Three prose versions of the Secreta Secretorum / edited with an introduction and notes by Robert Steele and a glossary by T. Henderson

Now here y translate yow, out of latyn into englysℏ, the techynges Whyche ye shall mowen kepe helth of body and of corage, that ye may the moore Worthely by bounte and delyuernesse, gouerne al that in youre iurysdiccioun Is. Capitulum lxjm.

aL the wyse Philosofers in oone accorde sayne that iiije elementes bene in the worlde, Wherof euery corruptabill thynge is makyd; that Is to witte, Erthe, Watyr, Eeyre,

and fyre: And euery of thes hath two ProPyrteis; The Erthe is colde and dry; The watyr is colde and moiste; The eeire hote and moyste; The fyre hote and dry. In the body of euery man ben iiije humorus, answarynge to the iiije elementes: and like propyrteis therof they haue. Malencoly, colde and dry; Fleme, colde and moysty; Sangyne, hote and̛ moyste; Colerike, hote and dry; And for-als-moche as thes Propyrteis bene contraryus, ne may not the body alway endure, but hit moste turne and repayre into the iiije [folio 77bL] Elementes of wych hit was makyd̛. And thegh the body may not alway endure, hit may endure longe tyme, yf the kynde of man be Well y-noryschid and in due manere, by ettynge and drynkynge like as we sene the mecche of a candill whych is y-lyghtid, Is y-nurshit by the oile Wych is about hit, and yf the oy[le ne] [Blotted here.] were, the mecche shulde bene anoone brent and destruet. In the Same manere yf [th]e kyndely hette ne were y-nurshit by mette and drynke, in shorte tyme hit wolde destru the body. Ouer that hit most haue mesure and proporcion̄, for yf the mecche be ouer depe y-sette in the oyle, hit shall anoone be y-queynte; And yf a man do surfete of mette and drynke, the kyndely hette shal be enfebelit; and anoone by that may a man fall Into Sekenys and aftyr that dey. for Salamon Sayth, "Many Pepill bene Perishid by glotony." Mesure in al thynge helth kepyth, and therfor haue mesure in mete and drynke, in slepynge in wakynge, in trauaill in reste, in blode-lettynge and in all othyr thyngis. And whoso doth not so, he shal fale into dyuers sekenys Sudaynly. And who-so may not atte the ryght mesure, radyr hym holde to the lytill than to the moche; More lyghtyr may the defaute be restorid, than the super-fluyte be y-Put away. Of ypocras the vyse leche hit is writte, that grete abstynence he dide, and therfor in a certayne tyme he wox febill of body, and oone of his disciplis to hym sayde, "Fayre Maystyr, yf ye wolde ette welle, ye sholde not be so febill." Ypocras answarid, "Fayre sone, I wolde ette forto lyfe, and not lyfe to ette." Wel hit Is knowen that tho men whych kepyth reysonabill diette and lywen temprely, bene more hole of body, of bettyr vndyrstondynge, more delyuerir, more strongyr, more lyueloker, more sufferynge and durynge trauailles and dyssayses, and bene of more longyr lyfe.