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 ale, biere, cyder, and whay.

I Can neyther here nor rede, that ale is made and vsed for a commen drynke in any other coūtray than England, Scotland, Ireland and Poyle. The latine worde Cereuitia, is in∣different as well to ale as biere, and the onely difference betwene them is, that biere hath hop∣pes sodden in it, ale ought to haue none. If the corne be good, the water holsom and cleane, and the ale or biere well and perfytely brewed and clensed, and by the space of .vi. dayes or more, settled and defecate, it muste nedes be a necessa∣ry and conuenient drynke, as well in syckenesse as in helth: consyderyng that barley corne, wher of it is made, is commended, and vsed in medi∣cine, in all partes of the worlde: and accompted to be of a syngular efficacy, in reducyng the bo∣dy into good temper, specyally which is in a di∣stemperature of heate. For what auncient phi∣sition is there, that in his workes commendeth not ptysane, which is none other than pure bar¦ley, brayed in a morter, and sodden in water, the same thynge is smalle and clene ale or biere, sa∣uynge that perchaunce, the drienge of the malte

is cause of more drythe to be in the ale, than in ptysane. And the hoppes in biere maketh it col∣der in operation. But to say as I thynke, I sup¦pose, that neyther ale nor biere is to be cōpared to wyne, consyderynge, that in theym do lacke the heate and moysture, whiche is in wyne. For that beynge moderately vsed, is most lyke to the naturall heate and moysture of mannes bodye. And also the lykour of ale and biere, beyng more grosse, do ingender more grosse vapours, and corrupte humours, thanne wyne dothe, beynge drunke in lyke excesse of quantitie.

¶ And one thynge is to be noted, whiche was lately wel marked, of a man of excellent lerning, beinge vexed with the syknes of the stone. That in them, which do alway vse to drink ale or bere the stone & grauel ingendred in them, is white of colour: And in them, whiche do vse to drynke wyne for the moste parte, the stones and gra∣uell, whiche be ingendreth in them, be redde of colour. Not withstandyng commonly the colour of the stone foloweth the humour, whiche dothe moste abounde in the pacyent. As coler maketh the grauell more redde, fleume maketh it more whyte. Also some men do suppose, that red gra∣uell is ingendred in the raynes: white grauell in the bladder. More ouer, who so euer vseth in∣gurgitation of ale or bicre, his breathe shall be more lothesome, than the breathes of them, whi∣che do take the excesse of wyne: for the wyne, by the reason of his heate, is soner digesteth, and doth leue behynde hym, fewer dregges. As for Cyder, may not be good in any condicion, consy∣derynge (as I say) that all fruytes do ingender¦yll

humours, & do coole to moch naturall heate: but to them, whiche haue abundaunce of redde¦choler, moderately vsed, it somewhat profiteth in mytigation of excessiue heate. But who that wyll dyly gently marke in the countrays, where syder is vsed for a comon drynke, the men and women haue the colour of their vysage palled, & the skynne of theyr vysage ryueled, although that they be yong. Whay yf it be lefte of the but¦ter, brynge well ordred, and not drunke, vntylle it haue a thycke curde of mylke ouer it lyke to a hatte, is a ryght temperate drinke: forasmoch as by the vn••tuositie of the butter, wherof the whay retayneth some portion, it is bothe mayste and nouryshynge, and clenseth the breste: and by the subtylnesse of it selfe, it descēdeth sone from the stomacke, and is shortly digested. Also by re∣son of the affinitie, which it hath with mylke, it is conuertible into bloudde and fleshe, specially in those persones, whiche do inhabite the northe partes, in whom natural heate is conglutinate, and therfore is of more puissaunce and vertue in the office of concoction. Also custome frome chylhoode dothe eleuate the power of meates and drynkes in theyr disposition, not withstan∣dynge that the foure humours, sangume, choler, fleume, and melancoly, must also be consydered as it shall apper•• in dyuers places hereafter,