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THe four Administring Vertues are, Attractive, Digestive, Retentive, and Expulsive.
But the Digestive Faculty is the principal of them all, and the other like Footmen and Handmaids to attend it.
The Attractive Faculty, draws that which it should digest, and serves continually to feed and supply it.
The Retentive Vertue retains the substance with it, till it be perfectly digested.
The Expulsive Faculty casteth out, and expelleth what is su∣perfluous by digestion.
I think no one will deny this▪ that hath but a spark of Reason, but that the Object of the Digestive Faculty is nothing else but this, viz. an earnest desire and eagerness after those▪ Things of Nature it self, or Vital parts of the Bodies after solid Bodies, which are digestable or agreeable to its self, and so joyn with its Spirit, from whence that old saying may be made good, What is one Mans Meat, is another Mans Poyson.
To this my good friend William Bacon comes very nigh, which is the truest sentence in all his Book.
In these material matters, viz. the digestive Faculty or Vertue wherein lyeth the Ground-work of the Bodies of Mankind; for when this Vertue or Digestive Faculty is debillitated, both Spirit▪ Vitals and Body decay, and also the Fundamental parts on which Physitians whet their wits on, viz. in searching out for such Me¦dicines and Spirits as to strengthen and renew the digestive facul∣ty, things which will best agree and suit with the Vital Spirits.
For if a sick Person take never so much nourishment into his Sto∣mach, it will not nourish the Body, or Spirits, but hurt and pre∣judice the same, and turn to Corruption: For prevention of which disastre, incident to most men, I will here lay down a few Regulae Salutares, or wholsome Rules of Dyet for advice, viz.
Mensae ne sint aequales sed Coena semper Levīor. Nu••lus sumatur Cibus, nisi priore Concocto ad quod octo h••rae••i imbecilli stomacho requiruntur.
And withal let them take this Rule by the way with them, that Nature may not be over-burdened, which is the cause of distem∣pers, and twice worse than robbing it of its accustomed duties.
Semel in septimana una mensa omittatur Cum scilicet natura minus videbitur indigere.
There is besides Dyet, another Preservative for Nature, against Distempers that may oppose it, that is, by using a Rule in sleep, viz.
Somnus octo horas non Excedat, nec septem sit brevior, Somnus diurnus omnino fugiatur.
The Exposition or Construction of these few Sentences are so plain, that they expose them, in English to the open view of their Curteous Readers.