Fyrst I sayd y^e tokens of this infyrmyte. vii. thȳges ought to be noted in the same / y^e fyrst is whā in a sommers day the weder oftentymes chaūgeth as in y^e mornyn ge the weder appereth to rayne / afterwarde it appe reth cloudy & at y^e last wynde in the south. The secon de token is whan in somer the dayes appereth all der ke & lyke to rayne & yet it rayneth not / and yf many dayes so cōtynue it is to drede grete pestylence. The thyrde token is whan grete multytude of flyes ben vpon y^t erthe then it is sygne / y^t y^e ayer is venymous and infecte. The. iiii. token is whan y^e sterres semen oftentymes to fal / then it is token y^t the ayer is infect w^t moche venemous vapours. The. v. token is whā a blasynge sterre is sene in the element aboue / then it sholde fortune sone after to be grete manslaughter. in batayll. The. vi. token is whan there is grete lyght nynge & thundre namely out of the south. The. vii. token [Page] is whan grete wyndes passen oute of the south / they be foule & vnclene / therfore whan these tokens appere it is to drede grete pestylence but god of his mercy wyll remeue it.

These thȳges folowynge ben the causes of pestylence. The pestylēce cometh of. iii. thynges / sōtyme it cometh fro the rote byneth other whyle fro y^e rote aboue to y^e we may fele sensibly how the chaūge of the ayer appereth vnto vs / & sōtyme it cometh of both togyder as well fro the rote aboue as fro the rote byneth / as we see a sege or a preuy nexte to a chamber or of ony other pertyculer thynge whi­che corrupteth y^e ayer in his substaūce & qualyte whi­che is a thȳge may happe euery day / & therof cometh the ague of pestylence / & aboute the same many phy­sycyons be deceyued / not supposynge this axes to be a pestylence / somtyme it cometh of dede careyn or corrupcion of standynge water in dyches or sloughes & other corrupt places / and these thynges somtyme be vnyuersall & sōtyme perticuler. ¶ Fro the rote aboue it fortuneth y^e causes of the bodyes aboue the ayer by whome the spyryte of lyfe is corrupt in man or beest as Auicēce sayth in his.. iiii. boke / by y^e forme of thayt aboue the bodyes byneth lyghtly be infect / for thyn­pressyons aboue corrupteth the ayer & so the spirytes of man be corrupt / this infyrmyte cometh from the rote aboue / & bynethe whan of thynpressyons aboue the ayer is corrupte / and of the putryfaccyon or ro­ten careyne / or of vyle places byneth an infyrmyte is caused in a man / & suche an Infyrmyte somtyme is an axes / somtyme a postome or a swellȳge and that is in many thynges. Also the ayer inspyred sōtyme is [Page] venymous and corrupt / hurtynge y^e herte / y^t nature many wayes is greued soo / y^t he perceyueth not his harme for y^e vyrgyn appereth fayre & sheweth good dygestyon yet neuerthelesse y^e pacyent is lyke to dye / wherfore many physycyens seynge the vryn of theyr pacyentes y^t speke superfycyally & be deceyued. Ther fore it is nede y^t euery pacyent proue to hym selfe a good & experte physycyon. These thynges wryten be fore are y^e causes of pestylence. But aboute these thȳ ges two questyons be moeued. The fyrst is wherfore one dyeth & another dyeth not in a towne where mē be dede in one house / & in another house there dyeth none. The seconde questyon is whether pestylence so­res be cōtagyous. To y^e fyrst questyon I saye it may happe to be of two causes / y^t is to saye of y^e thynge y^t doth & of y^t thȳge that suffreth / an example of y^t thyn ge that doth / y^e Influence of the bodyes aboue behol­deth that place or that place more than this place or this place / & the pacyent is more disposed to dye thā another. therfore it is to be noted y^t y^e bodyes be more hote disposed of open poores than bodyes Infect ha: uynge the poores stopped w^t many humoures where bodyes be of resolucyon or openynge / as men whiche abusen them selfe w^t women or vse often tymes ba­thes / or men y^t be hote w^t laboure or grete anger they haue theyr bodyes more disposed to this grete seke­nes. To the secōde questyon I saye y^t pestylence sores be cōtagyous by cause of infect humoures of bodyes and the reeke or smoke of suche soores is venymous and corrupteth y^e ayer & therfore it is to flee fro suche persones y^t be infect / in pestylence tyme no body shol de stande in grete prece of people by cause some manne [Page] [Page] [Page] vse the remedyes folowynge.

In the mornynge whan ye ryse / wasshe a lytell rewe & one or two fyl­berde nottes clenc w^t salte & ete them / & yf y^t can not be had than ete brede or a toste sopped in veneger namely in troublous & cloudy weder. Also in the tyme of pestylence it is better to abyde w^tin the house / for it is not holsome to go in to cyte or towne / also let your house be sprynkled specyally in somer with vyneger and roses & with leues of vyne tree. Also it is good to wasshe your handes ofte tymes in the day w^t wa­ter & veneger / & wype your face with your handes & smell to them. Also it is good alwaye to sauoure ay­ger thynges. In the moūt of pessulane I myght not eschewe the company of people for I wente fro hous to house bycause of my pouerte to cure seke folkes therfore brede or a sponge sopped in vyneger I toke with me holdynge it to my mouth and nose bycause all egre thynges stoppen the wayes of humours and suffreth no venymous thynges to entre in to a mannes body & so I escaped the pestylens my felowes supposȳge y^t I sholde not lyue these thynges I haue proued by my selfe.

¶ Here foloweth the cōfortes of y^e herte & of y^e pryncypall membres.

The cōfortes of y^e herte be these / saffron anifex plantayn: w^t other herbes they open the inwarde spyryte / & these be good amonge the comyn people where lyghtly it happeth y^t one is infecte of another therfore beware the brethe of a­nother. Also of an Infect ayet a mans eyen be made dymme yf he bere not y^e forsayd thȳges in his hande Also it is holsome y^t ye wasshe your mouth face eyen & handes oftentymes in y^e day w^t rose water medeled w^t veneger / & yf ye haue no rose water take veneger [Page] and so these thynges vsed ye may go surely amonge the people. Also a naturall lax of the bely is a grete re medy elles prouoke a lax by a supposory craftly / vse pypylle pestilēciales for they be good / they be in thap potycarye shoppes. Also kepe fyre alway in your hou se for it letteth moche the Impressyons of the bodyes aboue & clarefyeth the ayer. Also it is profytable as well for & hole seke folkes to drynke tryacle therfore take it. ii. tymes a day with clere wyne limphat or w^t clere rose water or w^t clere ale / take a quantyte of trya cle & two sponefull of clere wyne or rose water or ale dyssolue the tryacle in the cup & drȳke it & dyne not tyll y^e myddes of the day y^t the tryacie may haue his operacyon / then chese a good dysshe w^t mete / & drȳke clere wyne & often tymes drynke in the day but not moche togyder / for moche haboundaunce of drynke putryfyeth the humours. Also beware hote thynges in metes as peper & garlyke / though peper purgeth the brayne from the flewme & specyally y^e membres from vesyous humours / yet it maketh moche hete / & hete falleth in to putryfacion / bytternes onely is mo­re please than hote odoure or sauoure. Also garlyke though it putgeth flewme & put out all humours & prouoketh an appetyte to ete & suffreth no drye aper to entre yet it troubleth the eyen & maketh the hede hote therfore it is not good to ete garlyk. The pesty­lence groweth often tymes of an hote cause therfore all metes the more they be lyght dygestion so moche they be the better / In the mornynge ere boyled mete at euyn rosted / forbere brothe & potage w^tout they be eyger / in y^e tyme of this sekenes eyger meters be bet­ter thā other. Also forbere all fruytes but yf they be [Page] eyger / as cheryes or pome garnates or a lytell of a pere or apple by the way of medycyne / bycause all fruyte enduceth putryfaccyon / ete conuenyent spyces as gv̄ger synamum comyn macys & saffrō / these be the best sauce may be made for ryche people / for poore take rewe sage fylberde nottes percely w^t veneger mȳste togyder these be good & letteth putryfaccyon. To be mery in his herte is a grete remedy for helth of his body. Therfore in tyme of this grete Iyfyrmyte be ware ye drede not deth but lyue merely & hope to ly­ue longe.

¶ For the lettynge of blode.

¶ Lettynge of blode ones in the moneth may be made / but age or other thȳges forbede it as pylgryms or feble ꝑsones y^t haue the flyxe / suffre to be let blode in y^e vayne called basilica on y^e ryght or lyft syde be­fore etȳge / & after in cision of the basilisca be mery & drynke wyne or ale temperatly / slepe not y^t day whā basilica is cut / yf ye fele yeu greued to be infect / than eschewe slepe & be walkynge & moeuynge / for by slepe thynwarde hete induceth poyson to y^e herte and to other specyall membres / so y^t vnneth ony herbe may take awaye suche poyson / whiche sholde not be yf a man wolde be moeuȳge to & fro / but some wolde axe wherfore sholde slepe be eschewed / I saye shortely y^t in pestylence tyme anone after mete yf a body lyst to slepe / then suche a lust ought to be forborne by a space walkȳge in the gardyns or feldes / & therfore Aui­cenne wryteth y^t yf a man wolde slepe he must dryn­ke a good draught of ale or wyne a [...]ore / bycause a mā beynge a slepe draweth many humours / & y^e euyll humours be put doune by thumours of a good draught. But some wolde vnderstonde how may a man fele [Page] whan he is infect / I say that a man whiche is infect y^t day he eteth not moche mete / for he is replenysshed w^t euyll humours / & forthwith after dyner he hathe luste to slepe & feleth grete hete vnder colde. Also he hath grete payne in the forhede but all these thȳges he may put a way by moeuynge of a place hyder and theder to ryde or to walke he may not for slouth / of the body & the weyght of the same. Also a man whi­che is infect hath lust to slepe euery houre for the ve­myn w^tin the body troubleth the spyryte of lyfe so y^t alway he wolde rest & slepe & so of these tokens a man shall knowe & fele hym selfe infect / & yf a body wyll not beleue this. Abyde the myddes of y^e day / & then anone he shall fele a swellȳge vnder the arme aboute the share / or aboute the eres & therfore se an hye & a good medycyne / forbere slepe bycause of the thȳges aforsayd / & it is playne that the spyryte of lyf resteth in slepe & all the body here and there is venymed. All these thynges I haue proued by my selfe / these thyn­ges knowen whan a man feleth hym selfe infect as sone as he may let hym be let blode plentuously tyll he swoune / then stoppe the vayne / for a lytell letynge of blode moeueth or styrreth vemyn / yf a man wyll not haue many vaynes cut togyder / then let hym suffre y^e vayne cut to renne tyl y^e blode w^t drawe / for a lytell bledȳge meueth strongly y^e venym as it is sayd afore also a man whether he be infect or not yf he be let blo de let hym forbere slepe all y^t day tyll mydnyght fo­lowȳge / & alway let blode y^e vayne vpon y^t syde of the body where y^t swellȳge appereth. Therfore yf a swel­lȳge appere vnder y^e ryght arme let blode in y^e myd­des of y^e same arme in y^e vayne called mediana / yf it [Page] [Page] [Page] of them may be infect. Therfore wyse physycyens in vysytȳge seke folke stāde ferre fro y^t paciente holdyn ge their face towarde y^e dore or wȳdowe. And so shol de y^e seruaūtes of seke folke stāde. Also it is good to a pacyent euery daye for to chaunge his chamber / & to haue the wyndowes open ayenst y^e northe & eest / & to spere the wyndowes ayenst the south / for the south wynde hath two causeth of putryfycicaon. The fyrst is / it maketh a man beynge hole or seke feble in theyr bodyes. The secōde cause is as wryten in y^e thyrde of Amphyrosmis y^e south wynde greueth y^e heecynge & hurteth the herte bycause it openeth y^e poores of man and entreth in to the herte / wherfore it is good to an hole man in tyme of pestylence whan the wynde is in the south to be within the house all day & yf it shall be nede a man to go out / yet let hym abyde in the house tyll the sonne be vp in the eest passynge south warde.

¶ The remedyes of pestylence here after foloweth. Now it is to wete by what remedyes a man may pre serue hym selfe fro pestylence / fyrst se y^e wrytynge of Ieremye y^e prophete y^t a man ought to forsake euyll thynges & do good dedes & mekely to cōfesse his syn­nes / for why it is the hyest remedy in tyme of pestylen ce / penaūce & confessyon to be preferred of other me­decynes. Neuerthelesse I promytte you veryly it is a good remedy to voyde & chaūge thynfect pleaces. but some may not prouffytably chaūge their places / ther­fore as moche as to them is possible it is to eschewe e­uery cause of putryfaccion / & namely euery flesshely luste with women it to be eschewed. Also y^e sothern wynde whiche is naturally enfecteth therfore spere y^e wyndowes axenst the south as it is sayd before vn [Page] to the fyrste houre after the myddes of y^e daye. Then open y^e wyndowes ayenst y^e north. Of y^e same cause euery foule styncke is to be eschewed / of stabyll styn­kynge feldes wayes or stretes / & namely of stynkȳge dede carayne & moost of stynkȳge waters where in many places water is kepte by. vii. dayes or. ii. nygh­tes / or elles there be gutters of water casten vnder the erthe whiche causeth grete stynke & corrupcyon & of this cause some deye in y^e house where suche thynges happen / & in another house dye none as it is said afore. lyke wise in y^t place where be wurtes & coles putrefyed it maketh a noyfull sauoure & stynkynge for as by the swete odoure of bawme y^e herte & the spyrytes haue recreacion / so of euyll sauours they be made feble wherfore kepe youre house that an infect ayer enter not in / for an Infecte ayer moost causeth putryfaccyon in places and houses where folke slepe / therfore lette youre house be clene and make clere fyre of wood flāmynge / let your house be made with fumygacyon of herbes / that is to saye with leues of baye tre Jeneper vberyorgany it is in thappotycary shoppes / wormwode rewe mugworte & of y^e tre of aloes whiche is best but it is dere. Suche a fume taken by the mouthe & eres openeth thynwarde partes of the body. Also it is teschewe all grete repleccyons by cause full bodyes be lyghtly infect / as Auicēne sayth in the fourth canon / they y^t chargen theyr bodyes with repleccion / shorten their lyfe. Also comyn bathes are to be eschewed / for a lytel crust corrupteth all y^e body Therfore y^e people as moche as is possyble is to be es­chewed / leest of infect brethes some mā be infect / but whā y^e multytude of people may not be eschewed. thē [Page] be rysen. But & yf y^t he fele ony suche swellȳge after his slepe / thenne vpon the contrarye parte the let­tynge of bloode muste be made / as for yf the swel­lynge or rysynge appere in the ryghte arme lette hym bloode in the lyfte arme in epate or (basilica) or mediana. And yf that a swellynge or a moeuynge ap pere vnder the lefte arme lette hym bloode in the ry­ghte arme lyke wyse as is be forsayd of the lyfte ar­me / and soo of allother places of the body / lette blo­de on the contrarye parte of suche swellynge or rysyn ge. And that the lettynge of bloode be veraye lytell and feble / Thenne lette the pacyente slepe after the myddes of the daye / and thenne alwaye within the myddes of the daye / for he muste be in contynuelly meuynge rydynge or goynge moderatly / and after­warde yf that the swellynge growe lette hym not be a frayde of dethe by cause suche a swellȳge putteth oute all maner of euylles / and maketh a man veray hole. And that the sooner a swellynge may be made rype / take this medycyne as foloweth. Bruse the le­ues of an elder tree the whiche ben fayre and grete and putte therto mustarde the whiche shall be well and strongely grounden in a payre of querues and then whan ye haue done as I haue tolde you / take and dryue a playster of the forsayd thynges good & thycke and after put it vpon the sore and swellynge and it shal aledge hym anone of the forsayd sykenes

¶ Also for the forsayd swellynge / or rysynge in the necke / or in y^e arme / or in ony other place of a man­nes body whan it appereth take fylberde nottes fyg­ges and rewe and bruse theym togyder in a morter well and laye it vpon the swellynge. And yf that it [Page] appere vnder y^e left arme let hym blode in y^e myddes of the same or in y^e vayne of y^e lyuer whiche is aboue y^e lytel fayger / & yf it, be about the share lete hym blode aboute the hele vpon y^e same syde / yf the swellynge be in the neeke let hym blode in the vayne called cepha­lica about the thombe in y^e hande in the same syde or in the vayne called medsana of the same arme or in y^e hande of the same syde aboute the lytell fynger / yf y^e swellynge appere aboute the ere let hym blode in the vayne called cephalica of the same syde or in y^e vayn whiche is betwene the longe fynger & the thombe / lest many venymous thynges go in to the brayn / or let blode the vayne whiche is aboute the lytell fyn­ger y^t is named by physycyons basiuca / & yf a swellyn ge appere in the sholders lesse it with ventosyte and fyrst lest the vayne called mediana / yf the swellynge be on the backe / lesse it vpon the vayne called pedia magna) & all these thȳges be made yf man slepe not before y^e knowlege of y^e swellȳge. some surgeons wyl put treacleto y^e swellynge But do not so / for tryacle putteth out venym. Thefore drȳke tryacle for y^t put teth out the same. Also there is another medyeyne ta ke syngreue hysworte other wyse called wylde tyme mawdesyn grafie plantayne and a lytell rye floure & breke all these togyder tyll ye se water come out ther of / medle y^t water w^t womans mylke & gyue it to the pacyent fastr̄ge before slepe & wyll werke the better for to remeue the swellȳge These remedyes be suffy cyent to eschewe this grete sekenesse w^t the helpe of god to whom be euer lastȳge laude & praysȳge worl de w^tout ende. Amen.