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 fleame. Cap. 9.

IHohannicus saith, that ••••eame is an humour halfe sedde by working of vnperfect heate, of colde matter & moyst by kinde gendred. And Aristotle lib. 15. saith, that fleame is an vndissolued su∣perfluitie of meate. The same is y^e mat∣ter of bloud and of fleame: but they bée diuers by more seething or lesse: and so of fleame is made bloud by more strēgth of working heate, and not returning. Bloud tourneth neuer into fleame, as cholar chaungeth into melancholy: but not againward, as saith Auicen. Fleme is an humour kindlye colde, moyst and wearish: and kinde sendeth that humor into the members and lymmes to be made pure, that the body be nourished by that humour defied. It is to note, that some fleme is vnkindly and some kind∣ly. Kindly fleame is colde, moyst, and white in color, and fléeting in substance, of sauour somewhat swéete. in tast, ey∣ther all wearish and vnsauourie. It is bred in the lyuer, where is the place of heate. And it is apte to be tourned and chaunged into bloude: and when the chaunge is full made, the body is sustay∣ned thereby. And though fleame of it selfe be thicke and vnsauery by strength of heate that chaungeth it, yet it taketh the lyknesse and sauour of bloude, that is swéete: as appeareth by the fleame, that is called swéete fleame, And so for the néerenesse and lykenesse that fleame hath with bloud, fleame is néedefull to all the lymmes of the bodye. And ther∣fore prouident kinde, made fleame to passe with the bloude, through the veynes of all the bodye, both for néede & for profite.

For as Constantine sayeth, If that bloud fayleth, heate dissolueth fleame: For it taketh héede to féede the mem∣bers and the lymmes thereby. And so Fleame is nobler than Cholera or Me∣lancholia. For these may not be ruled to the bréeding of bloude of them. And by the benefite of bloude, all the lymmes of the bodye preuayle and bee fedde.

Also the presence of fleame is néedfull with the bloud, y^t the feruour & strength of bloud may be tempered: and with the fléeting of fleame, the thicknes of bloud may be kept in temper: so y^t the bloud may be borne about to the feeding of all the members more lyghtly & speedelye. Also fleame is profitable to make moyst the ioynts and other moueable partes, with the moysture therof, that the ioynts and parts be not let of theyr office, by heate of mouing, neyther by hot bloud, neither by dr••nesse that might fall. Ther be ••ome ••anne, of vnkindly, fleames. Same is sower, colde and drye, through minglyng of melancholy: and some is salte, hot and drye, through infection of red Cholera: some is swéete, through meddlyng of bloud: and some is glas∣sie, and so called for lykenesse of coulour of glasse: Such fleame is far from heat, and therefore it is thicker then other manner flemes, and harder to dissolue, & to turn into bloud. If this humor be cor∣rupt, it bredeth diuers sicknesses in y^e bo∣dy: y^e superfluitie of this fleme is know∣en,* 1.1 as Constantine saith by diuers to∣kens. For a very fleumaticke man is of body vnlastie, heauie and slow, dull of wit, and of thought forgetfull, softe of flesh and quauie, of coulour white in the face, fearfull of heart, full of spitting, s••e∣uelyng and rooking, full of sloth and slee∣ping, and of lyttle appetite, and of lyttle thirst, but if the fleame be salt. For then through medlyng of hot humour, a salt sauour is felt in the mouth: soft, yeolow and straight of haire: soft, great & slowe of pulse: his vrine is white, thicke, raw, and euill coloured: in stature hée is fat, great and short, and crooked in extremi∣ties, & his skin is playn & smooth with∣out ha••••e. He dreameth and hath sodain appearances of great ouerflowing of wa∣ters and raine, and of sailing and swim∣ming in colde water.

Men of this complection haue ofte colde euills, and be payned with them, and namely in Winter for then the qua∣lyties of fleame, coldnesse and moysture be strengthened, as saith Constantine. Looke before for the properties of colde and moyst.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The fleg∣matike.