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WAter is one of the foure Elemen tes, of the which dyuers licours or drynkes for mānes sustynaū∣ce be made of, takyng theyr ory∣gynall and sustaunce of it, as ale, bere, meade, and metheglyn, water is nat holsome
sole by it selfe for an Englysshe man, consyde rynge the contrarye vsage, whiche is natrō∣curraunt with nature, water is colde, slowe, and slake of digestyon. The beste water is rayne water so be it that it be clene and pure¦ly taken Next to it is rōnynge water, ye whi¦che doth swyftly rōne from the Eest into the west vpon stones or pybles. The thyrde wa¦ter to be praysed is ryuer or broke water, the which is clere rōnynge on pybles & grauayl Standynge waters the whiche be refresshed with a fresshe spryng is cōmendable, but stan¦dyng waters, and well waters, to the which the sōne hath no reflexciō, although they be lyghter thē other rōnyng waters be, yet they be nat so cōmendable. And let euery man be ware of all waters the whiche be standynge, and be purryfyed with froth, duckemeat, and mod••••, for yf they bake, or brewe, or dresse meate with it, it shall ingendre many infyr∣mytes. The water ye which euery man ought to dresse his meate with all, or shal vse bakyn¦ge, or bruyng, let it be rōnynge, and put it in vessels yt it may stande there. ii. or. iii. houres or it be occupyed, than strayne the vpper part thoroughe a thycke lynnen clothe, and caste the inferyall parte awaye. If any man do vse to drynke water with wyne, let it be purely strayned, & than seth it and after it be cold let hī put it to his wyne, but better it is to drīke with wyne stylled waters, specyally ye water
of strawberes or the water of buglos or the water of endyue, or the water of cycory, or ye water of southystel, & dandelyon. And yf any man be cōbred with the stone or doth burne in the pudybunde places, vse to drynke with whyte wyne the water of hawes, & the water of mylke, voke for thys mater in a boke of my makynge named the breuyary of health.
¶ All maner of wynes be made of grapes, excepte respyse the whiche is made of a bery. Those your wyne after thys sorte, it must be fyne, fayre & clere to the eye, it muste be fra∣graunte and redolent hauynge a good odour and flauour in the nose, it muste spryncle in the cup whan it is drawne or put out of the pot in to the cup, it must be colde & pleasaunt in the mouth, and it must be stronge and sub∣tyll of substaunce. And than moderatly dron∣ken it doth acuate and doth quycken a mans wyttes, it doth cōfort the hert, it doth scowre ye lyuer, specyally if it be whyte wine it doth reioyce al the powers of man, and dothe nu∣ry she them, it dothe ingendre good bloude, it doth comforte and doth nurysshe the brayne and all the body, and it resolueth fleume, it ingendreth heate, and it is good agaynst he∣uynes and pencyfulnes, it is full of agylyte, wherfore it is medsonable, specyally whyte wyne, for it doth mundyfye and clense woū∣des & sores. Forthermore the better the wine
is, the better humours it doth ingēdre, wyne must nat be to newe nor to olde, but hyghe wynes as malmyse maye be kepte longe. And bycause wyne is full of fumosyte, it is good therfore to alay it with water, wynes hyghe and hote of operacyon doth cōfort olde men and women, but there is no wyne good for chyldren and maydes, for in hyghe Almayne there is no mayde shall drynke no wyne, but styl she shal drynke water vnto she be maried the vsual drynke there & in other hyghe coū∣tres for youth is fountayne wattr, for in eue¦ry towne is a fountayne or a shalowe wel, to the which all people that be yong & seruaūt{is} hath a confluence and a recourse to drynke. Meane wynes as wynes of Gascony, Fren∣che wynes, & specyally raynysshe wyne that is fyned is good with meate, specyally claret wyne. It is nat good to drynke nother wyne nor ale before a man dothe eate somwhat al∣thoughe there be olde fantastycall saying{is} to the cōtrary. Also these hote wynes as malme sye, wyne course, wyne greke, romanysk, rō∣ny, secke, alygaūt, basterde, tyre, osay, musca∣del, caprycke, tynt, roberdany, with other hote wynes be nat good to drynke wt meate, but after meate, & with oysters, with saledes, with fruyt a draught or two may be suffered Olde mē may drynke as I sayd hyghe wynes at theyr pleasure. Forthermore al swete wy∣nes & grose wynes doth make a man fatte.
☞ Ale is made of malte and water, and they the which do put any other thynge to ale thē is rehersed, except yest, barme, or godesgood, doth sophistycat theyr ale. Ale for an englysh man is a natural drynke. Ale must haue these propertyes, it must be fresshe & clere, it muste nat be ropy nor smoky, nor it muste haue no weft nor tayle. Ale shuld nat be dronke vnder v. dayes olde. Newe ale is vnholsome for all men. And sowre ale and deade a••e the whiche doth stande a tylt is good for no man. Barly malte maketh better ale thē oten malt or any other corne doth, it dothe ingendre grose hu∣mours, but yet it maketh a man stronge.
¶ Bere is made of malte, of hoppes, and wa∣ter, it is a naturall drynke for a dutche man. And nowe of late dayes it is moche vsed in Englande to the detrimēt of many englysshe mē, specially it kylleth thē the which be trou¦bled with the colyke & the stone & the strāgu∣lyon, for the drynke is a colde drynke: yet it doth make a man fat, & doth inflate the bely, as it doth appere by the dutche mens faces & belyes. If the bere be wel brude and fyned, it dothe qualyfye the heate of the iyuer.
¶ Cyder is made of the iuce of peeres, or of the iuce of aples, & other whyle cider is made of both, but the best cyder is made of cleane
peeres the which be dulcet, but ye best is nat praysed in physyke, for cyder is colde of ope∣racyon, and is full of bentosyte, wherfore it doth ingendre euyll humours, and doth swa∣ge to moche the naturall heate of man, & doth let dygestyon, and dothe hurte the stomacke, but they the which be vsed to it, yf it be dron¦ken in haruyst it dothe lytell harme.
¶ Meade is made of hony and water boyled both togyther, yf it be fyned and pure it pre∣serueth helth, but it is nat good for them the whiche haue the Ilyacke or the colycke.
¶ Metheglyn is made of hony & water, and herbes boyled and sodden togyther, yf it be fyned and stale, it is better in the regymente of health than meade.
☞ Whay yf it be wel ordered, specyally the whay the which doth come of butter, is a tē∣porate drynke and is moyst, and it dothe nu∣rysshe, it doth clense the brest, & dothe purge redde colour, and good for sausfleme faces.
¶ Poset ale is made with hote mylke & colde ale, it is a temporate drynke, and is good for a hote lyuer, and for hote feuers, specyally, if colde herbes be soden in it.
¶ Coyte is a drynke made of water, in the
which is layde a sowre & a salte leuyn. iii. or iiii. houres, thē it is dronke it is a vsual dryn¦ke in Pycardy, in Flaunders, in Holande, in Brabrant, & in Selande, hit dothe but quench the thyrste.
¶ To speake of aptysan, or of oxymell, or of aqua vite, or of Ipocras, I do passe ouer at this tyme, for I do make mensyon of it in the Breuyary of health.