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¶ To presage by purging of the belly or fecall excrements.
AS for easing of the Belly and euacuating of superflui∣ties and excrements, it is best when the sicke person follow the custome in Maladies which they did in health, and especially according to qualitie and quantitie of his di∣et. For how much the more it is dissonant and different, it is so much the worse. The naturall egestion ought not to be too liquide or adust, but indifferently proportioned & compounded in colour to the meates, and that the Patient goe to stoole without paine or dolour. And if the matter be liquide, it is not altogether to be disliked when it comes without ventositie or violence, & not often in a short time. For so it would make the person weake, debile, froward, and in danger of swoonding, and death: It is also to be allowed about the end of the Maladie, that the egestion & excrementall matter become thicke and not too dry and of a good colour, as drawing neere to red or browne, and be not very vnsauorie. Also if there come foorth wormes a∣bout the end of the sicknes with the excrements, it is a good signe. Likewise in euery Maladie the belly ought to be fleshie and not round, nor full of wind, otherwise it is no good signe. Furthermore the egestion and excrementall matter being liquide and waterie, white or pale, greatly red or froathy, is dangerous: the mortall is black and li∣uide or greene, vnsauorie and slimy. And if it be of diuers of the forenamed colours together, it is no lesse dangerous but of longer continuance: also when there is peeling of the guts or Carnuncles and little skinne, all such are mor∣tall.