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 the Faling sicknesse.* 1.1 Chap. 10.* 1.2

HE fell downe to the earth foming, &c. Mat. 9. Constantine and other authours call the falling euill Epilencia, and in olde time this euill was cal∣led and named Gods wrath:* 1.3 As Con∣stantine sayth, Epilencia is a meist hu∣mour, by the which the chambers of the braine be not perfectly stopped, the which humour letteth the soule that i•• the spirit of feeling,* 1.4 to declare his wor∣king & dooing, vntil the way of the brain be vnstopped of that humour. This euil is called in passion Yeranoxon, that is the holy passion, for it occupieth the ho∣ly

part of the body, that is the head. And it is called Hercudis also,* 1.5 for it is strong as Hercules was. Also it is called the fa••ling euil, & hath that name of y^t doing therof: For it stoppeth the sinews, & ma∣keth the members, that be instruments of vertues, poore of the gouernaunce of spirits, & destroieth them. And therefore in this euil men be compelled to fal. Al∣so this euill Epilencia is nigh of y^t kind of Apoplexia: for one is the place of both, & the matter, of the which they bée bread: for it is colde and cleauing. And they be diuerse in that that Apoplexia stoppeth all the chambers of the braine, with priuation & diminution of feeling, and of moouing: And Epilencia letteth not all, but the principall chambers of the braine, & hath the name of Epi, that is aboue, & Lenpsis, that is hurting: for namely it grieueth and hurteth the ouer parts, also it is called childrens euil, for oft children haue that euil. He that hath this euill falleth sodeinly, the mouth is drawen awrye & a side, & the face also, with quaking of the neck, of y^e noll, & of all the bodie, with grislye grashing of the téeth, and foming at the mouth, and outputting of many superfluities. Phi∣sitions call this falling euill the lyttle Apoplexia, & commeth of thrée causes, as Constantine sayth, eyther of flema∣tike or melancholyke humoures, that bréede in the further part of the braine, or els of ventositie colde and grose that hath the mastry ouer the braine, or ouer some other mēbers, or ouer the stomack. For there is a humour bread in that member, and the smoke therof commeth vnto the braine, and with the thicknesse of that smoake, the wayes of the spirits of féeling are stopped, and thereof com∣meth the falling euill. Constantine sayth, That this disease commeth at a certeine time. Therefore Galen sayth, y^t Epilencia, that commeth in y^e wering of the Moone, betokeneth, that the kinde thereof is moyst. For all thing that is moyst increaseth, when the Moone wex∣eth. And the kind of this euill that com∣meth in waning of the Moone, is most colde, and some deale moyst.

There bee thrée kindes of Epilenci, as there are thrée manner of places that it is in. One manner euill of this kinde is called Epilepsia, and is in the head, and commeth of matter that is onely in the braine, another is called Analepsi∣a, and commeth of matter that is in the stomacke, not in the hollownesse but in the sinewes and arteries of the stomack, by meane of which boiling matter is rauished to the braine. The thirde is called Catalepsis, and commeth of mat∣ter that is in the vttermost partes, as in the hands and ••éet; and is knowne by his owne signes and tokens. For they that haue and bée possessed of that euill Catalepsis, féele and knowe when the euill commeth. For they feele a manner grudging as it were by the noyeng of Amptes,* 1.6 or mouing of some manner winde of the matter that commeth vp∣ward: And often for shrinking and streightnesse of the vtter parts, they bée kept from falling, and as Galen sayth, often these haue the Feuers. For with∣out boiling and séething, heate of Fea∣uers, vnneth may the matter be raui∣shed from the neather parts to the ouer. They that haue and be possessed of that manner euill that is called Analepsia, are sore grieued with repletion of the stomacke, and namely in digestion and bolking, and of loathing of meate. And also they be ware afore of their falling. And they that haue that euill that is called Epil••psia, they féele not afore hād, when they shall fall, but they trauaile with continuall griefe of the head: These euills come sometime of bloud, and of fleame, and oft of Melancholia, and these causes bée knowen by theyr owne signes and tokens, and namely by disposition of the body, Sanguine, Fle∣matike, or Melancholyke. By a red face, pale, and wanne, by age, by coun∣trie, and by dyet. If it commeth of me∣lancholy, it grieueth and hu••teth most in the waning of the Moone: If it com∣meth of bloud or of fleme, it sheweth it selfe most in the ful of the Moone. These euills bée most during, and harde it is to heale them, but yet medicine and dyet helpeth them. It needeth that they absteine themselues and spare euill

meates, and from the seruice of Venus, and great companye and gathering of men: For in such places oft theyr axes taketh them.* 1.7 Them needeth to vse good meates and light and temporate, more in the morow tide, and little or naught at euen. And they should temporatelye drinke wine, and bee purged with me∣dicine, as the humour that is in the fault requireth. The expediment of Pla∣to against Epilence, he saith, that men shall by garsing drawe out thrée drops of bloud of the shoulders,* 1.8 and profer thē with a rauens egge, to the patient, in the end of his acces. Also he saith, that the Egges of a rauen helpe much.* 1.9 Also he sayth, y^e P••any borne & dronken helpeth much: and this confirmeth Galen, Con∣stantine, and Dioscorydes. And he saith, that the Ruynnyn of an Hare dronke, helpeth much the Epilentike, that is him that hath the falling euill: for that Ruynnin letteth the humor to be dissol∣ued and shed, the which humour com∣meth vp and stoppeth the braine. And he sayth, that the liuer of an Asse roasted helpeth, if it be eaten, and the liuer of a Goof, if it bée giuen to them that haue that euill, it moueth and stirreth that euill. Constantine telleth many other experiments, of the which we shall not speake at this time.

* 1.10These three kindes of falling euils, Epilepsia, in their falling foame at the mouth, and this is the common falling, sicknesse. Analepsia, where they doe fall, they shall defile themselues, & not some at the mouth. Catalepsia, whether they be taken open eyed, or halfe clo∣sed, yet for the time they shall see no∣thing, neither can they moue or stirre, heare nor speak, and seemeth dead for a space: Purge rume, which is the chie∣fest cause of this infirmitie.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Epilencia.
• * 1.2

  Epilepsia. C••u••lcio Morbus cōma••ialis Morbus sac••••.
• * 1.3

  Morbus ••a••culeus Biotbus Caducus, Morbus Mahome∣tus.
• * 1.4

  Ira Dei. Zoilei, so called of Plini, and this d••••l•• is a sche∣me•• infla∣mation &
• * 1.5

  serning of y^e body ••eruents ••umor.
• * 1.6

  Stinging of Pis∣meres.
• * 1.7

  Grieues
• * 1.8

  Boxing or launcing.
• * 1.9

  Whether to eate or to Imel to he writeth not••: Do••ng.
• * 1.10

  Addition