why is Galen moued so to thinke First for that children hath multitude of bloud Secondly they haue greedinesse in appetite And lastly they haue a substantiall valour in concoction As these reasons shewe a great ground why there should be more aboundant heate in children so he denieth their heate to be intentiue For Dyoscorides verily affirmeth that adolescencie hath more aboundance thereof not according to the proportion of the body For the body of a child although in the small quantitie thereof hath not more intentiue heate yet hath more coyious and intentiue bloud then adolescencie Surely children in their proportion obserued and considered haue a greedie and quicke desire to sustenance and are of redie digestion therunto Therefore I thinke it extreame madnesse in Theophrastus Peracelsus who absolutely granteth a larger sustenance to children then adolescencie seeing naturall operation refuseth to be more stronger in children and yet there heate is most plentifull and their digestion most redie Yet I doe not mislike his difference made betweene children and infantes For infantes in their first natiuitie are colde and therefore whollie giuen to sleepe but growing vp to children are euery day more sanguine and therfore more hote and moyst for as heate prouoketh appetite so moystaesse is the cause efficient aswell to nourish great sleepe in the body as to aduaunce therewith the office of good nourishment And truely Dyoscorides affirmeth that children are vnder diuers inclinements both of weakenesse and strength And the same is well discerned vnder a double operation of their excrementes as that the one being ouersoft and the other vtterlie voyd of moystnesse The first argueth moyst coldnesse which stirreth vp a naturall desire and disposition to sleepe in children the other prouoketh and increaseth bloud releeueth and comforteth the vitall partes The Philosopher is woonted to declare that moystnesse is the first cause of sleepe and coldnesse is the second cause And therefore when the humours of the body be deâ—ected eyther by nature or art both moystnesse and coldnesse both in the first and second degree are possest in the body Yet these colde humid deâ—ections vpward manie times infeebleth the stomackes of children with cold distemperance and doe egerly scower wast and extenuate their bodyes downeward as that thereby all their naturall vertues are quite weakened and their facultie of appetite quite ouerthrowne Then surely we haue iust cause to make further search inquierie as touching the difference betweene adolescencie and In respect of naturall châ—ller adoleseencie exceedeth children in â—eate or els not children in their heate which is chalenged that adolescencie exceedeth children in larger aboundance of heat in respect of naturall choller which more sharpely inflameth and pursueth the body And except the same be preuented oftentimes in gluttonous und glassie corruption excessiuely draweth the body to inflaming diseases therby In this respect adolescencie surpasseth children in heate or els not For the better vnderstanding hereof let vs vse this comparison following and agreeable hereunto that if two cuppes being of vnlike quaÌ„titie filled with hot pure water without slime or corruption put thereunto the qualitie of the lesser may exceed the quantitie of the greater in heat and yet their equall quantity according to proportion is nothing diminished Euen so blood may according to proportion be matched in children and adolescencie alike yet their heate may exceed one aboue another This is onely spoken for that heate is established by bloud for as in some dispositions nature is earthly and colde from their conception so heate of bloud aduaunceth and promoteth the same to become vegetable and wholesome in the vniuersall partes of the body by nutrimentall meanes For which respect if the qualitie be vnlike yet the quantitie according to prportion may equally agree together This proueth heat in children and young men ought to haue seuerall proportions in substance and yet in qualitie they doe exceede vnlike for as heate in yoong menne may be more sharper so in children more sweeter and tastefull And whereas bloud is in Children more intentiue so heat is in yong men more intentiue as is aforesaid For which cause medicines prepared for yoong men are of more higher degree both in nature and operation Otherwise vnforceable to reach the constitution of adolescencie onely and because of their high courage and strength which is in the substance of thetr intentiue heate for which cause the greatest skill that belongeth to the heedefull and wise phisitian is euermore to consider aswell of the cause as the constitution that temperance may thereby be perfected into good estate and condition by qualitie and that medicine and the body doe not exceede one another For heate ought to be more sharper comprehended therein not by a variable substance in it selfe but by artificiall helpe aduaunced thereunto so that sometimes bodies of cold and raw constitutions doe swiftly hasten towardes many dangerous diseases except onely translated into some other more perfect nature or otherwise reuiued both in substance of bloud and strength of heate As if a hote stone being dipped in a cold bath or a colde stone in a hote bath of water doth forthwith alter both the water and the ayre to be of a like qualitie with the stone So these distempered bodies are reformed by artfull knowledge to become in equall temperance alike and yet not in operation for want of bloud so that heate may be restored or the excesse thereof diminished For like as difference is interposed betweene a cleere and grosse ayre as hauing like qualitie of heate yet not like neyther in substance nor naturall operaion so diuers constitutions by this meanes may be lâ—ke in qualitie and the variable estate thereof may become also of one temperance and operation There is a difference to be set downe in the outward estate of two temperat bodies together As first to regard their differences by touching and feeling the substance according to proportion of euery seuerall part by it selfe for many times by the proportion of outward thinges the good and euill estate of inward thinges are knowne beleeued as onely by a supposed Hypothesis For if the heate of adolescencie and childhood may be found equall by teeling then would it fall out that the comparison of ages betweene adolescencie and children were of necessitie equall vnto which there must be adioyned both discretion consideration and constant stay For Cornelius Celsus saith that yong men which are perfect in conceit vnderstanding are of hote dispositions haue verie little desire to sleepe the which thing somewhat bendeth towardes drinesse Hote braines are apt and inuentiue and small desire to sleepe And yet nothing is in the obscure workes of nature to be discerned in them either by feeling or touching Galen in his booke de sanitate tuenda rehearseth manie high and variable dispositions both in adolescencie and children and putteth forth moste excellent preseruations in eyther their defences Theophrastus Paracelsus saith that heate
all by touching therfore the ayre is more moyst yet because water is of more rounder and compact substance then of an intentiue qualitie some philosophers report water is more moist then ayre otherwise how should yse more coole then water and yet not more colder Galen affirmeth water to be most moist for that it is cleare and no drinesse is contained within the substance thereof By this reason no simple medicine can shewe in his vttermost nature to be either hot colde moist or drie in the highest degree in respect of equalite 〈…〉 ature from contrary plaâ—ing therefore this reason most proâ—pereth and prooueth in â—urt bodies and although the ayre were clearely hot yet not in the highest degree So likewise if water were clearlie moist yet not in the highest degree for it â—s repugnaâ—t in the reasonable onâ—e standing of elements that there should be two qualities or els noâ— at all obtained in the highest degree for if ayre hath not maystnesse it shoulde then vnnaturally exceede in the vttermost place which is against the nature and order of the elements And furthermore it is greatly to be marueyled that certain new Philosophers with some counterfeit weake reasons blaste abroad in the world that water is more moyst then ayre which cannot holde for then the elements shoulde fall out in contrarie order which otherwise haue an equall constitution in the rest of the bodies one after an other although they bee of disframed conditions and qualities or els we may iudge of mans bodie to haue more earth and water litle ayre and lesse fire whereas it is in holie writing farre otherwise declared that man was not fashioned neither of ayre water nor fire but of the earth shewing that earth water are imperious ruling elements This element as a heauie substance doth beare great sway in the constitution of man for that heat and drinesse are of more lighter matter Then doeth it stande by naturall reason that heat among other qualities is actiue and as the qualitie therof is most plaine so the least portion thereof as in man for which cause these two outward bodies colde and heat may bee perceyued and that coldnes is tempered by heat and heat delaâ—ed by cold drines by moystnesse and moystnesse by drenesse that one of them should haue equall seruice by an other so there is also a motiue cause of coldnesse and drinesse thorow the sinewes so also there is coldnes and moystnes in the braine where the conceit and sence beginneth their place The hart is the instrument of life the liuer the instrument of blood the which of necessity are hot and moist and so from thencefoorth there are certaine instruments of necessitie some cold some hot some moyst and some drie if any one of them at any time do bend or writh aside from these iust temperature their actiue qualitie must be disured and fall away therewith for that the instrument which leadeth the same is decaied Therefore the bodye of necessitie is to possesse and inioy a perfect estate in his members in seruice of all the offices appertaining thereunto And the rather because all bodies haue a coniunction of the foure elementes otherwise choller which is hot drie and colde cannot serue the body in perfect nature and operation for that vnnaturall choller corrupteth the whole body And furthermore as the foure humours are seperated one from another in seueral estates and constitutions so such members which are insigned vnder any one of these humors are commoderated one by an other vntill there be a iudicial temperance raigning ouer all the wholl members for although any such instrument were of necessitie cold yet it is not conuenient so to be in the highest degree for that certaine immixt elementes doo want the temperance of the second qualitie Now if successiuely these instruments were by this means most righteous and equall they ought not to be tempered on some one behalfe but on euery behalfe for no instrument can bee meete whereas if any part thereof be vnmeete And for this cause it is not onely a seemely sight that these elements after their greatest portions should be grosly mingled in a myxt body but that in the whole they become perfectly vnited and that there be no want in any part thereof Therefore as diuers elements are so mixed in one body as that there is a ful seruice of al the members one to another So was it righteous that there should be a whole perfect coniunction in the iust commoderation of all other instrumentes for if all and euery part were not equally moderated one part would decay and fall away from another For is not the body conserued and satisfied by the said elements from hunger and thirst which otherwise would in al the partes thereof languish and fal Wine is a bountiâ—ull element ordained to me perfect properties away therefore man is nourished of the foure elemâ—ts in that the heat of the sunne is commixed with the earth and the water and ayre commixed are of generable nature producing sustenance agreeing with all natures indumentes And furthermore consider that whosoeuer drinketh wâ—â—e for coldnesse of stomach dooth not poure or infuse fire into his body although the moistnesse of water is tempered with a fiery element to frame a perfect body not in outward action but by the pure power of heat This verily proueth that one element is fashioned with another so that all the elementes are of equall power and propertie one with another Otherwise if man were framed of one element he were impassible and without suffering Or if there were such a dissimilitude in the elementes as that not one of them could be drawne in agreement with the other but still continue a contrarietie then all passiue actions were dispropriated and vnperfectly disequalled Euen as there is manifestly shewed forth all necessarie causes to the construction of euery one body So these elementes all in all are commixed without separation following vpon the immixion of humours in mans body vnto which euerie liuing man is subiect and bound vnto by natures ordinance And there are some which wallowing in their owne wils doe affirme that bloud is nothing els but a certaine confounded humour extracted out of three humours although the same is vtterly false Yet may it manifestly proue a great varietie in the permixioÌ„ of elements Therefore if it be possible that foure humours are confounded Maners doe follow the humour of bloud within themselues and yet their formes kept together vndiffacioned or that one forme or fashion appeareth for them all then surely these elementes are aswell commixed in these humours as wholly perfected thorow the body it selfe that although their formes were eyther disfigured or in some part abstracted yet there qualities are vndefaced Otherwise the reason and measure of mixture should perishe together both in forme and qualtie touching corporall formes as they are neuer taken from their substance So not the forme but the qualitâ—e hath
seasons to be hote moyst and soultrie And after the dissolution of this ouerraging heate the north groweth to a most extreame vapour of colde about the noone season This may easily be gathered hereof that the opposite poyntes of the north and the south hauing strangely and diuersly altered both their properties and courses the inferiour causes are so poysoned in a corrupt degree as that ouerraging pestilences are inkindled in such like seasons and there shal be perceiued great lightes and furious flames of heate arise in those partes of the north all which foresheweth excessiue gluttes in the vnseasonable aboundance of raine the winter following Some new writers perswade the worlde that mans body is ouerweakened by those seasons aswell because of the vnnatuturall distemperance as also for that the vygent heate of bloud not onely descendeth but eyther thereby decayeth waxeth thin or corrupteth in vnordered bodies It is a most high contemplation in the hearbes and plantes of the earth whose fortitude and power is in the coldnesse and drinesse of this Autume greatly diminished and fallen away so also subiect to putrifaction and corruption therewith For the generation of humours which were cleerely nourished by the purenesse of the spring season are nowe vtterly surprised eyther by euacuation corruption or putrifaction Auycen sayth that Autume is like a woman which when the time is come cannot conceale her trauell so Autume cannot be couered or hid which tryeth and approueth mans body whether that it be with diseases infected or no which may be also After threscore and tenne yeares this fleame knitteth in the ioyntes sâ—oppeth the vaines ingrosseth nature decayeth digestion And in the canicular dayes this fleame becummeth ponderous and by an excessiue and inordinate heate odiously stencheth in the lower partes especially vpon the legs and that vntill putrifaction be perfected therein There is another watrish fleame thicke and subtle most hard to be digested gluttonous and dronken persons are much herewith infected and this fleame about the fal of the leafe is white thicke hard and corme it offendeth the brames and nosteels verie much except it be addressed with warmenesse this fleame most of all offendeth in winter season and by reason of outragious coldnesse and distemperance of weather altereth at the same season more than anie other time for that the cold and hot humours disagree one with another There is a most dangerous fleame called by Cornelius Celsus Rallium of others Gibseum this fleame setleth in the ioyntes and sometimes in the arteries drieth into hard kernels not onely ingendreth putrifaction but remedilesse gowtes and as all maling distemperatures haue conspired herewith so doth it crase and breake forth in open libertie by all distemperate seasons of the yeare There is an other heauie and clammie fleame proceeding from the lightes and sheweth it selfe moste principally in the Autume season like to yse because the bloud discending is ouertaken with coldnesse There is a fleame which manie times is incident to verie blacke and chollericke persons and sheweth a dangerous nature in the finishing vp of Autume it proceedeth chiefly by inordinate and euill customes of youth as excessiue lecherie and such like bloudie vnctious and greasie contagions This fleame is ingendered vppon the heart kidneys and raynes of the backe There is a chollericke fleame shewing moste of all in Autume ingendred of salt meates This fleame moueth a belching hicket in the mouth of the stomacke causeth great pensiuenesse and sorrow of minde proceeding of greedie eating of rawe fruites before the naturall heat of the sun be perfectly coagulated therein and yet if there be pefect digestion hereof it is conuerted to blood There is also an other humor annexed hereunto called choller the which is either naturall or vnnaturall Choller vnnaturall is an outward cause knowen thorow the whole body and melancholiously mingled it is cytrin or like the collour of gold Cytrin is the collour of an Oâ—renge it is intermixed with subtle fleame and sometimes of smaller substance and in similitude of the yolkes of egges and enterioyned with grosse fleame and naturall choller There is a choller burnâ—ng in itselfe and conuerted to ashes there is also adioyned herewith a melancholious choller which is of a reddy collour ingendred vpon the liuer There is a choller ingendred vpon euill digestion of meates it is ingendred in the vaines by other euill humours this is prassiue choller like to the hearb Prassion it burneth vntill there be no moisture left therein and the drinesse thereof waxeth white Furthermore as all these temperatures of the body coneur with the temperatures of the yeare and as yet no temperature certainly is found out at any time which sheweth some great reproch to nature both because she hath ordayned nothing certainly to continue neither hath she perfourmed all things alike as many accideÌ„ts of vnnatural influences do on some variable behalfe corrupt and distemper the vniuersal earth so by greate murrayne in cattell by excesse pestilence in mankind and by putrifaction of earthly fruites shew foorth a variable alteration of the foure elementes in all other liuing creatures Therefore Hypocrates saith it were more then reasonable in nature if all seasons of the yeare were tempered or distempered alike for therin the gouernment of mans complection oftentimes falleth out by the naturall or vnnaturall course of times for the worke of nature cannot bee shewed or tempered in any thinge more glorious or a greeable then that temperance or distemperance are framed to serue equally in their places as the foure seasons of the yeare fall out vnder which mans complexion is best ordered or worst disordered according to the proportions of the sayd times Galen calleth the estate of man in the spring time of the greeke word EVCRATON which is that nothing can bee chaunged from his temperature The new writers haue indeauoured their wits to prooue the most wholsommest and sittest estate for the health of mans body is that season which is most best tempered vnder moysture and heat and that the flemmatike man is beste delighted therewith yet if we doo both approoue by experience and also for our further doctrine vnderstand what Hypocrates saith hereunto that no seasons of the yeare are more corrupted then those which happen vnder the estate of moyst and heat And chiefly if the saide estate be either long or superfluous vnder which said times often falleth out great changeablenesse in nature for that not onely simple corruptions are then easily taken hold of but all generall infections of pestilences are ouerspread in swalowing vp the life of men for which cause moystnesse and heat and of most excelling quicknesse and full of life and yet distemperance therewith hath full and large coniunction and corruption to doo harme herein For Galen himselfe confesseth Humidissimam naturam esse vinacissimam cum intemperatis non autem temperata confert The moist nature is most quickest in the state of intemperate thinges but it nothing preuaileth in
calleth that age the spreading gathering and stretching foorth of the body as then dooth it most chieslye lout in strength Arnoldus de noua villa saith that the most part especiallie women beginning their adolescencie before ripeneise of age hath geuen them libertie thereunto doo afterwards â—iue like vntimely fruite as peares plummes or apples gathered before scasonablenesse and ripenesse hath perfected them doo most speedilie drie rot decay and vtterly perish This commonly is well perceiued and knowen to fall out in south countries where heat and moysture excessiuely ouermatcheth with many corruptions and diseases in such rash ages Petrus Galiensis saith that although the south countries bring foorth strong men yet their age is not certainlie of hotte and moyst temperance nor yet constant vnder drinesse but rather most of all bendeth to extreame heat which moistnesse being so much inflamed therewith as that the yoong and tender skinne is vtterly vnable to containe the measure thereof but naturally speweth and breaketh foorth without artificiall expulsion Next followeth mans estate which standeth for a while at a stay And although their bodies by little and litle decaieth yet their sences continue vnbroken aboue fourtie yeares and in some men of stong and sound complexion vntill threescore and aboue Then commeth olde age alienating and declining aside altogether replenished with melancholious coldnesse and drynesse at which season blood and heat are setled and commixed in the bottome of the arteries and vaines like dregges And the longer they are stayed and lodged somuch the sooner the artion of blood is obstructed and combusted and the strength infeebled and disabled the which falleth out aswell because of thicknesse in the shinne growen and fastened with the bones and sinewes as also because the excrementes haue bene there long staied and closed vp The which calamitie many men in their decrepit and extreame age vndertake and sustaine For their former impuritie of lustie youth is not onely vanquished but partched in ther bodies with fuliginous superfluities like soote to a chinmey afflicting them with drie coldnes vnto death Therefore happy is lusty olde age whose former puritie hath drawen comfort ease and ioy vpon gray haires whose bloud is odiferous and sweet whose breath is easie and who som whâ—se bones vaines and sinews are direct whose digestion is easy and light whose expulsion is naturall in whome the temperance of heate as drinesse of bones and moystnesse of blood are to olde yeares most nourishable that like as the dry hot ground is not corrupted with euery moysture of rayne but the distemperance thicketh and freeseth aboue the ground before it pearceth euen so temperate hot bodies are not easily pearced with the contagion or distemperance of moyst coldnes or any such like superfluous vapours Galen herewith concordeth that drie braines are lesse incumbred with super fluities and moist braines naturallye appertaineth vnto ideotes and fooles which lack diiscretion for that their primary faculties are ouerfâ—oted or intermixed with superfluous grosnes so likewise a woman of moiste complexion is most menstruous especially if she want the vse of man yet this rule and order is manifested by Galen in these words Si virago fuerit fortis pre caliditate siccitate nunquam hoc profluuium admittet Therefore hot and drie bodies of some women are euenmuch infarced with excrements and growe into many inward diseases for want of naturall deuoydance of their inconcocted super fluities for which respect their piteous fulsomnes vnnaturally gathered yssueth by their nostrels therefore by thâ—s reason women of moist complections are most wholsome for the vse of man It falleth out farre otherwise after the course of nature in mens constitutions for that Dioscorides holdeth his opinion after this maner who saith Mallem siceitatem plenitudinis humiditatem incoctarum superfluitatum occasionem esse I had rather drinesse should be the occasion of fulnesse then moistnesse the occasion vndigested superfluities For a moyst bodie in a man is easily ingurged difflated puffed and as it dooth greedily desire sustenance so dooth it redily nourish excrementes transcormeth much blood into watrie matter ouermuch insumeth and spendeth vpon nature whereas on the contrarie a dry body scarsly admitteth or indureth most nourishment but that it doth presently comprehend thereby a pure blood into the vaines drieth and vtterly consumeth al waterye and matery substance for drinesse in adolescencie furnisheth the bodie with good blood disouereth the body from raw excrementes drieth purgeth and perfecteth the bodie from all corruptions As for exaâ—ple Let vs distinguish between a flegmatick and a melancholike person between a moyst and drie braine that hereby a moist temperance in respect of a drie is perceiued knowen to haue most superfluous humors abounding and many times old men are more stuffed with excrementes then yoong men the cause hereof is want of nourishing blood which produceth coldnesse For prooffe if two olde men were placed vnder one ayre did both feede vpon one diet and were of one like age surely hee which of them generateth a moyst temperance shall abound with the greatest superfluities For it cannot bee otherwaies found out but that drinesse alwaies is the cause of puritie and maystnesse the occasion of great impuritie For all men doo obtaine the first partes of moystnesse by carnat generation and therefore children are nourished by sleepe in their mothers wombe The second part of cold superfluities are obtained by moistnes of complexion which naturally disfigureth many flegmatike old men and draweth them subiect to euery vnconstant vapour Auycen assigneth the cause of these and such like piteous excrementes in olde men rather of an immoderate maner of diet then of natures distemperance Galens opinion is most sauorie to our sences and yet disagreeing from Auycen who sayth that although olde mens dyet were much more dryer then yâ— dyet of yong men yet for that excessiue coldnesse puriâ—â—eth them must of necessitie abound with ouergreat excramentall superfluitie There are many which haue wandred very wide both in the constitution of old men and children especially Manardus first declaring that olde men be inforced with fleame by reason of riotous youth and euerie variable accidence exhausteth their bodies with moste perrillous pestilences This is contrary to Galen who plainely affirmeth that after olde age draweth on the body is set free from all accidence and bringeth forth diseases of naturall propertie for that nature eyther alienateth or then weakeneth or els quite decayeth And furthermore whereas Manardus seemeth to conioyne coldnesse as a naturall essence in children his reason is proper onely for that they tooke the substance thereof in the first place of generation and their heate is afterwardes gathered rather by nourishable meates then of naturall substance This is contrarie to Galen who is fortified with experience on the one side and standeth highly vpon the works of nature on the other side doth thinke that children are more hote and moyst then adolescency Children are apt to increase bloud And