A right profitable booke for all diseases: called, The pathway to health. Wherein are to be founde most excellent & approued medicines of great vertue: as also notable potions and drinks, and for the distilling of diuers precious waters, and making of oyles, and other comfortable receits for the health of the body, neuer before imprinted. First gathered by Peter Leuens, master of art of Oxford, and student in phisicke and surgery: and now newly corrected and augmented.

Rules concerning blood-letting to bee obserued.

Also be yée alwaies well aduised, and warie, that yee let no bloode, nor open no vaine, except the Moone be eyther in Aries, Cancer, the first halfe of Libra, the last halfe of Scorpio, or in Sagitarius, Aquarius, or Pisces, remembring also that you ought not to doo it in the day of the changing, nor in the day next before, nor next after the same, or when the signe is in the place where the incision should be made: neither in the heate of Som∣mer, as from middle Iuly vnto the middle of September, nor in the cold time of Winter, when there is much frost and snowe, except vrgent necessitie sorceth you there-vnto. Also if you choose out these signes following, appointed vnto each complexion, doubtlesse you shall doo the better, so that time and occasion will suffer it, as thus.

Open a veine in the flegmatique person, when the Moone is in Aries, sauing in the head.

In a melanchollicke man, the Moone being in the first halfe or fiftéene degrées of Libra, except in the hips, or when y^e Moone is in Aquary, sauing in the leggs.

In a cholericke body, it is best to let bloode what time the Moone is in Cancer, sauing in the breast, the last halfe of Scor∣pio. sauing in the priuie members, or in Pisces, sauing in y^e féete.

The sanguine man may bleed in any of the fore-said signes, so that he doo it not what time the signe is in the member, or the season inconuenient therefore. Beware also yee Chirurgians, that you make no notable incision, as to cut Ruptures, take out the Stone in the bladder, deuoyde from the body any naturall Excrescentes, Wennes, or Nodes, to dipart, deplorate or rot∣ten members, to roote out the Canker in the breast, let out the water collected in the belly through the disease Ascites: to bee short, to make an incision or cautherization in any member, or to remooue the Catricle from the eye, or to attempt any other

like thing by manuall working vpon the body of man, when the signe gouerning the same is in the member in the which such attempts are to be made for the remedie of any of these diseases aboue-said: or when the Lorde of the ascendent or first house, is the same signe that gouerneth part of the body at that tune, or when there is any oppositions, coniunctions, or quartile aspects of Saturne and Mars, or when any Plannet is cuill aspected vn∣to another, or when the Moene is in the signe of Leo, or in the day of the change, or full, except great necessitie require it.

Moreouer, I would wish no incission to bee made about the full of the Moone, where-after any great fluxe of blood may bee feared to ensue, though the signe be neuer so meete, but rather let it be done in the wane of the Moone.

As touching the stone ruptures, Dropsies, to bee helpen by way of incission, I haue rather mentioned them in this place, because that the rude and ignorant Chirurgian may be brought to the true practise and knewledge heereof. I doubt not but to make many partakers of the benefit thereof, whose good intent, I would wishe either to follow in those attempts, and so to vse it in vtter refuge, when other meanes will take no place in that case, it béeing a most assured remedie for the true and due obser∣uations of letting blood, right well allowed, and practised at all times.