The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

500 HISTORY OF LIFE AND DEATH.
and upon dry aliment, attained commonly to a suming than water, so in paper or linen, it sticketl
great age. longer, and is later dried, as we noted before.
8. Also, pure water usually drunk, makes the 18. To the irroration of the body, roasted meats
juices of the body less frothy; unto which if, for or baked meats are more effectual than boiled
the dulness of the spirits, (which no doubt in meats, and all preparation of meat with water is
water are but a little penetrative,) you shall add a inconvenient; besides oil is more plentifully exlittle nitre, we conceive it would be very good. tracted out of dried bodies than out of moist bodies.
And touching the firmness of the aliment, thus 19. Generally, to the irroration of the body
much. much use of sweet things is profitable, as of
9. As for the condensation of the skin and flesh sugar, honey, sweet almonds, pineapples, pis.
by cold: they are longer lived for the most part tachios, dates, raisins of the sun, corans, figs, and
that live abroad in the open air, than they that the like. Contrarily, all sour, and very salt, and
live in houses; and the inhabitants of the cold very biting things are opposite to the generation
countries, than the inhabitants of the hot. of roscid juice.
10. Great store of clothes, either upon the bed 20. Neither would we be thought to favour the
or back, do resolve the body. Maenichees, or their diet, though we commend
11. Washing the body in cold water is good for the frequent use of all kinds of seeds, kernels,
length of life; use of hot baths is naught: touch- and roots in meats or sauces, considering all bread:ng baths of astringent mineral waters, we have (and bread is that which maketh the meat firm)
spoken before. is made either of seeds or roots.
12. As for exercise, an idle life doth manifestly 21. But there is nothing makes so much to the
make the flesh soft and dissipable: robust exer- irroration of the body as the quality of the drink,
cise (so it be without overmuch sweating or wea- which is the convoy of the meat; therefore, let
riness) maketh it hard and compact. Also exer- there be in use such drinks as without all acricise within cold water, as swimming, is very mony or sourness are notwithstanding subtile;
good; and generally exercise abroad is better than such are those wines which are (as the old wothat within houses. Inan said in Plautus) vetustate edentula, toothless
13. Touching frications, (which are a kind of with age, and ale of the same kind.
exercise,) because they do rather call forth the 22. Mead (as we suppose) would not be ill if
aliment that hardens the flesh, we will inquire it were strong and old; but because all honey
hereafter in the due place. hath in it some sharp parts, (as appears by that
14. Having now spoken of hardeningthe juices sharp water which the chymists extract out of
of the body, we are to come next to the oleosity it, which will dissolve metals,) it were better to
and fatness of them, which is a more perfect and take the same portion of sugar, not lightly inpotent intention than induration, because it hath fused into it, but so incorporated as honey useth
no inconvenience or evil annexed. For all those to be in mead, and to keep it to the age of a year,
things which pertain to the hardening of the or at least six months, whereby the water may
juices are of that nature, that while they prohibit lose the crudity, and the sugar acquire subtilty.
the absumption of the aliment, they also hinder 23. Now, ancientness in wine or beer hath this
the operation of the same; whereby it happens, in it, that it engenders subtilty in the parts of the
that the same things are both propitious and ad- liquor, and acrimony in the spirits, whereof the
verse to length of life; but those things which first is profitable, and the second hurtful. Now,
pertain to making the juices oily and roscid, help to rectify this evil comrnmixture, let there be put
on both sides, for they render the aliment both into the vessel, before the wine be separated from
less dissipable, and more reparable. the must, swine's flesh or deer's flesh well boiled,
15. But, whereas we say that the juice of the that the spirits of the wine may have whereupon
body ought to be roscid and fat, it is to be noted to ruminate and feed, and so lay aside their morthat we mean it not of a visible fat, but of a dewi- dacity.
ness dispersed, or (if you will call it) radical in 24. In like manner, if ale should be made not
the very substance of the body. only with the grains of wheat, barley, oats, pease,
16. Neither again let any man think, that oil, and the like, but also should admit a part (supor the fat of meat or marrow, do engender the like, pose a third part to these grains) of some fat
and satisfy our intention: for those things which roots, such as are potado roots, pith of artichokes,
are once perfect are not brought back again; but burre roots, or some other sweet and esculent
the aliments ought to be such, which after diges- roots; we suppose it would be a more useful
tion and maturation, do then in the end engender drink for long life than the ale made of grains
oleosity in the juices. only.
17. Neither again let any man think, that oil Also, such things as have very thin parts, yet,
or fat by itself and simple is hard of dissipation; notwithstanding, are without all acrimony or
but in mixture it doth not retain the same nature: mordacity, are very good salads; which virtue
for as oil by itself is much more longer in con- we find to be in some few of the flowers, namely,