his tymbre is oyle and fatte in colour like boxe but somwhat blackyshe And they iudge that the best that hath most blacke but that whiche is lyke to boxe differeth from that whiche is blacke For this is with in and thother without or to speake more playnely the blacke is as hit were the harte and marowe The wodde is meruaylous heuy for the leest pece of hit caste into the water synkethe streyghte to the botome There is no wodde so harde as it For hit is so harde that hit wyll not cleue nother hitherto haue we sene any that was chyned And they that selle it say it wyll in no wyse yane or chappe Whan hit bourneth and flameth hit maketh a swete â—dour and there foloweth fro hit whan it burneth a goÌ„me whiche we yet knowe not for what purpose it serueth This goÌ„me is somwhat black shortly after it is falleÌ„ away it is verye harde The barke is not so thick but is meruaylous hard which tokens wel marked I thynk he that shal couÌ„terfete this woode can not deceyue the byer For be it a man may be deceyued in the coloure howe is hit possible all these thinges to be in one a fatnes smellinge somewhat like rosen suche weyght as no wodde hath beside Than the goÌ„me that cometh from it whaÌ„ it flameth such hardnes that may scaÌ„tly be cut And the lest pece cast into the water wyl nat swym aboue And the tast ones knoweÌ„ wyl neuer suffer a maÌ„ to erre which as it is to al men vnplesant so is it to me ye very plesant They say it coÌ„tinueth not after it be sodden but paulleth in the sommer after .iij. dayes in the wynter somewhat later And therfore we must chose the fattest and weyghtiest therof For that which is olde is lyght and leane Vpon this description lette the phisitions if hit please them drawe out the causes of suche efficacite by theyr longe disputations as for me I more reioyce that it is than I serche what maner of thynge it is Howe be it I graunt them worthy of moche thanke that shall first shew vnto vs the nature therof through out knowen But nowe there be some that wey and esteme the strengthe and vertue of this tre bi these knowen maâ—kes as though they had suffred it in all poyntesâ— whiche thynge is done as me semeth very hastily and tymely thynkynge that the cause and reason of suche efficacie and power oughte to be serched for in this tre after his nature and vse is knowen lykewyse as it is done generally in all other medicines But nowe of his vse and how it ought to be prepared vnto medicine ¶ Of the orderynge of Gâ—aiacum in medicine cap. vii IT is orderered after this maner The wod must first be made as smalle as maye be whiche thynge some do at a torne and than without any more ado they lay the shauynges a water And som do fyrst broile or stampe them in a morter so moche that they brynge them into pouder and duste â—o thintent they maye the sooner be throughe soked and theyr strength sodden out But I wote not whether that make any mater I haue sene some that haue cut it fyrst with a sawe and than raped the peeces with a rape and haue taken and putte them into water Howe so euer it be whether it be tourned raped or beaten to duste they soke a day and a nyght one pounde weyght in eyght of water taken eyther of a well or of a ryuer or as I dyd of a pyt than they sethe it in a newe glased pot and clene wasâ—hed with a softe fyre of coles by the space of sixe houres and more vntyll it come to the one halfe with great hede takynge and diligence leefte hit runne ouer through moche heate For that whiche ouer runneth loseth they say moche of his vertue and is of lesse power And therfore it may not be soddeÌ„ in the flame but it requireth fewe coles and a potte not fylled all moste by the .iij. parte The skome that floweth aboue they taken away to anoynt the sores with for we knowe it to haue moche power to drye After it is thus sodden they streyn it powre it in to a glasse And than they put to the grondes eyght pound water and sethe it agayne as before as it were a seconde messhynge This thynner they gyue them to drynke with their meate the fyrste is dronke in the stede of a medicine And this is all to gether that delyuerethe vs from so great and greuous disease this decoâ—tion is it This is the chiefe poynt and anker of our helth And it hath so lytel nede of any other thynge that it wyll not abyde any maner mixture or mynglynge as I wyll shortly after declare Somme wolde that lyght water and clere shulde be gotten for this purpose Some admytte all maner swete water indifferently bycause in sething what so euer it be it is purified All wold that good diligence and hede shulde be taken in time of sething that it ruÌ„ne nat ouer or boyle to fast they byd that the potte be close stopped that nothynge brethe out but whaÌ„ the skom is perceiued to ryse it must be softely opened and the skomme taken out and so couered agayne They putte this decoction whan it is strayned into a glasse onely bycause it shulde be sene and bycause a glasse of al vessels is purest and clennest The colour of this decoction is somewhat lyke muddye water whan hit is somewhat troubled Wete lynnen in it and it wexeth grene of a meruaylous shewe The relesse therof at the fyrste tastynge is some what soure but to hym that vseth hit by lyttell and lyttel it waxeth pleasant The phisitions were so bolde as to put to a pounde of this .iiij. vnces of hony Whiche thynge as I do not improue so do I denye it to be necessarie And I wolde nothynge shulde be added vnto suche a thynge beinge of suche power where as it nedeth not For what nedeth a man there to bestowe his labour where as no nede is And to say the trouth the relesse of Guaiacum is not so greuous that it requireth to be tempred with hony Yea were it not for my maysters the phisytions all men wolde be contented therwith Howe be it what nedeth me to name phisytions whan I speke onely but of tryflers For they that be connnynge and expiert as is O moste noble prince Stromer thy phisition and throughe frendeshyppe myne also and thy other phisition Coppus suche I saye vnderstode and knewe howe hit is not conuenyente eyther to meddle it with vnknowen thynges and myngle theym or elles to adde oughte vnto these thynges whiche as yet are not perceyued to lacke oughte The whiche thynge as hit chaunced vs to haue communycacyon of this woode Guaiacum at the citie of August whan many had auysed me to commyt my selfe to this maner to cure and I for newnes of the thynge wolde here
the desyre of eatyng growe dayly more and more yet must he remembre to absteyne comfortynge him selfe with the suretie of helth if he so do For the bodye beynge so wasted and emptied not only with hunger but also with sweat ye being longe tyme as a deed bodye through the greuousnes of this euyll shall hyghe faste to the appetyte of meate and drynke ¶ Whan this cure is comme to an ende â—o that the sycke is almosâ—e redy to go abrode he muste than take agayne some medicine to purge hym with but so that after that purgaâ—ion he may drinke agayne as he dydde before .iiij. or sixe dayes space wherwith they make vp the hole cure Some wyl not that he shulde go out of the chambre where he lyeth before he be through hoole Some thynke .xxx. dayes suffycient to kepe his chambre and that he may than go forthe but yet warely by lyttell and lyttell and not streyght in to the open ayre but fyrste he must walke in the same house from chambre to chaumbre and than to some neyghbours house nat ferre of vntyll he be vsed to suffer the ayre For there may be no sodeyne chaunge but muste vse hym selfe to all thynges by lyttell and lyttell And that whiche remayneth of the syckenesse they say wyll lyghtely be hoole after he ones stere abrode And that to be trew I haue proued in my selfe For whan the .xxx. dayes were passed the soores of my legges were nat yet closed and therfore I kepte .x. dayes more And whan these .x. days were gone yet was not I hoole Wherfore feryng the colde bycause wynter than begonne I intended to kepe in other .x. dayes but I was compelled by the phisitions counsell to go abrode and put it in auenture which thyng happed not amysse Howe be it the soores that I had than were not depe in the fleshe or swollen outwarde but onely in the hier parte of the skynne and lacked nothynge els but skynne to couer them with whiche they had scantly the .xl. daye after I went out And I that tyme in very sharpe wynter made my iourneye frome Vindele into Fraunce The causes of this slowe healyng I dyd coniect this to be The phisition suffred me to eate more mete as I after perceyued than I shulde haue done and also he sodde my drynke thynner than he ought For I occupied nat fully .v. pounde of this wodde where as other oâ—cupye .viii. and some .x. wherin my phisition was deceyued For he seinge my body weke of nature and moreouer extenuated consumed with the longe contynuance of this grefe thought that a lyttell thynge was sufficient to driue away the disease and for that cause fedde me the largelyer fearynge soore leeste my strength shulde fayle me which was double erroure For so moche as he oughte not to haue loked what my body was thanne but what maner body it was wonte to be and agayn the nature of this medicine is suche that it wyl suffer none to faynt for lacke of strengthe Wherfore be they neuer so weke they ought not therfore to ministre the lesse but rather somwhat the more For it dothe nothing sodenly but werketh helth by lytel litel And therfore I alow best that decoction that was longest at the fyre and is comme to a lyttell of moche wode so that I wolde counsaylle them to the intente hit mought be the stronger to sethe hit often tymes to the thyrde parte ¶ And if any wolde be lose belyed that is wonte to be bounde they wyll hym to take the pouder of Guaiacum soddeÌ„ in the water and to drynke halfe and vnce therof in the mornynge And if that helpe not at the fyrste to go thâ—â—vnto agayne But this framed nat with me no nat whanne I toke it agayne ¶ Howe a man muste lyue and dyet hym selfe in this cure Capitulo .ix. THere is yet moche a doo for the orderynge of a man as touchynge his dyet Some thynke beste to ete nothynge but breade whiche Galenê° calleth the cleannest fedynge with a fewe rasins whiche breadde they gyue to the weyght of .iiii. vnces withoute salte or other sauce And they thynke best to absteyne generally from all maner meate excepte it be a lyttell brothe made with a chekyn whiche they are contented he suppe or eate with his bread moysted therin ones a day For at nyght they gyue nothyng but a fewe rasins and an vnce of breadde Other wyll that he haue halfe a chekyn if it be yet yonge and tender but if it be any thynge growen they thynke a quarter ynough whiche muste be sodden in clene water Whervnto they put nother salte nother other sauce but somme put a lyttell suger therto Of breadde they gyue .iiij. vnces at nyghte as before a fewe rasins with an vnce of breadde But as long as he is vnder cure he muste take hede that he neuer so moche as taste salte They allowe white breade made of wheate well bulted whiche made for the nones they season with suger Whiche thynge is not euyl There be som that adde to this feding not so moch in the place of meate as of medicine a lyttel borage other of the leaues onely or if there be any of the flowers which he shall eate sodden in water alone or with his chekyn And this is the order of fedynge that some do kepe continually some thynke .xv. dayes sufficient for this dyete and thaÌ„ they wyll his hunger to be easâ—d and the .xx. day they gyue hym meate twyse But lette them take hâ—dâ— that folowe that For truly this medicine requireth that the pacient be made as thynne with hunger as maye be possible Howe be hit somme chaunce to be through healed within .xv. dayes and yet that not withstandynge they put to a fewe dayes more therto They drynk vnto their meate of that seconde decoction not warmed but colde And this is all the fare for hyderto none durste passe this measure Not withstandynge I dispyse not the phisitions that dispute of the daungers that maye chaunce to drye and hotte bodyes if they be dryuen to this strayte dyete bryngynge for them Galen and also Hipocras whiche seme in many places to be agaynst this exquisite dyete in fedynge But of these that vsed Guaiacum I sawe as yet none in ieoperdye and I gather at this tyme preceptes and monitions out of experience not doctrine out of bokes And also I my selfe am of drye and hotte complexion and yet this huÌ„ger brought me nother into a ptisike nor etike whiche thyng they seme to feare ¶ For as moche as it is thought wysedom to prouyde for all thynges I wyll that if any man feare hym selfe that he get phisitions to kepe hym and that this is sufficiently spoken of this thynge I wyll nowe go forwarde with other thynges ¶ In the tyme of this cure the pacient muste forbeare all busynes and cutte away all sadde thoughtes and rest from al care And therfore they commaunde reste and quietnes from
therby so excellent and so good a thyng is obteyned and so great an euyll is auoyded with so lyttell labour And let them not than in this thing speake of the great ieoperdye whiche maye comme of weakenes through longe abstinence as who saith that he may faynt that eateth after this maner For Plinie saithe that none dyeth for lacke of meate before the .vii. day and may continue vntyl the .xi. day And al be it he wryteth that in his time there was a woman in Germani which lyued sometyme full twentye dayes withoute meate and sometyme .xxx. And that he sawe a man whiche continued .vij. weakes without meate drynkyng euery seconde day onely water Plinie also sayth that he knoweth for a suretie that the Scythians hauynge certayne herbes in theyr mouthes abyde huÌ„ger thyrst somtyme .xij. days And some also say that the christen philosopher Amonius neuer eate but only tosted bread whiche thynge if any man greatly meruaile at lette hym remembre that this is also wrytten in the storyes that certayne of the mages lyued ones by meale and herbes only And that Diodore writeth that the olde Egiptians meate was herbes and rotes And Hesiodus monyssheth saying we shuld lyue eate Malus asphodelo And Plato writynge of the lawes maketh mention that Epimenides was contented sometyme so to lyue If any man wyl set these thinges before his eies coÌ„sider theÌ„ thaÌ„ shal he perceiue y t we liue very deinteously in this diete and do take in a maner more than nedeth But if it were a very harde thynge to absteyne so from meate what is he that loueth hym selfe so lytell but he wolde to get his helthe suffer this griefe or that hadde not leuer suffer .xxx. dayes hunger than to be sâ—cke as longe as he lyueth or had nat leuer passe ouer so many dayes with stronger hunger that he may lyue the resydue of his lyfe holle and sounde of bodye than to auoyde this lyttell griefe and to be tourmented all the dayes of his lyfe with intollerable sorowes and to haue runnynge frome hym stynkynge and fylthye matter I haue tolde you that this is no new maner of curynge for alwayes the best phisitions haue commaunded abstinence to the sycke Of the whiche nombre is Asclepiades who as Celsus saythe wryteth that the moste soueraygne remedy agaynste the feuer is as he hath proued it to diminysshe the strength of the pacient with moche watche and abstinence in so moche that at the fyrste begynnynge of the syckenes they shulde not so moche as wasshe theyr mouthe ¶ Abstinence sayth Eusebius both kepeth the bodyly helthe and the shamefastnes of mynde Wherby it appereth that lyttel and perate fedynge is profytable to the flesshe and the soule as wytnesseth Timotheus whiche being on a season with Plato at supper hauynge before hym suche meate as he was wonte to haue tourned towarde his frendes sayd They that Plato receiueth to souper shall be well at ease longe after meanynge that after moche eatynge of dyuers and aboundant costly dysshes deynteously dressed there folowed euyll and rawe digestion and greatte grefe of the stomake Wherfore afterwarde whan it chaunced him to mete with Plato he sayde vnto hym Ye Plato do ete this day rather for to morowe than for the tyme present ¶ And in Lucian Gallus the cocke Pithagory iugeth it a gret benefyt of god gyueÌ„ to Micyllus because he coude alway with huÌ„ger auoyde all feuers And for that cause was without suche disease Nowe what shall we saye to that whiche as saynte Hierome wryteth that certayne diseased with the ioynt ache and the gowte after theyr goodes were gone and were fro them and were broughte to poore fare and symple meate they dydde recouer theyr helth For they sayth saynt Hierome toke no thought nor care for theyr housholde and the habuÌ„dance of meate and drynke which do breke both the body and the soule And anon aâ—ter he sayth There is nothynge that dullethe a mannes mynde so moche as a full bealy rysynge and tournynge hyder and thyther blowynge out wynde with baskynge fysting and fartynge ¶ This story maye be a lernynge vnto many men whiche is redde of a certayne great belyed fatte abbot As he was caryed vnto certayn bathes hit fortuned hym to mete with a gentylman who asked hym whyther he was goynge the abbotte made hym answere and sayde that he muste go vnto the bathes Why quod the gentylman are ye sycke Naye quod the abbotte I am not sycke but I haue no maner appetite vnto my meate I go therâ—ore nowe vnto the bathes to gette agayne myne appetite whiche I dyd of late lose for they are holsomme therfore Verily que the gentylman In this thynge I can be a better phisition vnto you And toke the abbot with hym put hym in to a depe darke dongeon where he fedde hym certayne dayes hungerly and than at laste he asked hym whither he had an appetite to his mete Ye maâ—y quod the abbot I fayth quod the gentylmaÌ„ than is it reson that thou gyue me a rewarde for my medicine and made hym pay .ii. hoÌ„dred crownes and sente hym awaye in good helthe with suche an appetite that he coude haue eaten both beanes and lekes where as before he refused all maner meate were it neuer so deyntie And so was he well ordered seing he sought not mete with hunger but hunger with meate But paraduenture we haue spoken more than ynough of this thynge therfore lette vs go vnto other matters But fyrste I muste telle you to make an ende of this chapiter that Guaiacum requireth not a bealy that is replenysshed with varietie of meates or troubled with wynde in the inward partes but purified and clensed from all rawnes and grosnes of humours ¶ Howe hunger may easely be suffred Capit. xviij ANd this scarsenes of mete can nat onely be borne but also maye easely be borne and that through the vertue of Guaiacum whiche after the bodye is ones brought downe doth bothe preserue the life and also causeth that the sycke shal not nede to eate any thynge at all Therfore dydde I not without a cause gyue warnynge that the syck shulde absteyne from meate as moche as may be And if he wax feble or faint he may not be holpen with meate but with the swete saâ—ours which I speke of as moche as is possible put to his mouthe and specially with hote breadde But if any fele hym selfe to be wasted and redye to slyde away throughe weakenes Whiche thynge howe it shulde chaunce in any manne I can not telle for in me there happened no suche thynge at all that I neded any maner help Than I wolde counsayle hym to vse these thynges whiche Plinie thynketh easeth hunger and quencheth thyrste whan they be very fyâ—tell tasted of that is butter and lykeresse reclisse lykoresse Orels in this thing we muste folowe Celsus which sayth thus This one thynge muste alwayes be obâ—erâ—ed that the phisition
maketh the brookynge as good as euer it was before His effecte is excellent for the membres that be fallen awaye and diminisshed it increaseth them and fylleth them vp it stretcheth forth the synowes that are shronke and those that be loose it fastneth and maketh stronge It is also proued that suche partis as throughe this disease be made deed without felyng are ageyne quickened and brought to theyr olde felynge and lustynesseâ— I sayde before that as touchynge the bealy it varied For some it dydde bynde and some it made laxe tyll they were weary And agayne some it dyd bynde in the begynnyng and afterward it losed them and made them lanke belyed And that the verye shauynges broken as small as coude be to the mountenaunce of halfe an vnce was gyuen in drynk to ê“uoke a siege I haue also sayde that the measure therof is not gyuen after the proportion of his strength that receyueth it For hit maketh not one weaker whan it is mynistred And now this one thyng I affirme that if it be .iiii. tymes sodden yet is not all the vertue gone out Wherin I do not beleue other men but I my selfe haue proued it Howe be it I denye not but the fyrste brothe is moche stronger Some there are that stedfastly beleue that it is very good for fistuls and cankers and for the partes that be eaten with cankers Certayne hit is hit helpeth them that fetche theyr wynd with pein and can not breth if that fault com through this sickenes or through an oyntyng ¶ And for as moche as I haue shewed before what euyls come w t this syckenes it â—ere but labour in vayne to repete them whiche all it taketh awaye distroyeth and vanquyssheth as I before tolde and that if they be olde very lyghtly And in lyke maner it helpeth the gowte For I my selfe haue sene two restored to helth which were sore vexed in their feete but yet the phisitions saye that it helpeth onely those that haue gotten the gowte through colde whiche thynge I leue to them to complayne of It is also an helthefull remedy for the palsey and especially whan it is new and lately be gonne For than it quencheth and driueth it awaye whiche thynge I do wryte vppon the reporte of faythfull and sadde meÌ„ that haue knowlege therof For as for me I dyd neuer hytherto se any that was so delyuered ¶ Ricius told of a leper the which though he were not cleane delyuered by this medicine yet was he made moch better and cleaner and suche a man as men myghte suffer his company so that Ricius iudgeth that this medicine is able to hyde and stoppe leprosye though it can not take it clene away But if this cure were vsed ones agayne or often than he beleued that the great hurte of that disease shulde be put of for a longe tyme. And more ouer he had great hope that if this syckenes were thus preuented in the begynnynge it myght vtterly be purged and clensed and the syke restored And for as moche as this medicine hath vertue to drye vp some go aboute to minystre hit for the water betwyxte the fleshe and the skynne whiche is called the dropsye the ende wherof we loke for It is well knowen to be profytable agaynste the fallynge euyll as the phisitions saye if the disease be of a colde kynde I haue sene them that were inwardely diseased and greued with manye other syckenesses that were of an euyll and corrupted stomacke and coulde but badly digeste and whan they wolde recouer them selfes from theyr long feblenes and sycklynes and repayre agayne theyr strengthe and helthe haue prepared them selfes vnto this cure the phisitions not aduysynge them the contrary And Ricius approueth the same in many For so moche as he knewe as he sayde that a hoole man or but lyttell acrased myghte come vnto this cure without any hurte and he dyd perfectly beleue that the good lykynge of the bodye was kepte preserued defended and confirmed therwith Let it nowe contente you to haue harde spoken these thynges of the helpes of Guaiacum of the whiche if any man wyll aske me the causes I wyll sende hym to the phisitions that be expert For as for me I professe no suche thyng Neyther yet dyd I begynne this boke to thentent that I wolde by and by gyue a reson of these thynges that I wolde wryte but this thyng I promysed what so euer I founde of Guaiacum and perceyued by experience other in my selfe or in other and what so euer I had eyther sene or harde of other that wolde I faythfully and truely putte in wrytynge leauynge an occasyon to many after me to declare the thyng as it is worthye And nowe that all menne maye knowe what Guaiacum hath done in me I wyll shewe in what partes of my body and after what fascion I was diseased ¶ What diseases this remedy hath taken from me Cap. xxv BY this one chaunce hit is knowen that we ought not to dispeire in ani bodily disease though we be brought neuer so nere to deathes dore For howe many were we after the phisitions had gyuen vs vppe that were restored to helth through the sodeine and as a man wolde say the heuenly helpe of Guaiacum ¶ I knewe one my very sure frende whiche whan he saw me so bytterly vexed with this siknes that for pein I could nother rest by nyght nother eate by day aduysed me to kylle my selfe seinge there coulde no remedy be founde and my body semed to droppe awaye in fylthy matter to my great peyne and sorowe and no hope at all of recouerye sayinge to me It becommeth the to be delyuered frome this euyll whether hit wyll or not But he hadde forgotten that we were christians and remembred to wel that we were frendes and louers For hit is our parte to beholde all thynges in them that wytnessed in tymes past whom we now calle martyrs vnto the worlde our sauiour Christe manfully sufferynge for his sake great tourmentes and peynes Howe be it if any thyng maye cause a man to longe for dethe truely it is the tourment of this sycknes For I vtterly deny that euer the father of Licinius Cecine suffered any suche sorowe or peyne whan he flewe hym selfe with the iuise of Papauers Or that euer any other whiche dyd lykewyse felt so intollerable euyls as this syckenes causeth For this pestilence besydes all his vexatioÌ„s and tourmentes whiche passe farre all other onely with his fowlenes and lothelynes is able to make one wery of his lyfe ¶ Whan Speusippus the philosopher was ones plucked and drawen with the palsey that he dispeyred to escape and then mette with Diogenes and bad hym well to fare and good helthe Diogenes they say answered sayinge And thou lykewyse farewell in no meanes seinge thou art such one and canst be content to lyue ¶ The same Diogenes that was wont to be so styffe a philosofer what trow ye wold he haue sayd
if he had beholde sene me whaÌ„ I was lykewyse vexed as they y t had the palsey and besydes that was so lothe som both in 〈◊〉 sauour that al were greued with me som did hate me And yet I dyd lyue and had som hope although I had ben ofteÌ„times deluded and mocked through the gret promysis of the phisitioÌ„s And left any man shulde thynke that my disease was eyther lyght or in one parte onely I wyll shew in what takyng I was Fyrst I could do nothynge with my lefte foote for there had this euyll dwelled .viii. yeres and more and in the mydlegge where the shynne is couered with fleshe very thynne there were soores inflamed through the inflamation of the flesshe rottynge with greatte ache and bournynge and as soone as one waxed hoole an other brake vp For there were many here some and there somme whiche could by no help of the phisitioÌ„s be brought to gether in one Ouer them was a knobbe so harde that a man wolde haue thought it a bone and in that was excedynge peyne and ache beatynge and pryckynge without ceassyng There was also very nygh to the ryghte ancle aboue a certayne swellynge and gatherynge whiche was also harde like a bone and was the oldest of all wher in remayned the remenantes of this pestilence fresshe and newe rysen ¶ Whan the phisition went about this with yron with fyre with hotte yrons or with any other instrumeÌ„t they profited nothing somtyme it was swollen very vehemently with great peyne and akynge somtyme it aswaged and was gentyller And it greued me lesse whan my foote was holde towarde the fyre and yet wold it not suffre to be couered with moche geare it ranne so that a man wolde haue thoughte hit wolde neuer haue ben stopped And as often as I wolde reste or stonde vppon my foote my peyne was intollerable than vpwarde the calfe and the knee were meruayllous colde and as thynges deed The thygh was cleane worne away coÌ„sumed to extreme lennesse and the skynne was so thynne that there semed nothynge els lefte to couer the boone with Moreouer the ioyntes were so louse that longe tyme I had moch adoo to stonde hilone and to be shorte the one of my buttockes was but a thynge wethered awaye In my lefte shulder there was suche peyne that I coulde not lyfte vp myn arme the extreme partes of my shulders were weke and woxen verye styffe in the myddes of the brawne of myn arme there was a swellynge as moche as an egge and as for the reste of myn arme euen to the verye hande was cleane worne away And on the ryght syde a lyttell vnder the lowest rybbe there had I a sore whiche was not in dede peynfull but it boyled out certayne fowle and stynkynge matter and issued very fylthyly after the maner of a fistule with a narowe mouthe outwarde and inwarde it was of a large holownes And aboue hym there was also an other as though a bone hadde bene bredde there vpon a rybbe And to conclude I dyd playnly feele a streme and issue come downe behynde from the toppe of my heed vnto all these And where it began the leeste touche in the worlde made my heed to work as though the brayn panne had ben brokenâ— nother myghte my face be tourned backewarde but as it was tourned with the hole bodye This one thynge yette wolle I not passe wher from if Guaiacum had delyuered me and done nothynge els yet oughte I to haue lauded and preysed his vertue greatly and that is noone slepe whiche I coueyted so deedly and was so moche gyuen therevnto that almooste in .vi. yeres space there scaped not one daye whan the phisitions cryed out vppon me sayinge that was the cause of all my diseases and yet I coulde not refrayne my selfe from it But nowe is that gone so far from me that I trowe if I shuld enforce my selfe to slepe in the daye tyme I coulde not With all these and so great euyls all though I was so maystred that all men dispeyred my helth yet my good angell I beleue wylled me to tary and loke for somwhat And lo through the helpe of Guaiacum I am bolde nowe to â—yne and to drawe brethe agayne Whiche mynde god gyue to all good men that they neuer ceasse to hope and truste As for me I repent my selfe in nothyng and if by any meanes longe lyfe myght be graunted vnto me I haue greatte hope that I shulde lyue hoole sounde and lusty And of this disese and of the remedy of Guaiacum I haue wrytteÌ„ these thynges that cam to my minde very faythfully truely and as my lernyng wolde suffre me and here wolde I make an ende if I thought it not necessary to admonysshe them that shall rede these thynges howe after this cure the sicke muste be ordered as touchynge the order and maner of theyr lyuynge which thyng I wyll performe and that breuely ¶ As touchyng the ordre of lyuyng after this cure is paste what is to be obserued Ca. xxvj I Gaue warnyng before that after this cure is paste and the pacient is departed owte of the cloyster of this medicine wherin he was close kept he must vse consequently in his lyuing a certayn dyet and order by the space of .iii. or at the left .ij. hole monthes And nowe that we be come to the very propre place to entreate of the same thynge I say that it is so necessary to be done that who so euer hath recouered his helthe except he afterwardes take good hede diligently obseruynge many thynges and lyue for a space vnder a certayne rule as though he were yet shut vp I say playnly that his helth shall not longe endure And therfore thre monethes are appoynted vnto suche as were eyther greattely consumed and lowe brought in theyr syckenes and hadde many issues and auoyded moch or els were sore hurt in there synowes and lymmes or be so weakened in their body that a lyttell tyme can nat be sufficient to gether vp perfitely their croÌ„mes agayne And on the other side they that be stronge and not so farre gone nor broken vnto suche ii monethes after their settyng out ar ynough as it is thought But by cause I wolde prouyde surely for them that wyll folowe me I wyll aduyse them to obserue and kepe this prescripte very longe and to begynne with they shall absteyne them selfes longe tyme frome the flesshely acte Bycause they that be recouered through Guaiacum haue theyr bodies very tender and vtterly weake as yet as thoughe they had bene lately newe borne And therfore if they shulde haue the company of woman wherby the newe gotten strength is weke and grene and not yet ryped it wolde by and by dissolue and destroy the strengthe and myghtis of all the membres for euer And for as moche as the vse of carnall copulation bryngeth into peryll not one membre by hym selfe but al the hole bodye at one choppe What other