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

❧ Tymes in day concernynge meales. Cap. 27.

BEsydes the tymes of the yere, and ages, there be also other tymes of eatynge and drynkynge to be remembred, as the sondry tymes in the daye, whiche we call meales, whi∣che are in noumber and dystaunce, accordynge to the temperature of the countrey and person: As where the countrey is colde, and the persone lusty, and of a strong nature, there may ••••o mea¦les be vsed, or the lasse distance of tyme betwene them. Contrarywise in contrary countrays and personages, the cause is afore rehersed, where I

haue spoken of the diet of the times of the yere, not withstādyng here must be also consideratiō of exercise and reste, which do augmente or apei¦reth the naturall disposition of bodyes, as shall be more declared herafter in the chapiter of ex∣ercise. But concernyng the general vsage of coū¦treys, & admittyng the bodies to be in {per}fit state of helth. I suppose that in England yong men, vntyll they come to the age of .xl. yeres, may wel eate thre meales in one daye, as at breakefaste, dyner, & supper, so that betwene breakefast and dyner, be the space of foure houres at the leaste, betwene dyner and supper .vi. houres, and the breakefast lasse thā the dyner, and the dyner mo¦derate, that is to say, lasse than saciete or fulnes of bealy, and the drynke thervnto measurable, accordynge to the dryenesse or moystnesse of the meate. For moch abundance of drynk at meale, drowned the meate eaten, and not onely letteth conuenient concoction in the stomake, but also causeth it to passe faster than nature requyreth, and therfore ingendreth moche fleume, and con∣sequently reumes, & crudenes in the vaynes, de∣bilitie and slyppernesse of the stomake, conty∣nuall fluxe, and many other inconueniences to the body and membres. But to retourne to mea∣les, I thynke breakefastes necessary in this re∣alme, as well for the causes before rehersed, as * 1.1 also forasmoche as choler, beyng feruent in the stomake, sendeth vp fumosities vnto the brayn, and causeth heed ache, and somtyme becometh aduste, and smouldreth in the stomake, whereby happeneth peryllous sycknes, and sommetyme sodayn deth, yf the heate inclosed in the stomake

haue nat other conuenient matter to worke on: this dayly experience proueth, and natural reson confirmeth. Therfore men and womē not aged, hauing their stomakes cleane without putrified matter, slepyng moderately and sondely in the nyght, and felynge them selfe lyghte in the mor∣nynge, and swete breathed, lette them on god∣des name breake theyr faste: Coleryke men with grosse meate, men of other complexions with lyghter meate, fore sene, that they labour some∣what before: semblably their dyner and supper, as I haue before written, so that they sleape not incontinent after theyr meales. And here I wyll not recite the sentences of authors, whiche had neuer experience of englysshe mens natures, or of the iuste temperature of this realme of En∣glande, onely this counsell of Hipocrates shall * 1.2 be sufficient. We ought to graunt somewhat to tyme, to age, and to custome: not withstandynge where great werynesse or drythe, greued the bo¦dy, there oughte the dyner to be the lesse, and the longer distance betwene dyner and supper. alsoo moche reste, excepte a lyttell softe walkyng, that by an vpryght mouyng, the meate beyng styred, may descende. This is alway to be remembred, that where one feleth hym selfe full, and greued with his dyner, or the sauoure of his meate by erurtation ascēdeth or that his stomake is weke by late syckenesse or moche study, than is it most conuenient, to absteyne from supper, and rather prouoke hym selfe to sleape moche, than to eate or drynke any thynge. Also to drynke betweene meales, is not laudable, excepte very great thirst constrayneth, for it interrupteth the office of the

stomake in concoction, and causeth the meate to passe faster than it shulde do, and the drynke be∣inge colde, it rebuketh naturall hete, that is wor∣kyng, and the meate remaynyng rawe, it corru∣pteth dygestyon, and makyth crudenesse in the vaynes, wherfore he that is thyrsty, let hym con∣syder the occasyō. If it be of salt fleume, let him walke fayre and softely, and onely wasshe his mouthe, and his throote with barley water, or small ale, or lye downe and sleape a lyttell, and so the thyrste wyll passe away, or at the leaste be well asswaged. If it happen by extreme heate of the ayre, or by pure choler, or eatynge of hot spi∣ces, lette hym drynke a lyttell iulep made with cleane water and sugar, or a lyttell small biere or ale, so that he drynke not a great glutte, but in a lyttell quantitie, let it styll downe softly into his stomake, as he sytteth, and than let hym not moue sodeynly. If the thyrste be in the euenyng, by eatynge to moche, and drynkynge of wyne, than after the opinion of the beste lerned phisi∣tions, and as I my selfe haue often experienced, the best remedy is, yf there be no feuer, to drinke a good draught of colde water, immediatly, or els yf it be not peynefull for hym to vomyte, to prouoke hym therto with a lyttel warme water, and after to washe his mouth with vineger and water, and so to sleape longe and soundly, yf he can. And yf in the mornyng he fele any fumosi∣ties rysyng, than to drynke iulep of violettes, or for lacke therof, a good draught of very small ale or biere somewhat warmed, without eatyng any thynge after it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Brekefast.
• * 1.2

  Hipocrat. aphor. 13. lib. 1. Galen. de tuend. san.