Batman vppon Bartholome his booke De proprietatibus rerum, newly corrected, enlarged and amended: with such additions as are requisite, vnto euery seuerall booke: taken foorth of the most approued authors, the like heretofore not translated in English. Profitable for all estates, as well for the benefite of the mind as the bodie. 1582.

¶Of drought. Chap. 3.

DRought is an Element quality pas∣siue able to suffer: and is brought in, now by heate, and now by colde. But it followeth more with heate then with colde. For drought is the file of heate. Drought is saide as it were without moisture: For drought and moisture be contrary. The principal effect of drought is to make drie: as the effect of moy∣sture is to make wet, and hath many se∣condarie effectes: as to make thicke, rough, and to cause slow mouing to con∣sume, to destroy, and slay. And that pro∣pertie that drieth, draweth principallye the moyst parts from the vtter partes, towarde the middle: And for that a moist thing shonlde not all to shedde the substaunce of it selfe by fleeting, drought putteth it selfe as it were a bounde, to lette the fleeting and shed∣ding: As we see in Cliffes in the Sea brimmes, the drinesse of the Grauell set∣teth abound to the Sea, and where the kindly drinesse of the earth hath the ma∣sterient suffereth not the sleeting surges or violent waues of the Sea to passe a∣ny father, as saith Gregorie super. Iob.38.* 1.1 Qui posuit mari terminum, &c. He hath set boundes about the waters, vntill the day and night come to an end. And Hierome super Ieremy saith the same.* 1.2 Posuit arenam terminum mari, &c. Feare ye not me saith the Lord,* 1.3 or will you not be afraide at my presence, which haue placed the sande for the boundes of the Sea, by the perpetuall decree that it cannot passe it, and though the waters thereof rage, yet can they not preuaile, though they roare, yet can they not passe ouer it. And the Philoso∣pher saith the same more plainely. Then drines that is not perfectly bound in his alone equalitie, reboundeth and thickeneth the moist qualitie, that is in it superfluous, fastned and congeled, and is a stedfast héeding of the fléeting there∣of. For drinesse is the euill or enimy of heate, that is stirred vp by moouing, ey∣ther by working, it dissolueth and dis∣pearseth the moisture, or by ouerwork∣ing it consumeth it altogethers, thus spread in the limmes, it draweth forth moistnesse and humour, and maketh the body drie, and shriueleth the skinne together like a withered skinne. Also drinesse hath somtime moisture: for if it mooueth towarde the middle, it con∣straineth and draweth the limmes toge∣thers: And so by constraining the wet∣nesse is wrongen out, the which before was shedde through the bodie, and so the bodye séemeth to be wet, that was before drie. Also we sée vpon the kind∣lye drie hilles, hearbes growe that bée moist of kinde, as the hearbes that bée called Simbalaria, Vermicularia, Cras∣sula,* 1.4 and other. And this is no won∣der. For the drinesse that taketh héede by kinde to saue the Hill, and kéepe it in his drinesse, and that by drinesse that is like thereto, and by the vertue attractiue, of drawing, it draweth too nourishing, and seedeth things that is drieng.

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

And hateth moisture and filleth it, as hid contrarye, and putteth of anone to the rootes of the hearbes that be in the vt∣ter part of the hill, and be put out of the inner partie, as it were things superflu∣ous and néedlesse. And so rootes draw to them humours, that be nourished ther∣with, and made moist. Héereto accordeth the Commentours reson super librum Methororum, where he saith, that wels and riuers springeth out of mountains, and hilles, for mountaines be full os holes, cliffes, and dennes: and haue within much hot aire: And the moun∣taines drawe much thinges to them, by reason of boydnesse, and also because of hotte ayre, that is closed therein. And what that is drawen like to the hill in drinesse, is corporate and fastned there∣to. And what is vnlike or disagréeing in moisture, is put of, and gathered in one place, and that the last is put out by heads of Welles. And pearcing, hollow∣ing, and springeth awaye, and thereof come riuers. Then drynesse draweth to it selfe what is néedfull, and fasteneth thereto what is like, and putteth there∣from thinges that bée superfluous and vnlyke thereto. Also drinesse by kinde maketh things leane in flesh, and bar∣ren in grounde. For if drinesse haue the masterie in a thing, it wasteth the moi∣sture that it findeth therein, and so that thing becommeth leane. Also drinesse maketh things hard. For it destroyeth the moisture that maketh it softe: as wée sée in many things, especially in clay, the which when it is drie, is hard. Also drinesse working in a subtill thing, as in airely substaunce or watrye, maketh it more subtile and more cléere. As we sée when the Northerne wind bloweth, the aire is the more drie and subtill. It may happen that drines maketh things soft. For when the drinesse wasteth the moi∣sture that fasteneth the parts together, then followeth consequently the separa∣tion and softnesse of the partes, as wee sée in old trées and timber when drought hath wasted the moisture thereof, they be soft and fall into pouder, that is softe to handle and to féele. Also kindly drinesse maketh things rough. For drinesse wor∣king wasteth the moisture that hee fin∣deth, & hardneth the moisture y^t he maye not wast in the vtter partes, and so the vtter parts be vneuen with hollownes sunk, & with hardnesse crumpled, wherof commeth roughnesse, which is nothing else but an vneuennesse in a hard thing. But so it happeneth, y^t sometime it ma∣keth things smooth: as when y^e heate is sharped by drines, which heat by his ac∣cident dissolueth the humours, & the hu∣mours so dissolued, sweateth outward, & maketh the thing soft & smooth. Also dri∣nesse maketh slow moouing. For by ma∣stery of drinesse, the parts that are aire∣ly and watrie be made thicke & grose, & turne into earth, and the thing is more heauy and more slow to mouing. Also by too great drinesse the spirits be put out, and by the multitude of them the bodye moueth the more swiftlye,* 1.5 then when drinesse maketh the lesse spirits, the bo∣die moueth the more slowly. But some∣time drinesse helpeth moouing. For dri∣nesse mouing to the middleward equal∣ly, it leadeth the vtter parts to the mid∣dle. And the partes binde about in a roundnesse that may be rowled. And by reason roundnesse hath no corners to let it, by his rowling is the more able to moue. Also moderate drines wasting the superfluities of moisture, maketh spirits subtill and pure, and maketh them more swift. For they béeing purged from the superfluitie that grieued the bodye, they make the bodie more apt and able to the same mouing. Also by kinde drinesse destroyeth and wasteth the humours:* 1.6 it maketh the bodie voyde and leane, and poore of féeding and wasted. Also by kinde, drinesse derstroyeth:* 1.7 for it de∣stroyeth and constuneth the moysture substantiall, that féedeth the bodie mate∣rially, and ioyneth the partes togethers. And destroieng of such moisture is cause why a bodie that hath a soule, or a bo∣die without soule, is destroyed and wa∣sted. Also speciallye drinesse destroieth bodyes that haue soules: for kindly spi∣rits and natural spirits that be of moist smoke it dissolueth, when that moisture is wasted: then lacking matter and spi∣rit, of necessitye the body dieth.

And so drinesse is the worst qualitie and slaieng, if it excéed, when it is not cleane put out by abundance of moisture:* 1.8 but yet by hap it giueth life. For sometime rumatike humours commeth to the spi∣rituall parts, and stoppe the waies of the spirit, and bee in point to stifle the bo∣die. Then commeth drinesse or drie medicines, and worketh and destroyeth such humours, and openeth the waies of the spirit, and so the bodie that is as it were dead, hath liuing. Though drinesse be néedfall in euery bodye that is made of Elementes, to wast the superflui∣tie of moisture, and to coarte the same moysture, and also to excite slacke heate: yet drines slayeth, and is the worst qua∣lytie, when it passeth the due proportion in bodies. For it is wont to gender in bodyes full euill sicknesses and hurtful, as the Tisike, and Etike, and other such euills, the which may scarcely be holpe by succour of medicines. Also by consu∣ming & wasting of the humours of fee∣ding it drieth the bodie, and draweth the skinne togethers, and maketh it riueled, and hasteth: age, and maketh the bo∣die euill couloured and deformed, and is cause of inordinate thirst. And maketh the organes the enterance into the sto∣marke, rough, and letteth the voice, and maketh it hoarse, and spoileth the head of the haire, and maketh it bald, & draw∣eth togethers, & maketh crooked the toes and fingers of the féete and hands: as it is séene in leporous men. This that is sayde of the effects and properties of dri∣nesse is sufficient at this time.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iob. 26.
• * 1.2

  Iere. 5.
• * 1.3

  Psa. 22.
• * 1.4

  Hon slike Prickma∣dam. Orprone.
• * 1.5

  The vital moistues is decrea∣sed by ouer much dri∣nesse.
• * 1.6

  The losse of apetite breedeth leanesse.
• * 1.7

  Drinesse procee∣deth of heate a∣boūding, it killeth & bodyes of men & beasts.
• * 1.8

  Addition