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This, though a Fun∣damentall in Physick; which saith that Dis∣eases are expelled by Contraries, Health pre∣served by Similaries; Yet is it oppugned by many Arguments, As 1. Children & Youths, of Nature Hot, are for∣bidden Wine; and with old men that are cold of Temperament do hot things best agree;
Hence say we, Vinum est Lac Senum, Wine is the old Mans Milk; a∣greeable to which is that of Hippocrates, Epi∣demiôn 6to. They that are Cholerick must use bathing, and much rest: they must drink Water for Wine; Mustard, Garlick, Leekes, Oni∣ons, and spiced Meats are to such very hurt∣full: This is confirmed by every daies experi¦ence; Therefore ought that Traditionall Foun∣dation in Physick to be no longer trusted to, being so detrimentall to our Healths.
For the Decision of the Question, we must Note, 1. That the In∣stances to be given, ought to be in cases of Health & Sound Con∣stitution, and not of Distemper and Sicknes, for then the other part of the Maxime takes place, That they are to be helped by Contraries.
2. Note. That the Assimilation is not to be understood in a large Sense, but strictly, with reference, not to the Quality in generall, but to the proper and indi∣viduall degree thereof: As for Instance, The
true Temperament of Man is, when all the Qualities pertinent to his▪ Composition are well mixt and modera∣ted, only his Heat and Moisture are somewhat predominant, it is now therefore to be pre∣served by such things as are of like Temper and Qualification; Hence must we not infer, that whatsoever is Hot, though in never so in∣tense a degree, is proper and nutritive, but that which is so in the same degree and constitution with himself.
3. Those things are
truly said to be alike in Temperament, which are of equal distance from the Mean: For in∣stance, those things which are hot in the se∣cond degree, are pre∣served by Aliments of the same degree: but those which have much departed from the due Temperament, ought not to be preserved in the State they are in, but by due Alteratives and Correctives to be amended and restored.
These things thus pre∣mised, I agree with the Affirmative, That the Body is best preserved
by Similaries; for how is Nutrition perfor∣med, but by agglu∣tination and Assimilati∣on, by making the food one and the same with the body: Those things therefore that have greatest Likeness and Resemblance in Tem∣perament, must needs be most easily and with least disturbance to Na∣ture assimilated, and made one with her Self.
To the objections I answer, 1. That Wine is therefore forbidden children, because its Heat is in no proportion
analogous to theirs, as being over-intensively hot, and so too violent∣ly consumptive of that radicall Moysture, and destructive to that in∣nate Heat; which by meats and drinks of like Temperament is long and kindly preserved.
To the 2. I will not here dispute how good Wine is for Old men; I believe they are gene∣rally too bold with it: and my observation tells me that they live most Healthfully, who both in their youth and old Age are least ac∣customed to it: It may
be good Physick, but bad Diet: Help to re∣pair and recompense the Defects of Heat, and to dry up those superfluous Moystures with which old men a∣bound, but they who use it as their Milk, must expect (in stead of Soft and Firm Flesh, such as Milk indeed produces in Children:) a dry∣ness and withering in theirs, a depraedation of their spirits & strength, Catarrhes from their brain, one while upon their Lungs, and then they become Physical: Another while upon
their Kidnies, and then they prove Nephritical: Now the Humors re∣main and thicken in the Brain, and then they prove Lethargicall, and Apoplectical: in others they loosen the Nerves, and fall upon the Limbs and Joynts, and then the Palsy and Gout seizes them. Thus much as to the In∣stance.
To the objection I say, that the good which Wine, taken in good quantity and season, doth to Old Men, it performs as a Corrector of the defects, and a∣mender
of the decayes which age is accompa∣nied withall, and so makes nothing at all a∣gainst our Position.
3. The case is much the same in the 3d ob∣jection, of the Cholerick: whose dyscracy must by contraries be amended, and those things strict∣ly forborn which aug∣ment his Distemper: He is therefore prohi∣bited the use of Wine, of Hot meats and Spi∣ces, as increasing his E∣vill habit of▪ Body, and advised to such Corre∣ctives of contrary Na∣ture and Quality to his
distemper, whereby the same may in time be al∣layed, and he reduced to a more equal and or∣derly constitution.
* 1.1In the 2d place, as a par∣ticular very necessary to be known in it self, and very pertinent to a right understanding of what shall hereafter follow, I think it good to make some enquiry, briefly as I may, into that great Imitatrix of Nature, Custome, who is said to be as a second Nature, and into which Nature (though improperly) is said to be convertible: However this Usurper
hath exceedingly ex∣tended her Dominions, whose power and effi∣cacy is seen almost in e∣very action of every mans Life. She may be thus Defin'd.
Custome is an Adven∣titious Quality, gradual∣ly acquired, by frequent Exercise and Multiplica∣tion of Actions: arriving in time to a power some∣what resembling Nature, but never acquiring such an Identity, as to become Nature her self.
* 1.2She gains footing up∣on us by degrees, and must therefore gradu∣ally be removed: they
therefore err, who ad∣vise the sudden aboliti∣on thereof, acting here∣in contrary to the ap∣proved Maxime of Na∣ture, That all Sudden Mu∣tations are to be avoided as dangerous; Whence saith Hippocrates Aph. 51. l. 2. Much at one time, and suddenly either to evacuate, to fill, to heat, to cool, or any o∣ther ways to change or move the body, is very dangerous: and advises thereupon that all Mu∣tations be made insen∣sibly, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, by little and little, yea even the refection and
Restauration of emaci∣ated and consumed bo∣dies. Nature makes no leaps, but passes from one extream to another by intervenient Grada∣tions. This Rule must carefully be observed by such as having long accustomed themselves to that which is hurtful and prejudicial to their Healths, have acquired thereby an Evil Habit and Constitution of Bo∣dy: whether it be by too much use of Wine, Tobacco, Carnall Coi∣tion, Exercise, Meats of bad juyce and Hard Di∣gestion, Sleeping after
Dinner, or whatsoever else either in its immo∣derate use, or in its own nature proves detrimen∣tal to Health, must not however either in Sick∣ness or Health, be sud∣denly, and all at once left off, but by degrees, and small portions, and the contraries thereun∣to (if need require) in∣sensibly introduct, and inoffensively to Nature. Many Instances might be here reckoned up to shew the evils that have ensued upon such Vio∣lent changes, but in a case so clear▪ and in which almost every
mans observation will afford him examples, it will be needless: The inconveniences are most familiarly seen in leaving totally off long accustomed exercises, whereby those Humors which Motion wasted by Transpiration, being closed in, and heapt up in the body, become the Food and Matter of Diseases. So that here the Gradation is to be observed, and the Diet lessened, that so what by stirring before was used to be evaporated, may now not be gene∣rated.
Another Error there is, of suddenly altering an inveterate Custome in Sicknes & Weaknesses, although that Custome hath no Contrariety with the Disease. By which means Nature is very much discomfited and de∣jected, her delight being taken away, and in that dejection she yields ve∣ry much to the disease; she must for a time be indulged, Custome ha∣ving got a great simili∣tude and sympathy with her self; the o∣mitting whereof must be left to a time when Nature is strong, and at
good leasure, & not un∣der the hands of some violent or obstinate dis∣ease. This case is most perspicuous in those that drink much Wine, and take much Tobac∣co, which though in themselves in some re∣spects prejudiciall to the parties using them, yet by time and long use made familiar with their Natures, as Hem∣lock was to Galens A∣thenian Woman, or Poi∣son to Mithridates: they must not when Violent Diseases come upon them, be rashly and to∣tally left off; and the
Customary longings of Nature utterly rejected, considering I say the si∣militude they have got with her self, but rather their quantities fitly lessened, and the totall omission thereof left to a Time of greater Strength and Ability.
The Reason hereof is, because whatsoever any man is accustomed to, though worse in its own Nature, yet is it less hurtfull to him then its contrary, forasmuch as it makes less Resi∣stance, and so works less disturbance to the Stomack and other
parts, because of its A∣greement in quality with what is before in the Body: A Country∣man though weak and Aged better bears Gar∣lick, then the strongest man who never before eat of it: That which hinders digestion is the Resistance that is made in the Stomack; and that is most done by Dissimilaries; For, Inter Symbola facilis est transi∣tus: Those things that are of nearest similitude, do easiest pass one into ano∣ther.
I plead not here for bad Customs, but for
the best way of Remo∣ving them; desiring this Inference rather may be made there-from, that since Evil things becoming Customary are so difficulty remo∣vable, we be very care∣ful to enure our selves only to those things that are good, whol∣som, of easy charge and preparation.
Of Cu∣stom.
Cu∣stoms how to be alter∣ed?