OF Life, Health, and Sickness.
AFter the praevious disposition of formation and effiguration of seminal matter in the wombe, by the innate spirits thereof, the chief actors in vegetation, having prepared, fabricated and made ready for animation, the Soul then exerts her power, animates, and gives life; and as supreme moderator and governor disposeth and orders all for future conservation and perfection of operation. The seminal Spirits which before were chief and principal in preparation and fabrication of this mansion; are now after the souls assuming the Government, but instrumental and subordinate, immediately acting by vertue and power from the soul received, neither can the one act without the other; the soul cannot act the body in its operations, but mediately by the intervening Spirits: there is so
[Page 2]great a distance between the spirituality of a soul, and the corporiety of bodies; but the Spirits being of the most refined, subtile, volatized material substance, are the fittest Intermedium of conjunction, conveyance, and commerce between the Soul and body, nor can the spirits act their parts in any Vital operation, but by the energy, command and power derived from the soul.
These spirits have their residence in every part of the body, as principal assistants and excitors to the performance of the office, and duty belonging to the several parts, and are the approximate immediate agents of the soul; and they are preserved, maintained and supplied by the additional spirits, extracted from the bodyly aliment daily received.
There is also a ferment or transmutative quality peculiar to each part or office for concoction resulting from the particular nature, property and temper of each part; being the author of alteration and transmutation, by vertue whereof the food received is digested, volatized, and receiving various impressions according to the disposition of the ferment of each part by which it passeth, until it be fit for assimilation into the substance of the body.
In the vigour and rectitude of these ferments and the aforesaid spirits, consists the sanity and integrity of each member in its office; but the
[Page 3]diminution, alienation and depravation of either, vitiates and imbecillitates the parts, indisposeth and incapacitates them to their office and duties, from whence various morbifick effects are produced, answerable to their several causes, and the variety of organical parts, in their principal or ministerial functions.
These Spirits and ferments are preserved and maintained in their natural purity and vigour, by a temperate sweet Air; wholsom and regular dyet, seasonable sleeping and waking, moderate and constant exercise, due evacuations and retentions, tranquillity and ease of minde. But these irregular, unnatural, disproportionate or unsutable, in matter, manner, times or order, destroyes the regular oeconomy and peaceable Government of the body, raiseth discords, introduceth and begets morbifick causes, abbreviates and shortens life. Of which particularly hereafter.
This I have premised as a ground work for the superstructure intended, and for your preparation and clearer apprehension of what shall be delivered in the following discourse, knowing upon what bases it is founded.
The life of man consists in the Conjunction of soul and body, mutually embracing each other with the bands of Love and desire of continued Union, until the incapacity and unfitness of the body by its ruinous and decayed condition,
[Page 4]or other impediments and deficiency enforceth the soul to desertion and departure. Spiritual and Corporeal substance are now knit and interwoven one with another, by an extraordinary curious artifice and contrivance, so that you can not say here is the soul & there the body, but soul and body are joyntly extended throughout the whole, & in every part there is both soul & body: life is the result of this connexion; as by the meeting and attrition of flint & steel fire is produced, so by the reciprocal contact & conjunction of soul & body life is generated, being of a luminous influential nature diradiated through the body from whence vital motions and heat, as the product and concomitants thereof do give a testimony of its virtual presence and efficacious energy: and as the
Ratio formalis of life is in
lumine; so the vertue, power and emanations of life are manifested
in actione, in operation & action: and although the soul cannot by a reflex act in this life, see the face of its own being, nor can we see it in another, being invisible a
priori, environed, vailed and hid by the interposition of a dense opacous body, yet we may see the back parts and behold what it is in operation and effects: and as
Operatio sequitur esse, according to the axiome; we may judge of the purity, radication and durability of life, by the integrity, strength and constancy of its actions and functions: and this integrity or perfection of
[Page 5]vital operations is that which we call health or sanity: and it is the free, indisturbed unanimous performance of all the faculties in the rectitude of their duties, being the prosperous serenity, mutual enjoyment and happiness of soul and body in their conjunct state.
The benefit and excellencies of this health is best known to those that have lost it,
Carendo magis quam fruendo, quid valeat cognoscimus: you that have it and know not how to prize it, Ile tell you what it is both positively, and privatively, that you may love it better, put a higher value upon it, and endeavour to preserve it with a more serious and, strict observance and tuition.
Health is that which makes your meat and drink both savory and pleasant, else natures injunction of eating and drinking were a hard task and slavish custome.
Health is that which makes your bed easie, and your sleep refreshing, that renews your strength with the rising Sun, and makes you chearful at the light of another day; tis that which fills up the hollow and uneven places of your Carkase, and makes your body plump and comely; tis that which dresseth you up in natures richest attire, and adorns your face with her choicest colours.
'Tis that which makes exercise a sport, and walking abroad the enjoyment of your Liberty.
'Tis that which makes fertile and encreaseth the natural endowments of your minde and preserves them long from decay; makes your wit acute, and your memory retentive.
Tis that which supports the fragility of a corruptible body, and preserves the verdure, vigour and beauty of youth.
'Tis that which makes the soul take delight in her mansion, sporting her self at the casements of your eyes.
'Tis that which makes pleasure to be pleasure, and delights delightful; without which you can solace your self in nothing of terrene felicityes and enjoyments.
Having taken a breif survey of natural life in the best estate, graced and adorned with the society of health and its great attendants; the coucomitant benefits, priviledges and enjoyments: now take a view of your self when health hath turn'd its back upon you, and deserts your company; see now how the Scene is changed; how you are robd and spoyled of your comforts and enjoyments; the want of health makes food to lose its wonted relish, and is become disgustful and unsavory: the stomack now refuseth to receive its dayly charge, no longer able to perform the task, but desires a
quietus est, from the office.
Sleep that was stretcht out from evening to the fair bright day, is now broken into peeces,
[Page 7]and subdivided not worth the accounting: the night that before seemed short is now too long; and the downy bed presseth hard against the bones.
Exercise now is toyling, and walking abroad the carrying of a burthen.
The body that moved so light, and readily obeyed the steerage of the Pilot; is now over ballac'd with its own weight, and slowly tugs as against the stream.
Conjugal imbraces are now but the faint offers of love, the shaddows, and representations of former kindeness.
The body that had the magnetisme and secret attraction of souls, may now be approached without loss, or danger of being snared and fettered as a bondslave: the lilly and the rose that nature planted in the highest mount to shew the world her pride and glory, is now blasted, and withered like long blown flowers. The eye that flasht as lightning, is now like the opacous body of a thick cloude; that rouled from East to West swifter then a Celestial orbe, is now tyred and weary but standing still; that penetrated the center of another microcosme, hath lost its Planetary influence and is become obtuse and dull: the hollow sounding breast that echoed to the chanting bird, and warbled forth delightful tunes, now runs divisions with coughing straines, and pauses with a deep fetch't
[Page 8]sigh for breath, to repeat those notes again.
The Veins, those rivulets that ran with vital streams bedewing the adjacent parts with fruitfull moisture, is now drunk up with parching heat, or muddied and defiled with an inundation of excremental humors.
The want of health converts your house into a prison, and confines you to the narrow compasse of a chamber, tis that which sowers the sweetest and most beloved injoyments: tis that which disunites and breaks the league of copartnership between soul and body, alienates and makes them at jarrs, discomposeth their harmony, and weary of their wonted, sweet society.
The Prolongation & Abbreviation of Life.
MAn Consisting of soul and body, and this body compounded of
heterogenious and dissimilar parts, destinated to various actions and offices, and not independent in being and conservation; will necessarily require variety of assistance and supply, proportionable and suting to their several purposes, faculties, proprieties and temperatures; in matter, manner, times and order; for their maintenance and sustentation
[Page 9]in the integrity of their actions, offices and duties, Constitutional dispositions and temperaments, peculiarly conservative of themselves, respectively and consequently of the whole: And by the Law of nature, (being subject to corruption and dissolution, through the fragility of constitutive principles, connexion and fabrication) is bound to observe rules, orders and customes most consonant for preservation & continuance in being. Now if there be a disproportion or unfitness, in the matter and
quantum; or irregularity in the manner times or order of the auxiliary requisites and conservatives contrary to what the Law or necessity of his nature requires and commands, there ariseth distempers, ataxjes and disorders, the
praeludiums to ruine and dissolution.
And this body being in a continual flux and reflux, conversant in vicissitudes and variations of opposites, dissimilars, contraries and privations, as heat and cold, siccity and humidity, filling and emptying, rest and motion, sleeping and waking, inspiration and expiration, and the like; could not subsist amidst these opposite subalter nations, if they were not bounded and regulated by due order of succession to fit and convenient times, that they might not clash
interfeere and encroach upon each others priviledges, due times and proprieties.
If heat exceeds, the radical moisture dryes up,
[Page 10]the spirits evaporate, and the body withers.
If cold, the faculties are torpid and benum'd, the spirits being frozen up to a cessation from their duties.
If moisture prevails, the spirits are cloged, suffocated and drowned in the chanels of the body.
If siceity and dryness, the organical parts are stubborne, unpliable and uncapable of their regular motions and due actions, the vitastreams being drank up that should irrigate, refresh and supple them.
Were the body alwaies taking in and sending nothing forth; it would either increase to a monstrous and vaste magnitude, or fill up, suffocate and stifle the soul: were it alwaies in excretion and emission, the body would waste away and be reduced to nothing.
Nor is the receiving in of any thing, sufficient and satisfactory to the body for its preservation, but that which is appointed by nature proper and sutable: nor emission or ejection of any thing, but that which is superfluous and unnecessary to be retained.
If sleep prevailes contrary to the Law of nature, the body in a lethargic soporiferous inactivity, stupefied and senseless lies at the gates of death.
If watching exceeds the limits, transgresseth
[...]nd steals away the due time for sleep, the faculties
[Page 11]are debilitated and enervated, the spirits tyred, worn out and impoverished.
If inspiration were constant without intermission, the body would puffe up and be blown like a bladder.
If expiration were continual, the soul and spirits would soon quit their habitation and come forth.
If alwaies exercised in motion, the body would pine and weare away: if alwaies at rest, it would corrupt and stink.
There is a rule therefore proportion, measure and season to be observed, in all the requisite supports and auxiliary helps, belonging to our preservation, and by how much or often, any of these necessary alternative successions are extravagant and irregular, exceeding the bounds and limits prescribed by nature, justling out the successive appointed action duty or custom from its seasonable exercise and due execution; by so much is the harmony of nature disturbed, vigour abated and duration shortned, by those jarrs, discords and encroachments.
The thwarting and crossing of nature in any thing she hath enjoyned, either in the substance or circumstance, is violence offered to nature, and is destructive more or less according to the dignity or quality of the thing appointed.
For nature was not so indifferent in the institution of th
[...]se duties and customes, that they
[Page 12]might be done or not done; or so careless and irregular, to leave them at your pleasure, when and how, or to be used promiscuously and preposterously without order,
[...]t the liberty of your will, fancy and occasions: for as you may see in all other creatures exactness of rule, method and constant order impressed upon and radicated in their natures, by which they act alwaies sutable regular and constant: you may not imagine so choice and exquisite a peice as man, to be left without a law and rule to guide and steer him in the necessary actions concerning life, and that he should rove in uncertain, inconstant, unlimited quantities, times, orders, manners and the like; but is bounded and restrained upon penalties and forfeitures of being, well being and long being, to the nice and strict observance of these lawes and customes necessary for the tuition of life and defence of humane frailty.
As moral good actions are placed in a mediocrity between two vitious extreams: so natural actions and auxiliary requisites conservative of life, have their golden meane; digression from which on either side leads to ruin and destruction.
Too much sleep or too little; too much meat and drink, or too little to much rest, or too much motion; too much air, or alwaies close pent up too great excretions or too long retentions too
[Page 13]much heat or too much cold; either of the extreams lead to the gates of death.
And as nature hath not appointed any thing, or every thing to be food, but this and that; so likewise not at any time to be received, not in any quantity, after any manner prepared, or in what order you please, but proportionable, suteable and convenient.
As there is variety of dispositions and inclinations of minde agreeing with and liking one thing, but disagreeing resisting and disliking another: so is it in the variety of bodies and food: one body is of this constitution, temper and appetite; will sute and agree well with this meat, and disagree with another: for if all meats were convenient for all bodies to be used promiscuously without choice, how comes it to pass, the antipathy, resistance and abhorrency of some bodies against some particular meats and this not from a fancy and conceipt, but radicated in the constitution; that if it be eaten though unknown, shall produce Fluxes, vomitings, swoonings and such like effects: here is manifested the opposition, disagreement and distance between this constitution and this kind of meat; which being so great, that the dislike and discordancy appears presently: other disagreements which are in a lower degree of opposition, do not manifest themselves immediatly, yet they produce ill effects in the body,
plus
[Page 14]minus, pro viribus, which discover themselves gradually, at times and seasons and occasions. If you acknowledge the former you must admit of the latter, the reason is,
á majori ad minus.
As sleep is appointed by nature, to refresh the spirits and repair lost strength: so the time for sleep is appointed and limited: not when you please: the Sun that glorious light was not made for you to sleep by, nor the night for sports and revells, but for rest.
Nature does not only command what to be done; but when, how much, how long, after what manner, in what order; the modification, Circumstances and requisite qualifications, as well as the thing it self, are to be regarded. And therefore by a diligent inquisition and curious speculation into the workes of nature, you may as much admire the manner of preservation, government, order, weight and measure, regular vicissitudes alternations and successions, as the excellency and contrivance of the things themselves, in their creation and generation.
Whatever is appointed by nature as necessary for conservation and support of being though never so good, yet if it be unseasonable, out of course, immoderate in quantity, quality or duration; alters the property and Intention of nature, converts good purposes to bad effects.
We say every thing is best in its own kind; and of continuance in its own Element: and nature is most cheerful, vigorous and durable in the course and method of her own injunctions: but being put by, thrust out of her own way, is not of long duration: the birds cannot live in the Sea, nor the fish upon the land, nor your nature continue long in an unnatural way against her self. Are you composed of natural principles, and will you not live conformable to what you are? do you not live by natures assistance and natural means, and do you think to continue long in a Counter-motion against the nature of your Composition? they that invert natures course, preposterously promiscuously & in congruously using the necessary conservatives of life; not onely are deprived of their benefit, but also receive a positive hurt, disordering the constant regular motions in the body, and discomposing the harmonious and sociable temperaments of the parts.
There is a rule therefore, method, measure and season, in all the requisite supports and auxiliary helps belonging and necessary unto life, or lawful actions and customes whatsoever; which duely observed, are of much advantage for the preservation of the body in its true natural state, vigour and prolongation of being: but other wise, a methodically and inordinately used, disturbs natures course, uniformity and regularity-
[Page 16]of operations, raiseth unnatural motions, commotions and cessations; introduceth disorders and disjoynes the frame of nature, accelerates and hastens the dissolution of the body.
The Impediments of long Life.
AN infirme, and weak constitution from the Wombe derived from tender, imbecile and infirm parents. Irregular and unfit tractation of Infants, whose tender bodies are soon discomposed and disordered by bad Nurses, their erronious customes, and the ill proprieties of their milk.
Noxious and intemperate Aire.
Irregular eating and drinking.
Immoderate and unseasonable exercise, motion or labour.
Too much, or unfit rest.
Sleeping and waking in extreams.
Immoderate
Venus.
Undue excretion, and retention of Excrements
Inordinate passions, and perturbations of mind.
All unnecessary and bad customes.
Hygiastic Precautions, and Rules for the preservation of Health, and prolongation of life.
Of Aire.
AIre is so necessary to life, that without it we cannot subsist: which surrounding us about, and being continually suckt and drawn in, must needs affect the body with its conditions and properties, and by observation you may finde, the body, by the various constitutions and changes in the air, to be variously affected, well and ill disposed; of which, infirme parts are most sensible, that they prognosticate before an alteration come: the minde also by the mediation of the spirits is drawn into consent, and hath its dispositions and variations: when the Aire is close, thick and moist, the spirits are more dull heavy and indisposed; but at the appearance of the Sun, and a serene sky, the spirits are unfettered, vigorous and active; the minde more cheerful, airy and pleasant.
The Spirits are of an aetherial nature, and
[Page 18]therefore do much sympathize with the present constitution, and change of air: for of the air drawn in by the motion of the vital parts, are the vital spirits augmented & supplied continually, by the peculiar ferment and operation of the heart, therefore the pureness of the aire, makes much for the purity of the spirits.
A gross impure and noisome aire, obtunds and deads the spirits, makes a slow pulse, obstructs the pores and hinders ventilation, generates superfluous humors and causeth putrefaction.
A serene sweet thin Aire perfumes and purifies an unwholsome body; cherisheth the heart, makes a lively pulse, and much encreaseth the vital spirits; rarifies and volatizeth a gross coagulate blood, opens the pores for transpiration of putrid and offensive vapours, acuates and sharpens the appetite, and helps digestion.
The best aire and most agreeable to temperate bodies is in temperate climates, for heat, cold wet and dry: not subject to sudden and violent changes, as in some parts of
America and other Countries very frequent; not gross and turbulent, infected with putrid vapours and noxious exhalations, from stinking ditches, Lakes, Boggs, Carrions, Dunghills, Sinks and Vaults, for which causes great Cities, and the adjacent places are not so healthful nor the people so long liv'd.
Change of Aire somtimes is very necessary for the conservation of health; the recovery of it declining and lost: for, temperate bodies by an intemperate aire, shall gradually and in time become intemperate: intemperate bodies, by the contrary intemperate Aire shall be reduced to temperature; at least, shall conduce much and be very Auxiliary for the reduction. Therefore bodies declining from exact temperature, are best preserved in that Aire opposite to their declensions: as Cholerick, hot and dry bodies, in a moist and coole aire; Phlegmatick, cold and moist bodies, in a dry and warme Aire.
It is not therefore of small moment, in what place you live; and more especially such, who labour of, or are more subject to, any pectoral infirmity: for the Lungs being of so tender a substance and porous, continually drinking in the aire, is most apt to receive impressions from it according to the qualities it is pregnant with and infested; and many diseases of the breast arise from this sole cause; and many exasperated by it and continued: hence it is Asthmatick Phthisical and Consumptive persons shall not be cured in some places, but may have cure in another.
Be cloathed according to the Clemency, season and temperature of the Aire, your age, and habit of body: leane and thin bodies, pervious
(corpora rarae texturae) and whose skin are loose
[Page 20]and lax; may wear thicker cloathing, because such are more perspirable, do
magis emittere & transpirare; and are also more penetrable and subject to injury of the Aire. Fat and fleshy people, and whose bodies are solid, firm and hard, are more impenetrable and impervious, and may wear thinner Garments. Infants and children lately cherished in the stove of the wombe, being of tender, soft bodies and porous, are easily exposed to the prejudice of the Aire, Vigorous youth, and middle age being accustomed to all weathers, whose spirits abounding do strongly resist and keep out the assaults and injuries of an offensive Aire, may best indure hardship. Old age whose natural heate is abated, and spirits exhausted, stands in need of good defensatives against external cold, and to cherish internal heat.
Observe the seasons and changes of the Aire, and be then most careful, for at such times you are in most danger to exchange health for sickness: hence it is that Spring and Autumne abounds most with diseases; the Air then assuming new qualities opposite to its former constitution, sets new impressions upon our bodies, which occasions the various aestuations and turgid fermenting of humours, producing divers symptomes according to the variety of their nature, the organical difference, office and constitution of the several parts.
The Sun being risen, and the aire clear, open your Chamber-windowes, that the fresh Aire may perfume your Room, and the close Aire and inclosed vapours may go forth.
Bad smells and putrid vapours being drawn in with the Aire are very injurious to the Lungs and vital parts; contaminating the spirits, and impressing upon the ferment of those parts their tetrid nature, are oftentimes the original of a Consumption; and if the Lungs be weak and infirme, are more apt to receive the prejudice then others. But fragrant smells refresh and chear the vital Spirits, and are very wholsome, breathing forth the vertue of those things from whence they do proceed.
Be not late abroad, nor very early; before Sun rising and after setting the Aire is not so good; being infested with noxious vapours, until the radient influence of the Sun dispells and purifies: and those whose custome it is to be often aproad at such times, are most frequently molested with Rheumes, & Rheumatic diseases, which their declining years will more evidently manifest the prejudice. Likewise in moist, foggy, dark weather, tis better being within then abroad; and if it be a cool season, good fires & fragrant fumes are then both pleasant & very wholesom. Be frequent abroad in the fields when a clear sky invites you forth, and let the fresh Aire fan you with its sweet breath; but more especially in
[Page 22]the morning; the Aire is softer and more pleasant then your bed, and sure I am, far more wholsome.
Temperie Coeli corpusque Animusque juvatur
Ovid
Meat and Drink.
Esteem temperance and regularity in eating and drinking as a great preservative of health, not a Lessian dyet to pine and enseeble the body, but moderate in quantity proportionable to the stomack, agreeable in the first and second qualities, seasonable as to times and order. The contrary irregular practice hath destroyed and shortned the lives of many.
Plures gula quam gladius.
For quantity, your own stomack must measure to you what is convenient; which is a certain rule of proportion, if you observe not to eat to a satiety and fullness, but desist with an appetite, being refreshed light and cheerfull, not dulled heavy and indisposed to operation and action, either of mind or body.
A set quantity or measure of meat and drink, cannot be prescribed as a general rule and observation
[Page 23]for all to follow, in regard of the variety and great difference of persons, in Constitution, age, strength of nature, condition of life, and infirmities, that what is convenient for one, is too much for another, and too little for a third; the strong and healthy cannot conforme to the sickly weak and infirme in quantity, nor the labouring man to the sedentary and studious, or the idle: therefore every stomack is to be its own judge: and every one ought to moderate themselves by the cautions before mentioned.
Indulge not to the cravings of an irrationall sensitive appetite, but allow such a supply of daily food, as will support and maintain bodily strength and not over-load it: thereby the spirits will be vigorous and active, humors attenuated and abated, Crudities and obstructions prevented, many infirmities checkt and kept under, the senses long preserved in their integrity, the stomack clean, the appetite sharp; and digestion good. But by the surplusage and over-charge, the stomachical ferment is overlaid and its incisive penetrative faculty obtunded, the appetite and digestion abated, the stomack nauseating, fluctuating, and belching with crudities; from whence Gripes, Fluxes and Feavers: the spirits clogged, dull and somnolent; by their indisposition and inactivity humors subside, degenerate, incrassate, obstructs; from whence various symptomes and depraved effects
[Page 24]throughout the body, debilitating and decaying the fenses, enervating and stealing away the strength of the body, by defrauding it of good nutriment, hastning old age, and shortning Life.
In Winter you may eate more freely, the ambient external cold compresseth and unites the spirits, drives them to the center and fortifyes the stomack: but in Summer the spirits are dilated, exhausted and drawn forth by the external heat opening the pores; wherefore the appetite is not so sharp, nor digestion so quick. And the Rule is true, though heate be not the principal cause of concoction, yet it is a necessary agent, excitor and cooperator.
For the quality of dyet, make choice of such for the most part as is commended to you, convenient for that constitution you are of, as you will finde prescribed in the several temperaments following. But withal observe, what is most agreeing and disagreeing to your peculiar nature and individual propriety; what is most desired by your stomack and best digested, is a good guide in the choice of meate and drink.
Paulo peior sed suavior cibus & potus, meliori, at ingrato praferendus.
Change your dyet according to the seasons of the year, the variation of your temperament, and inclination to this or that distemper: in Winter more meate and less drink; in summer less meate and more liquids:
[Page 25]in hot weather a cooling diet, in cold weather that which is warme and heating: in summer meats boiled, in winter rosted: a hot and dry body must have a cooling and moist diet; a cold and moist body, a hot and dry diet: temperate bodies are preserved by temperate things and their like; distempered bodies are rectified and reduced by their contraries and dissimilar.
The more simple and single your diet is, the better and more wholesome: but if your stomack must have variety, let it be at several meals, and so you may please your pallate without prejudice: accustome not your self to delicacies and compound dishes, the
heterogenity of their nature, begets a discordant sermentation in the stomack, troubling concoction, from whence eructations, nauseous belchings, and offensive risings in the throat.
‘Quo simplicior vict us ratio eo melior.
Aphor.’
Of all meat, flesh affords the most nourishment and the strongest.
If your diet sometimes be not so good and proper for you in the quality, make amends
[...]n the quantity and eat the lesse.
Of all sauces a good stomack is the best; but
[...]f you must have other, let it be
acide sharp or biting.
Accustome strong stomacks to strong meats; the weaker to lighter of digestion: very light meats in strong stomacks are soon digested, but
[Page 26]withall parched and corrupted, and turn to a bitter and cholerick juce; solid hard meats in weak stomacks lye long and heavy, and passe away crude and indigested.
Meats in respect of their facility and difficulty in digestion are tearmed heavy and light.
Heavy meats be such as are more dry, hard, solid and dense, grosse, course and tough, or over moist slimy and cold: requiring a longer time in fermentation, volatization and digestion, before they be fit to passe off the stomack.
And they are either so in their nature: as all old flesh, bull beef and oxe, brawn, pork, venison, hare, goose, duck, swan, crane, bitter, heron and most water fowle: Eeles, lobster lampreys, tench, stockfish: beanes, pease when they be something old; brown bread, barly and Rye bread: also some parts are of harder digestion then other; as brains, hearts, livers (except of tame fowl, birds, and some very young flesh) milts, kidneys, skin.
Meat made heavy (or made worse then in their own nature) by preparation, keeping and dressing, as dryed, fryed and broiled meats; meats long salted and kept, as bacon, hang
[...]d beef, and long powdered, old ling, salt cod, haberdine, pickled herrings red herrings, pickled scallops; sturgion, salt salmon, old cheese, hard eggs, tosted cheese, tosted bread especially,
[Page 27]if it be scorched; crusts, pye crust, bread not well baked, unleavened: meats over baked, hard and dry; long kept, meats rosted dry, or scorched.
Light meats and of quicker digestion, be such as are more soft and tender, rare as it is opposed to density, therefore sooner penetrated by the stomachicall ferment; succulent, volatile, soon fermenting and yeilding to digestion.
As young tender flesh: veal, young mutton, lamb, kid, pullet, capon, chicken, conies, turky, pheasant, patridge, plover, woodcock snite, heath cocks, railes, small birds: whiting, smelt, bister, flownder, soles, plaise, thornback, maids, turbut, shrimps, prawnes, trout, carp, pike, bream, perch, roches, daces, loches:
[...]ere eggs, milk, wheat bread, white, light, and well baked; also oaten bread well made: and these may be divided into two sorts; that
[...]s, meats very light as rere eggs, sucking rabbits, chickens, whitings: and meats indifferent light, as mutton lambe, veale.
Very light meats are soon digested, apt to be corrupted; breeds tender and effeminate bodies, soft and loose flesh easily lost: solid strong meats are slower in digestion, not easily corrupted, slow in distribution, makes strong bodies firm hard flesh and durable.
Use not meats that hath any quality in extreame; as very salt, very hot, sower, binding
[Page 28]or the like: but keep to those that are mode rate.
Let your bread be of wheat, leavened, wel kneaded and baked, light and white; which you may eat new, but not hot; nor staler then two days old, and chuse the crumb, rather then the crust.
Seasonings of meat are used either as preservatives to keep them from putrefaction and decay; or as correctives, to alter and change some ill quality, and promote digestion; or for delight to gratify the pallate; as sugar, salt, vinegar, mustard, peper, cloves and other spices.
Meat moderately salted, having time to digest ferment, volatize, and a
[...]er the crude qualities, is better and wholesomer then fresh
[...] but to eat salt at the table is not so good, if the condition of the meat be such as to allow
[...] praevious digestion and seasoning. Salt is grateful to the pallate and stomack, excites the appetite, concocts crude flegmatick matter that lies upon the stomack, hinders putrefaction and is abstersive: but immoderately used, corrodes and frets, causeth itching and breakings out▪ very bad for thin lean bodyes, it heats and dryes the blood and radical moisture,
Sugar in a temperate clean body, moderately used nou
[...]sheth and is good, but in a soul body is soon corrupted, degenerates and makes the
[Page 29]body more impure; turns to choler and inflames cholerick hot bodies. The freequent and immoderate use in any obtunds and abates the appetite, causeth putrid humors and makes an unwholesome body.
Vinegar and sower juces as of lemmon, verjuce and the like; procure appetite and help the stomack in digestion of grosser meats: but the immoderate and frequent use, cooles, dries, constringeth and bindes the body, hurtful to the nerves and nervous parts; very bad for women, and those that are subject to the Gout, Asthmaes and stoppings in the breast, or in other parts, and for lean dry bodies.
Mustard quickens the appetite, warmes the stomack, dries up superfluous moisture, helps the stomack in digesting hard meats, opens stoppings in the breast and head.
Mace, ginger, nutmeg, peper, and cloves, they help a cold stomack, comfort the heart and brain, refresh the spirits by their aromatical odour, are grateful upon the pallate, and very acceptable to phlegmatick cold bodies.
In the use of the forementioned, I shall give this caution: that young stomacks, and strong healthy bodies which need not a spur to their appetite, nor a help to digestion, that they frequent not the use of these seasonings and sauces; but reserve them for age; deficiency of stomack and other infirmities; for if you accustome your
[Page 30]self to them in youth and strength, to please your pallate and intice your stomack there being no need; when the condition of your body does require them, you shall not finde that benefit and assistance from them, which otherwise you might have expected and received, had you forborn the use of them when it was not necessary.
When you come to Meate, leave your care and business, but bring in your friend, and be as merry as you can, mirth and good company is a great help to a dull stomack both for appetite and digestion.
Eate not presently after exercise, and when you are hot; but forbear until the spirits be retired and setled in their stations.
Eat not hastily but chew your meat well, tis a good preparation for concoction, and your stomack will more easily and sooner digest it; but if it be half chewed the stomack musthave the labour to chew it over again with its incisive ferment.
Liquid meats soluble and lighter of digestion eate first; the more solid last, and that which hath any astriction.
Drink a little and oft at meat, to macerate and digest, especially if your meat be dry and solid, and to help distribution of aliment; but great draughts causeth fluctuations.
To stand or walk softly after meat is good;
[Page 31]the stomack then being distended, is not compressed of any part, which sitting does not so well avoid: but hasty motion opens the orifice of the stomack, precipitates and vitiates digestion.
Forbear reading, writing, study or serious cogitations for two hours after meat; else you draw off from the stomack, abate the strength of digestion, and injure the brain.
Omit a meale sometimes, it acuates and sharpens the stomack, concocts crudities, and makes the next meale relish better,
Eate no late suppers, nor variety at once; a good stomack may endure it for a while, but the weaker is more sensible of the injury, the best is prejudiced in time.
Keep a sufficient distance between your times of eating, that you charge not the stomack with a new supply before the former be distributed and passed away: and in keeping such a distance, your stomack will be very fit and ready to receive the next meale, the former being wrought off perfectly; no semidigested crude matter remaining to commix with the next food: and that is one cheif cause of crudities and a foule stomack, when a new load is cast in before the former be gon off, which begets much excrements, not much aliment, clogs the body and procures diseases.
The stomack that is empty, receives, closeth
[Page 32]and embraceth food with delight, will be eager and sharp in digestion, and the body will attract and suck the aliment strongly, each part as it passeth along will perform its office readily and sufficiently; which they will not do if often cloyed with depraved and indigested aliment, but slowly and with reluctancy; for although they do not act by reason, yet they have a natural instinct or endowment, to discern their proper and fit object.
Drink for necessity, not for bad fellowship, especially soon after meate, which hinders the due fermentation of the stomack and washeth down before digestion be finished: but after the first concoction, if you have a hot stomack, a dry or costive body, you may drink more freely then others: or if thirst importunes you at any time, to satisfie with a moderate draught is better then to forbear. Accustome youth and strong stomacks to small drink, but stronger drink and wine to the infirm and aged: it cheers the spirits, quickens the appetite, and helps digestion.
For corpulent gross and fat bodies, thin hungry abstersive penetracting wines.
For lean thin bodies, black, red and yellow wines, sweet full bodied and fragrant, are more fit and agreeable.
For Drink whether it be wholesomer warmed then cold; is much controverted, some stifly
[Page 33]contending for the one, and some for the other: I shall rather chuse the middle way with limitation and distinction; then impose it upon all as a rule to be observed under the penalty of forfeiting their health, the observation of the one or the other.
There are three sorts of persons; one cannot drink cold Beer, the other cannot drink warm; the third, either: You that cannot drink cold Beer, to you it is hurtful, cools the stomack and checks it much: therefore keep to warm drink as a wholesome custome: you that cannot drink warm Beer, that is, findes no refreshment, nor thirst satisfied by it, you may drink it cold, nor is it injurious to you: you that are indifferent and can drink either; drink yours cold, when you cannot have it warmed.
That warm Drink is no bad custome, but, agreeable to nature in the generalitie; first, because it comes the nearest to the natural temper of the body, and
similia similibus conservantur; every thing is preserved by its like, and destroyed by its contrary: Secondly, heat though I do not hold it the principal agent in digestion, yet it does excite, is auxiliary and a necessary concomitant of a good digestion,
ut signum & causa. Thirdly,
Omne frigus per se, & pro viribus distruit; Cold in its own nature, and according to the graduation of its power, extinguisheth natural heat and is destructive;
[Page 34]but
per accidens and as it is in
gradu remisso, it may comtemperate, allay, and refresh, where heat abounds, and is exalted.
Therefore as there is varietie of Pallates and Stomacks, likeing and agreeing best with such kind of meats and drinks, which to others are utterly disgustful, disagreeing and injurious though good in themselves: so is it in Drink warmed or cold, what one finds a benefit in, the other receives a prejudice; at least does not f
[...]nd that satisfaction and refreshment, under such a quallification; because of the various tempers, particular appetitions and
idiosyncratical proprieties of several bodies, one thing will not agree with all: Therefore he that cannot drink warm, let him take it cold, and it is well to him; but he that drinks it warm does better.
Which is to be understood in Winter, when the extremity of cold hath congelated and fixed the spirits of the Liquor in a torpid inactivitie; but by a gentle warmth are unfettered, volatile and brisk; whereby the drink is more agreeable and grateful to the stomacks fermenting heat, being so prepared, then to be made so by it.
Motion and Rest.
EXercise often, in the morning chiefly, with an emptie stomack alwayes; and after excremental evacuation if you can procure it.
Exercise rowseth dull inactive spirits, gives ventilation, opens obstructions by the motion attenuation and penetration of the subtile spirits, agitates and volatiseth feculent fixed subsiding humours, concocts and abates superfluous moisture, increaseth natural heat, promotes concoction, distribution and conveyance of aliment, through the narrow Channels and passages unto the several parts of the body; procures excremental evacuations, strengthens all the Members, and preserves Nature in her vigour.
Vary exercise according to the condition of your body and season of the year: the stronger, and Phlegmatic bodies, in cold weather, admit of stronger and swifter motions: Choleric bodies, weak, and the Summer season, more mild and gentle.
Be not violent in exercise, nor continue it longer beyond a pleasure; but desist with refreshment, not a lassitude and weariness.
Put on some loose garment, until your body be cool and setled in its natural heat and temper,
[Page 36]the pores being opened by exercise, the cold is more apt to enter, from whence a greater prejudice then you could expect benefit from your labour.
Fly idleness and a sedentarie life, for want of due action and motion, the body like standing waters, degenerates, corrupts and decayes.
Ignavia corpus hebetat, labor firmat.
Sleep and Watching.
MOderate sleep refresheth the spirits, increaseth natural heat, helps concoction, gives strength to the body, pacifies anger and calmes the spirits, gives a relaxation to a troubled mind.
Immoderate sleep dulls the spirits, injurious to a good wit and memory, fills the head with superfluous moisture and clouds the brain; retains excrements beyond their due time to be voided, and infects the body with their noxious fumes and vapours, an enemy to beauty.
Turpis qui alto sole semisomnis jacet,
Cujus vigilia medio die incipit.
Sen.
Go early to sleep (not with a full stomack) and early from sleep; that you may rise refreshed
[Page 37]freshed lively and active, not dulled and stupid.
When you lay by your Clothes, lay aside also your business care and thoughts, and let not a wandring phansie prevent your rest.
Let your bed be soft, but not to sink in, which suckes from the body, exhausts and impaires strength: a Quile upon a Featherbed, is both easie and wholesome.
Avoid day sleeps as a bad custome; chiefly fat and corpulent bodies: but if your spirits be tired with much business and care, or by reason of old age, debilitie of nature, extream hot weather, labour or the like that dissipates the spirits; then a moderate sleep restores the spirits and is a good refreshment; but rather take it sitting then lying down.
Night watching and late sitting up, tires and wastes the animal spirits, by keeping them too long upon duty, debilitates nature, changeth the fresh flower of youth, heats the body, dryes, and exasperates Choler; in time extinguisheth natural heat, breeds Rhumes and Crudities; most injurious to thin leane bodies.
Quod caret alterna requie durabile non est.
Evacuation and Retention.
UNder this Head is comprised excretions by Stool, Urine, monethly Purgations,
Venus, by the Pores, pallate Nose and Ears: of which the former are of the greatest concernment, and special care to be had of them.
Excremental evacuations are various proceeding from the several concoctions; conveyed out by several Channels and Vents: which duly evacuated are no small helps to the conservation of health, and are the effects of a temperate and regular body.
The retention of them beyond due time, argue distemperature of parts, or irregular living; and brings much detriment to the body, by their noxious Fumes and putrid Vapours, that might infect, corrupt, and disturb the body.
Immoderate evacuations causeth weakness debilitie of nature by exhaustion, and procures several diseases, Cachexies, Consumptions, Dropsies, &c.
To keep the body soluble is very good, that at least once a day you may not miss to have a stool; else the Faeces are hardned, the body heated, the stomack molested, the appetite not so good, the head heavy, dull and sometimes
[Page 39]pained; some grosser matter which should go away by seige, is brought by the Urinarie passage, occasioning obstructions, all which are very injurious and destructive to health.
Seasonable and moderate
Venus, alleviates nature, and helps concoction.
Immoderate, exhausts the strength by effusion of spirits, exsiccates and dries the body, hurts the brain and nerves, causeth tremblings, dulls the sight, debilitates all the faculties, hastens old age, and shortens life.
Cibovel potu repletis, superfluè evacuatis, five exercitatis coitus interdicitur.
Tempus optimum est mane, & post dormias.
Hyeme & vere frequentius permittitur, aestate parcissimè.
Juvines sanguinei & pituitosi liberalius, parcius Melancholici, parcissimè biliosi, Senes, emaciati.
Mares plus quam faeminas laedit, & qui erecti solent.
Hygiastic Praecautions and Rules Appropriate to the several constitutions of bodies, with their diagnostic signes.
THE Sanguine is moderately hot and moist, hath a lively pulse, vigorous actions, of colour fresh or rosie, for habite of body soft, fleshy or moderately fat; of a pleasant mind and good disposition (except casualties and infirmities alter to the contrary.
The Sanguine constitution being the best and most temperate, ought to be preserved in that state from degeneration and intemperate declensions: which is performed by a due observance of diet, Air Exercise and Rest, Sleep and Watching, voiding and retaining of excrements, and passions of the mind: for any of these, irregular unsutable, or unnatural of continuance, will alter and change the best tempered body, into some other constitution of intemperature answerable to their causes as the intemperate Air of a hot climate, or season not regarded; violent exercise, nightwatchings, &c. Introduceth a depraved alteration and degeneration of the blood.
For the quality of your diet, let it be temperate;
[Page 41]for temperate bodies must use temperate meats, and distempered bodies their contraries: therefore keep within this latitude generally and for the most part, from meats temperate, to meats hot, cold, dry or moist in the first degree inclusive, those will sute well with your temperament: Such are Mutton, Cow-beife or Heifer, Pork, Veale, Lamb, Rabbit, Capon, Hen, Pullet, Turky, Phesant, Partridge, Carrots, Turnips, Skirrits, Sparagus.
For quantity, times and order in eating and drinking; for Aire, Exercise and Sleep, consonant and most agreeable to this constitution are to be sought in the general Hygiastick Rules before mentioned, which are most proper and applicable to this complexion; as being the common standard to measure others by; and how far others vary from this temperament, by so much are they to be accounted intemperate, and do therefore require some particular Rules differing from the general, because intemperate constitutions and temperate are not be governed by the same strictness of law, but must have some allowance and exceptions, which shall be observed in the particular constitutions following.
Phlegmatick Constitution.
THe Phlegmatick person is more cool and moist, not so lively, quick, sharp and acute as the sanguine: for habit of body corpulent fat or fleshy; the Veines small and hid; a slow pulse; prone to sleep and ease, by cold things prejudiced, by hot things benefitted; incident to cold and Phlegmatick distempers, (which are to be understood, if customs casualties or infirmities induce not the contrary.
Meats agreeable and convenient for this temperament, are such as be temperate and such as be hot in the first and second degree; not over moist, but potencially drying if heat be wanting: as young Beef powdered, Mutton, Venison, Hare, Turkey, Hen, Capon, Pidgeon, Turtle, Black-birds, Feldifars, small Birds, sowced Puffins, Artichoaks, Parsnips, Potatoes, pickled Oysters, Anchovies.
Also Bacon, Haberdine, old Ling, salt Cod, pickled Herrings or dryed, pickled scallops, and such like savory seasoned meats, this temperament will admit of, if the stomack be strong enough to digest them. And for the more security take a glass of Sack after.
Refuse Lambe, Kid, fresh Pork, Pig, Goose
[Page 43]Duck, and water Fowl, being over moist and clogging a Phlegmatick stomack. But if your appetite much desires any of these, let them be down roasted: also Eeles, Lampreys, fresh Herrings, Makarel, Lobster fresh Salmon, Barbel, fresh Sturgeon, Tench, are injurious, and most fresh fish, yet less prejudicial if you drink wine with them.
Let your dyet be warm meats, oftener roast, then boyled.
Butter, Oyle and Honey is very wholsome.
Mustard, Salt and Spices, are good for your use, especially with meats of slow digestion, and that abound with much moisture.
Refuse Milk, and milk meats, Curds, new Cheese, Butter milk and Whey.
Olives, Capers, Broom-buds, Sampire are good sauce, also Garlick, Onions, Leeks, in broths, seasonings or sawces, for a rellish, but not raw.
Refrain cold hearbs and sallads, as Lettice, Purslan, Violet leaves; except Sorrel which although cold, yet a dryer and sharpner of the appetite: but use Mint, Sage, Rosmary, Time, Marjerome, Parsley, Pennyroyal and such hot hearbs.
Abstain from raw fruits, Apples, Pears, Plumms, Cucumbers, Mellons, Pumpions, &c. But you may eat Walnuts, Filbirds, Almonds blanched, Chestnuts fiftick nuts, Dates, Figs, Raisins.
Drink strong bear more frequently then small and sometimes Sack. Not French wine if you be Rheumatick.
Indulge not your self in lying long in bed, or afternoon sleeps, too much rest and ease, they dull the spirits, increase flegm and superfluous moisture.
Frequent exercise and moderate abstinence in meat and drink, are great preservatives of your health.
Chuse a warm air and dry soil remote from Waters the best place for your abode.
Hot Baths are profitable, seasonable and moderate
Venus a friend: the former cherisheth the spirits opens obstructions and dryes up superfluous moisture: the latter sufcitates and raiseth the spirits, alleviates and helps Concoction.
If the smoaking of Tobacco be good for any, the Phlegmatick may best challenge the use of it.
Cholerick Constitution.
THe Cholerick person is hot and dry, eager and precipitate in action; froward, hasty and angry; lean of body and slender: the Veines bigg, a hard pulse, and quick: of
[Page 45]colour pale, swarthy or yellowish; the hair crisp or curled; propense to waking and short sleeps; subject to Tertain Fevers.
Ad venerem proclivior, & cito satiatus.
Use a cool and moistning diet, most frequently boyled meats rather then rost or baked; but fryed or broiled meats never.
Eat brothes often made with cooling hearbs; Rice-milk, Cock-broth, or Barly broths with Rasins Currants and Prunes.
For flesh, chuse young tender and jucy, temperate or cooling; as young Beef, Veal, Motton, Lamb, Kid, Pork, Conies, Green-geese, Turky, Capon, Chickens.
Observe fish days as good dyet: and then you may eate fresh Salmon, Sturgeon, Lobster, fresh Herrings, Crabs, Prauns, fresh God, Conger, Thornback, Soles, Plaise, Whiring, Smelt, Perwincle, Oisters, Pike, Trout, Tench, and all fresh fish, Eeles not excepted which are very unwholsome to others.
Milk and milk meats are pleasant and good, as Custard, White-pots, new Cheese fresh Cheese and Cream.
For your sauces use Verjuce, Vinegar, Sorrel Orange, Lemmon, Apples, Goosberies Currans: Prunes, pickled Cucumbers: as boiled Veale and Green-sauce, rost Veal and Orange, holled
[Page 46]Mutton, with Verjuce and its own juce; rost Mutton and Lemmon or Cucumbers; green Geese and Goosberries; Stubble goose and Apples, Pigg and Currants; Pork and Green-sauce; boiled Chickens with Goosberries or Sorrelsops; Calves feet stewed with Currans and Prunes: and your meat thus cook'd is both food and Physick.
Take a lawful freedome and please your self with these fruits. Citrons, Pomegranats, Limes, Oranges, Lemmons, Quince, Pearmains, Pippins, red Cherries, Mulberies, Grapes, Damsins, Bullaces, Prunellaes, Respass, Currans, Barberies, Strawberries: they cool and quench thirst, contemperate and aswage Choler, and give a great refreshment to the parched spirits.
Eat sallads of Lettuce, Sorrel, Purslane Spinage and Violet leaves; they are medicamental aliment.
Butter milk, Whey and Sider allays preternatural heat, checks the effrenation of raging Choler, and are like water to fire.
Refuse the fat and brown outside of meat: also the crust of bread: Butter and Oyle adds fuel to the fire: Sugar and Honey hath alliance and friendship with Choller, being soon assimilated and converted into its nature.
Mustard Salt and Spices exasperates Cholet and makes it more fierce and biting; Vinegar checks it.
Avoid wine, spirits, and strong liquors; they agitate Choller, and rouzeth up a sleeping enemy.
Fast not but satisfie the stomack when it vellicates and calls for meat; biting Choller must have something to feed on, or it will prey upon the body.
Cherish and indulge sleep, it cools and moistens, but let it not exceed in length, which puts nature by her due times for necessary evacuations.
Use little and gentle exercise; be not laborious or toyling, but take your ease avoid violent motion, it fires the spirits and enrageth choler.
Frequent
Venus is most pernicious.
Cold bathes is profitable and refresheth much, by cooling the blood allaying the spirits concentring them.
Bannish anger immoderate care, peevishness and fretting which discomposeth the spirits heats and wasts them, angments Choller, dryes the body and hastens old age.
Refrain Tobacco as an injurious custome, it exasperates Choler, by heating, drying, and evatuating dulcid Phlegme which contemperates bridles and checks the fury of acrid, sharp bilious humors.
Melancholy Complexion
THe Melancholy person, naturally so from the first principles is cold and dry: but a Melancholy temperament, acquired by Education, Customes and Accidents, by Degeneration, and admixture of other humors adust, is hot and dry: which make the signs and symptoms of Melancholy to be different and various, and a difference is to be made in dyet and customs.
The common symptoms are a pale, black, or high Sanguine colour; given to be watchful, sad, solitary, and suddain laughter; a flow pulse, troublesome sleeps and dreams.
Cold Melancholy hath milde symptomes; if hot and adust, the effects are more churlish and furious.
For cold Melancholly, let the dyet be hot and moist: for the hot Melancholy person, let dyet be cooling and moist: in both let their meats be of light digestion, affording good nutriment and not windy: as Mutton, Lamb, Veal, Capon, Chicken, Partridge, Phesant, &c.
Abstain from Venison, Bull-beef or Ox, hanged Beef or long salted, Goats-flesh, Hare, Bacon, Goose, Duck, Swan, Crane, Heron, Bittor and most water fowl: Peacock, Quaile, Blackbirds, Pidgeon; Red Herrings, salt Cod, Ling, Sturgeon,
[Page 49]pickled Scallo
[...]s and salt Fish: dryed Meats, fryed or broiled, old Cheese, Beanes, Pease, Cabbage, Coleworts, Rye Bread, and all meats hard of digestion or windy.
Capers, Broom buds and Sampire are good sauce, they open Obstructions of the Liver and Spleen.
Mustard and Vinegar bad, and all sower sauces, they make Melancholy more contumacious and fixed.
Spices not good, if the person be hot, they cause adustion.
Use Borrage, Bugloss, Endive, Succory, Baume Fumiterry, Lettuce, Marigold flowers, Violets, Clove-giliflowers, Saffron, they alter and qualifie the humor, and chear the spirits.
Use Barly brothes with Prunes, Raisins and Currans. If Melancholy be adust, and your body hot and costive, eat Pippins Permains, Cherries, Respass, Strawberries, and such like fruits, to cool and moisten.
Drink Whey, Sider and small White-wines.
Refuse black wines and stale Beer.
Keep the body soluble, your head will be more free from pain, fumes and heaviness.
Cherish sleep, it refresheth the spirits, pacifieth a troubled minde, and banisheth cares.
Fly idleness, the Nurse of Melancholy, exercise often and follow business, or recreations.
Walk in the green fields, Orchard, Gardens, Parks, by Rivers and variety of places.
Change of Air is very good.
Avoid solitariness, and keep merry company.
Frequent Musick, sports and Games.
Recreate the spirits with sweet, fragrant and delightful smells.
Moderate
Venus good.
Banish all passions as much as in you lies, fear greif, dispaire, revenge, desire, jealousie, emulation and such like,
Opus est te animo valere ut corpore possis.
Cicer.
Tobacco hurtful (espicially if Melancholy be adust and a hot body) it heats and exhausts humidity, makes Melancholly more contumacious,
Give not your self to much study, nor night watchings, they both dry the body, and make humors adust, two great enemies to a Melancholy person.
Hygistic Praecautions and Rules Appropriate to the various discrasyes or passions of Mind.
THe Soul and Body are so linked and conjoyned, as Partners of each others ill and wellfare, that the one is not affected, but the other is drawn into consent; mutually acting enjoying and suffering untill death seperates and breaks the bands of union assunder. Hence it is, a diseased body makes a heavy drooping mind; and a wounded, disturbed or estless mind, makes a youthful healthy body to decay and languish. Who therefore desires the health and wellfare of the body must Procure ease, rest and tranquility of mind.
Siue Animo Corpus, nec sine corpore,
Animus, bene valere potest.
SHun Melancholy and sadness as very dangerous and destructive, occasioning and producing variety of diseases; suffocates and choaks the spirits, retards their motion and agility of operation, imprisons, and cloggs them in their Stations, darkens their purity and light debilitating all the faculties
[Page 52]of the body, their cheif operator being indisposed and disabled; fixeth humors incrassates and begets obstructions; and debilitates the Speen, alienates and subtracts its ferment from the stomack, which decayes both appetite and digestion, procures scorbute, Hypochondriac Melancholy, pains and tumors of the Spleen, Dropsies. Jaundice, &c. A great Enemy to beauty, soon changeth florid blooming youth into a pale withering countenance, and makes the whole body to languish and decay.
Mirth subtiliates, purifies and chears the spirits, puts them upon activity that before were torpid dull and heavy, and excites them to operation and duty in the several faculties: volatizeth, rarifies and attenuates gross feculent obstructing humors: preserves youth vigour and beauty; makes the body plump and fat, by expanding the spirits into the external parts and conveighing nutriment. Whose wholsome effects are much the same with those of exercise, and may well supply when that is wanting.
— Dum fata sinunt
Ʋivite laeti—
Sen.
ANger is the beginning of madness which fires the spirits, & raiseth an intestine tomult and disturbance; agitates and inrageth Choler
[Page 53]and exasperates Cholerick diseases: raiseth hystericall apoplectic and epileptic fits in those subject to them; causeth tremblings of the nerves, palpitations of the heart; discomposeth and disorders the whole body: but more especially infirm parts are made sensible of the prejudice, and Cholerick lean bodies.
Maximum remedium irae est dilatio.
—Dis proximus ille est.
Quem ratio non ira movet, qui facta rependet
Consilio—
Claud.
FEar suddenly surprizing, enervates and chaseth the spirits to and fro from their residency and faculties sometimes compressing and driving them to the heart, causing violent palpitations and suffocation: or scattring them from the fountain of life into the external parts, making a dissolution even to exanimation. A long predmeditated and constant fear in a remisse degree, produceth the same effects with Melancholly.
Plura sunt quae nos terrent quam quae Premunt; & saepius opinione quam relaboramus.
LOve & desire being inordinate and impetuous, seldom goes alone, but is attended with
[Page 54]fear, anger, Melancholy, dispaire, one or more for its consorts, with which the minde is racked and torn, and variously affected as the several passions acts their parts by turns: notwithstanding difficulties and sufferings, the soul is led away with an
ignis fatuus of fervent zeal, deserts her own mansion, and follows after with an eager prosecution of enjoying, never at home but as a prisoner, and prisoners are but bad house keepers: the body needs must languish and decay, when the soul thus delights and strives to run away.
For a check to the impetuousness of this inordinate effection and immoderate desire, take these considerations to calm, allay, and regulate your passion.
First, that you cheat your self in setting too high a price upon the object of your affections, and lay out more in expectation, then the income of your desire obtained can possibly make a return: that it is far greater
in non habendo, then it will be
in fruendo; it will be much less when you have, then it seems to be now you have it not.
Secondly, that the Delirium and fervency of your desire, does not hasten the accompishment of your aymes, but rather retards or frustrates: for the extremity and strength of passion debilitates and suppresseth reason, the cheif contriver and manager of your design; puts you upon
[Page 55]inconsiderate, immature and rash attempts, and makes you more unfit, incapable and unable to effect your purpose; for passion is alwayes spurring, but reason hath its stops and pauses, keeps due times for onsets and progress.
Thirdly, that prudent and vigorous action, not innane hungry volition or thirsty desire though never so great, must or can acquire the satisfaction of your hopes.
Fourthly, that the ardency and heighth of desire, will not imbetter, sweeten or add to the heighth of your injoyment when obtained; but rather abate and lessen it in your account and esteem: for what thing soever you purchase, and are mistaken and deceived in, you will not vallue at that rate you first prized it, but at the worth you now finde it. Vehement & lofty desires screws you up to such a heighth of expectation, mountain high; but you must descend into fruition, thats in the valley; and when you find your self in a bottom, and your Sails not so filled and puft as formerly by the fresh gailes and blasts of a strong desire; your top-sails then begin to flap and flag when you come into the still calm of fruition, and your lofty spirits and high thoughts will lower amain when you Anchor in the Harbour of injoyment: for in appearance it was great when at a distance seemingly, but now you are come nearer
[Page 56]it is much less and inconfiderable really; and what swelled you full in the prosecution of attaining, will not fill you now with satisfaction, but prove aery when you grasp it, and soon emptied in injoyment.
Thirdly, that
statutum est, it is appointed you must or you must not obtain the thing desired, which to a rational creature, is sufficient without other arguments, to qualifie moderate and blunt the keen edge of desire, and curb the violence of an impetuous affection: but not to cowardise, daunt or stop a laudible active prosecution to attain a noble, vertuous and lawful end, with a moderate submissive desire.
—quisquis in primo obstitit
Repulitque amorem, tutus ac victor fuit.
Sen.
Qui blandiendo dulce nutrivit malum
Serò recusat ferre quod subiit jugum.
CAre immoderate and constant denies the animal spirits their due times for refreshment, rest and ease; disables them from duty and the true performance of their Offices, being weary and tired for want of respite, heats the spirits and dryes the radical moisture; which changeth a fresh countenance into paleness, and pines the body: most injurious to thin, lean and Cholerick bodies.
Si diis Curae es, quid tua cura potest?
Revenge, jealousie and envy are the Ulcers of the mind, continually lancinating, corroding or inflaming; introducing a secret consumption, wasting the spirits and radical moisture, and infeebling all the faculties.
Multis se injuriis objicit,
—dum una dolet.
Sen.
That you may the better know and rightly understand how the passions of the mind redound and reflect upon the body to the decay and rune of it, and abbreviating life.
First, consider that the body without the soul
[...]s dead and moves not at all: by vertue of the
[...]oules conjunction with it, informing and assuming it, the body acts with various motions and opperations, and according to the activity
[...]f the soul, organical aptitude and fitness of the
[...]ody is the exquisiteness and perfection of their
[...]perations: the Soul then is agent, the body assive, receiving the influx vertue and power
[...]rom the Soul, who is Rectrix and Gubernatrix
[...]o whom the rule and government belongs: it
[...] evident therefore since the body cannot act
[...]ny thing of it self for its conservation with
[...]ut the energy and assistance from the Soul,
[Page 58]whose care is the regulating and moderating the body in all actions external and internal; then the distractions, inactivity, wandrings and neglects of the soul, does tend to the subversion of the due order and government, and consequently the ruine and dissolution of the body, which requires a constant supply of daily reparation and regular tuition for its support and maintenance.
Now the Soul transported by passion from its genuine Crasis of placidness and tranquility, and reduced into a turbulent, unquiet and distempered state, is that condition of incapacity and unfitness for the government for that time being, and many damages arise thereby as in each passion particularly is enumerated.
In a threefold manner the Soul is put besides it self in the regularity of rectory, and is incurious of the welfare of the body.
First, the Soul is either carried away by some delightful object, as for some thing vehemently desired, deserting as it were the body to follow after that thing desired and coveted, extending her power and strength out of the body, to lay hold, if possibly to obtain, and bring within the Sphere and Circle of her enjoyment.
Or secondly, the Soul is in fury and disquiete within, by the apprehension of some thing assaulting
[Page 59]and disturbing it, to which the Soul hath a contrarietie, and antipathy against: as in the passions of fear, hatred, revenge, anger; and the disquietude and disturbance is continued by representations of their Causes in the phantasie, which still present themselves to the soul, by way of a fresh assault, which feeds the passion and continues the distemper.
Or thirdly, the Soul is languishing, heavy and inactive, altogether indisposed to the government and tuition of the body; and perhaps desirous to be discharged and shake it off, being weary of the burthen, taking no delight in their partnership and society, as in melancholy despair and grief.
In all which cases you shall find the body to suffer great prejudice and detriment: But first, you must consider how, and by what means or instrument, the Soul does act in the body; the Soul acts not immediately, but mediately by the spirits, which are the Souls approximate and chief instruments in bodily actions and motions, and are appointed their several Sations, Offices and Duties peculiar to the several works, as Concoction, Separation, Distribution, Excretion, Retention. Assimilation, Sensation, &c.
Now it will manifestly appear how the body is damaged and consequently the life abbreviated.
In the first Case: when the Soul alienates
[Page 60]her self, wanders away with a vehement desire to procure and obtain any thing most agreeable and delightful (at least so seeming) the Soul as it were contracts it self and unites all her force, stands at full bent after this beloved, dischargeth all her thoughts upon it, and spends her strength in desire and longing; untill at last she pines away with a tedious and starving expectation: In the interim the aeconomy and government of her own mansion the body is neglected; the spirits, at least a good part are enticed away and called of from their proper and peculiar works and duty, perhaps to enlarge and increase the vigour of some other faculty, more immediately subservient and attending the Souls new design and business; preferred far before a good concoction, due excretion, nutrition, seasonable rest, or what else; and those spirits remaining which have the burthen of these duties incumbent on them, have so small and inconsiderable support and supply of influence from the Soul, to direct and back them in their performance, that the functions are executed so weakly and depravedly, to the great prejudice and damage of the body.
Concoction now is not so good, nor the appetite so quick; the Stomack calls not for a new supply, as yet not being well discharged and quit of yesterdayes provision: the Stomack now is weary of dressing and preparing long
[Page 61]Dinners for the body; Lenten and fasting dayes are its vacation from trouble, and best contented when least to do.
Separation now is not so good, the excrementitious and nutritious part walk hand in hand together, and pass without contradiction or due examination: the watch now is not so strict at the Ports and privy passages, to discern what is fit to pass this way, and what the other, and what to reject and keep out, but promiscuously receives what presents it self.
Distribution now is not so good, aliment tires by the way, wanting spirits to convey and bring it to its journeys end; and exercise to jog it on through the angust Meanders, and more difficult passages.
Sanguification is now degenerate and vitiate, the preceding requisites and fit praevious disposition being wanting.
Membrification or assimilation is now changed for Cachectic and a depraved habit.
Excretion and evacuation of what is superfluous and and unfit longer to be retained in the body, is not sent away in due time, but stayes for a pass, the governess is now taken up with other matters, neglects due orders and commands to the expulsive faculty for their emission.
Necessary and wholesome Customes are now neglected and disregarded: the Soul too oft is
[Page 62]wandring and gadding abroad, and best when she is from home; but neglects the airing of her Cottage, and perfuming it with fresh aetherian breath.
The Soul is now alwayes restless and disturbed, nor shall the sences her attendants take their due repose, but keeps an unqiet house at midnight.
In the second Case: the regular and due order of government in the body is subverted and changed, when the Soul in the forementioned passions, of fear, anger, hatred or revenge, is disturbed and a arum'd by the assault, approach or appearance of some evill or injury; the Soul then summons the spirits together from thei
[...] common duties, and calls them to her aid and assistance, for security from danger, to repulse the violence offered or revenge the injury; hurrying them here and there, from one part to another in a tumultuous manner, if the assault be suddain and surprizing; sometimes inward to support the heart, to give courage and resolution, which by their suddain concourse and confluence to the Center; causeth great palpitations, and sometimes suffocation: or else commanding them to the out-works, into the external parts, to repell the invasion and violence of the evil presenting or approaching, or to revenge the quarrel: the hands and arms then receive a double or trebble strength, the Muscles
[Page 63]being full and distended with agile spirits for their activity and strength in motion: the eyes then are staring full and stretcht fourth with a croude of inflamed spirits, darting fourth their fury and spending their strength upon the adversary and object of their trouble: the tongue then is swelled with spirits and bigg words, that wanting a larger room for vent, tumbles out broken and imperfect speeches, and scarce can utter whole words: The Leggs and Feet then have an Auxiliary supply, and double portion of spirits conveighed in to their sinews, to increase their agility and strength, to come on or off: but in the mean time the heart perhaps is almost fainting, so long being deprived off, and deserted by, those lively vigorous spirits, which did inhabit and quarter there for its Life-guard, protection and support; are now called off their Guard and common duties, imployed in Forreign parts, commanded here and there as the emergent occasion presents it self to the governess of this Microcosme.
In the third Case mentioned: the due order, government, and necessary execution of offices and duties belonging to the welfare and maintenance of the body and preservation of life, is neglected and weakly performed.
When the soul being darkned and overspread with a cloud of sadness, betakes her self to a sullen incurious recumbency and retiredness willing
[Page 64]to resign and cast off the government and tuition of the body; and as a burthen which she delights not now to bear about, begins to loose her hold, who before had embraced and clipt so close; suspending the vertue of her energy and vigorous emanations; but now acting faintly and coldly, those necessary mutual performances without regard to their former friendship, or their future conjunct preservation. The body now begins to sinck with its own weight, and press towards the Earth the natural place from whence it came. That aetherian spirit which before had boyed it up and took delight to sport it to and fro, is now ready to let it fall and groues downwards, to leave it whether it must goe. The wonted pleasures of their partnership and society, is now disgusted and rejected: food now hath lost its relish and is become unsavory: sleep which before was pleasant as a holy day in the fruition of rest and ease, is now composed of nothing but troublesome unquier dreams, linked together with some fighing intervals, to measure out the weary night by. Exercise and sporting reereations is now accounted druggery and laborious toyling: unwilling is the soul to move her yokfellow, farther then the enforcing law of nature and necessity commands and urgeth. their joynt operations which before were duly and unanimously performed, are now ceased, abated
[Page 65]or depraved, by the retraction, reluctance and indisposed sadness of the soul to act: the wonted vigorous emanations of the soul, and her radiant influence upon the spirits is now suspended, subducted and called back. These ministring attending spirits and cheifest agents, which at a beck were alwaies ready agile and active in the execution of her commands now want commands to stir and warrants to act by: but in a torpid and somnolent disposition, unfit for action and the exquisite performance of their duties, and in a sympathizing compliance with the soul the excitrix and rectrix of their motions, are ready to resign their offices, and give over working, that what they now do is faintly and remissely performed, with much deficiency & depravation. When the soul is pleased and merry, the spirits dance and are cheirfull at their work; but when she droops and mourns, the spirits are dull, heavy and tired, the functions weakly and insufficiently executed.
From the preceeding discourse may easily be collected, that the distempers and alienations of the soul from her genuine crasis of serenity and quietude, is of great disadvantage, to health; impressing upon the body various preternatural effects, forming the Ideas and charracters of diseases upon the spirits, and by them communicated, conveighed and propagated in the body: likewise the morbific seeds & secret characters
[Page 66]of diseases which lay dead and inactive, are by the aeconomical disturbance and perturbations of minde, awakened, moved and stirred up to hostility and action which otherwise would have layen dormant; as by greif, fear or anger; hysterical passions, swoonings, epilepsies, &c. Are often procured; and it is evident, and commonly observed by infirme and diseased people, how passion agravates and heighthens their distempers; and acccording to the temper of their mindes will their bodily infirmities be agravated or abated.
I shall conclude this subject with three corollaryes being the Epitome of what hath been asserted and aimed at.
1. There is no perturbation or passion of mind, whether little or great, but it works a real effect in the body more or less, according to the nature and strength of the passion; and by how much the more suddain, great, often, and longer duration the passion is by so much are the impressions and effects worse, more durable and indeleable. You cannot be angry or envious or Melancholly, or give way to any such passion, but you cherish and feeed an enemy that preys upon your life, and you may be assured that passion makes as great nay greater alteration within the body; then the change of your countenance appears to outward view, which is not a little, although but the shadow
[Page 67]or reflections of the inward distemper and disorder: and were it possible by any perspective to see the alteration and discomposure within made by a passionate minde, the prospect would be strange, and much different from that placidness and tranquility of an indisturbed quiet soul.
2. Strong and vehement passions or affections of the mind to intent upon this or that object, whether desiderable, or formidable and to be avoided, alienates suspends & draws of the wonted vigour influence and preservative power of the soul due to the body; whereby the functions and operations are not duly and sufficiently performed, but intempestively remissly and weakly: nor is the dammage onely privative, but also introduceth and impresseth upon the spirits a morbific idea, which is
ens reale & seminale, producing this or that effect, according to the nature and property of the Idea received, and aptitude of the recipient subject. Phansies and Idea's are let in naked, but they strait are invested and cloathed in the body, have a real existence, and are
entia realia; though at first conception but
entia rationis: as the longing of a pregnant woman, being but the Idea of a thing in her minde, begets various and real distempers in her body, if not soon satisfyed; and sometimes charactrized upon the Embryo in the Wombe. Likewise a
[Page 68]good stomack is taken off its meat suddenly, by the comming of some unwelcome bad news; the appetite is gone now the soul is disquieted, and the Body really affected and altered: let this sad tidings be contradicted, and the Soul satisfied of the truth to the contrary, it sets a new impression upon the spirits, they strait are cheered, lively and active; the stomack calls for meat and drink, and the faculties restored to their wonted operations. Whereby it appears, the two passions of joy and grief, as they are opposite in their objects, so are their effects wrought in the body, as far distant and different.
3. A cogitative or contemplative person to intent, alwayes or unseasonably employing the mind seriously and eagerly either in real or fictious matters, fabricating Idea's upon the spirits, disturbs and hinders other necessary offices and opperations conservative of being, enervates and weakens their performance in duty, impares health, and hastens old age: but those that live most incurious, and void of studious thoughts and serious cogitations, preserve the strength of nature and integrity of all the faculties, protract the verduce and beauty of youth, much longer from declensions and decay; for by how much the rational faculty is over busie and imtempestively exercised, drawing the full vigour of the soul into the exercise of that faculty,
[Page 69]and robbing other inferiour functions of their necessary influential supply, and emanative power from the soul; by so much the other faculties are impoverished and abated, their executions more languid and depraved: and therefore it is, a close Students life, disposeth and inclines to many infirmities, enervates and debilitates nature, abbreviates and shortens its course.
[...]
[...].
Fieri non potest, ut animo malè affecto,
Non etiam unà laboret corpus.
parcè bibe,
frugaliter ede
utere exercitio
rarò venere
diluculo surge
tranquillo sis animo
tempestivè fac omnia
immodice nihil.
Ars brevis, vitam trahit longam.
Of Fontanels or issues.
NAture having appointed the Body to be preserved and nourished by a continual supply of necessary food daily to be received in, which before it be assimilated and incorporated into the substance of the body, suffers several concoctions and transmutations by the digestive ferment of the parts, destinated for that office and work: in which praevious disposition and gradual preparation for nutrition there is a separation made, the nutritive and necessary part from the excrementitious and unnecessary; the purest defaecated part ordained for aliment, is conveyed still farther from one digestion to another, untill it hath received the compliment and full perfection intended by nature: the excrementitious and inutile part segregated, is received by sinks and channels peculiarly appointed and framed for their conveyance out of the Body as the lower guts, Urinary ductures, Nose, Pores, &c. Which passages if at any time obstructed and stopt up, the derriment and sensible dammage soon confirms the necessity of their use & office. And as nature hath appointed and framed in the Body vents and out-lets for
[Page 71]the daily discharging of excrementious superfluities, which otherwise would putrifie, suffocate and stifle, if not in some measure duly evacuated.
In imitation of natures contrivance, Art hath invented Issues as Ports and Vents to be placed here or there, as the variety of occasions require, to supply natures insufficiency and inability to relieve and help her self in the discharge and emission of superfluous extravasated humours and putrid vapours; which retained, produce various symptomes, according to the several proprieties of their nature, and degeneration, organicall difference, and peculier office of the parts they invade and infest.
And having such a passe Port, by which nature findes her self alleviated and disburthened, does daily amandate and send superfluous humours to this out let, as to other common passages and conveyances for the excretion and voiding of excrements, by her own institution and fabrication.
And having found such an auxiliary conveniency, she does expect it to be continued, and relies upon the assistance, untill the occasion be otherwise prevented, the cause removed, or nature better able to discharge and free her self, by the channels and passages of her own appointment.
Now if praematurely and unseasonably, this
[Page 72]artificial passage be denyed and stopt up, there being cause for the contrary; the confluence of humours meeting and gathering at the place, regurgitates back again with a united force and greater current, at which nature being surprised unexpectedly, and having made no provision to secure her self from such a retrogradation or reflux, produceth the same preternatural symptoms and effects, for which the issue was first made or worse.
For your better satisfaction and information in the use of issues: first I shall consider for whom and in what cases beneficial; Secondly, what it is that issues forth and is evacuated; Thirdly, the places and parts of the body proper and conveniant for them; Lastly, the signes when to close them without danger.
For corpulent and plethorick bodyes, that feed high and live a sedentary inactive life, whereby ventilation and transpiration is cohibited and restrained, issues may be used by way of Praecaution.
In Cachectic bodies and diseases from putrid humours; issues makes evacuation and allevates.
For revulsion, derivation or interception of a humour inconveniently resorting to an eminent, or infirm part, issues alters the course and current.
In Diseases from venenate and noxious vapours, appearing with uncertaine motions, and intervals; issues retards, and abates the strength of their paroxysmes.
For Eiratic pains
Cutany defaedations and extuberations from extravasated humors, & frustraneous digestion; the use of issues may be beneficial.
Issues are as Rivulets or Channels from a fountain to prevent inundation, and direct the streams: they do not destroy the Spring, but give vent and current this way, that it shall not overflow to do hurt otherwaies. They do not eradicate a disease, but they lessen and abate the swelling productions or growth, prevent or retard the frequent paroxysmes, and returns of formidable and dolorous symptoms; give time and space for a Physician to use fit efficacious Medicines to extirpate, and take away the antecedent cause; and are but
remedia a posteriori, & palliativa, to mitigate the effects, not curative and eradicative.
For the nature and quality of humors issuing of
[...], they are divers, according to the various disposition of bodyes, temperaments and morbific causes; such as the body abounds with and is superfluanous, such is transmitted thither for emission.
That the humour evacuated is not usefull and necessary for the body: appears first by the concomitant figns manifesting
[Page 74]the nature of it: itching, pricking sharp pain about the place, inflamation and spongious flesh rising, in some more, in others less; which are not signs and effects of a natural good humor, but a hot corroding, sharp, unnatural humor flowing thither, degenerate and corrupt: beside, nature is not prodigal in the excretion and expence of humors, profitable and useful for the body, except by irritation.
What is the reason that in cachectic foul bodyes Ulcers in any part are difficult to cure? but by reason of a continual supply of bad humors, resorting thither for evacuation, and will not let the sore heale up because they will have vent: and therefore a skilful Chirurgeon, does not only apply topical Medicaments, but also endeavours to remove the antecedent cause, by internal medicine and reduce the Cacochymical ill habit of body to a natural good state and condition by alteration and evacuatioy which being procured, the wonted flu
[...] humors to the ulcerated place is staied, and then nature heals the sore with a very little help.
In placing of Issues rightly, three things is to be considered; First that they be commodious and properly scituate for the affluence and effiux of the morbific humor; for
[Page 75]humors have a tendency and an inclination to one part more then to another, according to the communication of parts, and rather downwards then upwards, from the propensity of their gravity: Secondly, whether Revulsion or derivation of the morbific cause be most convenient and benificial, in the case for which an issue is appointed. Thirdly, That the position and motion of the Muscles be diligently observed, else the Issue will not be so beneficial nor lye easy; for if it be set upon a Muscle the motion and attrition of the Muscle will continually molest and disturb it, and the evacuation will be but little: Therefore you must endeavour to place them in
Interstitiis Musculorum, in the distances between the Muscles where the extravasated humors are most frequent in their motions and perambulations.
In the Closing up of an issue these are to be considered: the cause for which it was appointed, what effects alteration or abatement of infirmity; the age of the person, whether in youth, strength of nature, or declining years; as also the season and time of the year: which is to be adjudged and determined variously, as the particular case and circumstances collated do suggest; but generally the body is to be accounted in a better or worse state and condition, as the humor issuing is better
[Page 76]better or worse; thin, sharp, bloody or fowle, smelling strong or stincking, much in quantity; declare the body to be cacochymical and foul, the humors depraved and degenerate, and require the issue to be continued: but the matter issuing white, resonable thick, sweet, little in quantity, and not sharp causing pain, nor inflamation about the place, are good signes and shew soundness of body, the humors to be in their natural condition, amicable and friendly to the body, and permit an Issue to be closed up: but let due purgation immediately succeed, and a spare dyet.
The Vertues use and Doses of each Medicine.
For the Head.
THE Capital Pills are appointed for infirmities of the brain and nerves, and evacuates noxious humours that molest and hinder the exercise of the rational faculty; or obstruct and impedite the free operation of the sensitive; whereby the animal spirits are alleviated, the ventricles of the brain and organs for sence freed from obstructions; Conducing much to the cure of infirmities afflicting the head and nerves as lethargies, apoplexy and soporiferous diseases; Convulsions epilepsy, palsies, vertigoes, tremors; pains of the head, rhumes, dul sight, or hearing,
Take them after your first sleep; or halfe the dose when you go to bed, the rest at 5 or 6 of the clock next morning; in so doing you will not be called up before your due time to rise. When you are up, drink some warm posset-drink,
[Page 81]and walk about the house: Eat at noon; thus do 3 or 4 dayes together for they operate gently.
The Dose for men and women is 5 or 6 Pills: for 14 years old, 4 Pills.
The
Cephalic essence, is specifickly appropriate to the head, effectually resisting the infirmities thereof, and strengthening the brain and nerves of special use for such as are cataleptick, epileptick, apoplectick, paralytick; that have a cold or moist bra
[...]n, sunject to rhumes Convulsions, remblings or weakness of the nerves, vertigoes, paines of the head: it strengthens a weak memory, weak eyes, amends dull hearing if the defect be not organicall. It quickens and raiseth the spirits in somnolent drowzy persons, makes them more acute and vigilant, and roborates the animal faculty.
To be taken after the Capitall Pills, if both be used.
Take it in the morning fasting, thus: Drop it upon fine powdered sugar, and take it upon a knifes point; then drink a draught of what liquor is most agreeable and proper for you: eat an hour after and go abroad. Also you may apply it to the nose profitably; Whereby the vertue is received into the head.
The Dose for men and women is 2
[...] drops, for children and infants so many drops as they
[Page 82]are years old. If under a year old, only apply it to the nose, as aforesaid, and also to the temples. Shake the bottle when you use it.
For the Lungs
THe infirmities most incident to the Lungs are.
1. A thin sharp rheum, irritating and provoking the Lungs to expulsion by coughing which oftentimes procures an exulceration and spitting of bloud, and from hence a Consumption may insue.
2ly. A grosse indigested flegm, stopping the vessels of the Lungs and pipes for respiration, causing difficulty of breathing, wheezing and coughing, which is called an Asthma.
3ly. A Consumption or Ulcer of the Lungs, which in the beginning not so easy to be discovered, but to be known by these signs. An obtuse or heavy pain in the breast, short breath, frequent coughing, and destillation upon the Lungs. In time is made more manifest, by spitting of purulent matter, an ulcerous and more sharp pain in the breast, a putrid Feaver, the cough more vehement, imbecillity and weaknesse of all the faculties, &c.
For the infirmities aforesaid the Medicines
[Page 83]following are effectual and peculiarly appointed.
The
Pectoral electuary, stayes defluctions of sharp thin rheums that invade the Lungs, Mitigates their acidity and saltness which indangers Corrosion, spitting of bloud, and a Consumption; checks the violence of coughing and easeth the breast: it helps a dry cough, loosens flegm, and helps expectoration, procures rest, and respite from coughing in the night.
To be taken at any time, the quantity of a nutmeg or more, but chiefly at night and morning in bed.
The
Balsamic extract, is most effectual in restoring weak, decayed Consumptive or ulcerated Lungs; purifies and clenseth the breast from putrid matter that causeth the breath to stink or be ill savoured; defends the Lungs from tetrid maligne vapours, internally generated or externally received, inducing a vitious depraved constitution of the Lungs, or promoting a Consumption; roborates and strengthens the Lungs, firmly resisting an haereditary Phthisical consumptive disposition subject to some families: Opens obstructions & stoppings in the breast, from Crude viscous phlegm stuffing the pipes of the Lungs and vessels for respiration; helps old coughs asthmatic wheezings, difficult, short, and faint breathing, from indisposition decay or imbecillity
[Page 84]of the vital parts, and restores their vigour and natural ability.
Attenuates, maturates and concocts tough raw flegm, and facilitates expectoration; retracts a confluence of crude humors flowing in upon the Lungs by the
arteria venosa, causing oppilatious, short breath and Pertinacious coughing. Is both a preservative and curative medicine for persons Consumptive, inclining or disposed thereto, by any Pectoral infirmity.
The Dose is half a dram for Man or Woman. For 14 years old, a scruple or 24 grains.
Take it night and morning in bed: if it be for putrid or ulcerated Lungs you must continue the use of it 3 weeks or a month observing due order and dyet: if for lesser infirmities a shorter time will effect the intention. It confines you not to the house, more then the tendernesse of your own body, and the coldness of weather prohibits you to go abroad.
Rowl it in Sugar-Candy, or fine powdered sugar, and take it upon a knifes point and swallow it.
For the Heart.
THe
Cordial Tincture, is appointed for fainting fits, it cheers the heart, releives the vital spirits opressed, cherisheth decayed nature in weak and antient persons; comforts and warmes a cold stomack, helps digestion, expells winde and Melancholly vapours from the Spleen; very good for palpitations of the heart, or oppression at the stomack through Crudities and indigested matter.
To be taken at any time night or day, when any the aforesaid occasions require.
The full Dose is a spoonful; for twelve years old, half a spoonfull, and so proportionably to younger.
The
Bezoardic Confection, is a Soveraign Antidote against the Plague and all contagious Feavers; it powerfully expells poysons, breaths out all putrid matter and malignity, received by unwholsome Airs, or otherwise generated in the body: effectuall in the Small-Pox, Measels, Spotted-feavers to bring forth their Malignity to the skinn, and to prevent returning inwards: removes oppressions at the
[Page 86]heart, and any surfeit or over-charging of the stomack, by intemperate eating or drinking; of excellent use in all suddaine Sicknesses in young or old, to defend the heart and vitalls, until the distemper manifest it self: Necessary to carry with you in Travel.
Take it on a knifs point, or dissolve it in Posset-drink, as oft as occasion requires.
The full Dose is the quantity of a Chesnut, for fourteen years old, as much as a Nutmeg; for seven years old, the bigness of a Hasel-nut. And so proportionably to younger.
For the Stomack.
THe Stomack not performing its office rightly in Chylification, either by its own weakness or otherwise impedited, layes the foundation of many diseases, and therefore is primely to be fortyfied and assisted when any dificiency appears: for, error in the first concoction is not amended in the following digestions of other parts from whence various preternatural affects disseminated in
[Page 87]divers parts of the body owning their rise and spring from this fountain.
The symptoms of an ill affected stomack are, fulness, heaviness or opression, loss of appetite, slow digestion or depraved, nauseousness or vomitting, hicket or belching, thirst, heat, or burning. For which the following Medicines are appointed.
The
Stomack Pills cleanseth the first region of the body downwards, from abounding Choller and Phlegm, evacuates and unloads an opressed stomack, from humors and indigested matter that corrupts good nutriment, dulls the appetite and hinders digestion; by their abstersive faculty, removes viscous Phlegm impacted in the tunicles of the stomack, a receptacle for inflation and wind. Prevents, diarrhaeas, lienterial and dysenterial Fluxes, gripings and pains in the stomack and bowels, from sharp biting Choller or flatulent crudity by taking away their causes. And leaving a greateful astriction upon the stomack which promotes concoction. Destroyes Worms, and prevents, their breeding by carrying away putrid matter whereof they are generated.
Takes away bitter eructations and nauseous belchings, vellications and gripes in the stomack from bilious acrid humors; makes the stomack clean and fit for the reception of
[Page 88]wholsome food, and then you may expect good nutriment.
Take them after your first sleep, or earely in the morning: when you are up, Drink some warme Posset, eat at noon. You may go abroad if the weather be warm, and the condition of your body will safely permit; But otherwise keep house.
You may take them three or four dayes together, they work gently.
The Dose for Men and Women is five or six Pills; For the age fourteen, 4 Pills.
The
Digestive Elixir, By its incisive and attenuating quality is very auxiliary to the stomacks ferment deficient and decayed, or obtunded and overlayed with crudityes, corrects the imbecillity and indisposition of the superior orifice of the stomack, and causeth the stomack to close with more delight and satisfaction upon its object. Prevents nauseousness, flarulent belchings, nidorous and unsavory risings in the stomack from indigestion and putrid fermentation. Kills Worms in the stomack and Guts; And amends a strong offensive breath. By its saline quality, excites and quickens a dull appetite and procures good digestion. By its Balsamic amaritude, is healing and grateful to a watrish, crude raw stomack.
By its aromatic vertue, cherisheth and refresheth a weak tender stomack.
But if the stomack be very foul, stuffed and clogged with gross Phlegmatick humors, then first clense downward with the stomack Pills, or upwards by vomit, if hot Cholerick adust humors fluctuate, heate and broyl upon the stomack: afterward strengthen with the use of this
Elixir, and you will finde a great alteration both for appetite and digestion, the stomack much alleviated, disburthened, and cheerful in the performance of its office.
Drop it in a little fine powdred Sugar, and take it upon a knives point, in the morning fasting; you may drink after it Wine, Beer, or other good Liquor most agreeable to your stomack: eat an hour after and go abroad: you may take it likewise at four of Clock in the afternoon.
The Dose for men and Women is sixteen drops: for the age fourteen ten drops; for eight years old six drops: and so proportionably to younger.
Continue the use of it a fortnight together. Shake the bottle when you use it,
Medicines appropriate to the Spleen, Mesentery and Liver.
THe Cachectic Pills are effectuall against the defects and infirmities of the Spleen, mesentery Liver and Gall, from whence arise a Cachectic or ill habit of body, Dropsies, Scurvy,
Hypochondriac Melancholy, Jaundice black and yellow, obstructions and pains in the several parts named, various praeternatural febrific aestuations and fermentations, crudityes and coagulations in those parts primarily affected, from thence dessused and disperced into the mass of blood, which being thereby vitiated and impure, produceth various external Symptomes, pallid and livid discolourations, scorbute spots and desaedations of the skin, Tumors and Ulcers.
These Pills evacuate and clense gently, by which the fore named parts are exonerated, and notably restored to their pristine vigour and due performance of their office (but by strong purgatives debilitated.) They penetrate into the second and third digestion, removing obstructions, and attenuating viscous coagulations which obtund the spirits in their motion and
[Page 91]activity, stop the conveyance of nutriment and corrupting it, hindering the communication of parts, necessarily subordinate and subservient one to the other in their offices and duties, and retaining excrements of the several digestions which ought duly to be seperated and sent forth, from whence the ill effects that ensue are numerous. They are prevalent in prevention, and composing unnatural fermentations and turgid ebullitions in the bloud and humors; from whence Erratic pains, and various disquietudes. They imbibe and drink up (by their alkalizate quality) sharp and acide humors which cause erosions and torsions of the bowells, stimulating and provoking Fluxes, and sharp pricking pains in several parts.
They depurate and renovate the bloud from scorbutic degeneration and exotic mixture by which the spirits recover strength and vigour which before were alienated torpid and inactive, the organs for nutrition disburthened and releived and made fit to performe and execute their several offices and functions.
The Dose for Men and Women, is 4 or 5 Pills: (According to the strength, and condion of their body to operate.) For the age 14, 3 Pills.
Take them early in the morning, you may sleep 2 hours after; when you are up drink a
[Page 92]draught of posset drink; eat at noon:
Thus do twice or thrice in the weak, continuing their use more or less, as the occassion and greatness of the cause requires.
After these Pills the following
Tincture is very proper and beneficial.
The
Scorbute Tincture hath a specific vertue against the Scurvy, which discovers it self by certain symptomes attending it, as lassitude, heaviness and indisposition to motion or action; pains of the head, thighs, hips, knees, and other parts; putrefaction of the gums and loosness of teeth, inflation and distention of the
Hypochonders; red purple or livid spots upon the skin, &c. Some of these signs are sufficient to declare the disease especially when remote causes concur, as a close Air, gross diet, studious, melancholy or sedentary life. This
Tincture asists the spleen in the discharge of its office, from whose imbecillity and depraved operation chiefly, as an approximate cause, the bloud acquires a peculiar corruption and scorbutic malignity, detected by some symptomes declaring its specific nature, and according to the degree or heigth arrived at, are the symptomes more in number, and more exasperate & worse in quality. The
Tincture resolveth
[Page 93]and volatizeth coagulate and fixed tartareous matter; attenuates and rarenes gross subsiding humours, which obstruct the vessels of the Spleen and viscera of nutrition, causing turgid inflations, schirrous tumors and pains in those parts, concocts crude ichorous bloud, depurates and renovates it from scorbutick feculency, and maligne putrefaction, makes it more fit for nutrition, and amicable to the body.
Take it in a glass of White-wine, or Rhenish which is best; or in good strong beer, not new; or beer with the juce of Orange which is better; or whey if the body be hot. In the morning fasting, and at 4 of the clock in the after noon.
The Dose for men and women is 24 drops: for the age 14 and under, so many drops as they are years old.
Shake the Bottle then use it.
The
Hydropic Pills are appointed for the cure of Dropsies, and watery tumors of the body, whether universal or in particular parts: They are purgative, and attract serous and watery humors from any part of the body and Evacuates by seige. They excite the kidneys to attraction and expulsion, which before was fluggish, imbecile or impedited in their office, whereby superfluous serosity or water is accumulated and retained in the body; they are
[Page 94]very aperitive resolutive and diuretical, opening obstructions of the Liver, Spleen and Ureters, dissolving any coagulate matter and sending forth the Morbific cause by Urine.
The Dose for Men and Women is 5 Pills; or but 4 if a tender body; for 14 years old, 3 Pills.
Take them in the morning fasting, and drink little until noon; then eat your dinner. Thus doe 2 or 3 days in a week intermitting a day between. Those dayes you purge not, drink a draught of Wormwood wine, and eat some white bisket every morning, and at 4 of the Clock after noon: keep a spare diet, let your meat be rosted rather then boyled. If your stomack be weak use the digestive
Tincture.
Be moderate in drinking. You may profitably use white-wine mingled with the decoction of sasaffras, two parts to one of wine.
The Hydropic powder hath the same vertues and operation with the Hydropic Pills. But because some are averse to Pills, that with facility can take a powder, they may chuse either.
Take it in a draught of posset drink or white wine warmed. Observing the preceding directions.
The full Dose is one Dram: for the age 14, 2 scruples or half a Dram. And so proportionably to younger.
For the Guts.
THe
Retentive Powder, mittigates and stayes all Fluxes and violent excretions of the Guts, whether lienterial Dysenterial or diarrhaea's; not by an astringent or binding quality of the Medicine, that were injurious to nature and not subsidiary, to retaine what nature desires to expel; but by attracting and collecting the peccant humor that stimulates to expulsion and evacuating it, whereby one stoole that the Medicine procures, carryes with it more of the offending cause, then six other from the (oft times vain) irritations and struglings of nature without assistance.
By the anodynous vertue, it allayes & charms the turgid aestuation of stimulating humors, by degrees evacuates and sends them forth, with less disturbance and danger; whether they be sharp, bilious, or acide serous humors; a saline irritating Phleme, a stinking corrupt Colliquation, or acrid and adust Melancholy; having also and astringent vertue to bind after wards, and to roborate the retentve faculty, the offending cause being removed; this is the safest way to stop the flux of what nature soever, and in any person; women with
[Page 96]child, in child bed, children or infants, and to prevent the danger that may ensue. If the Flux be bloody drink Whey wherein gads of Steel hath been quenched, for your common drink.
The Dose of the Powder for man or Woman, is a dram or more: to a Child of twelve years old, half a dram. And so proportionably to younger.
Take it in Posset-drink, in the Morning in bed, and sleep after it if you can. Do likewise the next day, if the occasion continue.
The
Apperitive powder, is emollient absterfive and opening, appointed for costive, hot and dry bodys; whereby excrements being too long retained, are hardned and baked, sumes return up to the stomack, troubling Concoction and offensive to the brain: it corrects the dry distemper of the Guts, or intemperate heat of the Liver (frequent causes of costiveness) humects and softens dry hard excrements, and procures two or three stools. It is a necessary preparative to Physick, making the body f
[...]uid and fit for purgation; opening obstructions of the bowels, mesentery, Liver, Spleen Pancreas and Matrix; whereby any Medicine hath access to those parts, with more facility and speed and less abatement of its strength, before it comes
[Page 97]to operate upon the part intended; the ductures and passages being laid open, by its Apperitive vertue.
The Dose for Man or Woman is a Dram: for fourteen years, two scruples.
Take it in a wine-glass full of the Liquor of stewed Prunes, in the morning fasting; half an hour after drink a good draught of posset drink, or Whey if you have a hot costive body: an hour after this you may eat your breakfast; spoon meat is best.
Thus you may do four or five mornings together.
For the Reins and Bladder.
THe
Nephritic Extract, by a specific virtue resists the lapidifactory disposition of the Reins, and petrifactive succus, prevents coagulation and petrifaction: By the abstersive tartareous property, clenseth the Reins and Bladder from mucilaginous slimy matter, sand or gravel that lodgeth in the urinary passages. By the unctuous quality, mollifies, relaxeth lubrifies and dilates the uriters and urinary ductures,
[Page 98]for the more facile and speedy exclusion of the stone-gravel or any viscous coagulated matter, which may cause a suppression of urine, or strangury. By the balsamic vertue. Heals excoriations of the urinary passages, caused by attrition of the stone and gravel, or acrimony of Urine, and mitigates the pain. Very subtile and resolutive, powerful to dissolve the stone; diuretical & purging by urine.
The Dose for Man or Woman is half a Dram, which is about the quantity of a hasel nut.
Take it thus five or six mornings together fasting: roll it in fine powdered Sugar or Hony and so swallow it; then drink a good draught of White-wine after, or mixed with Ale. And you may follow your business.
The
Nephritic Powder, clenseth the Reins and bladder from sand and gravel, opens the Uriters and Urinary passages, provokes Urine, cooles the reins and prevents the stone.
Take it in a glasse of White-wine fasting, half a douzen mornings together. But let the Powder be put into the wine over night and stand close covered.
The Dose is one Dram.
The
Dysuretic Powder, corrects the sharpness of Urine (having an Hostile quality and antipathy
[Page 99]to acidityes) which causeth the Uriters to twitch and vellicate with a painful Convulsive motion and contraction in the small of the back and hips to the Region of the bladder and bottom of the Belly: helps incontinency of Urine or debility of holding water, strengthning the Sphincter Muscle of the bladder and taking away the acrimony of the Urine, which provokes the expulsive faculty: it checks the over strong attraction of the reines, causing immoderate making water, thereby wasting the body, exhausting the natural humidity and impoverishing the Masse of bloud: coagulates a saline and tartareous resolution in the body which comming into the ductures of the Vrine, stimulates and irritates to expulsion by its acrimony. Cooles the reins, mitigates the ardor and scalding heat of Vrine.
The Dose for Man or Woman is a Dram, for the age 14. two scruples: 8 years old half a Dram.
Take it in the morning an hour before you rise, in posset drink: you may eat or drink when you are up and go abroad. Vse it a fortnight or three weeks together. Observe your diet; and let your drink be steeled.
For the Genital Parts.
THE Restaurative essence, asists digestion in the Spermatic vessels, strengthens the generative faculty; effectual against sterility or barrennesse in the feminine sex, and deficiency in the masculine; if the causes be superfluous moisture, crudity and infaecundity of the seed, debility of the Genital parts, frigidity or imbecillity of nature, and not organical impediments and defects. It strengthens a weak back, preserves the balsom of nature, and natural heat; restores consumptive weak persons, strengthens old age, and the declinings of nature; refresheth the animal and vital spirits by its aromatical fragrancy; roborates the internal parts; asists the digestions, prevents crudityes and the superfluity of crude humors.
Taketh away putrefaction in bodyes that have a ranke or strong favour, by reason of putrid humors breathing forth through the pores of the body; it will depurate, clense and make such bodyes more sweet and wholesome, and more acceptable to their bed fellows.
Shake the bottle, before you use it.
Drop it into fine powdered sugar and take it upon a knifes point: then drink a glasse of
[Page 101]Tent, Muskadel, or Sack, after it.
The Dose is 24 drops for Men or Women.
You may take it night and morning in bed.
In the use of strengthning Medicines, Take this observation: That if the body be soul, let gentle purgation precede; first clense, then strengthen, thats a regular course: for this purpose, let women take the
Hysterical Pills; Men may use the
Stomack or
Cachectic Pills: As the condition of their body most requires.
The
Hysterical Pills, have an abstersive, and purgative faculty, to clense and open obstructions of the veins leading to the Matrix, whereby the terms may have their due times, and colour, according to the course of nature: they dissipate flatulent vapours, and evacuate noxious humors collected in the womb, which having aquired maligne qualities by residence there, occasions various symptomes and disturbance in several parts by consent from the Matrix: as
Hypochondriac Melancholy, palpitation of the heart, shortness of breath and compression about the stomack, pains of the head,
deliriums, Convulsive motions, sadness, palenesse and unwonted Complection; they prevent fits of the Mother, disperse the vapours, and corrects the malignant cause: They cure the Green Sicknesse, brings the termes into their right order, restores the Complexion,
[Page 102]and purgeth the lower Region of the body.
The full Dose is 6 pills; for fifteen years old, 5 pills; or but four, if she be a tender body and easie to operate.
Take them early in the Morning, you may lye an houre after: when you are up drink a good draught of warm Posset, and walk in the House. Eat at noon.
Thus do two or three days together: intermit so many days, then take twice or thrice more. And you will finde the benefit.
The
Expulsive Powder, Is appointed for a difficult and perilous Child birth; being effectual to expedite the delivery of Women in a slow hard labour: it procures travelling pains when nature is unable and weak, giveth strength to the woman and Child, and hastens the Birth; expells a dead child, and brings away the after burden.
You may give it twice in twelve hours, for the foresaid occasions, not oftner.
The Dose is one paper of powder.
Take it in a small spoonful of Cinnamon-Water Penyroyal-Water, or Mace Ale; or these mixed at the discretion of the Midwife.
The
Restringent Powder, helps the debility and weakness of the Spermatic Vessels, procured by immoderate coition, or other accidents: stayes a Gonorhaea or Running of the Reins, so called; corrects the heat and acrimony of the seed that stimulates to expulsion, and allays the pain: asswageth any sharp humor in the privities of either Sex, heals an exulration or excoriation there; takes away itching or molesting heat; prevents the danger by immoderate copulation, cools, allayes and strengthens those parts,
Use it thus: Take a quart of Smiths water, let it stand six hours to settle, then pour off a pinte cleer, in it put the Powder, shake it well in a Bottle; then with a Syringe inject it into the privy part morning and night, and you will receive much help and ease.
But if the Gonorrhaea be virulent, proceeding from the Pox; then it is requisite also that you take the Medicines proper for that disease, as the italic and neapolitan Pills, to purifie and clense your body from that malignity and virulency where with the humors are tainted and vitiated; And to prevent future danger.
For the joynts.
THe
Arthritick Pills, are peculiarly appointed for the Gout, whether hereditary or acquired by diaetetic errors, or differing in the part affected; as the feet, knees hips, hands or other Joynts; yet owning the same approximate cause, and admit the same cure. They attract the serous acrid humor which pricks and lancinates the
Periostium and nervous parts about the Joynt: and retract the confluence of humors (caused by pain) resorting to the part affected. They are very profitable and Auxiliary against a rheumatismus (commonly called the running Gout) which is an erratic pricking pain wandring from part to part, caused by a flatulent acrimonious humor, afflicting not only the joynts but the
periostia of the Bones between joynt and joynt, the Muscles of the body, and membranes of the internal viscera: they prevent fluxion and transition of turgid humors, evacuates biting Choler, Saline and sharp Serous humors. And checks the serocity of their nature. By their alkalisate quality, they destroy exotic acidities which are dolorous and hostile to neru us and and membranous parts, and are a singular prophylactic or preservative from the cruelty of arthritick
[Page 105]arthritic or Gout pains. Use them Spring and Autume for prevention: or at other seasons if occasion require.
The full Dose is 5 Pills: for feminine and tender bodyes easy to operate, 4 may be sufficient.
Take them early in bed, lye an hour or two after; drink a little posset when they work, and eat at noon: Do so two or three days together; intermit 4 or 5 dayes, and take again.
After Purgation the
Sudorifio Pills are beneficial.
For the Skin.
THE
Cosmetick Water, is appointed for discolourations and commaculations of the skin; native or adventitious, (accounted no small infirmity with the Ladyes) being symptomes denoting the constitution, & temperature of some principal parts, diseases present and imminent, or the
vestigia and markes of preceding infirmities and external accidents, displayed in their proper distinguishing colours, citrine, liuid, brown, red, swarthy &c. According to the nature of their causes, as in both the jaundice;
[Page 106]Scurvy, distempered Livers and Spleens, obstructions, and most Cachectic bodyes, small-Pox, Measels, Contusions, burns &c.
This washing is no fucus that sayes an artificial colour upon the skin to palliate a bad complexion and deceive the sight. But to amend and tiear a dark brown skin, of the face, neck, breast or bands: it takes away Sun-burn, roughness, swarthiness, Morphew, small Pox spots and pimplex hath an abstersive and attenuating faculty to thin and puri
[...]e a muddy thick skin which clouds the lustre of a lively peircing aspect.
There is nothing more amiable then the life, which is presented to view with some interposition, being vailed with the skin, which if dark and thick, eclipses and hides much of the lustre and penetration.
But if thin, clear and more transparent, the glory and beauty of the life then streams forth with great attraction: And therefore the eye is the most lovely victorious part, for its dilucid clearness, in which the sparklings and vigour of life is most visible and naked. 'Tis not white and red that hath the magnetisme of love, but the life dressed in those perspicuous colours.
You may use or leave this water when you will without prejudice, there is no Mercury not any thing to injure the tenderest skin.
Shake the Bottle, then wet a cloath with it and wash your face every morning.
The
Powder of Saturn is appointed for
Cutany defaedations, venereous Scab
[...] & Vlcers, pustules knobs in the flesh and glandulous tumors From the venereous cause. Also Scabs and Vlcers from other causes; Tettars, Ringworms itch, pushes, pimples. Chilblanes, cooles all outward inflammations, represseth tumors and asswageth their pain, very profitable for Sores or Tumors of the Kings evil.
Vse it thus: take a quart of Smiths water let it stand to settle; then pour of a pinte and halfe clear, in it put the powder and let it boil gently to a pinte, in a glass
[...] bottle set in a Kettle of water; then let it stand 2 dayes to settle very clear; poure it off and keep it for use: and with this liquor bathe the places affected morning and night.
For the Venereal Pox.
THE
Italic Pills, are a specific purgative Medicine for the Venereal
Pox. They purge and clense the body by their appropriate vertue from the virulency and foulness of that
[Page 108]disease, which corrupts the whole masse of bloud, and breaks forth into pustul's, Scabs and Vicers, by time invading the solid parts; they mitigate pain, checkes and abates the rigour of other symptomes which attends this disease, and prevents the danger.
The Dose for Man or Woman is 5 Pills.
Take them early in bed, lye an hour after; and when they work, drink a little posset-drink: you may eat at noon.
The
Neapolitan Pills, are a Peculiar Sudorific Medicine for the great
Pox after the preceding purgation, to transpire and breath out by sweating the remaining malignity and contagious infection wherewith the body is tainted. They dispell the maligne vapours, and releive the spirits oppressed, purifie the bloud, and eradicate the impurity and venenate qualities of the disease, by their peculiar propriety and opposition.
The Dose for Man or Woman is 4 Pills.
Take them in bed eaily, or at night if more convenient for your occasions; half an hour after drink a draught of hot bear or posset drinke wherein Sage is boiled be covered warm and lye to sweat when you have sweat 2 hours, (not longer) let some cloaths be taken of and cool by degrees, and have a care you take not cold after sweating, the Pores being open.
A regular and easie cure for the Venereal Pox with the preceeding Medicines.
THis disease sometimes lyes obscure and dificult to be dettcted, and puts on the disguises of other infirmities, but those who are guilty of the danger, may conclude by some of the following symptoms, what it is that troubles and alters them. Yet this foul disease is not alwaies got by impure copulation; But otherwise sometimes, Man with Man, and Woman with Woman, lying together, and having intimate Society. And although it be infections, yet all bodies are not apt to receive it, as all catch not the Plague in an infected house. But I must shorten the discourse, and come to the symptomes which attend the disease, and they are various according to the degree and heigth arrived at. At first a lassitude, weariness and indisposition to motion, heaviness and dulness, the Spirits being tainted and opressed with the infection: pain of the head, shoulders and other parts, cheifly at night: heat and burning in the palmes of the hands and soles of
[Page 110]the feet: a Gonorrhae a or running of the Reins: afterwards breakings out upon the skin venereous buboes, and Ulcers of the privy parts, &c. Which come not altogether, but successively by degrees, discovering the discase in its progress, and degree of malignity.
The cure is performed thus; the first day take a Dose of the I
[...]alic pills; the second day let a vein be opened, if you be Feavorish or of a hot constitution; take blood at the discretion of your Chyrurgeon. The fourth day take the Italic pills again; rest the fifth, sixth, and seventh: the eight day take the Italic pills again: the tenth, eleventh, twelfth dayes take the Neapolitan Pills to sweat; then rest 2 or 3 dayes, and take the Italic pills again; and after that, the Neopolitan. As occasion requires continuance.
This method you are to observe for a short or longer time, according to the greatness and inveterate contumacy of the disease. Interchainging these Medicines and giving convenient respite: which course will not be hard for you to observe although your body be weak and brought low with the disease, for nature will strengthen and be much incouraged dayly, by the assistance of these Medicines and Methodical course, prevailing upon the disease. And you will be more cheerful and strong then at first when you began.
In the interim during this course and method,
[Page 111]no day is prohibited but you may use the powder of Saturne, if there be any Ulcer, pustuls, Scabs, or tumors caused by this disease: also the Restringent powder if there be a Gonorrhaea: and if your mouth be fore, or the gums swelled and tender by reason of the malignant humor spending it self that way by spitting, as sometimes it doth; then use to gargle your mouth often with hot broth, or warm Beer sweetned with hony, and you need not fear any prejudice.
Haematic Powder.
THe
Haematic Powder is appointed as a necessary help to rest ain an immoderate Flux of blood that is hurtful and weakning to nature; whether it be the overflowing of womens monthly purgations, vomiting or spiting of blood, Haepatic Fluxes by Stool, by Vrine, or at the nose. It corrects the acrimony, tenuity or serosity, and heat of blood which stimulates to expulsion, and causeth transudation, apertion, or erosion of a vein It incrassates and thickens the blood; And makes it indisposed for fluxion, constringeth and bindes the Vessels and assists the dibility of the retentive faculty.
Take it in a draught of Verjuice Posset cold, morning and night in bed.
The full Dose is one Dram: for twelve years old, half a dram.
Febrific Elixir.
THe
Febrific Elixir, is very auxiliary to mitigate and allay the burning heat of Fevers; it checks the fermenting ebullition and aestuation of the blood; resists febrific putrefaction and disposeth to transpiration of hot putrid vapours, which causeth restlesness and unquiet watchings; asswageth immoderate thirst, irrigates and refresheth the parched spirits: excites decayed appetite by restoring the stomachical ferment, and is grateful to the stomack.
The full Dose is twenty drops: for young people so many drops as they are years old.
Shake the bottle when you use it.
You may take it in a glass of White-wine: or mingled with fresh smalbeer equal parts, a good draught; twice in the day, or night. You may put Syrup of Oranges or Lemmons if you will to it, for the Pallate sake; you need not fear the heat of the wine to prejudice you.
Sarcotic
Pills.
THE
Sarcotic Pills are appointed for Vicers internal and external, they exsiccate clense and heal by their
Balsamick vertue, excoriations and ulcers within the body, where there is a possibility of cure; taking away all corrosive and sharp fretting humors, which continues the ulceration: they are very advantagious towards the cure of external ulcers and sores in any part of the body, subtracting the antecedent cause, evacuating serous acrid humors which feeds the sore and prohibites healing: they are proper and beneficial for wounded persons, to expedite their cures: they are good for Scabbed persons, Leprous, or have any breakings out upon the skin.
The Dose for Man or Woman is 5 or 6 Pills: for 14 years old. 4 Pills.
Take them 3 or 4 mornings in a week; you may lie an hour or 2 after them in bed. 3 hours after taking them, you may drinke posset drink, or whey: Which also is best for your common drink, in the forementioned cases, and to have it steeled with gads of steel quenched therein.
Sudorific Pills
THE
Sudorific Pills are aperitive, resolutive and discussive; opens the pores and procures breathing sweats; removes Cold, Aches, and stiffness in the Muscles and joints; transpires and breaths out putrid vapours and superfluity of crudy watery humors and rheumatic moisture; depurates and clenseth the bloud; and opens obructions: very profitable in contusions or bruises, dissipates and scatters the Flux of humors resorting to the dolorous part affected, and prevents coagulation of the bloud, resolves it if already fixed and congealed; they prevent tumors, and internal apostumation, and disperseth a colleciton of humors. A general Medicine, and may fitly be used in all cases that require sweating, with facility and benefit.
You may take them 2 or 3 mornings together fasting, in bed covered warm; a quarter of an hour after, drink a draught of hot possetdrink, then sweat will break forth, lye in it for 2 hours; then take off clothes by degrees, and cool with discretion.
The full Dose is 4 Pills: for 14 years old, 3 Pills.
Sympathetic Powder.
THE
Sympathetic Powder, is of known vertue in cureing green wounds, as also the Tooth-ach.
Take a few drops of bloud from the wound, in a peice of linnen, & lay upon the bloud a little of this powder; then tye it up close, and put it in your bosome, and keep it warm day and night, for if cold or wet happen to it, the wounded person will be much disturbed and pained. If there be wounds in several parts, each wound must have a several cloth used in like manner, wash the wound with white-wine, or the parties urine; then binde up the wound with convenient linnen cloth that cold come not to it, and in such manner as the brims of the wound may draw towards each other: the third day open the wound and wash away the quittour or corruption, then bind it up again with fresh clothes, and you will have a speedy cure, if the wound be in such a part of the body as is cureable. In like manner you may do to a beast wounded, with successe.
For the Tooth-ach thus: cause your gum to bleed where the pain is, with a pen-knife or needle; then stain a cloth with it the breadth of a groat, without rheum; then lay a little powder to it; tie it up and keep it as aforesaid, and it seldom fails to give present ease and cure.
Issue Cere-cloth
THE Issue Cerecloth is very commodious for those who have Issues in any part of the body, it attracts and draws to the place for vent, extravafated, superfluous, erratic humors: causeth a dry Issue to run, and brings away filthy matter; prevents inflammation and keeps an Issue coole: very necessary in journyes and voyages; one peice will serve a month in wearing, then lay on a fresh one; wipe it and turn the other side to the place every dressing, and lay a paper upon it.