The .i. Chapter.
¶Of the diuersitie of se­ctes in phisike, & which are to be folowed.

THe olde and aunciente phisitions, amonge the Grekes whyche passed al other in phisike were deuyded into .iii. sectes. They that were of the first sect, were called Empirici: and they that were of the seconde secte, were called Me­thodici: the last and best were called dogmatici. Empirici were they that wroughte onelye by experience, and [Page] thought it a great poynt of wisdom in no case to admyt reason, markynge very diligently, by what maner mea­nes they had healed anye maladyes or diseases, in the whych yf they had lyke successe afterwarde by healpe of the same medicins, than they were bolde to call that same medicine, by the whiche they had holpen oftenty­mes one kynde of disease, Preceptum fidele, whyche is as muche to saye as a faythfull precepte, and whan they had gathered of these a greate num­bre, they called the whole gatheriges in greke, [...]: whyche in Latyn woorde for woorde, is as muche to saye, as Intuitus proprius. and in oure vulgare tongue, it maye very wel be called a certayne memorye of those thynges, the whyche hath bene sene oftentymes to chaunce of one sorte, the whych also may very wel be cal­led [Page viii] experience, for it is nothynge, but an obseruation and memory of that whych hath chaunsed oftentymes after one fassion. Than after that they had gathered after th [...]s fasshion, a great many of experimētes, they did vtterly abolyshe, and condempne all reason as voyde, and of none effecte to the learnyng of phisyke. They dyd also nothyng regarde the tyme of the yere, the temperature of the wether, nor yet the powers of y^e patient, put­tynge no dyfference betwyxte yonge and olde, weake or stronge, whote or coulde, drye or moyste, but thoughte that they might safelye venture that vpon one, wyth the whych they had healed another in lyke disease, and of thys secte was Thessalus, & Cor­nelius Celsus, wyth all theyr scho­lers. The seconde secte was called Methodica, the whych dyd nothing [Page] regard the place affected, nor y^e cause of the gryefe, nor the age of the paci­ent, nor the tyme of the yere: nor the temperature of the countrye, nor the habyte of the sycke manne, nor yet the kynde of hys former lyfe, & con­stantly affirming that there was but two dyseases, the one the stoppynge of the pores, and the other the ouer­muche openyng of the same: condemned vtterly Hyppocrates, because he sayde that physike was a longe arte and that mans lyfe was very short: for they affyrme that it is clene con­trary, that is to saye, that mans lyfe is longe, and phisyke is so shorte an arte, that yf all thynges whyche (as they saye) be superfluous, were cutte out: it myght be learned easely in .vi. monethes. They discent also from the fyrste secte of phisitions, in that they thynke there commeth no pro­fyte [Page ix] of expe [...]ience, vntyll suche tyme as they haue learned the vertues & faculties of medicines and remedies And moreouer that it is not possible to fynde any remedye or medicyne, by diligent markynge, seing that all remedyes, be gathered of suche thin­ges as be euident to the sense, and of this secte and opinion was Erassi­stratus, & Asclepiades with all theyr retinue. The thyrd and last sect were called Dogmatici, the which ioined experience alwayes with reason (cō syderynge very diligently the causes of the euyll, as well those that be obscure, and harde to fynde as those al­so, whiche are euydent and open to euery mans eye) and doth giue moch both to the nature of the ayer & wa­ter, and region, where the sycke aby­deth, stedfastly affyrmyng that it is moost necessarye for the Phisitions, [Page] both to knowe and consydre the dif­ferences of the same, & also to marke diligentlye his accustomed dyet, as well in meates and drynkes, as ba­thes, exercyses, and other thynges. And to cōpare thynges that be past, wyth suche as be present, & to know perfytely the powres and vertues of medicines, by the whiche they maye take easely away the cause of al ma­ladyes, and finally that he be suche a one the which cā proue and improue by good reason, that this medycyne hath this facultye of nature, to the whyche he maye attayne, by the helpe of Logycke, he muste knowe also (they saye) the internall partes, by dyligent searche, and cuttynges of bodyes, he must be sene also in na­turall Phylosophye, Astronomye, Mathematycke, and Arithmatycke. [Page x] Of thys sect was Gallen, and longe before him Hipocrates, whom wold to God our Phisitions wolde sette as a glasse before theyr eyes, I wold then thynke, that Physycke shoulde not be so lytle sette by as it is. But alas, there is no mans Physycke so lytle regarded nowe a dayes as Ga­lennes is, and in deede to saye the truthe, it maye very well be percey­ued, by theyr doinges, that they werneuer Galennes scholers: for he tea­cheth them, not to iudge all dysea­ses by the vryne, where as the moste parte of them (I do not saye all) af­ter that they haue ones sene the wa­ter of the sycke, yea though they ne­uer knewe hym, nor can not be en­fourmed by the bearer in what state he is in, wyll not stycke to wryte the Appotecarie a byl for such maner of drugges, y^e if they were layed before [Page] theyr eyes, they coulde not tell, whe­ther they were the same y^t they write for, or no. How is it possible for these Phisitions, to do any lesse then kyll theyr pacientes, but it maketh y^e lesse matter, seinge they be hyred to it, wyth golde and syluer.

Well, I wyll saye no more at thys tyme, but surely, yf I were disposed I coulde proue that there is as moch iugglyng, and deceyuyng of the peo­ple now a dayes amongest our phi­sitions, I wyll name none (but eue­rye man knoweth his owne weake­nesse and infirmitie) as euer was a­mongest the Popysh preestes, and a redresse myght be had, yf it pleased the kynges hyghnesse, y^t none might be suffered to practyse, but suche as be learned.

The .ii. Chapter.
¶Of the Elementes.

NOw after that I haue declared and opened the se­ctes and opynions of the mooste noble and moost auncient Physitions, I I thynke it verye mete to shewe the nature of the Elementes, whyche be iiii. in numbre: the fyre, ayer, water, and earth. But to auoyde ambigui­tie, I wyl (by goddes grace) fyrst de­clare the signification of this worde Elementum, which we maye verye well call in our tonge a begynnynge of any thynge: and thereof it cōmeth y^t the Alphabete letters be called ele­mētes, bicause they are beginners of al maner of languages, & the princi­ples also of euery arte be called Ele­mentes, bycause they are begynners of the same. The Phisitions also do [Page] call the veynes pulses, and bones, w^t all other suche partes as the Latyne men call similares, sensible elemen­tes: bycause they are the fyrst begin­ners of mannes bodye, as moche as maye be perceyued by sense. For the fyre, ayer, water and earth, (of the which all thynges vnder the moone be made) can not be perceyued by a­ny sence: wherfore as they are y^e fyrst begynners of mannes bodye, so they are not the fyrst sensyble begynners. For yf they coulde be perceyued by sence, then euerye man as he passeth other in quycknesse of sence, so shuld he se, and feale moost fyne elementes as the Aegle, bycause his syght is moost perfyte, shoulde easelyest per­ceyue the least Element, but percase some wyll saye vnto me, that there is no man so madde to saye, that the fyre, ayre, erth, and water, can not be [Page xii] felte, and perceyued by sense: But whosoeuer shal moue this doubt, I wyll answer hym, of thys fassyon: that yf he meane our fyre, our water or our earth, I wyl saye as he sayth which is, that they may be felte and perceyued by sense. For in dede they are no Elementes, but thinges mixt and corruptyble: hauyng theyr com­position of dyuerse thynges, where as the pure element is a body moost simple, withoute all generation or corruption. Nowe be it, of fyre made thycke, commeth ayer: and of ayer made thycke, cōmeth water: and of water made thycke, commeth earth. And yet here is neyther corruption, nor yet generation of the whole, for this is a mutatiō of the partes only. Then as I sayde before, Elementū in this signification is a body moost pure and simple, and the leest parte [Page] of the same, wherin it is: whiche can not be deuyded into any other kinde, and of it all thynges naturall haue theyr originall begynnynge. This definition is taken both out of Gal­len and Aristotle: therfore I truste, no man wyll be so impudent to con­trary or impugne it. And there be al­so as is aforesayd .iiii. Elementes, of the whiche the fyre is extreme hotte, and moderatly drie: the ayer extreme moyst, and moderatly hotte: the wa­ter extreme colde, and moderatelye moyst: the earth is extreme drie, and moderatelye colde. In heate the fyre with the ayer, and in drynesse w^t the earth, in moysture the ayer w^t the water, & in heate with the fyre, in colde­nesse the water with the earth, & in moysture with the ayer, the earth in drynesse w^t the fyre, & in coldnesse w^t the water, doeth consent and agree. [Page xiii] And as y^e water to y^e fyre is extreme contrarye, so is the ayer to the earth. Of the myxture of these elementes, al natural bodies haue theyr composition, & yet it is nothing necessary y^t they be equally myngled in the body but accordyng to that, that hath do­minion, the bodye is named eyther choleryke, sanguyne, phlegmatycke, or melancholye: and these names be gyuen of .iiii. natural humours, that is choler, blood, flegme, and melan­cholie, whyche take theyr qualityes of the elementes, for choler is hotte and drye accordynge to the nature of the fyer, and blood is hote & moyste, accordyng to the nature of the ayer, flegme is colde and moyst, according to the water, and melancholye in no poynt dyssenteth from the earthe.

The thyrde Chapiter.
¶The differences of tem­peratures.

[Page] HOwe that I haue de­clared vnto you, howe all naturall bodyes be made by the mixture of the elementes, I thinke it most necessary, to shewe in as fewe woordes as I can, the differences of temperatures.

Temperatures in numbre are .ix. of the whyche .viii. do excede, & ther­fore in my fantasie, they maye better be called distemperatures, than tem­perate crases: the nynthe in dede is temperate, for it excedeth in no qua­litie. Of the distemperate .iiii. be sim­ple, and .iiii. be composide. the simple are heate, colde, drynes & moysture, of the whych coupled and ioyned to­gyther, the rest whyche be distempe­rate are made. The nynth is neither hote, colde, drye nor moyst, and yet is made of them all: and therefore the [Page xiiii] grekes call it [...], whyche is as muche to saye in latyn, as Bene temperatum, and in Englyshe: wel tempe­red. And this is that whyche Arith­metricions call Temperamentū ad pon­dus, whyche we maye cal in our lan­guage, a complection measured by weyght, bycause there are as many degrees of heat, as there is of colde, of dryenes as of moysture: the other whyche are distemperate crases, be measured not by weyght, but by di­gnitie, as in the heart wel tempered, heate doth excede, in the brayne well tempered, moysture doth exceade, in the fatte well tempered, colde: in the boones well tempered, dryenes.

And thys is called Temperamentum, secundum iustitiam distributatiuam.

Whyche is as muche for to saye, as a temperature measured accordynge to iustice, whiche gyueth euery man [Page] hys owne. But peraduenture thys declaration shall seeme some what harde to suche as be vnlearned: and therfore I entende to declare y^e same agayne, bothe more largely and also more playnelye.

Fyrste ye shall vnderstande, that these .iiii. heate, colde, dryenes and moysture, whych are called the first qualities, because all other come of them, haue eche of them .iii. diuers significations. Whansoeuer ye fynd heate, colde, drynes or moysture, ab­solutely and simply spoken, than vn­derstande that it is meante by those simple bodyes, which be hote, colde, drye and moyste, in the hygheste de­gree: and that is onely the fyer, wa­ter, earthe and ayer, whyche be the .iiii. elementes whereof we spake be­fore. And whan ye fynde the same qualities myxt in any natural body, [Page xv] by the which it is named eyther hote colde, drye or moyste, than suppose y^t it is spoken eyther by comparison, as hote for hotter, colde for coulder, dry for dryer, or moyst for moyster, orels that it is hote, colde, drye or moyste by nature, as whan there is in one bodye, more heate than colde, more drynes than moysture, or otherwise. as Summer is called hote, bycause it hath more heat? than colde: Win­ter also is called colde, be cause that it hath more colde than heate: & here­of it commeth, that one bodye is choleryke, because in the myxture of the foure humoures, whyche is choler, blood, flegme and melancholy, there is more of choler, than of anye other, and therfore choler hath the domini­on, causynge the bodye to be named cholerycke after it: and in lyke maner doth eche of the other, where he bea­reth [Page] rule & gouernaunce. But he that wyl knowe perfectly howe to iudge the differences of bodies in tempera­ture by comparison, must constitute in euery kynde of thynges, that same temperate meane, whyche before we called Eucraton to the whiche he must referre the same bodye or complexiō, of the whyche he dowteth, and than yf it doe excede the meane, eyther in heate, colde, drynesse or moysture, it shall take name therof, and be called eyther hote, colde, drye or moyste, be­cause it exceadeth the meane whiche is named Eucraton, whan it is ey­ther hote, colde, drye or moyste.

Somme do vse to iudge the diuersi­tie of complexions, by comparynge one distemperate bodye, to an other of the same kynde distemperate also, as in mannes kinde, Socrates com­pared with Aristotle, is hote, because [Page xvi] he is hotter than he, but in respecte of Aristippus, he is colde, bycause Aristippus is muche hotter, & thus one man compared to dyuers, maye be bothe hote, colde, drye and moyst: And some by comparynge distempe­rate bodyes of dyuers kyndes lerne to knowe y^e constitution, as a dogge compared wyth a man is hote, w^t a lyon, is colde, and w^t a shepe, is drye: wyth a pysmyre or a flye is moyste, and of thys fashion contraries maye be in one bodye, and none otherwise. Howe be it (as I thynke) the beste waye is to seke out the meane, to the whiche al that be of the same kynde, ought to be referred, and afterwarde as he excedeth in any quality to haue his nomination accordyng to y^e same But percha [...]ce ye wyl say it is hard to fynde in euery kinde a cōplexioned body measured by weyght, which is the meane, I graunte y^t, for in dede [Page] there was neuer any suche, nor shall be, yet as that secte of Philosophers whyche were called Stoykes, what tyme they defyned a wyse man, dyd descrybe suche one, as was not pos­sible to be founde any where: and as Quintilian descrybeth hys oratour, so we, to bryng our purpose aboute, muste ymagyne suche an one in oure mynde by cogitation, as neuer was made, neyther is lyke to be, by con­sente of nature, as thus. In the hole kynde of lyuynge thynges, that that is moste temperate and perfecte, is as a meane to the rest, whych by the hole consente as well of the philoso­fers, as of the phisitions, is man, by cause any of the other kyndes compared wyth hym, is distemperate, than yf ye wyll proue man also to be di­stemperate, ye muste seke amongest the hole kynde, the most perfecte and [Page xvii] temperate: and he that is perfyt and temperate, and worthy to be a mene to the rest, is neyther ouer thicke, nor sclendre, nor very full of heer, nor yet smooth and without heer, nor softe, nor yet harde, blacke nor whyte, hote nor colde, drye nor moyste: and to be shorte, kepyng a meane wythout all excesse. Yf ye can fynde suche a one in the hole kinde, then are ye sure of the complexyoned bodye measured by weyght, whiche we spake of before. In case ye can fynde none suche, ye must imagyne a like in your brayne: and ye must not do this onely in mā ­kynde, but also in other naturall and lyuely creatures, as wel in the kinde of lyons, dogges, elephauntes, and wolues: as also of byrdes, fysshes, wormes and trees, cōparyng euery one in his owne kynde. But in case ye wyl fynde what of all thynges is [Page] moost temperate: then must ye go a­gayne to the man before sayd whych is neyther hotte nor colde, and the skynne in the myddest of the insyde of hys hande, is of all thynges most temperate. For the temperatest part of euery mannes body, is the skynne in the myddeste of the paulme of the hande: then the temperatest parte of the moost temperate man must nea­des be the mooste temperate thynge in the worlde, seing that of al lyuyng creatures man is moost temperate.

Now that I haue shewed howe by comparison made, in euery kinde, the differences of the bodye may ease lye be knowē, there remayneth behynde to declare how to fynde out the same wythoute comparison. Where as I sayde before, that euery qualitye, myght be taken thre dyuerse wayes as heate in the hyghest degree, is on­lye [Page xviii] in the fyre, and in a naturall bo­dye myxt of the Elementes, it is ey­ther referred to an other, by compa­rison: as hotte for hotter, or els it is so of nature, whyche maye be taken two maner of wayes, as hotte in acte or in power. Thynges that be hotte in acte, maye easelye be iudged by sence of fealynge: for who hathe so dull sense in fealynge, that he can not perceyue the fyre to be hotte: yf he put hys fynger in it. But to know whych is hotte in power is a thynge of more difficultye. For it can not at the fyrst brunt be perceyued by anye sence, neyther of fealyng, smellynge, hearynge, seinge, nor tastynge. For who can perceyue by anye of these, y^t castoreū, or euphorbiū or nasturciū is hotte, or that Mandragora, Sa­lamandra or Papauer is colde. But in case ye take any parte of them in­wardlye, [Page] eyther as meate, drynke, or medicine: then ye shal easely discerne whiche is hotte and whiche is colde. But peraduenture ye wyl condemne this profe as noughte, bycause it is daungerous medlyng with poysōs: I graunt that, & therfore it is moch safer, to laye them as a playster, to some vtter part of your skyn, where as they can not hurte, and after that they haue lyen there a whyle, they wyll shewe theyr power and quali­tie, which shalbe perceyued quycklye by sense in felyng. But to iudge thin­ges moyst, or drye, I can shewe you a mochesurer rule, what soeuer thing is soft, and moderately hotte, that of nature is moyst: whatsoeuer is harde and moderatly hote, y^t of nature and power is drye: and this is alwayes true, as well in lyuely bodyes, as is other thynges.

The .iiii. Chapter.
¶The geueration of the liuer, bert, and brayne.

FOr asmoche as there is no­thyng so necessary to attayne to any perfyte knowledge in Phisicke, as to be perfyte bothe in cuttyng and in openynge the bodye, and partes of the same. And seing it is shame for a manne to be learned in so manye artes, and haue know­ledge of so manye thynges (as the mooste parte of men nowe a dayes haue) and be ignoraunt in his owne bodye, the whych he shoulde mooste perfytely knowe: I thynke it no lesse then my bounden dutye, to employe my laboure and diligence to the fur­theraunce of the same, that suche as be but begynners as yet verye rawe in Physycke, whose bryngynge vp hath not ben amongest learned men [Page] of the vniuersityes, wherby they are destitute, bothe of dialecte, naturall Philosophye, and other artes, with out the which Physycke can hardlye be learned, maye haue some helpe by this my lytle rude boke, bothe to at­tayne some learnyng in Physycke, & also to knowe theyr bodye. Bloode and the seed of the man be beginners of our generatiō, of the whych blood is the substaunce and matter wher­of our body is made, and the seed of man is nexte vnder God, the maker and fashyoner of the same, and these same be made of the same elementes whyche I haue spoken of alreadye, whyche is the fyre, ayer, earth, and water, and these two dyffer one frō an other in temperature. For in the seede there is more of fyre and eyer then of water and earth, and in the blood there is lesse of fyre and ayer, [Page xx] then there is of water and earth: and yet in the same there is more heate then colde, and more moysture then drynesse. After that these two be re­ceyued, and .vi. dayes retayned w^tin the wombe of the woman, the great heate which is there doth so bake the seede & blood being mirt togyther, y^t it cōpasseth them about w^t a skyn, or a crust, not vnlike the vtter cote of an egge, whiche the Grekes call [...], & in latin is called secūdine, or secūdina: what oure mydwyues call it I can not tel: how beit, it may very well be called a skyn wherein is wrapped y^t that is cōceiued, and this is made in y^e fyrst .vi. dayes, with diuers pulses and veynes, as fyne & small as anye thredes, whiche serueth afterwarde to nourysh the infant by the nauyll. For in this same skynne, whiche be­fore is called Chorion, there are many [Page] fyne holes, moche lyke the lytle ho­les in the small lamparie heedes, by the which the nauyll after the seuēth daye, doth drawe vnto it both spirite and blood, to the nourishment of the infant. Then in the meane seasō the rest of the seede boylynge all hotte, doth make thre lytle bladers, which is the place of the lyuer, herte, and brayne. For a veyne whiche is stret­ched ryght vpwarde from the nauil dothe drawe vp the grossed bloode, which for lacke of heate easelye con­geleth in y^e seede. And there is made also a double forked veyne, and to one of the forkes of the same veyne is fashyoned this forsayde congeled blood, which is the liuer: and lyke as from the nauyll, the veyne bryngyng grosse bloode into the forsayde lytle bladder was cause of the generation of the liuer, so lykewyse a pulse or an [Page xxi] artery bryngyng fyne blood and spi­rite, commynge from the same place, sumwhat nere y^e backe, into another lyke bladdar, is cause of makynge of the hearte, whyche is made of verye sounde fleshe, thycke and grosse, mete for suche a pourpose, and of the most fyne and subtyle blood, that cōmeth from the hearte, the lyghtes be made and the whole brest also wherin thei are closed. In to the thyrde bladdar, whyche is mencioned before, a great parte of the seede beynge full of spi­rite, is driuen, the whych to kepe him selfe moyst, doth drawe a great parte of the seede to it, and maketh a lytle sell, whiche is the brayne, to y^e which ther is added afortres of hard bone. And thus the brayne, is made of the seede only, that he myght be furnys­shed wyth most fyne spirites, whom the brayne conserueth and altereth, [Page] the whiche are the cause of sense, and voluntarie mouynge, as shall be de­clared more playnely hereafter.

Nexte to the brayne groweth y^e ma­rye of the backebone, whyche the A­rabians call Nucha, it is of the same nature, that the brayne is, and diffe­reth very muche from the marye, of the other partes.

I haue shewed to you nowe, thoghe very rudely, the original begynning of mannes body▪ Of the sede is only made all the bones, gristels, veynes, pulses, strynges, synowes, tyinges, selles and skynnes, whyche be called Spermatyke partes, because they be made of y^e seede and not of the blood. They are the verye same, whyche I sayde before that the Latyne menne called Partes similares, and the Phi­sitions, sensible elementes, al the rest be made of the bloode, as the lyuer, [Page xxii] the hearte, and the lyghtes, wyth al the flesshe, and fatte of the bodye.

The infant whyles he is within his mothers woumbe, is nourysshed of that blood whyche is called Sanguis menstruus. drawynge it at hys nauyl, and after he is delyuered, it is tour­ned all to mylke, whych is his meat long after, and therfore there is ma­nye conduytes from the woumbe, to the pappes.

After that the infant is fully propor­tioned, & figured, ī the first monethes he pisseth by the conduyte, that com­meth through his nauyl, in the later monethes that is shut vp, and he pysseth wyth hys yerde, he auoydeth no excrementes at hys fundament, be­cause he receyueth no norysshemente by hys mouthe. There is a skynne, muche lyke a puddynge, whyche re­ceyueth [Page] hys vrine and excrementes, lest they shulde hurte eyther hym, or els hys mother. I shulde seme bothe to longe and also to tedious, yf I de­scrybed the hole bodye, but bycause the action of the instrumentes, canne not be vnderstande, excepte I shulde touche y^e most principal partes, ther­fore it was necessarye to entermedle wyth the descryption of the bodye, in the whyche I wyll not be so scrupu­lous, as to reherse euery lytle part or the scituation or fygure of euery bone and vayne, no nor the knyttynge of e­uery muscle, (for why shulde I make me more cūnyng than I am) in dede it passeth my learnynge as yet, but I entende to shewe, and sette forthe the greatest, and moste noble partes, the whyche he muste nedes knowe that wyll profyt in physicke.

The .v. Chapiter.
¶The sections of the bodye.

THere was no nede in y^• olde tyme, to wryte of the body, for than chil­dren were excersised in their yonge and tender age, daylye in cuttynge and openyng of the same, but nowe that thys dili­gence is vtterly extyncte, we haue very great nede of wrytynge, wherfore I haue taken this lytle payne vppon me, whyche I shall thynke wel bestowed, yf it shall eyther healpe the stu­dyes of those that be rude and rawe in physicke, or satisfye them that be learned. And fyrst I wyl declare (by goddes grace) suche partes as coue­reth the head wythout, & afterwarde those that be w^tin, begynnyng w^t the heares thogh they be but excremen­tes, & superfluities, nexte vnderneth [Page] the hear, there is a skynne somwhat thycke and fleshye, wherein the hear is rooted: vnderneth thys skin, there is a lytle flesshe, aboute the browe & temples. Than next vnderneth, ther is a fyne kell, whyche is made of sy­nowes and tyenges, commyng tho­rowe the seames of the scull, whyche the Grekes call [...], vnder the whyche immediatly, is the skulle, in greke called [...], & for the defence of the brayne, it is made lyke an hel­met, the latyne men call it Caluariam, and it is not one hole continual bone but is deuyded by certayne semes in to seuen bones. Then within y^e head vndernethe the sculle, is Dura mater, which Galen calleth Crassum [...] it is a thycke and harde kel or skinne made of many stronge sinowes and bondes, to the entent it myght holde vp and susteyne the veynes, whyche [Page xxiii] nouryssheth the brayne: After thys is pia mater. whyche is an excedynge fyne skynne, made of synowes, not onely compassyng the hole sub [...]tance of the brayne, but also penetratyng into dyuers partes, that are wythin the brayne, & noryssheth it as muche as the skynne whyche before we cal­led Chorion, doth nouryshe the sede, & because it is made of synowes, it gy­ueth sence to the brayne. At the laste we be come to the brayne, the which whan I consyder that it is made of the seede, I can not chose, but mar­uayle, howe all our cogitations & y­maginacions shuld come frō thence & howe the brayne beyng so grosse and massye of substance, shuld hang as it doth w^tout any stey or vndersettyng, in such holow & wyde places, we se y^• housen be vnderset w^t postes, or els they wold ouerwhelme y^e floure vn­der [Page] thē, but the brayne being vnderset w^t nothyng, how fortuneth it, that so longe as lyfe remayneth in the body it choketh and ouerwhelmeth not the wyde holowe chambers vnderneth▪ Whan I dydde depely consyder the cause of thys, I thoughte the brayne had a certayne similitude of the sky. For as the skye beynge a great & hea­uye substance without any proppes, or vndersettes, doeth not fall, nor is stroken out of hys place: so the brayn by a certayne diuine nature y^t it hath doth consist wythout any stay or for­tresse that can be perceyued by sence, and thereof it commeth that man is called [...], whyche we maye call in our touge a lytle worlde, & su­rely the bryght spirites which come from the brayne to the eye, doeth de­clare, that there is a certayne cogna­tion or kynderede betwene the skye, [Page xxv] and mannes brayne, whiche though it be made of the seede (as I sayd be­fore) yet it is some diuine and cele­stiall thynge: yea and the nature of y^e seede is so moche the more to be meruayled at: how moche it passeth our knowledge and capacitie, to shewe & declare the causes whereby it wor­keth suche wonders in the brayne, which is ful of holes, as eyes, reple­nyshed with spirite, maye very well be the cause why the brayne falleth not downe. Howbeit, bothe the sub­staunce of it, and the wonderful mo­tions also may better be maruayled at, then descrybed. This I dare say, that it is made of the fynest parte of the seede, and of that, that is fullest of spirite, and is deuyded into two partys, by that same skynne whyth before is called Dura mater, y^e one ly­eth before and the other behynde.

[Page] That whiche is before, (as it is of the finest and moost pure substaūce) so it bryngeth out most fine and sub­tyle synowes, and is the place of rea­son and intelligence: the other (as it is course of substaunce) so there gro­weth of it greate and stronge syno­wes, not vnlyke them that growe of the mary of the backe bone, and it is thought to be the place of memo­rie: now that after a rude fassyon we haue descrybed the brayne, there re­mayneth behynde the description of his selles, and chambres, whiche in numbre be .iii. in the former part of y^t heed, there are .ii. depe holow places, not vnlike y^e figure of the moone whē she is newe chaunged, and of y^e byg­nesse of an egge, reaching downe al­most to the eares. The same cauities (though they be .ii. of them, one on y^e right side & another on y^e left side) yet [Page xxvi] for the most part they be called y^e first chaumbre of the brayne, whyche al­waye is full of spyrite, hauynge his sydes couered, and cladde, wyth the same rymme or skynne, whyche be­fore is called Pia mater, which is ful of veynes and pulses for y^e nutrimēt of the brayne: vnder eche of these chā bers ther is (if I may so cal it) a long rope, which is made of veynes & pulses, couered w^t a fine skyn y^t groweth of Pia mater, these small longe ropes hath ioyninges, wherby they claspe, & be red, moche lyke wormes, wher­fore they be called wormes, and do extende in length as farre as the ea­res, and the myddle chaumbre of the brayne, whome they replenysshe wyth spirit. In the same place at the ende of the first cauities, vnder them is an other cauitie. For at the latter ende of the forsayd wormes or ropes [Page] there are two lumpes, whych of the verye similitude of buttockes be cal­led Nates, and be cladde w^t the skyn of the wormes which whē the sayde cauitie or chābre: is drawē togyther do touche one an other, and when it is open, they also be seperate. This chambre or selle is as bygge as the yolke of an egge, and being couered rounde about with the brayne, is called the myddle chābre or sell, whiche is shut w^t a pessule or barre of the by­gnesse of a lytle walnut, and therfore it is called in latyn Glanduia or, cona­rium, and it is iust betwyxt the myd­dell chambre, and the entryng into y^e thyrde, his offyce is to sustayne, and beare vppe, the veynes and pulses, whiche brynge spirite to the myddle chambre. The thyrde chambre is be­hynde in the laste parte of the heed, whiche before we supposed to be the [Page xxvii] place and seet, of the memorye, and in this chambre is a greate parte of the brayne, whiche the Grecians call [...], in latyne it is called Ce­rebellum: in oure tungue we haue no propre name for it, whiche I can do no lesse then count the negligence of our Phisitions to be the cause of: for yf they had wrytten of theyr arte in theyr mother tunge, as they do in o­ther places, why shulde we lacke en­glysh names, more then we lacke ey­ther Latyn names or Greke names? and yet to saye the truthe, it is better for vs English men to haue English names, then eyther Latyn or Greke. Of this part of the brayne groweth the mary of the backe bone, which is called [...]cha, vnder the mydle cham­bre, th [...] is an holow cauitie, which receyue [...] the excremētes and super­fluyties of the brayne, the which be­ing [Page] turned into spettyll, cōmeth oute after at the nose, the Grekes cal this cauitie [...], the Latyn men infuso­rium, or infundibulum, we haue no pro­per name for it: howe be it it maye be called a droppyng pan. Next vnder­nethe be the iawes, furnyshed wyth xxxii. teeth: the foure formost of eche syde be called deuiders, bycause they teare the meate: the next of eche syde be called dogteeth, bycause they be lyke tuskes: all the rest inlatyn be cal­led Genuini, or Molares, which we cal gūmes: and they haue two rootes at the leest, where as the other haue but one: with those teeth the mouth is cō passed rounde aboute, and defended: wherein as a precyous Iew [...]ll in a stronge towre or fortresse, is [...]closed the tungue, whyche is ma [...] of very soft and rawe flesh, full of [...]les and [Page xxviii] full of pulses, veynes and synowes: full of synowes, to the intent it maye moue dyuerselye, and also feale and taste: full of pulses or arteryes, by­cause it hath great neade of spyryte, and naturall heate, seinge it hath so manye dynerse mouynges: and it is full of veynes, that it maye be well nouryshed. There is also added to it a certayne moysture, lest it shoulde waxe drye, bycause it is moued day­ly: aboue y^e tunge, is a pype, whych the Grecyans vse to cal [...], and the Latynistes call it Gulam, the vn­learned or ignoraunt call it the we­saunt, and it is a longe pype, ha­uynge two skynnes or cootes, the whych drawe downe the meate and drynke into the mawe or bagge, and the vtter cote helpeth the stomacke to vomyte.

[Page] There is also in the former parte of the neck an other pype, which (to the intent that nothyng shoulde go that waye, but only ayer) is couered with the roote of the tunge, and it is made of harde grassels, ioyned togyther lyke rynges, and doeth conduct one­lye ayer and spirite to the lyghtes, and herte, being nothyng so long as the other, which draweth meate and drynke, downe to the stomacke or mawe, and it hath a great knobbe al mooste at the ende, nexte the iawe, which the Grekes cal [...], in latyn Nodus gutturis, which in Englysh is the knotte of the throte, and whensoeuer we swalowe any thyng, it goth vp aboue the iawe. The wynde pipe is the formoost parte of the necke, to the intent it maye take ayer and spy­ryte the easelyer. And the wesaunt or meate pype (for why shoulde we be [Page xxix] ashamed of these names, seynge we haue no better) is put farre whythin the necke, because it shulde haue the more heat, howebeit we wyl omytte to speke of it vntyl suche tyme as the lyghtes and hearte, wyth all that is contayned in the breaste, whyche the Phisitions call the myddle bellye, be declared so well as my simple wytte and learnyng wyll gyue me leaue.

To the loweste parte of the wynde pype, (for it is as well the instrumēt of brethynge, as of speakyng) be fastned the lyghtes, whych beyng made of lyght, and moste subtyle and fyne fleshe, not vnlyke the fome of chole­ryke blood congeled, hath the fygure of an oxe houfe, clouen in to .ii. par­tes, and doth compasse the hart, roūd about with .v. globes .iii. on the right syde, and .ii. on the lyfte.

And loke as the pulses doth conserre [Page] and kepe temperat the natural heat, thoroweout the hole body, so y^e ligh­tes preserue the hearte from choking by the receyuynge of externall ayer, whyche least it shulde hurte the hart wyth colde commyng sodeynly vpon it, is tempered ther before, so that I can neuer wonder ynough at y^e hygh and diuine prouidence of god, which foreseyng al these thynges, hath constitute suche an order in mannes bo­dye, as I dare saye was neuer in any publyke weale. For what publycke weale, eyther is there, or hathe bene, syns the worlde beganne, in whiche the subiectes haue bene founde euer obedient wythout all grudgynge to theyr lorde and prince, were he neuer so noble or valiaūt? yet in mans bo­dye though there be infinite subiects ther can be founde no disobedience to theyr lorde and gouerner, whyche is [Page xxx] the hearte: for yf anye poyson be ga­thered there wythin the bodye: or o­therwyse, whyche wyth hys venym, wolde pearse the heart, I praye you is not euery parte readye to defende him? though it be to the vtter destru­ction of them al for euer? and to say truthe, he is worthy to haue no lesse homage or seruyce, seyng he is auctor of lyfe to al the rest, helpyng his sub­iectes & seruauntes, at al such tymes as they be in daunger.

And to the entent that no one parte, myght be destitute more of help then another, by reason of the distance be­twene hym and his gouernour, Na­ture hath prouyded the hart to be set so egallye in the middest of the brest, as is possyble to be deuysed, by al the mathematikes in the worlde, whych is compassed aboute wyth a cote, the [Page] whych Galen calleth [...] it is made of synowes so thycke, and so strong, that it is softer than a bone and yet it is sufficient to defende the hearte, it is tyed to the skynne which couereth the rybbes, and to the myd­ryfe, and the heart strynges, contey­nynge a lytle quantitie of water that neuer dryeth vp, vntyll such tyme as lyfe and all naturall heat is departed from the bodye: There is also a lytle fatte, leaste the hearte thorough hys contynual mouynge, shulde be dryed vp: wythin thys foresayde cote, in­closed as a mooste precious iuell, the heart, hauynge .ii. chambres, one on the ryght syde, & an other on the lefte. To the chambre on the right side, the great mayster vayne, whiche grow­eth on the lyuer, doth brynge blood, that is distributed in to .iii. partes, y^e subtylest and moost choleryke, to the [Page xxxi] nutrimente of lyghtes: The seconde parte, is caryed in to the chambre of the lyfte syde, where by the vertue of the heart, it is formed in to vytal spirite, the thyrde and last parte is reserued to the nourysshement of the hole bodye, after that it hath receyued of the hearte bothe vitall heat and spi­rite. And lyke as from the chamber of the ryght syde, the greate mayster vayne, bryngeth blood thorough the hole bodye, so from the least chamber the master pulse bryngeth vitall spi­rite, of the whyche the lyuer taketh hys power, and facultye, wherby he nourysheth the body & brayn, by his vertue, by whych he gyueth bothe felyng and mouyng to the same.

I wolde not nowe that any manne shulde thynke, that I do defende the errour of Aristotle, whyche thought that the hert, as he is author of lyfe, [Page] so to be the gyuer bothe of felynge & mouynge, to the hole bodye: for that the synowes growe of the brayne, e­uery man hauyng hys syghte, maye perceyue easelye, and that they gyue bothe felynge and mouyng to the bo­dye: ye may knowe if ye take a dogge and tye bothe hys pulses and veynes and let hym go, & he shal both feele & runne, so long as y^e animal spirit la­steth, whych is all redy in hys syno­wes, but in case ye tye hys synowes, he shall not be able to styre one foote. Thys is a very manyfest profe, that the hearte gyueth not sence and mo­uynge, to the bodye, yet as I sayde before, bothe the brayne, and also the lyuer, take theyr power of the heart, for after that the hearte hath engen­dered vytall spirite, parte is caryed to the lyuer, and parte to the brayne. [Page xxxii] The lyuer of hys, engendreth newe spirites, called naturall, the whiche he doeth distribute by hys veynes, thoroghout the bodye so the nuryshement of the same.

The brayne also tourneth those spi­rites whyche he receyued of the hart, in to other spirites, called animall & these beynge dispersed amongest the synowes, is cause bothe of mouyng and feelyng.

Sythens that I haue accordyng to my promyse made before, declared by what meanes the brayne gyueth sence and mouynge to the bodye, I wyll as bryefelye as I can descrybe the residue of the partes, whyche I thynke most necessarye to be knowen begynnynge there, where as I lefte wyth the hearte, whyche besyde hys chambres, hath also twoo eares, the [Page] whiche be grassels made of synowes beynge full of wrynkles and foldyn­ges, and they be also called the selles or butteries of the hearte.

I promysed before to declare as nere as I coulde, those partes y^t the brest whyche is called the myddle bellye, doth conteyne, and I haue al redy so to my lytle power, descrybed both y^e hearte, the lyghtes & the instrumen­tes of the voyce, and brethyng wyth the partes & couerynges, of the same therefore nowe there remayneth the mydryfe, whyche in latyne is called Mediastinus. and the skinne, that compasseth the rybbes, whyche in Greke is called [...] & the heart strynges, whyche in greke is called [...] The mydryfe doth deuyde the breast [...] in lengthe, and maketh .ii. chābers one on the ryghte syde, and an other on the lefte syde: And because it is a [Page xxxiii] very stronge skynne, it doth fashyon both veynes, pulses and synowes to the brest, and it is tyed before to the brestbone, and behynde to the ioyn­tes of the backebone. The seconde skynne is that, that is called [...], which couereth the rybbes on the insyde, and the muscles also that be be­twyxt the rybbes. Next vndernethe this is [...], which the Latyne men call Trausuersum septū, or p̄cordia: we may cal it an ouerthwart bridge or the hertstrynges, it is made of sy­nowes & fleshe, couered with .ii. fyne rymes, made to moue the lyghtes, & also to drawe in and let out ayer, and to separate the lowest belly from the mydle bely, vnderneth the hertstryn­ges, somwhat toward the ryghtside the mawe or paunche, whiche before we called the lowest bellye, beinge rounde, with a greate bottome, and [Page] somthyng narowe towarde the left syde is fastened to the .xiii. ioynte of the backe bone, and in the same place the wesaūt that before we called the stomake, is tyed to the mawe, whych hath .ii. mouthes, one at the lowest parte of the wesaunt, and the other in the ryght syde of y^e mawe or pāche The mouth by the which the meate is receyued into the mawe, doth shut the nether parte of the wesaunt, and is called, the hyther mouthe of the mawe: the mouthe that letteth oute the meate, shytteth the nether parte of the mawe, and is called in Greke [...], in Latyne Iauitor, in our tung a portar or a keper of the gate, and bothe these mouthes (to the intente that the meate and drynke maye not fall oute at any tyme vnconcocte) be set in the syde of the belly or pauche, which be fast shutte as soone as euer [Page xxxiiii] the bellye hath receyued meate, and therby naturall heate is very moche encreased wythin the mawe, beynge made of synowes and of flesshe, and it hath also two cootes, of the whych the innermoost, hath more synowes then flesshe, and it is very thycke and rough, ful of wryncles, by the which the meate is drawen downe and re­tayned. The vtter cote is more flesh, and serueth onely to expell that, that the bely refuseth and hath done w^tal. The temperature of the belly is cold and drye, accordyng to the nature of synowes, wherof it hath abūdaunce that it may be delyted w^t such thīges as be cōueniēt & mete for it, and may abhorre suche as be noyful & hurtful vnto it. I haue spoken somewhat brefely of the bellye and mawe, but before we descrybe the liuer, I wyll first reherse .ii. cotes or coueringes of [Page] the bely, which (nature by her diuine and hygh sapiēce) hath prouyded for the defence of the belly and entrailes The fyrst coueryng is called iu latyn Omentū, y^e Grecians do cal it [...] our bouchers call it the kell, and it is wouen lyke a nette, of veynes, pulses and senowes, beinge couered with a great deale of fatte, to the intent that it maye holde in, the naturall heate, which is in the mawe and guttes, for it couereth all the belly from the top to the too, the next cote or couerynge the Grekes call [...], whiche co­uereth not onelye the bellye, but also the liuer, mylte, and reynes, & it gro­weth of the bladder, being thycker in some place then in some, it tyeth the lowest partes of the belly to y^e backe, and doth sustayne the muscles of the belly, which the Latyn men cal Mus­culos abdominis, vpon the which mus­cules [Page xxxv] is a great deale of fatte, & then the skynne that couereth the whole body. Next vnto the mawe, immedi­atly downewarde be the guttes and entrayles, the whiche although they be all one whole and continual body yet they maye be decerned bothe by theyr figure, situation, and action.

The fyrst, whyche is fastened to the nether mouth of the mawe, is called Duodenum, bycause it is .xii. ynches longe, and it is in the ryght syde, in the region of the lyuer. Nexte vnto Duodenum is I eiunium, whiche is so called bycause it is alwayes emptye. For to this gutte there cōmeth moch choler from the lyuer, and bycause it of all the rest is nexte the liuer: ther­fore the lyuer draweth from it verye quycklye by hys small veynes, suche iuise as came from the stomake be­fore. And from this gutte there com­meth [Page] choler into the rest, to expell the excrementes. The nexte is called of Galene [...], whyche hath manye circuites and boughtes, bycause it shulde retayne the iuyce longer, and it doth farre passe all the rest: ioyned vnto thys, is the gutte called Cecum, whych doth receyue the excrementes and it is called Saccus, bycause it is the wydest of all. Then foloweth [...] ▪ beynge two cubytes of length, hauyng dyuerse boughtes▪ and com­passynges, lest the excrement shulde fall strayte out: and in this gutte the excrement taketh hys coloure. The last gutte whiche we call the funda­ment begynneth vnder the left reyne and is stretched downe euen to the very hole in the tayle: it is tyed to the great back bone, being large & wyde to the intent that the excrement may go down more at ease. Sith I haue [Page xxxvi] descrybed the guttes & entrayles, I wyll adde somthyng as cōcernyng y^e matter that they be made of. They be made of flesh & sinowes, hauīg brode strīges, by y^e which they expel the ex­crementes. There is a certayne skyn mixt amongest the guttes, which is no gutte but a fortresse or a stay for y^e smal veynes which come frō y^e lyuer and it is called in Greke [...], & thervpon al the small veynes be cal­led Mesaraice, and it is a fyne and subtyle skyn, made of very smal veynes gathered on an heape togyther, amō ­gest the whyche there is a lumpe of fleshe, lyke vnto a kernell, whiche we call the swyt bread. Underneth y^e ba­stard ribbes in y^e rightside of y^e maw or stomake is y^e liuer, whose substāce is red flesh, not moch vnlike cōgeled blood beinge replenished w^t veynes, which be y^e braūches of y^e great ma­ster [Page] veynes, y^t is of y^e veyne which is called Porta, & also of y^t, that is called Caua vena, we haue no names in our tungue whych be propre or peculier to them onely, but muste be fayne to call them master veynes, and in dede so that we vnderstande the thynge, it shall make but lytle matter for na­mes: howbeit Gallen sayth, that the one is called Porta, bycause that the iuyce commeth through it, from the stomake to the liuer: and the other I thynke is called Caua, bycause it is a great hollowe veyne, well what so euer it be called, it groweth of the li­uer, and carieth blood from the liuer to the hert, and thoughe it to be byg: yet there groweth many fyne & smal veynes, both of it, and of the other, whych be dispersed throughout the whole body of the liuer, to the intent that the iuice maye more easelye be [Page xxxvii] turned into blood: for the very dutye and office of the lyuer, is to engendre blood, for the nouryshmente of y^e bo­dye, and therfore it is hote and moyst accordynge to the nature of blood.

Moreouer it is the very fleshe of the lyuer, whyche doth change the iuyce in to blood, makyng it redde lyke vn­to it selfe. Althogh that sūme thynke the harte to be the well, and original sprynge of blood, notwythstandyng I had rather saye as Galene sayeth, that it is the fleshe of the liuer, which engendreth blood, althogh the lyuer receyue both vytall heat, and spiryte of the hearte, and therefore from the great master pulse, whyche in greke is called [...], there commeth manye lytle pulses to the lyuer, bryngynge w^t them vitall spirite, but so sone as y^e iuyce is concocte, it is made blood, and purified in y^e middes of the lyuer [...] [Page] receyueth choler, of the smal veynes, in the middes of the lyuer, whyle the blood is purifyinge and cleansynge, whyche conduyte or waye, yf it for­tune to be stopped, by anye maner of chaunce, so that the choler can not be seperate from the bloode, then there foloweth hote fyeuers, or els the ye­lowe Iandies.

On the lyfte side, the splene or mylte enbraseth the stomacke, which being blacke of colour, is made of subtyle & rare flesshe, and is the same, whyche before is called the receptacle of me­lancholie, it is tyed vnto the backe a­boute the myddes of the bastard ryb and doth drawe vnto it melancholye or blacke choler, by a veyne whyche commeth from the lyuer, receyuyng heat of the heart, to digest the forsaid blacke choler, by certayne pulses an­nexed vnto it. From the mylte also [Page xxxix] there is a conduyt to the vppermoste mouthe of the stomacke, bryngynge melancholye thyther, partly to draw togyther the mouthe of the stomake, and partlye to prouoke appetyte.

There be .ii. kydneys that be called in latyne. Renes, of the whych one is set vnderneth the lyuer toward y^e backe and the other is set on the other syde, ryght agaynst y^e mylte, they be made of soude and thycke flesshe, least they shulde be dissolued of the water, that they drawe dayly from the blood, by two veynes, whyche be called Mul­gentes, and in oure tongue, suckynge veynes, there is drawen also, besyde the water, sūme blood to the norysh­ment of the reynes or kydneis, in the myddes of the whyche there is as it were a lytle pāne, into the which the forsayde kydnies doe sweat oute the water, whych they receyued of y^e suc­kynge [Page] veynes, and in thys panne the vryne taketh his colour, from whēs it is brought doune, after the concoc­tion had therbefore, by certayne con­duites that be called [...] in greke and in latyne, Vrinarii, we maye calle them the conduytes of the vryne, frō the raynes to the bladdar. The bladdar in man ioyneth to the taylegutte or fundiment, from whens the necke of it recheth to the yarde, but in we­men it is set vpon the mouth of theyr woumbe, & therfore they haue bothe shorter and wyder necked bladdars than men haue, and also be lesse dise­sed w^t stone in that place, It is made of skynnye synowes, and there cum­meth to it, bothe veynes and pulses. the necke onely is of flesshe, and hath certayne turnynges and boughtes, that it maye houlde the water more [Page xl] easely, there is added a muscle to the mouth of the bladder, to the entent y^t we maye eyther letout or retayne the water, at our owne wyll & pleasure. But howe smal and fine the holes be by the whyche the water is receyued into the bladder maye easelye be per­ceyued, because that whan it is taken out of any dede bodye, that there ap­peareth none at all, more than that, whiche is in the necke, to let oute the vrine or water.

Manne surelye hath great profitte of the bladar, for if that same superflu­ouse water, shoulde not be caryed a­waye, but be permitted to runne to gyther in the vaynes, with the blood after that the bodye were ones fulle, mooste parte of the membres shulde cracke, and breake and man shoulde be suffocated or choked.

[Page] Therefore the bladder is made for thys pourpose, to receyue the super­fluous watry substance of the blood and reteyne it so longe, vntyl the due tyme of lettynge of it out, be come.

Nowe I haue descrybed all y^e partes of the lowest bellye, so well as I coulde, sauyng the priuy partes both of man and woman, whyche for dy­uers causes I wylle omytte at thys tyme, fyrste because I wyll gyue no occasion to youth of wantōnes, and then that I wyll offende no honeste eares, in descrybynge them playnlye and seyng my promyse was to tuche but certayne partes, I thinke I may as wel omyt them, as a great many that I haue spoken nothyng of.

The .vi. Chapiter.
¶Of veynes, pulses, and synowes.

[Page xli] VEynes be cōdytes with thinne cotes, which caryeth the thyc­kest blood, throughout the bo­dy, wherwith it is nouryshed, & they growe all of the liuer, for the master veyne (which passeth all the other in largenesse and wydenesse) commeth from thence. Aristotel thought y^e hert to be the authour and begynner of y^e veynes, but Hypocrates thought o­therwise and Galen also (whom we folowe) hath euidently confuted Ari­stotels opinion. Pulses, or arteryes, be conduytes that growe of the hert, and do carye vitall spiryte, and some parte also of the fynest bloode, ther­fore it was necessary that they shuld be both thycker and stronger, then y^e veynes, lest the spirite being so fyne of substaūce, myght breake out, wherfore nature hath enclosed it in .ii. co­tes of the whiche the inner is .v. ty­mes [Page] as thyck as the vtter, and yet is it as thicke as any cote of y^e veynes, y^t encloseth y^e grosse and thickest blood: Veynes, & pulses be so nygh cosyns, y^t there is no veyne in any part of the body, without his pulse: nor no pulse without his veyne, to the intent that the veynes may minister nourishmēt to the spyrites. And agayne the spy­rites may refresh the blood w^t lyuely heate: and as ye se in a lāpe, y^e flame to be nouryshed w^t oyle or waxe, so y^e spirit plucketh to him blood out of y^e veynes, with the which he is fed w^t. And here (as me thinke) nature hath shewed vs a marueylous notable example of doinge one for an other, in this ciuile lyfe. Synowes growe of the brayne, & also of the marye of the backe bone. From whence they bring sense and voluntary mouynge to all partes of the body. There hath bene [Page xlii] moche to do amongest the olde Phi­sitions, whether the synowes haue any holownesse or cōcauitie in thē, to receyue the animal spirit, wherwith they gyue mouyng & fealing to y^e bo­dy, or els whether they take their po­wer of the spirit, as the lute or harpe strynge doth of the fynger: howbeit, it is now cōcluded, y^t ther is none ho­lowe, but only .ii. which bring spirit to y^e eyes, & be called Optici, and y^t the rest do take their power of y^e spirites There grow of y^e brayne .vii. paire of synowes, of y^e which, som be distributed to y^e sēses, & some to other partes: as to y^e stomake or maw, and those y^t growe of y^e brayne be moche fyner & softer thā those y^t grow of the backe, which be not only y^e instrumēt of sēse but also of volūtary mouyng, & there be of thē .xxx. paire, which be disper­sed euery where through all y^e body.

The .vii. Chapter.
¶Of humours.

ALthough that the spryng & well of humours maye then best be perceyued, when the maner and waye how to nourish the body is delared, yet bycause we be styll occupyed, in descrybynge y^e par­tes of the body, I am not wyllyng to omytte the differences of humours, which be .viii. in numbre .iiii. natural and .iiii. vnnaturall. The naturall is blood, fleume, yellowe coloure, and blacke, & the vnnatural is the same also, turned by putrifaction, or els som otherwyse, from theyr owne natyue qualities. As concernynge the gene­ration of the naturall humours, I haue some deale mentioned before, wherfore I wyll omyt at this tyme to speake or reasō any further in that matter, sauyng y^e I put you in remē ­braunce, [Page xliii] that the same foode whych is receyued by the wesaunt into the stomake, for the preseruynge of the bodye, is the matter and substaunce, whereby, by the vertue of the liuer, they be made and engendred.

The .viii. Chapter.
¶Of bloode.

BLood is hotte and moyst, and the greatest parte of y^t that nourysheth the body. For notwythstandynge, that other humours be caryed togy­ther with the blood to nourysshe the body, as blood delayed with fleume, both greatly nourysh suche partes y^t be colde, and moyste, as the brayne: and coleryke bloode the lyghtes, and melancholycke blood the bones, and splen: yet the especiall part of the no­ryshment, is that that is properlye [Page] called bloode. For the nouryshmente ought to be swete, or els delayed w^t swete iuice, and suche is the blood.

The .ix. Chapter.
¶Of fleume.

FLeume is a watrysh humour colde and moyst, which is be­gone to be altered into blood, and is not yet throughly cōcoct, therfore it is whyte, thynne, and vnsaue­ry: not fatte, nor coloured like blood, it serueth to mittigate the outragy­ous heate of the bloude, and noury­sheth the blood, making it thinne and beinge myngled with the blood, con­forteth suche partes as be flegmatik.

The .x. Chapter.
¶Of choler.

CHoler is the fome or floure of y^e blood, which is made of the hottest and driest partes of y^e blood or iuice, after that it is boyled, wherfore [Page xliiii] it is also hote and drye, and of a bytter taste, & therfore it is called of Galen [...], which in latyn is Amarꝰ and in Englysh bytter. Natural cho­ler is as wel red as yelowe, & whē it is mixt w^t the blood, it openeth y^e veynes, & doth norysh cholerike partes, as the lightes: nor it is not caryed al with the blood, but the more part of it is reserued in the bladder, vnder y^e mydle globe of the liuer, to clense the lowest bellye, or entrayles: ye maye, (and ye wyll) call them guttes.

The .xi. chapter.
¶Of melancholye or blacke choler.

BLacke choler or melancholie is a thycke terrestrial humour that in the blood falleth downe to y^e bo­tome, verye lyke vnto olde red wyne, that is thicke and blacke, & it is colde and drye: part of it is caryed with the blood, both to make it thycker & also [Page] to helpe, and encrease the power retē ­tyue, in the veynes and other places where it cōmeth, and also to nourysh the melancholyke partes, as the bo­nes and splen.

The .xii. Chapter.
¶Of the vnnaturall humours.

NOughty humours be called vnnaturall: & they be made nought, or corrupted eche of them two maner of wayes, eyther bycause the substaunce of them without the admixtiō of any other, doth degenerate: or elles, that they be myngled, with suche as be alreadye putrifyed and corrupted: bloode is made nought, and goeth from hys kynde when he putrifieth in the vey­nes, bycause the pores be shurt, or els when he is myngled w^t some other euil humour, as in the dropsy, where he is myxt wyth water.

The .xiii. Chapter.
¶Of noughty flegme or vn­naturall.

VNnaturall flegme is a rawe wateryshe humour, colde and moyste, redoundynge in that body, where as is a weake concocti­on, and it is sumtyme muche thinner than spyttle, that falleth from the mouthe or nose. There is an other kynde of naughtye and vnnaturall flegme, whyche is salte in taste, that commeth of the mixture of choler w^t flegme, whyche is plentiful in suche bodyes, as feede for the moste parte of salte meates.

The xiiii. Chapiter.
¶Of vnnaturall yelowe choler.

YElowe choler, degenerateth from hys nature, whan it is bourned blacke, and is made thycke and bytynge, or whan sumo­ther [Page] humour is mixt wyth it as watrye flegme, and this is called citrine choler, Galene calleth it pale choler, because it is of the colour of leade. But yf it be thicke flegme wherwith it is myngled, than it is called of y^e latynes, Uitilina bilis bycause it is lyke in coloure, to the yolke of an egge, & of thys kynde of choler, for the most parte are engendred all fyeuers ter­tian.

The .xv, chapter.
¶Melancholy, or blacke choler vnnaturall.

MElancholye or blacke cho­ler, is made vnnaturalle, whan other humoures, or elles it selfe, is burned as drye as a [...]hes. For Hypocrates saith that bothe blood and red choler wyl be turned soone into Melancholye, [Page xlvi] whan for lacke of ayre, they be smo­thered in the veynes, & the stoppyng also of the pores, doth make a bodye whyche all redye is sanguine or cho­lerycke of nature, melancholye. And hereof commeth so manye kyndes of madnesse. For yf Melancholy, be de­layed wyth a lytle blood, it maketh a manne merye madde, yf it be mixte wyth a great deale of red choler, thā it maketh hym starke woode, as Hercules & Aiax was. But yf it be mixte with flegme it maketh hym slothfull wythout all meane or measure.

If melancholye it selfe, wythout the admixtion of other humours be burned, than it maketh hym sad and so­litarye, as Bellerophon, whyche as Homer sayeth, beyng full of sorowe and care, forsoke all companye, and wandered in desolate feyldes solita­rye al alone.

[Page] Howe be it the same humoures hath not lyke effecte in euery bodye, for in summe they are not so outeragious, as in summe: Homer hym selfe dyed for sorow, that he coulde not dissolue a certayne hard question which was propounded vnto hym: and the olde philosofer Haracletus, beyng borne an Ephesian, dyd alwayes lamente wyth wepynge, the manyfolde miseries of mannes lyfe, whych as The­ophrastus sayth, was of nature me­lancholye, because he lyued solitarye alone, and wrote confused & obscure thynges, wel at the last thorow hys fylthy and vnclene lyuing, he caught the dropsie, wherfore trustyng to dry vp the water that was betwyxt his skynne and flesshe, commaunded hys bodye to be annoynted wyth doung of oxen, and layde abrode in the hote sunne, from whence he was brought [Page xlvii] dead. Yet Democritus madnes was sōmewhat more pleasaunte, whyche laughed alwayes at mennes folysh­nes, whereby he prolonged hys lyfe an hole hundred yeres.

Empedocles was so outeragious madde, that he lepte alyue in to the burnynge fyer of the hyl Ethna, but Sophocles madnes was much sweter, the whyche dyd ease the incom­modities of olde age, wyth makyng of verses. Marius whan he was madde, fantasied nothyng but fygh­tynge. But Lucullus beyng madde, was mery, full of game and sporte.

The .xvi. Chapiter.
¶Of Spirites

SPirite is a subtyle vapour of the blood, whyche by the vertue of the hearte, gyueth power to the body, to doe all maner [Page] of workes and actions, and althogh there is but one well or spryng of all spirites, yet they be diserned by their places. Vitall spirite is a flambe in the heart, made of blood, carying vi­tal heat to y^e other partes: the pulses be made to carye this spirite, whose dignitie and worthines may be este­med herof, that euery part of the bo­dye hath nede of vitall & lyuely heat, to y^e conseruation of theyr substaūce And thys vitall or lyuelye blood, is preserued & kepte, by that same lytle sparc [...]e of vitall spirit, whiche in olde tyme wise men dyd so moche maruel at, that sūme thought it to be mānes soule, and summe the instrumente of mans soule. And Aristotle sayth that death is nothyng but the quenching and puttynge forth of lyuelye heate, and therof it commeth that so manye preceptes be gyuen of the phisitions [Page xlviii] for the conseruation and instauratiō of spirites, the whyche doubtles be corrupted and extincte, eyther wyth euyll dyet, orels wyth disease, & sick­nes, or with the weaknes of y^e hart, in mouynge affections, or finallye with immoderate labour.

The .xvii. Chapiter.
¶Of animall spirites.

SPirite animall, is a spirite that by vertue of the brayne, is made bryghter and conuenient to the woorkes of the senses, & also to moue and styrre the sinowes. For I houlde well wyth them, that affyrme constantly, the hart to be the fyrste authoure and begynner of spi­rite, and afterwarde, to take a newe nature of the brayne.

[Page] And in dede there appereth a certeyn affinitie betwene the vital & animall spirite: For loke with what spirites the heart is beste tempered, the same in the brayne, brynge forth most no­ble and excellent affectes, how be it for all y^t there is differences betwene them, because they haue dyuers of­fyces and effectes. For the vitall spi­rit ministreth heate to the bodye, the animall spirit styrreth vp the senses, & moueth the synowes. S [...]me adde vnto these another kynde of spirite, called naturall, whyche nourysheth the blood in the lyuer: But Galene douteth of it, sayeng, [...], id est Si spiritus naturalis est a­liquid, whiche is as muche to saye, as yf the naturall spirit be any thynge. For althoughe it can not be chosen, but that there muste be spirite in the lyuer, yet it is brought thyther by y^e [Page xlix] pulces, which is a token that it com­meth from the hert, but I wyl deter­myne or constitute nothynge of thys matter: leauynge euery man to hys owne iudgement.

¶The fyrst chapter.
¶Of naturall powers or actions.

WHosoeuer wyl per­fytely know, how many natural po­wers is in euerye bodye, he must dy­ligently serche out the naturall wor­kes of the same body, for euery worke cōmeth of some action, and also eue­ry action of some cause, for whyles y^e infant is within his mothers wōbe, as yet vnperfyte) all hys partes is [Page] but one naturall worke, procedynge of a natural action called generation but after that it is brought forth, an other natural worke is to bryng the same to their ful groweth, whiche is done by the facultie called auction, & that they maye long cōtinue and en­dure, nutrition onely doth make and bryng to passe. Howbeit, generation is not one simple naturall action, as the other be, but rather cōpounde, of alteration and formation. For howe coulde eyther bene, synowe or veyne be made without anye alteration of theyr substaunce: or how coulde they be well figured or proporcioned, ex­cept they were first out of all fassyon, and ordre. Auction is an amplifica­tion or encreasemēt, in lēgth, bredth, and depenesse, of al partes of y^e body, and y^e childe, whyles he is in his mo­thers wombe, is destitute neither of [Page l] this, nor of nutrition: yet generation hath thā y^e chefe rule and dominion, & the other be as handmaydes vnto it: but after it is delyuered (vntyl suche time as it com to y^e ful growth) auction hath gouernaunce, & alteration & nutrition, be but inferioure powers. Then as I sayde before, it appertey­neth only to the power or vertue cal­led auctiō, to encrese in lēght, bredth & depenes, al such partes as by helpe of generatiō hath alredy their due fi­gure & fassion. But how euery part is made bygger, it cā not better be kno­wē, then by an exāple: childrē be wōt to take the bladders of oxen & swyne and blowe them full of spirite, rub­byng them very moche before y^e fyre, that they maye take heate wythoute any burnynge or harme otherwyse: and whē they haue stretched or dra­wen them out aboundauntlye, they [Page] blowe them full of spiryte agayne, stretchynge them out more then they dyd before: and after they rub them, and chafe them styl as is aforesayde vntyll suche tyme as they thynke thē large ynough, but in this chyldysshe worke, loke how moche the insyde of the forsayd bladders is made wyder so moche the bladder is thynner, and yf that were not, I myght well saye that chyldren coulde make (as well as nature) lytle bladders, greate.

Howbeit, the wysest man in y^e world can not do that: so moch the lesse chil­dren: For that is onelye propre vnto nature. Wherfore it is very euydent that nothynge can be encreased as it ought to be, without nouryshment: and they onelye be made longer, bro­der and deper at one tyme, whyche growe naturallye: or els yf they be stretched along, they decay in bredth [Page li] nor there is any thyng in the worlde without breakyng, may be stretched forth euerye waye at one tyme. For that pertayneth to nature alone: and therfore auction is suche a thyng as can not possibly be without nourysh­ment: whereof nowe by gods grace, we entende to speake.

The, ii. Chapter.
¶Of nutrition.

NUtrition is the makynge lyke of that which noury­sheth, to that, that is nou­rysshed: and in nutrition, there is alteration, but not lyke as was in generation. For in generatiō that is made flesshe, whyche before was none: but in nutrition, the meat or nouryshment is made lyke to that that is nourysshed: therfore the one may be called (& not without a cause) generation, and the other assimula­tion: [Page] but bycause we haue spokē suf­fyciētly of these .iii. natural faculties and bycause no lyuyng creature nea­deth any other hauyng how he may be encreased, and also hauyng, howe he may long cōtinue, it shal not nede to rehearse any mo natural powers. But agayne, yf a mā cast in his mind saying to hym selfe, he hath mentio­ned as yet, no action of the stomake, entrailes, liuer, nor of any other part of the bodye, he shal thynke this, but the begynnynge and Proheme, of more profytable and better learning. Generation, auction, and nutrition, be the fyrste fountaynes or sprynges all the naturall workes: and yet they are so perfyte of them selues, that wythout externall helpe of other, or (at the leest amongest them selues) mutuall seruyce, they can almooste do nothynge. And as concernynge [Page lii] what generatiō and auction de nede we haue spoken before: but what is requyred vnto nutrition, we entende now to declare: for I shalbe thought about to shewe (as well the very in­strumentes prepared for concoction of the nouryshment) as also the po­wers and facultie in thē, to be made for the same purpose. For seing that assimulation is the onelye action of nutrition, and seinge that nothynge can be made lyke, whyche in qualitie differeth, or be cōtrary. Therfore euery lyuing creature can not be nourys­shed with euerye meate, neyther can be nouryshed incontinent, with suche as afterwarde at more leysure, per­aduenture he maye: and by reason of this necessitie (not onelye man) but brute beastes also, endued with lyfe, haue neade of meane instrumentes, to the alteryng of the nouryshment. [Page] for that yelowe maye be made red, or red yelowe, one symple alteration or chaunge, is suffycient: but y^e white may be made blacke, or black whyte: all the alterations or chaungynges whych be betwyxte blacke & whyte: be requyred before, so that y^t is softest can not be made at the fyrst hardest: neyther that that is hardest, foftest. Then if this be true, how shal a bone be made of blood, excepte the blood fyrst be made thycke, and afterwarde whyte, or how shal blood be made of bread, except the bread chaunge hys colour before, from white to red. For it is no great matter, to make flesshe of bloode: for so soone as it is ones made so thycke, that it can not rūne, it is by and by flesshe, but that the same maye be made a boue, it muste both haue long tyme, and moche al­teration, and this is one cause why [Page liii] there be many instrumentes prouy­ded of nature, for the alteryng of the meate: another cause is the nature of the excrementes. For as we can not be nouryshed wyth grasse, although bestes are nouryshed wyth it, so we maye be nouryshed wyth rootes, but nothing so well as wyth flesshe.

For our nature maye chaunge, or al­ter it easely in to good blood, but in a roote, that that is conuenient to no­rysshe the bodye, and maye be chan­ged though very hardely & not wyth out great concoction, is but a verye lytle, for the moste parte of it, is full of excrementes, and doeth passe the instrumētes of concoction, wherfore there is but a smal portion of it dra­wen vp in to the veynes, of y^e which al is not profitable, for y^e body, wherfore nature dyd lacke another separation of suche excrementes as be in y^e [...] [Page] that nature hath ordeyned onlye for nutrition, whyche as I sayd before, is the assimilation or makynge lyke of that that norysheth, to that which is nouryshed, the whyche to be done as there must nedes go before, agglutination or adhesiō, so before agglutination, there must of necessitie, be ap­position, or puttynge to of the nou­ryshment, to that that is noryshed.

For after that the iuyce is fallen out of the veynes, fyrst it is dispersed a­brode, and by and by, it is ioyned or put vnto that parte, whyche shall be noryshed, and afterwarde fastened, or glued to the same, & last of al made lyke. And than it maye verye well be called nouryshment, and not before, But y^t there is difference betwene as­simulation and agglutination, it is verye euident in that kynde of scurfe, whyche of the Latyns is called viti, [Page lv] ligo, we call it the Morphewe.

And also y^t kynde of dropsie whiche in greke is named [...] declare a certayne difference betwene admi­xtion and agglutination. For thys kinde of dropsie, cūmeth not for lacke of humiditie, as consumptions doe, seyng that theyr fleshe whych is troubled wyth thys dropsie, is as weete, as yf it hadde be swylled in water, whyche causeth that the noryshment can not cleue, bycause it can neyther be made dry ynough nor thycke lyke glue, whyche commeth onely, of na­turall heat.

In the Morphewe, whyche in greke is called [...], and in latyne Vitiligo, there is agglutination, but there lac­keth assimulation, wherfore it is ve­rye euident, that as we sayde before in nutrition, there muste fyrste be ad­iunction, and then agglutination, & [Page] fynallye assimilation: and properlye that is named nutrimcutum and in our tonge, nouryshment whych hath noryshed all ready, wherfore that same that is in the morphew, or that that is in the dropesie, can not wel be cal­led norysshment, because they haue not noryshed as yet, and of thys fas­shyon that that is in the veynes, and also that whyche is in the stomacke, yea and all good meates may be cal­led nutrimenta, or in englysh norysshe­mentes, because they wyll nouryshe at the lengthe, yf they be well dige­sted, and hereof it is that Hyppocra­tes sayeth in hys booke, that he wri­teth of dyete. Nutrimentum quod nutrit Nutrimentum quod est, veluti nutrimen­tum, nutrimentum, quod est nutriturum. whyche is as muche to saye as nou­rysshement that doeth nourysshe al­tedye, and norysshmente that is lyke [Page lvi] rysshement, and norysshement, that hereafter wyll noryshe.

For that that alreadye is made lyke, Hyppocrates doeth call nutrimente, but that whyche is but put vnto, or that whyche is fastened onelye, and not made lyke, he nameth it to be like nutriment, and all that whyche is in the veynes or mawe, he calleth nu­trimente in tyme to come, bycause yf it be well digested, it wyll norysshe hereafter. Wherfore nowe I thinke it verye euydentlye proued, that no­ryshment is the makyng lyke of that that nouryssheth, to that whyche is nourysshed.

The thyrde chapter.
¶Of suche faculties or vertues, as nature hath furnyshed euery parte wyth, seruyng to nutrition.

[Page] THere be .iiii. powers of fa­culties, ye maye yf ye wyl call them vertues, whyche is in euerye parte, that is eyther nourysshed it selfe, or serueth for the nourysshment of other, of the whyche the fyrst is named attracti [...]e the seconde retentyue, the thyrd con­coctyue, and the fowerth and last ex pulsyue. If nature had not endued euer sins the begynnynge, al the nu­trityue partes of euery lyuyng crea­ture, wyth these .iiii. vertues: it had not be possible eyther for men or bea­stes, to haue cōtinued alyue .x. dayes. For yf neyther God, nor nature toke care of vs, and yf we were also desti­tute of all arte and prouidens, being ruled with the sodayne momentes of oure substance onely, hauynge no fa­cultye or vertue, that coulde drawe suche thynges vnto it as shoulde be [Page lvii] mete for it, nor any that coulde put a­waye or expell thynges noyfull, or suche as were hurtful vnto it, or that coulde altre and fassyon, or glewe, suche as shulde nourysh it, I can not thinke, but we shuld be thought foo­lysh, yf we shulde despute of any na­turall action, and moche foolysher yf we speke of anye animall action, yea or of our hole lyfe, eyther. For it shall not be possyble for any creature that hath so many dyuers partes, sette so farre one from an other, to lyue or cō tinue a very short tyme: yf he lacke y^e powers aforesayde. For fyrste, yf the attractyue vertue were not, there coulde be no admixtion: yf ther could be no admixtion, there coulde ensue no agglutination, and without ag­glutination, there coulde neuer be a­ny assimulation, without the which nutritiō can not be had, and whether [Page] anything coulde lyue not nourished, that I leaue to your iudgement.

The .iiii. Chapter.
¶Of the power or vertue attractiue.

THe power attractiue is a vertue which being in euery parte, ser­uyng for nutrition, doth drawe vnto it thynges of lyke qualities, & suche as be mete and conuenient for it, as the adamāt stone draweth yrō, the iette stone chaffe, or strawe. How be it, peraduenture some defendynge the Epicure and his trayne, wyl saye and constauntlye affyrme, that there is no suche power in stones, attribu­tynge the drawynge vp of the yron, or chaffe vnto other causes, as the Epicure dydde to hys lyttle mottes. The whyche opinyon, bycause it is [Page lviii] very foolysshe, and hath bene confu­ted of dyuers noble Philosophers, but especiallye of Galene the mooste excellent Phisitiō and Philosopher, (I except alwayes Hipocrates) that euer was, I wyll not ones touche or meddle with all: partlye, bycause I can saye nothyng in it, whiche is not sayde before of them, but chefely that I wyll not be so arrogant or proude to meddle with it after Aristotle and Galene (as who shoulde saye) I tru­stynge ouermoche in my selfe, coulde fynde somethynge to saye agaynste the Epicure, more then they coulde.

Therfore whoso delyteth to knowe parsytely the Epicures opinyon, let hym go to Galenes fyrst boke of na­turall facultyes, and there he shall be satisfyed. Yet thys I darre saye, that the Epicure wyth all hys adhe­rentes, is shamefullye deceyued.

[Page] For, not onely stones haue power to drawe thynges of lyke qualities, but also medicines, insomoche that some wyl drawe out thornes, which haue lyen .iii. or .iiii. dayes within the flesh and some (which is moche to be mar­uayled at) wyll drawe the poyson of a snake onelye, and other some the poyson of a tode, and in such men as haue short neckes, and wyde throtes we se oftentymes the meate drawen from theyr iawes, before it be halfe chawed: what is it that draweth the meate so greadelye? yf there be no po­wer attractyue? neyther in the mawe nor in the wesaunt: and howe coulde the watrye substaunce be seperated from the bloode, yf there were no at­tractyue power in the reynes or kid­neys, or yf there were no attractyue power in y^e bladder, or the gall, why shoulde it not be fylled rather wyth [Page lix] water then wyth choler? seinge that water, is more fyne aud subtyle then choler is. Wherfore I dare conclude with Galen, that no parte of any ly­uyng creature, being nourished, doth lack this power or vertue named at­tractyue.

The .v. Chapter.
¶Of the power or vertue retentyue.

THe power retentyue is a vertue whiche retayneth that, that the facultie attractyue hath drawē. For yf that iuice that is already dra­wen, shulde not rest there, whyther it is drawen: but shoulde be caryed to some other parte, styll chaungynge his place, it were not possyble y^t there myght ensue eyther agglutination or assimulation, which is the very ende wherfore nature hath endued euerye body with this power or vertue, that of the verye action or offyce, is cal­led [Page] in Latyne Retentiua virtus, and in our tung retention, or els y^e vertue retētyue which in some partes of y^e bo­dy is so euydent, y^t it nedeth no demō stration, for it maye be perceyued by senee: and in other some it may better be knowen by reason and cogitation then by sence, as in a woman, howe is the infant retayned .ix. monethes, in her wombe, yf there be no vertue retentyue there, and that the meate, is retayned in the stomake or mawe, vntyl suche tyme as it is altered & cō cocted, euery man may know y^t wyl take a dog, or any other brute beast, & fede him, & thā after he hath rest an houre, ryp his mawe, for loke what ye fedde him w^t, ye shal fynde it there vnconcoct, which is an euident profe that ther is som vertue there y^t retei­neth it. But peaduenture some wyll say that it is reteyned bycause the ne­ther [Page lx] mouthe of the stomacke is verye narowe. Then how fortuneth it that the stomake doth not onelye retayne meate, but drynke also, which for his slyppernesse and subtillitie, wolde passe throughout a very lytle hole, & not drynke onely, but also all maner of decoctions & sorbitions, as myske wyne, meath, with suche other. And in suche mens stomakes as be weake and feble, all decoctions and liquyde thynges (for y^e moost part) do swym longe aboue in the hygher mouth of the stomacke, so moche the lesse they passe throughe streyght waye, after they be receyued and taken. And that this is true, eueryman may know by y^e belches & crying in theyr bellyes after drinke or any like thing: y^e same is also manifestlye proued by theyr vo­myting .ii. houres, yea somtyme hole vi. after they haue eaten, or dronken.

The .vi. Chapter.
¶Of concoction, or the vertue concoctiue.

COncoction is a mutation or an alteration of the meate, into his substaunce that is nouryshed.

And this kynde of concoctyng, dyffe­reth as moche from the alteration of the meate into the iuice, as nutrition from the chaungyng of the iuice into blood. For there be manye kyndes of concoctions, and the fyrste is in the mawe or stomake, where as y^e meate is altered, and tourned into iuice, the nexte is in the lyuer, where as it is made of iuice, blood. The thyrd is in the veynes, where as y^e blood is pre­pared, for the nourysshmente of the whole bodye. The fourth and last, is in the partes, where as it is made flesshe, or at leest lyke vnto that, that is nouryshed. And mānes body may very well be compared to a Prynces [Page lxi] house, wher as is kepte dayly a gret manye of tables, at dyuers tymes of the daye, so in mans bodye, all be not fedde at ones, but summe wayte tyll the other haue done, as the stomacke lyuer and hearte, be fyrste fedde, and than the vaynes, after the whyche, e­uery parte, as he is best able, so he is serued before the other, for as it is a common saying, he that worst maye shall holde the candell, so in mannes bodye the weakeste parte goeth euer to the worst, yet it chaunseth summe tyme that the weaker plucketh from the stronger as the stomake from the lyuer, whan the lyuer is ful of meate and the stomacke is empty and hath none. For it is no matter for a boy, to take apples or nuttes from a man whyche hath more than he can holde in hys handes: But yf they be bothe loded a lyke, than I thynke it vnpos­syble [Page] for the weaker to take any thīg from the stronger, by violence. And looke as the weakest hath leste parte of y^t that is good, so he hath ynough of excrementes, and of that that is nought, and therof it cummeth that the vtter skynne of our bodye doeth receyue all the excrementes whyche afterwarde breaketh forthe in byles or scabbes, for yf the vertue expul­siue were as stronge in it, as in other partes, why shulde it be more laded wyth excrementes, then the reste be? howe be it nature hath made it a re­ceptacle for the excrementes of al the hole bodye, therefore it hath neyther animall nor vitall action, but onelye serueth to the vse before sayed.

The vii. chapiter.
¶Of the vertue expulsyue.

[Page lxii] EUen as the attractyue vertue draweth vnto it thyn­ges conuenient, euen so y^e power expulsyue, expul­seth from it thynges noyfull or hurt­full, and thys maye be euidently per­ceyued in the example aforesayde of the woman goynge wyth chylde, for so longe as euerye thynge aboute the chylde frameth well, so longe the po­wer expulsiue resteth, as there were none suche. But in case any thyng be amisse, so that nature dispayreth to brynge it to good passe or effect, then forth wyth all it is expelled, whyche the vertue expulsiue onely doth, and none other.

Yf this be not sufficiente, to proue that there is a facultye or power in e­uery parte, which doth expell from it thinges hurtfull, I wold ye told me [Page] what it is, that in the mawe parteth the excrement from the good iuyce, or in the liuer, the water from the blood. Wherefore I maye iustelye thynke, that nature passeth all the artifycers in the world. For Praxitiles or Phi­deas, which in theyr tyme were most excellent, dyd but trym theyr ymages onlye wythout, leuyng the innersyde very rawe & rude, wythout al worke manshyppe, because they coulde not come to euery parte of it. But nature whyche dothe extende to euery parte of the bodye, trimmeth the innerside more gorgious than the outsyde ma­kynge euery parte of bone, bone: and euery parte of fleshe, flesshe: kepyng in euery parte, due and iust proporti­on, and furnyshyng them wyth most noble and excelent vertues, faculties and powers. Moreouer neyther Phideas nor Praxitiles, no nor yet Apelles [Page lxiii] coulde make of waxe, Iuerye or golde, nor of golde waxe. For euerye one of these, tarying euer sins his first generation, in his owne fygure, and shape, sauyng for the workemanship that he hath on the vtterside is made an ymage, wher as nature is alway full of varietie, or els all the partes of mannes bodye, shoulde be onelye blood.

The .viii. Chapiter.
¶Of the prouokyng of appetyte.

APpetite is prouoked in the hygher mouthe of the maw, whan the partes beynge ve­rye mouche wasted, doth lacke nou­ryshement, and endeuoreth to drawe of the veynes, the veynes of the liuer and the lyuer of y^e stomake or mawe, the mawe of hys ouer mouth, which is drawen togyther, and vehemently [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] desyreth meate. This drawyng to gyther commeth of the melancholye. which is brought thyther by a veyne comming from the milte, and of this fasshyon hunger or appetyte is styr­red vppe and prouoked, yf it be longe vnslaked, it maye turne to farther in conuenience. For in such case alwaye the lyuer fylleth the stomake, with excrementes, and thereof it cummeth that many mēnes stomakes, be good aboute .viii. of the clocke in the mor­and at ten or .xi. though they be styll fastynge, haue luste to eat nothynge. Summe thynke that hunger cōmeth not as I haue descrybed, but y^t there is a peculyer power in the nutrityue partes, as in the stomacke and lyuer whyche doo prouoke it, as in fysshes that be called pykes, whan they fo­lowe theyr praye, sumwhat gredely, they be so mooued by verye feruente [Page lxiiii] desyre, to ouertake it, that theyr sto­macke ryseth vp to theyr mouthe, in the whyche example, the nature of gluttons is verye well paynted as I thyncke, and trulye for the most part they be rauenars, and great eaters, whych hath shorte neckes and wyde mouthes.

The, ix. Chapter.
¶Of the diuersitie of meates and drynkes.

IT is very profita­ble, for euery man, as well for them that be hole, as for those, that be sicke to knowe y^e dyuersite of meates and drynckes. For suche as be whole, [Page] to the ende that they, knowynge the ryghte vse of them, maye kepe theyr healthe stylle. and suche as be sycke, maye recouer agayne theyr pristinat estate and sanitye.

Wherefore I entende to declare, as bryeflye as I canne, what difference I haue (by longe obseruation, and partelye by myne owne experyence) marked in meates, and drynckes.

Fyrste ye shall vnderstande, that all breade corne, is of greate power and strengthe: I call that strongest, that nouryssheth moste. Also all .iiii. foo­ted bestes that be brought vp tame, in the house, and be daylye vsed for mente, and euery great best, as goo­tes, hartes, swyne, oxen, and sheepe, and also euery great byrde or fowle, as goose, swanne, pecocke and crane and moreouer honye and chese, how muche lesse it is to be marueyled at, [Page lxv] yf that kynde of bread, that the olde auncient Romaynes vsed, were of great nouryshmēt, seing that it was made of wheate, fatte, hony, & chese. Howbeit in the myddle fourme, and in a lower degree of nouryshmentes be numbred, all those herbes, of the whych we eate the rootes, and of .iiii footed beastes, the conye and hare: & all wylde foule, exceptynge neyther hennes nor capons. Also all fyshes y^t can not well suffre salte, nor can be bryned hole. In the lowest kynde or fourme of nouryshmentes, is recke­ned all maner of sallettes, & whatso­euer groweth in a litle stauke, as cu­cūmers, gourdes, or capers, and such lyke: and apples, olyues, and also co­kles. But although we haue distributed the whole kyndes in .iii. partes, yet some that be of one kynde, dyffer verye moche one from an other. For [Page] one is eyther stronger or weaker thā an other. For there is more nourysh­ment in flesh, then in any other meat and wheate is stronger, and nourys­sheth more then myll, and myll more then barly: and of whete, the strōgest and hartyest is that, y^t we call rye: in latin it is called Siligo next in strēgth is the mele, hauyng nothynge taken from it: weakest of all is fyne wheat floure, and beanes also be of strōger nouryshment then pease. And of roo­tes, the rape rootes nourisheth more then eyther the pasnepe, or radysshe. And of herbes, beetes be moche strō ger then lettuse: and offrute, grapes fygges, and nuttes, be stronger thā suche as properly be called apples: & also of those byrdes whych be of the myddle ordre: they be stronger that seke theyr meate on theyr feete, then they that flye abrode, and of suche as flye continually abrode, the byggest [Page lxvi] be the strongest nouryshmente, and theyr flesh is lyghter that lyue in the water, thā they that lyue in the land. But amōgest the .iiii. footed beastes, hogges flesshe is lyghtest, and beaffe hardest: and also of wylde beastes, y^e byggest be of the strongest nutrimēt Of those fysshes that be in the myd­del ordre, the strongest is lynge, and suche as be salted, then tenche, carpe, hadocke, codlynges, and whytinges after these, gurnardes, pikes, roches dace, perches, & gudginges. And ther is not onely difference in y^e kyndes of beastes, but also in them selues, as in their age & certayn partes, & in y^e tē ­perature of y^e wether, & coūtrie wher they be brought vp & bred: For euery sucking beast of .iiii. feet, nourisheth lesse thā suche as sucke not: also fysh in the mydle age, which be not come as yet to their ful bignesse, norisheth not so moch as they y^t be ful growen. [Page] And of lambe, or kydde, the purte­naunce, is of lesse strēgth, then the o­ther partes be: and therfore they may be put in the myddle ordre. Of byr­des, the neckes & wynges, be of lygh­test nouryshment as concernyng the grounde: that wheate is better that groweth on an hyll, then that y^t gro­weth abrode in the felde, and fysshe bredde amongest the stones, is lygh­ter nouryshment then that y^t is bred in the sande: and in the sande, lyghter thā in the mudde. And therfore suche as be breedde in fennes and standing pooles be harder of digestion, then y^e same bredde in rūnyng waters, or a­mōgest stones: and y^t is lighter & eas­lyer of cōcoction, which lyueth in the depe, thā y^t that lyueth in y^e shallowe. And wilde bestes be of lyghter flesh, then tame: & that y^t is bred in moyste wether, is lighter, thā that y^t is bred [Page lxvii] in drie wether. And morouer such as be fatte, be better thā such as be lene: though they be of one kynde: & they that be fresh, be easelyer of digestyon then they that be salte: and newe be better thā stale or olde: and that that is sodden better then that that is ey­ther rosted or fryed. Harde egges be of a very stronge nouryshment, and softe and rere, very weake. Of dryn­kes, ale is the strōgest feder: and thā mylke: and wyne that is made of the mulberye, and all olde wynes: And therfore such as be of weake natures shulde neuer drynke any olde wyne: and of all drynke, water nourysheth leest: and that is strongest ale, which is made of strōgest malte: and those wynes, whose grapes grow in fatte grounde, are of moche stronger nou­ryshment then the wyne of suche as growe in leane. Of waters, the ligh­test, [Page] is rayne water, and next vnto it is the water of a fayre spryng or foū tayne, then of a runnyng floude, and after of a welle, then snowewater, & worse then snowewater is frosē wa­ter: and worse then frosen water is the water of a stāding poole: & worst of all is fennewater, and for such as be diligēt serchers, it is easy to know the nature of waters, for the best is lyghtest, and yf there be two lyke in weyght, the fynest and best is that, y^t wyl sonest be hotte, and sonest colde. And for the mooste parte, this is al­wayes trewe, that euery thynge, as it is of strongest substaunce, so it is hardest to be digested, or altered into good iuice, but where it can be alte­red, it nouryssheth more then that, that is moche fyner. Therfore, there muste be an ordre obserued in these meates, and drynkes aforesayde.

[Page lxviii] As he that hath all his naturall po­wers and actions lusty, and is hymselfe of a stronge and harde comple­xion, leadynge hys lyfe in greate la­bour, maye safelye eate the strongest meates: but he that is of a weake body, and lyueth ydelye, must be fed w^t the weakest meate, and with that, y^t is easye of digestion, and wyll sonest be turned into good iuyce and blood.

The .x. chapter.
¶Of the dyuerse qualities in meates

NEither be these only the dif­ferences, for some meates breede euyll iuice, and some good, and some make moche grosser fleume then other some do, and other some be more mete for the stomake, then other some be: and some be full of winde, and other some be not, and some engender heate: and agayne, there be other some breede colde.

[Page] Som putrifieth easely in y^e stomake, and some wyl not putrify at al: some make leuse the belye, & some bynde y^e same: some prouoke vryne: and some restrayneth it: some causeth sleape, & some, styrryng vp the senses, prouo­keth watche. The whyche, all ought to be knowen, bycause one profyteth the body, or the health, more then an other doth.

The .xi. Chapter.
¶What thynges haue good iuice.

WHeate, rye, & wheat broth, and ryesse, be of good iuice and be gentle, & very mete for the stomake, makynge it moderately hotte: barly broth, som call it prysane, mylke, and softe chese, and all byrdes of the myddle ordre, with some of the bygger, as feysaūt, pecocke, curlewe, and capon, breede or engendre very good iuyce, and of [Page lxix] fysshes, suche as be betwyxt tender, and harde, as mullettes, pykes, gur­nardes and perches. And of herbes, as lettuce, mallowes, cucumers, and gourdes: of egges, suche as be reere and softe: of fructe, all that be swete and also swete wine, and to conclude all fatte or chammye flesshe.

The .xii. Chapiter.
¶What thynges haue euel iuyce.

MIll, barlye, and all poudered flesshe, and also all salte fyshe, and olde chese, and the grayne lyke pease, called fytches, certayn ro­tes also, as rapes and radysshe, and moreouer, beetes, thyme, onyons, garlyke, hysope, rue, fenell, cumyue, dyll, musterd? seede, lyekes, and also myltes, kydneys, and entrayles al­most of euery great beast, bredeth e­uell iuyce & noughty blood, further­more all sower and tarte fruyte, and [Page] to be brefe al thinges that be sharpe, tarte, or bytter, and almost all fysshe that lyue in fennes, lakes, or muddye pondes, or suche as we cal ouergro­wen fysshe.

The .xiii. chapter.
¶What thinges of theyr nature be gentle, and mylde, and agayn what be keene & sharpe.

SUppynges, brothes, ptisans bothe of barley, and also of wheate, and all fatte flesshe, and clammye, the whyche almost is in euerye beast y^t is tame, & brought vp wythin the house, but especilly in pygges and calues feete, and in lam­bes, kyddes or calues heades, & also the braynes of the same, as wel as of byrdes, be gentle and mylde, but all thynges that be sower, or bytter, and all that be salte, also garlyke, o­nions, rue, leekes, cucumers, beetes [Page] and all herbes, for the moste parte be sharpe and keene.

¶The xiiii. chapter.
¶What meates make thycke fleume, and what maketh thinne.

REere egges, ptisanes of wheat rise, and ptisanes of barley, and mylke, and all clammye meates make thycke fleume, and al salte meates, sharpe meates, and tarte meates engender thynne fleume.

The .xv. Chapiter.
¶What meates be good for the stomacke.

ALl sharpe and rarte meates, & suche also as be lyghtely poudered, be very mete and holsome for the stomacke, and besydes these, vnleuened bread, and ryse, or ptisans and all wyldefowle, hauyng whyte fleshe, & of domestical beastes, beaffe hath no felowe.

[Page] Of other beastes, the leane is better for the stomacke then the fatte: and besyde these, swynes feete and eares and the woumbes of barrayn beste. Of herbes, lettuce, pasneppes, and sodden cucumers. Of fruyte cheries mulberies, tender peares, orenges, and quynces, besyde these steped grapes, reere egges, pineapples, whyte olyues soked in sharpe vinegre, orels blacke: that wer not gathered before they were thorowe rype, or els haue bene kepte in sweete wyne, be verye meete & conuenient for the stomacke.

¶The xvi. chapter.
¶What be euel for the stomake.

All hote meates, all salte mea­tes, all manner of potages, and al thynges, that be very swete, and all fattye meates, all sup­pynges, and leuened breade and also oyle that is made of myll or barley, [Page lxxi] and salades y^t be sawesed wyth salte and oyle: moreouer almaner of these mylke, greene fygges, and drye, and finallye all that engender wynde, do greatlye hurte the stomacke. Here it maye be perceyued, that all meates whyche engender good iuyce, be not good for the stomacke, no nor y^t that is good for the stomake, therfore bre­deth good iuyce bycause it is holsom for the stomake.

The .xvii. Chapter.
¶What meates make the bellye swell, and what delaye the same.

AL maner of corne, and all ma­ner of swete meates, and fatte meates, and potages and new wynes also, make the bellye swell, & of herbes, garlyke, onions and lekes, and all maner of rootes, except pas­nepes, and read carretes, also bothe [Page] drye and grene fygges, but of bothe the grene by y^e worse, morouer grene grapes, & al maner of nuttes, mylke also and chese, and all meate that is eaten rawe, prouoketh the swellyng of the bellye. Byrdes y^t haue whyte flesshe, and all maner of venerie, and all fysshe of the myddle order, and al maner of shel fyshe, and besyde these rere or softe egges, & olde wyne make no maner of swellynge in the bellye, Where note that fenelle seede and a­nyse seed, do greatlye ease and helpe the swellynge of the bellye.

The .xviii. chapter.
¶What thynges engender eyther heate or colde,

PEper, salte, flesshe sodden in pottage, garlyke, onyons, drye fyg­ges, salte fysshe, and wyne, doo engender heat, lettuce, and the moste [Page lxxii] parte of herbes eaten rawe, as suco­rye, endyue, borage, violet leues, mā dragon and pople. Also coriander, cucumers, and gourdes sodden. Of frutes, mulberies, cheries, soure apples and tender peares, and specially vine egre, taken eyther as meat or drynke doo augment colde.

The .xix. chapter.
¶What thynges putrifye easelye in the mawe, and what do not.

LEuened bread, ye and all maner, of bread, y^t is not made of wheat and mylke, and hony, and all maner of chese and wynes, eyther y^t be ouer swete, orels ouer thynne, doe easely putrify in y^e maw or stomacke [Page] Howebe it vnleuened bread, and all wylde fowle, of the myddle order, beoffe also, and all harde and leane flesshe, and all salte meates, & sharpe wynes, wyll continue long wythout any putrefaction.

The .xix. chapiter.
¶What thinges do leuse the belly.

VNleuened barly bread, lettuce, purslane, dyl, onions, garlyke, mallowes, beetes, cucumers, cheries, mulberies, raysins, dry fyg­ges, oysters, muscles, and all maner of shell fysshe, but especiallye, broth made with them, also yong and ten­der fysshe, and fatte fleshe in potage, or elles boyled, or suche byrdes as swymme, and besydes these, mylke, rawe hony, swete wyne, and al that that is dronke luke warme, and all fatte or swete meates, doe make the bellye laxatyue.

The .xx. Chapter.
¶What thynges bynde the bellye.

RYe bread vnleauened, harde ro­sted egges, litle birdes, but especyally such as be tame brought vp in the house, and vseth not to flye abrode: also crane, hare, and gootes flesshe: and besyde these, beaffe, and harde chese, and hony, y^t hath sodden longe on the fyre, peres also that be not rype, and specially such as be cal­led rollyng peres. Also orynges and quynces, whyte olyues, and wyne y^t is tart and sharpe: and finally al thī ­ges y^t be harde, leane, tart, or sharpe, and of flesshe that y^t is rosted, sooner thā that that is sodden, haue power to bynde the belly.

The .xxi. Chapter.
¶What thinges prouoke vryne.

[Page] AL thinges (for y^e moost parte) that smel fragāt­lye, helpe to prouoke v­rine: mynt also and rue, dyll, anysseede, parcelye seede, and fenellseede, besydes these, tyme, coriandre, onyons, and worm­wood, thynne wynes also, and both rounde and longe pepper, also mu­sterd seede, and pyneapples.

The. xxii. chapter.
¶What thynges prouoke slepe. and what cause watche.

LEttuce, pople, mandragon, mul­beryes, and garlyke, prouoke slepe. Tyme, rue, hysope and v­nyons styre vp the senses, whereby they cause watche.

¶The fyrst Chapter.
¶Of exercyse.

EXercyse is necessa­ry for ii. causes, the one to pourge the body of excremen­tes, and the other to chaūge it from a worse state to a better. For seinge that euery laboure is not an exercice, but onely that y^e is vehemēnt, these. iii. must nedes cōse­quētly folow exercise. Hardnesse of y^e limes, or of suche partes as be exerci­sed, encrese of natural heat, & swifter mouing of y^e spirites. These profites exercyse bringeth w^t him, of necessity besyde a great many other y^t come of these, as of y^e hardnes of y^e partes the bodye is made bothe apte to endure [Page] moch labour w^tout payne, & also quicker, redier, & finally strōger to y^e same Of y^e encrease of natural heate, y^e po­wer or vertue attractiue is quickned in all partes seruynge to nutrition, & moreouer the alteration, or concoctiō in the same is made moche stronger, by reason wherof the body is noury­shed moche better, and more luckely, then it shoulde haue bene: and euerye parte also sprynkled, wyth a swete moysture or dewe, that maketh such membres as be harde, softe: and also mollifying the pores or fyne holes of the skynne, do open the same, which by reason of the strong and oftē mo­uing of the spirites be cleane purged of all theyr excrementes and filthes, and also the excrementes of the hole body be had awaye. Now yf al these come of exercyse, as no doubte they do, peraduenture it is an harde mat­ter [Page lxxv] to shew the due & seasonable time of takyng it: for bycause it helpeth y^e concoction throughout the whole body, there may be no quātitie of rawe iuice, neyther in the mawe, nor in the small veynes about the liuer, lest the same be snatched into euery parte of the bodye, before it be made mete or profitable to the same by concoxion. Therfore bycause it doth clense and purge the lytle pores, and also expel the experimentes, it maye well be taken before meate. For Hypocrates sayth: Yf thou nouryshe vncleane bo­dyes, and suche as be ful of excremē ­tes, thou shalt do them more harme, then good. Wherfore it is verye euy­dēt that the best and metest tyme for excercyse is when yesterdayes meate is concoted, bothe in the stomacke and also in the veynes. For if it be ta­ken at anye other tyme, eyther before [Page] or after, it must eyther fyll the bodye full of crude and rawe humours, or els augment pale, and citrine choler. Doubtlesse, the true marke of thys tyme is takē of the vrine. For whyte water betokeneth cruditie, readde, ouermoche concoction, and that, that is somewhat pale, and a lytle turned to yelowe, is a token that the second concoction is nowe alreadye downe: and so longe as the water or vryne is not infected wyth choler, it is styll whyte: and when it hathe taken to moche of choler, then it is red. Ther­fore when it is betwyxte readde and whyte, then it is tyme to begynne exercyse, fyrst easynge the bodye of the excrementes, of the guttes or entrai­les, as well as of the vryne or water, in the bladder, lest some parte of the foresayde excrementes, be eyther chaunged into the habyte of the bo­dye, [Page lxxvi] or els (throughe the vyolence of the greate heate, whych exercyse and the vehemēt exagitation causeth) do putrifye, whereof there maye ensue moche inconuenience. Therfore se­ing that exercyse (as we sayd before) is a vehement mouynge, it is verye mete and necessary to shew for what bodyes exercyse is mooste conueny­ent and holesoome: for Hypocrates counsayleth them, whose bodyes ex­cede in heate, to beware of all vyo­lent and vehement mouinges. Then shall suche bodyes lyue in ydlenesse, wythout exercyse? or any mouynge? no. For althogh Hypocrates forbyd suche to vse any exercyse that is vyo­lent: yet neuerthelesse he forbyddeth them ydlenesse, commaundyng them to vse those kyndes of exercise which be not vehement, as walkynge & ry­dinge: but such as be colde of nature, [Page] or at the leest excede not in heate, and especially they that haue many wast and supersluous humours, may safe lye vse the vehement excersyces that be, in case they obserue the tyme be­foresayde, and do not sodeynlye, and at the fyrst brunt, excercyse thē selfes as vehementlye as afterwarde. For as ye se lute or harpestringes, if they be sodeynely and vehementlye stret­ched, be put in great daunger of breauynge, so the synowes, and the fyne small veynes, yf they be vehemently plucked anye waye with any sodden mouynge of the bodye, be in no lesse daunger then of breakyng. Therfore whosoeuer wyll excercyse hym selfe vehemently, euen at the fyrst, let hym after he hath put of his clothes, chafe his lymmes softly, vntyll they waxe redde, and be moderatelye hotte, and then annoynt hys ioyntes with oyle [Page lxxvii] & after let hym not spare to excercise hym selfe sūme what vehementlye, but suche as may take their excercise at theyr owne wyll and pleasure, let them begyn softely encresynge theyr labowre, styll more and more, vntyll suche tyme as theyr fleshe be throgh­lye swelled, and begyn to sweat, but then it is tyme to leaue, lest such hu­mours as be good, and profitable to the nouryshment of the bodye be ex­pelled, as well as they y^t be noughte And also immoderate excersise, dry­eth vp the bodye, and consumeth as well the natural heat, as the natural moysture, whereby the spirits decay whiche shortneth lyfe, and hasteneth olde age.

There be many kyndes of exersyses, whyche maye all well be alowed: as shotynge, dyggynge wyth a spade or mattocke, bowelynge, eyther in the [Page] fyelde or in the alley, haukynge, hun­tynge, daunsyng, runnyng, leapyng, tennes, and footebal, but of these, or els of other, whych is not rehearsed, the beste be they that excersyse al partes egally, as shotynge and tennyse, for dyggyng doth excersise the backe to muche, and runnyng or daunsing, the legges. Wherfore they be not so well to be alowed, as the rest, which exercyseth all partes a lyke.

The .ii. Chapter.
¶Of dyner or eatynge tyme.

DIogenes beynge asked whan it was beste for a man to be refres­shed wyth meate, aunswered on this fasshyon sayeng, a ryche manne whan he wyll, & a poore man whan he maye. As I do well alowe that a poore manne shall not eate before he haue meate, so I doo vtterlye con­demne that a ryche manne shall eate [Page lxxviii] whan he wyll. For meat taken ey­ther out of tyme, or to much in quantitye, is cause of many euyls and maladies, to the bodye.

It is taken out of tyme, eyther whā the accustomed houre of eatynge is broken, as to deferre dyner tyll .iii. of the clocke at after noone, orels whan that tyme is spente in eatyng, which is ordeyned for an other pourpose as to eat in the nyght, whyche is ordeyned for slepe, and it maye be taken to muche in quantitie, many wayes.

For summe man eatynge but .iii. bit­tes, of beaffe, shall surfet as sore of it as sūme other that peraduenture be syde other meates, deuowreth foure grotes woorthe of beaffe.

And he also taketh to muche whyche ceasseth not from eatynge, so longe as he is able to eate or swalowe any [Page] more as well as he y^t eateth so much that hys belly is harde wythal.

Of these kyndes of repletion, com­meth eyther sodayne death by brea­kyng of the skynne, called Peritone­um, or elles a continuall laske, called Lienteria, whych alwayes bringeth wyth it, a consumption, wyth many other diseases, of the whyche. I en­tende nat to speake of, at thys tyme. wherfore it is good, and holsome for euery man to leaue eatyng, wyth an appetyte, and not to eate so muche at one meale, as myght well suffice na­ture, iiii. & also to feade of such mea­tes, as is moste holsom for his body. If he be cholerycke, and strong of nature ledynge a laboursūme life, than he may fede of grosse and strong me­ates, as beaffe and suche meates, as is put in the fyrste order, but yf he be flenmatyke, and of a weake nature, [Page lxxix] than lette hym take heede of grosse meates, and fede of suche as be in the myddle order, of the whyche repleti­on is nothynge so daungerous, as of the other.

As concernynge the tyme of eatyng, euery man whan he is hungred, if he maye haue it, yet one tyme is better than another, and the very best tyme is after excersyce. For then the bodye is clere pourged of all excrementes, and naturall heate is encreased, and made muche stronger. And the next tyme is at .xi. of the clocke before dy­ner, and agayne at .vi. a clocke of the nyght. Howebeit children and suche as be not yet at theyr fulle groweth, and olde men whyche be weake and feble, had nede to eat oftener, so that they take the lesse at ones, and putte fower houres, at the least, betwene euerye meale. [...]

[Page] and also of the synnowes, whyche be the instrumentes of mouynge, and that the foresayde vapours whythe doo fume vp to the brayne maye not be crude or rawe, the hearte plucketh in to it bothe the blood and naturall heat, that is in the vtter partes. And thys same rest is good for .iii. causes, fyrst to moyster the brayne, and then to the generation of spirites, & laste of all, to make an ende of the conco­ction bothe in the stomake and liuer. The materiall cause of sleepe, are the sweete vapours, the whyche whan they be made moyst, styllyng doune, do stoppe the cōduytes of the sensis. For they be not clāmye or grosse hu­mours, such as hurte the brayne, but they be swete fumes, the whiche af­ter they be ascended, be made thycke by the coldenes of the brayne, & rūne downe, sprinkelyng the brayne with [Page lxxxi] moysture. Therfore Aristotle doeth compare the same motiō of vapours to the floude Euripus, bycause in theyr goinge vp they turne backe a­gayne, and other folowe, and come after, but the efficient cause is some­what more darke and obscure. For it is certayne that the heat and blood of the vtter partes, is (as Hypocrates sayeth) drawenin to the hearte, and though the body then be hotter with in, it is colde without: therfore when we slepe, we haue nede of manye clo­thes. The heate and blood is drawē in bycause that when the concoction is begone, the vapours do fume vp, naturally: and whē they be disolued they come downe fulbut on y^e heate of the herte, which dryueth thē backe to the vtter partes: and thus y^e heate is dryuen styll more and more to the herte: the whyche heate gathered to­gyther [Page] doth make an ende of cōcocti­on, that the vapours which ascende to the brayne, may both be more plē ­tifull and also sweter. But I thynke that the heate is drawen into y^e hert, not somoche for the cōmyng downe of vapours, as that the vitall and a­nimall powers be sociate and cow­pled togyther by the diuyne prouy­dence of god. For what parte soeuer be diseased, the herte, streyght lyke a naturall Prince or gouernour, ende­uoureth all that he can to helpe it, & therfore he callethe in his heate, that he may helpe y^e necessary action, both of the stomacke and lyuer. And whē the vtter partes of the body be at rest then the hert laboureth mooste, dra­wynge vnto hym bothe heate and blood: of the whych he enhendreth vitall spyrytes. And trulye I se not a suffycyent cause, why so moche heate [Page lxxxii] shoulde be called in, except this same societie of the powers were ordey­ned of God, that as soone as the vt­ter partes were at rest, the hert either for hys owne cause, or elles for the stomacke or liuer, myght drawe vn­to hym more plentiful heate to helpe the innermore actions, whych be ne­cessarye for the conseruation of na­ture, and as euery man is moost gre­ued, and afrayed of his owne iepar­dye, and doth couete fyrst to defende hym selfe: so euerye parte of the bo­dye fyrst prouydeth for him selfe, and thys naturall inclination is gyuen to all maner of creatures, to coueyte fyrste to saue them selues. And ther­fore the herte especially for his owne cause, draweth to hym selfe heate, bycause he hath neade of bloode, and bycause his spirites be almost spent. And therefore he also healpeth the [Page] well of the blood, which is the liuer, that it maye cherysh it selfe, & bryng forth, newe, and fresshe spirites, and moreouer the brayne beinge werye and desyryng rest, leueth mouyng of the vtter partes, and whensoeuer the body hath nede of recreation or quy­etnesse, the actions of al the vertues be agreed by and by. And this same consent or agrement, god hath gyuē to all the partes, that after defatiga­tion or werynesse, they may be refre­shed wyth rest and quyetnesse. The finall causes be great benefytes, the whych slepe gyueth to euery vertue or power, one by one: it helpeth nu­trition bycause it maketh an ende of concoction, and there is nothynge more certayne thā that the crudities whych come for lacke of sleape is vncurable, bycause not onely the meate is left vndigested, but also the vertue [Page lxxxiii] of the stomake, is vtterly destroyed, partly by the burthē and weyght of of the crude and rawe meate, & part­lye bycause the synowes be hurte by the wekenes of y^e brayne that cōmeth for lacke of slepe, as Hypocrates spe­king generally, sayth that ouermoch watche bryngeth moost cruell cram­pes, and there haue ben many which for lacke of slepe haue felt often crampes in theyr neckes, and the palsye in theyr legges, and also a great imbe­cillitie and weakenesse in theyr sto­make. And bysyde these the naturall heate, throughoute the whole bodye decayeth sore, bycause it is not chery­shed with vitall spirit. And hereof it maye be perceyued, how moche nede we haue of slepe, to the conseruation of nutrition. For when the concoctiō is done well, and as it shoulde be, there is nouryshment distributed to [Page] euery parte of the body, wherw^t they be cheryshed: and there is also spyri­tes engendred, whyche mynistreth newe strength to the bodye, and yet the boylyng heate of the body is mit­tigated with takyng rest, and the bo­dye it selfe is sprynkled with a swete dewe, that cōmeth from the brayne: and the brayne also taketh strength wherwith y^e fynowes be made more lustye. It helpeth the vitall power, bycause the herte drawynge to hym heate, doth brynge forth great plen­tye of spyrites, the whych be made so moche more brighter how moche the bloode is purer. And agayne it hel­peth the animall powers (for whose conseruation it is ordeyned of God) bycause y^e vertue both of the brayne & synowes shulde be destroyed cleane, wyth ouermoche drynesse, excepte y^t it were cherysshed, wyth slepe, in the [Page lxxxiiii] whyche the brayne is made moyste, gatherynge to hym agayne his pri­stinate strength. How acceptable al­so is sleape in diseases, and sorowes, the which many tymes it onely hea­leth, to mannes great profyte & ease.

The .v. Chapter.
¶Of slepyng tyme, and of the hole­some lying in bedde.

SLepe ought to be taken in the begynnyng of y^e night and there ought to be but a litle space betwyxt sup­per and sleape, therfore after a lytle soft walkynge, to the entent that the meate may go downe into the maw, and also that the vpper mouth of the mawe, may be shutte. I wolde coun­sel euery man to take rest, lying hym downe first on y^e right side, lest w^t ly­ing [Page] on y^e lefte syde, he open the vpper mouth of his stomake, howbeit after hys fyrste sleape, he maye safelye lye on the left syde: and whosoeuer hath a weake stomake, let hym lye groue­lyng vpon hys face, for it helpeth cō ­coction, and letteth the generation of fleume, encreasing natural heate, by reason wherof euil and noughty hu­mours be degested and concocted.

And no man that is wyse, slepe vpō hys backe: for therof commeth many sore diseases. It is very holesome to slepe, the shulders and heed lying on hye: for so the heate is easelye gathe­red togyther, whych maketh conco­ction perfyte, and destroyeth all cru­dities and rawnesse, concernyng also natural heate, engēdreth good blood wherof the body taketh both strēgth and lyuely coloure.

The .vi. Chapter.
¶What cummeth of longe watchynge.

[Page lxxxv] WIthout doubte, there is no thynge that decayeth the strengthe more, eyther of the bodye, or of the wytte, then to watche long after supper, because there foloweth not onely cruditie; but also naturall heate is disper­sed abrode, and the vertue of the sto­macke faynteth & decayeth, & nough­tye and vncleane blood is engendred whyche is cause that the body is fyl­led wyth euell humours, wherof cō ­meth an euell habyte, as palenesse or leanenesse, and the troublynge of the spirites wyth greate infirmitie and weakenes of the brayne.

Wherefore youth ought to be accu­stomed and vsed to omytte studye in the begynnynge of the nyght, and so muche the lesse to haunt banketynge [Page] and drynkynge tyl mydnyght no nor to spend the tyme in exitious labour whyche god hath ordeyned for euery creature to reste in. I haue hearde in thys matter, the diligence of manye noble menne, whyche beynge trowe­bled wyth matters of the common wealthe, haue euer obserued this custome, that after supper, they wente strayght to bed, and in the mornyn­ges they dyd alwayes dispatch their busines. Sener wryteth that Asini­us woulde not so much as vnseale a letter at after supper, so muche the lesse reade one, to the entente that he might go to bed with a quiet mynde. And yf thou wylte slepe swetely (as Homer sayeth) thou muste take hede of cruditie in thy stomacke, and also haue a quyet mynde.

[Page lxxxvi] For the sorowe and pensifnes, of the hearte, also the boylynge and greate heate of the blood and spirites, and earnest angre, distempereth y^e brayn wyth vnquyetnes, and wyll not suf­fre the hart to go about any naturall action, and besydes these, thynke ye that it is no sinne before god: to pu­nyshe so cruellye and corrupte the nature of our bodyes? seyng that holy scrypture, commaundeth to gyue ho­nour and reuerence to the bodye.

Therefore we oughte to gyue dyly­gence that (as muche as we maye) we vse well thys reste and quietnes ordeyned of god, by the whyche we are warned of oure resurrection af­ter the mortyfyenge of our bodyes. As thys reste whych we call slepe is ordeyned of God, that in it oure lyfe maye be renued, because there is then a great number of spirits engendred, [Page] so let vs thynke that deathe is not e­ternall miserie, to the faythefull, but a lytle space, in the whiche, it is mete and conuenient for vs, to be borne a­gayne, to a better lyfe.

The .vii. chapiter.
¶Of dreames.

ALthough the question of drea­mes pertayneth to the inner sē ­ses, yet I wyll speake of them euen nowe. For I pourpose not to prosecute the longe circumstances of the naturall philosophers, whych endeuoure to shewe a naturall cause of euery dreame. Homer the olde and auncient poet iesteth excedynge feat­lye of the .ii. gates of dreames, of the whiche gates, the one is the waye or [Page lxxxvii] entranse of vayne dreames, and the other of suche as do signifye summe thinge. A dreame is nothynge, but an ymagination made in the sleape, whan that dyuers spirites meete to­gyther in the brayne, whyche beyng the instrument of our thoughtes, do make dyuers ymages.

Furthermore in sleepe, the inner sen­ses be a great deale more at lybertye than the vtter be.

The .viii. Chapter.
¶Of dreames naturall.

THe fyrste kynde of dre­ames, be cōmon to e­uery manne, therefore they maye well be cal­led naturall. These dreames be, whan we [Page] fansie suche thynges in the nyght as we thought on, whan we were wa­kynge, whervpon Claudian the poet sayeth, iudges dreame of stryfe, and controuersies of the lawe, & carters dreame of theyr cartes, orels whan our dreames, answere dyrectelye to certayne humours, the redowndyng or mouyng, of the whych doth moue our imagination, or spirites.

As they that haue plentie of fleume, dreame of swymmyng or drownyng & of this fashyon nyght mares trou­ble vs in our slepe, whanso euer anye thycke or grosse humour is eyther in the brayne or breste, lettyng the brest to moue, the whyche mooueth our ymagination, that it thinketh our brest be pressed downe of summe other.

The. ix. Chapiter.
¶Of that kynde of dreames that foreseeth thyn­ges to come.

THe seconde kynde of drea­mes, foreseeth thynges to cumme, but not be any di­uine power for euery man as he hath a good tempered bodye & as he hath peculier gyftes, and pro­perties of nature, before other men: as one man is better skylled, in mu­sycke then an other, & an other more nimble to clyme than he, so many by a peculyar gyfte of nature, haue dre­ames that declare thynges to come by allegories and prouerbes: Such were the dreames of Scilla, & Lu­cullus. And Augustus Cesers Phi­sition called Musa, dremed that Au­gustus hys owne tente was taken of hys enemyes.

Wherefore Augustus warned of it, [Page] departed from thence, and euen as the phisition had dreamed, it chaun­sed. For that wynge where his tente was beynge put to flyght, hys owne tente, and tabernacle, was taken, of hys enemyes.

Tullye the eloquent romayne, reher­seth manye lyke examples, & he hym selfe dreamed, that Octauius shulde be emperour of Rome, longe before he knewe hym. And Pontanus writeth of a certayne manne of warre, which dreamed y^t he was deuoured of a serpent, wherfore whā other of hys felowes toke shyppyng to fyght agaynst their enemies, he only taried at home, and it chaunced that there was a fraye in the citie y^t daye where it fortuned hym to be slayne, wyth a gunstoone, whyche in theyr tongue was called a serpent.

Gallen also wryteth of a certayne [Page lxxxix] man that dreamed himselfe to be ba­thed in his owne blood, and the next daye when he opened hys dreame to the Phisitions, they said that he had ouermuche blood: wherfore contra­ry to Galenes counsayl, they let him blood, so he being destitute of strēgth dyed as he had dreamed before, ba­thed and washed in his owne blood. Of these kyndes of dreames there is no euident cause, neyther in the mo­uynge of humours, nor yet in theyr quantitie or qualitie, but that there be certayne natures that foreseeth thynges to come, whyche haue drea­mes oftentymes that signifye some­thynge. Nor I wyll not be agaynste them that thynke this propertye to come of the excellent temperature of the bodye, as the Astronomers doo: but I thynke them not wyse whyche gyue preceptes of the interpretation [Page] of dreames, attributynge the cause [...] to the motion of humours, seinge that one man hath not alwayes lyke dreames.

The. x. chapter.
¶Of that kynde of dreames the which prophecieth of thynges to come, by diuine power.

THe thyrde kynde of dreames is godlye, which god worketh in mens myndes, ey­ther by hym selfe, or elles by his aungels, suche were the prophecies of Iacob, Ioseph, and Daniel, and other lyke, which holy scripture doth affirme to come from god, & not of lyght or try­flyng matters, but of Christe, and of the gouerning of the churche, & king domes, & of theyr ordre. This kynde of dremes ought well to be decerned [Page xc] from the other: for in the other there is no truthe. And this one kynde of dreames is verye certayne and true, as it shall appeare better hereafter.

The. xi. chapiter.
¶What kynde of dreames is deuilysh.

THe fourth kynde of dreames is diuylysh, as when wytches and coniurers do dreame of feastes, and playes. And the deuyl hym selfe also oftētimes sheweth horrible spe­ctacles to men in theyr slepe, as Va­lerius wryteth of the Romayn Cas­sius. And there was a certayne Ro­mayne called Latinus, whiche was cōmaunded in his slepe to remēbre y^e consul, of certayne thynges as cōcer­ning the stage playes, the which by­cause he had not done, the deuyl kyl­led his sonne. Here bothe the cause & the effecte also doth declare, that the dreame was deuylysshe.

[Page] For the deuyl alwayes endeuoureth to stablish suche customes as be wic­ked, and noughtye, and he is delyted wyth vniust death: there hath chaū ­ced manye lyke vnto this in the olde tyme, no lesse superstitious. And we haue hearde nowe of late dayes, the vayne dreames of the Anabaptistes, commaundyng synne, or confirmyng errours, and heresyes: the whyche doubtlesse may be perceyued and iudged of godlye and wyse men.

The. x. chapter.
¶To what kynde of dreames we ought onely to gyue credite.

I Haue rehersed .iiii kyndes of dremes the why [...]h yf they be well [...]onsydred and loked vpon, it shall be easye to iudge of this com­mune [Page xci] question, that is: whether any thynge maye be coniectured of drea­mes, or no: and whether anye man ought to gyue credite or to truste to dreames or no. One kynde of drea­mes is true and certayne: wherfore euery man ought to gyue credite vn­to it, whiche is the same kynde, that prophecyeth of thynges to come, by reuelation from God, insomoch that they whyche haue suche dreames, knowe that they come from God. Iacob and Ioseph knewe that their dreames came from God, and ther­fore they knewe the signification of them. Also god doth adde a noble te­stimony of this vnto the profite Da­niel, whē Nabuchodonozor had for­gotten hys dreame, god shewed it a­gayne vnto Daniel, that it shoulde be knowen, that it came from hym. Therfore this kynde of dreames is [Page] except from that rule which forbyd­deth vs to giue credite vnto dreames For when they come from God, and when God testifyeth that he is the authour of them, then it is necessary to beleue them: of the other dreames there ought nothyng to be affirmed. And as concernyng the .iiii. kynde of dreames, it is vtterly to be abhorred. Dreames of the seconde kynde, al­though theybe coniectures, yet there ought to be no affirmation of them: wherfore we ought to gyue no credit vnto them, and for the mooste parte, they be full of ambiguitie. Therfore manye kynges and capitaynes haue bene deceyued with suche dreames. The last battayle which Pompeius fought with Cesar, he was moued to it with a dreame, which promysed hym victorye, bycause he had dremed y^t he was in his royal seate at Rome: [Page xcii] and thought the people reioysyng in hym, clapped theyr handes for ioye: but Pompeius was deceyued in the interpretation. For that same reioy­synge with the handes of the people, dyd not pretende victorie, but rather the encouragementes annd prouoke­mentes of Domitius Lentulus and Labienus, whyche the morowe af­ter hys dreame, counsayled hym to fyght, promysyng hym victorie, and settyng his mynde on fyre w^t vayne hope. Darius also dreamed, that he sawe the hoste of the Macedonians to go through Asia burnīg, & to come to Babilō, and there Alexander him selfe hauyng a Percians robe, to go into the churche, and streyght to va­nysh out of syght. Therfore Darius thought that the stames of fyre dyd p [...]ende death to Alexanders army, and that Alexander shoulde become [Page] captyue, bycause he was decked af­ter his countrie fassyon: but by y^e fyre was fignifyed the great hast of Alexander, and his victoryes, & hys gar­mēt betokened that he shuld be kyng and lorde ouer the whole dominion, and empire of the Pertians. Hamil­car capitayne of the Carthageneans dreamed that he supped in Siracusa therfore the next daye purposyng to take the towne, made battlement to the walles, where it fortuned him to be taken by reason of a tumult in his owne armye: so beinge a captyue he supped in the cytye, as he had drea­med before. Wherfore we oughte to gyue no credite to this kynde of drea­mes: seinge they be so varyable and deceytfull. Therfore let them be as coniectures, which somtyme chaūce or happen. But I wolde that everye man shulde thynke, that they be both [Page cxiii] deceytfull coniectures, and also vn­certayne, as many mo be. Let super­stition be set asyde, and let vs remē ­ber the sayinge of Salomon: where manye dreames be, there is moche vanitie and errour.

The. xiii. chapter.
¶Of Venus or bodelye pleasure.

HIppocrates sayth that Venus or bo­dely lust, is a parte of the fallyng euel Therfore it is not to be desyred, ouer gredely, nor yet vtterlye to be abhorred, seyng that the kynde of al lyuyng rreatures, is conserued by generation, and as Celsus sayeth: If it be vsed but seldome, it maketh the bodye to growe, and v­sed often, it doeth not onelye drye the bodye, but also it dissolueth it, vtter­ly [Page] bycause bothe vitall, animal, and natural spirit is wasted wyth the im­moderate vse of it, and the bodye is begyled also of hys nouryshement.

Howebeit whan there foloweth nei­ther greyfe nor sorowe after it, there can comme no great harme of it, and the vse of it, is worse in summer, and in autumne, then eyther in the wyn­ter or in the spryng, and it is holsom­mer in the nyghte, then in the daye, & also it is better full, then emptye, and all maner of labour after it, is vtter­lye pernicious.

The. xiiii. Chapter.
¶Of the tymes of the yere.

THe holsemest tyme of the yere is the sprynge, and nexte vnto it is wynter, sūmer is not so good, and autumne is extreme peri­lous. [Page xciiii] For they be best, whych be most temperate and egal, whether they be hotte or colde. Therefore autumne is verye daungerous because it is hote then about noone, the mornynge and euenyng bothe beyng colde, therof it cōmeth that the body resolued w^t the heat at noone, is made starke, w^t the sodayn colde of the euenyng, whych causeth manye diseases. And in the spring, where as is equalitie (if there be anye in the yere) the fayrest dayes be moste holsome, and raynye dayes be better than clowdye w^tout rayne, and in wynter those dayes are beste, that be not wyndye, and in summer, whan the westerne wynde bloweth.

Summe peraduenture wyll loke that I shulde haue writte of bathes seynge that there is nothyng that is more medicinable than they be: But forasmuche as we englyshmen haue [Page] no vse of them, and also seynge that there are dyuers, whyche haue wryt of them verye well in Englysshe, I thought I had no nede to enterme­dle wyth them, yet yf anye man wylle vse them, lette hym bathe hym in warme water, before meat, and after meate, in colde, and he shal not greatlye erre in the takyng of them.