De morbo Gallico·

¶ The maner of cu∣rynge. Capi∣tulo .viij. (Book 8)

THe pacient must be kepte in a close chambre, without ayre or wynde / where fyre must be nourysshed contynually: or els he must be in a stewe, after the maner of Almayn, whiche sha••l not nede alwayes to be kepte hotte, but muste be close, and defended from ayre, that no ayre blowe vppon hym for the tyme of this curation: he must also be∣ware of colde. Therfore if he be cured in wynter, or in Autumne, he muste soke, that he haue fyre in his chaumber, erely in the mornynge speciallye before daye: for than is the colde feruente: he muste cause the cleftes of the wyndowes, if any be, to be stopped with playster, or other lyke mat∣ter: and vppon the chaumbre doore muste he hange carpettes, or other lyke thyn∣ges, within and withoute, that no colde or ayre entre into the chaumbre / or comme oute. whanne he is thus ordered, his meate muste be dymynisshed. Fyrste the fourthe parte of that he was wonte to take, and than the thyrde parte, and shortely after the one halfe, that he maye lerne to beare hunger•• and his wyne muste be well wate∣red. Thanne muste he take a pourgacyon,

other with regarde that hit be suche a one as shall be thought sufficient to cutte awaye the cause, or take awaye the matter, that norissheth the disease, other such a one with∣oute any regarde at all, as maye emptye the hoole bealy. For that thynge, as I perceyue, onely is requyred, whiche thynge done, thanne maye ye thervppon begynne this worke after this maner. The dococ∣tion whiche was fyrste sodden and is stron∣gest, must be ministred vnto him twise a day mylke warme, a gobblet or cyat ones in the mornyng at .v. of. the clocke, or ther about / and agayn at nyght, at viii. of the clocke, we call a ciates, a cuppe that wyll receyue half a pound, wherof we may gather, seing .viii. pounde of water is required to the sethynge of one pounde of wod, & the one halfe ther∣of muste be consumed in the sething, that so there muste .iiii. pounde remayne, and muste drynke therof twyse a day, that the decoc∣tion of one pounde of Guaiacum is suffy∣cient for foure dayes. For hit is nowe a commen maner with phisitions, to mea∣sure theyr syquores by weyghte, and they haue cleane caste vp the names of measu∣res. It muste be dronke at one draughte withoute any brethe takynge,

After he hath dronke, lette hym reste more than .iiii. houres, and let hym the fyrste .ii. be couered / that by the helpe of heate this medicine maye be digested abrode into the membres, and the pacient maye swete out that that noyeth. whiche thyng to do howe profytable it is, I wyll declare whan place cometh. And it shall not hurt, if he be close couered one hole houre before he drynke, that he may be hotte.

¶Some wyll not in any wyse he shuld rise frome his bedde in fyue houres after he hath taken his ciates of drynke.

¶He must take his meate in the myddaye, and not before, and than as lyttell as may be, for this medicine aboue all thynges re∣quireth an emptye bealy. And therfore he muste eate, nat to fyll his emptynes, but to beare vppe the lyfe, not to gather strength but to kepe hym self frō feinting. Nother is there any ieoperdy to be feared. For Gua∣iacum hath great strength in it selfe both to refresshe, and also to comforte, not suche as be full / but onely those that are emptye. Ye they saye, that none faylleth, eate he ne∣uer so lyttell, so that he drynke faythfully this decoction. In the meane tyme, he shall not be anoynted in the out syde, excepte he

haue soores or swellynges. And for this there is a whyte oyntment made of Cerus∣sa, rose oyle of rosis, with camphire, whi∣che is layde on with a lynnen clothe. Some anoynt them only with the skom of Guaia∣cum, or els drye it into pouder, and caste it vppon them. And besydes this skomme / there is nothyng of this decoction occupied in the out parte. Some be healed in shorte tyme / and some in longe. The moste parte in .xxx. dayes. They commaunde hym to be pourged agayne the .xv. daye. For this reason I thynke, bycause as Alexander A∣phrodicius thynketh / they that hunger and receyue not theyr meate as they were won•• to do, falle awaye / and gather a certayne sharpe matter and eger / so that suche mater muste be auoyded, that the body of the sike may be emptie. This decoction shall not be dronken that mornynge / whan he receiueth his purgation: but at nyght lette hym take it agayne: and after that day, he may eate more largely. And agayne the .xxx. daye more liberally: how be it this more liberal∣ly, and that more largely must be very lyt∣tell•• as I shall shewe you in the next chapi∣ter. But some, leste any impediment shulde be to lette the operation of this medicine /

haue kepte one order of eatynge equallye through out the .xxx. dayes: and truly the stronglyer a man abideth to hunger, the bet¦ter and more quyckely he shall be healed. And although the desyre of eatyng growe dayly more and more, yet must he remem∣bre to absteyne, comfortynge him selfe with the suretie of helth, if he so do. For the bo∣dye beynge so wasted and emptied, not only with hunger / but also with sweat, ye being longe tyme as a deed bodye, through the greuousnes of this euyll, shall hyghe faste to the appetyte of meate and drynke.

¶Whan this cure is comme to an ende, ••o that the sycke is almos••e redy to go abrode, he muste than take agayne some medicine to purge hym with, but so that after that pur∣ga••ion / he may drinke agayne as he dydde before .iiij. or sixe dayes space, wherwith they make vp the hole cure. Some wyl not that he shulde go out of the chambre, where he lyeth, before he be through hoole. Some thynke .xxx. dayes suffycient to kepe his chambre: and that he may than go forthe, but yet warely by lyttell and lyttell, and not streyght in to the open ayre: but fyrste he must walke in the same house, from cham¦bre to chaumbre, and than to some neygh∣bours

house, nat ferre of: vntyll he be vsed to suffer the ayre. For there may be no so∣deyne chaunge / but muste vse hym selfe to all thynges by lyttell and lyttell. And that whiche remayneth of the syckenesse they say wyll lyghtely be hoole / after he ones stere abrode. And that to be trew I haue proued in my selfe. For whan the .xxx. dayes were passed / the soores of my legges were nat yet closed, and therfore I kepte .x. dayes more. And whan these .x. days were gone / yet was not I hoole. Wherfore, feryng the colde, bycause wynter than begonne, I in∣tended to kepe in other .x. dayes: but I was compelled by the phisitions counsell to go abrode, and put it in auenture / which thyng happed not amysse. Howe be it the soores that I had than, were not depe in the fleshe, or swollen outwarde: but onely in the hier parte of the skynne, and lacked nothynge els but skynne to couer them with: whiche they had scantly the .xl. daye after I went out. And I that tyme, in very sharpe wyn∣ter, made my iourneye frome Vindele into Fraunce. The causes of this slowe hea∣lyng I dyd coniect this to be. The phisition suffred me to eate more mete (as I after per¦ceyued) than I shulde haue done, and also

he sodde my drynke thynner than he ought. For I occupied nat fully .v. pounde of this wodde, where as other o••cupye .viii. and some .x. wherin my phisition was deceyued. For he, seinge my body weke of nature / and moreouer extenuated & consumed with the longe contynuance of this grefe, thought that a lyttell thynge was sufficient to driue away the disease / and for that cause fedde me the largelyer, fearynge soore leeste my strength shulde fayle me: which was double erroure. For so moche as he oughte not to haue loked what my body was thanne, but what maner body it was wonte to be, and agayn the nature of this medicine is suche, that it wyl suffer none to faynt for lacke of strengthe. Wherfore be they neuer so weke, they ought not therfore to ministre the lesse, but rather somwhat the more. For it dothe nothing sodenly, but werketh helth by lytel & litel. And therfore I alow best that decoc¦tion, that was longest at the fyre / and is comme to a lyttell of moche wode: so that I wolde counsaylle them, to the intente hit mought be the stronger, to sethe hit often tymes to the thyrde parte.

¶And if any wolde be lose belyed, that is wonte to be bounde / they wyll hym to take

the pouder of Guaiacum soddē in the wa∣ter, and to drynke halfe and vnce therof in the mornynge. And if that helpe not at the fyrste, to go th••••vnto agayne. But this fra¦med nat with me / no nat whanne I toke it agayne.