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

¶ Dyete of choleryke persons. Ca. 16.

TO them which be cholerike / beyng in these naturalle temperature / and hauynge not from theyr youth vsed the contrary / grosse meates moderately taken / be more conue∣nient / than the meates that be fyne, and better shall they dygeste a piece of good biefe / than a chyckens legge. Choler of his propertye rather burnynge than well dygestynge meates of lyght substance / not withstandynge some gentylmen whiche be nycely brought vp in theyr infancy / may not so well susteyne that diet as poore men beyng the more parte vsed to grosse meates. wherfore theyr diet muste be in a temperance / as yonge biefe / olde veale / mutton / and venyson

powdred, yonge geese, and suche lyke, cōseruyng their complexion with meates lyke there vnto in qualitie and degree, accordynge to the counsayle of Hipocrates. And as he perceyueth choler to abounde, so to interlace meates, whiche be colde in a moderate quantitie, and to alay theyr wyne more or lasse with water, eschewynge hotte spi∣ces, hotte wynes, and excessyue labour, wherby the body maye be moche chaufed. Also he maye eate oftener in the day, than any other: foresene, that there be suche distance betwene his meales as the meate before eaten be fully dygested, whi¦che in some persone is more, in some lasse, accor∣dynge to the heate and strength of his stomake, notynge alwaye, that the colerike persone dige∣steth more meate than his appetite desyreth, the melancolyke persone desyreth by false appetite more than his stomacke maye dygeste. And to a cholerike persone, it is ryght daungerous, to vse longe abstynence: for choler, fyndynge nothyng in the stomacke to concocte, it fareth than, as where a lyttell potage or mylke, beynge in a ves∣sell ouer a great fyre, it is burned to the vesselle, and vnsauery fumes and vapours do issue oute therof. Lykewyse in a cholerike stomake, by ab∣stinence, these inconueniences doo happen, hu∣mours adust, consumynge of naturall moysture, fumosities and stynkynge vapours, ascendynge vp to the heed, wherof is ingendred, duskynge of the eyes, heed aches, hot and thynne reumes, after euerye lyttell surfette, and many other in∣conueniences. wherfore besyde the oppinion of beste lerned men, myne owne peynefull expery∣ence, also moueth me, to exhorte them, whche be

of this complexion, to eschewe moche abstinēce. And although they be studyous, and vse lyttell exercyse, yet in the mornynge to eate somewhat in lyttell quantitie, and not to study immediatly, but fyrst to sytte a whyle, and after to stande or walke softely, whiche vsynge these two yeres, I and also other, that haue longe knowen me, haue perceyued in my bodye a great alteration, that is to say, frome ylle astate to better. Alway remember, that yf any other humour do aboūde in the choleryke persone, as fleume, or melanco∣lye, than vntyll that humour be expelled, the di∣ete must be correctiue of that humour, and ther∣fore more hotte and fyne, than the natural dyete before rehersed: but yet there wolde be alwaye respecte hadde to the naturall complexion, some tyme sufferyng the person to eate or drinke that, whiche nature workynge, he feruently desyreth.