge, all they that were cured with me, indured it moste greuously, and they sayde, that this [Page 59] was the hardest thynge in all this cure. But if I myght laufully say my minde here in (all mooste I dare not shewe that that I haue lerned) I wolde no man shulde be pro [...]oked to sweate, saue that the pacient shall as the thynge requyrethe, kepe his bedde thre or foure houres, and passe not, and let hym be couered, but not with ouer many clothes, nor to lye ouer stylle and stere not: but in any wyse let hym not be putte to mo­che vexation.

¶And I thynke verily, that as well in this cure as in other, the phisitions of my coun­trey do many thynges fondly, whiche ought not to be done. For as this medicine of hit selfe causeth one to sweate, euen so hit wyll not abyde compulsion. Wherof this may be a dewe profe, that I perceyued my selfe no sooner to sweate, whanne I was couered with thre or foure furres, than whan I had to wrye me but one couerlede. But this I wold ye shuld vnderstande, that the pacient muste nedes sweate, and if it wyll not come naturally, than it must be prouoked meanly. For I allowe nothynge that is forced. And I warne you, that ye eschew those, that are wont to toste the bodyes at the fyre, or that wolde haue the stewes ouer hotte. For suche [Page] hea [...] [...]roye the bodies, and drye vp the humours that nourysshe the strengthes. And where I sayd swette must be prouoked meanly, or easily, must be thus taken: that if one be wryed with the clothes of one bed, so that the loode of the clothes greue hym not or erke hym: I suppose through the operation of Guaiacum, he shal sweate inough.

BVt nowe, I suppose, hit is hygh tyme to declare, howe the effecte of this medycine may be perceiued and vnderstande, and whan the pacien­tis begynne to mende, and whether this curynge be sodayne and swyft, or late and slowe. Wherin, as I vse in all o­ther, I wyll open to you those thynges, that I my selfe haue bothe sene and knowen: but this I warne you of before, that if it haue chaunced otherwyse to any manne, thanne I wryte, that he laye not the blame in me.

¶I haue lerned, that Guaiacum helpeth [Page 60] by lyttell and lytell, and not [...]odaynly, and gothe forwarde fayre and easely, and not violently. For it is so far from the trouthe, to thynke that it helpeth one sodaynly, that [...]ometymes, from the fyrste daye to the .xv. the disease cometh so sharpe, and the peyne and ache so augmenteth, and the foores so enlarge, that a man wolde thynke hym selfe in worse case durynge those days, than euer he was before: eyther bycause than the dis­ease is rooted vp & drawen from the inner partis, and the rootynge vp is peynfull, or els that the alteration / whiche than is cau­sed in the disposition of the body, breakynge out with a great violence and shakyng, put­teth a man to greuous peyne. For vndoub­tedly this medicine drawethe out this mys­cheuous disease by the rootis: and that doth it vnto some forth with after they begynne to take it, and to some oth [...]r it tarieth a lon­ger tyme: but hit dothe so to no man before the .vii. daye: and to many (as it dyd to me) after the .xx. day: if it tarye longer er hit worke this effecte, than the defaute is other whyle in the pacientis, whan they wyll vse excesse in fedynge. In me (as I sayd afore) the fa [...]te was in sithynge of Guaiacum / for by reason that the phisitions in preparynge [Page] therof, made it smaller than they shuld haue done, I was the longer er it wrought on me. And I haue harde physitions say, that according to the cōplexiō of the bodies it worketh sooner and slowlyer. And this is sure and certayne, whiche thynge Stromer ofte af­firmed vnto me, that if they, the whose wyt is more subtyle, and are ryghte attentiuely g [...]uen vnto studye / happe to falle sycke / theyr diseases shall be more vehement and longer continue. And many thynke, that it skylleth greatly, as well in this disease / as other, in what placis of the body the sycke­nes shulde chaunce, for the ryghte parte is more healeable than the left: Bycause, saith Alexander, by larger exercyse the matter is stopped, and made more apte to heale. Also they saye, it is more harder to heale the vttermoste partis, bycause they be farre of from the bodye, it is longe er they can be nourysshed and fedde. And there it is to be taken hede, whether the grefe doth ascende or discende. Celsus sayth, that what so euer grefe gothe downewarde, is the more cu­rable. And agayne. All grefe, whiche pro­cedeth vpwarde, is worse for the medicyne to come vnto. And that suche diseases, that chaunce in our secrete partis / as they are [Page 61] moste peynefull and sharpe, by reason of in­flamation (whervnto those partis are spe­cially subiectes) so are they forthewith and soonest healed. Whiche as in all other medi­cines they maye be moued, so for the newe vse brought vp of Guaiacum, I wote not whether it be alway so or no. But this lette euery man take hede of, that where so euer the grefe be, and with what so euer kynde of the pockes they be peyned, that they pre­pare well Guaiacum / and after they haue dronke so long therof that it be spredde and rounne into the veynes: thanne ye maye be sure theyr ache lytell and lytell goth away: And otherwhyle the ache commeth agayne / and is more sharpe and peynefull: and goth away agayne. For after it ones begynneth to swage, and than waxeth soore and peyn­full, it endureth not longe. And they that haue soores, shall haue the flesshe eaten a­way about the soores of a greatte breadth: And that is a token, they begynne to heale. For vnto me it chāced, as it neuer did afore, that about the .xxv. daye my legges weare eaten so bare, that ye myghte haue sene the bone the breadth of a mannes nayle, whi­che thynge putte me in great feare: but without any difficultie, within a fewe days after [Page] the flesshe grewe and was restored agayne. And by this I perceyue well, that the na­ture of this medicine is to purifie & clense the soores vndernethe, and vnder the fleshe to proue and shewe fyrste the vertue therof. Hytherto haue I sene fewe or none, whose soores were cleane healed, that were kepte close tyll they helde. And therfore I haue harde many experte therin saye, that than Guaiacum maketh an ende of his operati­on, whan the pacient returneth to his meate and in euery thynge taketh agayne his olde custome of lyuynge. I tolde you before / that it was necessary for me to kepe in, tyll the .xl. daye. All thynges welle pondered / I perceyue, that this medicine requyrethe a longe season to worke perfectely. For the nature of this medicine is not to breake, or plucke away the blondde, but by lyttell and lyttell to amende and purifie hit (in whiche blondde beinge corrupte, resteth al the force and strength of this disease) and to expelle and diuide from the body the hurtefull hu­mours, thht are norisshementes of this dis­ease, from some in theyr vrine and swea­tynges, and from other som in theyr sieges. And whan of this disease a man begynneth to waxe whole, than the fyrst operation of [Page] [...]uaicu [...] is to make a man to [...], and secondly by the passages of the vrine it pur­geth: by whiche meanes it fetcheth out and voydeth marueylous foule fylthynesses. And than the handes and feete waxe mer­uaylous colde, in so moche that they seme to haue no heate in them at all. Wherof phisi­tions saye this is the cause, that than this medicine draweth the heate from the vtter partes to the inner: the whiche inward par­tis after they be warmed and made hotte, thā the hete spredeth it self into the vtward partis. For this, without any doubt is pro­ued, that theyr lymmes, that be healed with Guaiacum be moste hotte. And .vi. or vij. wynters nexte folowynge my legges and fete wolde be so colde, that I coude ne­uer gette them warme inough, thoughe I wrapped them in neuer so many clothes: nowe they waxe so warme, that with a ve­rye thynne hose or suche lyke garment / I putte away the colde. These thynges thus vnderstande and knowen, we muste comme to this poynt, that is, to knowe the opera­tion of Guaiacum / and agaynst what syck­nesses it helpeth.

THe mooste principall and the chieffest effecte of Guaiacum is to hele the frēche pockes cleane / pluckyng them vppe by the rootes, but specially whan a man hath ben disea­sed with them of a longe tyme. For I haue sene them, that many a day laye soore pey­ned with the pockes, sooner and better re­stored vnto theyr helthe, thā they, on whom the scabbes beganne newly to appere. Not that on those, newely diseased any thynge shoulde be lefte vnhealed, but that the cu­rynge goth forwarde more hardly, and the disease stycketh faster and is more greuous­ly plucked out. For Guaiacum doth resolue and destroy meruaylously swellynges / ge­therynges to gether of yll matters, hard­nesses / bumpis, and knobbes. Fluxions or runnynges it vtterly taketh awaye / eyther consumynge or tournyng the same an other way. It causeth the soores to impostume, withoute any maner of grefe. And if any thynge lye hydde within, it rooteth it oute. [Page 63] And so of some (as it dyd to me) it maketh the bones bare, of some hit sheweth the sy­nowes, and breaketh the veynes, or eateth moste depely in, and it healeth these partis that be infected with this disease, and with suche stynche and fylthynesse / that the sauoure canne not be abyden. And therfore the phisitions saye, that the vertue of this medicine is to heate, to drye, and to amende the fautis of the bloud and of the lyuer: but it worketh all these thin­ges with suche a temperance, that indiffe­rently, whether the cause be hotte or colde it easeth the patientis. Wherfore with the drynes therof it restreyneth the flyxe, de­stroyenge the hurtfull humours that flowe oute, or els plu [...]keth vp by the rootes the cause of theyr begynnynge, and restorethe agayne the good disposition of the body. It dothe extenuate fleme / and the poores or passages of the vrine, that chaunce many tymes by pervnctions to be shutte, and al­so other in this disease hit openeth, ye and prouoketh & compelleth the vrine to make and haue way. For the whiche skylle some thynke it helpeth them that haue the stone, and that it compelleth the stones to issue out of the bladder. I haue experience, that hit [Page] greately minysshe blacke colere. And therfore it maketh a man more gladsome, and quencheth anger. Vndoubtedly hit hathe a greatte vertue agaynste Melancolye. And hit taketh awaye runnynges and droppyn­ges, and it lyghtneth his heuynes, by hea­tynge (as it may be thought) the brayne. It is sayde, that hit amendeth soores, whiche were before yll healed, howe so euer they came, and cuttethe agayne the scarres. It amendeth the leannes, whiche hath longe contynued in the body. And therfore whan this cure is done, mē waxe very fat al their lyfe after. They saye it hath a meruaylous vertue ageynst the stynkyng of the mouth, & doth amende the griefe of the brethe, whi­che also cometh through the fa [...]te of an [...]yntynge. It helpethe the inwarde parte [...], and specially the stomacke, the whiche hit holle reneweth, and maketh the brookynge as good as euer it was before. His effecte is excellent for the membres that be fallen awaye and diminisshed, it increaseth them and fylleth them vp, it stretcheth forth the synowes, that are shronke, and those that be loose it fastneth and maketh stronge. It is also proued, that suche partis as throughe this disease be made deed & without felyng, [Page 64] are ageyne quickened and brought to theyr olde felynge and lustynesse [...] I sayde before / that as touchynge the bealy it varied. For some it dydde bynde, and some it made laxe tyll they were weary. And agayne some it dyd bynde in the begynnyng, and afterward it losed them, and made them lanke belyed. And that the verye shauynges broken as small as coude be, to the mountenaunce of halfe an vnce, was gyuen in drynk to ꝓuoke a siege. I haue also sayde, that the measure therof is not gyuen after the proportion of his strength, that receyueth it. For hit ma­keth not one weaker whan it is mynistred. And now this one thyng I affirme, that if it be .iiii. tymes sodden, yet is not all the ver­tue gone out. Wherin I do not beleue other men, but I my selfe haue proued it. Howe be it I denye not, but the fyrste brothe is moche stronger. Some there are, that sted­fastly beleue, that it is very good for fistuls and cankers, and for the partes that be ea­ten with cankers. Certayne hit is, hit hel­peth them that fetche theyr wynd with pein, and can not breth, if that fault com through this sickenes, or through an oyntyng.

¶And for as moche as I haue shewed be­fore, what euyls come w^t this syckenes, it [...]ere but labour in vayne to repete them / [Page] whiche all it taketh awaye, distroyeth, and vanquyssheth, as I before tolde: and that (if they be olde) very lyghtly. And in lyke maner it helpeth the gowte. For I my selfe haue sene two restored to helth, which were sore vexed in their feete: but yet the phisi­tions saye, that it helpeth onely those, that haue gotten the gowte through colde, whi­che thynge I leue to them to complayne of. It is also an helthefull remedy for the pal­sey, and especially whan it is new and late­ly be gonne. For than it quencheth and dri­ueth it awaye: whiche thynge I do wryte vppon the reporte of faythfull and sadde mē, that haue knowlege therof. For as for me, I dyd neuer hytherto se any that was so delyuered.

¶Ricius told of a leper, the which though he were not cleane delyuered by this medi­cine, yet was he made moch better and clea­ner, and suche a man as men myghte suffer his company: so that Ricius iudgeth, that this medicine is able to hyde and stoppe le­prosye, though it can not take it clene away. But if this cure were vsed ones agayne or often, than he beleued, that the great hurte of that disease shulde be put of for a longe tyme. And more ouer he had great hope, [Page 65] that if this syckenes were thus preuented in the begynnynge, it myght vtterly be pur­ged and clensed, and the syke restored. And for as moche as this medicine hath vertue to drye vp, some go aboute to minystre hit for the water betwyxte the fleshe and the skynne, whiche is called the dropsye, the ende wherof we loke for. It is well kno­wen to be profytable agaynste the fallynge euyll, as the phisitions saye, if the disease be of a colde kynde. I haue sene them that were inwardely diseased and greued with manye other syckenesses, that were of an euyll and corrupted stomacke, and coulde but badly digeste, and whan they wolde re­couer them selfes from theyr long feblenes and sycklynes, and repayre agayne theyr strengthe and helthe, haue prepared them selfes vnto this cure, the phisitions not ad­uysynge them the contrary. And Ricius ap­proueth the same in many. For so moche as he knewe (as he sayde) that a hoole man, or but lyttell acrased, myghte come vnto this cure without any hurte: and he dyd perfect­ly beleue, that the good lykynge of the bo­dye was kepte, preserued, defended, and confirmed therwith. Let it nowe contente you, to haue harde spoken these thynges [Page] of the helpes of Guaiacum, of the whiche if any man wyll aske me the causes, I wyll sende hym to the phisitions that be expert. For as for me, I professe no suche thyng. Neyther yet dyd I begynne this boke / to thentent that I wolde by and by gyue a re­son of these thynges that I wolde wryte, but this thyng I promysed what so euer I founde of Guaiacum, and perceyued by ex­perience, other in my selfe, or in other, and what so euer I had eyther sene or harde of other, that wolde I faythfully and truely putte in wrytynge, leauynge an occasyon to many after me, to declare the thyng as it is worthye. And nowe that all menne maye knowe, what Guaiacum hath done in me / I wyll shewe in what partes of my body, and after what fascion I was diseased.

BY this one chaunce hit is knowen, that we ought not to dispeire in ani bodily dis­ease; though we be brought neuer so nere to deathes dore. For howe many were [Page 66] we, after the phisitions had gyuen vs vppe, that were restored to helth through the so­deine and (as a man wolde say) the heuenly helpe of Guaiacum?

¶I knewe one / my very sure frende / whi­che whan he saw me so bytterly vexed with this siknes, that for pein I could nother rest by nyght, nother eate by day, aduysed me to kylle my selfe, seinge there coulde no reme­dy be founde, and my body semed to droppe awaye in fylthy matter, to my great peyne and sorowe / and no hope at all of recoue­rye: sayinge to me, It becommeth the to be delyuered frome this euyll, whether hit wyll or not. But he hadde forgotten, that we were christians, and remembred to wel, that we were frendes and louers. For hit is our parte to beholde all thynges in them that wytnessed in tymes past, whom we now calle martyrs, vnto the worlde, our sauiour Christe manfully sufferynge for his sake great tourmentes and peynes: Howe be it if any thyng maye cause a man to longe for dethe, truely it is the tourment of this syck­nes. For I vtterly deny, that euer the fa­ther of Licinius Cecine, suffered any suche sorowe or peyne, whan he flewe hym selfe with the iuise of Papauers, Or that euer [Page] any other, whiche dyd lykewyse, felt so in­tollerable euyls, as this syckenes causeth. For this pestilence besydes all his vexatiōs and tourmentes, (whiche passe farre all o­ther) onely with his fowlenes and lothely­nes is able to make one wery of his lyfe.

¶Whan Speusippus the philosopher was ones plucked and drawen with the palsey, that he dispeyred to escape, and then mette with Diogenes, and bad hym well to fare and good helthe: Diogenes (they say) an­swered, sayinge: And thou lykewyse fare­well in no meanes, seinge thou art such one and canst be content to lyue.

¶The same Diogenes, that was wont to be so styffe a philosofer, what trow ye wold he haue sayd, if he had beholde & sene me, whā I was lykewyse vexed, as they y^t had the palsey: and besydes that was so lothe som both in [...] & sauour, that al were greued with me, & som did hate me? And yet I dyd lyue and had som hope / although I had ben oftētimes deluded and mocked through the gret promysis of the phisitiōs. And left any man shulde thynke that my disease was eyther lyght, or in one parte onely: I wyll shew in what takyng I was. Fyrst I could do nothynge with my lefte foote, for there [Page 67] had this euyll dwelled .viii. yeres and more, and in the mydlegge, where the shynne is couered with fleshe very thynne, there were soores inflamed through the inflamation of the flesshe, rottynge with greatte ache and bournynge, and as soone as one waxed hoole, an other brake vp. For there were many, here some and there somme / whiche could by no help of the phisitiōs be brought to gether in one. Ouer them was a knobbe so harde, that a man wolde haue thought it a bone, and in that was excedynge peyne and ache, beatynge and pryckynge without ceassyng. There was also very nygh to the ryghte ancle aboue, a certayne swellynge and gatherynge / whiche was also harde like a bone, and was the oldest of all / wher in remayned the remenantes of this pesti­lence fresshe and newe rysen.

¶Whan the phisition went about this with yron, with fyre, with hotte yrons, or with any other instrumēt, they profited nothing: somtyme it was swollen very vehemently, with great peyne and akynge, somtyme it aswaged and was gentyller. And it greued me lesse whan my foote was holde towarde the fyre / and yet wold it not suffre to be co­uered with moche geare: it ranne so that a [Page] man wolde haue thoughte hit wolde neuer haue ben stopped. And as often as I wolde reste or stonde vppon my foote, my peyne was intollerable: than vpwarde the calfe and the knee were meruayllous colde, and as thynges deed. The thygh was cleane worne away & cōsumed to extreme lennesse, and the skynne was so thynne, that there semed nothynge els lefte to couer the boone with. Moreouer the ioyntes were so louse, that longe tyme I had moch adoo to stonde hilone: and to be shorte: the one of my but­tockes was but a thynge wethered awaye. In my lefte shulder there was suche peyne that I coulde not lyfte vp myn arme: the extreme partes of my shulders were weke and woxen verye styffe: in the myddes of the brawne of myn arme there was a swel­lynge as moche as an egge, and as for the reste of myn arme euen to the verye hande, was cleane worne away. And on the ryght syde a lyttell vnder the lowest rybbe, there had I a sore, whiche was not in dede peyn­full / but it boyled out certayne fowle and stynkynge matter / and issued very fylthyly after the maner of a fistule with a narowe mouthe outwarde, and inwarde it was of a large holownes. And aboue hym there was [Page 68] also an other as though a bone hadde bene bredde there vpon a rybbe. And to conclude I dyd playnly feele a streme and issue come downe behynde from the toppe of my heed vnto all these. And where it began the leeste touche in the worlde made my heed to work as though the brayn panne had ben broken [...] nother myghte my face be tourned backe­warde, but as it was tourned with the hole bodye. This one thynge yette wolle I not passe, wher from if Guaiacum had delyue­red me, and done nothynge els, yet oughte I to haue lauded and preysed his vertue greatly, and that is noone slepe, whiche I coueyted so deedly, and was so moche gy­uen therevnto, that almooste in .vi. yeres space there scaped not one daye / whan the phisitions cryed out vppon me, sayinge: that was the cause of all my diseases, and yet I coulde not refrayne my selfe from it. But nowe is that gone so far from me, that I trowe if I shuld enforce my selfe to slepe in the daye tyme, I coulde not. With all these, and so great euyls all though I was so maystred, that all men dispeyred my helth yet my good angell (I beleue) wylled me to tary and loke for somwhat. And lo through the helpe of Guaiacum I am bolde nowe to [Page] [...]yne / and to drawe brethe agayne. Whiche mynde god gyue to all good men, that they neuer ceasse to hope and truste. As for me I repent my selfe in nothyng: and if by any meanes longe lyfe myght be graunted vnto me, I haue greatte hope that I shulde lyue hoole, sounde, and lusty. And of this disese, and of the remedy of Guaiacum / I haue wryttē these thynges that cam to my minde very faythfully, truely, and as my lernyng wolde suffre me: and here wolde I make an ende, if I thought it not necessary to admo­nysshe them, that shall rede these thynges, howe after this cure, the sicke muste be or­dered, as touchynge the order and maner of theyr lyuynge, which thyng I wyll per­forme and that breuely.

I Gaue warnyng before, that after this cure is paste, and the pacient is departed owte of the cloyster of this medi­cine, wherin he was close kept he must vse consequent­ly [Page 69] in his lyuing a certayn dyet and order by the space of .iii. or at the left .ij. hole monthes. And nowe that we be come to the very pro­pre place to entreate of the same thynge / I say that it is so necessary to be done, that who so euer hath recouered his helthe, ex­cept he afterwardes take good hede, dili­gently obseruynge many thynges, and lyue for a space vnder a certayne rule, as though he were yet shut vp: I say playnly that his helth shall not longe endure. And therfore thre monethes are appoynted vnto suche as were eyther greattely consumed and lowe brought in theyr syckenes, and hadde many issues, and auoyded moch, or els were sore hurt in there synowes and lymmes, or be so weakened, in their body, that a lyttell tyme can nat be sufficient to gether vp perfitely: their crōmes agayne. And on the other side, they that be stronge and not so farre gone, nor broken, vnto suche, ii. monethes after their settyng out ar ynough as it is thought. But by cause I wolde prouyde surely for them that wyll folowe me, I wyll aduyse them to obserue and kepe this prescripte very longe, and to begynne with, they shall absteyne them selfes longe tyme frome the flesshely acte: Bycause they that be recoue­red [Page] through Guaiacum, haue theyr bodies very tender and vtterly weake as yet, as thoughe they had bene lately newe borne? And therfore if they shulde haue the com­pany of woman, wherby the newe gotten strength is weke and grene, and not yet ry­ped: it wolde by and by dissolue and destroy the strengthe and myghtis of all the mem­bres for euer. And for as moche as the vse of carnall copulation bryngeth into peryll not one membre by hym selfe but al the hole bodye at one choppe: What other thynge may we saye, he pretendeth, that medleth carnally with women (beinge so febled) thā wyllyngly to [...]lee hym selfe, or at the lefte spedily to distroy his naturall strength, and playnly caste his helth away?

¶And if some be forbodden the companye of women, whiche be neuer the lesse of good lykynge in body, and haue no disease at all: Howe moche ought they to auoyde and flee it, that thus haue lost theyr helth & myght, and must labo [...]r al that they can to repayre the same agayne? And if before, xiiii. yere of age none is stronge inough vnto that act, bycause his strength is not full furnyshed to putte so ieoperdous a thynge in experience: How than ought he to beware & take hede / [Page 70] that is thus newe borne agayne, and hath so yonge & tender a body, that he offer not hym selfe to be rasshely plucked and toore [...] before he haue receyued his strength, and is well hardned therin.

&The nexte poynt here vnto is this, that though they shall haue a gredye and sharpe appetite to meate, beinge emptied with con­tinuall hunger, yet they muste resyste the same, and as moche as maye be to behaue them selfe very soberly and scarsely in their fedynge. And therfore they muste fyrste vse verye lyttell meate, and afterwarde some what more, goinge forth by lyttell and lyt­tell, so that there maye be a good space er that they come to theyr olde custome of ea­tynge, exercysynge them selfe softely, be­gynnynge no newe thynge hastely or soden­ly, vtterly absteinynge fro al wynes except it be fyrste delayed with moche water, and be also of hit selfe smalle and of good sa­uour and clere, and yet so, very moderatly: Let hym also, that is cured, be well fensed agaynst the violence of the ayer, and speci­ally in those tymes that be greuous with colde wynde and rayne, or els let hym goo forth abrode very seldome. He maye take meate twyse aday, but at euentyde very ly­tell: [Page] and all that tyme he maye neuer fo­lowe his appetite, but muste auoyde fulnes, as the greattest euyll, that can be. He must also aboue all thynges forbeare fysshe, and feade vpon yonge and tender flesshe, suche as is of lyghte digestion, and nouryssheth purely: whiche they be ye maye knowe by the phisitions teachynges. And these thyn­ges must haue place, in the sayde two or .iii. monethes, for other thynges whiche shall be further obserued, maye be serned more playnly in the thynges folowyng. For now I wylle aduyse and monysshe with fewe wordes, not onely them that are recouered by Guaiacum, but other as wel from what soo euer disease they be delyuered, if they tender their good helthe and welfare, and desyre to be longe in prosperitie, whatte thynges they shall folowe. And here hit is chiefly to be noted (howe be it all doth now knowe it) that this one thynge is it that maketh this sycknes to be very greuous, by­cause there is great difficultie in dyetynge. For whan this disease is ouercome, hit is not one onely that muste be obserued in the order of our lyuynge, but many thynges: and dyuerse muste be reckened vppon. In so moche as what so euer thynges there [Page 71] be, whether they be with or agaynst all the diseases, whiche I sayde before folowed this syckenes, he that is recouered, muste sette them before hym: endeuorynge hym selfe with all diligence to obteyn them / that make with hym, and to auoyde them that be ageynst hym. Wherfore he muste be all­wayes very carefull in his lyuynge, that all thynge may be done ordinately. Not with­stondynge if this medicine haue saued any, there is for them great comforte, bycause they that are expert therof, plainly thynke, that after the pacientes haue ones receyued their helth, & the tyme of obseruation, which foloweth this cure be past, nothinge that is not contrary to theyr olde maner of liuyng can putte them in any daunger, so that they vsed not before to liue without order vtter­ly. For that same order shal serue hym, that is thus restored, as shall serue them, that neuer had the sycknes. Wherfore they think it not so moche to be regarded, what a man eateth, as howe moche he eateth: And ther fore no kynde of meate to be forborne, no choise of meate to be hadde, concernynge the qualitie of fedynge, nothynge to be ca­red fore, but that whiche is knowen to ap­perteygne to the commen conseruation of [Page] helthe, and to the vniuersall auoydynge of all maladies and diseases. Wherin that that Celsus teacheth, perchance shall not be the leeft, whiche is, that euerye man take hede, lefte whyle his bodye is in prosperitie, the aydes and succour ageynst aduersite be con­sumed and wasted.

¶Helthe is preserued (as the same Celsꝰ sayth) by dyet, by medicines, by oyntynges, by frictions & rubbynges, by baynes, by ex­ercyse, by caryage aboute, by clere and pleasant readynge: whiche thynges howe they ought to be considered fully and holle, I leue you to aske of hym. Here wylle I breuely touche a fewe thynges, and suche as apperteyne to dyete. This I thinke they muste fede pleasauntely and moderately / and take suche meates and drynkes as be of lyghtest digestion. For as Paule saythe, The chiefes [...] poynt of education is, that the meate be suche as wyll lyghtly digeste and nourysshe well, not slowe in digestynge, nor clammye / nor plentuous in superfluities: and the drynke to be smalle wyne / whyte, pure, and a lyttell delayde with water. And Celsus saith: Se your meate be nat fatty, clammy, nor wyndy. And by his coū ­sell ye muste absteyne in all suche diseases [Page 72] from all maner salte meates, sharp, sowre, and bytter. For the same reason I thynke, wherof I made mētion before. And Paule saythe, In eatynge, the greattest fawte is satietie and fulnes, For al though the bealy digeste well / yet the veynes to moche reple­nysshed, laboure soore / they swelle, they breake / they be stopped and fylled with wynde, and playne it is, that the worst dis­eases of all comme of sacietie. He thynketh this onely to be auoyded, that no man fylle hym selfe. And I iuge the same but not one­ly, for I wolde more ouer nothynge to be dressed deinteously, nothynge to be sa [...]ced curiously, and that many dysshes of dyuerse kyndes be nat sette before vs / nother wyll (as these ryche menne vse) sixe. or .vii. or sometyme .x. meases at one soupper to be brought in: For a man wolde not beleue, howe moche these thynges hurte, not onely the stomake, but also the holle digestion. And therfore I wil repete agayn this thing whiche is spoken of the same author: Va­rietie of meates is greatly to be auoyded, specially whan contrarye operations and vertues be in them. For whan they be so thruste in, they resist digestion. And the same thynketh Galene, and A [...]icene / and as ma­ny [Page] as be of pure iudgement in phisicke.

¶Cato (as Tully wryteth) commandeth so moche meate and drynke to be receyued, as may refresshe the strength and power of the body, and not oppresse it. Wherfore by the counsell of Xenophon, we muste make for the most parte a small dyner, that there may be a place for the supper.

¶Playnly this disease is of that sort, that Galenus thynketh to come of fulnes: whi­che thynge is thus to be vnderstande, not that I thynke all that lyueth in surfetynge, streight way to be caste into the french poc­kes (al though suche shall not escape dis­eases, no not most greuous) but if any haue ben vexed before with them, and than hea­led, eate & drynke intemperately, he must nedes fall agayn into them. And therfore the meate that is receyued, let it nother be dyuerse nor moch, that the stomake be not lo­ded, and digestion letted. And agayne let it be (as I monysshed) easye in digestynge. Plinie sayth, All maner sharpe meates, all that is to moche, and all that is hastely re­ceyued be harde in workynge / and harder in somer than in wynter, and harder in age than in youthe.

¶It is wryten in Tully, he that medleth [Page 73] not with exquysite meates, looded tables, and often cuppes, shal not be combred with dronkennes, rawnes of stomacke, or drea­mes. But for as moch as wha [...] this cure is done, we muste prouyde, howe the bodye, that hath hytherto bene emptied and made leane, maye be brought ageyn vnto his olde state, therfore peraduenture those meates muste be vsed / that increace and fylle the body, not with noyfull humours, but suche as Celsus rehersethe in the .iij. chapter of the fyrste boke.

¶Plinie also sayth, The bodies growe and increace with swete and fatte meates and with drynke: they diminisshe and go downe with drye, leane, and colde meates and thurste. But this muste be wysely vnder­stonde, for those thynges whiche I haue often before monysshed. But seinge Gale­nus warneth vs in all thynges to take hede to the bealy, For what so euer, sayth he, is corrupted, in that it is a cause of rot vnto al the body, and so of diseases: I thynke hit beste to take those drynkes and meates, as Celsus teacheth, which [...] do bothe norysshe and make the bealy soft.

¶But if any, through the dyuess prouo­cation fyll hym selfe, and lode his stomake [Page] with mea [...]e, more than it is able to beare: if he lyste to seke helpe by slepe, let him here Plinie, saying. To digest in slepe, it maketh more for the corpulentnes than the strēgth of the body. And therfore the phisitions wold haue the great fat wrastlers to make theyr digestion by walkynge. But if he had lea [...]er ease hym selfe by vomyt, as many do counsell, and Paule specially teacheth, for throughe vomites many euyls oftentymes haue ben stopped and withstonde: lette hym rede his doctrine, shewynge howe one maye lyghtly vomyt. And if nother of these be regarded, or to late proued, than peraduen­ture he muste go to phisike, whervnto if the sycke be compelled, I can gyue hym none other commaundement, but euen the same whiche I haue oftentymes spoken, that he commytte hym selfe to a sober and lerned phis [...]tion, or to a well experte, rather than to one that is of high exquisite lernyng & to hym that powreth in no medicines, but of very cōstranite ye & those medicines that be symple and not compowned and myngled with many thynges, and as moche as maye be ministreth the thynges of our owne coū ­trey growyng, and not thynges farre fette. And if suche a phisition counsell you to take [Page 74] a laske, than see ye remembre that whiche Paule teacheth: whiche is that ye do it not ofte, le [...]te through often prouokyng, nature forgette the office of clensing of the body of her owne motion.

¶As concernynge meates, whiche be hol­some, and whiche vnholsomme, and howe euery kynde of meates helpeth or hurteth, excepte a man declare it to the vttermost, it were better speake nothynge thereof: And therfore [...] I wolde haue the authors redde, as Celsus, whiche entreateth shortly of the kyndes of meates. And Paulus which han­dleth at large in .xxiiij. chaptres the natu­res and vertues of meates: or els Galenus whiche by him selfe is sufficient for all, pre­termyttynge nothynge in the bokes of nou­rysshementes. And so wolde I nowe haue made an ende of feadynge, if there had not chanced to come to my mynde certayn thynges worthy to be noted. And fyrste I wyll admonysshe you of egges. There is no meate (sayth Plinie) lyke egges that norys­sheth in syckenes, and lyeth not heuy, and that is in stede of wyne and meate bothe. And Aui [...]ene affirmeth, that the yolkes of egges of a henne, of a partrige, or of a phesaunte do passe all meates for them that [Page] haue theyr bloud diminished or theyr harte faynted. Alexander Aphrodisens thynketh that it conteyneth in it selfe the qualites of all the elementes, and to conclude there is in an egge a certayne shewe of the worlde, bothe because it is made of the foure elementes, and agayne bycause it is gathered rounde in sphere fascion, And hath a lifely power. Egges fryed manye doo forbydde: amonge the whiche are Paulus and Gale­nus. And dothe not alowe the foode of her­be [...]. And many other do forbyd the same, although Marcꝰ Cato praiseth brassicā aboue the mone. He that eateth dayly his fylle of ptisana, his nutrimente Galenus thinketh can by none other meates be hyndred. And the same thynge wolde I say (saythe he) by beanes: if they fylled not with wynde. Of the vse of milke both in meates and al­so in medicines, Paule dothe intreate ve­rye goodly. Alexander saythe, mylke is lyghte in digestynge, and nouryssheth well. For that may lyghtly go into bloudde, that is made of bloudde, and in a maner hit is bloud made whyte.

¶Of manye thynges I haue shewed you a few, but yet he that desireth to haue helth, ought, saythe Paule, to knowe howe great [Page 75] power wyne hathe. And the same saythe, if wyne frete anye man, he muste drynk colde water. And the nexte daye drynke the iuise of wormewode, and walke vppon it: he must rubbe his body and wasshe it, and than re­fresshe hym selfe with lyttell meate. Wynes that were lately must, and also wynes that be to olde must be auoyded, sayth Galenus. For these heate to moche, and the other no­thynge at all. That fedynge faythe Paule, that kepeth a man bare and sklender is mo­che surer for the helthe, than that whiche maketh one fat. But for as moche as lyttell meate gyueth nother strength nor stedynes vnto the bodye, therfore he after addethe sayinge, Suche meates as are of a meane nature, are the chiefe nourysshementes of all. For they ingender bloudde of a meane substance. And as such are most metest & cō ­uenient for our bodies, so be they that bring forth yll humours moste noyfull, and ther­fore muste they alwayes be auoyded. This saythe Paule. And he teacheth more ouer / that rye breadde nouryssheth more than all other, and that wheaten breade is of harde digestion and wyndy, and that barly breade is of lyttell strengthe. He that wyll knowe the vttermooste of fedynge, lette hym rede [Page] this Paule and Galenus as I sayde [...] we in this countreye neuer vsed annoyntynges, in Italie they haue vsed them, but nowe they be almooste lefte. And Galene cōmendethe rubbynges of the body aboue all thynges, inculcatynge oftentymes and many thinges therof, and specially in his bokes of preser­uynge helthe. And the same doth Asclepia­des hyghly a [...]ance, and Hippocrates also very greatly, whose saying this is which was after hym repeted of many. Through rub­bynge, if it be vehement, the bodye is made harde, if it be softe and easye, the bodye is made softe, if it be moch, it diminissheth, if it be meane, it fylleth.

¶In our days that high lerned man Eras­mus Roterodamus, vsynge thus dayly and specially in the mornynge at his vprysynge, thinkith therbi that he preserueth his helth, the weakenes of his body (whiche is verye great) not withstondynge. And hathe war­ned me diligently, that aboue al other thin­ges I and all other studentes shulde vse the same. I folowe the counsell of my frende, and fynde ease therin. Somme forbydde wasshynges and all maner bathes, and they saye, that they be vnholsomme for all su­che as be recouered from this disease. [Page 76] I thynke by cause they mollifie the syno­wes, and lose them, and therfore they wyll not that water shulde touche them: and yet they do not, sauynge for that, improue sweattynges, water hurtethe the synowes though it be warme saythe Alexander: not bycause it is warme, but bicause it is moyst. Paule commendyng warme wasshyng saith thus: It taketh away werynes, it shaketh downe fulnes, it heateth, it mitigateth, hit mollifieth, it disperseth, it prouoketh slepe [...] and maketh all the body fatte. And is very commodious and agreable both to man and woman yonge and olde, so sayth Paule. Not withstondynge the Italianes nowe a dayes wasshe not but very seldome, wherof I doo not meruaylle, seinge in tymes paste they vsed it dayly as wrytynge testifieth, & also the tokens of the b [...]thes remainyng at Rome, which were buyld [...]d like vnto cities.

¶In exercises Galene teacheth, that me­sure muste be kepte and obserued, sayinge, Immoderatenes I reproue euery where. He lykewise sayth: As exercise before meat is y^e chiefest thyng to preserue helth, so is al ma­ner motion after meate most noyful. For the meat is scatered out of the bely before it be digested, and therof gadreth many grosse [Page] and rawe humours in the veynes, wherof all maner diseses are wont to be ingendred. Paule aduyseth vs, so longe to exercise our selfe, vntyll the body begynne to swelle and waxe reed, our motions stronge, equall, and easye, and the swette seme to be mixed with vapour: than fyrste to reste, whan any of these begynnne to chaunge. They monysshe also to gyue reste and quietnesse vnto that membre, whiche was lately restored to hel­the. And Hipocrates saythe: The remedye of the foote is reste. Wherof Alexander ga­thereth that that, which is heled again must nedes haue reste. For motion (saythe he) causeth flowynges of the superfluous mat­ter, whiche may reyse and styr vp inflama­tion. The worst thynge that can be to hym that hath akynge knees, is to ryde, saythe Celsus. He also thynketh hit not good for them that be gowtie. The old men exercised them selfe also in voyce that they moughte synge and also rede more clerely.

¶I sayd I wold entreate of these thynges, as occasyon gaue, not moche regardynge any order, but as euery thyng, worthy to be noted, shuld com to mynd. And therfore let no man loke for any greatte thynge here, if there be any that wolde knowe, I haue she­wed [Page 77] in what authors what thynges he shall fynde. But loo here commeth an other to mynde, he that wyl preserue his helth, must take hede (saythe Galene) to .ij. thynges specially: one is, that the meate be agreinge and mete for hym: an other is, that there folowe good brookynge, and clensynge of those superfluities, that are lefte of the meate. It is recyted by Paule, that the olde men thought it was sufficient to defend and preserue helth: if the bourden of the bely & bladder were dayly vnloded wel & without faulte, accordynge to the portion of the meate and drinke receyued. Galene as con­cernynge the vse of Venus, hathe lefte no­thynge vntouched, affirmynge that acte to be an ennemy vnto the helthe of all them that are drye of complexion, and specially of them that are also colde. For Venus (sayth he) is vnhurtefull onely vnto them that be hote and moyste, and be aboundant of sede. And ageyne he saythe: They that haue theyr bodies well tempered and with­out fault, ought not vtterly to absteyn from Venus, as they that be cold and dry ought. Also Paule sayth: drye copulations hurteth all men, and moste of all if colde be ioyned to dryeth: so that they onely / whiche be [Page] hote and moyste, may vse it without ieoper­dye. As labours are profytable vnto helth, so are also copulations if they be vsed with mesure. This one thyng ought all to know, that al they that haue had the frenche poc­kes ought with grea [...] care, for loue of their synowes to auoyde carnall copulation. Paule iudgeth it well done to exercyse chil­dren, that through the labour of body and mynd, they may be brydeled and restrayned from the violence of bodily pleasure. Hipo­crates compareth that act vnto the fallyng sycknes. Alexander Magnus was wont to say, that copulation and slepe were two the greattest tokens of mortalite.

¶The holsomes also of the ayre muste be loked vppon, which is a good post of helth. That ayre, sayth Paule, whiche is infected with euyll vapours, puffynge out pestilent blastes, or is nygh vnto a synke or draught, or is mustie / or is kepte in a vallie, compas­sed roūd about with hilles hurteth al ages. And the beste ayre is most holsome. For vn­to a temperat body a tēperate aire is profi­table, sayth he, and a distempred is for hym that hath a contr [...]ry temperature. Sicknes is nothyng els, sayth Galene, sauyng a mo­tion without nature. Thā he sayth: The phisitions [Page 78] vnderstōde hym to be hole, al whose mēbres be according to the cours of nature: & contrarywise thā to be syck, if any part go out from his nature. It is forbidden by the doctrine a [...] the phisitions, that no mā drink streight vpon chafyng. They say also, that al sodayn changes are dangerous. This is also admitted for trouth, that contynuall i­delnes is most contrary to good helth. And cōtrary wise, Meane exercyse is great aide & socour. Galen saith, depe rest of the body is the greattest euyl that can be for the pre­seruyng of the helth, as moderate labour is the greattest good. As perteynyng to slepe, whan it ought to be taken and howe moche Paule teacheth abundantly, and also what commodities folowe, whan it is well taken in tyme. With noone slepe there is none that holdeth. For suche as be of a sad nature, or be troubled with thought and care / the phi­sitions iugeth very good to cal for som ma­ner pastimes & mirthe, to finde out by some meanes, wherby the hart may be chered, & the sadnes of mynde eased. Pensi [...]enes saith Paule, must be dryuen away with the swetenes of soundes.

¶He that is in good helth (sayth Celsus) & at his owne libertie nedeth to care nother [Page] for medicines nor oyntmentes. Which thing as I do allowe, and wolde not them that be of good lykynge and helth to be bounde greatly to any maner rule of lyuynge: so thynke I it nedefull for them, that haue ben sycke, or haue syckely bodyes, or do folowe suche kynde of lyuynge, that they can nat well defende the bodyly helthe, to haue a rule of lyuynge, to order them selfe by. For Galene monyssheth, that a lawe and rule of lyuynge is in no wise superfluous. For dyete, sayeth he, is a verye medicine.

¶These thynges that I haue here wryten, moste noble prince, I repute moste profy­table to this pourpose, bothe by myn owne and others experience, and also by the tea­chynge of them that were hyghly lerned. The whiche thynges I haue wrytten vnto your excellence, not bycause ye shulde your selfe make a profe of them (from the nede wherof I beseche our sauiour Christ to saue and kepe your magnificence) but that they maye be redy, if any of your courte chaunce to haue nede [...]f them. And of suche thynges as I haue wryten, ye shall vse the iugement of Stromer, as I sayde before. For your other phisition Gregorie Coppus hath sene those thinges alredy, & dyd helpe me in som [Page 79] of them, but that was incidently, whā from hym I spedde me to Moguncia, for busines that I had there. But if it had so fortuned that I myght haue ben in your courte with him (For than ye were away in Germanie) I shulde haue intreated more warely of all these thynges, and sette forthe my booke more perfectly. But how so euer it be now, I praye your excellence to take hit well in worthe. And I presente hit vnto you for a gyfte and token of this newe yere, whiche I praye god may be lucky and prosperous vnto you, And as fortunate as your owne harte woll desyre, without disdayne or en­uye of any persone. Thus I commende me vnto you, mooste noble, mooste worthye, moste benigne, and excellent prelate, whom almighty god long kepe in good helthe and pros­peritie. Amen. Wry­ten at Moguntia with myn own hande.