the temperature of our bodies required the same Yet this good use wee may make thereof to which intent I write the same that seeing learned and wise men have prescribed such strict and rigid courses of diet and many men have lived long and in good health by using such courses and being accustomed thereunto thought the same sufficient and pleasant how much more should wee thinke a farre better more reasonable large and dainty diet such as our later and more experienced Physitians approve of for our climate namely two or three reasonable meales in a day of such good and wholesome foode as our Country usually affords in a due and orderly manner to bee most sufficient easie to be observed pleasant and delightfull The stomacke being used to such a temperate diet and being thereby well prepared it maketh ordinary diet equall yea more pleasant to the temperate man then rare dainties to the idle gluttonous man whose body is usually unhealthie and stomack out of temper by disorder and excesse And as such a temperate orderly and convenient diet is sufficient in all respects for nature health and delight so also is it most excellent and beneficiall Though sometimes variety of meate and a free diet be not amisse especially for such as are cholericke leane and such as use much exercise and labour yet let men especially phlegmaticke grosse men also Citizens and such as live sedentary lives without exercises and stirring and most especially such of them as are studious and religious seriously consider what excellent benefits many learned Physitians do tell us proceed from a good temperate spare and meane diet and as they see occasion let them observe the same These ensuing considerations thereof require the soule to bee at leisure for them I shall endeavour to collect briefely some of the principall benefits thereof They tell us that a temperate good diet is an occasion of good concoction which maketh good bloud and ingendreth good spirits That the same prevents crudities rheumes obstructions and such diseases as are bred thereby which are indeed almost all usuall maladies yea that a tempe ate spare diet cureth or at least mitigateth all those diseases that have beene so bred in us by intemperance disorder and fulnesse though already seized upon us by making an easie and generall evacuation in the body consuming the crudities rheumes and superfluous humours therein extenuating that which is over-thickned opening obstructions and so unlocking all the passages of the humours and spirits That hereby also head-ach and dizzinesse is cured fluxes stayed loathsome Itches taken away In summe all the superfluous corrupted and ill humours in the body whatsoever are hereby drained and cleered All which is done easily without disturbance without paine without cost and losse of time without stirring and distempering the humours so as this most excellent medicine of a temperate and spare diet seemes to bee the best physicke that can be How many men doe we reade and often heare of who have beene subject to Gouts and other diseases by physicke incurable have yet quite recovered their health or at least their diseases have beene much mitigated and eased by such a good temperate and sparing diet By such a good temperate diet the body is kept cleane from all noysomnesse and filthinesse and made healthie agill lightsome and expedite to performe the motions appertaining thereunto Sound and quiet sleepe is also hereby caused the temperate man gets up at peepe of day saith one fresh as the morning it selfe full of vigor and activity both of body and minde well prepared and apt for all manner of affaires The sonne of Syrach affirmes this Sound sleepe commeth of moderate eating saith he and a temperate man riseth early and his wits are with him Ecclus. 31. Such a diet is also an occasion of long life It is most certaine and cannot be denied but a good temperate convenient diet doth prolong the life of man in so much as by vertue thereof a mans life may bee happily lengthned to well-nigh a hundred yeeres or more as hath beene plainely shewed by the former examples And experience as well as millions of examples in former ages teacheth that by reason of such a diet many men attaine to a good and happie old age The same also is an occasion of a calme quiet death for such men as have beene accustomed to such a good temperate diet having thereby prevented evill humours there is but little inward cause to molest them so as their soules part from their bodies easily and quietly with little disturbance of nature and passions A temperate and spare diet also taketh away the occasions of sloth and dulnesse which are abundance of unnecessary humours stopping the passages of the spirits cloying the joynts and filling them too full of moysture these being taken away the spirits are cleered and purified so as the minde also is lesse clogged with the grosse vapours of fulnesse and repletion whereby the senses are kept sound the passions mollified the affections well tempered evill concupiscence abated and the whole soule freed from abundance of incumbrances Hereby also the reason is cleered the wit sharpned the understanding soliditated and the whole soule made more cheerefull quick sprightly piercing and free to apprehend receive and retaine all good all divine and excellent matters If we peruse all histories we shall finde that such as are registred for excellent in the list of Princes Philosophers and Souldiers and as men of excellent spirits and of most heroicall performances for the benefit of mankinde are commonly also registred for the friends and followers of temperance as was Cyrus Augustus Alexander Severus Socrates Marcus Cato Epimnondas The Roman Curii and Fabritii with many others The Lacedemonians as valiant as they were made expresse profession of vertue and temperance And we may alwayes observe that temperate men are commonly vertuous and pious men The wise man saith Blessed art thou O Land when thy Princes eate in due season c. Eccles 10.16 To conclude let us then most willingly embrace this divine vertue of temperance And so in a good temperate and convenient manner let us eate and drinke with joy and pleasure Eccles 9.7 the rather since it is as hath beene said so good and so comely a thing so to doe Eccles 2.24 and likewise so sufficient so pleasant and so beneficiall SECTION V. The good and divine use of Eating WHether yee eate or drinke or whatsoever yee do else let all be done to the praise and glory of God saith Saint Paul 1. Cor. 10.31 This is the best use of eating to the praise and glory of God And as was saint Pauls precept so his practise Hee tooke bread and gave thankes to God c. Acts 27.35 For this use saith hee God hath created the same to be received with thanksgiving of them which beleeve and know the truth 1. Tim. 4.3 for every creature of God is good and nothing is to be refused if it
vitious meanes as flattery bribery impudency and the like to gaine that outward honour which without the inward testimony of a good conscience is but as smoke a vapour aire breath opinion wherein he loseth his owne liberty to follow the passions and humours of other men Ambitious thoughts make a man cleane forget what he ought to be and abandon all actions of duty transports him beyond equity and reason and commonly brings him to a great and miserable downefall From this pernitious root of Ambition springeth abundance of evils to the soule of man for he that is wholly infected with this vice becommeth proud ungratefull insolent faithlesse dishonest envious mutinous an oppressour an Atheist a traitor a contentious and seditious person Ambition hath been the cause of divers murders warres and ruine of Empires Kingdomes Cities and a multitude of families and persons Alexanders ambition was the decay of the Easterne world and Iulius Caesars of the most flourishing common wealth then being Ambition often trampleth and contemneth even Religion it selfe It will make Ieroboam and Mahomet to tollerate any Religion so they may raigne Those Arch-heretickes and Schismatickes of the world what was it but Ambition that puffed them up to be chiefe leaders though in errours and lies What was it but ambition that stirred up and continued the controversie of supremacy betweene the Churches of Ierusalem Antioch Constantinople and Rome the space of almost 300. yeares untill at last Phocas adjudged the supremacy to the Bishop of Rome which brought forth horrible tumults deadly hatred and shamefull schismes among the Churches And since the ambition of divers Popes when sometimes two or three have raigned together hath caused the bloudshedding and ruine of many Christians Also how much bloud was shed by reason of those ambitious divisions of Caesar and Pompey of Scylla and Marius of Cneus Pompeius and Quintus Fabius in Rome Of the houses of Orleance and Burgundy in France Of Yorke and Lancaster in England How many ambitious spirits have done hatefull murders that they might rule and raigne alone as Abimilech Athalia Ioram Zimri Romulus Dionysius Busiris Periander Semiramis Queene of Naples Henry the fifth and Antonius Emperours Manfroy and Irene mother to the Emperor Constantine Richard the third of England and many others Bassianus the Turke also Selimus who killed Coruntus his younger brother and five of his Nephewes Solyman who murdered his owne sonne the valiant Mustapha Adrian the Emperour many of his Emulators Maximinus all his Senators Herod of Iury all the Synedrim and bloud-royall of the Iewes with many others whom I might recount Ambition was the ruine and perdition even of the Angels themselves From this ambitious and inordinate desire springeth a multitude of vaine purposes plots cares jealousies envies feares griefes and discontents Ambitious men thinke still their owne condition not good enough because others are better and pine with envy at the honour and prosperity of their neighbours It is a greater griefe to an ambitious man to suffer one to goe beyond him then it is pleasure to leave a thousand behind him Hee enjoyes not so much the honour he hath as pines with envy desire and acquisition of what he hath not and what others have Thus Themistocles is said to be more fretted at the glory of Miltiades then joyous of his owne and Aristides at his emulated corrivals then at all the honours hee receives from the Athenians An ambitious man grieves and is exceeding angry if others neglect him and thinke him not so good as he thinks himselfe If Haman be not bowed unto by Mordecai he is ful of indignation and griefe The remembrance of any disgrace or injury past doth often much grieve ambitious men and feares of that which may come perplexes them And if they be once crossed in their ambitious desires and in stead of rising fall they become exceeding sad melancholy insomuch as many ambitious men after such losse of their honour or crosse in their ambition have seemed even to scorne the world and mankinde been ready to turne heretikes traitors and desperately to spend their dayes and so end them These immoderate desires cares feares griefs do often cause the body to pine wither increase melancholy shorten life By this aspiring vice of ambition many millions of men have wrought their owne overthrow Baasha Zimri Shallum and Pekah kings of Israel Absolom proud Iezabel Haman Nebuchadnezzar and Herod are remarkable examples of the miserable downefall of pride and ambition Histories make mention of thirty seven Emperours of Rome within the space of 100 yeares onely three of them died of sicknesse in their beds The rest came to untimely ends The examples also of Pharaoh Adonizebeck Agag of Bajazet and the Kings of Asia who drew that once Scythians shepheards coach also Valerian Mauritius Richard the second of England Francis King of France imprisoned by Charles the fifth Robert Duke of Normandy and divers others in all ages yea the death and ruine of all the Emperours Kings Princes and famous men that ever were in the world who are now all buried in earth and rotten in corruption doe shew sufficiently the vanity uncertainty and frailty of that honour and greatnesse which ambitious men so unsatiably desire and seeke after Insomuch as the grave and wormes have conquered and devoured the greatest conquerors princes and renowned men And as if honour and ambition did but the sooner hasten men to this ruine and destruction with what violence doe many great men runne into this vice of ambition till they breake their owne neckes They rise but to fall as did Iulius Caesar Pompey Haniball Marcus Crassus Marius Spurius Melius Sejanus Byron Nicias Agesilaus Cumenes Xerxes Pyrrhus and a million of others both antient and moderne Though ambitious men should attain to some height of their ambitious desires yea commence even the highest degrees of vaine glory yet would they not be contented they would still be ambitious and wish like Alexander that there were more worlds for them to rule and domineere over Although ambition be commonly noted to be seated onely in generous noble and great spirits yet there are some meane men of low degree that are toucht with this vice of ambition there are some beggers that would very fain be men of office and authority though it were but to be revenged of the Constable and put him also in the stockes Some Mechanickes would faine grow to be Gentlemen and rise higher according to that old Epigram Geta from wooll and weaving first began Swelling and swelling to a Gentleman Fortune still smiling on this doughty wight He left not swelling till he was a Knight And so forgetting what he was at first He swel'd to be a Lord and then he burst So ambitious men are never satisfied with rising till they fall to the grave they will ever be swelling like the frog in the fable though it be till they burst An ambitious Gentleman would very faine
and pine away for Love Now come we to view the minde of women and see whether wee can finde remedy enough in consideration of their common ill conditions to make even a pining Lover out of love with them They are many of them commonly noted to be proud idle sluts scolds jealous scornfull arrogant and so imperious not to be indured light peevish froward sad lumpish prodigall discontented of divers other ill conditions Yet I must confesse I take this upon trust upon other mens words I write only what I reade and heare them say of women for my owne part I must confesse for ought I can see or finde women are as good and in some respects better than men as modest loving kinde frugall temperate constant and the like vertues But I am but one man and one or a few swallows makes no Summer as the Proverbe goes Other men have said and it seemes found otherwise King Solomon it seemes could not finde one good woman among a thousand Eccles 7.28 And he makes it a question Who can finde a vertuous woman Prov. 31.10 A good woman is a rare thing on the earth hardly to be found it seemes as Rubies c. ver 10. and so perchance are good husbands too for I will confesse now I am in the humour whether it be true or false that for ought I know men are as bad or worse then women So that what can we expect among married people but what we often may see brawling vexing grieving and discontentednesse It is a kinde of Purgatory to tye a mans self to the vaine humours inconstancy peevishnesse jealousie malice frowardnesse lumpishnesse rage brawling scolding craving evill desires obstinacy and bad conditions of a woman The wise man saith It is better to dwell in the corner of a house top or in the wildernesse than with a brawling contentious angry woman Prov. 21.9.19 He had rather dwell with a Lion and a Dragon than keep house with an evill woman Ecclus. 25.16 Shee causeth her husband to sigh bitterly ver 18. She abateth the courage maketh a heavy countenance a wounded heart weake hands and feeble knees ver 23. She is more bitter than death Prov. 7.26 And it is observable that many men are commonly more sullen dull sad and pensive after marriage than they were before Wee see married men seldome goe without care sorrow and heavinesse as if they were in feare or discontented and many of them after marriage looke like the pourtraicture of misfortune And yet these men before they were married thought a wife a fine thing and imagined a Paradise in gaining her But when a man hath got a wife it is very like he findes but Copper instead of Gold a Snake instead of Fish or if a Fish an Eele by the taile a wanton Venus a lustfull Messalina a whorish Thais or a scolding Zantippe a brawling Iuno or else Pigmalions Image a very Picture a silken-feathered goose a faire Coxecomb a very bable one that must be humoured in every toy and trifle or else it will poute and brawle So that by such a marriage he gets Nettles instead of Roses a chiding as bad as halfe a hanging every day also Curtaine and perchance Curtezan Sermons Juniper and bowlster Lectures every night And so instead of a hoped Paradise hee findes a reall Purgatory He hath lost his liberty and is in as bad a case as a Bird in a Limebush or a Mouse in a Trap. Many men have been undone and ruined by their wives A great many sad examples may be produced of the evils that have happened to men by women but this would be too long to recite and there is matter enough besides for this purpose to remedy pineing Love Wee may reade in divers Philosophers and other Authors of many wise witty and merry speeches opinions and stories against marriage Since they are commonly known I shall instance and give a taste but in some few of them One saith that since women were made of the rib of a man which is a crooked thing they have ever been of very crooked conditions That they brooke their name Woman a woe to man That God made them for a help to man and they help indeed to waste his goods to increase his trouble care sorrow c. Another saith that during the time of ones mariage there are but two good daies namely the marriage day and the day of the wives death A third that he who wants trouble should get to be a Master of a Ship or marry a wife Another that evill yeares and wives never faile Another that if a man would see a perfect and well agreeing marriage the husband must be deafe and the wife blinde that hee may not heare his wives brawling nor she see her husbands faults Again of him that said before forty yeare old it was too soone to marry and after too late And another that women have but two faults that is commonly to say ill and doe ill They tell us also of an old Proverb That a good Wife a good Mule and a good Goat are three naughty beasts And of him that said all the time he was unmarried which was thirty yeares seemed to him but as thirty daies but the sixe yeares since he was married seemed to him sixe hundred yeares they were so tedious Of him also who when his friend wished him not to marry his son so young but to stay till he were wise answered not so for if he once grow wise he will never marry And of another that next day after his wedding to a fine young rich wife being rebuked by his friends for being so sad and melancholy shewed them his foote saying you see this fine new Shooe but you know not where it wrings me They forget not also to tell of Iobs wife that notwithstanding he had so many afflictions yet that he had one worse plague than all the rest he had a wife and that the devill left her to vexe him and to tempt him to offend God They tell us also of him who seeing his wife fall into a swift running River sought her up the streame saying she alwaies used to goe against the streame of reason and goodnesse And they tell of him also who being with his wife at Sea in a storme when the Master of the Ship willed that all ponderous troublesome things should be throwne over-board he tooke his wife and threw her over into the Sea And of a man whose neighbours wife having hanged her selfe in a Fig tree he wished Oh that he had a tree in his Garden would beare such fruit And of another whose wife being lately dead one of her friends chanced to say to him that she hoped his wife was in heaven Is she so said her husband then I hope I shall never come there for I would be very loath to be troubled with her againe These things I suppose they tell us Comically and in Jest and so I hope you are wise