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

Now hit is to witte of the gouernaunce of the body aftyr mette. Capitulum lxvm.

whan a lord hath ettyn, good is to stonde awhyle and softely to walke, noght vpon harde erthe ne Pament, but vpon erthe nesshly y-st[r]awet or russhet, for that shal make the mette aisely descende by litill and lytill, into the botum of the stomake. Sethyn hit is good to reste and slepe in a softe bedde, in clothis fresshe wel oduret, Fryst vpon the ryght syde and aftyr vpon the lyfte syde, and on that syde of the, slepe an ende to make, for that syde is moste colde and moste nedyth to be ychafit. Slepynge afor mette drieth the moysture of the body, and hit makyth lene, but slepyng aftyr mette nurrishet the body and streyntyth. For whyle that a man slepyth, al the wittis restyth; and than retretith the natural hette that spredyth abrode throgh al the body, and to the v wittis. hit servyth to the stomake and to the entraiƚƚ, and than thay gederith hare streynth and vertu, wyche was amenuset and febelit whan hit was attendynge to al the wittis and meuynges of the body. And therfor sum Philosofers sayne that hit were more holsome to the body to ette atte euynsonge-tyme than atte myde-day. For atte myde-day the v wittes bene in trauaille, and the corage of man is by that y-trauaillit, also by slepynge, by thogh, and by dyuers othyr thynges that a man hath to done, and in tymes by hette Of the sone, wyche more schewyth his vertue atte that tyme of the day: and therfore the natural hette atte myde-day is a lasse stronge, and the stomake is of lasse Powere to defy the mette, but atte evyne we seene [folio 70b] al the contrary, ffor atte that tyme the V wittys restyth Ham of Hare trauaillys, and the dyssayses of the day bene Passid, and the nyght comyth, wych is grauntid to reste; [folio 81L] and the colde of the nyght chasyth the natural hette towarde the stomake and the entraiƚƚ; and by so mych hym helpyth the vertue dygestyfe that was destrubbit by the hette of the Sone that drawyth to hym the kyndely hette of the extremyteis of the body. For kyndly hette drawyth hete, and colde hit destroubyth. And hit is to witte, that to kepe covstoume is moche wourth to mayntene hele, so that hit be not surfetouse; and than hit sholde not be sodaynly chaungid that

wyche is custoumet, but slowly by lytill and by litill. Therfor he that is custumet to ette two tymes in the day, yf he wythdrawe hym sodaynly, anone he may grevaunce take; and moche may more dout that man wych was wonyt but ette onys, and aftyr that he ettyth two tymes in oone day. ffor the stomake shal be nuet to resceue more charge than hit was wonyt, Also hit is to witte that he that chaungith the houre of ettynge shall fele greuaunce of kynde by reyson of both thes thynges, ffor custume is the seconde nature, and therfor who-so chaungyth custume hastely, he shall greuaunce recewe, like as the nature or complexciou were chaungid, and that wych is sayde of mettis and drynkys, hit shal be vndyrstond̛ in the same maner of othyr custume, as of slepynge, of trauaiƚƚ, of restynge, and of al othyr thyngis.