The regiment of life, whereunto is added a treatise of the pestilence, with the boke of children, newly corrected and enlarged by T. Phayre

¶The humours which be in na∣ture, and howe they are deuyded,

THe bodye of man is cōpact of foure hu∣mors, that is to say: Bloude, Phlegme, Choler, & Melan∣cholye, whych hu∣mours are called y^e sonnes of the Ele∣mentes, because they be complexioned lyke the four elementes. For lyke as the ayre is hote and moyste: so is the bloud hote and moyst. And as fyer is hote and dry: so is choler hote & drye. And as water is colde and moist: so is phlegme colde and moiste. And as the yearth is colde and dry: so melācholy is colde and dry. Whereby it apereth

that there be nyne complexions. Whereof .iiii, be symple, y^t is to wete hote, colde, moyst, and dry: and .iiii. cō∣plexions compounde: that is, hote and moyst, which is the complexion of the ayre and of blood. Hote & dry, whiche is the complexion of the fyre, and of cholere. Colde and moist, which is the cōplexcion of the water & of phlegme: and colde and dry, that is the comple∣xion of earth and of melancholie. The nynth complexion is temperate, ney∣ther to hote nor to colde, nor to moyst nor to drye, whych yet is a thing very seldome sene amonge men. After the phisicions, the sayde foure humours gouerne & rule euery one in his place and enduce mē to be of the complexi∣ons folowyng.

¶The complexion of the phlegma∣tyke.

• Phlegme enclyneth a man to be
  • well fourmed.
  • a sleper.
  • dul of vnderstandyng.
  • full of spattle.
  • full of coloure.

¶The cōplexcions of the sanguyne.

• Blood causeth one to be
  • full of fleshe.
  • liberall.
  • amyable.
  • curtyse.
  • merye.
  • inuentyue.
  • bolde.
  • lecherous.
  • of red coloure

¶The cōplexcions of the cholerike.

• Cholere cau∣seth a mā to be
  • hastye.
  • enuyous.
  • couetous.
  • subtyle.
  • cruell.
  • a watcher.
  • prodigall.
  • leane, and of yelowe coloure.

¶The complexions of the me∣lancholyke.

• Melancholy maketh one,
  • Solytarye.
  • Soft spirited.
  • Fearfull.
  • Heauye.
  • Curyous.
  • Enuious.
  • Couetous.
  • Blacke of coloure.

¶These be the foure humours wher∣of the bodyes are compounded, & eue∣ry one of them hath a special dominiō in respect of al the other, according to the age, that is to say, from a mannes natiuitie, til he come to .xxv. yeres, the bloud hath most power, and from that time to the yeare of his age .xxxv. ray∣gneth the Choler, for then commethe heate into the vaynes, and the choler begynneth to aryse and be strong. Then cōmeth myddle age, and bryn∣geth forthe melancholye, an humoure colde and dry, and hath his enduraūce tyl fyfty yeres, or ther about, at which

tyme all the humours of the body be∣gynne to diminyshe, and the naturall heate by lytle and lytle dothe abate. And thē succedeth olde age vnto deth, in the which age phlegme hath y^e prī∣cipal power and dominion. Wherfore it shalbe necessarye for al that be of y^e age, to cōfort their bodyes with some natural heate and meates of good no∣ryshyng, as yolkes of egges potched, good and yonge fleshe, wheate bread, & good wyne, and all suche thynges as engendre good bloud and spirites, whereof we entende (by the suffe∣raunce of God) to declare more aboundauntly hereafter.

¶Here followeth the descripcion of inwarde and outwarde diseases, wyth the moste holsome and expert reme∣dies for the cure therof, appro∣priat to euery membre tho∣roughout the body.