Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	body_n	humour_n	part_n	3,532	5	4.5888	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05367	Hygiasticon: Or, The right course of preserving life and health unto extream old age together with soundnesse and integritie of the senses, judgement, and memorie. Written in Latine by Leonardus Lessius, and now done into English.; Hygiasticon. English	Lessius, Leonardus, 1554-1623.; Cornaro, Luigi, 1475-1566. Discorsi della vita sobria. English.; Herbert, George, 1593-1633.; Ferrar, Nicholas, 1592-1637, attributed name.; Sheppard, Thomas, attributed name.; Landi, Ortensio, ca. 1512-ca. 1553. Esser miglior la vita parca della splendida & sontuosa. English.	1634 (1634)	STC 15520; ESTC S113348	68,762	319

bloud there cannot be made good nourishment in the bodie but of necessitie the whole temper of the bodie is corrupted and so becomes subject to diseases For the third concoction which is made in the small pores of the bodie where the bloud is assimilated to every part which it is to nourish and lastly disposed to the receiving of the form thereof cannot mend the second By this means the temper of the bodie through these Crudities is by little and little altered and marred and made subject to many inconveniences Again the cruditie of the Chylus is a cause that the veins through the whole bodie are replenished with impure and foule bloud and such as is mingled with many evill humours which in tract of time do by little and little putrifie and at last upon occasion of Labour Heat Cold Windes and the like are set on fire breaking out into great and perilous diseases whereby an innumerable companie of men do perish even in the flower of their age These inconveniences a sober course of Diet prevents by taking away the Crudities which are the cause of all For when there is no more taken in then the stomack can well concoct and afterwards sufficient space of time is allowed thereunto Crudities cannot arise but the Chylus is made good and agreeable to Nature And from good Chylus good bloud is bred And from good bloud there followeth good nourishment and good temper in and throughout the whole bodie By this means also the putrefaction of the humours in the veins is avoyded as likewise obstructions in the inward parts and those superfluous excrements which do so often vex and molest the head and inward parts and joynts of the bodie So that a good constitution of the bodie and health is hereby preserved For they consist in these two things to wit in the due proportion and symmetrie of the humours both in respect of their quantitie and qualitie and in a certain spongie kinde of disposition throughout the whole bodie having no let nor impediment by obstructions so that the spirits and bloud have their free passage and recourse through all parts Nor doth Sobrietie onely prevent the Cruditie of humours and the evill consequences arising thereupon but it doth also consume the superfluous humours and that much more safely and effectually then bodily exercise doth as the famous Doctour Viringus doth learnedly shew in his 5. Book concerning Fasting chap. 3 4 5. For Labour doth confusedly stirre the bodie and alwayes exerciseth some parts more then other and most commonly onely some few parts alone and that oft times with a great perturbation in the humours with much heat and hazard of sicknesse especially of Feavers Pleurisies and severall kindes of Distillations upon sundry parts which breed much grief and pain But Abstinence peirceth farre more inwardly even unto the very entralls and to all the joynts and knittings in the bodie and doth with ease and equalitie make a generall evacuation For it extenuates that which is overthickened it opens that which is closed it consumes those things that are superfluous it unlocks the passages of the spirtis and makes the spirits themselves the more cleare and that without disturbance of the humours without fluxes and pains without heating the bodie and without hazard of diseases without expense of time or losse and neglect of better employments Notwithstanding it must needs be granted That Exercise if it be used in due time and do not exceed measure is very profitable and to many necessarie Yet ordinarily to such as leade temperate and sober lives and follow their studies being much given to the employments of the minde there is no great need of long walks or other long-continued exercises whereby much time is wasted and lost but it is sufficient if onely for the space of a quarter or half an houre before meals they use to swing or to tosse a Barre Stoole or some such like heavy thing or taking in each hand a weight of 2 or 3 pounds they strike and swing their arms about them the one after the other as if they fought with a shadow These are Exercises which many grave and worthy men even Cardinalls themselves do use and that not undecently in their Chambers And there is no other which I know that doth more stirre all the muscles of the breast and of the back nor more rid the joynts of superfluous humours then these forenamed Exercises do CHAP. VI. Of two other Commodities which it brings to the Bodie 33. THe second Commoditie is That a sober Diet doth not onely preserve from those diseases which are bred by crudities and inward corruptions of the humours but it doth also arm and fortifie against outward causes For they who have their bodies free and untainted and the humours well tempered are not so easily hurt by Heat Cold Labour and the like inconveniences as other men are who are full of ill humours and if at any time they be prejudiced by these outward inconveniences they are much sooner and easilyer cured The self same comes to passe in wounds bruises puttings out of joynt and breaking of bones in regard that there is either no flux at all of ill humours or at least very little to that part that is affected Now the flux of humours doth very much hinder the cure and causeth pain and inflammations Our Authour doth confirm this by a notable proof in himself num 11. Furthermore a sober Diet doth arm and fortifie against the Plague for the venime thereof is much better resisted if the bodie be cleare free Whereupon Socrates by his Frugalitie and Temperance brought to passe that he himself was never sick of the Plague which oft times greatly wasted the citie of Athens where he lived as Laertius writeth libro 2. de vitis Philosophorum 34 The third Commoditie of a sober Diet is That although it do not cure such diseases as are incurable in their own nature yet it doth so much mitigate and allay them as they are easily born and do not much hinder the functions of the minde This is seen by daily experience for many there be who have ulcers in their Lungs hardnesse of the Liver or Splene the Stone in the reins or in the bladder old drie Itches and inveterate distempers in their Bowells swellings in the Guts waterish Ruptures divers other kindes of Burstnesses who yet notwithstanding by the help of good Diet onely prolong their lives a great while and are alwayes cheerfull and expedite to the affairs and businesses of the minde For as these diseases are very much exasperated by over-eating so that they do very much afflict Nature and in a short space overthrow it so by a sober course of life they are maruellously allayed and mitigated insomuch as very little inconvenience is felt by them nor do they much shorten the ordinarie race of mens lives CHAP. VII That it makes men to live long and

the way of the spirits and cloy the joynts and fill them too full of moisture so that the excesse of Humours being taken away by means of Diet the cause of that Heavinesse Sloth and Dulnesse is taken away and the passages of the spirits are made free And moreover by means of the self same Diet it comes to passe that the Concoction is perfect and so good blo●d is bred out of which abundance of pure spirits are made in which all the vigour and agilitie of the bodie mainly consisteth CHAP. VIII That it maintains the Se●s●s in their integritie and vigour 42. WE have found five Commodities which Sobrietie brings to the Bodie Let us now see the Benefits which it affords to the Minde they may likewise be well reduced to five The first is That it ministreth soundnesse and vigour to the outward Senses For the Sense of Seeing is chiefly deaded in old men by reason that the Optick Nerves are cloyed with super●luous humours and vapours whereby it comes to passe that the Animall spirits which serve to the sight are either darkened or not afforded in such abundance as is needfull for quick and cleare discerning of things This impediment is taken away or much diminished by the Sobrietie of meat and drink and by abstinence from those things which replenish the head with fumes such as are all fat things and especially Butter if it be taken in a good quantitie strong wines and thick beer or such as are compounded with those herbs that flie up into the Head 43. The Sense of Hearing is likewise hindered by the ●lux of crude and superfluous humours out of the Brain into the Organ of hearing or into the Nerve that serves unto it for by this means it comes to passe that a man grows deaf or thick of hearing in that part where this flux of humours is Now this flux is very easily prevented and driven away by the Sobrietie of diet And as it may be taken away by help of Physick after it hath befallen a man in case it be not let go on too long so as it take root so likewise it may be taken away by means of Diet especially if together therewith some Topicall Medicines be used 44. The Sense of Tasting is chiefly marred by ill humours that infect the Organ thereof As if cholerick tart or salt humours possesse the tongue and throat whether it be that they come out of the Head or out of the Stomack whose inward tunicle is continued with these Organs all things will relish bitter tart and salt This indisposition is taken away by good Diet by means whereof it is further brought about that the most ordinarie meats yea and drie bread it self do better taste and relish a sober man and yeeld him greater pleasure then the greatest dainties that can be do to those who are given to Gluttonie For the evil juices that did infect the stomack and the Organ of the Taste and which bred a loathing and offence being removed and cleared the Appetite returneth of it self and the pure relish and naturall delight in meats is felt In like manner good Diet conserveth the Senses of Smelling and Touching 45. Neverthelesse I grant that by long age the vigour of the Senses and especially of the Eyes and Eares is much abated and almost extinct in regard that the Temper of the Organs as also of the other parts is by little little dissolved the Radicall Humour and the Native Heat being by degrees consumed and dried up whereupon the Temper becomes more drie then is proportionable to the operations of the Senses and all the passages and pores are stopped up with cold Phlegme which is most of all other things contrarie to the functions of the minde For as old men by the inward temper of their bodies grow drie and cold in excesse so likewise they become full of moisture by reason of excrementitiall humours so that old Age is nothing else but a cold drie temper proceeding from the consumption of the Radicall Humour the Native Heat to which there must needs be conjoyned great store of cold Phlegme dispersed through the whole bodie CHAP. IX That it mitigates the Passions and Affections 46. THe second Commoditie which a sober Diet brings to the Soul of a man is That it doth very much abate and diminish the Affections and Passions and especially those of Anger and Melancholie taking away from them their excesse inordinate violence The self same it works upon those Affections which are conversant about the taste touch of delectable things so that in this regard it ought to be highly prized For it is in truth a shamefull thing not to be able to master Choler to be subject to Melancholie and to sowre cares of the Fancie to be enthralled to Gluttonie and Slave to the Belly to be hurried on with violence to eating and drinking and poured out as it were to the exercise of lust and concupis●ence Nor is it onely shamefull and contrarie to Vertue to be thus disposed but also very prejudiciall in regard of Health and full of opprobrie in respect of good men But Sobrietie with much ease remedies all these mischiefs partly subtracting and partly correcting the Humours of the bodie which are the causes of them For that the Humours are the causes of such Passions is both a received ground amongst all Physicians and Philosophers and manifest by experience 47. Inasmuch as we see those who are full of Cholerick Humours to be very Angrie Rash and those who abound with Melancholie to be alwayes troubled with griefs and fears and if these Humours be set on fire in the Brain they cause Frenzies and Madnesse If a tart Humour replenish the tunicles of the Stomack it breeds a continuall Hunger and Ravening If there be store of boyling bloud in the bodie it incites continually to Lust especially if together with it there be any flatulent or windie matter The reason is Because the Affections of the minde follow as is well known in Philosophie the apprehensions of the Fancie Now the apprehension of the Fancie is conformable to the disposition of the Bodie and to the Humours that are predominant therein And hence it comes to passe that Cholerick persons dream of fires burning warres slaughter Melancholie men of darknesse funeralls sepulchres ●o●goblins runnings away pits and such sad and dolefull matters The Phlegmatick dream of rains lakes rivers inundations drownings shipwracks The Sanguine of flyings courses banquets songs and love-matters Now Dreams are nothing else but the apprehensions of the Fancie when the Senses are asleep Whereupon it follows that as in sleep so also in waking the Phantasie doth for the most part apprehend things answerable to the Humour and Qualitie then prevalent and especially upon the first presentment of the object till it be corrected and otherwise directed by reason So then the excesse of these Humours doth pervert the naturall condition and

apprehension of the Fancie For Choler inasmuch as it is extream bitter and contrarie to Nature causeth a man to apprehend other mens words or deeds or any thing that displeaseth him as if it were intended against him with despight and injurie And because this humour is fierie and impetuous it makes the apprehension to be swift and violent and drives a man on to a speedie repulse and revenge of the evil which he conceiveth done towards him The Melancholick Humour is heavy cold and drie lumpish sowre swart in colour and very hurtfull to the heart And so it causeth that the Fancie apprehends all things as having enmitie bringing sorrow and full of darknesse Now by reason of the cold heavinesse therein it comes to passe that this Humour doth not incite a man to the repulse of evil as Choler doth which is light and active but on the contrarie it casts a man into fears flight and delayes Phlegme is cold and moist whereby it comes to passe that the apprehension is slow and dull to every thing without any vigour acrimonie or alacritie So that Choler makes a man angrie rash hastie bold earnest quarrelsome peevish angrie at every thing a swearer a curser a clamourer and a brawler And hence arise so many in●uries fightings wounds and slaughters as are rife amongst men For even those things which are committed upon drunkennesse do for the most part come from the furie of Choler set on fire and augmented by the wine Melancholie makes men sad faint-hearted timorous solitarie thoughtfull and enclining to despair And as Choler whilest it boyls doth for a short space pervert the right judgement of the minde so Melancholie perverts it almost alwayes especially if it be that kinde which possesseth the brain or sends up foul vapours from the Hypochondriacall parts into the Head and Heart Phlegme makes men slow feeble sleepie fearfull forgetfull and in a word altogether unfit for mat●ers of worth For albeit this Humour be not so hurtfull to the Bodie as Choler and Melancholie it is neverthelesse exceeding contrarie to the functions of the Minde inasmuch as by the coldnesse thereof it dulls the vigour of the spirits and by the moistnesse thereof it cloyes the brain and stops up the passages of the spirits 48. Now a Sober Diet doth in great part remedie all these evils For by the continuance thereof the evil Humours are by little and little abated Nature either consuming or driving them out and especially if there be adjoyned some little help by means of purging Medicines Furthermore the temper of the bodie is corrected inasmuch as there is a supply of pure and well-tempered bloud which is neither mixed with Crudities nor corrupted by superfluous Humours nor exceeding in any hurtfull qualitie And hereupon we see those men that are accustomed to Sobrietie to be calme affable courteous cheerfull tractable and moderate in all things For the benigne juice or nourishment which Nature works upon causeth benigne affections and manners and the malignant juice such as Choler and Melancholie breed if they exceed either in Quantitie or Qualitie causeth fiercenesse and wildnesse in the affections manners Wherein it is also very considerable That evil Humours do not onely excite and stirre up passions and set them on work but again by a certain sympathie that is between them are themselves also set on fire and strengthened by the passions ● and being thus kindled and strengthened they adde new force and strength to the passions augmenting confirming them This is evident in the Cholerick Humour which when it is abundant stirres up wrath by means of the apprehension of the Fancie which it hath corrupted And on the other side the commotion of Anger by a certain kinde of Sympathie sets on fire the spirits and the cholerick humour and then again the cholerick humour being enflamed causeth the Fancie to apprehend the matter more strongly and vehemently so that the injurie seems much greater then it did before And hereupon the commotion of Anger it self is increased and fortified And so it oft times happens that men runne out from Anger into Madnesse if so be the Fancie dwell long upon imagination of the injurie It is therefore the best counsel that can be given to perswade a man to turn away his thoughts from the injuries that he conceives to have received inasmuch as the thinking upon them is prejudiciall not onely to the Minde but also to the Bodie In like manner the Melancholick Humour by means of the Fancie stirres up grief although there be no true ground for it and grief thus set on work by a certain kinde of Sympathic straitens the heart and hinders the free Dilatation thereof whereby the melācholick humour becomes adust more malignant in regard that the sootie fumes cannot be dispersed And being thus become more malignant it multiplies the affection of grief and oft times thrusteth on to despair and to deadly resolutions CHAP. X. That it preserveth the Memorie 49. The third Commoditie arising to the Soul from a sober Diet is The preservation of the Memorie For Memorie is above all things most hurt by a cold humour possessing the Brain which commonly useth most to molest intemperate persons those who are stricken in age For this humour both stops up the narrow passages of the spirits and benummes the spirits themselves making them sluggish whereby the apprehensions of the minde become slow languid and inconstant and oft times they do so fail a man in the middest of his discourse as himself knows not what it was he said nor about what he was speaking but is fain to ask the standers by concerning the matter that they were treating of And this is caused three wayes First by reason that the Animall spirit which the Fancie makes use of as well in remembrance as in all her other actions is as it were hastily intercepted in her course by the phlegmatick humour upon the interception whereof the apprehension ceaseth and consequently all remembrance Secondly this comes to passe in regard that the apprehension was feeble and without reflexion and that by reason of the povertie unaptnesse of the spirits Now the apprehension of any thing made without re●lexion cannot leave any such print of it self as is sufficient for remembrance Forasmuch as all remembrance is immediately conversant about our own actions and onely mediately about the objects of those actions For I do not properly remember that Peter was dead but that I saw or heard or read that he was dead so that where there is no reflexion upon our own actions there cannot be a sufficient print left for memorie The third cause is from the unaptnesse of the spirits For albeit the print and footstep be in some manner sufficient for its own part neverthelesse it comes often to passe that by reason of the povertie or impuritie or sluggishnesse or too much heat of the spirits we cannot conveniently make use of that print

which looks what and how much is proportionable for the conservation of the Bodie and the performance of the duties and services belonging to the Minde 59. Now there is a double Reason why the Appetite becomes a deceitfull Measurer in this kinde The first is Because the Appetite doth not onely desire that which is nece●sarie to the conservation of the Bodie but also that which may serve for the use of Procreation For the appetite of eating and drinking is both in men and beasts ordained to both these ends to wit to the conservation of the Individuall and to the propagation of the whole Kinde And therefore Reason chargeth them who desire to live chastly and not to be molested by the sting of Lust that they should not obey their Appetite to the full but give it satisfaction onely to the half that is onely asmuch as is needfull for the sustenance of the Bodie which thing if they carefully observe there will be little store of Seed bred in their Bodies and very few incitements to Lust. For Seed is bred of that superfluitie of the nourishment which was more then requisite for the sustentation of the bodie So that where there is no more sustenance taken in then is sufficient for the nourishment of the bodie there remains either nothing at all or very little to be distributed for the increase of Seed 60. The other cause why the Appetite is deceitfull is Because it oftentimes longs after more then is any way proportionable to either of these fore-mentioned ends that is to say more then is fitting either for the nourishment of the Bodie or for the matter of Propagation And that is caused either through the ill disposition of the stomack as it comes to passe in that ravening kinde of appetite which is called Dogs-hunger Ox-hunger and when the Melancholick Humour is soaked into the tunicles of the stomack or else by reason of the condiments and Lickorish cooking of the meats themselves which by their varietie and new relishes do go on continually provoking the Appetite and stirring up Gluttonie In which regard this varietie and curious dressing of meats is as Physicians teach especially to be eschewed by all them that are followers of Sobrietie and Chastitie and in very truth by all those who have care of their health concerning which thing we have discoursed more largely before By all this it appeares That there is farre greater vertue and power for the quenching of Lust in Sobrietie and Abstinence then in other corporall mortifications such as are hair-cloths whippings lying upon the ground and bodily labours for these do onely afflict the bodie outwardly and but rase the skin as it were but come not at all to the ground of the evil which lies hidden within But Abstinence plucks up the cause of all by the roots in the inward veins reducing the naturall temper to a just mediocritie This remedie then is to be used by all those who are vexed with this disease 61. And thus much touching the benefits and singular fruits of Sobrietie all which might well be confirmed by the testimonies of the ancient holy Fathers but for brevities sake I omit them contenting my self with one passage onely out of S. Chrysostome who in his first Homily concerning Fasting writes thus Fasting is asmuch as lies in us an imitation of the Angels a contemning of things present a school of prayer a nourishing of the soul a bridle of the mouth an abatement of concupiscence as they that use to fast do well know and prove in themselves It mollifies rage it appeaseth anger it calms the tempests of Nature it excites reason it cleares the minde it disburdens the flesh it chaseth away night-pollutions it frees from head-ach and it breeds cleare and well-coloured visages By fasting a man gets composed behaviour free utterance of his tongue right apprehensions of his minde c. See him likewise in his first Homilie on Genesis And agreeabl● to this we finde many things in S. Basil in his Oration concerning Fasting In Ambrose in his book of Elias and Fasting and in Cyprian in his Oration concerning Fasting and in many others CHAP. XIII That a Sober Diet is not of any grief or trouble and that Intemperance bringeth many great and grievous maladies 62. BUt some will object that this straitnesse of Diet is troublesome in regard it leaves a man alwayes tormented as it were with hunger and therefore it were better to die sooner then to prolong a wretched life by such a painfull medicine accordingly as it was once said by a certain diseased person whose Thigh was to be cut off that The preservation of life would be too deer bought at the price of so much pain To which I answer At first indeed this sparenesse of Diet is somewhat troublesome in regard of the contrarie usage formerly and also in regard of the enlargement of the stomack but by little and little that trouble is removed For we must not suddenly passe from a great quantitie to a small but every day by degrees subtracting a little till we come to the just measure as F●ippocrates doth oftentimes warn for by this means the stomack is contracted by little and little without any great trouble and the greedinesse which was formerly felt is taken way Now when the stomack comes to be contracted to the right measure that it ought there is no more trouble remaining by means of a Sober Diet inasmuch as that small quantitie doth justly agree and answer the capacitie and strength of the stomack In proof whereof we see that it is very grievous to most men to forbear their usuall Break-fast at the beginning of Lent but by little and little that offence is diminished and divers do in the end finde such benefit by Abstinence as that they choose willingly ever after to forbear Break-fast The self same do many prove in forbearing of Suppers And in like manner after that men have a while forced themselves they finde no pain in abstaining from divers kindes of meats to which their appetites did formerly leade them with great violence It is therefore altogether ●ntrue which is commonly objected That a sober Diet doth torment a man with continuall hunger 63. Secondly I answer Suppose there were some trouble in such kinde of diet and that it should d●re long which yet in truth is not so yet ought we to consider the many profits and benefits which it brings in recompence of this small trouble to wit That a sober Diet expells diseases preserves the bodie agil healthfull pure and clean from noysomnesse and filthinesse causeth long life breeds quiet sleep makes ordinarie fare equall in sweetnesse to the greatest dainties and moreover keeps the Senses sound and the Memorie fresh and addes perspica●iti● to the Wit and clearenesse and aptnesse for the receiving of divine Illuminations And further quiets the Passions drives away Wrath and Melancholie and breaks the furie of Lust In