Wisdom's dictates, or, Aphorisms & rules, physical, moral, and divine, for preserving the health of the body, and the peace of the mind ... to which is added a bill of fare of seventy five noble dishes of excellent food, for exceeding those made of fish or flesh ... / by Tho. Tryon.

Of Foods that are Easie, Innocent, and most Healthy.

1. ALl Vegetative Foods are not only whol∣som, but easily concocted, for the plea∣sant Ferment or Menstruum of the Stomach can with much more facility dissipate, dissolve, and disgest Vegitations, than Flesh or Fish, and the reason is, because the former are not only more innocent and equal in their parts, but more sharp and less Oyley, and withall more Spirituous, 'tis true they are endued with an Oyly Body, but it is as it were a Spirituous Oyl, as it manifest in se∣veral sorts of Vegitations, in whose preparations, if due care and prudence be not used, both the spirit and also the Oyl will evaporate, and then the thing becomes of no use nor true virtue, the Oyl in all Vegetations being the ponderous quali∣ty, and also is the house or dwelling place of the Volatile spirit, and if any violence be offer∣ed to the spirit, then also the Oyl does with the true spirit become either suffocated or eva∣porated; for this very cause all Herbage that has

lost its spirit does neither smell well, nor weigh heavy, for that fragrant smell proceeds from the Essential spirits, and the weight and ponderous∣ness is from the Oyl; the very same is to be un∣derstood in all Grains, as Wheat, Barly, Rye, and the like, the true colour also do arise and pro∣ceed both from the Essential spirit and Oyly quality.

2. Therefore all Vegitative Foods, especially such as are made of Corn, as Wheat, Rye, Barly, or the like, are far more agreeable and harmonial than Flesh and Fish, easier of digestion, afford∣ing a finer, livelier and more brisker spirit, and less phlegm or gross Juices, which the Natural heat and sharp pleasant Minstruum or Runnet of the Stomach can easily digest, and send down into the passages, and so free the Joynts and o∣ther parts of the Body from Inconveniencies: This is manifest by External Operations, for how quickly will Bread dissolve being put into Water, nay the whole dry Corn it self being infused grows soft and tender in a little time, but how long may one infuse Flesh, Fish, Cheese, or Butter, before they dissolve or grow more tender? Ve∣getative Foods do also keep the Body cool and pleasant, preventing Fumes and Vapours from flying into the Head, because such Foods do not generate them, as all fat Victuals does, for their crude, obstructive, phlegmatick Juices that lodge in the Stomach and Vessels, that cause Fumes and Vapours, as also Fevers, for the principal cause that Fevers are so frequent, is that surplusage of matter that proceeds from Intemperance in Foods, both in quantity and quality, for when People over-charge Nature then the digestive faculty cannot make a perfect separation, but the gross Juices does load, stop, and fur the passages, whence

is generated thick Blood and impure Spirits, so that Nature becomes stagnated, which does im∣mediately stir up and awaken the Centerial Fires in all parts of the Body, and makes the whole burn with an unnatural heat, uneasie and bur∣thensom, which is that we call a Fever.

4. Therefore in a special manner after full Meals of Flesh or Fish, or other fat Foods, Men ought to be cautious of drinking too plentifully of strong spirituous Drinks; a cup of good Wa∣ter to most Constitutions has had far better suc∣cess to carry off a full Meal of such Foods than strong Liquors, for good Water is endued with a mild friendly quality, of a dissolving, dissi∣pating, digestive nature, and therefore help•• Concoction better than Spirituous Drinks, as may be gathered from most or all External Ope∣rations, for Water, especially River Water, or Spring Water, such as will Wash, Boil, and Brew well, will dissolve and dissipate hard Coagulated Bodies sooner than strong Drink or Spirits, as Water will dissolve Sugar sooner than Beer, Wine, or Brandy, for in the last especially it will lie a great while before it dissolves.

5. Vegetative Foods affords not only the great∣est and most vigorous spirits in the Bodies of either Men or Beasts, but more fine and inno∣cent, free from the seeds of violence, passion, and inclinations to Beastiality.

6. For the forementioned Reasons, those that live wholly on Vegitations can drink more strong spirituous Drinks, and with far less prejudice than those that live on Flesh and Fish, for they will not so soon fume up into their Heads, nor so much heat their Bodies, finding their Stomachs free from those Crudities and flatulent Juices, where∣with the others are pestered, and consequently

the digestive Property more powerful, the Drink is presently dispatched, and the grosser parts eva∣porated by the Uretors without any let or hin∣drance, but the case is otherwise in the Stomachs of such as eat Flesh and fat Foods; the truth of this may further appear by Men that do drink much strong Drink after full Meals, such will be made drunk before, and also sick before those that take the like quantity whose Stomachs are rather empty than full, and the latter are in far less dan∣ger of Surfets, it being seldom known that such that are both great Eaters and great Drinkers too, do live long; but on the contrary, great Drinkers that eat but small quantities of Food do often live to old Age; or if a great Eater chance to out-live Youth, they seldom but have the Gout; from all which it follows, that Animal Foods, which are for the most part fat, are nothing so Excellent or Commendable as Vegitations, which none can understand or know, but Doctor Expe∣rience, talk will not convince any Man, no not Men of the greatest Reasons.

Obj. Some will be apt to object and say, that it is nonsence to discourse after this manner, viz. to affirm that fat Animal Foods, are not so good as poor lean Vegitations and Victuals made thereof, for we see (will they say) that fat things are desired by all or most, and if Flesh be not fat it is counted worth little, because fat is counted to be of a brave healing, nourishing Nature and Operation, and therefore our Nurses endeavour to make sucking Children to take it even against their Stomachs.

Answ. To which I answer, that I am not igno∣rant that this is indeed the vulgar Opinion, but for that very reason to be suspected; nay, if you will hearken to the Voice of Wisdom, utterly to

be expelled, for Doctor Experience, and that most excellent Phylosopher Right Reason, will tell you, that it is a grand mistake to think that Vegitations and Foods made thereof, though they have not gross greasy qualities as Animal Food•• have, are therefore to be counted poor, lean, and of but little Nourishment, for are we not every day taught the contrary, though not in Man, yet in all other Creatures; Will not a little cold Grass, and dry Hay, and especially Corn, make several sorts of Beasts fat, and that too very firm and substantial? And what is your brave Butter and Cheese, but the digested Juice of Grass and Ve∣gitations, all dried Grains, as Wheat, Barly, Rye, and many other sorts are endued with an excel∣lent Spirit, and pure Oyl, much finer and freer from grossness and phlegm than Flesh, or the product of Flesh, the Oyl of Grains being as it were vollatile like a Spirit, so that when it comes into the Stomach it is brisk and lively, most easily separated and digested, as being turned into an Unctious substance, from whence the fatness of these Creatures that live on Corn does proceed, which Unctious quality does also contain a bright lofty exhillerating spirit, that makes all such Crea∣tures so strong, lively, and brisk, that they have no need of the fat either of Flesh or Fish; The very same would happen to Man, if he could con∣tent himself with Vegitative Foods, and good Drinks made thereof.

7. Such as live on Vegitative Foods are hardly ever subject to drought, though they can when they eat, drink with more pleasure to the Sto∣mach, though not so much to the Pallate, as such as live on Animal Foods, for great thirst is a kind of a Disease, and though such People find Drink very grateful to their Pallates, yet after∣wards

it does not only swell the Body, but makes it uneasie, and also unfit for Labour; which in∣conveniencies those that live on Vegitables are not subject unto, for such Foods being more e∣qual in their parts, and easier of concoction, and of a middle nature, and mild friendly operation, having as it were a certain Minstruum of their own, does thereby agree with, and help the di∣gestive Faculty, and being always light, and rea∣dily separated, pass quickly away, and cause nei∣ther drought nor heat, having no occasion to at∣tract or draw the pleasant moisture from the re∣mote parts; therefore such as use this Diet do always find themselves brisk, light, and fuller of life and strength presently after eating than before, (whereas those that stuff themselves with Flesh, Fish, and the like, are dull, heavy, and indisposed for a considerable time after eating) which is a signal demonstration of the excellency and agree∣ableness of such Foods with the Stomach and Nature; if Reader thou wouldest be assured of the truth of what is said here, then go home and practise, for there is no other way to be satisfied; as for my own part I am never droughthy as those are that eat Flesh, yet I can drink freely with pleasure and refreshment, the simplicity of such Foods is wonderful delightful to the Pallate as well as the Stomach after a little use and practise, far beyond the compositions of Flesh and Fish, or any Foods that proceed from the Animal Kingdom.

8. By Vegitative Foods I mean all such as are made of Grains of Corn, especially of Wheat, which is the King of all others, as Bread, Flower∣ed Water, or Pap with Bread in it, Gruel, Cakes made of various sorts of Flower▪ Gruels with dried Herbs infused, or green Herb••▪ ••allats with

Oyl, Sallats with Vinegar, Good Ale made with Malt, these are the most material Foods the Ve∣gitable Kingdom affords, they be not many, but they are excellent; There are also several sorts of Fruits, as Apples, Pears, Cherries, Grapes, and the like, which may now and then with Bread furnish thee with a Meal, but a few will serve thy turn, the best use of them is to make them into Drink, as Cyder, Perry, and the like; More∣over, there are a great number of Roots, as Tur∣nips, Carrets, Parsnips, and others, but they are not so proper to be eaten by those that live whol∣ly on Vegitations, because they are too cold and earthy, affording but a small nourishment, and not firm, besides they are apt to loosen the Body too much, on which account they are profitable for those to live on now and then that eat Flesh, and other Animal Foods, especially such as are subject to Costiveness, but then they should live on them and Bread only 2 or 3 days together, or so long till they find a change, and that they an∣swer the end they do it for, and not eat any Butter with them.

9. Live on innocent harmless Foods, first for the Health of the Soul, and the Benefits of Intel∣lectuals, and not for the Health of the Body, for all Dispositions are made and continued in their full strength and vertue by Meats and Drinks, and according to the Nature of them clean or unclean, good or evil, such are the Desires, Inclinations, Words, and Works.

10. Custom hides the truth from all Men in one degree or another, and 'tis no small part of Piety and Self-denial to overcome the Invegle∣ments thereof, especially the usages of those Places and Countries a Man has been bred up in.