The workes of that famous chirurgion Ambrose Parey translated out of Latin and compared with the French. by Tho: Johnson. Whereunto are added three tractates our of Adrianus Spigelius of the veines, arteries, & nerves, with large figures. Also a table of the bookes and chapters.

CHAP. XXXIX. The signs of a distempered Womb.

THat woman is thought to have her womb too hot, whose co••••ses come forth sparingly and with pain, and exulcerate by reason of their heat, the superfluous matter of the blood being dissolved or turned into winde by the power of the heat; whereupon that menstrual blood that floweth forth is more gross and black. For it is the propriety of heat; by digesting the thinner substance, to thicken the rest, and by adustion to make it more black. Fur∣thermore, she that hath her genitals itching with the desire of copulation, will soon exclude the seed in copulation, and she shall feel it more sharp as it goeth through the passages. That woman hath too cold a womb whose flowers are either stopped, or flow sparingly, and those pale and not well colored.

Those that have less desire of copulation, have less delight therein, and their seed is more li∣quid and waterish, and not staining a linnen cloth by sticking thereunto, and it is sparingly and slowly cast forth. That womb is too moist that floweth continually with many liquid excrements, which therefore will not hold the seed, but presently after copulation suffereth it to fall out; which will easily cause abortion. The signs of too dry a womb appear in rhe little quantity of the courses, in the profusion of a small quantity of seed, by the desire of copulation, whereby it may be made slippery by the moisture of the seed, by the fissures in the neck thereof, by the chaps and itching, for all things for want of moisture will soon chap, even like unto the ground, which in the summer by reason of great drought or driness, will chap and chink this way and that way, and on the contrary with moisture it will close and join together again as it were with glew.

A woman is thought to have all opportunities unto conception when her courses or flowers do cease, for then the womb is void of excremental filth, and because it is yet open, it will the more easily receive the mans seed, and when it hath received it, it will better retain it in the wrinkles of the cotylidones yet gaping as it wese in rough and unequal places. Yet a woman will easily conceive a little before the time that the flowers ought to flow: because that the

menstrual matter falling at first like dew into the womb, is very meet and fit to nourish the seed, and not to drive it out again, or to suffocate it.

Those which use copulation when their courses fall down abundantly, will very hardly or seldome conceive; and if they do conceive, the childe wil be weak and diseased, and especially if the womans blood that flows out be un••ound; but if the blood be good and laudable, the childe will be subject to all plethorick diseases. The••e are some women in whom presently after the flux of the termes, the orifice of the womb will be closed, so that they must of necessity use copula∣tion with a man when their menstrual flux floweth, if at least they would conceive at all. A woman may bear children from the age of fourteen untill forty or fiftie; which time whosoever doth exceed, will bear untill threescore years, because the menstrual fluxes are kept, the prolifical faculty is also preserved: therefore many women have brought forth children at that age; but after that time no woman can bear, as Aristotle writeth.

Yet Plinie saith that Cornelia (who was of the house of the Scipioes) being in the sixtie second yeer of her age, bare Velusius Saturnius, who was Consul; Valescus de Tarenta also affirmeth, that he saw a woman that bare a childe on the sixtie second year of her age, having born before on the sixtieth and sixty first year. Therefore it is to be supposed that by reason of the variety of the air, region, diet and temperament, the menstrual flux and procreative faculty ceaseth in some sooner, in some later; which variety taketh place also in men. For in them although the seed be genitable for the most part in the second seventh year, yet truly it is unfruitful untill the third se∣venth year. And whereas most men beget children untill they be threescore years old, which time if they pass, they beget till seventie: yet there are some known that have begot child••en untill the eightieth year. Moreover, Plinie writeth that Masinissa the King begot a son when he was fourscore and six years of age, and also Cato the Censor after that he was fourscore.

Notes

• The signs of a hot womb.
• The signs of a cold womb▪
• The signs of a moist womb.
• The signs of a dry w••mb.
• A meet time for conception.
• Arist. l. 7. de hist. anim c. 2. &c. 5.
• Lib. 7. ca. 14. Lib. 6. cap 12.
• Lib. 7 de hist. a∣nim. c. 1. &, ••. 6.
• Lib. 7. cap 14.