mine. But these are crude and ignorant specula- | which we usually see, is merely by accident, and tions. For flame, if there were nothing else, except that the air about, by quenching the sides of the it were in very great quantity, will be suffocate with flame, crusheth it, and extenuateth it into that form; any hard body, such as a pellet is, or the barrel of for of itself it would be round; and therefore smoke a gun; so as the flame would not expel the hard is in the figure of a pyramis reversed; for the air body; but the hard body would kill the flame, and quencheth the flame and receiveth the smoke. Note not suffer it to kindle or spread. But the cause of also, that the flame of the candle, within the flame this so potent a motion, is the nitre, which we call of the spirit of wine, is troubled; and doth not only otherwise saltpetre, which having in it a notable open and move upwards, but moveth waving, and to crude and windy spirit, first by the heat of the fire and fro; as if flame of its own nature, if it were not suddenly dilateth itself; and we know that simple quenched, would roll and turn, as well as move upair, being preternaturally attenuated by heat, will wards. By all which it should seem, that the celesmake itself room, and break and blow up that which tial bodies, most of them, are true fires or flames, as resisteth it; and secondly, when the nitre hath the Stoics held; more fine, perhaps, and rarified, dilated itself, it bloweth abroad the flame, as an in- than our flame is. For they are all globular and ward bellows. And therefore we see that brimstone, determinate; they have rotation; and they have the patch, camphire, wild-fire, and divers other inflam- colour and splendour of flame: so that flame above mable matters, though they burn cruelly, and are is durable, and consistent, and in its natural place; hard to quench, yet they make no such fiery wind but with us it is a stranger, and momentary, and as gunpowder doth and on the other side, we see impure like Vulcan that halted with his fall. that quick-silver, which is a most crude and watery body, heated, and pent in, hath the like force with gunpowder. As for living creatures, it is certain, their vital spirits are a substance compounded of an airy and flamy matter; and though air and flame being free, will not well mingle; yet bound in by a body that hath some fixing, they will. For that you ay best see in those two bodies, which are their aliments, water and oil; for they likewise will not well mingle of themselves; but in the bodies of plants, and living creatures, they will. It is no marvel therefore, that a small quantity of spirits in the cells of the brain, and canals of the sinews, are able to move the whole body, which is of so great mass, both with so great force, as in wrestling, leaping; and with so great swiftness, as in playing division upon the lute. Such is the force of these two natures, air and flame, when they incorporate. Experiment solitary touching the secret nature of flame. 31. Take a small wax candle, and put it in a Pocket of brass or iron; then set it upright in a porringer full of spirit of wine heated: then set both the candle and spirit of wine on fire, and you shall see the flame of the candle open itself, and become four or five times bigger than otherwise it would have been; and appear in figure globular, and not In pyramis. You shall see also, that the inward flame of the candle keepeth colour, and doth not wax any whit blue towards the colour of the outward me of the spirit of wine. This is a noble instance; wherein two things are most remarkable; the one, that one flame within another quencheth not; but is fixed body, and continueth as air or water do. And therefore flame would still ascend upwards in one greatness, if it were not quenched on the sides: and the greater the flame is at the bottom, the lugher is the rise. The other, that flame doth not Tangle with flame, as air doth with air, or water with water, but only remaineth contiguous; as it cometh to pass betwixt consisting bodies. It apareth also, that the form of a pyramis in flame, : Experiment solitary touching the different force of flame in the midst and on the sides. 32. Take an arrow, and hold it in flame for the space of ten pulses, and when it cometh forth you shall find those parts of the arrow which were on the outsides of the flame more burned, blacked, and turned almost into a coal, whereas that in the midst of the flame will be as if the fire had scarce touched it. This is an instance of great consequence for the discovery of the nature of flame; and showeth manifestly, that flame burneth more violently towards the sides than in the midst : and, which is more, that heat or fire is not violent or furious, but where it is checked and pent. And therefore the Peripatetics, howsoever their opinion of an element of fire above the air is justly exploded, in that point they acquit themselves well: for being opposed, that if there were a sphere of fire, that encompassed the earth so near hand, it were impossible but all things should be burnt up; they answer, that the pure elemental fire, in its own place, and not irritated, is but of a moderate heat. Experiment solitary touching the decrease of the 34. It is strange how the ancients took up experiments upon credit, and yet did build great matters upon them. The observation of some of the best of them, delivered confidently, is, that a vessel filled with ashes will receive the like quantity of water, that it would have done if it had been empty. But this is utterly untrue, for the water will not go in by a fifth part. And I suppose, that that fifth part is the difference of the lying close, or open, of the ashes; as we see that ashes alone, if they be hard pressed, will lie in less room and so the ashes with air between, lie looser; and with water, closer. For I have not yet found certainly, that the water itself, by mixture of ashes or dust, will shrink or draw into less room. : Experiment solitary touching the making vines more fruitful. 35. It is reported of credit, that if you lay good store of kernels of grapes about the root of a vine, it will make the vine come earlier and prosper better. It may be tried with other kernels laid about the root of a plant of the same kind; as figs, kernels of apples, &c. The cause may be, for that the kernels draw out of the earth juice fit to nourish the tree, as those that would be trees of themselves, though there were no root; but the root being of greater strength robbeth and devoureth the nourishment, when they have drawn it: as great fishes devour little. Experiments in consort touching purging medicines. 36. The operation of purging medicines, and the causes thereof, have been thought to be a great secret; and so, according to the slothful manner of men, it is referred to a hidden propriety, a specifical virtue, and a fourth quality, and the like shifts of ignorance. The causes of purging are divers; all plain and perspicuous; and throughly maintained by experience. The first is, that whatsoever cannot be overcome and digested by the stomach, is by the stomach either put up by vomit, or put down to the guts; and by that motion of expulsion in the stomach and guts, other parts of the body, as the orifices of the veins, and the like, are moved to expel by consent. For nothing is more frequent than motion of consent in the body of man. This surcharge of the stomach is caused either by the quality of the medicine, or by the quantity. The qualities are three: extreme bitter, as in aloes, coloquintida, &c.; loathsome and of horrible taste, as in agaric, black hellebore, &c.; and of secret malignity, and disagreement towards man's body, many times not appearing much in the taste, as in scammony, mechoachan, antimony, &c. And note well, that if there be any medicine that purgeth, and hath neither of the first two manifest qualities, it is to be held suspected as a kind of poison; for that it worketh either by corrosion, or by a secret malignity, and enmity to nature; and therefore such medicines are warily to be prepared and used. The quantity of that which is taken doth also cause purging; as we see in a great quantity of new milk from the cow; yea, and a great quantity of meat; for surfeits many times turn to purges, both upwards and downwards. Therefore we see generally, that the working of purging medicines cometh two or three hours after the medicines taken; for that the stomach first maketh a proof, whether it can concoct them. And the like happeneth after surfeits, or milk in too great quantity. 37. A second cause is mordication of the orifices of the parts; especially of the mesentery veins; as it is seen, that salt, or any such thing that is sharp and biting, put into the fundament, doth provoke the part to expel; and mustard provoketh sneezing; and any sharp thing to the eyes provoketh tears. And therefore we see that almost all purgers have a kind of twitching and vellication, besides the grip. ing which cometh of wind. And if this mordication be in an over-high degree, it is little better than the corrosion of poison; as it cometh to pass sometimes in antimony, especially if it be given to bodies not replete with humours; for where humours abound, the humours save the parts. 38. The third cause is attraction: for I do not deny, but that purging medicines have in them a direct force of attraction; as drawing plaisters have in surgery: and we see sage or betony bruised, sneezing powder, and other powders, or liquor, which the physicians call errhines, put into the nose, draw phlegm and water from the head; and so it is in apophlegmatisms and gargarisms that draw the rheum down by the palate. And by this virtue, no doubt, some purgers draw more one humour, and some another, according to the opinion received: as rhubarb draweth choler; sena melancholy; agaric phlegm, &c.; but yet, more or less, they draw promiscuously. And note also, that besides sympathy between the purger and the humour, there is also another cause, why some medicines draw some humour more than another. And it is, for that some medicines work quicker than others: they that draw quick, draw only the lighter and more fluid humours; and they that draw slow, work upon the more tough and viscous humours. And therefore men must beware how they take rhubarb, and the like, alone familiarly; for it taketh only the lightest part of the humour away, and leaveth the mass of humours more obstinate. And the like may be said of wormwood, which is so much magnified. 39. The fourth cause is flatuosity; for wind stirred moveth to expel: and we find that, in effect, all purgers have in them a raw spirit or wind; which is the principal cause of tortion in the stomach and belly. And therefore purgers lose, most of them, the virtue, by decoction upon the fire; and for that cause are given chiefly in infusion, juice, or powder. 40. The fifth cause is compression or crushing: as when water is crushed out of a spunge: so we see that taking cold moveth looseness by contraction of the skin and outward parts; and so doth cold likewise cause rheums, and defluxions from the head; and some astringent plaisters crush out puru 41. The sixth cause is lubrefaction and relaxation. As we see in medicines emollient; such as are milk, honey, mallows, lettuce, mercurial, pellitory of the wall, and others. There is also a secret virtue of relaxation in cold for the heat of the body bindeth the parts and humours together, which cold relaxeth: as it is seen in urine, blood, pottage, or the like; which, if they be cold, break and dissolve. And by this kind of relaxation, fear looseneth the ily; because the heat retiring inwards towards the heart, the guts and other parts are relaxed; in the same manner as fear also causeth trembling in the snews. And of this kind of purgers are some medicines made of mercury. 42. The seventh cause is abstersion; which is plainly scouring off, or incision of the more viscous humours, and making the humours more fluid; and cutting between them and the part: as is found in nitrous water, which scoureth linen cloth speedily from the foulness. But this incision must be by a sharpness, without astriction: which we find in salt, ormwood, oxymel, and the like. that 43. There be medicines that move stools, and not urine; some other, urine, and not stools. Those purge by stool, are such as enter not at all, or ttle, into the mesentery veins; but either at the first are not digestible by the stomach, and therefore move immediately downwards to the guts; or else are afterwards rejected by the mesentery veins, and so turn likewise downwards to the guts; and of these wo kinds are most purgers. But those that move urine, are such as are well digested of the stomach, and well received also of the mesentery veins; so they come as far as the liver, which sendeth urine to the bladder, as the whey of blood: and those cies being opening and piercing, do fortify the non of the liver, in sending down the wheyey Part of the blood to the reins. For medicines uriwe do not work by rejection and indigestion, as ative do. 44. There be divers medicines, which in greater quantity move stool, and in smaller, urine and so trariwise, some that in greater quantity move trne, and in smaller, stool. Of the former sort is thubarb, and some others. The cause is, for that thubarb is a medicine which the stomach in a small antity doth digest and overcome, being not flatuous nor loathsome, and so sendeth it to the mesenry veins; and so being opening, it helpeth down urine: but in a greater quantity, the stomach cannot come it, and so it goeth to the guts. Pepper some of the ancients is noted to be of the second Furt which being in small quantity, moveth wind in the stomach and guts, and so expelleth by stool; 1. being in greater quantity, dissipateth the wind; and itself getteth to the mesentery veins, and so to the liver and reins; where, by heating and opening, it sendeth down urine more plentifully. Experiments in consort touching meats and drinks that are most nourishing. 45. We have spoken of evacuating of the body; we will now speak something of the filling of it by restoratives in consumptions and emaciating diseases. In vegetables, there is one part that is more nourishing than another; as grains and roots nourish more than the leaves; insomuch as the order of the Folietanes was put down by the pope, as finding leaves unable to nourish man's body. Whether there be that difference in the flesh of living creatures, is not well inquired: as whether livers, and other entrails, be not more nourishing than the outward flesh. We find that amongst the romans, a goose's liver was a great delicacy; insomuch as they had artificial means to make it fair and great; but whether it were more nourishing appeareth not. It is certain, that marrow is more nourishing than fat. And I conceive that some decoction of bones and sinews, stamped and well strained, would be a very nourishing broth: we find also that Scotch skinck, which is a pottage of strong nourishment, is made with the knees and sinews of beef, but long boiled: jelly also, which they use for a restorative, is chiefly made of knuckles of veal. The pulp that is within the crawfish or crab, which they spice and butter, is more nourishing than the flesh of the crab or crawfish. The yolks of eggs are clearly more nourishing than the whites. So that it should seem, that the parts of living creatures that lie more inwards, nourish more than the outward flesh; except it be the brain which the spirits prey too much upon, to leave it any great virtue of nourishment. It seemeth for the nourishing of aged men, or men in consumptions, some such thing should be devised, as should be half chylus, before it be put into the stomach. 46. Take two large capons; parboil them upon a soft fire, by the space of an hour or more, till in effect all the blood be gone. Add in the decoction the pill of a sweet lemon, or a good part of the pill of a citron, and a little mace. Cut off the shanks, and throw them away. Then with a good strong chopping-knife mince the two capons, bones and all, as small as ordinary minced meat; put them into a large neat boulter; then take a kilderkin, sweet and well seasoned, of four gallons of beer, of 8s. strength, new as it cometh from the tunning; make in the kilderkin a great bung-hole of purpose: then thrust into it the boulter, in which the capons are, drawn out in length; let it steep in it three days and three nights, the bung-hole open, to work, then close the bung-hole, and so let it continue a day and a half; then draw it into bottles, and you may drink it well after three days bottling; and it will last six weeks: approved. It drinketh fresh, flowereth and mantleth exceedingly; it drinketh not newish at all; it is an excellent drink for a consumption, to be drunk either alone, or carded with some other beer. It quencheth thirst, and hath no whit of windiness. Note, that it is not possible, that meat and bread, either in broths, or taken with drink, as is used, should get forth into the veins and outward parts, so finely and easily, as when it is thus incorporate, and made almost a chylus aforehand. 47. Trial would be made of the like brew with potatoe roots, or burr roots, or the pith of artichokes, which are nourishing meats: it may be tried also with other flesh; as pheasant, partridge, young pork, pig, venison, especially of young deer, &c. 48. A mortress made with the brawn of capons, stamped and strained, and mingled, after it is made, with like quantity, at the least, of almond butter, is an excellent meat to nourish those that are weak; better than blanckmanger, or jelly; and so is the cullice of cocks, boiled thick with the like mixture of almond butter; for the mortress or cullice, of itself, is more savoury and strong, and not so fit for nourishing of weak bodies; but the almonds, that are not of so high a taste as flesh, do excellently qualify it. 49. Indian maiz hath, of certain, an excellent spirit of nourishment; but it must be throughly boiled, and made into a maiz-cream like a barleycream. I judge the same of rice, made into a cream; for rice is in Turkey, and other countries of the east, most fed upon; but it must be throughly boiled in respect of the hardness of it, and also because otherwise it bindeth the body too much. 50. Pistachoes, so they be good, and not musty, joined with almonds in almond milk, or made into a milk of themselves, like unto almond milk, but more green, are an excellent nourisher: but you shall do well to add a little ginger, scraped, because they are not without some subtile windiness. : 51. Milk warm from the cow, is found to be a great nourisher, and a good remedy in consumptions: but then you must put into it, when you milk the cow, two little bags; the one of powder of mint, the other of powder of red roses; for they keep the milk somewhat from turning or curdling in the stomach; and put in sugar also, for the same cause, and partly for the taste's sake; but you must drink a good draught, that it may stay less time in the stomach, lest it curdle and let the cup into which you milk the cow, be set in a greater cup of hot water, that you may take it warm. And cow milk thus prepared, I judge to be better for a consumption, than ass milk, which, it is true, turneth not so easily, but it is a little harsh; marry it is more proper for sharpness of urine, and exulceration of the bladder, and all manner of lenifyings. Woman's milk likewise is prescribed, when all fail; but I commend it not, as being a little too near the juice of man's body, to be a good nourisher; except it be in infants, to whom it is natural. 52. Oil of sweet almonds, newly drawn, with sugar, and a little spice, spread upon bread toasted, is an excellent nourisher: but then to keep the oil from frying in the stomach, you must drink a good draught of mild beer after it; and to keep it from relaxing the stomach too much, you must put in a little powder of cinnamon. 53. The yolks of eggs are of themselves so well prepared by nature for nourishment, as, so they be | poached, or rare boiled, they need no other preparation or mixture; yet they may be taken also raw, when they are new laid, with Malmsey, or sweet wine you shall do well to put in some few slices of eryngium roots, and a little ambergrice; for by this means, besides the immediate faculty of nourish ment, such drink will strengthen the back, so that it will not draw down the urine too fast; for too much urine doth always hinder nourishment. 54. Mincing of meat, as in pies, and buttered minced meat, saveth the grinding of the teeth; and therefore, no doubt, it is more nourishing, especially in age, or to them that have weak teeth; but the butter is not so proper for weak bodies; and therefore it were good to moisten it with a little claret wine, pill of lemon or orange, cut small, sugar, and a very little cinnamon or nutmeg. As for chuets, which are likewise minced meat, instead of butter and fat, it were good to moisten them, partly with cream, or almond, or pistacho milk; or barley, or maiz-cream; adding a little coriander seed and caraway seed, and a very little saffron. The more full handling of alimentation we reserve to the due place. We have hitherto handled the particulars which yield best, and easiest, and plentifullest nourishment; and now we will speak of the best means of convey ing and converting the nourishment. 55. The first means is, to procure that the nourishment may not be robbed and drawn away; wherein that which we have already said is very material; to provide that the reins draw not too strongly an over great part of the blood into urine. To this add that precept of Aristotle, that wine be forborn in all consumptions; for that the spirits of the wine do prey upon the roscid juice of the body, and intercommon with the spirits of the body, and so deceive and rob them of their nourishment. And therefore if the consumption growing from the weakness of the stomach do force you to use wine, let it always be burnt that the quicker spirits may evaporate; or, at the least, quenched with two little wedges of gold, six or seven times repeated. Add also this provision, that there be not too much expense of the nourishment, by exhaling and sweating; and therefore if the patient be apt to sweat, it must be gently restrained. But chiefly Hippocrates's rule is to be followed, who adviseth quite contrary to that which is in use: namely, that the linen or garment next the flesh be, in winter, dry and oft changed; and in summer seldom changed, and smeared over with oil: for certain it is, that any substance that is fat, doti a little fill the pores of the body, and stay sweat in some degree: but the more cleanly way is, to have the linen smeared lightly over with oil of sweet almonds; and not to forbear shifting as oft as is fit. 56. The second means is, to send forth the nourishment into the parts more strongly; for which the working must be by strengthening of the stomach; and in this, because the stomach is chiefly comforted by wine and hot things, which otherwis hurt; it is good to resort to outward applications to the stomach: wherein it hath been tried, that the quilts of roses, spices, mastic, wormwood, mint, &c. nothing so helpful, as to take a cake of new bread, and to bedew it with a little sack, or Alicant; and to dry it; and after it be dried a little before the , to put it within a clean napkin, and to lay it to the stomach; for it is certain, that all flour hath a tent virtue of astriction; in so much as it harden4th a piece of flesh, or a flower, that is laid in it: and therefore a bag quilted with bran is likewise ser good; but it drieth somewhat too much, and herefore it must not lie long. 37. The third means, which may be a branch of former, is to send forth the nourishment the ter by sleep. For we see, that bears, and other tres that sleep in the winter, wax exceeding and certain it is, as it is commonly believed, that er doth nourish much; both for that the spirits less spend the nourishment in sleep, than when pag creatures are awake; and because, that which the present purpose, it helpeth to thrust out be nourishment into the parts. Therefore in aged and weak bodies, and such as abound not with Boler, a short sleep after dinner doth help to nour, for in such bodies there is no fear of an overa digestion, which is the inconvenience of postdan sleeps. Sleep also in the morning, after tting of somewhat of easy digestion, as milk the cow, nourishing broth, or the like, doth ster nourishment: but this would be done sitting 1, that the milk or broth may pass the more aly to the bottom of the stomach. 5. The fourth means is to provide that the parts res may draw to them the nourishment ngly. There is an excellent observation of le; that a great reason why plants, some of are of greater age than living creatures, is that they yearly put forth new leaves and boughs: tras living creatures put forth, after their period rowth, nothing that is young, but hair and A which are excrements, and no parts. And a most certain, that whatsoever is young, doth nourishment better than that which is old; then that which is the mystery of that observayoung boughs, and leaves, calling the sap up them, the same nourisheth the body in the pasAnd this we see notably proved also, in that oft cutting or polling of hedges, trees, and rs, doth conduce much to their lasting. Transfer Afore this observation to the helping of nourWent in living creatures: the noblest and princiage whereof is, for the prolongation of life; rePrinon of some degree of youth; and inteneration parts: for certain it is, that there are in living es parts that nourish and repair easily, and that nourish and repair hardly and you must hand renew those that are easy to nourish, the other may be refreshed, and, as it were, kin nourishment in the passage. Now we see draught oxen, put into good pasture, recover efish of young beef; and men after long emang diets wax plump and fat, and almost new: that you may surely conclude, that the frequent wise use of those emaciating diets, and of purgand perhaps of some kind of bleeding, is a cipal means of prolongation of life, and restoring some degree of youth: for as we have often said, death cometh upon living creatures like the torment of Mezentius: Mortua quin etiam jungebat corpora vivis, Componens manibusque manus, atque oribus ora. EN. viii. 485 For the parts in man's body easily reparable, as spirits, blood, and flesh, die in the embracement of the parts hardly reparable, as bones, nerves, and membranes; and likewise some entrails, which they reckon amongst the spermatical parts, are hard to repair: though that division of spermatical and menstrual parts be but a conceit. And this same observation also may be drawn to the present purpose of nourishing emaciated bodies: and therefore gentle frication draweth forth the nourishment, by making the parts a little hungry, and heating them; whereby they call forth nourishment the better. This frication I wish to be done in the morning. It is also best done by the hand, or a piece of scarlet wool, wet a little with oil of almonds, mingled with a small quantity of bay-salt, or saffron we see that the very currying of horses doth make them fat, and in good liking. 59. The fifth means is, to further the very act of assimilation of nourishment; which is done by some outward emollients, that make the parts more apt to assimilate. For which I have compounded an ointment of excellent odour, which I call Roman ointment; vide the receipt. The use of it would be between sleeps; for in the latter sleep the parts assimilate chiefly. Experiment solitary touching Filum medicinale. 60. There be many medicines, which by themselves would do no cure, but perhaps hurt; but being applied in a certain order, one after another, do great cures. I have tried, myself, a remedy for the gout which hath seldom failed, but driven it away in twenty-four hours space: it is first to apply a poultis, of which vide the receipt, and then a bath, or fomentation, of which vide the receipt; and then a plaister, vide the receipt. The poultis relaxeth the pores, and maketh the humour apt to exhale. The fomentation calleth forth the humour by vapours; but yet in regard of the way made by the poultis draweth gently; and therefore draweth the humour out, and doth not draw more to it; for it is a gentle fomentation, and hath withal a mixture, though very little, of some stupefactive. The plaister is a moderate astringent plaister, which repelleth new humour from falling. The poultis alone would make the part more soft and weak, and apter to take the defluxion and impression of the humour. The fomentation alone, if it were too weak, without way made by the poultis, would draw forth little; if too strong, it would draw to the part, as well as draw from it. The plaister alone would pen the humour already contained in the part, and so exasperate it, as well as forbid new humour. Therefore they must be all taken in order, as is said. The poultis is to be laid to for two or three hours; the fomentation for a quarter of an hour, or somewhat better, being used hot, and seven or eight |