The ffurste Chapitle of þe þridde techynge is of difference of woundes & olde woundes & off generall cures.

¶ We schulle vndirstonde þat wounde, olde wounde, ffestre, cancre y-wondyde, a bon out of loynt, a bon tobroken, Aposteme, alle þese ben y-clepyde vndoynge of þat þat ys hol, & alle þese seknesse & manye oþere as wel mowe fallen to consimile membrys. as to oficial membris. Vulnus is a newe wounde. Vlcus ys an olde rotyde wounde. I schall [folio 43b] tellen in here place þe dyfference of festre & cancre & apostemys. Plage comynliche ys y-taken of an olde wonde; and ofte tyme we fynden, þat an olde wounde ys y-clepyde Vulnus, as Ipocres seiþ: Vulnera Annua necesse est in eis os tabefieri & cicatrices concavas fieri. ¶ That is to sugge, it ys ned, þat þe bon in an olde wounde to be rotyd, & þe Cicatrices to be holwe. Cicatrice ys þe place of þe skyn above the wounde, whenne þat yt is hol. Some wounde buþ symple & some ben componyde. In tweye manere he ys clepyde a symple wounde. On manere, for he haþ noȝt leste of flesch; an oþere maner, for he haþ non oþere seknesse with hym, ne is noȝt distempride. A wounde componed ys y-clepyde contrarye to hym þat is symple. But boþe symple & also componydPage  32 some tyme is in þe flesch oþere in þe synwe oþer in bon, oþere in veyne, oþere in arterie. Also þese wondes han dyverse causes. Some comen from wiþynne of þe malice, oþere of to gret multytude of humores; *forto gret multitude of humores oþere while tobrekyth þe membre, þat wiþholdiþ & woundiþ hym cold matere streyneþ, drye matere kutteþ, moistnesse withouten matere makeþ no wounde, but selden with matere, but he drawiþ þe lyme to brode. And also þe cause wiþout may be dyverse, oþerwhyle with a swerd, ore with a þynge þat kutteþ alonge, oþerwhile with a knyff, oþere a spere, oþere an arwe þat [folio 44a] prykeþ, & somme ben made wiþ a stafe, oþere with a ston, oþere with fallynge, & somme ben mad with bytinge of an hound, oþere of a wod hounde; & alle þese ben dyverse, after þe dyverste of here cause; & also þe manere of helynge ys dyverse. Alle þe entensioun of helynge of woundes, ys forto sowdyn & to helyn, & to restoren þat þat is departyde, whiche þat may noȝt overe al be don. Ffor ȝif þat membres of offyce ben kutte of, þey mowe nevere ben restoryd; ne non of þe consimile membres may be restoryde, & he be don awey: as bonys, pellicules, grustles, ligamentis & schyn. Ffor þe cause of here generacioun is þe sperme of þe ffadire & þe modere, as y tolde tofore; but in place of thynge þat is lore, kynde restoryth þat þat is most convenient to þat place; but the flesch may be restoryd, by cause þat þe blod ys engendredPage  33 al day in vs, & þe blod ys þe matere of flesch; & somme suggen þat veynes, synwes, & arteries myȝte nouȝt be restoryde as þey were tofore; but þey mowe be restoryd as bonys buþ. But Galien & Avycene, & I þat am expert here suggynge, suggen þat þey mowe be restoryde with verrey consolidacioun, whanne þat here kuttynge ys lytell, & whenne þat þe synwys þat buþ newe kutte beþ so wyde aȝeyne; but þey mowe noȝt be consouded, whanne þat here kuttynge ys gret & myche; & resoun grauntyth yt. Synwys by kynde buþ nessche and viscose; & þerefore þey mowe ben consouded. Þe veynes & þe arteries mowe be consouded by resoun of þe blod þat ys in hem. I þynke to ordeynen eche Chapitell [folio 44b] be hym selven, aftere þe dyversite of lymes & of placys, whyche þat þey buþ y-made yn; & y wyl begynne at a symple wounde y-mad in flesch.