a man would wonder how it could so suddainly be done being as if one did burne a hole with a hot iron And it is strange to see that so small a tumor should be so devilish and dangerous to life for if it be not with great care and exceeding good meanes attended it bringeth speedy death But moreover obserue this Somtimes as I said before a man dies of the Plague when neither before nor after he is dead there appeareth any Tokens or Blayne Botch or Carbuncle And yet there will be a signe which few haue observed My Grand father who was a famous man and of great experience hath taught it me and my Father a Physitian of aboue fortie yeares practise and experience hath confirmed it vnto me That is that after such a body is dead in one place or other the flesh will grow softer then the rest and the whole body will also grow softer softer and the longer the body lies the softer will be the flesh Which shews the vilenesse of the putrefaction within Heurnius mentions this also among his signes in his booke De Peste and addeth also these That in a Body dead of the Plague The nose lookes very blew or blackish blow as if it had beene beaten or bruised The like colour is in the eares and nayles and ever worse coloured then other dead bodies vse to be Thus haue I displayed those Signes which are least fayling that the Searchers may rightly informed themselues and not mistake as many haue done calling the purple spots of the Pestilent Feavor Gods Tokens And somtimes letting Bodies passe as not dead of the Plague because they had neither Tokens Botch nor Carbuncle I haue done it also to teach people how they may know when they are stricken with this infection that they may presently haue recourse to some skilfull man and good meanes to recover them before it be too late An houre is a precious space of time and cannot be let slip but with hazard And having thus shewed you what this dreadfull Sicknesse is what are the Causes Qualities and Signes of it Before I leaue you I will leaue with you a short generall direction to keepe your body safe from infection and also if you feele suspicious signes of being taken how to begin to driue the venome from the heart till such time as you may haue some more speciall meanes particularly fitting your present constitution and state of body by the counsell of some skilfull Physitian While Health continueth It is necessary that twise in the weeke the body be evacuated with some gentle purging Pill to keepe the humors from superfluous increase And in this case the Pills of Ruffus which are to be had in every Apothecaries shop are very apt and good Or take of these Pills of mine twice or thrice in a weeke Rs. Aloës Rosatae vnc j. Rhabarbari Croci ana drach iij. Myrrhae drach vj. santali citrini drach j. ambrae grifiae scrup j. Cum syr de succo Citri q. s fiat Massa Pillularum Make Pills of 8. or 10. grains a peece Take ij or more of them in the morning fasting foure or fiue houres before meate They may be taken best in Syrup of Roses solutiue or in Conserue of Violets And presently after them drinke a little white Wine mixed with a little balme-Balme-water in cold weather with Rose water and a little Rose-Vineager in hot weather and with Carduus or Scabious water in temperate weather On the other dayes wherein you take no Pills Take every morning fasting a dram or two or the quantitie of a Nutmeg of London Triacle with as much conserue of red Roses this is for a temperate Constitution A cold constitution may take the Triacle alone onely sweetening it with a little sugar And a hot complexion may mixe both the Triacle and Conserue in a few spoonefulls of Rose-water and Vineager These Powders following are good to cast into the Broths of such as are sicke or haue weake stomachs Take of Red Saunders halfe an ounce Cynamom iij. drams and halfe Saffron halfe a dram powder them fine and mixe them together Another Take of Cynamom halfe an ounce Cloues halfe a dram Red Corall ij scruples Saffron halfe a dram And the weight of all in Sugar Make these into Powder and mixe them together Some giue this Take of Pearle prepared ij drams Corall red and white of each halfe a dram Red Rose leaues dried Saffron Spodium of each a scruple Cynamon a dram Make them into fine Powder and mixe them This is my counsell for those of ripe age and for Women that are not with Childe But for those Women that breed Childe and also for Infants or young Children there ought to be another way of preservation in whom Diet must be most intended and no purging vsed For Women therefore Let them keepe their bodie soluble by some gentle and familiar Suppositories or gentle Clysters made of Posset-ale with Camomill flowers and a little new-drawne Cassia Take these in the afternoone now and then Let them also every morning take the quantitie of a Nutmeg of this Medicine following Take Harts-horne Cynamon Nutmegs all the Saunders of each a dram Roots of Angelica Zedoarie Enula-Campane of each halfe a dram Powder all these Then take Conserue of Bugloss and Borage of each iij. drams With an equall quantitie of Syrup of Citrons and of dried Roses Mixe all together and make a Conserue Take it as is sayd fasting and fast two houres at least after Or els Take Harts horne red and yellow Saunders of each two drams Cloues and Cynamon of each one dram Beat them into fine Powder and mixe them together With some of this spice your Meate Broth or Cawdell or whatsoever you haue to breakfast and squeez into them a little iuice of a Lemon You may adde also some Sugar as you please Let this be your Break-fast For young Children There is nothing better then Bole armoniake with a little Tormentill roote and Citron Pills made into fine Powder which you may mix with their meats or cast into their Broths for their breakfast If they be costiue put vp a violet comfit or two for a Suppositorie Or mix a little Cassia newly drawne in some broth of a Chicken and giue it them now and then in a morning fasting Let them fast two houres after And that day vse not the powder before prescribed And note this When you suspect a Childe to be sicke of the Wormes in a Contagious time vse not Wormeseed and those common trifling things but order him as if you suspected he had the Plague for that disease comming of so much Putrefaction as it doth is as apt to receiue the infection of the Plague as is Tinder to take fire It must not therefore be dallied with But at such a time you may giue twentie or thirtie graines of this Powder following for two or three mornings together Take
stomach close it with a bit of bread and a few Coriander seeds prepared And this likewise will doe well for breastfast if you be troubled with winde and gripings Eate not of aboue two or three dishes at Dinner and at Supper let one suffice you Quercitavus in Diaetet Polyhist Sect. 2. cap. 8. proues that the eating of varietie of meates and drinking of divers kindes of drinkes at one meale makes such a confused heape in the stomach as turneth to infinite tumults in Concoction while some are sower and some speedier in softening digesting and distributing into the parts of the body To conclude Let Custome somthing prevaile in all points of diet with those that haue vsed temperance in former times and onely pare it somthing thinner in respect of the present pestilent time As for those that never knew the rules of order yet let them learne shortly if they desire to liue long And so much for the second part of Diet Meate and Drinke The third Poynt of Diet is Repletion and Evacuation Galen li. 1. de Differ feb cap. 4. sayth that the body ought especially to be kept free from superfluities And Hippocrates in the third Aph. of his first Booke proveth that Plethoricke bodies are subiect to great dangers wherefore he counselleth Evacuation and yet withall to goe no further therein then Nature will safely beare For as too much Repletion is hurtfull so too long fasting makes the stomach languish therefore suffer not too much emptinesse Hunger sharpens the humors and weakens the Spirits And Thirst makes the heart hot and enflames the Spirits who therefore desiring to be cooled doe draw in more quantitie of the evill Aire by breathing then they should and that I haue alreadie proved to be dangerous Therefore it is better to eate the oftener so it be the lesse at once When you rise in the morning rub your sides armes and legges a little your cloths being on comb your head and rub it hauke and spit and blow your nose to evacuate those excrements Then wash your hands and face with faire water first in regard of cleansing but afterward in respect of preservation wash your face nose mouth and eye-lids closing your eyes with rose-Rose-water and Vineager and white Wine Or with faire water and a little Vineager wherein Rue hath shred and steeped all night Assay also to make water and goe to stoole Be carefull to bring your body to a custome of evacuation at that time And after that eat your Antidote If you be costiue vse some Suppositorie or Clyster if such slighter meanes whereof every man can prescribe one or other will not prevaile consult with the Physition and suffer not two whole dayes to passe without such evacuations Be carefull likewise to keepe your selfe neate and cleanly at all times Wash your feete once a fortnight in warme water wherein are boyled Rose-leaues either fresh or dried Vine-leaues Bay leaues Rosmarie Fennell Camomill and some Bay Salt Flee all other Bathings and especially washing and swimming in Rivers Ponds and such open places as the Thames and such like within the region of the Aire infected for it is most dangerous If Vrine stop or Menstrua flow not as they should seeke remedie of the Physition speedily Fly Venus as much as you may for shee hath an ill report in times of Pestilence In a Pestilent Aire every disease becommeth somthing Pestilent and more deadly then ever before And any kinde of Feavor easily turneth to the Plague it selfe Therefore if any perceiue blood or any other humor to abound or to be corrupted what time of the yeare or what weather soever it be let him begin to abate it by moderate Abstinence or els take the advise of a Physition for opening a veine or some other course such as the Artist shall thinke fit And let them not put it off till they be worse in hope of growing better by their owne strength For Nature for the most part struggles in vaine without helpe and contagious cases are not to be trusted to Naturall Sweating that commeth easily and of it selfe is good hinder it not therefore and yet embrace it not too earnestly To conclude If a man or woman haue an Issue or Fontanell in arme or legge or haue any running soare heale it not vp for it is a good meanes to keepe safe from infection because Nature will lightly be strong enough to expell any venom by such a common sewer But yet make not this thy sheild of confidence for though few such haue beene stricken yet I can name some that haue died of the Plague for all that they had issues and those at that time well and plentifully running The fourth Poynt of Diet is Exercise and Rest Some are so lazie as they will not stirre their bodies at all these suffer superfluous humors to increase because they doe not breath them out by exercise Ovid. de Ponto resembles such to standing Pooles which corrupt for lacke of purging themselues by motion Cernis vt ignavum corrumpunt otia corpus Vt capiunt vitium ni moveantur Aquae Others againe are so violent in their labour and exercise that they prodigally waste the treasure of those good humors that should nourish them Of these againe the Poet singeth Otia corpus alunt Animus quoque pascitur illis Immodicus contra carpit vtrumque Labor Such exercises as Running wrestling much leaping violent dancing hard riding foot-ball-playing tennise and the like which cause a man to swear in open aire are very dangerous For thereby the pores are opened to let in that aire which bringeth poyson with it Also the lungs fetching short and deepe breathing as I haue else where sayd already draw it as fast into the vitall parts Moderate exercise stirreth vp and nourisheth naturall heat fills the members thereby with activitie and aptnesse to motion also it helps concoction and evacuation of excrements Therefore let your exercise be Walking and gentle stirring ad Ruborem non ad Sudorem till you be warme not till you sweat Let the time of Exercise be the morning fasting two houres after the Sunne is vp for by that time his beames will haue dispelled and dispersed the night vapours The fittest Place is some large roome enclosed from the common Aire and where is little or no company that their breaths distemper not the Aire wherein you are by motion to breath somthing more largely And it is good to perfume the roome also before hand that the Aire may be the purer At all times beware you take no cold For great Colds and Rheums doe easily breed Putrid Feavors and they as easily turne to the Plague The fifth Poynt of Diet is Sleepe and Watching If Sleepe be immoderate or vnseasonable it hindereth concoction it heapeth vp many crude and superfluous humors it extinguisheth the vitall Spirits and taketh away the liuelinesse of the
and carry it in some little box peirced full of holes to smell through Or Take liquid Storax wash it well in Wine-vineager and Rosewater wherein some Camphor hath beene disolued Then mix with it of the powder of Cloues and yellow Sanders as much as will make it thick like Tarre carrie it in some Sevit or Pomander-box As for Pomanders which are the best both for handsome carriage and continuance of sent If any will resort to me I will fit them at diuers prices Furthermore It is good also to wash the face mouth and nostrills often with strong Vineager rose-Rose-water and a little Wine wherein hath bene steeped for six houres together some thin shavings of Zedoarie or Angelica or Tormentill roots The poore people may wash them with Faire water and Vineager and the iuice of Rue Thirdly Apparell is to be a defence against the infectious Aire Which becommeth so by being well made and well kept To the well making of garments in this respect there goe two points the Stuffe and the Fashion For the Stuffe all woolen cloth would be avoided because it retaineth the infection long Buffe also Shamoys and such kinds of leather are naught because they through their sponginesse doe draw and keep it much more then other wearings Feathers likewise and Fans being the most needlesse ornaments should now be layd aside for they are also of a nature that retaineth infection long and so are all kinde of Furrs therefore weare none of these if you may choose But if your purse will serue buy Grograms Chamlets c. Such as may be watred for the watering of stuffes through their gumminesse doth best exclude the Aire from entring or taking vp any loging in the stuffs so dressed And let the doublets hose be lined rather with Linnen then Fustian because the woolinesse of Fustian is of kin to the other allready found fault with-all As for silkes as Grograms Taffaties Sattins they are also very good but Veluets Plush Shag and such like are not so good Let them be also fitted with linings according to the weather that they occasion not the Body to sweat through heat to bee tired with waight nor to catch cold with thinnesse For these inconveniences may be occasions of much harme But taking of cold is the most dangerous of all for there vpon follow putrid Feauors and all of them are friends to the Plague For the Fashion avoyd much Quiltings and stuffing with Bombast and Haire for into such things the infected Aire will easily get and hardly forsake them Women vsually haue Whale-bone bodies which are as good armour as any other Let the greatest care be to guard the vitall parts But withall there must be some care of all the body which to guard the better it is good to weare long Cloakes of such watered stuffes as I haue mentioned which being outermost excludeth well the outward Aire while one is abroad and when one is come home they may be layd by till they haue beene aired But for Physitians and Chyrurgians and such as come among the sicke it is good for them to haue long Gownes of such stuffes which as soone as they come forth of the sicke Chambers they may throw off to be aired And so much for the Well-making Now for the Well keeping of Garments this is done by keeping them cleane and sweet To keepe them cleane requires varietie and often shifting To keepe them sweet is required much airing and perfuming As when you put them on or lay them by and that according to the Weather As in cold Weather Take Iuniper slices Iuniper berries bruised Rosemarie Bay-leaues and Wormwood cut small and Franckincense grossely powdered Burne them together on a chafing dish of coales and so perfume your Cloaths In hot Weather Take dried Rose-leaues steeped in Rose-water wherein Camphor hath been dissolved and adde to it a little vineager Vpon a hot fire-shouell make a fume and perfume your apparell In temperate Times Take Iuniper berries gum Dragagant and Franckincense all grossely powdered of each a like quantitie Steepe them in vineager and Rose-water six houres Then spread the same on a hot tile or fire-shouell and perfume your Cloaths therewith Fourthly Amulets are things made to hang about the necke to touch the naked skin next the heart These are of some with a kinde of superstition esteemed But though Carpus the Chirurgian of Bononia perswaded himselfe and others that he was preserved from the Plague by wearing Arsenicke in a clout vpon the region of the heart yet many in London haue died of the Plague with those bables about them and as for Arsenicke and other such poysonous stuffe I could speake enough against them but a learned Dr of Physicke hath saued me that labour But for some cordiall things I will for the Readers satisfaction giue a taste of them They may be of two sorts Simple and Compounded Simple as Vnicornes horne Bezoar stone which is the best of all if a man can get it the Hiacinth also and Smaragdus and such like but how the influence of such stones may be conveyed out of their hard bodies to the heart is hard for me to vnderstand The former are more likely for Galen reports li. 6. de Simp. Medic. facult that he cured a boy of the Falling-sicknesse by hanging a Paeonie roote about his necke Yet I thinke he could never say so but that once Therefore I would wish none to put any confidence in such disputable things Neverthelesse since I haue divided them into Simple and Compounded I will giue you a Composition which may be vsed in stead of an Amulet and that to good purpose Take the leaues of red Roses dried two drams all the Saunders Lignum Aloes Zedoarie roote Angelica roote Sage white Dittanie Baulme Citron pills of each halfe a dram Make them into powder and sew them vp in a peece of red Taffarie or Calico and make a Quilt thereof Heat it on a pewter dish vpon a chasing dish of coales and sprinckle it with Rose-vineager so apply it warme to the place and renew it once in six houres I cannot but let thee know good Reader that even now while I was writing vpon this subiect there hath beene a patient with me who is poysoned with with a venemous Amulet Be warned therefore by the harmes of others to take heed of such pernicious things Thus haue I finished the first part of Diet concerning Aire The second part followeth Which consisteth of Meate and Drinke Disorder in meate and drinke is chiefly committed either in regard of the Qualitie or Quantitie of them In Qualitie when that meat or drinke which is vsed is either generally vnwholsome for all men as venemous Mushroms stincking or raw meate musty or new or dead drinkes these breed venom in the humors and so a iust occasion for infection or els particularly naught for the proper constitution of him that eats or drinkes it
with Lemons Spices c. And those that are made with Sage Worm-wood Scorby-grasse and other such Ingredients vnto which may be added Metheglin Mead Bragget Vsquebath Hippocras Aqua-Vitae Rosa solis Aqua Composita and all strong and Compounded waters As these are indeed no other then Medicines so neither are they otherwise to be vsed that is alwayes with good Caution vpon good cause and with skilfull Counsell Pery and sweet Cyder are to be refused for their sweetness and coldness Wines though they are frequently vsed among sober people yet they are not so fit for the constitution of English men as Beere and Ale And this is evident in that the onely wise God who knoweth best what is fittest for every Region hath forbidden this Soyle to bring forth such things because they are either needlesse or not naturall to the Inhabitants Therefore it were good if all kindes of Wines were vsed of vs but as so many kindes of Medicines also that is onely to helpe Nature when shee is too weake to helpe her selfe in Concoction Retention and Excretion And among Wines in regard of the Sicknesse those that are new sweet blacke and troubled are forbidden Piercing Wines such as White and Rhenish for the reasons already alleaged in Piercing and Attenuating things I cannot allow of for ordinary vse though some Physitions doe As for Muskadell and Malego their sweet taste and that dullnesse of Spirit which is caused by them betrayes their vnfitnesse in times of Contagion And before I leaue this point let me leaue with you this Caveat Take heed into what houses you enter to drinke with your friend lest in stead of a health you drinke your death Let euery man drinke in his own cup and let none trust the breath of his Brother Also take heed of all drinkes that smell or taste of the Caske Now me-thinkes I heare one whisper in mine eare hee would faine know what I thinke of Tobacco he takes it to be the onely Antidote against the Plague I cannot stand to dispute the case deepely But I will briefly shew my opinion Tobacco hath these manifest Qualities It is Heating and Drying it evacuateth grosse Humors it draweth away Rheums it provoketh Vrine and keepeth the belly soluble There may be some times and some bodies wherein a Medicine having these opening qualities may be vsed as namely to a Cold and Flegmaticke complexion full of grosse humors the partie for the time keeping himselfe warme and within dores But for the common fashion of taking it by every man every day yea almost every houre in shops and open places without consideration of constitution or iust cause I cannot approue of it at all much lesse as any Antidote But let vs examine it a little further for their sakes that would vse it more orderly and see whither it may be accounted a Preservatiue Medicine or no. I haue already reckoned the best qualities it hath being taken in the Pipe for so onely I discourse of it and the first of those qualities indeed shews a faire countenance to the case But the foure latter talke too much of penetration and evacuation wherewith it opens the pores and makes the body fit to receiue the contagious aire it also dissolues the braine and causeth the humors thereof to fall downe into all parts of the body distempered with a heat contrary to nature wherupon it enflames the blood turns it to melancholy and resteth not till it haue also turned Blacke Choller into Burnt Choller And in all this doing his heat carries no cordiall to the spirits which must never be absent from an Antidote for it is mixed with a nauseous qualitie noysome to the stomach and offensiue to nature as appeares by the violence it offers in vomiting when a little of the iuice is given to that purpose These things considered I thinke Tobacco hath very little good vse in Pestilent times And thus much for noysome things to be avoided Now we come to reckon vp holsome things to be elected Let the Qualities of your meats and drinkes be temperate betwixt hot and cold and rather drie then moyst And if the stomach may endure it let them for the most part haue a sharp or sower smacke with them Let them be of easie digestion breeding good blood and sincere humors in the body Let your Bread be made of the best and purest Wheat which alone maketh the best Bread or mixe it with some Rie Let the Corne be such as harvest hath housed before the Aire became infectious Leauened bread is the most holsome because of the sowernesse Let those that may bake their bread at home Rosted Beefe may be eaten with Vineager A rosting Pigge is not to be denyed if his belly be stuffed with Sage sweete Marioram Spinach Parsley and Mints the sauce also made sharpe with Vineager and spiced with a little Pepper or Ginger Veale Mutton Lamb Kid and Coney are very holsome but let them not be very fat Of Fowles such as fly neerest the Sunne and build their nests on high feeding on sweet and holsome graine are best approved by the best Authors because they receiue lesse infection from the lower aire which is the most contagious But if we examine which are they we shall finde but a few that keepe all these conditions For the Hearon flies high and builds high but feeds in fenny and moorish places and on moyst meates The Kite Hawke Raven and such like feed on carrion and are never counted worthy to be served as a dish at the Table The Larke flies high and neare the Sunne but hath his nest on the earth The Rookes in deed flie somthing high build high and feed on the best Corne and their young ones are esteemed daintie food but these are not for every ones dish Therefore we may not be so over-curious in the choice of these creatures Let these suffice as most holsome viz. Capon Turkey Henne Pullet Chicken Partridge Pheasant tame Pigeons yong wilde Pigeons Turtles Larks Black-birds Thrushes and Finches Some Inwards of Beasts and Fowles also are very good and holsome as the Gizards and Livers of Hens and Capons the Hearts of Veale Mutton and Lambe also Lamb-stones and young Cock-stones are excellent meat and fit for the state of some bodies But whosoever he be that makes choice of them for the nourishment of his lust let him remember the Israelites Quailes and tremble lest while the meat is in his mouth the hand of God be at his heart and in the messe of his sinne the Plague salute him with the message of death Fishes that are of Rivers and cleare running waters are best as Plaise Flounders c. Fresh Salmon Trouts Barbels Shrimps c. Of Sea-fish there are but a few fit to be vsed in these times and those are Gogions Mullets Soales Gurnards Lobsters and Cray-fishes But fish must be seldomer vsed then flesh and onely for change
of diet to weake and longing stomachs For all kindes of fish breed but a watrish kinde of blood Egges of Hens if they be eaten new and reare dressed are good whither they be rosted boyled fried or poached and eaten with Veriuice or Vineager and the iuice of a Lemon Also Turkey Egges so vsed are good but eate them seldomer because they afford a little too rancke nourishment In Summer time eate flesh and egges more sparingly then in Winter lest you increase blood too much or turne it to choller which also turneth to inflamation and putrefaction Butter is very good and so is Buttermilke if moderately vsed but they doe easily inflame a chollericke stomacke and send vp hot fumes into the head The milke also purgeth some bodies such therefore are the more to forbeare it Fruits may be allowed but seldome and in little quantitie to be vsed the sower and sharpe are best as sower Cherries and Plums but these preserved or in tarts or at least scalded rather then raw the Norwich and Katherin Peares the Peppins Pearmains Harvie Apples being growne old are counted Cordialls Also Peaches Quinces Pomgranets Oranges Lemons Medlars Sarvices Strawberries Gooseberries Barberies Raspes Mulberries likewise dried fruits as dried Peares Plums Cherries Figs Raisins Damask proins c. Those that haue hot stomachs and desire Cucumbers may eat them beaten with an Onion and Salt and sauced with Vineager and a little sprinckled with Pepper French Beanes also called à formâ Kidney Beanes may now and then be vsed as the best sort of pulse for meate So may Hartichokes with Butter and Vineager or the iuice of a Lemon If you earnestly desire sometime to eate of the moyster fruits eat after them an Orange with a little Fennell and Salt And if you feele your stomach over-cooled with such kinde of moyst fruits drinke also a draught of good white Wine at such a time that Wine is good to warme the stomach and carrie away the crudities Of Roots these are the best Turneps Carrots Parsnips Hartichokes of Ierusalem Also Onions and Radishes for they are esteemed of great vertue against venoms And so are Leekes because they cleanse the blood Of Hearbs the warme and drying are of greatest vse as Rue Wormwood Baulm Mints Peni royall Rosemary and many such like with which you may stuffe and temper moyst meats But for Sallets and Sauces Fennell sweet mariorâ—m Sage Time Parsley Succorie But of all sharpe and sower hearbs are best and therefore Sorrell is in good request and Endiue or Succorie mixed therewith because of themselues they are opening Hot Spices may be vsed in moyst meats and to temper cold and sower fruits Also in Winter time and to a cold stomach they may be allowed simple or with little qualification otherwise there is no vse of them but to mixe with sauces What Spices I meane are easily knowne viz. Pepper Cloues Mace Nutmegs Ginger and to these I adde Saffron and the roots of Enula Campane Zedoarie Angelica and Tormentill which are very vsefull The fittest Sauces are sharpe and sower ones As Sorrell and Vineager or Veriuice or the iuice of Lemons or Oranges Also Capers and Vineager are very good When the weather is cold your stomach craues it you may mixe them with Spices to make them warmer and in these cases if you doubt the weaknesse of your stomach the binding in of your spirits by cold sower Sauces then temper your meats with Sugar a little Salt Cinnamon Pepper Safron and some Fennell or with Egges Butter and the iuice of Lemons and a little Fennell and Saffron Broths must be very thin and something sharpened with Lemons or Vineager In stead of them also you may somtimes vse Posset-ale turned with Vineager or a Lemon and after boyled with some of these hearbs before commended Or Aleberries for those that cannot away with flesh And let those that feed on these things forbeare drinke Gellyes also are good for weake bodies if they be not intemperately Spiced As for the manner of dressing Rost is better then boyled Fish is beft â—â— fried then boyled But if any desire boyled meat rather then let it be flesh of the drier sort or if yet it must needs be of the moyster let it be well sauced with sharpe and sower things with a little Pepper Cinnamon prepared Coriander seeds and salt Sorrell and Marigold flowers may be added at your pleasure I haue still prescribed Vineager as a thing of generall vse because being cooling and drying it resisteth all kinds of poyson and repelleth putrefaction Which is apparent as Ambrosius Paraeus li. de Peste cap. 8. testifieth in the embalming of dead bodies who are washed in Vineager to keepe them from putrefying But here I must giue a Caveat to women for as Crato in Consil 275. saith it hurteth the Mother therefore they must allay it with white Wine and Sugar Now for Drinke Middling Beere or Ale is generally best for common vse But the constitution of every one must fit it selfe Onely take heed of extremities very strong enflames and very small makes watrish blood Let your drinke be well boyled and stale but quicke and fresh Cyder made of sharpe Apples is not amisse to be vsed somtimes to refresh the pallat with varietie Those that haue need of Wine to helpe their stomachs let them vse good Claret Sherries sacke or Canarie and now and then a draught of White Wine But if your stomach doe not much require them simply allay them with water Let your wine be cleare briske old and pleasant To a weake stomach and a feeble nature Wine is an Antidote against all poysons as Celsus li. 8. de Re Medica cap. 27. affirmeth And Senectutis summa est Medicina it is the best Medicine for Old age as Aëtius teacheth in Tetr 1. serm 4. cap. 30. But let not youths and men of strength thinke they may be so bold with Wine in these contagious seasons as they haue bin wont to be at other times For it must needs inflame their bloud and inflamation is certainly seconded with putrefaction and putrefaction is no lesse then a degree of poyson in the humors which will easily turne to the Pestilence And so much for the Disorder of Mans Diet in Qualitie of Meat Drinke Now we come to Quantitie And herein The disease is Surfeiting and the Remedie must be Sobrietie I will therefore lay open first the Danger of the Disease and then the Course of the Cure In this Disorder of Quantitie I cannot but admire at my Countrey men for if Heliogabalus were now among the liuing he might finde enough companions among Englishmen It was wont to be said The Drunken-Dutchman but the Dutch haue playd the God-fathers haue too kindly bestowd their names vpon our men such names I meane as Diotemus of Athens had who was intituled the Tunnell for his filthy
As meat of hard digestion to a weake stomach for that denyeth nourishment meate of easie concoction to a strong stomach for that putresies in the stomach and so corrupts the bloud hot spices and inflaming drinkes to a hot constitution c. these breed many diseases in the purest aire and in a contagious they easily make way for the Plague Therefore we are to be carefull what we eat or drinke And our Care must be two fold first to refuse things noysome secondly to choose things wholsome In refusing things noysome take these rules Beware of piercing and attenuating things for they are heating and by opening the body they expose it to the corruption of the Aire On the contrary also thicke and slimie things are stopping breeding crudities and putrefaction by reason of that crassitude moysture and accidentall heat which is in them Sweet and fatty things likewise are to be avoyded because they easily turne to choller and so kindle hot feavors Very moyst meates as wee see they are hardly kept sweet in hot weather so by the heat of the stomach they easily turne to putrefaction especially to hot and chollericke constitutions But of all things those that are both moyst and hot especially wherin the moyst is predominant are most dangerous because they are as it were the very seed of putrefaction Cold mixed with moyst is not so ill because not so apt presently to putrefie but wheresoever the moyst is stronger the blood is made watrish and weaker and therefore not so nourishing as Nature needs it Also meats of hard digestion melancholicke salt and windie are to be eschewed Beware of all things that are hot and enflaming Much vse of very sharpe things are very hurtfull Shunne also all things that increase much blood for the body must be kept low in contagious times Also all things that are loathsome to the pallat or stomach must be reiected for that which nature abhorreth dissipateth the Spirits Having thus taught by their Qualitie in generall what meates and drinkes are to be forborne Now I will more particularly reckon vp such as are most commonly known and vsed being most to be avoyded in times of Infection And first for your Bread Be carefull that it be not mustie nor mouldie neither eat it hot nor before it be a day olde It is best for them that can haue Ouens at home not to send their bread to other houses to be baked nor to receiue any continually from the hand of common Bakers that serue to many severall houses Very salt and long powdered Beefe though never so much watered afterward to get out the salt is not good yea all that watering and moystening makes it worse Also Bacon and Porke especially boyled the Hare especially when he is olde Venison both of fallow and red Deere that liue in a corrupted aire are vnwholsome not alone for the reason that some giue of their liuing alwayes in the open aire and much running heating their bodies therein which makes them apt to be corrupted by the contagion but also in regard of the manner of killing them which is by hunting them to death for in that action they poyson their flesh very much by tyring their bodies and weakening their spirits to the death and by the infinite working of the passion of feare in them which how apt that is to poyson any body I shall shew in his place Foules that liue in fens or waters are all naught as the Goose Ducke Mallard Teale Hearon c. Meats made of the Inwards of Beasts are not good as Puddings Tripes Chitterlings Kidneys Livers Lights Milts c. Of Fishes such as liue in standing Pooles and Ponds especially in muddy waters are very evill as Carps Eeles Lampreys and such like for they corrupt the humors and breed obstructions Salt-fish and Sea fish sharpen the humors Oysters Cockles Muskles Peruinckles are hurtfull Grisly fish as Mayds Thornbacke and such like are to be avoyded Egges of Geese Ducks Pigeons c. are to be reiected Milke because it is of all meates most easie of digestion soone corrupteth in the stomach and therefore is disallowed So is Creame because it makes grosse blood Likewise Cheese because it is stopping And also Whey because it is opening and not nourishing Of Fruits all such as are Worme-eaten are to be accounted corrupted and naught All sweete and luscious fruits as Cherries Plums greene Figs sweete Grapes Black-berries c. Also Melons Pompions Pomcitrons c. Forbeare generally all Summer fruits because they breed crudities and grosse humors Among the rest also Beanes and Pease are accounted vnfit meats Roots such as are watrish are to be refrained so also is Garlicke for all it is called the Poore-mans Triacle because it openeth and heateth too much therefore it is seldome fit in these times Hearbs that are hot are not to be vsed but with good advise and tempering them with such as are cooling And beware of Cabages Coleworts Lettice and Rocket and all moyst and cold hearbs for they breed obstructions and crudities Let not your Sauces be sweet for such increase choller nor too full of taste for that whets the appetite beyond the desire of nature provokes to too liberall feeding Among other sauces Mustard is chiefly to be forbidden because it openeth and discusseth Beware of hot Spices vse them sparingly and then well allayed with cooling things Pottage and Broths are no fit food for these times because if they be thicke and strong they nourish too fast or if they be thin and not nourishing they fill the body with moysture more then needs For Manardus li. 5. epist 3. saith The body ought rather to be dried then moystened Some haue from strangers taken vp a foolish tricke of eating Mushroms or Toadstooles But let them now be warned to cast them away for the best Authors hold the best of them at all times in a degree venomous and therefore in time of Pestilence much more dangerous Now for the manner of dressing your meat briefly obserue that baked meats because their vapours are restrained within their coffins are not so well purified by the fire as meats otherwise cooked therefore they are suspected to haue in them a degree of venom especially if the meat haue beene kept any long while in the infected Aire much more if it be Venison for the reasons before-named But if any be earnestly desirous of Baked meats let them first take heed they be not too full of taste and gluttonous and also let the pie or pastie be opened as soone as it comes out of the Oven and so let it breath it selfe till it be cold Also sowsed and pickled meats are not good neither are boyled meats so good as rosted Of Drinkes Beere or Ale that is new strong heady and fuming also bitter flâ—t dead or fusty are to be avoyded Likewise such as are sophisticated