¶Of the Splene. Cap. 41.
* 1.1THe Milt is called Splen in Latine, and hath that name of Supplere, to fulfill: for it supplyeth the lefte side be∣fore the lyner, that it be not emptio. And some men suppose,* 1.2 that the mylt in the cause of laughing. For by the Splene we are moued to laugh: by the Gall, we be wroth: by the Heart we be wise: by the Brayne, we feele: by the Ly∣uer, we loue.
¶And if these be in good state, whole, and well disposed, the beast is all whole, as saith Isidore. And Constantine saith, That the mylt is set in the lefte side, & the shape thereof is euenlong, & is som∣what hollow toward the stomacke, and rising vp toward the ribbes. In these two places it is bounde with certayne small clothings. And men say, that the mylt hath two veynes, by the one ther∣of, he draweth to him blacke Cholera, of the bloud of the lyuer, and by the other he sendeth that that sufficeth to the sto∣macke, to comfort the appetite thereof. The mylt helpeth to sulfill the default of the body in the left side, and to a••n∣swere to the lyuer in the other side, to the conseruation of ye stomacke, to draw to him the dregges of bloud, for clean∣sing of the lyuer: and to send what suf∣ficeth to the appetite and desire to com∣fort the stomacke. The substaunce of the mylt is thin and hollow, to drawe easelye the humour of dregges: and he is blacke, for the lykenesse of black Cho∣lera, that he receiueth and contayneth: and he is also set in the left side, between the ribs and the stomack, for temperance and cooling of the lefte side, and for to saue the heating of the stomacke, to whom he is ioyned. He is somewhat hard, that he be not lightly hurt by quan∣titie and qualitie of the burnor of dregs, that he draweth and taketh. The mylt is ofte grieued: sometime by the default of vertue of containing and holding, and that is, when he maye not drawe to it selfe humour, nor is not able to sende it that is drawen to another place. And sometime by stopping, when great hu∣more and gleymie be gathered, and stop∣peth the wayes of the mylt, and let the working thereof. Also sometime, by too great repletion of humours, for humors fléeng to the mylte are drawen thether, for kindly working therrof, and maye not be doyded at the full, and therefore the humours encrease gleymie and hard in the hollownes of the mylt, insomuch, that it seemeth, that the mylte groweth bigger. But by the sentence of Hippo∣crates, if the splene be great, the body wi∣thereth and fadeth: and if the mylt di∣minisheth and fadeth, the body fatteth. Therefore if the mylte be somewhat more drawing to lyttlenesse, than to muchnesse, it is a signe and token of good complection, as saith Constantine lib.9. cap. 22.
The mylt is a spongeous substance,* 1.3 lieng vnder the short ribbe, in the left side, by which equall of kinde, man is disposed to mirth, otherwise there fol∣low, the passions of sadnesse.