The castel of helth gathered and made by Syr Thomas Elyot knyghte, out of the chiefe authors of physyke, wherby euery manne may knowe the state of his owne body, the preseruatio[n] of helthe, and how to instructe welle his physytion in syckenes that he be not deceyued

❧ Of Wyne. Cap. 19.

PLato, the wysest of all phylosophers, doth affirme, that wyne moderatly drunke, no∣rysheth and cōforteth, as well all the body, as the spirites of man. And therfore, god dyde ordeyne it for mankynde, as a remedy a∣gaynste the incommodities of aege: that thereby they shulde seme to retourne vnto youth, & for∣gette heuynes. Vndoubtedly wyne heateth and moysteth the body, which qualities chiefly con∣serueth nature. And Galene of all wynes, com∣mendeth that, which is yelowe and clere, saing, That it is the hotest, and whyte wyne lest hote. And the colour meane betwene bothe, of sembla¦ble temperature. The yelowe wyne, whiche is the proper colour of very hotte wynes, to olde men doth brynge these cōmodites Fyrste it hea∣teth al theyr membres, also it purgeth by vryne,

the watry substaunce of the bloudde. Moreouer the wynes, whiche be pale or yelowe, and full of substance, they do increase bloudde, & nouryshe the body, but for the more parte olde men haue nede of suche wynes, whiche do prouoke vrine: for as moch as in them do abounde watrye ex∣crementes, or superfluities. And they whiche do tary longe in the bealy, be not apt for aged men. Blacke or depe redde wynes and thicke, do bind and congele that which they do fynde in the bo∣dye, and although some of them do not longe a∣byde in the bealy, yet they moue not vrine, but rather withdraweth: but yet they do harme to olde men, for as moche as they do stoppe the eū∣dites of the splene, the lyuer, & the raynes. Alsoo grosse wynes be best for them, whiche desyre to be fatte, but it maketh oppilations: olde wyne and clere is better for them, that be fleumatike. Galene also prohibiteth chyldern to drynke any * 1.1 wyne, forasmoch as they be of an hot and moist temperature, and soo is wyne: and therfore it heateth and moysteth to moch theyr bodyes, and fylleth theyr heedes with vapours. More ouer, he wolde, that yonge men shoulde drynke lyttell wyne, for it shall make them prone to fury, and to lechery: and that parte of the soule, whych is called rationable, it shall make troublous and dull••: not withstandynge, yet it is sommetyme profytable to mitigate or expell ordure, made of coler or melancolye. Also it profyteth agaynste drythe, whiche hapneth in the substance of the bodye, eyther by to moche labour, or by the pro∣pre temperature of age: for wyne moysteth and nourysheth that, whiche is to drye, also mytiga∣teth

and dissolueth the sharpenes of cholet, and purgeth it also by vrine and sweate: Finally (as Theognes sayth Moch drynkynge of wyne is yll, but moderate drynkyng of wyne is not only not yll, but also commodious and profitable, whiche sentence is confyrmed by Jesus Syrac, in the boke named Ecclesiasticus, sayeng, wyne moderatly drunke, reioyseth bothe the body and * 1.2 soule. wherfore to cōclude this chapyter, There is neyther meate nor drynke, in the vse wherof ought to be a more discrete moderation, than in wyne, consyderynge that beynge good & drunke in due tyme and mesure, it not onely conserueth naturall and radicall moysture, wherby lyfe in∣••ureth, but also it helpeth the pryneypall mem∣bers, whiche belonge to digestyon, to do they•• office: On the other parte, beynge yll or corrupt or taken out of order and measure, it doth con∣trarye to all the premysses, besydes that it trans¦formeth a man or womā, makyng them beastly. More of the qualities of wyne, shall be touched hereafter in the order of dyete.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Lib. 1. de tuenda sa∣nitate.
• * 1.2

  Eccle. 3••.