all medicines to be congruent and martched vnder perfect constitution and of double operation which is aswell to comforte nature as to expell the disease for if the substance of strength be diminished and the malice of the disease increased appetite and nature are estranged and variable within themselues For nature manie times desireth those thinges which appetite abhorreth the reason is for that appetite is ouercloyed with diuersitie of meates and interchaunge of medicines that both the stomacke and all the lustes of the body incessantly are pursued fatigated and improuidently throwne vpon many dangerous extremities Therefore vnder these meane constitutions whereas tranquilitie and appetite flourish and beare sway there is a good and happie expectation as if the vitall partes be not wearied the disease may be cured and the decayed strength by little and little restored Surely when the heart thorow ouer great abstinence is languished the stomacke cloyed and the liuer viduated and forsaken of the wholsome bloud All thinges thereby haue lost their naturall and proper course that forthwith opiâ—ations and ventosites in the guttes worke all contrarie indirections to health and the rather because the miseriake vaynes which are the conduit pipes of all good bloud from the liuer are obstructed and stayed it were not immethodicall so to distinguish these cold and hote diseases as that one of them in their qualitie and originall may be knowne from the other and the better vnderstood and furthered thereby to health For these cold diseases proceede of earthly 〈…〉 ses are subiect and bound to watery elementes whereupon cold and humid vapours of congealed thicknesse ingender into grosse substance so that all naturall heate is excluded from comforeâ—ig mans bloud thorow which melancholike heauâ—nesse is generated which moste principally oftendeth And the malicious operation that resteth in this humour maketh the bodie leaue and colde stirâ—eth vp the passion of the hart intâ—icateth the wit and vnderstanding to all duâ—nesse and blunteth memory These bodyes are much incumbred with putrisied seuers which proceede of vndigested humâ—dities and augmented with â—uming venâ—osites putrified about the muskels vaynes and ioyntes Furthermore all maner of ruines are hereby drawne to all the partes of the body which vapours after that coldnesse hath ingrossed them to the lowe partes of man called Caâ—arrizans the passages and proper wayes of nature from the spâ—eane to the mouth of the stomacke are intercluded Be it further knowen that these colde rewines thereby issue from one member to an other and infect the bodie with manye cold diseases and are called by three names Catarri Branchus Corizan for so Arnoldus de noua villa setteth them foorth Catarri infect the lightes Branchus infecteth the heade and cheekes Corizam stuffeth and infarâ—eth the nostrels with most humid fluxes and sometimes concockt into verie hard substance by meanes of continuance These bodies are best conserued by a naturall perfect coniunction of drie meates inwardly digested by artificiall means reuiuing the principall members before decayed for lacke of naturall heate In these and such like bodies I doe greatly commend a greedy appetite and a plenary dyet especially in regard that many such complections are fâ—â—xible and ouermuch spend nature of their owne inclinement Therefore plenarie fresh variety of sustenance helpeth many of these sortes of men to naturall heare euen as the hard stone is molified and findered to nothing by manye droppes of raine or as the strong and slately oake thorow moyst issues becommeth putrified so these cold and moyst complections in their natures wash and vanish to nothing The moyst â—raâ—p the shaking palsie the dangerous dropsie the collicke in sundry degrees are the generable 〈◊〉 her 〈…〉 benâ—â—mning the members to become 〈◊〉 one to another for vpon these diseases the vaines become conugated and appetite disfranchised for that corrupt humours may not haue perfect resolution besides all which the whole body is instated with colde influences producing these venâ—meâ—◠〈…〉 rpions Asclides Iposarca and Timpana the one is the materâ—â—l cause in offence of nature the second is an actiue cause inflatâ—ng al the members to become swelling and monstrous the small cause is delatiue conuerting all good and perfect nourishmentes to windie and waterie substance so when these extrâ—mities grow vppon the guttes called Colon and Ylyon are shut vp and thereby both the Dropsie Tympany the wind and stone Collicke preposterously creepe in besides which the raynes of the backe by a grauesly congested substance heereby bendeth and beâ—â—mmeth crooked All which are not to be deueyded without pure and regular dyet of increasing wholesome bloud to become vigent in nature Therfore the disease hauing a scowring vertue is principally comforted and cherished with sweete meates tarsed with vineger to worke a sharpe disposition contrarie to euaâ—uation least that the bodie grow subtile incisiue and euer resolutiue And yet Galen plainly affirmeth that sweete meates are aptly conuerted to choller but â—aâ—t viniger commixed therewith doth greatly fortifie the subtle pearâ—ing and â—â—tring vertue causing the grosse humours to become pure and easily to issue Galen sayth Non quosuis sed rudes duntaxat videor taxare morbos atque potissimum non incerta diuinatione quam probabili conuclâ—ra egrorum indagatione conditionem which is I doe not prescribe and limit euerie disease but the grosse and most dangerous diseases and chiefly doe I sâ—arch out their natures not by vncertaine gâ—sse as by probable coniecture then let not occasion be omitted of more larger speech in such bodâ—â—s subiect to these moyst sicknesses before spoken and of another sort of men which oftentimes passe from this world by vntimely death in strength of youth being grosse and corpulert in their stature which men difficultie indure any adicction to alter nature when sicknesse languisheth vpon them And although they are of measurable abilitie in naturall vigour yet vnable to beare the burthen of sicknesse or subiect their bodies to any stronge accidence but foorthwith their gathered grosnesse is conuerted to a thinne and weake debilitie for that in the first degree of sicknes the vertue digestiue is taken away so that most commonly meat becommeth loathsome to their sight whereas in health the vertue digestiue beeing most stronge did eat much and made few meales Whosoeuer therefore will eyther counsell or comfort any sicke patient must obserue the naturall complection with diet thereunto and that supplement of medicene both in qualitie and quantity be framed aswel in preseruation as restauration of nature and therewithall by contrarie effectes alter the disease as may best serue to the opportunity of health Galen playnly affyrmeth that hot complections are altered with cold sicknesses and cured with moderate medicines And Auycene agreeth hereunto that if the complection of man may haue alteration either by medicine or disease and once recouered to health is euer after most perfect and of longer continuance in this world and lesse subiect to sicknesse for that nature taketh such
bee liquid and yet forthwith returneth to the same naturall substance as before This marrowe is of diuers qualities in the disposition of the The spinall marrow is the backe bone marrowe Ther be two oments one in the head called Pâ—a mater and the other belonging to the open fat ouer the belly bones As first in the braines next in the fiat broad hollow and round bones Galen sayth that the marrow of the bones is most drie and the spinall marrowe moist in the second degree for the bone marrowe is perfected and made pure naturallye compacted within the hard shell of the bones and the oment marrowe is liquid in the celles of the head and void of all during substance for that the humours haue such large accesse thereunto that the same is thereby continually molified and verie highly weakened in operation Surely it is a wonderfull mysterie to consider and thorowly weigh this excellent worke of nature for the variable couching this pyth in the deepe bottome of the bones sowpling scouring renuing and fortifieng the strength and swiftnes of the body thereby Galen hath many degrees in the variable art of nature touching marrow of diuers kindes and properties and touching the vniuersall frame of the bones is nothing els but an outward anathomie of the whole bodie couered and set foorth with flesh blood sâ—iâ— vaines sinewes So also there wanteth no necessarie office within that appertaineth to the life of man But touching measelled or kernelled flesh with which we haue not to interdeale within the drift of this our purpose both beccause it is a monstrous mishapen substance gathered within the flesh contrary to nature and also because sundrie infections arise thereby in mutuall consort one with an other so that hauing this spoken of the inwarde worke in the outward temperance are not to omit also the temperaunce of the inward motions Touching the lightes spleane and raines which are of hot and moist dispositions and yet their ordinances minister many drie effectes in the body for there are some writers as Petrus Brissotus Petrus Galiensis Iohannes Glarensis Michell Scotus or Cornelius Celsus who suppose the loonges to be indued with lesser moystnesse then the liuer and the rather because cholericke bloud is not intermingled therewith except that which perfectly purgeth the same Theophrastus Paracelsus concludeth the loonges to be a certaine spungie instrument in the side and is of such hote propertie as that most chiefly it is nourished by extracting moystnesse from the liuer And also it is to be adiudged vnder the nature of drinesse for that the spirite and breath hath such a forceable exhalation from the same Therefore Auycen affirmeth That which is hote is easily corrupted with cold that as all accidentall hearbes doe much comfort the loonges so all accidentall coldnesse is most harmefull thereunto as generating tysickes coughes belchinges short breathinges And yet the loonges are much comforted vnder a naturall choller in these bodies which can best possesse inioy the same whereas the liuer bloud is moyst and earthly and vnder a melancholious temperance and a melancholious body is very thicke and subiect to putrified corruptions in the ayre and therefore subiect to pestilence especially vnder euery colde and drie distemperance Galen speaketh of certaine hot moystnesse in mucilaginous flesh inclineable to the second degree such bodies doe drawe from the loonges and liuer by an excesse exhalation eyther of temperance or distemperance the corruption heereof is easily found out by a stincking and contagious breath and other superfluous excrementes deuoyded by fleanie And although the morning breath may be vnsauorie by filthie and hurtfull contagions proceeding eyther by long fasting emptinesse of the stomacke or the breath closly detayned vnder long sleepe gathereth excrementall filthinesse thereby so surely all the fathers and best writers doe attribute the efficient cause vpon a slimie decay and noysome corruption in the loonges which necessarily falleth out by the moystnesse of the liuer feeding the same It is a very hard thing to finde one member hote and drie together except the hart which standeth vpoÌ„ the dyaphragmâ— which maketh diuision vppon the spirituall partes Therefore Auycen placeth the hart absolutely drie Dyoscorides somewhat doth contradict Auycen heerein Who saith that although the loonges giue breath yet their comfort proceedeth from the heart giueth heate and strength thereunto And also breath by either partes adioyned thereunto is made more hoter So likewise the liuer bloud is deferued and strengthened in heate by pursuing and searching vppon other parts of the body adioyned thereunto otherwise it is earthly especially when accidentall effectes in diseases are transferred beyond the power of nature And as the breath followeth the nature of the loonges so the bloud onely followeth the nature of the liuer and yet in their propertie they doe both decline for breath is most filthily corrupted aswel by inward excremeÌ„ts as inward diseases So the bloud by sweete and delicious nourishmentes is conuerted to choller and is then both hote and inflammatiue So that discrepating froÌ„ his first propertie vtterly orrupteth decayeth becoÌ„meth absumpt in the degree of death Cornelius Celsus sayth the spirite the heart the bloud the liuer the single flesh the musculous fleshe the spleane the raynes the arteries the vaines are hote by accidentall meanes otherwise they are cold this his meaning is left raw and vnseasoned it is to be coniectured he meaneth those accidentes to be the nourishment which increaseth prospereth and cherisheth those parts of the body in qualitie and quantitie which otherwise after the maner of the membrance woulde debilitate and surcease their power All this considered as the spirite is more exquisite and searching so is it also in due propertie more warmer then bloud Likewise and on the contrary the arteries with the vaynes and fatnesse are hote and yet by all and euery euill and subtill accidents colde if the body infecting or touching be found soft it is not forthwith moyst for reason may not iudge such a bodie to be soft which by vnnaturall humour is manie times fluxible For euen as wax is not of his owne propertie onely moyst as by the excesse of accidentall heate put thereunto so cleere water is thickned or hardened by accidentall colde This proueth all thinges to be vnder some vnnaturall propertie and reuertible from their first fresh florishing natural course So that hitherto hauing defined temperance with all measurable moderation so also haue we differenced ages and proportions of yoong men from olde men and olde men from children and children from infantes Next after the opinion of Galen we are onely to shewe the temperature of these accidentes which verie highly varie many times from nature and become deformed and unproper in theÌ„selues As slendernesse thickenesse corpulencie and a measurablenesse in the naturall condition of all men And touching slendernesse there are two euidences thereby signified that is aswell the small quantitie of flesh as the puâ—r
difference and varietie the ordinance of meat and medicine are two speciall meanes thorow the which euery Phisitian altogether preuaileth in furthering of all sicknesses to health yet sometimes moste notable danger and hurt ariseth thereby for medicine in the tedious and wearâ—some waies of sicknes may at some one time bend down to a hurtfull and intricate purpose which was to the Patient before an effectuaâ—l remedie Neyther is there any lesse then great offence committed if meate be geuen to a sicke patient whereas it ought to bee taken away although it bee good wholsome and perfect or that meat be taken away when and where it ought to be geuen wherefore wisedome ought to be had in high consideration that all thinges in this life depend vpon opportunities times and seasons For Galen saith nothing can neither bee well spoken or done by the vse and benefite of one reasonable creature to an other if the difference of times and seasons bee not rightlie vnderstood And the writers of this latter age most iustly are reprooued for that not aâ—re one of them haue drawne the times and seasons of yeâ—â—â— in a right methodâ—call obseruation For Galen and 〈…〉 rates haue euermore conioyned that all diseases stay vpâ—â— accidentes and concoction in the diseased patient And accidentes onely appertaâ—â—e to the infection corruption of times and seasons vncertainâ—y and swiftly breaketh out eyther in their owne vniuersall rottennesse or els by the contagion of mans bodie which moste easily lyeth open vnto them so all diseases 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desire to 〈◊〉 their poysoned strength 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 exions as are soonest by them vanqui 〈…〉 And coâ—coction is the most easiest comfortablest signes 〈…〉 knesse which especially consist vpon these markes and sig 〈…〉 tions as followeth That is if nature be in full power and strength the materiall substance of the ingendered humours di 〈…〉 h and vanishe by little and little quite away or els concocteth setleth and possesseth some one place or propertie in the bodie otherwise if nature be weake feeble and the disease inforcible malignitie insulteth ouer the bodie hastening swiftly towardes the borders of the diaphragm or els vanquisheth the diaphragm and entereth vpon the spirituall partes whereas forthwith nature is deadly medicine vnperfect and the disease vnable to retire backe death presently inuadeth thereupon for medicine is best entertained when the vertue thereof gathereth the disease together whilest nature is fauourable the disease vn 〈…〉 or the body vnuenomed with corruption and able to be deâ—uered from the power of the disease by expulsion Here may be set forth a more playner declaration of such feuers which ingeader vpon the body of man for as some there be depending vpon vnnaturall inflamations congested by an euill humor or some vehement hote bloud possessed in some one part of the body as of the loonges or side so there is another kind of feuer which vnnaturally is kindled at the heart deducted from thence by the vaynes and arteâ—â—es and by the meane of the spirit and vaynes into all the bodyes sensible hurting the naturall ope 〈…〉 Furthermore if some special cause of sicknesse were not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the vrine or some other alteration of the excrementes it were a hard thing to finde out the difference of simple feuers from those feuers which hold vpon inflamation for single feuers are known eyther by the corruption of the aire or by distemperance of heate or colde dangerously crept in disquieting the naturall disposition of such bodies which are thereunto subiect or by the vnnaturalnesse of the bodie it selfe in excessiue â—askes by surfetting sweates by ouer great fasting by incontinent opening the pooâ—es by troubled trauels in thirstinesse by inordinate sleepings 〈◊〉 ouer great watchings So other feuers which hâ—ld vpon 〈◊〉 dentall inflamation as their propertie is euermore regarded by speedinesse of their accidentes towardes the vitall partes alwayes flaming out vnder some proposterous Châ—ysis These inflamatiue feuers must eyther haue a chryticall expulsion or els doe they alter from one degree to another after the greatnesse and insatiablenesse of their accidentes There is a chiefe and principall cause mouing vs herein to speake of some humorall inflamations which are cowched vnder a hard and thicke couering of straunge congested vaporous humour vppon the side or by impostumation of the loonges whose substance once perfectly growne is not remoued or extenuated except by little and little or els by present immission of bloud in the basilicke vaine as all and euerie of these seuers happening to haue egresse eyther vpon the animall and The coÌ„suâ—ption is â—n nature 〈◊〉 hect â—2 vitall partes of man so the other onely desire a long and tedious consumption nourishing themselues vppon the morall partes by continuall fretting labouring foming wasting and deuouring the outward flesh doe by a super 〈…〉 s trauerse inuade nature and the more the bodie wasteth and vanisheth away the more redolent the strength and power of these feuers abound But for the better vnderstanding of these raging diseases it were a most necessarie discretion so to marke them in their degrees as that they may be better knowne and more easier prouided for heereafter for chiefly there spittle is claâ—nâ—e tough stimte and sometimes full of bloudie and matterie corruption their breath is almost stopped doe reache and dâ—â—w farre and slowly for the same The cough is hard hollowe and short cannot without greeuing other partes of the bodie deliuer it selfe Their vrine is fearce furious and of most high complexion and of ruddie blacke colour Touching these and such like sicknesses infestered with inflamations happening vnder distemperance of times are chiefly regarded helped and cured in their concoction but not in their accidentes As they are neuer aduaunced together at one time so the greater place is giuen in concoction the accidence becommeth more peaceable and quiet Yet there is great disagreement among the latter writers that if the disease be vnualurable inestat or fashion how can the accidents of the disease be valurable or sharpe and if putrifaction or corruption be most great and forcible in estat how can concoction be most perfect for concoction is contrarie to putrifaction Howsoeuer it doth heere fall out by controuersie the surest stay vppon the sicke patient is when the disease is setled the infection is peaceable for then the medicine more certainly expelleth the cause And therefore beholde that all diseasses breake forth their malice by depending vpon speciall seasons of the yeare So that there is a double kind of offensiue matter in all feuers one which can neuer be corrected and the other which by little and little setleth and at length thereby expelled And yet there be some moste dangerous feuers so alienated and estranged in their natures as neyther will rypen of themselues to be vtterly deuoyded nor yet be altered by any medicine to become certaine These and such like feuers in their strong operations are chiefly domâ—â—â—ed by
the easing mittigaiting the rigour of the infection but for a speedie performance of the same to concoction It standeth farre otherwise in those infla 〈…〉 tiue and sharpe diseases of the plurisie and such like whose accidentes is to be preuented and subdued in the first beginning for if these â—urâ—ous diseases grow to perfection they wil be immedâ—â—able and without remedie For as there must be a perfect conâ—ection and medicine aptly framed to diminishe the same so there must be a thin reformed dyet both because of thicknesse of hote fleame and the vnnaturall heat of the disease it selfe And as these effectes must be wisely decerned so these potaâ—iâ—e confections must be made meete equall and apt to the same constitution As first regarding the grossenesse of the accidentes and secondly to vnderstand more artificially by experience from the varietie of excrementes that is to say by the signes eyther of some raw or concoct matter possessing some one part of the bodie besides which if there is one orderly progresse in the disease As when the disease beginneth to settle then the increase thereof finisheth And when the perfection of the disease manifesteth in the highest degree there is the disease in full estate and when the accidentes are generall there is the infection sharpest in nature when the disease beginneth to giue ouer and to loosed then an vniuersall alienation sheweth the same for that the vrine is not raw as in the beginning groweth to substaunce colour and verdour the countenance thereof is scowred cleered and perfected like a faire bright daye after a strong and stormy tempest Next and lastly there followeth a disease called Dyspnaea so set forth by Auycen most commmonly doth breake foorth in sommer season about the iudiciall dayes and gathereth strong vapours into the body about the brest by reason of a disseasonable winter or vnnaturall spring before Or by reason of a great retentâ—on in thicke bloud inordinately congealed about the brest or heart of man So that the passages of the inward parts are stopped vp that one member cannot haue vse and seruice of another matched with a difficult extremitie of certaine drie knottes or knottes vpon the liuer lightes and loonges besides which all materiall substance is quite exhausted for lacke of excellent and perfect moysture in that place These pectoral diseases are best knowne for that there spittle is tough thicke bloudie proceeding oâ— blacke colour reacheth deepelie draweth winde hardly for their winde pipes are ouercharged aswell with humorall substaunce as that sometymes also their loonges are vtterly wasted Euen as a hote fire causeth a pot to fome ouer so the boyling heate heereof inwardly chafeth these diseases to become more extreme and fierce These diseases I say are best eased and resolued both by opening the nether partes by glisters and comforted in the vpper partes by cullicies of thinne substaunce without addition of anie hote cause put therein So that by the comforting of the one and opening the passages of the nether partes in the other the disease is dissundered and easily auoyded downward it hath beene seldome seene that verie fewe haue escaped this dangerous contagion Here might be placed sondrie other daungerous diseases especiall feuers happening in mans bodie vppon contrarie and disseasonable operations of times But these are sufficiently prescribed as a vniuersall admonition with care to regard health from sicknesse in euerie seuerall constitution more exactlie then heeretofore WHAT IS TO BE DONE IN THE BEginning of euerie disease OLde writers among many wholsome disciplines and necessarie lawes deliuered out for the gouernment of mans body haue not omitted what rules are best to be obserued in the beginning of euerye hot disease and sicknesse that is with gentle and fauourable medicine mollifie the harde excrements of the body and not only because nature is departed from due disposition shall hereby the better be restored as also in that the stronge heat of sicknesse with thicknesse of blood hath stained the humours as that all moist passages dangerously are stopped vp Therefore by thys molifieng humous are thereby made more agitatiue and the poores to receiue such comfort are redilie opened so that both bodie and nature yeeld together more flexible and the stubbornnesse of the disease hereby is made more obedient Auycen called this mollefaction the libertie of nature Dioscorides saith it is the messenger of health And Galen saith it is the controller of sicknesse Arnoldus de noua villa saith it is the glasse of true knowledge in sicknesse This mollefaction is of most gentle qualitie both in attracting of good digestion in retention of perfect substance and strength for the behoofe of nature and the superfluous spum of most grosse and vnperfect humours therewithall are prouoked more apparant for the causes of diseases are not onely hereby stirred to readinesse against euacuatâ—on and expulsion But the nature of the disease it selfe wholly is discouered in the worke of medicine and the Pâ—isiâ—ians knowledge hereby made more luâ—ulent There are some which haue mistaken this kinde of mollefaction in stead of minoration and are altogether therein deceiued for that mynoration is an attractiue medicine searching proouing the qualities of the complexion or els galding chasing nature by some superfluous repressing or altering the drift of the disease For sicknesse in the first beginning hath no absolute place especially those which be laborious and sharp yet many haue great opinion of that place of the Aphorisms as at the first beginning of diseases remooue that which is to be remooued but when diseases keepe at a stay it is better to take rest Many writers of the same function which Theophrastuâ— Paracelsus is of hauing allowed this mynoration durst neuer take in hand that waighty matter vnto which other were perswaded by them Galen so euidently distinguisheth those sharpe diseases as no man is occasioned to doubt what is to be done either in the beginning middle course or end thereof for he fashioneth them in their first enterance to be called Insulsum that is vnsauory and without feeling And Ieremias Thriuerius doth cal the accidents of euery disease Insultum a brag in reproch of the whole body In the second course of sicknesse it is called Accessio which is an augmentation to a more supreame power ouer the bodye And this third placing of this sicknes is called concoction which is a preparatioÌ„ of manifest matter to some certaintie so that the medicine is the more aptly constituted for the perfect expelling and fluxing of the same Forasmuch as all accidentes of diseases may haue one violent drift in the beginning and alter in the estate both of them within themselues may dissunder in operation and ingender a seuerall disposition contrarie to euacuation for the one may swiftlie inflam conuert to choller and ouercharge the estate of the sicknesse and the other may attract some vertuous propertie and thereby comfort nature and expell the disease without medicine Auycen willeth that
belonging to children is increased and multiplied with nourishmentes vntill adolescencie be perfected and afterward shorteneth decayeth and falleth away as the somme◠dayes vpon the approchment of winter And therefore he sayth that generation is colde and moyst As a kernell throwne into cold earth is by the naturall operation of the earth nourished by one degree to another vntill it become a plant and so forth vnto a perfect tree so is bloud and heate directed to increase and arise from generation to conception vntill a perfect birth be performed to infancie and then forwardes to childhoode vntill adolescencie be consummat This reason standeth verie proper to manie dispositions As touching adolescencie it is most largely set downe in the second of the Aphorisines touching wormes in yoong men proceeding of an intentiue heat and by the same reason adolescency more easily falleth into sharpe feauers than children First not onely because heat is in them more intentiue but also sharpe and dry all which is manifested by touching and feeling the complexion whether in the course of blood it be soft or hard for those kindes of feauers are of diuers natures which eyther by an extreame deuoydance or defect of blood doo aswell offend the arteries as other principall members the heart the lyuer the lunges the stomach and the raines which in their vegetatiue nature are wasted and consumed so that by the highest degree of daunger the spirites vitall naturall and animall are excessiuely infoizned or in an other respect the naturall humoures boyles and seethes about the stomach or the braines oftimes are vanquished by strong vapoures so that both giddinesse distempereth the head and disapetteth the stomach and the rather if naturall heat be interdicted from all rightfull and due passage in the vaines for which respect these rotten feauers doo growe vpon adolescencie in the contagion aforesaid or els by reason of grosse blood salt fleame or prassiue choller or melancholious sorrowe or by distemperance of mordinate heat in the sunne or putrified ayres or inordinate surfets or for lacke of exercises There are diuers sortes of these feauers hauing diuers natural inconuemences attending vpon them Some of them are called humerall some are called Ephimerae some are called Hecticae some are called Capillares These feauers haue diuers secreet perils depending vpon them and oftentimes when their constitution is inwardly drie doo denunciate great outward moystnesse For as wax is moyst and drie or colde and drie in one nature so these feauers may be more noysome◠aduersible and impedimental for that nature molested by cold drinesse is like soft clay congealed to drie hardnes of a frozen compact substance which reason declareth that colde drinesse taketh his first substance from colde moystnesse In which dangerous degree immedicable corruptions depend hereupon nature being transpersed in the first maner of comparison as the elements reserue in thēselues a perfect substance and yet dispose and alter the qualitie an other way For where the substance falleth away there putrifaction beginneth a common calamity nature vtterly desisteth and leaueth of her common and operatiue course thereby These differences of moystnesse and drinesse by alteration of nature are knowen in sustance of all liuing things For wher liquid propertie of fluxing hath power there the course of corruption poysoneth and putrifieth all thinges for fluxible things are moist ouerflowe and run foorth abroad to euery detrimental mischiefe and those thinges which easilie concreat are speedilie drie and will not afterwardes vnderbend to the qualitie of moistnesse So after this manner the contrarieties of drinesse and moystnesse are in their natures esteemed and accounted off We are then to consider not onelie the humours which euery man is best disposed vnto but all the partes of a man vnder what constitution eyther of drinesse or moystnesse he doo wholly depend As first wee are to pleade vpon the highnesse and excellencie of fatnesse which is so much aduanced in the bodie of man As that thorow that mediocritie all voluptuous delightes are prospered and by the exesse thereof the vitall blood is much corrupted And as pure fatnesse is contayned vnder health and wholsomnesse so fat which commeth of gluttonous ingurgitation is verie deceitfull to the body And therfore fatnesse is contayned vnder diuers kindes and after diuers complexons so the propertie thereof is also diuers For as faines inlarded vpon the flesh is most purely congested into substance so is it moistly nourishable in digestion And yet the parchment skin called the membrans as the calle This moistnes is like a running gutter which if the fountaine be stopped aboue the gutter forthwith drieth beneath and fylme wherin the guters or bowels are lapped are most drie after the opinion of Theophrastus both because their moistnesse swiftly is transported into the liuer vaines and oftentimes deuoided away by the vrine or ordour and also for that all the inward partes continuallie as also hotly and excessiuely breathing thereupon made thereby of necessitie drie although hot moistnes reeketh thereupon yet can it neuer growe into perfect substance therewith There is an other fatnesse impertinent from the temperature of man called tallow onely belonging to Oxen and other such like vnreasonable creatures partible in the hooffe the which is both drie and yearthly Likewise there is an other fatnesse called grease which nothing appertaineth to man except that which moystlie is gathered in the gall And as that grease which is so gathered is moyst so is it moistlie digested and drawen into moist substance especiallie vpon claw footed beastes and foules of the ayre Auycen assureth that nothing is more preseruing to mans life then naturall grease gathered vpon pure and perfect sustenance yet many make no choise of their meates but in their feeding doo groslie satisfie appetite greedilie furnish their stomaches and in pursuing their owne delightes doo thereby vtterlie disfauour complexion corrupt blood and nourish diseases And the fatnesse so gathered vppon such slymie and loathsome sustenance is moyste in the highest degree thorowe which the bodie is ingrossed the guttes puffed the braines inuapoured and the stomach ingurged Besides which it dooth congeale into a variable viscous and matery substance of waterie blood inundating between the skinne and the flesh so that swelling tympanies oftentimes breake foorth in the fulsome generation thereof Auycen sayth that whosoeuer desireth health and long dayes let him make his choyse of drye meates to feede vppon and thereby to increase and gather perfect substaunce of fatte so that the fleshe and the fatte may bee equallye inlarded-agreeable one together with an other as that nothing may exceede therein one from another vnder Natures temperaunce And that the vitall bloud taking perfect liking and pleasure therewith may fruitfully flowe into all the partes of man without opilation There is moreouer a fatte deeply couched in the bones which Auycen calleth the pyth and kernell of the bones it is hot and drie and beeing melted presently yeeldeth and spreadeth to