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ALthough we spake before of the smalle and thyn fe∣dynge, that the sycke muste vse, and how his meat must be diminished, & he brought to hunger / yet we thynke it very necessary to warne you ones agayne of the same thynge, in this place: not onely bi∣cause
this medicine requyreth a voyde and an emptye bodye / from all maner fulnes / but also bycause I wolde declare / t••at in olde tyme the••e was a lyke maner to cure the like. And we may also rede in Diodoro, that the Egiptians dydde heale theyr sycke other with fastynge or els with vomyt. For they affirme, as he recyteth / that sycknesses are ingendred specially of the superfluite of meate: And therfore they thought that way of curynge to make moste vnto helthe / that taketh awaye the fyrste causes of the disease. Let not therfore these dronkerdes, these intemperate felowes, gyuen to surfe∣tynge / be greued with this dyete, whiche as Persius sayth, delyteth only in delitious fe∣dynge, and may lyue scantely halfe a daye without meate: whose bealy as the prophet saythe, is their god, and all theyr mynde and lyfe is nothynge but fedynge. Let suche felowes, as I sayde, ceasse theyr grudging against this dyete / seynge that therby so ex∣cellent and so good a thyng is obteyned, and so great an euyll is auoyded with so lyttell labour. And let them not than in this thing speake of the great ieoperdye, whiche maye comme of weakenes, through longe absti∣nence: as who saith, that he may faynt, that
eateth after this maner. For Plinie saithe, that none dyeth for lacke of meate before the .vii. day: and may continue vntyl the .xi. day. And al be it he wryteth, that in his time there was a woman in Germani, which ly∣ued sometyme full twentye dayes withoute meate: and sometyme .xxx. And that he sawe a man, whiche continued .vij. weakes without meate, drynkyng euery seconde day onely water. Plinie also sayth, that he kno∣weth for a suretie / that the Scythians ha∣uynge certayne herbes in theyr mouthes, a∣byde hūger & thyrst somtyme .xij. days. And some also say, that the christen philosopher Amonius / neuer eate but only tosted bread / whiche thynge if any man greatly meruaile at, lette hym remembre / that this is also wrytten in the storyes, that certayne of the mages lyued ones by meale and herbes on∣ly. And that Diodore writeth, that the olde Egiptians meate was herbes and rotes. And Hesiodus monyssheth / saying, we shuld lyue & eate Malus & asphodelo. And Pla∣to writynge of the lawes maketh mention, that Epimenides was contented sometyme so to lyue. If any man wyl set these thinges before his eies, & cōsider thē, thā shal he per¦ceiue, yt we liue very deinteously in this diete
and do take in a maner more than nedeth. But if it were a very harde thynge to ab∣steyne so from meate, what is he that loueth hym selfe so lytell, but he wolde to get his helthe, suffer this griefe? or that hadde not leuer suffer .xxx. dayes hunger, than to be s••cke as longe as he lyueth? or had nat le∣uer passe ouer so many dayes with stronger hunger / that he may lyue the resydue of his lyfe holle and sounde of bodye / than to a∣uoyde this lyttell griefe, and to be tourmen∣ted all the dayes of his lyfe with intollera∣ble sorowes, and to haue runnynge frome hym stynkynge and fylthye matter? I haue tolde you: that this is no new maner of cu∣rynge: for alwayes the best phisitions haue commaunded abstinence to the sycke. Of the whiche nombre is Asclepiades, who, as Celsus saythe, wryteth, that the moste so∣ueraygne remedy agaynste the feuer is, as he hath proued it, to diminysshe the strength of the pacient with moche watche and absti∣nence, in so moche that at the fyrste begyn∣nynge of the syckenes, they shulde not so moche as wasshe theyr mouthe.
¶Abstinence, sayth Eusebius, both kepeth the bodyly helthe / and the shamefastnes of mynde. Wherby it appereth, that lyttel and
perate fedynge is profytable to the flesshe and the soule, as wytnesseth Timotheus, whiche being on a season with Plato at sup∣per, hauynge before hym suche meate as he was wonte to haue / tourned towarde his frendes & sayd: They that Plato receiueth to souper, shall be well at ease longe after, meanynge that after moche eatynge of dy∣uers and aboundant costly dysshes, deynte∣ously dressed, there folowed euyll and rawe digestion, and greatte grefe of the stomake. Wherfore afterwarde whan it chaunced him to mete with Plato, he sayde vnto hym: Ye Plato do ete this day rather for to morowe than for the tyme present.
¶And in Lucian Gallus the cocke Pitha∣gory iugeth it a gret benefyt of god gyuē to Micyllus, because he coude alway with hū¦ger auoyde all feuers. And for that cause was without suche disease. Nowe what shall we saye to that, whiche as saynte Hie∣rome wryteth, that certayne diseased with the ioynt ache and the gowte, after theyr goodes were gone, and were fro them, and were broughte to poore fare and symple meate, they dydde recouer theyr helth? For they (sayth saynt Hierome) toke no thought nor care for theyr housholde, and the habū∣dance
of meate and drynke / which do breke both the body and the soule. And anon a••ter he sayth: There is nothynge that dullethe a mannes mynde so moche as a full bealy: rysynge and tournynge hyder and thyther, blowynge out wynde with baskynge fysting and fartynge.
¶This story maye be a lernynge vnto ma∣ny men, whiche is redde of a certayne great belyed & fatte abbot. As he was caryed vn∣to certayn bathes, hit fortuned hym to mete with a gentylman, who asked hym, whyther he was goynge? the abbotte made hym an∣swere and sayde, that he muste go vnto the bathes. Why (quod the gentylman) are ye sycke? Naye (quod the abbotte) I am not sycke, but I haue no maner appetite vnto my meate. I go ther••ore nowe vnto the ba∣thes to gette agayne myne appetite / whiche I dyd of late lose: for they are holsomme therfore. Verily ({que} the gentylman) In this thynge I can be a better phisition vnto you. And toke the abbot with hym, & put hym in to a depe & darke dongeon, where he fedde hym certayne dayes hungerly: and than at laste he asked hym / whither he had an appe¦tite to his mete? Ye ma••y (quod the abbot.) I fayth (quod the gentylmā) than is it reson
that thou gyue me a rewarde for my medi∣cine, and made hym pay .ii. hōdred crownes / and sente hym awaye in good helthe, with suche an appetite, that he coude haue eaten both beanes and lekes: where as before he refused all maner meate / were it neuer so deyntie: And so was he well ordered / seing he sought not mete with hunger, but hunger with meate. But paraduenture we haue spo¦ken more than ynough of this thynge: ther∣fore lette vs go vnto other matters: But fyrste I muste telle you (to make an ende of this chapiter) that Guaiacum requireth not a bealy that is replenysshed with varietie of meates, or troubled with wynde in the in∣ward partes / but purified and clensed from all rawnes and grosnes of humours.