heale Also they saye it is more harder to heale the vttermoste partis bycause they be farre of from the bodye it is longe er they can be nourysshed and fedde And there it is to be taken hede whether the grefe doth ascende or discende Celsus sayth that what so euer grefe gothe downewarde is the more curable And agayne All grefe whiche procedeth vpwarde is worse for the medicyne to come vnto And that suche diseases that chaunce in our secrete partis as they are moste peynefull and sharpe by reason of inflamation whervnto those partis are specially subiectes so are they forthewith and soonest healed Whiche as in all other medicines they maye be moued so for the newe vse brought vp of Guaiacum I wote not whether it be alway so or no. But this lette euery man take hede of that where so euer the grefe be and with what so euer kynde of the pockes they be peyned that they prepare well Guaiacum and after they haue dronke so long therof that it be spredde and rounne into the veynes thanne ye maye be sure theyr ache lytell and lytell goth away And otherwhyle the ache commeth agayne and is more sharpe and peynefull and goth away agayne For after it ones begynneth to swage and than waxeth soore and peynfull it endureth not longe And they that haue soores shall haue the flesshe eaten away about the soores of a greatte breadth And that is a token they begynne to heale For vnto me it chaÌ„ced as it neuer did afore that about the .xxv. daye my legges weare eaten so bare that ye myghte haue sene the bone the breadth of a mannes nayle whiche thynge putte me in great feare but without any difficultie within a fewe days after the flesshe grewe and was restored agayne And by this I perceyue well that the nature of this medicine is to purifie clense the soores vndernethe and vnder the fleshe to proue and shewe fyrste the vertue therof Hytherto haue I sene fewe or none whose soores were cleane healed that were kepte close tyll they helde And therfore I haue harde many experte therin saye that than Guaiacum maketh an ende of his operation whan the pacient returneth to his meate and in euery thynge taketh agayne his olde custome of lyuynge I tolde you before that it was necessary for me to kepe in tyll the .xl. daye All thynges welle pondered I perceyue that this medicine requyrethe a longe season to worke perfectely For the nature of this medicine is not to breake or plucke away the blondde but by lyttell and lyttell to amende and purifie hit in whiche blondde beinge corrupte resteth al the force and strength of this disease and to expelle and diuide from the body the hurtefull humours thht are norisshementes of this disease from some in theyr vrine and sweatynges and from other som in theyr sieges And whan of this disease a man begynneth to waxe whole than the fyrst operation of â—uaicuâ— is to make a man to 〈◊〉 and secondly by the passages of the vrine it purgeth by whiche meanes it fetcheth out and voydeth marueylous foule fylthynesses And than the handes and feete waxe meruaylous colde in so moche that they seme to haue no heate in them at all Wherof phisitions saye this is the cause that than this medicine draweth the heate from the vtter partes to the inner the whiche inward partis after they be warmed and made hotte thaÌ„ the hete spredeth it self into the vtward partis For this without any doubt is proued that theyr lymmes that be healed with Guaiacum be moste hotte And .vi. or vij wynters nexte folowynge my legges and fete wolde be so colde that I coude neuer gette them warme inough thoughe I wrapped them in neuer so many clothes nowe they waxe so warme that with a verye thynne hose or suche lyke garment I putte away the colde These thynges thus vnderstande and knowen we muste comme to this poynt that is to knowe the operation of Guaiacum and agaynst what sycknesses it helpeth ¶ What power Guaiacum is of and what sycknesses it helpeth Cap. xxiiii THe mooste principall and the chieffest effecte of Guaiacum is to hele the freÌ„che pockes cleane pluckyng them vppe by the rootes but specially whan a man hath ben diseased with them of a longe tyme. For I haue sene them that many a day laye soore peyned with the pockes sooner and better restored vnto theyr helthe thaÌ„ they on whom the scabbes beganne newly to appere Not that on those newely diseased any thynge shoulde be lefte vnhealed but that the curynge goth forwarde more hardly and the disease stycketh faster and is more greuously plucked out For Guaiacum doth resolue and destroy meruaylously swellynges getherynges to gether of yll matters hardnesses bumpis and knobbes Fluxions or runnynges it vtterly taketh awaye eyther consumynge or tournyng the same an other way It causeth the soores to impostume withoute any maner of grefe And if any thynge lye hydde within it rooteth it oute And so of some as it dyd to me it maketh the bones bare of some hit sheweth the synowes and breaketh the veynes or eateth moste depely in and it healeth these partis that be infected with this disease and with suche stynche and fylthynesse that the sauoure canne not be abyden And therfore the phisitions saye that the vertue of this medicine is to heate to drye and to amende the fautis of the bloud and of the lyuer but it worketh all these thinges with suche a temperance that indifferently whether the cause be hotte or colde it easeth the patientis Wherfore with the drynes therof it restreyneth the flyxe destroyenge the hurtfull humours that flowe oute or els pluâ—keth vp by the rootes the cause of theyr begynnynge and restorethe agayne the good disposition of the body It dothe extenuate fleme and the poores or passages of the vrine that chaunce many tymes by pervnctions to be shutte and also other in this disease hit openeth ye and prouoketh compelleth the vrine to make and haue way For the whiche skylle some thynke it helpeth them that haue the stone and that it compelleth the stones to issue out of the bladder I haue experience that hit greately minysshe blacke colere And therfore it maketh a man more gladsome and quencheth anger Vndoubtedly hit hathe a greatte vertue agaynste Melancolye And hit taketh awaye runnynges and droppynges and it lyghtneth his heuynes by heatynge as it may be thought the brayne It is sayde that hit amendeth soores whiche were before yll healed howe so euer they came and cuttethe agayne the scarres It amendeth the leannes whiche hath longe contynued in the body And therfore whan this cure is done meÌ„ waxe very fat al their lyfe after They saye it hath a meruaylous vertue ageynst the stynkyng of the mouth doth amende the griefe of the brethe whiche also cometh through the faâ—te of anâ—yntynge It helpethe the inwarde parteâ— and specially the stomacke the whiche hit holle reneweth and
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
the supper ¶ Playnly this disease is of that sort that Galenus thynketh to come of fulnes whiche thynge is thus to be vnderstande not that I thynke all that lyueth in surfetynge streight way to be caste into the french pockes al though suche shall not escape diseases no not most greuous but if any haue ben vexed before with them and than healed eate drynke intemperately he must nedes fall agayn into them And therfore the meate that is receyued let it nother be dyuerse nor moch that the stomake be not loded and digestion letted And agayne let it be as I monysshed easye in digestynge Plinie sayth All maner sharpe meates all that is to moche and all that is hastely receyued be harde in workynge and harder in somer than in wynter and harder in age than in youthe ¶ It is wryten in Tully he that medleth not with exquysite meates looded tables and often cuppes shal not be combred with dronkennes rawnes of stomacke or dreames But for as moch as whaâ— this cure is done we muste prouyde howe the bodye that hath hytherto bene emptied and made leane maye be brought ageyn vnto his olde state therfore peraduenture those meates muste be vsed that increace and fylle the body not with noyfull humours but suche as Celsus rehersethe in the .iij. chapter of the fyrste boke ¶ Plinie also sayth The bodies growe and increace with swete and fatte meates and with drynke they diminisshe and go downe with drye leane and colde meates and thurste But this muste be wysely vnderstonde for those thynges whiche I haue often before monysshed But seinge Galenus warneth vs in all thynges to take hede to the bealy For what so euer sayth he is corrupted in that it is a cause of rot vnto al the body and so of diseases I thynke hit beste to take those drynkes and meates as Celsus teacheth whichâ— do bothe norysshe and make the bealy soft ¶ But if any through the dyuess prouocation fyll hym selfe and lode his stomake with meaâ—e more than it is able to beare if he lyste to seke helpe by slepe let him here Plinie saying To digest in slepe it maketh more for the corpulentnes than the streÌ„gth of the body And therfore the phisitions wold haue the great fat wrastlers to make theyr digestion by walkynge But if he had leaâ—er ease hym selfe by vomyt as many do counsell and Paule specially teacheth for throughe vomites many euyls oftentymes haue ben stopped and withstonde lette hym rede his doctrine shewynge howe one maye lyghtly vomyt And if nother of these be regarded or to late proued than peraduenture he muste go to phisike whervnto if the sycke be compelled I can gyue hym none other commaundement but euen the same whiche I haue oftentymes spoken that he commytte hym selfe to a sober and lerned phisâ—tion or to a well experte rather than to one that is of high exquisite lernyng to hym that powreth in no medicines but of very coÌ„stranite ye those medicines that be symple and not compowned and myngled with many thynges and as moche as maye be ministreth the thynges of our owne couÌ„trey growyng and not thynges farre fette And if suche a phisition counsell you to take a laske than see ye remembre that whiche Paule teacheth whiche is that ye do it not ofte leâ—te through often prouokyng nature forgette the office of clensing of the body of her owne motion ¶ As concernynge meates whiche be holsome and whiche vnholsomme and howe euery kynde of meates helpeth or hurteth excepte a man declare it to the vttermost it were better speake nothynge thereof And therforeâ— I wolde haue the authors redde as Celsus whiche entreateth shortly of the kyndes of meates And Paulus which handleth at large in .xxiiij. chaptres the natures and vertues of meates or els Galenus whiche by him selfe is sufficient for all pretermyttynge nothynge in the bokes of nourysshementes And so wolde I nowe haue made an ende of feadynge if there had not chanced to come to my mynde certayn thynges worthy to be noted And fyrste I wyll admonysshe you of egges There is no meate sayth Plinie lyke egges that noryssheth in syckenes and lyeth not heuy and that is in stede of wyne and meate bothe And Auiâ—ene affirmeth that the yolkes of egges of a henne of a partrige or of a phesaunte do passe all meates for them that haue theyr bloud diminished or theyr harte faynted Alexander Aphrodisens thynketh that it conteyneth in it selfe the qualites of all the elementes and to conclude there is in an egge a certayne shewe of the worlde bothe because it is made of the foure elementes and agayne bycause it is gathered rounde in sphere fascion And hath a lifely power Egges fryed manye doo forbydde amonge the whiche are Paulus and Galenus And dothe not alowe the foode of herbeâ— And many other do forbyd the same although Marcê° Cato praiseth brassicaÌ„ aboue the mone He that eateth dayly his fylle of ptisana his nutrimente Galenus thinketh can by none other meates be hyndred And the same thynge wolde I say saythe he by beanes if they fylled not with wynde Of the vse of milke both in meates and also in medicines Paule dothe intreate verye goodly Alexander saythe mylke is lyghte in digestynge and nouryssheth well For that may lyghtly go into bloudde that is made of bloudde and in a maner hit is bloud made whyte ¶ Of manye thynges I haue shewed you a few but yet he that desireth to haue helth ought saythe Paule to knowe howe great power wyne hathe And the same saythe if wyne frete anye man he muste drynk colde water And the nexte daye drynke the iuise of wormewode and walke vppon it he must rubbe his body and wasshe it and than refresshe hym selfe with lyttell meate Wynes that were lately must and also wynes that be to olde must be auoyded sayth Galenus For these heate to moche and the other nothynge at all That fedynge faythe Paule that kepeth a man bare and sklender is moche surer for the helthe than that whiche maketh one fat But for as moche as lyttell meate gyueth nother strength nor stedynes vnto the bodye therfore he after addethe sayinge Suche meates as are of a meane nature are the chiefe nourysshementes of all For they ingender bloudde of a meane substance And as such are most metest coÌ„uenient for our bodies so be they that bring forth yll humours moste noyfull and therfore muste they alwayes be auoyded This saythe Paule And he teacheth more ouer that rye breadde nouryssheth more than all other and that wheaten breade is of harde digestion and wyndy and that barly breade is of lyttell strengthe He that wyll knowe the vttermooste of fedynge lette hym rede this Paule and Galenus as I saydeâ— we in this countreye neuer vsed annoyntynges in Italie they haue vsed them but nowe they be almooste lefte And Galene coÌ„mendethe rubbynges of the body aboue all thynges inculcatynge oftentymes and many thinges therof and