On rising, empty your bladder and belly, nose and lungs. Cleanse your whole body. On Rising, Diet, and Going to Bed. (FROM Sir John Harington's 'Schoole of Salerne,' 2ND PART. The Preserbation of Health, or a Dyet for the Healthfull Also to prosecute our former purpose, when you arise in the morning, to auoyd all superfluities, as well by vrine as by the belly, which doe at the least euery day. Auoid also from the nostrils and the lungs all filthy matter, as wel by clensing, as by spittle, and clense the face, head, and whole body; & loue you to be cleane and wel apparelled, for from our cradles let vs abhor vncleannes, which neither nature or reason can endure. When you haue done these things, reSay your Prayers. member to powre foorth your prayers vnto God with a cleare voice, that the day may be happy and prosperous vnto you, that God may direct your actions to the glory of his name, the profit of your country, & the conseruation of your bodies. Then walke ye gently, and what excrements soeuer do slip down to the inferiour parts, being excited by naturall heate, the excretion thereof shall the better succeed. Walk gently, go to stool, [* Page 42.] Work in the forenoon. As for your businesses, whether they be publike or priuate, let them be done with a certaine honesty; then afterwards let your hunting iourneyes bee performed; apply your selues to studie and serious businesse the precious stone houres of the fore-noone, and so likewise in the afternoone, till twoor three houres before supper: alwaies in your hands vse eyther Corall or yellow Amber, or a Always wear a Chalcedonium, or a sweet Pommander, or some like precious stone to be worne in a ring vpon the little finger of the left hand: haue in your rings eyther a in a ring; Smaragd, a Saphire, or a Draconites, which you shall beare for an ornament: for in stones, as also in hearbes, there is great efficacie and vertue, but they are not altogether perceived by vs: hold sometime in your hold a crystal mouth eyther a Hyacinth, or a Crystall, or a Granat, or pure Gold, or Siluer, or else sometimes pure Sugarcandy. For Aristotle doth affirme, and so doth Albertus Magnus, that a Smaragd worne about the necke, is good against the Falling-sicknes: for surely the vertue of an hearbe is great, but much more the vertue of a for the virtue of precious stone, which is very likely that they are [* Page 43.] endued with occult and hidden vertues. in your mouth; precious stones is great. day. Feede onely twice a day, when yee are at mans Eat only twice a age: neuerthelesse to those that are subiect to choller, it is lawful to feede often: beginne alwayes your dinner and supper with the more liquid meates, sometimes with drinkes. In the time betweene dinner and Don't drink between dinner supper, abstain altogether from cups, vnlesse necessitie and supper. or custome doe require the same: notwithstanding the same custome being so vitious, must be by little and little changed. Don't have one fixed hour I would not that you should obserue a certaine houre, either for dinners or suppers, as I haue sufficiently told you before, lest that daily custome should be for your meals. altered into nature and after this intermission of this custome of nature, hurt may follow; for custome doth imitate nature, and that which is accustomable, the very same thing is now become naturall. Take your meate in the hotte time of Summer in cold places, but in the Winter let there bee a bright In Winter eat in hot well-aired places. [ Page 44.] Fast for a day now and then, Eat more at supper than dinner. After meals, wash your face, and clean your teeth, e hat and walk soberly. Don't sit up late. [* Page 45.] Before bed, rub your body gently. Undress by a fire in Winter, fire, and take it in hotte places, your parlors or Chambers being first purged and ayred with suffumigations, which I would not haue you to *enter before the suffumigation bee plainely extinct, lest you draw the fume by reason of the odour. And seeing one and the same order of diet doth not promiscuously agree with all men, take your meate in order, as is before said, and sometimes also intermit the vse of meats for a whole day together, because through hunger, the faults of the stomacke which haue beene taken eyther by much drinking or surfetting, or by any other meanes, may be depelled and remoued. By this meanes also your bodies shall be better accustomed to endure and suffer hunger and fasting, Let your suppers bee eyther in iourneyes or wars. more larger then your dinners, vnlesse nightly diseases or some distilations doe afflict you. After meat taken, neither labour in body nor mind must be vsed, and wash the face and mouth with cold water, clense the teeth either with Iuory, or a Harts horne, or some picker of pure siluer or gold. After your banquets, passe an houre or two in pleasant talkes, or walke yee very gently and soberly, neither vse much watchings long in the night, but the space of two howres goe to your bed; but if honest * businesse doe require you to watch, then sleepe afterwards so much the longer, that your sleepe may well recompence your former watchings. Before that you go to your bed, gently smooth down your head, armes, and shoulders, the back and all the body, with a gentle and soft rubbing, vnlesse you meane to do it in the morning to mooue distribution, whose time is best to be done in the morning. In the Winter, sitting by the fire, put off your garments, and dry your feet by the fire, neuerthelesse auoyd the heat and the smoke, because it is very hurtfull both to the lungs, and the eyes. garments well. In the Winter time, warme well your garments at and warm your the fire, and warm the linings of the same, for it helpeth concoction, and remoueth all humidity and moysture. But my father did not allow of this custome, warning men of strength, and those that are borne for the Common-wealth, not to accustom themselves to such kind of softnesse, which doe weaken our bodies. Also when you put off your garments to go to bed, then put Put off your cares away all your cogitations, & lay them aside, whether they be publike or priuate, for when all your *members be free from all cares, you shall then sleep the quieter, concoction and the other naturall actions shall best be performed. to with your clothes, [* Page 46.] up again in the But in the morning when you rise againe, resume and take them your selues your former dayes thoughts and cares; morning. for this precept my Father had often in his mouth, therfore I deliuer it vnto you as the more worthy of your obseruation. |