Healths improvement: or, Rules comprizing and discovering the nature, method, and manner of preparing all sorts of food used in this nation. Written by that ever famous Thomas Muffett, Doctor in Physick: corrected and enlarged by Christopher Bennet, Doctor in Physick, and fellow of the Colledg of Physitians in London.

Hares.

Hares or Leverets (the beloved meat of Alexander Severus) taken in hunting, roasted with fresh lard, and eaten with Venison sawce, cannot offend a reasonable stomack. Galen saith that the flesh of a Hare prevents fatness, causeth sleep, and cleanseth the blood: how be it in another place he saith, that it breedeth gross blood and melancholick humours: which unless he understand on∣ly of old, lean, and unseasonable Hares, experience it self will overthrow him; For take a young Leveret, and let it blood as you do a Pigeon, the flesh of it will be ve∣ry white, tender, and well rellishing; yea little inferiour to a midso••mer Rabbet. Yet I deny not (with Hippocra∣tes) that it dryeth more then ordinary meats: for it pro∣voketh

much urine, and so accidentally moistneth little, though it be moist enough of its own nature. Pissanel∣lus writeh (and the Italians generally believe it) that eat∣ing of much hares flesh maketh a man fair and merry se∣ven dayes after; For which purpose perhaps they were so much in request amongst the Romans, who fatned young Hares in clappers, as we do Connies, finding them so dieted to be a delicate and wholesome meat: tame Hares so prepared are good at all times but wild Hares are best and fattest in the hardest time of Winter. Certain it is, that much eating of Hares flesh procureth leanness; because it is very diuretical, and common sence teacheth, that a man pissing much cannot be fat, because the whey∣ish part of blood (called of Hippocrates 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the sled of nourishment) is sooner expelled then that it can carry nourishment throughout the body. The neither Ger∣mans hang their Hares six or seven daies in the cold and shadowy aire before they flay or dress them: whereby they prove exceeding tender, though a night or two nights hanging were sufficient. We do usually boil the foreparts in broth, and rost only the hinder parts: and not without reason; for as in Kid and Lamb the hinder parts are driest; and therefore we seeth them, the fore∣parts over-moist and therefore we roast them: so contra∣wise a Hare is driest before, and moistest behind.

Now concerning such Medicins, as Matthiolus a∣voucheth to be taken from a Hares harsenet, from his skin, gall, kidneys, bones, stones, haire, blood, and dung; I think it impertinent to the treatise of Diet, which sheweth not how to give Medicines but to use nourish∣ments.

Notes

• Lampridius.
• Gal. de vict. atten.
• 3 de alim. fac. cab. 1.
• Hares be often leprous.
• Lib. de fac. esc.
• Varro. 3. lib. agric.
• Matthiolus. Com. in lib. 2. Diosc. cap. 18.