The marrow of physicke, or, A learned discourse of the severall parts of mans body being a medicamentary, teaching the manner and way of making and compounding all such oyles, unguents ... &c. as shall be usefull and necessary in any private house ... : and also an addition of divers experimented medicines which may serve against any disease that shall happen to the body : together with some rare receipts for beauties ... / collected and experimented by the industry of T.B.

CHAP. XII. Of sleeping, and waking.

What sleepe is. SLeepe is a rest and quietnesse of the whole body, and the cessation of the spirits and faculty animall from sense, and motion, fortifying the strength, helping digestion, and correcting the passions of the minde; it is caused when the braines are possessed with vapours that ascend, which by the coldnesse of the braines are turned into humours, which close the conduits of the nerves; for when we are waking, the animall f••culties, as sence, motion, and all are at worke; but when we are sleeping, the natural functions are better performed, be∣cause the heate goes into the bowells where by is made digestion, which cannot be made by sleepe in the day so well; for the Sunne drawes the heate and spirits into the outward part of the body; Sleepe in the day is hurtfull. and therefore sleep in the day is counted hurtful, because being wakened by noise, or by the attraction of the spirits by the Sun, the conco∣ction begunne is not perfected, but the stomacke filled with crudities, and sower belchings, the braine filled with grosse vapours and excrementitious humidities, and is the cause of divers sickenesses, as catarrhes, &c.

But though sleepe in the night time be counted and esteemed wholesome; yet except it be restrained with∣in certaine limits, it will prove otherwise; therefore eight houres is sufficient, for longer time hinders the

evacuation of the excrements, both upwards and down∣wards; and the naturall heate which is never idle, drawes from them some ill vapour into the veines and principall parts of the body, to become some matter for a disease.

How to sleepe. Also in our lying downe to sleepe we must observe this rule; first to lye one our right side, that the meat may fall more easily into the bottome of the stomacke, which is hotter; about an houre after is good to turne on the left side, that so the liver m••y with its lobes as with hands imbrace the ventricle, and as a fire under a Furnace may hasten digestion; lye in no wise on your face, nor on your backe, for the first causeth defluxions in the eyes, the other inflammations in the reines, and stone, palsies, convulsions, and all diseases that proceed from the spinall marrow; neither must we lye with our hands under our head, for that causeth defluxions of humours on the lights, nor sleepe soone after meate: painefull sleeping in sickenesse is no good signe, but altogether dangerous; not painefull is a good token.

Dreames. By dreames we often know the humour that hath dominion, and is superfluous in the body; for the sanguine dreames are of marriages, mirth, dan∣cings, gardens, and things pleasant, and libidinous: Cholericke dreames are fiery, bright, shining, burning, full of noise, and contention: Phlegmaticke dreames are cold, of flouds, snowes, waters, showers, and fal∣ling from high places: Melancholicke dreames are sad, of caves, prisons, thicke darkenesse, smoakes and dismall things.

Waking. Much waking corrupteth the braine, and hurts the temperature thereof, debilitateth the senses, alters the

spirits, moveth crudities, breedeth heavinesse of the head, falling away, and wasting of the flesh, and dissipa∣teth the naturall heat, and maketh ulcers very rebellious, and difficult to heale.