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.

How Milk is to be eaten and used, in time of health.

First that they drink or eat the milk of no horned beast unsodden, for so will it not easily curdle nor engen∣der wind: but Womens milk, Asses milk, and Mares milk, need no other fire to prepare it, for it will never curdle into any hard substance. Secondly to be sure that milk shall not curdle, season it with salt, suger, or hony, and neither drink any wine or soure thing upon it, nor mingle it with other meats, but eat it upon an empty stomack, and fast an hour after it. Thirdly exercise not presently upon it, neither sleep upon any milk taken from beasts chewing the cud, and when you have eaten it wash your teeth clean, for there is no greater enemy unto them then milk it self, which therefore nature hath chiefly ordained for them, who never had or have lost their teeth. And truely (as Marcilius Ficinus no∣teth) Milk is not to be used of young men, who have sound teeth given them for stronger meat, but of such as either have none at all, or very few and weak ones; or though they have strong teeth, want ability and strength to set them a grinding as it falleth out in them that are fallen into Fever Hecticks. Wherefore when Poppaea wife to Domitius Nero carried 500 she Asses (shod with gold) continually about with her, to bath her body in their milk once a week, and to drink of it every day, to make her skin clear and smooth without wrinckles:

she left it rather a monument of her pride, then a memo∣rial of her wisdome; for nature taught her a better meat, though Art could not appoint her a finer Bath. If she had taken it (as the Arcadians do Cow-milk) in the spring time onely, for a month or six weeks together once in the morning, to cleanse and purge the body of bad humours, it had been good and warrantable by phy∣sick: but to use it continually in health could not less corrupt her, then Goats milk did my Lady Penruddock, of whose cruel and terrible end, caused by the lest worms of all other, perpetually engendred betwixt the skin and the flesh, through superfluity of nourishment arising from the long continuance of Goats milk; I will not here reherse, it being fresh enough in their memories that best knew her & most loved her. The like may I say of Cow milk so generally used of us, that being now and then taken of sound men (not subject nor distempered with hot diseases) it nourisheth plentifully, encreaseth the brain, fatneth the body, restoreth flesh, asswageth sharp∣ness of urine, giveth the face a lively and good colour, en∣creaseth lust, keepeth the body soluble, ceaseth extream coughing, and openeth the brest; as for children and old men they may use it dayly without offence, yea ra∣ther for their good and great benefit.

Notes

• Lib. de san. tu.
• plin l. 11. c 41:
• Plin. l. 25 c. 7.