the child the knittings breaking they readilie are brought to bed before tyme. For this end let them haue a care to keepe a moderat dyet in all things vsing good and nourishing meats being more sparing in the first moneth then afterward because the menstruous blood doeth then abound not imployed either for grouth or nourishing of their birth as yet it is better to take often and little rather than too much at once they should flee all meats of a bytting facultie also all windie all procuring either the fluxe of their water or of their flowers as capirs oynions garlik safrane and strong wine they should vse little drinke least the ligaments become slâ—brie shunning darknesse solitarinesse and melancholie The first moneth should bee quyetly past over without motion The second a soft gentle walking is good The third a little quicker The fourth fifth and sixth admitte greater exercise and stronger motion The seventh eight and till halfe of the nynth requires some greater rest and quyetnesse than the former among these the eight as most dangerous would bee quyetest and most carefullie keeped from the middle of the nynth till their birth a more quicke motion and frequent exercise is properest for the furthering of the same They should shun the companie of men the first moneth for feare of a new conception afterward they may bee more bold also all passions of the minde because by chasing the blood inward they choke the child which often falleth out in great wrath or sadnesse Too long sleepe is not evill from the which they should awake quietlie They should keepe themselues from excessiue cold or heat and from the North and South wind for both the one and the other doe moue a distillation from wheÌ„ce a cough the which hastneth their birth before the tyme flying alwayes the noyse of thunder guns of great belles and the like and because that women with child either hath lost all appetite or are troubled with an inordinate as a desire to eate strange things as also with a paine in the stomack gnawof the heart great spitting short breath sore head swelling in the legges and an vniversall heavinesse thorow the whole body proceeding from the suppression of their flowers yet there be some so full of blood who hath them the first moneths others all the tyme least these and the like by weakning of the mother doe precipitate both mother and bairne in hazard of death it is better to purge these vitious humors than to suffer such manifest dangers The properest tyme for purging according to Hipp. is from the fourth moneth to the seveneh for the child saith Galen is tyed to the matrix of the mother as the fruites are to the trees the fruites new budded out haue the stalk so tender that little shaking will make them fall but being with tyme more firmely tyed to they are not so shortly broken till the tyme of their maturitie where they fall off themselfe without helpe so women with child are in lesse danger the fourth fift and six moneths then the first and the last Women with child should not be bled except in a great necessitie least the bairne by bleeding frustrate of his foode bee forced to breake foorth before the tyme to looke for meate yet there bee some women who are so full of blood that except you draw blood of them they will chocke the child in their belly of such blood may bee taken once or twise Women with child should cast away their buistes which they vse to keepe them small about the middle and that so soone as they find their bellie to swell for they hinder the grouth of the child and constraineth it often to come foorth before the tyme. Whosoever hath of custome to parte with child through the moistnesse of their bairne-bed let them weare about their neck the Eagle stone called by the Greekes Aetites applying this plaster over the belly and the loines R. Gallarum nucum cupress sanguin drac balaust myrtill rosar an drag 1 ss mastic myrrh an drag 11 thuris hypocistid acaciae gummi arab bol armen an drag 1. camphor scrup ss ladan vnc ss terebinth venet 11 picis navalis vuc 11 cerae q. s. fiat emplastrum secundum artem extendatur super alutam ad praefatum vsum If the passage of the belly bee stopped as often it falleth out the last moneths the trypes being straitted by the matrix let them vse broth of barley malves beetes and mircurial Of their governement the tyme of their birth and after the same There bee three things required to a naturall birth the first a-like fordwardnesse both in the mother and the child so the child requiring more meate than the mother can afford and greater libertie to take the aire hee tares with his hands and feete his thinne membranous sheettes the matrix againe wearied of its burden doth contract the selfe for the expelling of it Now if any of these bee inlacking their birth is not without danger for if the whole action be imposed on the mother as it falleth when the child is dead or verie weake it is with great paine which sometymes bringeth death and if the child get all the businesse to doe by reason of the mothers weaknesse it is of no lesse hazard The second is a due forme which Hipp. describeth in his first booke de morbis mulierum and in his booke de natura pueri in these words A childe saith hee if the birth be naturall commeth foorth head-long and he giveth the reason in an other place of this because the parts aboue the middle are heavier than beneath it Moreover if the feete come first foorth they in stretching of themselues should stoppe the passage to the rest of the body so the custome of the Ancients was as reporteth Plinius in seven bookes of his naturall history and is now also to carie the dead with their feete formest because that death is contrarie to life The third thing required is that it bee quicke easie and without great paine or many symptomes The tyme of birth Nature saith Arist. hath set downe a certaime terme and tyme of birth almost to all the creatures only man hath diverse tymes so the doue hath her mouthly birth the bitch keepeth still foure moneth the mare nine moneth the Elephant two yeare only woman changeth having for terme the 7 8. 9. or 10 moneths the first is the seventh before which no childe can bee liuely the next is the eight in the which according to Hipp. and other Physitians are not liuely the nynth is the mostnaturall and best of all the tenth and eleventh in the first dayes are liuelie also although that birth doth not fall often foorth in them Now that women be not troubled before the tyme remarke heere the signes of birth approaching these are a paine from the navell to the secret parts going about to the loynes or small of the back a discent of the bairn-bed causing a
swelling about the privie members a rednesse of the face the mouth of the matrix open and straight and in the entrie of it there is found a lumpe about the greatnesse of an egge a shivering through the whole bodie and in end a certaine liquor issueth foorth first in little quantitie then more larglie and lastly there floweth a watrie blood if it bee a femall chylde but pure if a man child There are three things to bee remarked about the tyme of the birth The first that the travelling woman be not burdened with too much meate for thereby the naturall heat is drawne from the matrix to the stomack Secondly that the Mid-wyfe doe not handle roughly the bairn-bed of these who are long in travelling but gentlie their hands being oynted with oyle Thirdly that the woman bee not troubled till the foresaid signes appeare especialy the straightnesse of the mouth of the matrix and the eshuing of these humidities These appearing let her so be placed that her loins bee free leâ—ning most on her back and shoulders her heeeles bee bowed inward toward her buttoks being lifted vp and that her thighs bee so farre asunder as possible they can Thus let her leane rather than sit holden vp behind by a chaire or the bed-side Others standing do bring foorth their birth leaning to their hands fastned to an hold This tyme if the air of the chamber bee too warme it must bee refreshed by opening of the windows least they faint And when the paine returneth the mouth of the matrix being open let her who is travelling containe her breath keeping her mouth and nose fast and presse downe-ward with all her power the Midd-wyfe softly with her hands helping her by pressing also from the navell downward desisting when the matrix beginneth to close least they travell in vaine The childe should bee received by the mid-wife in a soft small and warme linnen cloath and that quyetly least any of the members should bee hurt This done the woman should bee laide in her bed in a darke chamber with her thighes asunder least the issuing of the blood should bee stopped which ought to bee dryed vp by the oft changing of warme clothes least either by the sharpe byting or the vnwholesome stinking it grieue the delyvered It were not amisse to ty a band of two hand-breadth about her navell both for the furthering of her purgation as also from hindering of inflations from cold wind which readily then entereth through the emptinesse of the matrix which thereafter breedeth a suffocation of the same after her delyverie a drink of the best in little quantitie will doe no harme let her absteane two dayes from flesh vsing the while caddels aleberries and such like easie digestable meates and nourishing for the repairing of her forces eshewing all suddaine charging of the stomack either by the great quantitie or diverse qualitie of the meate for her weake force doth not admit that rather come by degrees to the former dyet shunning all suddaine repletion after such an evacuation it is better to giue them oft and little eight dayes being past they may eate more largely especâ—ally if they nourish their child They should absteane from all kind of herbes fruites and legums that is pease beanes and the like If after her deliverie her paine continue the Mid-wyfe shall search the bairne-bed if there bee any congealed blood in it as sometimes there is which being taken away the paine ceaâ—eth or any lumpe of flesh applying also to her navell the secundines or after birth yet warme the skinne of a Ramme hote from the sheepe aliue When they come to nourish the child they should cause sucke the milk of their breast the first two or three dayes by some old woman that the old vnwholsome milk may bee drawne foorth and better supplie the place of it twentie dayes is the terme of purgation after a man child and fourtie after a fâ—mell the which space they should keepe themselues free of the societie of man yet these that are of strong constitution will purge sufficiently in eight or ten dayes Of the government of the Child So soone as the child is brought foorth his navell should be cut about three finger broad from his bodie and then tyed in the lovest part and sprinkles in the vppermost parte where the incision was made with the powder of bol armen sanguinis draconis sarcocolle myrrh and cumini and then covered bounde vp with a little wooll dipped in the oyle of Olives afterward see it bee washen in warme water by the Nurse and oynt againe with the foresaid oyle his nostrils should be softly opened and his pricke looked if the passage be open his eyes tenderly wiped his fundament rubbed and handled for the procuring of the passage to the clensing of the stomack from a part of the menstruous blood lurking in it drawne in while hee was in his mothers belly the which staying and not cast out presently after his birth or at the farthest the first day doth cause either death or the epilepsie It is remarked that this issuing before the birth doth foretell a parting with child For the purging of the child from this black blood it is good before hee sucke any to giue him of hony halfe an vnce of fresh butter two dragmes with halfe a scruple of myrrhe and when the halfe part of the navell falleth away it should be sprinkled againe with the powder of burnt leade and afterward wrapped in warme clothes The member are to be stretched foorth and made straight by the warme hand of the Nurse for now they are ready to receaue any crooke or hurte The child should bee washen twyse a day in the winter with hote water and in the summer with warme neither must hee bee longe keeped in the water then the body becommeth hote and red Keeping his nose and eares free from the droppes being washen and dryed let him be laide straight with his armes close to his sides and his feete together in warme fyne linnen then put in his craddle with his head and vpper parts highest that the humiditie may fall from the head to his lower parts layed on his back for that is the surer then on either of the sides least his soft bones and lightly tyed by weake bindings vnder the burthen of the whole body doe bow or bee disjoynted but so soone as his teeth doe come foorth hee may bee accustomed to ly now on the one side now on the other aboue his head in the craddell their should bee placed small twigges or wands bowed covered with clothes or in place of these a little canopie whereby the wavering and inconstant motion of the childs eyes may bee restrained and corrected least by long looking too earnestly to any thing a-side he become glyed or by inconstant wavering to and fro of still winking and moving ringle sight for a frequent turning of the tender eyes turneth in end to a habite which can not be
to bee true so being false the hopes frustrate moveth griefe For preveening these suddaine changes I haue thought it expedient to annexe heere the markes of both the one and the other The signes of true conception There bee diverse signes of it which are commoun to it with a false conception passing these I will heere make mention of the chiefest as are the retention of the seede by the femell sexe after the lawfull and naturall imbreacings of both the sexes Next a contraction of the matrix which breedeth a shivering through the whole body and a coldnesse a-longst the back Then within a little space a smalnesse of the belly especially about the nevell where it appeareth to be some-what hollow and when the tyme of her flowers draweth neere in place of them she finds her papes become hard and hote at the end of three or foure month the child doth moue Of false conception There bee diverse sortes of it arysing either from a lumpe of flesh in the matrix called mola or from a wind or a watter A mola is a lumpe of flesh without shape bred in the matrix which either sooner or later is cast foorth It is caused of a little portion of seede iâ—vironed and almost chokked by a too great abundance of menstruous blood and so the spirits are not able to sorme any thing The marks are one in the beginning with a true conception as a stopping of the flowers loosing of appetite loathing vomiting swelling of the belly and growing of the papes But after they differ for with a true conception a woman dayly after the first moneth groweth lustier with a mola dayly worse after the third or fourth moneth a child moveth but a mola never except when the woman turneth in her bed and then like a stone it falleth from one side to an other it moveth often by this falling the paines of her birth without effect It hath moreover a certaine pricking and grinding in the belly also being pressed by the hand it giveth place or way to the presser returning againe to the owne roome which a child or true conception will not doe Such like the belly is much harder with a mola than with a child In a mola the monethly courses rusheth often foorth like little peeces of flesh in great quantitie and then the woman dayly becommeth extenuate in end all the body shirping and the belly growing it resembleth an hydropsie yet it is different from it by the hardnesse of the belly by it and in not receaving any impression made by the finger or hand it brings an vniversall lasinesse of the whole body with a softnesse of the members and trembling sometimes a swelling of the eyes and lippes a dissinesse of the head A mola is cast foorth sometyme after fourtie dayes sometymes after three moneth others keepe it two three foure or fiue yeeres yea all their life A false conception from wind or water Such sorte of false conceptions befalleth when the monethly courses are stopped to a woman vsing the companie of man and her belly riseth the rest of the marks of a true conception concurring she not having for all this conceaved any liuely thing but something correspondent in substance to some of the elements as wind or water the cause of these is the seede of both the sexe infirme and weake receaved by a matrix of the same indisposition by the which meanes the spirits contained in the seede doth evanish it may proceede also from a small skinne closing the mouth of the matrix and so stopping the issuing of womans monethly courses whereby the belly swelleth and is bended vpon the which there followeth often the fittes of a woman travailling this is knowne to bee the cause when that the skinne is cutte and the blood gusheth foorth and shee is fred of her paine To try these sorts of conceptions wee should try if the woman hath beene troubled before by corrupt or vnnaturall courses as commonly they doe preceede vpon the which hath followed presentlie this swelling of the belly whereby it differeth from a true conception in the which the wombe first is drawne in before it be bended foorth if the matter of this false conception bee windie it is knowne by the resounding of the belly beatten thereon like vnto a drumme also by a paine of the heade loynes backe and of the privie members If water cause it there is perceived into the motion from one side to an other the noise of water catched to and fro also a dropping of a serious watrie mater from the secreete places which is verie byting and of an evill smell the feete face and eyes swell in it the whole body becommeth pale and they looke like hydropicks and almost the rest of the marks of a mola are to be found heere from this disease women become often barren The not distinguishing of a true conception from the false hath beene often troublesome and chargable to diverse Such was the case of a Lady in Burdeous who after nyne moneths carefull carying of her selfe least shee should hurte her supposed child and three weekes troublesome travailing in end was delyvered of a fart forsuith Let any man who is feared for to be deceaved either with pillowes vnder the kilting or farts in the skirping supplie that which hath beene omitted by me for I hope not to be deceaved this twelue moneths by my wife and so farewell FINIS
by that extraordinarie appetite whereby men are carryed yea rather forced to eate more meate in that season than in the Summer this appetite proceedeth from the greater heate of the stomack then than at any other tyme. The other meane whereby the body is replenished is the envyroning cold whereby dissipation of these three substances to wit the airy humide and solide is hindered as also the excretion of the vapours by the small holes or pores of the body It is therefore needâ—ull to helpe nature and light her of this burhen by drawing of blood or phlebotomy and purging And because the reward of Physitians in this countrey being frequently My Lord GOD reward you hath made Physitians to bee scarse and no wonder for how shall his L. liue vpon this rent is it not to content my Lord with the poore folks almes who get often GOD helpe you they differ in forme but not in matter this scarsitie constraineth the Gentlemen to commit themselues to bee handled by ignorants who least they should deale with them as that Chirurgeon of Iedburgh dealt with his patients who forced all them of whom hee drew blood their wound vnder-cotting to returne to haue it healed and being asked the reason of this of his little boy hee answered that for making of the wound by opening of the veine hee gote a Weather but for curing of the same a Kow that every one may vnderstand for his owne well I will insist a little on phlebotomie and purging Of Phlebotomie PHLEBOTOMIE then is an evacuaâ—ion of the vitious humors abounding in the body mixed with the blood by the opening of a veine This is either vrged by the present disease which admittes no delay or it is voluntare for the preveening of the imminent when the present danger doeth presse it maye bee at any time of the yeere or any houre in the daye or night without exception and that in diverse places of the bodye as the nature of the disease shall require when it is by election or voluntarie for preveennig of future diseases the most fitte tyme of the yeere is the Spring in the latter end of March or the beginning of Aprile and the most proper houre in the daye is the morning an houre or more after you are awake hauing made a cleane Ship fore and est as the Sea-men saye the most accommodate place is the veine basilike or lever veine the Chirurgian hauing rubbed it with his hand or a drye cloth before for the gathering of the bloode thither then having tyed it let him make the incision beneath the place where it meeteth with the veine Cephalicke about two fingers breadth hauing marked the place before and anoynted it with a litle oyle holding the veine fast lest it should slyde with the thumbe of the left hand if the incision bee made with the right hand and leaning the hand wherewith hee openeth the veine on the arme of the patient that it may bee stable and giuing him who is bled a battoun in his hand for to stirre his fingers to that effect the bloode may issue the better and hauing drawne such a measure as the nature force and age of the person may well suffer slacking the band let him laye vpon the wound a little peece of linnen cloath dipped in water and tyed softly by a band of linnen till all danger of new bleeding bee past keeping still the arme all that daye free from all motion Blood may bee taken in greater measure of sanguineans and bilious than of melancholious and phlegmaticks of young men than of old and of men than women Except it bee of such who by often sacrificing to Bacchus their head takes now and then a giddie startling their tongue a tedious tratling their taile a vile wauering These monsters of nature shame of their sex crosse of their husband and disgrace of kin friend and allyance should bee bledde in both the leggs and armes and in the croppe of the tongue by a crosse sneck to that end it may bee made slower for talking and stiffer for drinking least continuing in this wicked mood they make their husbands Cuckolds their bairnes bastards and beggars themselves whoores and theeues Iustly many are molested with such beasts who glames at the turde for the twelfe pence sticken in it the corruption of our tyme being such that Tome the tinklers sonne metamorphosed in a Gentlman sutes mistresse Marie my Lords daughter and Sir Iohn my Lords second speares out for Sandie the Souters fourtie thousand mark Iennie This Tom aiming at vanitïe rather than vertue comes to honours or hornes by his wife and Sir Iohn looking to geare more than to grace is often perplexed while the trash is wasted by a Masie Fae or a Maly Dae I wonder that their vnequall conjunctions doe not fill the countrie with monsters lyke Muiets which is begotten betuixt a Mare and an Asse Of Loch-leachs Some vse Loch-leaches when they cannot haue the vse of drawing of blood These little beastes are not to be applyed presently after they come out of the water but they must bee keept foure and twentie houres in a vessell full of faire water that they may spue out this while the filthie mudde drosse is within them They should bee gripped with a whyte â—innen cloath for the bare hand cankers them The place to the which they are to bee applyed should be smeered over with blood to that end they may enter the sooner and when yee would haue them to fall sprinkle a little Aloes or salt on them if yee would them to draw more then they are able to containe cut off their taile while they are yet hanging and if the bleeding ' stanch not after they are fallen apply with a band of cloath or wooll brunt and beatten to pouder There bee other Loch-leaches or blood-suckers not spoken of here such bee gold greedie inventors of new impositions faith lesse victuall forestallers and treacherous quarrells and processe hatchers who bereauing by these meanes his innocent brother of his goods the entertainers of his life may bee tearmed rather man slayars than blood suckers These vnlyke to the former does sucke the best blood but like the former in others for they never of them selues fall from that sucking till they bee not able to containe any more if ye sprinkle them with the sharpe pouder of Aloes that is with justice then they fall and if you continue to persue them by the same you shall find them as the former by salt so they by it are forced to spue out the vndigested blood of the poore and cut mee the taile from them that is make them quyte of wyfe and barnes in whose person they feare the curse of the great judge These grinders of the face of the poore shall never make an end of sucking These as vnworthie to bee thought or spoken of by any good Christian I leaue to bee handled yea justly to bee hanged by the Iustice heire and if