Approved directions for health, both naturall and artificiall deriued from the best physitians as well moderne as auncient. Teaching how euery man should keepe his body and mind in health: and sicke, how hee may safely restore it himselfe. Diuided into 6. sections 1. Ayre, fire and water. 2. Meate, drinke with nourishment. 3. Sleepe, earely rising and dreames. 4. Auoidance of excrements, by purga. 5. The soules qualities and affections. 6. Quarterly, monethly, and daily diet. Newly corrected and augmented by the authour.

Shew me how to cure such common sick∣nesses, as daily annoy our bodies.

ALL sicknesses whatsoeuer spring out of the head distempered; and there-hence they arise in one of the foure humours, which by the distemperature of the head, become likewise distempered: so that all sicknesses a∣bound eyther of the bloud depraued, or of choler infected, or of flegme coagulated, or of melancholy empoysoned: Or (perhaps) they spring by the mixt corruption of two or more of these humours. Wherefore it be∣houeth vs to be wise in the very beginning of our sicknesses, and to preuent their thee∣uish

intrusion. Aboue all vomites or purga∣tions, I see none comparable to Stibium or Antimonie prepared, which I dare boldly commend as a most soueraine and cheape re∣medy for agues, dropsies, fluxes and distilla∣tions vnto the poorer sort. The taking where∣of I wish to be onely three graines infused for a whole night in a glasse of Sack, with a little Suger or cleare Ale, and to be drunke vp the next morning. As for rich men, let them fee the Physitian, least that noble trade decay for want of maintenance: according to that olde saying: Stipends doe nourish Artes. The Seminaries of diseases after this manner roo∣ted out by Antimonie. Let euery particular griefe be suited thereafter: for agues, let them coole the liuer with Ptisans, Endiue, or Suc∣corie waters. For the stone, let them take Goates bloud dried into powder in a hote Ouen, or otherwise as they please within their pottage, or liquour, seeing that the har∣dest Adamant is dissolued with this kinde of bloud: why may not the stone in mans bo∣die be likewise bruised therewith? For the Gout, let them exercise if they can, or else ••e let bloud very often in the place affected,

or let them reserue Horse-leaches for that purpose.

I might here commend diuers locall me∣dicines, as oyles of Roses, of Mirtilles, of Cammomill, or wilde Mallowes, of Turpen∣tine, or such like. I might aduise them to lay emplaisters on the goutie ioynts, made of Mellilote, of vnguentum Populeum, of the flowers of Cammomill, of red Roses, with Beane flowre. I might wish them to apply the Colewort leafe, and then to stop the fluxe with that precious and admired salue com∣monly called Paracelsus his stiptick playster, which I haue found by experience to heale any wound, whether it be olde or greene, sooner in one weeke then any other in a mo∣neth, by reason of the binding, drying, and strengthening vertue, which it hath, being likewise able to stop the concourse or falling of humours into the sore. This salue I praise aboue all others, as that, which breeds none but good flesh, and as Apothecaries say, it wil•• keepe forty yeares without putrifying. But in∣deed, because all sicknesses proceed from the braine, it were fit to purge the superfluous moisture thereof once a moneth, either with a

drachme of Pilles Imperiall, or of Pillulae sine quibus, or of Pillulae Cochiae. From the braine they flow into the musckles of the backe, and from thence they descend into the feet, which is termed Podagra, or to the hucklebone, which is called Sciatica, or else from the backe into the hands, and then it is called Chira∣gra. For a preseruatiue against the plague, let them now and then take Pillulae communes, or the aboue said Antimony, which is also good against poison drunke: whereby they may note, that whatsoeuer helpes the one, helpes the other.