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THE Memory residing in so tender a Part as the Brain, Nature hath had a particular care to preserve it from all Casualties by a thick Skull: It shews thereby what Esteem, Value, and Ten∣derness we are to have for that Part of the Body, and how much it concerns us to take heed it be not injured either by
our own Miscarriages, or by others En∣deavours. Certainly we are worthy of blame if we ruin that most excellent and most necessary Part of our selves, and run wilfully into such Actions as are hurtful to our Brain and Memory. Now it is observed, and we may understand it from our own Experience, that these following Particulars are prejudicial to Memory.
1. All Crudities, Repletion, and Indi∣gestions of the Stomach; for they en∣gender many dangerous Diseases, disor∣der the Brain, and send up infectious Va∣pours, which cause Pains in the Head, Giddiness, and several other Distempers: consequently they are pernicious to Rea∣son and Memory, as St. Ambrose tells us, Cibus immodicus & Animae & Corpori no∣cent: An excessive Eating hurts both the Soul and Body.
2. Drunkenness is offensive to the Brain, and all its Functions, because it fills it full of Humours, and naturally causeth Forgetfulness. And as a Father expresseth himself, Ebrietas Tempestas est tam in Ani∣mo quam in Corpore, & seipsam ignorat; It is a Storm both in the Body and Soul, and causeth us to forget and be unmind∣ful
of our selves. Therefore the use of strong Wines is dangerous, and a fre∣quent ingorging and constant Debau∣chery turns Men into Sots and Beasts, and weakens all the Operations of the Brain. I cannot but mind here what Suetonius writes of Claudius Caesar, that by Drunkenness he had forgot what he had commanded but an hour before: for having ordered his impudent and leche∣rous Wife and Empress Messalina, to be put to Death, because of her unsuffera∣ble and publick Adulteries, when he sat down to eat Meat a while after, asked his Officers and Servants what their La∣dy was doing, that she came not as usual∣ly to Table with him. And the same Roman Author, with others, tell us of Vitellius, who when he came to the Em∣pire, gave himself over to such Debau∣chery and Drunkenness, that he lost and drowned all his Memory and Reason.
3. A violent and outward Cold in the Night-season offends the Brain, if the Head be not well covered. Therefore for the better Preservation of the Seat of Memory, it is convenient to keep our Heads warm, according to this French Direction, Gardez chaux les pieds & La¦teste,
audemeurant vivez en besse; keep warm the Feet and the Head, but for the rest live as the Beasts.
4. To take cold and wet in the Feet in Winter-time weakens the Eye-sight, and injures the Memory, because of that great Correspondence that there is be∣tween these two Extremities, the Head and the Feet.
5. An extraordinary and hot Air, or a burning Sun, disturbs the Mind, and pre∣judices Memory, if we suffer it long to work upon us.
6. All windy Foods and Drinks are not good for the Assistance of Memory, but rather contrary, unless Nature car∣ries them speedily off in the ordinary course.
7. We must avoid eating in the Eve∣ning such things as may increase too much the ascending Vapors, and cause a too great Humidity in the Brain, or may be of an ill Digestion, or may too much fume up into the Head: for tho such things may incline to Sleep, they may have a bad Effect upon the Seat of Memory; and remember these seasona∣ble Verses,
Ex magna Coena stomacho fit maxima poena, Ʋt sis nocte levis, sit tibi Coena brevis.
8. Forbear drinking too much imme∣diately after eating, chiefly after Supper, for that will but spoil and hinder Di∣gestion, and will prove offensive to the Brain and Memory.
9. An extraordinary Idleness and La∣ziness of Body begets and encreases ill Humours, which have bad Influence upon the Faculty of Memory: Therefore a moderate Exercise becomes us as Men, and is very useful for our Health, and the Safety of our Being; as an antient Phi∣losopher taught his Disciples, by telling them, that Exercitium confert ad Corpus & Animum; that Exercise is profitable both to the Body and Soul.
10. Forbear sleeping immediately after a plentiful Supper or Dinner, before the Food hath past down from the Orifice into the bottom of the Stomach; for there is nothing more pernicious, be∣cause it prevents the working of Nature, and causeth often the good Food to be∣come bad, and to disturb both the Body and Mind.
11. A too frequent and violent use of Venus, when the Stomach is altogether empty, or too full, or contrary to the Rules of Conjugal Chastity and Religion, is very dangerous, not only to the Body, but also to the Soul, and all its Faculties: For such an irregular Act draws a Curse after it, and obligeth our just and wise God to withdraw his Blessing from such Contemners of his Laws, enacted for our Safety and Preservation.
12. Fear, Sadness, Anger, violent Passions, and melancholy Thoughts are no Friends to Memory; for they disturb the Mind, disquiet the Soul, and disorder all the Faculties.
13. A too violent Vomiting is destru∣ctive to Memory, because it forces Na∣ture, and discomposes the Brain.
14. A disquieted Mind can never make use of Memory, tho the Faculty may be good, and assisted by Exercise, and strengthned by Habit; yet while the Soul is alarm'd, and dissatisfied, it can never in the midst of its Troubles use its Memory with Freedom, and so well, as in a more peaceable Temper and Dis∣position.
15. All such Motions of the Body as cause Giddiness, or Swimming in the Head, are destructive to Memory. Therefore we should have a special care to avoid Falls from high Places, turning round, or Blows upon the hinder part of the Head. For, if we may believe Thu∣cidides, some by that means, in the Gre∣cian Wars, lost totally the use of their Memories: For by that Violence the Seat of Memory received so great a Prejudice, that the Faculty could make no use of it; and the Contusion was so great, that the Brain was disturbed, and could receive no more Impressions, nor preserve them that were there before.
These Experiments are not to be neg∣lected, by those who design to attain to a Perfection of Memory; for they are of dangerous Consequence, as our Experi∣ence can witness, to the Faculty of Me∣mory, and to the other Functions of the Brain.