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   THE


WORKS


    OF
ARISTOTLE,
FAMOUS  PHILOSOPHER
IN FOUR PARTS.
CONTAINING
I. His Complete  Master-
  Piece ; displaying the se-
  crets of Nature in the Genera-
  tion of man. To which isad-
  ded, The  Family Physi-
  cian ; being approved rem-
  edies for the several Distem-
  pers incident  to the human
  Body
II.  His Experienced Mid-
  wife ; absolutely necessary
  for  Surgeons,  Midwives,
 Nurses and  Child bearing
 Women
III- His Book  ok  Pr.ob-
 lems,  containing various
 Questions and Answers, rel-
 ative to the  State of  Mai
 Body.
IV. His Last Leoacy ; un-
 folding the  Secrets of Na^-
 turc respecting the Cvdera-
 tion of Man.
A NEW EDITION.
<K
        NEW ENGLAND i

Printed  for tme PROPRIETOR.
        February........1813. 
 
to rtts
READEi
1.
;<&::::,
•
               TO fay that Arifiotle, the learned author of tlefol.
lowing Jheets, was repotted to be the moft learned philofopher in the
World, is no more than what every intelligent per fon already knows .
nor can any think otberwife, who willgive themfelves time to con.
ftder that he was tbefcbollarof Plato (the wifeft philofopher  of his
timejand under whom  Arijlotle profited jo much, that he wa:
■hnfen by Jung Philip of Maeedon as the mojl'worthy and proper per-
fon in  his dominions :o be the tutor of his fin Alexander, by whofe
wife precepts and injlructions Alexander became mafter of fogreat
wifdom, judgment,  pronvefs, and magnanimity, that he juftly ob-
tained the title of the Great.   Alexander himjelfwasfo fenjible of
the advantage he received from the injlrutlions of fo gnat a  Stagi-
rite (forfo Arijlotle was called from the  country ofStagira,  where
he was born y that he often declared be was more beholden to his tu-
tor Arijlotle fur the cultivation  of Lis mind, than to hisfather Philip
for the kingdom of Maeedon.
   Ihough Arijlotle applied himfelfto the  invefiigation of the  fecrets
ofnature,ye:hewaspleafedtobring into a fuller and mirj true
light thoje fecrets with refpect to the generation  cf man-   Ibis  hg
fiyledbis Mafter Piece;  and in this  he has made fo  thorough  a
fiarcb, thst he has as it 'were turned nature infide out.
   The divine records affure us, that the fecrets of nature have been
the ftudy of diverfeilluftrious perfons, equally renowned for wifdom
and goodnefs ; the ft ft of whom, Job has made  it  fujficietttly  evi-
dently that excellent philofophical account he gives of she geiieratior.
of man, in the tenth chapter of the book which bears his name, when-.
he fays,  "Thine bands have made me, and fajhioncd me togetbe"
round abut: Thou hall poured me out as milk and curdled me like
cheefe :  Thou haft clothed me withfkin and flefj,  and haft  fenced
me w'ttb bones and fine ws"------David, one  of the grcatejl kings
of Ifrael, whofe piety was fuperior  to  his power,  being peculiarr
ftyled a man after God's own heart, fays in his divine  foliloauil-s
to his Creator. "Thou baft covered  me :n  my  mother's womb;  1
will praife thee, for I am fearfully  and wonderfully made :  Mar-
vellous are thy -works, and that my foul knowctb right  well.   My
fubftance was not hidden from thee v. hen I was infecret, and curi-
oujly wrought in the ioweft parts of the earth : Thine eye did fee my
fubftance, yet  being unl-crfict ; and in thy book, all my members 
TO  THE REAT5ER.
'were written, v.hicb in continuance were fajhioncd, when fls yet.
 there was no.ie of them.
   Let the words of holy Job  and thofe of  David be put  together,
 and I will notfcruple to affirm, that they  make  the moft accurate
Jyjlem ofphilofophy refpecting the generation of man  that  has ever
yet been penned ; therefore why Jhould not the  myfteries  of nature
 be inquired into without cenj'ure,jince, from this inquiry, fo  much
 praife refunds to the God of nature ! for, the more we know of his
 works, the more our hearts will be inclined to praife him, as we
fee in the inftance of David above mentioned.
   That the knowledge of the J'ecrets of nature is too often abufed by
 many perfons,  I  readily grant; and think  it very  unfortunate
 that there Jhould be a generation of fuch projjigate  perfons  in the
 world;  but at the fame time do aver that this is no objeclion to the
 Work.
   Having faid thus much of the wonderful works of imture in the
 generation of man,  I Jhall next proceed  to give  the rmder the bejl
 tranflation pofftble of that excellent treatife of the renowned Arif-
 iotle, which he wasfleafed toflyle his M ASTER PIECE.
   / cannot help obfervmg,  that having met  with  a  collection of
 approvedreceiptsbythegreatHYPPOCRATES,  and thinking they
 would be very acceptable to my readers,  I  have  added the Jame by
 way offupplement, at the end of the Mafter piece. 
ARTsTOTLE's  MASTER  PIECE.
PART I.
        TV,?. SECRETS  OF NATURE DISPLAYED'


                   INTRODUCTION.

          IT is ftrangc to fee how things are flighted only  be-
caufe they are common, though in themfelves worthy the moti
ferious confideration, this is the very cafe of the fubject I am
now treating of.  What is more common than the begetting of
children ?  And what is more wonderful than the plaftic power d
natue, by which children are formed ? Fortho' there is radicated
in the very nature of all creatures, a propenfion which lead
them to produce the image of themfelves, yet how thefe image?
are produced after thofe propenfiOTis are fatisficd, is only known
to thofe who trace the fecret meanders of nature in  their private
chambers, to thofedark receflesof the womb, where this embryo
receives formation.  The original of Which proceeds from the
divine command, increaje and multiply.   The natural  inclination
mid propenfity of bothfexes to each other, the plaftic power of na
lure, is only the energy of the firft  blefling, which to this day
upholds the fpecies of mankind in the world.
  Now fmce philofophy informs us, that Nofce teiifum, is one of
the firftleffons a man ought to learn, it cannot fureiy be accounted
an ulelefV piece of knowledge for a man to be aquainted with the
raufe of his own being, or by  what fecret power of nature it
was, that coagulated milk (as a divine author calls it) came to be
fubftanttared into a human body.    The explanation  of thir-
my ftcry, and the unfolding the plaftic power of nature, in the fe-
cret workings of generation and the formation of the feed in the
womb is the fubject of the following treatife ; a fubject fonecef-
fary to be known to the female fex that  manyfor  want of this
knowledge have perilhed with the fruit of their womb alfo ;who
had they butunderftood the fecrets  of generation, which are
difpiayed in this treaiefq might have been ftill living.  For the
lake of fuch, I have compiled this work, whieh I  have divided
into  two parts in the following manner.
  1ft: I  will fnew that nature need not be afhamed of her work ;
and give a particular description of the parts or organs of gener-
ation in man, and afterwards in woman  ; and then to fhew the
ufe of thefe parts in the ai.t ofxoirion ;  and how  pofitively  na-
ture has adapted them to the end for which {he ordained their.
  ifclly,  I will point out  the prohibition  or redaction, that the
Creator of all things.;;id Lord of nature has put upon man by
the inftittttianof marriage-,  with the advantage it brings to niaj.;
kifld- 
 o          ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.

  Sdly, I (hall fhew when either fex  may enter into a married
 ftate, and be fit to anfwer the end of the creation, Sec.
  Athly, I fliall dilcourfe of virginity, and therein fhew what it is,
 how it is known, by what means it may be loft, and how a per-
 fon may know that it is fo .
  In the fecond part, which chiefly relates to  married women,
 and the preservation of the fruit of the womb, for the propaga-
 tion of mankind to the world, I (hall fhew,
  lft. what conception is :  what is prerequifite thereunto : how
 a woman may know when (he hath conceived, and whether a
 boy or a girl.
  &dly, Shew how a woman that has conceived ought to order
 herfelf,
  Sdly, Shew what-a woman ought to do that is  near the time
 of her delivery, and how (he ought to be aflifted,
  4thly, I (hall (hew what are the  obstructions of conception,
 and therein dilcourfe largely  about barrennefs, and (hew  what
 are the caufes, and cure thereof, both in men  and women,
  '5thly, Direct midwives how they could aflift women in the
 time of their lying in, bringing feveral other  material matters
 proper to be fpoken of under each of thefe feveral heads: which
 will fuihciently render this befck what Ariftotle deligned it, his
 Complete Master  Piece.
                       CHAP.  I.
 A particular Defcription ofthe  Parts and Inftruments of Genera-~
               tion, both in Men, and Women.
                       Section  I.
 Of the inftruments of generation in men, with a particular defcrip-
                       tion thereof.
          THOUGH The Inftruments or parts  of generation
 in all creatures, with relpett  to their  outward form, are  not
perhaps the moft comely ; yet in compenfation of that,  nature -
has put upon them a more abundant and far greater honor than
 on other parts., in ordaining th£m to be the means by which ev-
ery fpecies of being is continued from one generation  to anoth-
er.  And therefore thougha  manor woman were through the
bounty of nature, endowed with  angelic countenances, and the
 moft exaftfymmetry and proportion of parts that  concurred to-
gether to the miking up of the moft perfecT: beauty, vet, if they
were defective in the inftruments of  generation, they  would
 not for all their beauty, be acceptable to either of the other fex ;
 becaufe they would be  thereby rendered incapable of fatisfying
the natual  propenfio^ which  evei y one rinds in  himfelf.   And •
therefore,  fince it is our duty  to  be acquainted with ourfelves,
and to fearch out the wonders of God in nature, I need not
make  any apology for anatomizing the fecret parts of genera-
 tion.
  The organ of generation in  man,  nature has placed  obvious •
to the fight, andis called the  yard ; and becaufe hanging with-
out the belly, is called  the penis, a pendgndo.  It  is in form
ion-,  round, and on the upper fide  flatifh, and coniifts.of skin,
tendons, veins, arteries, and (inews, being  feated under the •
 Oil's Pupis, and ordained by nature for a two fold work, viz, for - 
ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.          T
the evacuating of urine, and conveying the feed into the matrix.
1 he urine which it evacuates is brought to it through the  neck
of the Velica  Urinarise, and the feed which it conveys into the
matrix, is brought into it from the Veficulae  Seminales.   But
to be more particular,
  Befidcs the common parts, as the cuticle,  the skin and the
Membrana Carnofa, it has feveral internal parts proper to it, of
which number there are feven, viz.
  The two nervous bodies ; the Steptun ;  the Urethra ; the
Glands; the Mufcles ; and the veil'els : of each of thefe dif-
tindy, in the order I have placed them ; and, firft, of
  The two nervous bodies. Thefe are called fo from their be-
ing furrounded with a thick, white, nervous membrane, though
their inward fubftance is fpongv, as confiding principally of
veins, arteries,  and  nervous fibres, interwoven   like a net.
And naturel'has  i'o- ordered it,  that when the nerves are  filled
w;*h animal fpirits, and the arteries with hot and fpiritousblood,
then the  yard is diltended, and becomes ere t ; when  the  flux
of the fpirit ceales, when the  blood  and the remaining fpirits
are abforbed, or fucked up by the  veins, and fo the penis be-
comes limber and flaggy.
  ul   The  fecond  internal part is  the Steptun  Lucidum, and
this is in  Subftance white and nervous, or (inewy .  and its of-
fice is to uphold the two lateral or fide ligaments and the  Ure-
thra.
  3  The third is the Urethra,  which is only the  channel by
which both  seed and urine are conveyed out; it is in fubftance
foft and loofe,  thick and finewy, like that of the fide, ligaments.
It begins at the neck of the bladder, but fprings not  from
thence, only is joined to it and fo proceeds to  the  glands   It
has three holes at the beginning, the largeft of which is in the
midft, which receives the urine  into   it.   The other two are
fmaller receiving the feed into each feminal  velfel.
  4. The fourth is the {^ands, which is at the end ofthe penis,
covered with a very thirraiembrane, by reafon of a Praeputium
or Foreskin, which in fome covers the  top of the  yam  quite
elofe, in others not ;  and by its moving up and down in the act
of copulation brings pleafure both to  mmand woman  The ex-
treme part of this cover, which I call Praeputium, and which is
fo called a Praeputando, from cutting off, as the Jews were com-
manded to cut it off on the eighth day.   The ligaments by
which it is faftened to the glands is called Fraenum, or the bri-
dle.
  5  The fifth thing is the Mufcles, and thefe are four in  num-
ber.'two  being placed on each iide   Thefe mufcles( which are
inftruments of voluntary motion, and without which no part of
the body can move itfelf)conlifts of  fibrous flefli to make up
their body ; of nerves for the fenfe ;  of veins for  their  vital
heat; and of a membrane or skin to knit them together, and to
diftinguifh one mufcle from the other, and all of them from the
flefh.  I have already faid there are two of them  on each  fide  ;
and  I  now will add, that one  on each fide is (horter and thicker,
.ind that their ufe is ro erect the yard, from whence the-y have oh 
8           ARISTOTLE"s MASTER PIECE.

tained the name of ereftors.  And having told v^u that two  of
them are thicker and (horter than the other, I need not tell you
that the other two are longer and thiner ;  only I take notice,
that the office ofthe two laftis to dilate, if you will, open the low-
er part of the Urethra, both for making water  and  voiding  the
feed, and therefore are called Accelerators
  6 The fixth and laft things are the velTels, which confift of
Veins, Nerves, and Arteries :  of which fome  pafs  by the skin
andarevifible to the eye, and others pafs more inwardly-  For
indeed the Arteries are difperfed through the  body of the yard
much more than the veins, and the difperfion is contrary wife, the
right artery being difperfed to the left fide, and the  left to  the
right;  as for the two nerves, the greater  is bellowed upon  the.
mufcles and the body of the yard, and the lefs upon the skin.
  What I have hitherto  faid  relates  to the yard,  properly  fo
called ; but, becaufe there ate fome  appendages  belonging
therto, which, when wanted render the  yard  of no ufe in  the
aft of generation, it will alfo be neceftary before I conclude the
feftion, to fay fomething of them, I mean the  ftones, oc tefticles
focalled becaufe they teftify the perfon to be a man ; their num-
ber and place is obvious ; and as to their tifet in them the blood
brought  thither by the fpermatie arteries is elaborated into feed.
They have coats or coverings of two forts, proper and common;
the commonare  two, and inveft both the teftes.: the  outermofi
ofthe common coats, confift- ofthe cuticula,  or true skin, call-
ed Scrotum, hanging out ofthe  abdomen like a purfe.  Mem-
brana Carnofa is in the innermoft. The proper coats  are  alfo
two :  the outer called Elithoridis or Vaginalis, the inner  Albu-
giena, into the outer are inferted the Cremafters: to the upper
part of the teftus are fixed the Epidermis,  or Paraftatae, from
whence arife the Vafa  Deferentia Ejaculatoria ,  which when
they approach near the neck ofthe bladder, depofit the feed in-
to the Siculae Seminales, .which are .each  or two or three of
them, like a bunch of grapes, and emit^e feed into the urethra
in the acl of copulation.  Near thole are the  Paraftatae,  which
are about the bignefs of a walnut, and join to the neck  ofthe
bladder.  Thefe afford ao oily,  llippery and fait humor,  to bc-
fmear the Urethra, and tnereby defend  it from the acrimony cf
the feed and urine.  Befide thefe veifels, by which the blood is
eonveyed to the teftes or of which the feed is made, and, the ar-
teriae fpermaficae, there are alfo two;  and,  fo hkewife arethe
veins, which carry out the remaining blood, which  are  called
 venae fpermaticae.
          And thus tboje nobler parts we fee
          Forfuch the parts of generation be .'■
          And they who carefully furvey •willfind
          Each part is fitted for the tife defigii'd :
           Ihe pure ft blood wefindifwellwe heed,
           Is in the tefticles turrid into feed ;
           Which by moft proper channels is tranfmitted.
           Into the place by nature for it fitted :
           With higheftfenfe of pleafure to excite
          •In amorouz combatants the more delight; 
ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER PIECE.          f-
          For in this work nature doth defign
          Profit and pleafure in one acl to join.
                      Section II.
                Of the fecret partsin Women*
           WOMAN, next to man, the  nobleft piece of this
creation, is bone of his bone, and tlefh of his flefh, a fort of fec-
ond felf ; and, in a married ftate are accounted but one, as the
poet fays,
          Man and wife are but one right
          Canonical hermaphrodite
  It is therefore the fecret parts of that curious piece  of nature
that we are to lye open, which we will do with as much mod-
elty as will conlift with fpeaking intelligible.
  The external parts commonly called  pudenda (from the
fhame facednefs that is in woman  to have them  feen) are the
lips of the great orifice which are vifible  to  the eye ; and in
thoTe that are grown, are covered  with  hair, and have pretty
ftore of fpongy  fat ; their ufe being to keep the internal  parts
from all annoyance by ■outward accidents.
  Within  thefe are  the  Nymphae,  or  wings,  which prgfent
themfelves to the eye when the lips are  fevered, and   confift of-
foft and fpongy flefh, and the doubling  of the  skin   placed at
the fides of the  neck ;  they compafs  the clitoris, and both in
form and color  refemble the comb of a cock, looking frefh and
red, and in the  aft of coition receive the penis or yard betwixt
them ; befides which they give paflage both to  the birth and
urine.  The ufe of the wings and knobs  like myrtle berries,
(hutting the orifice and neck ofthe bladder,  and by  the fwell-
ing  up, caufe titilation and delight in thofe  parts, and alfo to
obftruft the voluntary paflage ofthe urine-
  The next thing is the  clitoris, which is a  finewy  and hard
part of the womb, replete with fpongy and black matter  with-
in, in the fame  manner as the fide ligaments of the yard fuff'ers
erection and falling in the  fame manner, and both (firs up luft
and gives  delight in copulation, for without this,  the fair fex
neither defire nuptial embraces nor have pleafure in them, ndr
conceive by them ; and according to the greatnefs or fmallnefs
of this part, they are more or lefs fond of men's embraces ; fo
that it may properly be ftyled the feat of luft.
  Blowing the coals of thofe amorous fires,
  Which youth and beauty to be quenched requires.
And it may well be ftifed fo, for it is. like a  yard  in fituation,
fubftance, compofition, and ereftion, growing fometimes out of
the body two inches, but that happens not but  upon fome ex-
traordinary accident.  It confifts as I have faid, of two fpongy
and skinny bodies which being a  diftinft original from the Os
Pubis, the head of it being  covered with a tender skin, having a
bole like the yard of a man, but not through, in which, and the
bignefs of it only differs.
   1 he next thing is the paflage of the urine, which is under the
clitoris, and above the neck ofthe womb, fo  that the urine of a
women  comes not through  the neck  ofthe womb, neither'is the
rtuTage common as in men, but particular, and by it felf.   This 
&         ARISTOTLE'S MASTER  PIECE.

paflage opens itfelf into the fiflvure to- evacuate the urine ; re*
the fecuring of which from cold,  or any  other inconveniency,
there is one of the four caruncles, or flefhy knobs  placed  be-
fore it, which (nuts up the paflage.
  For thefe knobs, which are in  number/ four,  and in  refem-
Wanoe-like myrtle berriesare placed behind the  wings  before
fjJoken of, quadrangularly, one againft the  other   Thefe are
round in virgins, but hang  flagging when virginity is  loft —
'Tis the uppermoft of thefe that  nature has placed fbr  the fe-
curing the urinary paflage from cold, and which is therefora
largeft and forked for that end.
  The lips of the  womb  that next appear; cover the neck
thereof but being/eparated difdofe  it; and then two things are
to be obferved, and, thefe are the neclL itfelf, and tlie hymen,
more properly called the CIauftrum  Virginale,  which  f  fhall'
treat more at large when  I  come to (how what virginity is.
The neck of the womb, I call the channel, is between the fore
mentioned knobs- and the inner  bone of the  womb, which re-
ceives the man's yard like a fheath ; and  that it may be dilated
with the more eale and pleafure in the aft of coition, it is fin-
ewy and a little fpongy,;  and there  being in this concavity div-
ers folds or  orbicular plates made by   tunicles,  which are
wrinkled, it forms an expanded rofe that  may be feen  in vir-
gins : but in thofe that  have ufed copulation, it  comes by de-
grees to be extinguifhed ; fo that the inner tide of the neck of
the womb appears fmooth, and in old women it bacomes more
hard and gnfly.   But though this  channel  be- finking down,
wreathed, and crooked, yet it is otherwife  in the time orcopnla-
tion : as alfo when-women are under the   monthly purgation,
•r in labor, being then very, much extended, which  is  a great
caufe of their pains.
  The Clauftrum Virginale, commonly  called the Hymen is
that which clofes the neck of the womb ;  for between  the du-
plicity of  the two tunicles  which conflitute the neck of the
womb, there are many veins and arteries  running along, that
arife from the veflels of both fides of the thigh3, and fo pafs in-
to the neck of the womb, being  very large  ; and the reafon
thereof is becaufe the neck of the womb  requires to be filled
with abundance of fpirits to be dilated thereby, that it may the
better take hold of the  penis, fuch emotions requiring great
heat, which being more intent by the aft  of fr'.ftion, confumes
a great deal of moifture, in the fupplying  of which large veflels
are very neceflary : hence it is that the  neck of the womb in
women of reafonable ftature, is eight inches in  length.   But
th?re is alfo another caufe of the largenefs of thefe velfels, be-
caufe their monthly purgations make their way through them ;
and for this reafon, women  though  with child, often continue
them : for though the womb be fhut up,  yet the  paflage in the
neck of the womb, through which thefe  veflels  pafs,  is open.
And therefore, as foon as you penetrate the pudendum, there
may be feen two little pits or holes, and in which are continu-
ed an humor, which, by being prefTed out in the time of coi-
tion, does greatly delight the fair fex. 
           ^RISTOTLE's MASTER PIECE.          W

  i il.ail m the next place, proceed to a defcription of tfee-Womb
which is the field of generation, without which  nothing can be
done   The parts we have been fpeaking of being ordained  by
nature to convey the feed  to the womb, which being impreg-
nated therewith by virtue ofthe plaftic power of nature^produ-
ces its own I'rkerrefs.
  The womb is frtuatedin the lower parts of the hyposraftrion,
being joined to its neck, anWs placed between the bladder and
the ftrait gut, fo that ttis Icept from fwaying  or rolling : yet
toath its libtrty to-ftretch and dilate itfelf and alfo to conduft it-
 <>lf according as nature in that  cafedifpofes it, it is of a round
figure fomewnat like agourd; leflening and growing more  acute
towards one end, being knit together by  its proper ligaments.,
-and its neck joined by its own fubftance, and certain membranes
 i hat fatten it to the OsrSacrum and the (hare bone. It is very dif-
ferent, withrefpeft  to its largenefs in women efpecially between
 iuchas have hadchildren, and thofe that have had none. It is fo
 thick in fubftance that it exceeds a thumbs breadth ;  and after
 conception augments to a greater,proportion, and to ftrengthen
 it yet more, it is interwoven with fibres overthwart,  both ftrait
 and winding;  and its proper veflels are veins,  arteries and
.iterves;  amongft which there are two little veins which pafs from
 the fpermatic ve'felsto the bottomof the womb, and two bigger
 from the hypogaftricks, touching the bottom and  neck,  the
 roomh of thefe veins piercing fo far as the inward cavity.
   Tiie vvolhb, belides  what I have already  mentioned, hath
 two arteries On both fides the fpermatic veflels  and the hypo-
 •.rafticks, which ftill accompany  the veins, with  fundry little
 nerves knit and  interwoven in the form of a net, which are alfo
 extended throughout,  even from the  bottom  to the pudenda
 Themfelves, being fo placed chiefly for the fenfe  of  pleafure,
 fyfflpathetically moving from the head and womb.
   Here the reader ought to obferve, that two  ligaments  hang-
 ing en either fide of the womb from the  fhare bone,  piercing
 through the Peritonaeum'and joining to the bone  itfelf caufes
 the womb to be moveable, which upon divers occaficns either
 falls low or rifes ; the  neck of the womb is of the moft exquif-
 ite (enfe, fo that if it be at any time difordered, either with a
Tchirrofity, too much hot moifture, or relaxation,  the womb is
 fubject to barrennefs   In thofe that are near their  delivery,
 there ufually flays a inoft glutinous matter in the  entrance, to
 facilitate the birth j for at that time the mouth of flie womb is
 ©pen to  a vvidenefs in proportion to the bignefs cf  the child-
   Under the parts belonging to generation in women,  are aHo
 comprehended the preparatory or  fpermatic  veffels ;  the pre-
paratory Veflels differ  not in number  from thofe  in man, for
 they are likewife four, two veflels and two arteries ;  their  rife
 and original is the fame as in man, on the fide of them are tw©
 arteries which grow from them, differing only in their fize-and
 manner  of infertion, the right vein iiPaing from the trunki>f
 the hollow vein, and the left from the emulgent vein ; and on
 the fide  of them are two arteries which grow fpom the areata.
 Tliefe preparatory vcjUels are fljorter in  women than m  «oeo, 
'tt         ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.
becaufe they have a fhorter paflage, the ftones of a woman ly-
ing within the belly, but thofe ot a man without : but to make
amends for their fhortnefs, they  have far more writhing to and
fro, in and out, than they have in men ; that fo the  fubftance
they carry may be the better prepared, neither are they united.
as they are in men, before they come to the ftones, but are di-
vided into two branches, whereofdiie greater only  pafleth to
the ftones, but the lefl'er to the fecundated egg, and this is prop-
erly called conception.  And then fecondly, to cherifh and
nourifh it, till nature has framed the child,  and  brought it to
 Serfection.  Thirdly, it ftrongly operates in fending forth the
 irth, when its appointed time is accomplifhed, there dilating
itfelf in an extraordinary manner ;  and fo aptly removed from
the fenfes, that no injury accrues to it  from thence, retaining
in itfelf a  ftrength and power  to  operate and  caft forth the
birth.
  The ufe of the preparatory veflels is to convey the blood to
the tefticles, of which a part is fpent in  the  nourifhment of
them, and the production of thefe little bladders in all  things
refembling eggs, through which the vafa Praeparantia run, and
are obliterated in them.  This conveyance  of blood is by the
arteries, but as for the veins, their  office is to bring back what
blood remains from the fore mentioned ufe.
   The veflels of this kind are much fhorterin women than men,
by reafon of their nearnefs to the tefticles  ; and yet that defect is
more than made good by the many intricate windings to which
they are fubject ; for in the middle way they divide themfelves
into two branches of different magnitude ; for, one of them be-
ingbigger than the other, palles to  the tefticles.
   The tefticles in women are very ufeful ;  for where they are
defeftive, generation work is quite fpoiled ;  for though  thofe
 little bladders which are on  their outward fuperfices contain no-
 thing of feed, as the followers of Galen, &c erroneoufly imagine,
 yet they contain feveral eggs ( about the number of 20 in each
 tefticle)one of which  being impregnated by the moft  fpirituous
 part of man's feed to the act of coition, defcends through theovi-
 dufts into the womb, where it is cherifhed till it becomes  a live
 child. The figure of thefe  Oveae or eggs,  is  not altogether
 round, but a little flat and deprefled  on  the fides, and in their
 lower part oval, but where the blood veflels enter them, that is,
 in the upper part, they are more  plain,  having but one  mein
 brane about them that the heat may  have more eafy accefs  to
 the womb, both to the nourifhment of itfelf and theinfant there-
 in.  Let me further add, theie fpermatic veins receive the arte-
 ries as they pafs by the fide of the  womb, and thereby make a
 mixture of the vital  and natural  blood,  that their works be
 more perfect.  The deferentia, or carrying veflels fpring from
 the lower part of the ftones, and  are in color white, fubftance
 finewy, and pafs not through the womb ftraight, but  wreathed ;
 they proceed from the womb in two parts, refembling horns>
 whence they are called the horns of the womb.
    The ftones of women are another part belonging to the inftru-
  tnents of generation  ; for fuch things they alfo have as well as 
           ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER TiECL.          iJ

fren but they are alfo differently placed : neither is their b'ig'nefs
temperament, fubftance, form,or covering the fame   As to their
place it is the hollow nefs of the abdomen, reftingupon the mufcles
ofthe loins,- and fo not pendulous, as in man.  Ar.d that tiiey are
fo placed is, that by contracting the heat  they may be the  more
fruitful, their office being to contain the ovuii, ore;;g, v. hich
being impregnated by the feffd of the  man, is that from which
the embryo is engendered.  Theftones differ alfo from men's in
their form-;  for though they are fmooth in men, they  are uneven
in women ; being alfo depreifcd or flattifh in them, though in men.
their form is round and oval.   The"  have alio in women b< .•
one skin, whereas in men they'have four.  Nature having wifely
contrived to fortify thefe moft againft the injuries of the air, that
are moft expofedto it;  the ftones of v.'omen bein^ v. ithin, b>:
thofe of men without the belly.  They differ air© in their fub-
ftance, being much more foft than thole of men, and #ot fo well
compacted :  their bignefs and temperature differ, in that they an:
lefs and colder than thofe in men.   Some indeed will  have their
life to be the fame as in men. but that is for want  of  judgment;
for Ariffotleand Scotus both affirm, that  the  women  'have no
feed, and that their (tones differ alfo in their ufe from thole of
men ; their ufe being as I have already faid, to contain  that egg
which is to be'impregnated by the feed of a man.
   It now remains, that I fay fomethingo'f the ej'acu-latory veflels,
which have two obfeure pall'ages, one on either iide.  whieh in
fubftance differ nothing from the fpermatic veins.  1 hey  rile in
one part from the bottom ofthe womb,  but not reaching from
the other extremity, either to the ftones, or any other  part,  are
(hut up and incapable,  adhering to the womb, as the colon doth
to the blind gut, and winding hatf way about; though the (tone :
«re remote from them, and touch them not, yet they  are tied to
 them by certain membranes refembling  the  uin-s  of  a bat.
through whieh certain Veins and arteries, palling from the end of
the ftones, may be (aid here to have their pJ:iage-,,  proceeding
from the corners df the womb to the tefticles, and are accounted.
the proper ligaments by which the tefticles and the womb ijre >i -
 nited and ftxongly knit together.
           Thus the women's fecrets I have fur-iry '</,
          Arid let them fee how curioujly they're made,
          And that though they of different Jexes be.
           Yet nn the wb-Ae they are the fame as we,
           For thofe that have the jlriclcjl fearchers bein,
          Find women are but men turn d outjidc in :
           And men if they but cajl thc:r eyes about,
           May find they're women witJ their i/ijidc :ut.
                       Section.  III.
 Oftheufe and Ac7ionoft.be feveral Pans in 'Wimcti appropriate  to
                          Generation
           I SHALL next take a furvey of the pat r af generation
 both in men and women, and Iftcw the  ufe and  .uton of thole
-parts in the work of generation, which >.'.!!: ceccllciuly  infunn us
 fhut nature has made nothing in vain. 
14          ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER-PIECE.

  The external parts in a woman's privities, or that which ;>«
moft ubvious to the eye at firft. commonly called Pudendum, are
defigned by nature to cover the great orifice, nature intending
that orifice'to receive the penis or yard in the act of coition and
alfo to give paflage to the urine, and, at the  time of birth to  the
child.   The ufe of the wings or knobs, like  myrtle berries,  are
for the fecurity of the internal  part Jby (hutting up the orifice,
and neck of the bladder,  alfo for delight and pleafure;  for by
their (welling up, they caufe titilation and delight in thofe parts,
being prefled by the man's yard.   Their ufe is likew ile to ob-
ftruct the involuntary paflage ofthe urine.
  The ufe and action of the clitoris in women is like  that of the
penis or yard in men, that is erecting its extreme end,being like
that ofthe glands in the men, the feat of the greateft  pleafure in
the aft of copulation, lc, is  this ofthe  clitoris in  women, and
therefore called the fweetr.efs of love, and the fury of venery.
  The action and ufe of the neck ofthe womb, is the  fame  with
that of the Penis, that is, erection which is occalioned fundry
ways : for ! irft, in copulation it is erected and made  ftraight for
the paflage of the Penis to the womb.  Secondly, while the paf-
fage is replete  with the fpirits and vital blood, it becomes more
ftraight tor embracing the penis.  And for the necellity of erect-
nun there is a two fold reafon: one is,  that if the neck ofthe
womb was not erected, the yard could have no convenient paf-
fage to the w.cmb. The other is, that it 1 i..tiers any hurt or dam-
age that might enfue through  the violent concuflion of the yard
during the time of copulation.
   Then as the veflels that pafs through the neck of the womb,
their office is to repleniili it with blood and fpirits,  that fo as the
moiftureconfumes through the heat contracted in  copulation,  it
may ftill by thefe vc-flVis be renewed  But their chiei buiiuofsjs
 to convey nutriment to the womb.
+.           Thus Nature nothing does in vain produce,
           But fits each f artfor what's its proper ufe :
           And though of different fexes form'd we be",
           Yet betwixt thefe there is that unity,
           That -we in nothing eun a greater find,
           Unlefs the foul that's to the body  join'd ."
           Andfure in this Dame Naturi 's  in the right,
           %hc jiriclejl union yields the moft delight.
                         CHAP  II        &
 Of the reftriclion laid upon Men in the ufe ojCarnalCopulation,,4j
   the inftitution of Marriage, with, the advantage  that it brings
   to mankind  and the proper time for it.
            THOUGH the great Architeft of  the world has
 been pleafed to frame us of diderent fexes,and,for the propaga-
 tion and continuation of mankind, has indulged us the mutual
 embraces of each other, the deiire whereof, by a powerful and
 fecret inftimt, is become natural to us, yet he would leave them
 to ihe law of the  Creator, who has ordained that every  man
 ihallhaye his own  wife  ; and, though, fince man, by finning a-
 gainft his Creator,  hath fallen from his primitive purity, and
 ma multiplied wive* and concubines, by which the  firft inftitu-, 
           ARISTOTLE'S MASTER  PIECE.         15

tion is violated, and the groffeft affront given to tlie Divine Law-
giver ;  for the holy Jefus hath told us,  That in the beginning  '
marriage was of one man to one women : fo that as thefe conju-
gal delights cannot be enjoyed but in a manic J Mate, fo neith-
er, in that ftate, can they law fully be participated of with more
than one wife  And it is the breaking  of this order that  has
filled the world with  confufion and debauchery ; has  brough
dileafeson the body, confuinpticn on the eft.ttes and eternal
ruin to the foul, if not repented of.  Let all thofe,  'hcrefore, of
either fex, that have a defire to enjoy  the delights of mutual
embraces, take care that they do it in a married ftate, with their
own wives or husbands, or elfe it will become a enrfe to them,
inftead of a blefling :  And,  to that end let them conlider what is
due to tranfgreflbrs of his law,  who hath faid, Thou Jhalt no:
commit Adultery   Whatever is fpoken of the vcneral pleafure,
is fpoken to thofe who have or may have,  a right thereunto, by
being in a married ftate.  For,
            Who to forbidden pleafures are inclin'd,
            Will find at loft they leave a fling behind.
                       Section II.
             Ofthe happinefs of the Married State.
   Matrimony, in the prefent age, is looked upon as a  moft in-
fupportable yoke :  Wives and  husbands are accounted  the
greateft clogs and burthens  to thofe who  give up the  reins to
their unbridled appetites.   Notwithftanding the  prefent mode
of thinking is againft  me, I doubt not of making it appear,  that
a married ftate is the  moft happy condition, (where perfons are
equally yoked) that is to be enjoyed on this fide Heaven.
   The author and inftitutor of marriage, and who  firfl brought
man and woman together, was no other than he that made them,
even the Great Lord of the univerfe, whofe wifdom being in-
finite, could not but know what condition was  good for  us ;
and his gOodnefs being equal to his wifdom,  fufneiently (hews
the end of this inftitution was the happinefs of the creature he
had made ; and indeed man could not be happy without it ;
 for he faw that it was not good that man  (hould  be alone,  and
therefore made a woman to complete his  happinefs, which  was
 not  perfect whilft he wanted fuch a help mate for him
   The time of the inftitution is  alfo very remarkable: for  it
was whilft Adam and his new made bride were clothed with all
 that virgin purity and innocence with which they were  created,
 before they had entertained the leaft converfe with the temper,
 or had given way to one difordered thought ; and yet could  cu-
 rioufly furvey the feveral incomparable  beauties and perfec-
 tions of eacli other without fin, and knew not what it was to luft.
 It was at this time that the Creator  united Adam in  the holy
 ban i s of w edlock.
   '1 Was in paradife where  the firft match was made ; and which
 could  fcarcelv have been paradife without it  ;  for paradife  is
 known to be a place  of pleafure, wherein they were furrounded
 with the  quinteflence of all delights ; where there w;n nothing
 wanting that might plcafe the eye, charm tiie ear, or cracify the
 tafte ; and yet Adam was not hupny with thefe plcafiiig fweets 
io         ARISTCTLEJ4 MASTER ♦lECE*

'till.he enjoyed Jiis Eve; fo.that it was a married ftate win*..*
completed his happinefs, and v. hich was a paradife of pleafure
itfelf.
  What an addition to happinefs-a good wife niakes !  fuch an
one is the.beft companion in profperity, and in adver.fity the .
fureft friend ; the L,'-ea'eft afliitance in bufinefs, the  only law-
ful and c^:.:ibrti.bie means by w liich he can have ifliie, and the*
;>reat remedy againft incontinence ; and if. we believe king Sol-
omon, '1 he greateft honor unto  him that has her.  For he tells
us, She  is .• croivn to her husband   Surely thefe are  not fmall -
advantage-, !
  If married perfons would be careful to do their refpeftive du-
ties,  there would  be but little  complaining;  nor would any?
condition in life  be fo agreeable  as  the. married ftate.   How
much niur'.'fatisfaftion k  man receives  in  the embraces of a
16ving wife, than in the wanton  dalliances of a deceitful harloU
          Thus does this fetlion unto all relate
           the pleafures which attend the married ftate,,'
           ndjhews it dies with innocence^ confijl.;
           nd thM fo many have thefe pleafures mifs'd,
          ' Tis their own fault, they will no wife* be,
          As in this mirror they may plainly fee.
                       Section III.
At 'what age young Men and Virgins are capable of. carnal copu-
            lation ;  and why theyfo muchaejireit.
  I fhall in the prefent feftion, make it my bufinefs  to fhew  at
what age young men and virgins are capable of the marriage :
bed, which becaufe fo.many defire before they attain to it, it
will  likewife be neceflary to fhew the caufe  of  their  impetuous .
defires.
  The inclination of,virgins to marriage is to be known by ma-
ny fymptoms ;  for when they arrive  at ripe  age,  which is a-
bout fourteen or fifteen, their natural purgations begin to flow;
and  then the blood which.no longer, ferves for  the  increafe  or
their bodies, dees by its abounding, ftir up their minds to ven-
erate ;  to which ai'o external  caufes. may incite them.  For
their fpirits are brisk and enflamedwhen they arriveat this age,
and their bodies are often  more heated  by their eating fharp
: r.dfalt th;ngs; and by fpices,by which thcirdefireof venerable .■
embraces becomes v< y great, and, at  fome critical junftures .
;ii!moit infupportable..   1 he,ufe of thofe fo much defired enioy-
 ;ventf being denied to virgins,  is often followed by  very dan-
 nercus, and fometimes difmal confequences precipitating them,
 into il'.t;fe follies that may bring an indelible Main on their fam-
 i! t  , or biing on themfefves the Green Sickncfs, or other dif-
 cafes   Put when they are married and thofe defires fatisfied by
 il.cir husbands, thofe diftempersvanifh and their beauty returns
 more gay apd lively than before.  And this ftrong inclination
 of theirs may be  known by  their eager gazing  at  men, and af-
 feting their company, which fufficiently demonftrat.es that na-
 uire excites them to defire coition.   Nor  is this the cafe with
 young virgins only, but the fame may be obferved in young. 
            ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER PIHCF.        t7

widows, who cannot be fatisfied without that due benevolence
which they were wont to receive from their husbands.
  At fourteen years of age commonly, the menfes begin to flow
in virgins;  at which time they are capable of conceiving and
therefore fit for marriage:  though it would  be  much better
both for themfelvcs and their children if they  would not marry
till eighteen or twenty ; if they are healthy, of ftiong body, and
ufe themfelves to temperance they may continuebearing till up-
wards of 50, though generally leave offbetween 40 and 50*  for
the menfes flow longer in fome Ithan  in others : But when they
ceife, they ccafe bearing,  and therefore Sarah bearing Ifaac
after it had ccafed to be with her according to the cuftom of wo-
men, may well be termed miraculous."
  As for male youth, when they  arrive at 16  or  between that
and feventeen ;  having much vital ftrength, they  maybe capa-
ble of getting  children; which ability, by the force and heat of   '
procreating matter, conftantly increafes till ';5,  56, (55, and then
begins to Hag, the feed by degrees becoming unfruitful, the na-
ture of fpirits being extinguillied, and the heat dried up   Tlu.s
it is with them for the moft part, but many times it falls out
utherwife in particular inftances as once in  Sweden, a man was
married at  100 years old to a bride of JO, and had many children
by her; but he was a man of fo hale a  conftitution,  andean
ried his age fo well, that ftrangers would not have guelfed  him
at above 60  And in Campania, where the air is clear and tem-
perate, it is ufual for men of 80 years  old to  marry  young vir-
gins, and have children by them ;  which (hews that age in man,
hinders not procreation, unlefs they be exhaufted in their youth,
 and their yards (hivcred up.
  If any ask. why a woman is fooner barren than a  man?  let
filch know that the natural heat, which is the caufe of generation
is more predominant in men than women : for the monthly pur-
gations of women (hew them to be more moift than men, and fo
does alfo the foftnefs of their bodies.  And the man exceeding
her in native heat, concocts the humors into proper aliment, by
the benefit whereof they are elaborated  into feed ; but women
though of a finer make, yet not being fo  ftrong as -men, their
faculties are thereby hindered in their operation. .
           Thus nature to her children is fo kind, '
           That early they thofe inclinations find, ■
          Which prompts them on to propagate their  kind.
           Hence 'tis a virgin  her dejires can t J mother,
           But reftlefs is 'tilljhe be made a mother.
                       CHAP.  Ill
Of Virginity, what it is, how it may be known, by wbuimeans it
     may be loft, and bow a perfen, may know- that it is fo.
                        Section I'
             Of virginity and wherein it confifts.
           HAVING treated ofthe defiKj? young men and vir-
gins have to mutual embraces, and at what age they are fit  for
them   I have alfo Ihewn that thofe pleafures are only lawful to
be enjoyed in a married ftate; and have alfo acquainted the read-
er with the advantage of fuch a condition.  Uut linte the deiires - •
                      h 9. 
 J«           ARlblOTLE s MASTER' PIECE.

  .. :ia:y after mutual embraces are fo impetuous that  not hav-
 ing an opportunity to enter into a married ftate. they  have an
 ticipafed the pleafures of matrimony, and loft their virginity be-
 fore hand :  and yet,  perhaps, have afterwards pretended to
 bring their rirginii y to a marriage bed, by which means many an
 iioneft man has been deceived, and meretricious woman efcap-
 -  1 with impunity : on the other hand, fome virtuous young vir-
 gins, that have come fuch to their husband's  beds, have  been
 ;iccufcd by the ignorance and credulity  of'their  husbands, to:
 have loft their virginity before hand, when there has been no.
 fuch matter; therefore to do right in this cafe to both parties,
 my  deign in this chapter is to fhew what virginity is, wherein
 it confifts : how many ways it may be loft, andhow a man may
 know that it is fo or not : that fo women may not be wrongfully
 eenfured, or men impofed upon.
   Virginity untouch'dand taintlefs, is the boaftand pride of th'e,^
 fair fex.  But they generally commend it to put it off: for, as*^
 sOod as it is, they care not how foon they are honeftly rid of it.
 And I think they v are in the right of it, for if\ kept it grows ufe-
 lefs, or atlcaft loofes fo much of its value ; a ftale virgin, ( if
 J;uch a thing there be ) being looked upon like an  old almanack
.cut of date*  But to fpeak to the ptirpofe  virginity is the chief,
 the prime, the beftof-any thing, and is properly the integrity of
 a woman's privities, not violated by man, or not known by him,
 <t being the diftinguiOiedcharacteriftic of a virgin,  that fhe  has
 not known man
   To make, this more plain,. Imufl here obferve, that there is in
 maids, in the neck of the womb, a membraneous produftion cal-,
 led the Hymen, which is like the bud of a rofe half blown, and
 ibis is broken in the firft aft of copulation with man : and hence
 romes the word Deflora  to deflower; whence the taking of vir-
 ginity, is called deflowering a virgin : for when the rofe  bud is
 expanded, virginity is loft..   Certain it is there is in the firft aft
 of copulation (omething that caufes pain  and  bleeding:  which
 is an evident fign of virginity.  But what this is authors are not.
 agreed on.  Some fay it is a nervous menbrane, a thin skin with
 fmall veins, that bleeds at the firft penetration ofthe yard.  Othr
 r*rs fay it is the four caruncles, knobs, or little buds like myrtle
 berries, which are plump and  full in virgins, but hang loofe or'
 flaggy  in thofe wlvo have ufed  copulation, being prefled by the
 yard   Some have obferyed the neftilv circle about the Nymph-
 ae, or neck ofthe womb, with little obfeure veins, which  make
 the membrane not to be nervous but fle/hy.  But fetting afide
 condjeftures, the Hyraen, or Clauftrum  Virginale,  is  a tbm
 membrane interwoven yvith flelhy fibres, and endowed with ma-,
 ny little arteries and veins, fpread acrofs the paflage of the  vagi-
 na, behind the infertiort of the bladder, with a hole in the midft
 for the menfes to flow, fo big, that it  will  admit the top of one's
 little finger.  This is'that which is called the Zone, or  girdle c.f
 rhaftity ;and where it is found in the form defcribed, it is a  cer-
 tain note of virginity ;  but in the firft aft  of copulation it is nec-
 >/Tsrily vip!ateo,"s»nd rfco.a it is generally  accompanied wrth ar 
          ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER  PIECE)          t£

eifufion of blood, which blood, is called themower>f virginity ;
and when once broke, it never clofes again.
                       Section II.
                  How virginity may be loft.
  In the former feftion I have (hewn in what  virginity confift?;
and that it is loft by the firft'"penetration of the yard, which may
be eafily known by its being attended with an etfufion of blood
upon the  rupture of the Hymeneal membrane, or Clauftrum Vir-
ginale ; but I muftdo the fair fex this juftiee, to let the world
know, thatalthough wherever this is found,  it is an undoubted
token of virginity, yet it will not follow, that where this token is
wanting, virginity is deflowered;  for the hymen may be corro-
ded by acrimonious and fretting humors flowing through it with.
the menfes, or it may be violated by the  inverfion or falling out
of theuteras»,orof vagina or (heath, which fometimes happens
even to virgins ; or (which all virgins  (hould beware of,  forr
the prefervation of their credit, and preventing of fufpicion)
perhaps the unwary bride has had her menfes but a day  or two
before, in which cafe  both the Hymen  and inner wrinkled
membranes of the vagina  are  flaggy,  weak and relaxed,  fo
that no fuch rapture or effufion. may happen.  It were  better
therefore that when virgins arc about to marry, they  would
fix their wedding day at leaft fix or feven days alter.the menfes
 have done flowing.
  But further, nature hath given  greater defires-after enjoy-
ment to fome thanto  others, and fuch,  though they abftain
from enjoyment, yet fo great is their defire after, it, that they
may break the Hymen on Clauftrum Virginale ; and fometimes
it iches to that degree, that  they put  in their finger,  and  fo>
break it.  Sometimes the niidwives break it in the birth ;  and
fometimes it is done by ftoppage  of urine, coughing, violent
/training, or fneezing ; fa.that no bleeding at the firft penetra-
tion of the  husband is not always a Ci0 of unchaftity, or that
another has  been there before him, feeing that  the hymenial
membrane maybe broke fomany other ways;, but where bleed-
ing does flow, it is an undeniable token that the perfon was a
virgin, and never knew man before   And indeed, tho' the Hy-
mon may be broke all thefe ways mentioned, yet it fo  rarely
happens to be broke any other way, that Leo Africanus  makes
mention of it as a general cuftom ofthe  Africans at their wed-
dings, that the marriage ceremony being over, the  bride  and
bride groom are (hut up in a chamber while the wedding dinner
is preparing ; an ancient woman (lands at the door to receive from
the bridegroom  a fheet, having the bloody token of** the  wife's
virginity, which (he (hews in triumph recall the guefts,  andthen
they feaftwith  joy ;  but if there is no blood, feen, the bride is
to be fenthome again to her friends with difgrace,and the disap-
pointed guefts go home without their dinner-
  There are others, that make the ftraightnefs ofthe  privities s
fignof virginity, but this is a very uncer^h rule; for this de-
pends much upon the age, habit of the body, arra other circum
'iMi e$..  But, though women who have ufed carnal coprl^i^r 
20         ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER PIECE.

are not fo ftraight as virgins, jet this cannot be a certain  argu-
ment of virginity, becaufe the privities may be made ftraight by
the ufe of auringent medicines   I have heard of a courtezan,
who, though fhe had been married, gave herfelf out to be a vir-
gtn, and by the help of a bath of comfrey roots deceived thofe
with whom (lie had to do.
  Others judge of loft virginity by the milk of the breaft ;  but
fuch perhaps, are ignorant that there is a twofold milk ;  the  one
of virgins, the other of fuch as have conceived or brought forth
children:  that of virgins is a malady contrary to nature, made
of blood from the womb ; turned into milk by the faculty ofthe
breafts ; the other is natural, where there is a child either in tlie
womb or born: yet the milk (though both  are white) differs
very much both in refpect to the blood, and diverfity of veins
that  bring it to the breafts :   and that of virgins is thinner,  lefs
in quantity and not fo fwcet ; therefore if virgins happen to
have such milk, they are not for that reafon to be reckoned un-
chafte.
  Upon the whole the fum of what I have faid upon this head
of virginity, terminates in this ; that when a man is married and
finds the tokensjif his wife's virginity, upon the firft aft of cop-
ulation, he has all the reafon in the world to believe her fuch, but
if he finds them not, he has not reafon to think her devirginated,
if he finds her otherwife fober and modefi*  Seeing the Hymen
may be broken fo many other ways, and yet the woman both
chafte, and virtuous.   Only let me caution  virgins to  take all
imaginable care to keep their virgin zone entire, that fo when
rhey marry, they may be fuch as the great Caefar wifhed his  wife
to be, not only without fault but without fufpicion alfo.
           Thus have I virgin innocencefurvey'd,
          And fhew'd the difference betwixt 'wife and maid, ..
           And that their ihaftiry tbey need not fear,
          Whofe virgin token plainly doth appear,
           Nor cenfure thofe in whom they do not fo,
           Unlefs the contrary they plainly know,
           For tbey may yet unfpotted virgins be,
          Although their virgin tokens none can fee.
jj 
AJlISTOTLE's  MASTER  PIECE:
PART  II.
    The fea-cts of nature difplayed in the Production of Man.


                     CHAPTER  I.

What conception is ; what is jbrerequifite thereunto; how. a wo-
  man may know whether Jl)e hath conceived, and whether a boy
  or a girl.


                       Sectiok X.

               Ofeonception, what  it is, isc.

            HAVING,  in  the firft part of this work, defcrih-i
<zd the inftruments of generation  in both fexes, and the ufe for
which thofe inftruments were intended by  nature, I (hall, in
the part before me, proceed to (hew  what  conception is :  the
(igns and tokens thereof, and what are the prerequifites there-
unto : for when once a woman has conceived the work of gen-
eration is begun,  time,  with.nature's help, will perfeft the
work.
  Now in conception,  that which is firft to be  regarded, and
without which it cannot be,  is the feed of the man, that being.
the aftive principle, or efficient caufe ofthe foetus, the matter
of which is arterial blood,and animal fpirits which are elabora-
ted  into feed in the tefticles, and from thence by proper veflels
conveyed into the yard, and in the aft of  copulation,  it is in-
jefted or emitted into the womb. The next thing is the paf
five principle, to the foetus  (for  there muft be both In order to
conception)  and this is an ovum, or egg,  impregnated bjj,  the
man's feed, or being conveyed to it,  the womb  clofes  up, that
no air may enter therein but the impregnated ovum  may fwell
into a f.etus.  This is that which is truely  and properly con-
ception, and the prerequifit.es thereunto I  (hall  make  the fub-
iect of the next feftion.
                       Section  II.
               Oftheprerequ'fittfs to conception.-
   I have fn'ewn in the  former ft-Jtion, that there  are two things
to be regarded chiefly in conception, to wit, the aftive andpaf-
five principle.  This in part (hews,  that difference of fexes is a
prereiuiute to conception   So  nature has ordained there muft
be a prober  vehicle for the aftive principle to be injefted  there-
into and'there muft alfo beapaflive principle tp be impregnat-
ed th-reby,  fo the. v.'cman. has no aftive principle to  impreg- 
   22          ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.

'  nate. and therefore, without  different  fexes, there can be no
   conception.
    But this is not all:  for it is not enough  that  there be differ-
   ent fexes, thefe different fexes  muft unite, and  there muft be
   coition, in order to conception ; -and it is coition, or the mutu-
   al embraces of both fexes, which nature has made fo  deftrable
   to each other : which, when authorized in the way that heaven
   has ordained, there is no  need of ravilhing ; for the fair bride
  will quickly meet her bridegroom with equal vigor.  But (ince
   in that there may be overdoing, and fuch errors committed by
   their giving way to the impetuofity of their defires,  -,'.",  may be
   prejudicial to conception, it will not be amifs to give  fome di-
   rections to make this operation the more effectual.
                       Section III.
   A word of advice to both fexes :  or, Direclions refpeeling the acl
                 of Coition or carnal copulation.
    Though there are fome that defire not to have  children, and
  yet  are very fond of nofturnal embraces, to  whom  thefe
  directions will be no way acceptable, becaufe it  may probably
   froduce thofe effefts which they had rather be without ; yet
    doubt not but the generality of both fexes, when in a married
  ftate have fuch a defire to  produce  the fair image of them-
  felves, that nothing can be more welcome to them than thofe
  directions that may make their mutual embraces moft  effectual
  to that end :  and therefore let none  think  it ftrange that we
  pretend to give directions for the promoting that which nature
  itfelf teacheth all to perform ; fince 'tis no folecifm for art to be
  a handmaid to nature, and to aflift in her nobleft operations.
  Neither is it the bare performing of that aft which we here direft
  k>, but the performing it fo as to make it conducive unto the
  Work of generation.  And fince this aft is the foundation of gen-
  eration, and without which it cannot be, fome care ought to be
  taken, and confequently fome advice given how  to  perform it
  well: and therein I am fure the proverb is on our fide, which
  tells its that what is once  well done, is twice done.  But yet
  what we fhall advance on  this nice fubjeel, fhall be oftered with
  fuch caution, as not to give offence to the chafteft ear, nor put the
  fair fex to the trouble of blufhing-  What  I  (hall offer will con-
  fift of two parts.  Firft fomething previous to it; and fecondly,
  fomethingconfequential to it.
    For the firft, when married perfons defign to follow thepro-
  penfionsof nature for the production ofthe fair image of them-
  felves, let every thing that looks like care  and bufinefs beban-
  i(hed from their thoughts, for all fuch things are enemies to Ve-
  nus ; and let their animal and vital fpirits be powerfully  exhil-
  arated by fome bri-k and generous reftoratives'; and ltt them,
  to invigorate their fancies, furvev the lovely beauties of each o«
  ther, and bear the bright ideas ofthem in their minds ; and if it
  happens, that inftead of beauty there is any thing that looks  like
  imperfection or deformity (for nature is not  alike bountiful to
  all) let them be covered over with a veil of darknefs and oblivi-
  ion-   And fince the utmoft intention of'defire is required in this
  act, it may not be amifs for the bridegroom for  the  more <.a:,<r 
            ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.         2S

heightening of this joy, to delineate the fcene of their approach-
ing happinefs to his fair languifhing bride in fome fuch amorous
rapture as this,
          Now, mv fair bride, now will Iftorm the mint
          Of love and joy, and rifle all that's irit.
          Novo my infranchis'd band on every Jtk,
          Shall o'er thy naked polijb'd ivoryJlidei
          Freely Jball novo my longing eyes behold,
          Thy baredfnow and thy undrainedgold :
          Nor curtain now though of transparent lawn,
          Shall be before thy  virgin treafure drawn.
          I will enjoy thee novo myfaireft come,
           And fly with meto love's elyftum,
          My rudder with thy bold hand, like a trfd
          And skillful pilot, thoujbalt fteet, and.guide,
          My bark in loves dark channel, where it Jhall
          Dunce, as the bounding waves do rife and fall.
          Whilft my  tall pii$zace in the Cyprian flrait.
          Rides fafe at atlchor and unlades the freight.
   Having by thefe and other amorous afts (which love can  bet-
 ter dictate than my pen) wound up your fancies to the higheft
 ardor, and defires,
           Perform thofe rights  natute  and love requires,
          ' lillyou have quench' d each other's am'rous fires.
 When the aft of coition is over, and the bridegroom has done
 what nature prompted him to do, he ought to  take care not  to
 withdraw too precipitately from the field of love, left he (hould,
 by fo doing, let the cold into  the womb, which might be of  dan-
 gerous confequence.  But when he has given time for the  mat-
 rix to clofe up, he may withdraw, and leave the bride to her re-
 pofe which ought to  be with all the calmnefspoflible, betaking
 lverfelf to reft on the right fide, and not removing without  great
 occafion, till (lie has  taken her firft deep.  Coughing and fneez-
 ing, if pofliblc, (hould be avoided, or any  thing that agitates !or
 caufes a  motion of the body.   Thefe  amorous engagements
 (hould not be often repeated till the conception is formed   And
 it may not be amifs to remind the bridegroom,  that the fair lafts
 all the year, and that he fhould be careful not to fpend his  (lock
 lavilhly, as women in general, are better pleafed in having a
 thing once well done than often ill done          *
 Section IV.  How a woman may know when jfre has conceived.
   After the means made ufe  of in order to conception,  according
 to the directions given before,  there is reafon to expeft that  con-
 ception (hould follow ; but'as  things do not always fucceed ac-
 cording to defire, fo  therefore  conception does not always follow
 upon coition   For  there are  many women, efpecially  thofe
 newly married, who know not whether they have conceived  or
 not ; after coition : which, if they were allured of, they might
 and would avoid feveral inconveniences which they now run up-
 on   For after conception a  woman finds an alteration in herfelf,
 and yet knows not from whence it ariies, (he is apt to  run to the
 doftor and enquire of him what is the matter, who not knowing
 that (he is w ith child, gives  her a ftrong portion, which  certaia- 
U         ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PiECE.
 ly deftroys the conception.   There are others, who out of fool-
 ifh bathful coynefs, though they know that they have conceived
. yet will not confefs it, that they may be inftrueted how to order
 themfelvesaccordingly.  Thofe that are coy may learn in time
 to be wife ;. and for the fake of thofe thatare ignorant, I fhall fet
 down the figns^jf conception, that women may know thereby,
 whether they have conceived or not.
   If a woman hath conceived, the vein under her eye will be
 fwelled, i.  e- under the low»er eyelid, the vein in the eyes ap-
 pearing clearly, and the eyes fomething  difcolored ; if the wo-
 man hath not her turns upon her, nor hath watched  the  night
 before, there is a certain fign of her having conceived ; and this
 appears moft plainly juft upon the conception, and holds for  the
 firft two  months after.   Stop the urine of the woman clofe in a
 glafs or bottle  three days, at the expiration of which time (train
 ti through a linen rag : if you perceive fmall living crcaturesin it
 you may inftanly conclude that (he hath conceived : for the urine,
 which was before part of her own fubftance, w ill be generative as
 well as its miftref s
   A coldnefs and chill nefs ofthe outward parts after copulation,
 (hews a woman to have conceived, the heat being retired to make
 the conception ; and then the veins of the breaft are more clear-
 ly feen than they were before. The tops ofthe nipples look red-
 der than formerly ; the body is weakened, and the face difcolor-
 ed, the beily waxeth very fat, becaufe the wombclofeth itfelf to-
 gether to nourlfhand cherilh the feed.  If (lie drinks cold water,
 a coldnefs is felt in the breafts .- (he has alfo a lofs of appetite, four
 belchings, and exceeding weaknefs of the ftomach ; the breafts
 begin to fwell, and wax hard,  not  without pain or  forenefs;
„ wringing or griping pains like the cramp, happen in the belly a-
' bove the naval; alfo divers appetites and longings are engender-
 ed.  The veins of the eyes are alfo clearly feen,  and the eyes
 feem fomething difcolored as a looking glafs will fhew.  The ex-
 crements of the guts are voided  painfully,  becaufe the womb
 fwelling thruftetn the right gut together : likewife let her take a
 green nettle and put it into her urine, cover it clofely, and let  it
 remain all night :  if (he is with child it will be full of red  (pots
 oh the next morning, if (he is not with child it will be blackifh.
    Bjj thefe experiments fome of which never fail, «. woman may
 know whether fhe hath conceived or not, and to regulate herfelf
 accordingly : for
           When 'women once with child conceived are,
            They of themfelves Jhould take efpecial care.
                         Section V.
 How to knew whether d*woman be  conceived of a male or female
                            Child.
    In the prefent feftion I fhall endeavor to gratify the curiofity
 of many perfons who are very  defirous to know whether they
 are conceived of a male or female   For the fatisfaftion of fuch
  I fhall give the fign of a male child being conceived, and the re-
  verfe thereof that of a female.
    It is then a fign of a male child, when the woman feels it  firft
 'OTi the ngfct fide :  for male children lie always on that fide ctf 
           ARlc-TOTLE'o MASTER PIECE.          ^

"the womb, the woman alfo  when  rifing  from  her  chair, doth
fooner flay herfelf upon the right hand than on the  left.   Alfo
the belly lies rounder and higher than  when  it is  a female.
The color of the woman' is not fo fwarthy, but more  clear than
when it is a girl.  The right  fide is  more  plump and harder
than the left, the right nipple  redder.   She h'kewife breeds a
boy eafter and with lefs pain than a girl,  and carries  her bur-
then not fo heavily but is more nimble and ftirring.
  I will only, as to this, add the following experiments wh;di I
never knew fail.  If the circle under the woman's  eyes,  which
is of a wan blue color, be more apparent under the right eye, and
that moft difcolored, (he is with child of a boy ; if the mark be
moft apparent in her left eye, (he is with  child  of a girl.  The
other is, let her drop a drop of her milk in a bafon of tairwater,
if it finks to the bottom as it drops in, round m a drop, it is a
girl (he is with child of ; for ifit be a boy it will fpreadand fwim
at the top.  This I have often tred and it never failed.
           For whether male or female child if^be
           You have conceived, by thefe rules you'll fee.
                        CHAP.  II.
Sec. I How a  Woman Jhould order herfelf in order to Conception.
            I AM very well fatisfied that many' women  defire
copulation, not from any delight or fatisfaction they take there-
in, more than as it is the means appointed By Him that bids us
increafe and multiply, for  the obtaining ot children, and the
propagation of mankind.   And though feveral nsike  ufe of cc-
ition to obtain that  end, yet we find by experience, that in ma-
ny, it does not fucceed, becaufe they  order not themfelves «■■>
they ought to do ;  for though it muft be granted,  that all our
endeavors depend upon the divine blefling,  yet if we t^re  want-
 ing in any thing to  ourfelves how can we expect  that blelling
 to fucceed our endeavors ?  My bufinefs therefore in this lection
■fiiall be to (hew how women that deliie to ha*'e children  (h^.*d
order themfelves.
   Firft, women  that are defirous to have children,  muft, in or-
der thereunto, give themfelves ■ o moderate exercife ; "for want
of exercife, and idlenefsf are very great  enemies to the work of
generation, and indeed are  enemies  both  to foul and body.
Thofe that fhall give themfelves the trouble to obferve it will
find thofe city dames that live high,  and  do nothing,  feldom
have children, or if they  have,  they feldom  live;  whereas,
thofe poor •women that accuftom themfelves to labJr,  have  ma-
ny children, and thole fining and lufty.  Nor need we wonder
at it, if we confider the benefit that comes'by a moderate exer-
cife and labor ;  for it opens the pores, quickens the fpirits, (tirs
v.p the natural heat, ttrengthenS  the  bedy,  fenfes and fpitita,
comforts the limbs, and helps nature in all her "excrcifeo, of
which procreation of children is none ofthe ieaft.
   Secondly, women in order to  concept-on,  lhoold  avoid  all
manner oi difcontent and the occaiion of it ; for difeuncent is a
great enemy to conception, and it fo difpirrts either nu«i or wo-
man, that  it hinders them from putting forth that vigor, which
ought to be exerted in the  a.t oi  Cvitior..   When  on the c.l.v 
26         ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.

trary, content and fatisfaftion of mind dilate the heart and ar-
teries, whereby the vital blood and fpirits are freely diftributed
throughout the body  and thence arife fuch affections, as pleafe,
recreate and refrefli the nature of man, as hope, joy, love, glad-
nefs, and mirth   Nor does it only comfort and ftrengthen the
body, but alfo the operation  and imagination of  the mind:
Which is fo much the more necelfary :  in fo much  the imagin-
ation of the mother works forcibly upon the conception of the
child.  Women therefore, ought to take great care that their
imagination be pure  and clear, that their child may be well
formed.
  Thirdly, women ought to take  care to  keep the womb  in
good order :  and to fee  that  the  menfes come  down as they
ought to do, for if they are difcolored they  are out of  order.
But if the blood  comes down pure, then the women will be ve-
ry prone to conceive  with child, efpecially if they  ufe copula-
,tion in two or three days after the monthly terms are flayed.
  Fourthly, a woman that woitf.d conceive lhould obferve that
fhe does not ufe the aft of coition too often ;  for fatiety  gluts
the womb and renders it unfit  for its office.   There  are two
things demonftrate this ; i. e. that common wheres (who often
-ufe copulation) have never, or very  rarely any children   : for
the grafs feldom grows in a path that is commonly  trodden in.
The other is, that women, whofe husbands have been  long ab-
fent  do, after  copulation with  them  again conceive   very
quickly
  Fifthly, care fhould be taken that the time of copulation (be
convenient that there may be no fear of furprize :  for fear hin-
ders conception.   And then it were  the beft  alfo  that the de-
fire of copulation be  natural,  and not (lined up  by  provoca-
tion ; and  if it be natural, the greater the woman's defire of
copulation is, the more likely fhe is to conceive.
  I will add no more, but fome authors report,  that a load-
flone carried about a woman, not only caufeth conception, but
concord between man and wife  ; if it be true, I would have  no
married woman  go without one,  both for her own and  hus-
 band's quiet.                      .  »
           Let all the fair, wbu would have children froth
           Iheirfoft embraces, read 'what's here laid dovea,
           ThoJe that to exercife themfelves incline,
           And in their love to be content dejign,
           Who have their monthly terms in orderflow;
           And regulate them if they do not ft;
           That love's embraces  moderately ufe,
           And to enjoy them afitfeafon chooje ;
           Ihefe may, content lAUth -what they've done, remain,
           And need not fear their wijhes to obtain.
  Sect. II.   What a woman ought to obferve after conception
   After a woman has conceived, or has reafon to think fo,  fhe
 Ought to be very careful of herfelf left fhe fhould do  any thing
 that might hinder nature  in  her conception  For in the r rtt
 two months after conception women are very fubject to mifcar-
 riages, becaufe then  the ligaments are weak and  fooo broke^. 
            ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.        27

To prevent this,  let the  woman  every  morning  drink  a
draught of fage ale and it will do her abundance of good.
  And if figns of abortion or mifcarriage appear, let her lay a
toaft dipped in tent (in cafe  mufcadel cannot be  gotten) to  the
pavel, tor this is very good   Or, take a littfe green  tanfy, and
having bruiled it fprinkle it with mufcadel, and apply it  to  the
navel, and fhe will find it much better.  Alio tea infufed in ale,
like fage ale, and a draught drank every morning, is moft excel-
lent for fuch women as are  fubjeft tomifcarriages.  Alfo t..ke
juice of tanfy,  clarify It, and boil it up into a lyrup. with twice
its weight in fugar, and  let a woman take  a  fpoonful or two  of
it in fuch cafes, and it will be an excellent prefervative  againft
mifcan a^es.  Alfo if (he can, let her be whe.e'the  air  is tem-
perate   Let her fleep be moderate ; let her alfo avoid all watch-
ing and immoderate exercife, as  alfo disturbing paflions, loud
clamors and filthy (niells ; and let her abftain  from all things
which  may provoke  either urine or the courfes, and alfo from
all (harp and windy meats ; and leta modenitediet be obfeived.
If the excrements ofthe guts be reta:ned,  lenify the belly with
clyfters made of the decoction of mallows and violets,  with fu-
gar and common oil  ; or make broth of borage, buglofs, beets,
mallows, and take therein a little manna but on  the contrary,
if (he be troubled with aloofenefs of the  belly,  let it  not  be
flopped without the judgment of a phyfician ;  for  that  matter
all uterine fluxes have a malignant quality and muft be evacua-*Xi
ted and removed before the flux be (fayed.
                        CHAP III.
How the Child lieth and bow  it  growetb up in  the womb of the
                   Mother  after  conception.
                        Section  I                       *
     How the child is formed in the womb after conception
     -j«-   AS To the formation of the child, it is to be noted,
that after coition the feed lies warm in the womb for  fix days,
without any viiible alteration, only that the womb clofes up  it-
felf to prevent its ifluing forth ?:»ain, and foi the fecuring it from
any cold,and all this time it lookslike butter or coagulated miJk.
 And it would  be nece-flary  for her who has conceived, to forbear
 the embraces of her husband all  the time, left  the conception
 (hould be fpoiled.   In three days after, it is altered  from  the
 quality of thick milk or butter, and becomes blood, or at leaft
 refembles it in color, nature having now  begun  to work upon
 it; in the next fix  days following, that blood begins to be united
 into one body, grows hard  and becomes a little quantity, and to
 appearance a  round lump.   And, as in the hrlt creation the
 earth was void and without form, fo  in this creatine  work of
 divine power in the womb ; in this (hapelefs embryo lies the firlt
 mals   But in two days after the principal members are formed
 by the plaiftic power of nature, and  thefe'principal members
 are four in number, viz  The heart,  the brain,  the liver,  and
 the tefticles or ftones.—Three days after the other members are
 formed, and are diftinguifhed from  the (houlders to the knees,
 and the heart, liver and ftones,  with their appurtenances,  do
 grow bigger and bicker.   For relays after that, the feveral mem- 
  22         AR1STulLE's MASTER PIECE.

  bers of the whole body appear, and as nature requires,they con-
  junctly and feveraliy do receive their perfection  And fo in the
  ..'pointed time, the whole creation hath that erence  which  it
  ought to have  in the perfection of it, receiving from God a liv-
  ing foul,  therewith putting in its noftr/ils  the  breath of life.
  Thus I have (hewn the whole operation of nature in the forma-
  tion cf the child in the womb, according to the energy  given it
  by the Divine Creator, Maker, and upholder of all things both
  in heaven and earth.
    By fome others more  briefly, but to the fame purpofe, the
  forming ofthe child in the womb of its mother is thus defcribed ;
  three days in the milk, three in the blood, twelve days  from the
  flefh  and eighteen the  members, and forty  days afterwards the
  childjs infpi red with life, being endowed with an immortal living
  foul.
                     Section II
  Ofthe manner of the child's lying in the womb from the  conception
                          to the birth-
    I come now to fhew in what manner the child liethin the womb
  of its mother, whilft itis confined in thedark recedes ; firft giving
  the reader the teltimony of two or three of the  molt learned, on
  this head.
   The lcarned"Hippocrates affirms that the child, as he is placed
  in the womb, hath his hands upon his knees, and his headbentto
j.ihisfeet;  fo that he lies round together, his hands upon his knees,
  and his face between them : fothat each eye toucheseach thumb
  and his nofebetwixt his knees   And ofthe fame opinion in this
  matter was Bartholonius the younger.  Columbus isof opinion
  that the figure ofthe child in the wombis-round, the right arm
  bowed, the fingers thereof under the ear, above the neck, and
  the head bowed, fo that the chin toucheth the breafi, the left
  arm bowed above both breaft and face,  and proped up by the
  bending of the right  elbow:  the legs are  fitted upwards,  the
  right of whxh is fo lifted up, that, the thigh toucheth the belly,
  the knees, the navel, the heel toucheth the left buttock,  and the
  foot is turned backandcovereth the fecrets : the left thigh touch-
  eth the belly, and the leg lifted up to the breaft, the back lying
  cutwards.
    Thus  the  reader  may  fee  how authors differ herein : but
  this ought to be noted,  that the different  pofitions which  the
  child hath been  feen in,  hath given occalion to  the different
  opinions of authors.  For when the woman is young with dhild
  the  embryo is always forndofa round figure, a little oblong,
  having the fpine moderately turned inwards, the thighs folded,
  and a little  raifed, to which the legs are joined, that   the heels
  touch the buttocks, the  arms bending, the hands  placed upon
  the knees towards which the head is inclined forwards fo that
  the  chin  touches the breaft ; the fpine of the back  is at that
  time placed towards the mother's, the headuppermoft, the hands
  forwards, and  the feet downwards, and proportionable to  its
  growth it extends its members by little ana little, whehwereex-
  aftly formed in the firft month. In this pofture it ufually  keeps
  ti.I  h° feventh or eighth month, and then by a natural pro* 
           ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER  PIECE.         2»

pc'nfity and difpofition of the upper parts ofthe body the head is
turned downwards towards the  inward orifice of the  womb,
tumbling as it were over its head ; fo that the feet are  upper-
most, andthe face towards the  mother's great gut.   And this
turning of the infant in this manner with his head  downwards,
towards the latter end of a woman's reckoning is fo ordered of
nature, that it may be the better difpofed for  the birth   The
knowledge of thefe things being fo elfential to  the practice of a
midwife, I could not omit them.
                       CHAP.  IV.
Of the Obftruelions of conception  ; with the Caufe and Cure of Bar-
  rennefs, and the Signs of Infufficiency both in Men andWhnen
            BEFORE I proceed any further, it is  highly nec-
eflary that I treat of the inftruftions of conception, which nat-,
u rally leads me to treat of barrennefs the grand obftruftiou  ct*
conception.
                Section  I.  Ofbarrennefs.
   Barrennefs is a  natural or  accident*! defeft which hinder-
conception : for that which hinders conception caufeth' barren
nefs.  There are feveral caules why conception may  behinder-
ed : as too much heat or cold dries  up the feed and makes it
corrupt :  this, extinguifhing the life ofthe feed, and that, mak-
ing it waterifli; and unfit for generation.  It may be caufed alfo
by the ftoppage or overflowing of the courfes, and by fwelling
ulcers,  or infiamations of the womb, or by  an excrelTence  of
fiefli growing about  the mouth ofthe matrix, whereby the feed
is. hindered from being injefted into-the womb, and want  of
love in the perfons copulating may alfo hinder conception, as is
apparent from thofe  women who are  deliowered  againft their
 will : no conception following any forced copulation.
   And here let me can ion patents againft one thing that often
 caufeth  barrennefb, which might eafily be prevented ; and
that is, againft virgins letting  blood in their arm before their
 courfes come down ; thefe  come down in virgins ufually in the
14th ye'ir of their ;:0e,  feldom before the thirteenth,  but never
before the twelfth/  Now,  becaufe  ufually  a voting virgin is
out of order before the firft breakdown, the mother goes with
her to thsdolf');-, who  finding that  fulnefs of blood is the occa
 fion of  her iihiefs  orders her to  let blood in ihe arm : upon
 which ft. e  becomes well for a tine. t>e fuperiluous  blood  be-
 ing taken away ;  ane. th;s remedy which h-  worfe than the. dif-
 eafe, being repeated four or five  times,  the blood comes not
 down at all to the womb, as it doth in other .women, but dries
 up, and is forever barren ; whereas, had fiie been let blood  in
 the foot it would  have brought  tiie blood downwards,  and fo
 have provoked the terms and prevented mifchief.
   Another caufe of barrennefs is, for wain of convenient, mod-
 erate quality, which the woman ought to have  with the man ;
 as, if he be hot   (he mn'.t be told ; if he be dry, fhe moift ;  but
 if'they borh ate dry or both,  are of  a moift  conftitution, they
 cannot propagate, though in this cafe neither of them  may'be^
 barren, fingly confidered ;  for he or (he though now as barren as
 the barren fig tree,  yet joined with auapt co;tl:itOi:<m, may be-
 come as f> ui'/'u'  as lite vine.
 T  _. ___  . .______^_o____________  ____     ________ 
 Sa          ARISTOTLE-s MASTER PIECB.

   Another caufe ofbarrennefs may be the  difufe of copulatioti
 foi fome there arc of that frigid conftitution, that  they either
 ufe not the means at all, or elfe perform it with fo much langor
 and coldnefs, that it is not likely it fhould prove efficacious ;  for
 the aft of coition fhould be performed with the greateft ardor
 and intenfenefs of defire imaginable, or elfe they  may as well let
 it alone ; a frigid difpofition being the effect of a  cold diftemper
 and muft b" cured by fuch things as heat and nourifh.   F'or,
          Without good drink and feeding  high
          Defires of I enusfoon will die.
  Such therefore ought to feed upon cock ftones and Iamb (tones-
 fbarrow's, partridge's, quail's, and pheafant's eggs,  for'tis an in-
 fallible aphorifm in  phytic, that whatfoever any creature is  ex-
 tremely addifted to, they operate to the  fameendby their mu-
 tual virtue in the  man that eats them.   Therefore partridges,
 quails, fparrows, &rc being.exfremely addifted to venery, they
 work the fame effeft in thofe that eat them : and this  likewile
 is worthy to be noted that in what part of the body the faculty
 is ftrong, as a medicine :  as for inftance the  viitus  procreativus
 lies in the tefticles ;  therefore  cock ftones, &c.  are medicinal in
 this diftemper-  Let  fuch pet fens alfo eat fuch food as  is very
 nourifhing, as  parfnips, alifanders,  skir-s, and pine  huts  :
 and let them take a  dram of  diafatryon  in an electuary every
 :nprning.   The (ion.es of a fox dried to powder  a dram taken ev-
 ery  morning in tent, is alfo  very good in this cafe  : and fo
 'Ifoisadramof fatyrioa root,  taken in like manner.

                      Section.   II.
 Of the fign s of Infufficiency in Men ;  and barrennefs in  women.
  After married people  have  lived long  together,  and both-
 feem likely, and yet neither of them have children, there  often
 arifes difcontent between them, and both are troubled  becaufe.
 :hey know not whofe fault it  is.   And  though  authors have
 ?eft feveral ways to know whether the man or woman be defec-
tive, yet becaufe I cannot coincide in their  judgments,  I (hall
 pafs them by in filen.ee, and ratter lay down  a  few  rules that
 may.be depended upon, than many that are uncertain.   But  I
 null firft premife that women  are  fubjeft  to  many  infrmities
 tftore than men, that the caufe of barrennefs is offenef on their
 fide that man's.   For, if the man  has the  inftrument of  genera-
 •ion perfeft, being in health, and keeping a regular and tempe-
 rate diet and exercife I know no  accidental caufe of  barren-.
nefsinhim: whereas the caufe of barrennefs in a woman   lies,
 ip her womb, and the infirmities incident  thereunto : fome of.
which are (topping of the menftrua, or their overflowing;  as
alfo the falling out thereof, and the inflamation, windinefs, heat
and drynefs thereof fpr $achof which we will prefcribe proper
cures.
  But to be more particular.
  If a man or woman, in whom the inftruments  of  generation^
appear no ways defeftive would know  whether the caufe of bar-
rennefs be in themfelves  or their bedfellow, let them  take  a
handful of barley, or any other corn that will  grow quickly). 
ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.        &i
and fteep lialf of it in the urine of a man and the other half
in the urine of a woman duringthe fpace of 21 hours,  then
take  it out, and fet each by ttfelf in a flower  pot  or where
you may keep them dry.  Then water the man'severy morning
with his own urine, and the woman's  with hers : and that
which grows is moft fruitful ;  and that which  does not grow
denotes the perfon to be  barren.   Nor  let any  defpife this
trial :  for feeing phyficians will by urine undertake  to tell a.
perfon of his or her difeafes, why fhould  not urine  alfo  fhew
whether a perfon  be  fruitful  or not ?  But if in  man the
inftrument of generation is not perfect it will be obvious  to the
fight, and if the yard be fo feeble,  that  it will not admit  of e-
reftion, it can never convey feed into the womb,  nor  can  there
he in fuch a cafe  any conception.   But this is f i plain  and  eafily
difcerned, that it  needs muft be obvious to both parties and the
man who  finds himfelfdebilitated ought not to  marry.
   fhe cafe can't be fo bad with the woman, though (lie maybe
barren, but what her husband may make ufe of her,  unlefs fhe
be impenetrable, which (though it fometimes doesjbut rarely
happens :  and therefore the man is the raoft inexeufable  if he
tranfgrefs.                                    ♦
  Belides what I  have already mentioned, figns of barrennefs in
women are ; if fhe be of an over hot conftitution,  of a dry body,
fubjeft to anger, hath black hair, a thick pulfe,  ner purgations
flow  litt'e, and  that with  pain,  and  yet hath a violent  defire
to coition : but if fhe be of a cold conftitution, then are the figns
contrary to thofe recited.  If barrennefs be caufed  through  an
evil quality of the womb, it may be known by making a  fum-
igation of red ftorax, myrrh, cafiawood. nutmeg, cinnamon, and-
letting her receive the flume of it into her womb, covering her
very clofe.  If the odor palfeth through the  body  up into the
mouth and noftrils, fhe is fruitful.  But if fhe feel not the  fame
in her mouth and nofe, it denotes barrennefs one  of thefe ways,
viz.    That the  feed is either through  cold extinguifhed, or
through heat diflipated.  And if a woman be fufpefted to be un-
fruitful, caft natural brimftone, fuch as is digged out of the
mine, into her urine, and if worms breed therein fhe is fruitful.
But this fhall fulfice, to be  faid of the  caufes and figns of bar-
rennefs, and it is now time to proceed to the cure
            Section III. Ofthe cure of barrennefs.
  In the cure of barrennefs refpeft muft be had to the caufe ;
for the caufe muft be firft removed, and then the womb (leng-
thened, and the  fpirits of the  feed enlivened by  corroborat-
ing applications.
   If  barrennefs  proceeds from over much  heat, let her
ufe inwardly, fuccorv, endive,  violets, water lilies, forrel,
and  lettuce,  white fyrrups,.,  and  conferves made  thereof,:
thus,
  Take conferve  of borage, violets, fuccory, water  lilies  of
each one ounce, half an ounce of conferve of rofes  :  diam-
agarition  frigid,  diatrion   fancalon, of each half  a dram :
with  fyrup of yiylets,  or of juice  of citron make an  eleft-
ul*y- 
92        ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.

  Let her alfo take of endive, water lilies, borage  flowers,  of
each a handful, reubarb, myrobalans, of each  three  drams ;
with water make a decoction ; add to the (training, the fyrup
relaxative of violets one ounce, fyrup  of caflia, half an ounce
manna three drams : make all into a portion.   Take of the
fyrup of mugwort one ounce, fyrup of maiden hair, two ounces
pulv. elect tnonfat, make all up into a julep. Apply to the reins
and privities fomentations of the juice of lettuce, violets, mal-
lows vineleaves, andknightfhade ; let her alfo annoint her  fe-
cret parts with the cooling ointment of galls.  Bathes are good
for her to fit in.  Let the air be  clear, her  garments  thin, her
food, lettuce, endive, fuccory, and barley : but let her have no.
hot meats, nor ftrong  wines,  except it be waterifh  and thin.
Reft is good  for her both in* body and mind :  but  (he  muft ufe
little copulation, but may, deep' as much as fhe will.
  If barrennefs be occafioned  by  the predominancy of cold
extingui firing the power of the feed, which may be known  by
her  defiring venery, and  receiving no pleafure in the aft of
copulation, even while the man  is (pending his feed ; her terms
are phlegmatic, thick, flimy, and flow not rightly : In this cafe
let her take #yrup of calamint, mugwort, betony,  of  each one
ounce;  water of pennyroyal, feverfew ; hyfop,  fage of each
two ounces; and make a julep.  Let  her  take every morning
two fpoon? full of cinnamon water, with  one fcruple of mith-
ridate.  Alfo let her take  oil of annifleed, one fcruple  and  a
half, jeflemine, diaclylon |both dinofch diaglang,  of each one
dram ;  fugar, four ounces ;  with water  of cinnamon make-
lozenges,  and take «f them a dram and a half tvyiee  a day-
two hours before meals.  Let her alfo faften  cupping glades
to her hips and belly ; and let her take ftoros calamita one ounce,
maftic, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, lignum alloes, frankincenfe,
of each half an ounce^musk, ten grains, ambcrgreafe half a fcru-
ple, with  rofe water  make a confeftion  ;  divide  it into
four" parts, of one make a ponum odoratum  to  fmell  to,  if
fhe be not hifterical :  ofthe fecond make a mafs of pills, and
let her take three every night,  of the third  make  a peffary,
and put it up ; of the  fourth  make a  fumigation for  the-
womD.
   If barrennefs arifes from the faculties of the womb be-
ing   weakened and the life of the  feed  fuffocated  by over
much humidity flowing on thofe parts, let her  take of betto-
 ny, marjoram, mugwort, pennyroyal, bairn, of each one hand-
ful  : root of onrum,  fennel, elecampane, of each two drams ;
annifleed, cummin feed,  of each a dram, with fugar and wa-
ter  a fufficient quantity, of which-make a fyrup,  and take
three ounces every morning.   Then purge with thefe pills,
 following, take of pil  ext.  two  fcruples ;  diagridion,  two
 grains,  fpecies decafto, one fcruple j make them up  into
 nine pills with  fyrup of mugwort.   Alfo  take fpec diag-
 minae,  diamofchi,  diambrae,  of each one  dram :   cinnamon
 one dram and a half: mace, cloves, nutmeg of each half a dram:
 fugar fix ounces, with water of feverfew ; make lozenges toJ>e
 taken every morning*  Likewife let her take of fhedecottiowcf 
          ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER  PIECE.         S3

fafaparilia and viga aurea,  with  a good  quantity of  fage,
which  is an  herb  of  that  virtue,  that Cornelius Agrippa
honored it with the title of facra herba, a holy herb : and  Dod-
oneus in his hiftory of Plants, reports that alter a great plague
had happened in Egypt, which hadalmoft depopulated the coun-
try, the furviving women were commanded to drink  the  juice
of fage, that they might multiply the fader.   Let her  annoint
her genitals with the oil of annifleed and fpikenard.  Trochiks
to fmoothe the womb are alfo very good.   To make which, let
her take mace, nutmeg, cinnamon, ftorax, and amber,  of each
one dram ; cloves, laden of each half a dram ;  turpentine, a
fufficient quantity.  Laftly, take the  roots  of  valleron and
elecampane, of each one  pound ;  of gallangal three ounces ;
origan, marjoram  betony, mugwort, bay leaves, calamint,  of
each three handfuls ; with vfate? make an infufion, in which let
her fit after (he has had her courfes   But to proceed.
   If barrennefs be caufed by the drynefs of the womb confirm-
ing the matter of the feed, let her take every day almond milk
and goafs milk, extrafted  with honey ; eat often ofthe  root Sa-
tyrion candied, and of the electuary of diafatyron.   Let her al-
fo take three (heep's heads, and boil  them till the flefh  comes
from the bones ;  then take of meliot violets, camomile, mercu-
ry, orchies, with the roots of each,  one pound : fenugreek,  lin-
fecd, vallerian roots, of each a handful: let all thefe be decoft-
ed in the aforefaid broth,  and let the woman fit in the decoftion
up to the navel   Alfo, take of deersfuet  half an  ounce ; cow's
marrow, ftyracis lyquide, of each  one dram  ;  or of fweet  al-
monds, two ounces ; with filk or cotton make apeflary, and make
injeftions, only of frefh butter,  ana'  oil of fweet almonds.
   It fometimes happens that barrennefs is caufed  by  remilfnefs,
in the manner and the aft  of coition ; and  though there  be
no impediment on  either fide ; yet  if both fexes meet not in that
aft with equal vigor, no conception follows;  for many times
the man is too quick for  thz woman, or rather the  woman too
(low for the man, and is not prepared to receive the feed with
that delight (he ought, when it is emitted by the man: andthole
who follow the opinion ofthe ancients, that the woman  contri-
butes feed in  the formation ofthe child as well as the man,'  are
of opinion that there ought to be  a joint emiflionboth  of the
man and woman at the fame inftant,  which  adminiftering to
both a great delight, perfefts the work of conception.    But  if
in this cafe the woman be flack, it  will be proper for the  man to
follow the advice given in chapter  3d. feet. 2.  where  both fexes
are (hewn how to manage themfelves in the  aft of coition, that
fo by fiirring up in the woman a defire to venery, fhe may meet
his embraces with the greateft ardor.   If this (hould prove inef-
feftual,  let her before the aft of  coition  foment the  privities
with the decoftion of betony. fage hyfop  and calamint,  annoint
the mouth and head of the womb  with  musk and  civit . and
the caufe ofbarrennefs being removed, let the womb be corrob-
 orated by the following applications.
   Make of bayberries, maffick, nutmeg,  frankincenfe,  cyprefs
 outs, zadani, galbina, of each one  dram : ftyracis liquidae, two 
34          ARISTOTLE' 5  MASTER  PIECE.
 feruples  ;  cloves  halfa  fcruple ;  ambergreafe, two grains ,
 musk, fix grains, then with oil of fpikenard make a penary.
 Alfo take red rofes, with frankincenfe, lapids hamatitis, of each
 hai"f an ounce, fangus draconis, fine  bole  maftic, of each two
 drams; nutmeg, cloves of each one  >.'earn  ;  fpikenard  half  a
 fcruple, and with oil of wormwood ma.;e a  plaifter for the low-
 er part of the belly.  And let her cat of erringo roots candied,
 an 1 make an injection of the juice ofthe roots of ftatyrion ; and
 then let her ufe copulation foon after the menfes are ceafed, con-
 •eption being moft  apt to follow ; for then the womb is  thirfty
 and dry  and apteft both to. draw the feed and to retain it by  the
 xoughnefs of the inward fuperfices.  A woman (hould be careful
 to avoid excefs in all things, as being the greateft enemy to con-
 ception  For fhould a woman conceive under  care* ftudy, &c.
 the child would probably  be foolifh,"becaufe the animal  (acui-
 ties of the parents were confufed.
                        chap. v.
   Sec. I. How Women ought to govern themfelves during their
                         Pregnancy.
           FIRST, let a woman that is with child choofe a tem-
 perate air, not infefted with fogs, and for that  reafon. not near
 any man! y grounds, rivers, &c.  But this cannot  be avoided
 by fome, the r habitation falling out to be in fuch places   But
 thofe  who can live where  they pleafe ought to  avoid fuch pla-
 ces as likewife the going abroad in too hot or too cold weather:
 alfo when the fouth wind  blows  hard,  for  that often  proves
 hurtful to women with child and fometimes caufes abortion.
   Secondly,  lie ought to be  very  cautious in  the matter of
 her diet,  choofing only thofe meats that create wholefome nour-
 iflment,  and fuch as are immoderately dry ; and let her  take
 care to prevent and avoid immoderate faffing for that will wea-
 ken the infant, and render it of a iickly conftitution, and fome-
 times caufe abortion.  And as all exceffes ought to be avoided
 fo (he muft take care not only of avoiding immoderate fa ing,
 butlikewife immoderate eating too,  which will not only be apt
 to ftuft up the child but to fwell it up to that  degree,   that  it
 will endanger the life of itfelf and the mother in its birth.   Let
 it furfice that in general fhe avoids all meats which are too hot or
 too cold, and moift ; fuch as fallads, fpices and hot meats which
 often caufejthe child to be  born before  its  time ;  and  fome-
 times without nails, which foreftiews a (hott  life.   And there-
 fore in this cafe the moft  wholefome meats are pigeons, part-
 ridges, pheafi#\ts, larks, veal, mutton, or any meat that yields  a
 good juice, and contributes kindly nourifhment ;  as alfo, fuch
' fruit  as  are fweet and of eafy dig'eflion, as. cherries, pears, da'm-
 fons and the like.  But let  her avoid,  as pernicious, all fuch
 things as caufe and create wind.
   Care ought alfo to  be taken with  refpeft  to  her exercife;
 which ought to be moderate for violent motion either in walking
 or working, is hurtful and difturbing to the womb, efpecially rid-
 ing upon the ftones in a coach, or'any other uneven place ; and in
 like manner, all extraordinary founds and noifes fhould be avoid-
 ed, efpecially the ringing of bells., and the difclvrging of great 
           ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.         35

•guns ; neither ought fhe to give way to either immoderate laugh-
ing or weeping, or to anger, or any other paflions, for that may
'be prejudicial to her.
                      Section  II.
  Further Rules for Women" to oblerve during their Pregnancy.
  Though the aft of coition is that without which  conception
cannot be, yet the immoderate ufe of it hinders the brief end for
which irwas defigned.   In the firft four  months after concep-
tion, fhe ought not to lie with her husband, at lealt  fparingly ,
left by fhaking the womb in that aftion, the courfes fhould afcain
be forced down.  In the fifth and fixth months ihe" ought to ab-
ftain ; but in the 7th 8th, and 9th,  if may freely be permitted by
reafon it opens the paflage, and facilitates the birth. To contri-
bute the better  towards which, the woman (hould be careful to
keep her body foluble ; fyrups, and other opening jthtngs,.be-
ing very helpful to nature in thofe operations.  Let her not lace
too dole, left the child be thereby hindered from coming to its
full growth.
  To prevent any diforder that  may happen  to her breafts by
too much blood, which will caufe curdled milk, let her wear  a
 necklace of gold about her neck, or rather a fmall ingot of fleel
between her breafts, fomenting them a quarter of an hour eve-
ry morning with water diftilled  from  ground ivy, periwinkle
 and fage, being blood warm.             ■
  When her  belly is fwelling, and the motion is great, which
will be about the fourth month, (he may fwathe it with a  fwath-
band annointed with pomatum, or any other thing of the kind,
to keep it fmoothe and  free from wrinkles.  For which  end it
 will be belt to take the caul of alrid, and of a few, of each three
 ounces ;  capon greafe  and goof egreafe, of each one tmnce  and
 a half -, having melted them all  together put thereto a quarter
.of a pint of water ; after which (train them through a linen cloth
 into fair water : ca.iing it to and fro  therein till it be white  ; at
which time add to it of marrow of a  red deer,  one ounce,   and
lay it in red rofe water, twelve hours.  After  the expiration of
 which you may ufe it, annointingthe fwathe and belly.
  But if thefe ingredients are noteafy to be had you  may make
 ufe ofthe following linament, which will do almoft as well as the
other  ;  take  of mutton fuet(that which grows about the kid-
 neys is beft)and of dog's greafe, of each two ounces, whale oil one
•ounce, and oil  of  fweet almonds, the fame  quantity;  wafh
them well, after they are melted together in the  water of ger-
 mander, or new white wine, annoint the belly  and fwathe there-
 with-   Thofe that care not to annoint their bellies,  may make
ufe ofthe following bathe or decoftion :  take of all forts of
mallows and  motherwort, each two handfuls  ; white lilly  roots
three ounces  ; mellilot and camomile, of each two handfuls  ;
lime feeds, quince feeds and fenugreek feeds,  three ounces, boil
them well in  fpring water and bathe  therewith.  If the woman
afi'.r  her quickening, finds but little  motion of the infant in the
wcmb, let her make a quilt in the manner following, and bind it
to the navel, and it will much ftreagthen and comfort the infant;
 t*ke the powder of rcfes, red coral and jely flowers, of each twc 
$6           ARISTOTLE'S MASTER  PIECE.
ounces ;  maftica dram, angelica feeds two drams,  ambergreafe
two grains, and musk two grains : all of which being well beaten,
put them into a linen bag, fpread them abroad and quilt it, that
they may be in every part of it placing it upon the navel, and
it will have the defired eff'eft.  Thefe things are'fufficient to ob-
ferve during the time of their pregnancy, that neither the child
nor mother may mifcarry, but be brought to  the  birth at the
the appointed tune.
                      CHAP.  VI
Direelionsfor Midwives how to aji/l Women in the  lime of their
  Labors and how Child bearing Women Jhould be ordered in limt
  of their Lying in.
                      Section   I.
            How a Midwife ought to be qualified.
          A MIDWIFE ought to be of a middle  age  neither
too old nor too young,  and  of a good habit of body,  neither
fubjeft to difeafes, fears or hidden frights ;  nor are the  qualifi-
cations afligned to a good furgeon  improper for a midwife, viz.
a lady's hand, a hawk's eye, and a lion's heart : to which may be
added, aftivity of body, and a convenient ftrength, with caution
and diligence, not fubjeft to drowfinefs, nor apt to be impatient.
She ought to be fober and affable,  not  fubjeft to paflion, but
bountiful and companionate,  and  her temper  cheerful and
pleafant, that fhe may  the better comfort her  patients  in  their
forrow.  Nor mull  fhe be veryhafty, though her bufinefs per-
haps require her in  another place, left fhe  (hould  make  more
hafte than good fpeed.   But above all (I e ought to be qualified'
with the  fear of God, which is the principal thing in every ftate
and condition, and  will furnifti her on all occafions,  both with
knowledge and difcretion.   But I now proceed to  more partic-
lar directions.
                      Section   II.
    What muft be  done when a Woman's time of labor is come
  When  the time of birth draws near, and the good woman finds
her travelling pains begin to come upon  her, let her fend tor a
midwife in time  ; better too foon than  too late,  and get thofe
things ready which are proper on fuch  occafions    When the
midwife  is come, let the firft thingflie does be to find  whether
the true time of birth  be come.  The want of obferving this
hath fpoiled many a child, and endangered  the life of the  moth-
er ; or at leafi put her  to twice as much pain as fhe needed ; for
unskilful midwives, not minding this,  have given things to
force down the child, and thereby difturbed the natural courfe
of heriabors ; whereas nature works beft in her own time and
way.   I do confefs it is fomewhat difficult to know the true time
of fome women's labor, they being troubled with pains lo  long
before their true labor comes :  in fome, weeks before :  the rea-
fon of which is the heat ofthe reins,  which  is manifeft by the
fweltingof legs.  And therefore when women with  child find
their legs to fwell much, they may be aflured their reins are too
hot.  Wherefore my  advice to fuch women is,  to cool their
reins before the time of their labor,   which  may be effectually
done by annointing the reins of the back with the  oil of popiesl 
           ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER FiECE.          t'T

and violets, or water lilies,  and  thus they may avoid that hard
labor which they ufually undergo whofe reins are hot, that they
may the better prevent, let me recommend to you the decoction
of plantain leaves and roots, which is thvis made ; Make a (trong
decoftion of them in water, and then having (trained and clari-
fied it with the white of an egg, boil it into a fyrup with its-e-
qual weight of fugar, and keep it  for  ufe.^ But  lince it is fo
neceflary for midwives* to know the time of a woman's l.-.ber,
the following lection will  rightly inform them.
                      Section    III.
Signs by which the true lime of a Woman's Labor may'be known.
   vVhen women draw near the time of their reckoning, efpe-
cially with their firft child, and perceive any extraordinary pains
in their belly, they immediately fend for their midwife, as tak-
ing it for their labor, tho' perhaps thofe pains  which are  fo  of-
ten miftaken, for labor are only the cl.olic, and  proceed  from
the wind, which pains though the-/come and go, griping the
whole belly, are yet without any -forcingdownwards into  the
womb, as is done by thofe'that go before labor. ^  But  thefe
cholic pains may be removed by  warm clothes laid  upon the
belly: and the application of a cly Iter  or  two by which thofe
pains that precede a true labor are  rather furthered than  hin-
dered.   There are alfo other pains incident to women  in  that
condition frtJHtthe flux ofthe belly, wh. chare eafily known by
the frequent (tools that follow them.
   But to fpeak more directly ofthe matter ;  thefigns  cf'labor
fome few days before are that the woman's belly, which before
lay high finks down, and hinders her from walking fo eafily as
(he ufed to do ; alfo there flows from the  womb (l.my humors;,
which nature  has appointed to mo if ten and make lmooth the
paflage,  that its inward orifice may be the  more eafiiy dilated
when there is occafion, which beginning to open at that time,
futfers that dime to flow away, which proceeds from the glandb,
called .preftats:.  Thefe are i'tgns preceding labor,
   But when  (lie is  prefently tailing into  labor,  the figns arc
great pains about the reins and loins, which -coming andretrcat-
ing by intervals, anfwer in the bottom of the  belly by  congrvi-
our throes : and fometimes the face is red -and  iniia-med, the
 blood being much heated by the endeavor a woman makes to
bring forth the child :  and  likewife jduring the  (trong  throes
her perforation is intercepted, which-eaufes the blood  tohe\e
 recourfe to her face : her privy parts-are fo fwelled, by the in-
 fant's head lyii,; in the  birth, which, by often thrufting, caufes
 thofe  parts to diltend outwards.   She is likewife  much fubject
 to vomiting, which is alfo a fign of good  labor and fpecdy <ie-
 livery, though by a great many ignorant women thought other-
 wife ; for good pains are thereby excited  and redoubled  :
 which vomiting is occafioned by the fympathy there is between
 the womb and  the ftomach :  Alfo, when the birth is near,  moft
women are troubled with trembling of die thighs and legs :  not
with cold, like beginning of an ague fit, but with the heat of the
 whole body :  though this indeed does not happen always.  Alio
if the humors,  which then flow from the womb, are difcolored 
.38         ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER  PIECE.
with blood (which is what the midwife callsyZ><!"mr) it is an in-
fallible mark of the birth's being near : and then if the midwife
put her finger up the neck of the womb,  fhe  will  find the in-
ward orifice dilated ; at the opening of which the membranes
of the infant, containing the  waters,  prefent themfelves,  and
are ftrongly forced downwards with each  pain fhe hath :  at
which time one may perceive thein fometimes to  refift the fin-
ger : And than again to prefs forward, being more or lefs hard
and extended,  according as the pains are ftronger or weaker.
Thefe membranes with the water in them, when they are be-
fore the head of the child,  which the midwife calls the gather-
ing of the womb, to the touch of the  fingers  refemibles thofe
eggs which yet have no (hell,  but are covered only by a fimple
membrane.   After this, pains ftill redoubling, the membranes
are broken by  the ftrong impreflion of the waters, which pre-
fently flow away, and then the head of the infant is prefently
felt naked, and prefents itfelf at the inward orifice ofthe womb.
When thofe waters come thus away, then the midwife may be
affured the birth is very near ; this being  the moft certain fign
that can be ; for the amnion and alantois being broken which
contained thofe waters by the preiiing forward ofthe birth, the
child is no  more able to fubfift long in the womb afterwards,
than a naked man in a heap of fnow.  Now, thefe waters  if the
child come prefently after them, facilitate the labor, by making
the paflage flippery :  and'therefore let no midwife ufe means to
force away the water:   for nature  knows beft  when the true
time of the birth is and therefore retains the water till the time ;
but if by accident the water breaks away  too  long before the
birth, then fuch things as will halten it may be  fafely adminif- '
tered.                                                     J
    Section   IV.  What is to be done at the Time of Labor.
  When the midwife is fatisfied that it is the true time of labor, ]
fhe muft take care to get ail things  ready  that are neceflary tp
comfort the travelling  woman in that  time ;  and the better to
do it, let her fee that flie be  not ftraight  lacad.  She may alfo
give her a pretty ftrong clyfter, if (he finds there is occafibn for
it ; but with this provifo, that it be done at the beginning,  and
before thechild be too forward  ; for otherwife it will be diffi-
cult for her to receive it.  The advantage of which clyfter is,
that the gut thereby w ill be excited to di(charge itfelf" of itsex-
crements  and  the rectum being  emptied, there will be more
fpace tor the dilating ofthe paflage ;  likewife to caufe the pains
to bear more  downwards, through  the  endeavors fhe makes
when other necelfary things for her labor are put in order, both
for the mother and the child.
   As to the manner of the delivery, various  midwives ufe dif-
ferent ways: fome are delivered fitting on a midwife's  ftool  ;
but, for my own part,  I think that a pallet bed girded and plac-
ed near the fire, that the good woman  may come on each fide,  '
and be the more readily aflifted is much the  beft way.
   And if the laboring  woman abounds with  blood  itmay not
be improper to let her bleed a little, for by that means flie will  <
both breathe the better, and have her breath  more at liberty,  ' 
          ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER  PIECE.         89

and likewife more ftrength to bear down  her  pain ;  and  this
may be done without danger, becaufe the child being now ready
to be born, needs not the mother's blood for its nourifhment a-
ny longer ; and not  only fo,  but this evacuation does many
times  prevent  her  having a  fever after   delivery,   Likewife
if her ftrength  will permit,  let her walk up  and down  her
chamber; and the better  to enable her thereto,  let  her take
fome good and ftrengthening things, fuch as new laid eggs, jelly
broth, fome fpoonfuls  of  burnt wine ; and encourage her to
hold off her pains, bearing them down when they  take her, all
that fhe can.   And let the  midwife often toueh  the inward  ori-
fice with her finger, that ihe may better know whether the  wa-
ter; are going to break, and whether the birth  will follow foon
after ; for generally the birth follows in two hours after the ef-
flux of the water.  And to help it afterwards,  let her annoint
the woman's privities withemolient oil, hog's greafe, and frcth
butter ; efpecially if fhe finds them too hard, to be dilated.
  Let the midwife alfo be  near the laboring woman all the while:
and diligently obferve her geftures, pains and complaints for by
this flic may guefs pretty well how her labor goes forward ;   fo'i
when fhe changes her groans, into loud cries it is a great fign the
birth is near ; at which time her pains are greater and  more fre -
quent.  Let her alfo fometimes reft herfelf on her bed, to re-
new her ftrength but not too long at a time, for to lie too long at
a time will retard her labor, and therefore  'tis better for her to
walkabout her chamber as much as (lie can; which,  that fhe
may the better do let  the good woman fupport  her  under her
armes, if it be  neceflkry ;   tor  by walking,  the weight of the
child caufes the inward orifice of a woman to dilate much fooner
than it would do if (belay upon her bed ; befides  her  pains, by
walking will be ftronger snd more frequent and in confequence
her labor will not be nearfo long.  If fhe finds any fick qualms
letjjher not be difcouraged ; and if fhe finds any motions to vomit,
let  her not fupprefs them, bu* rather give  way to them ; for it
will (however uneafy  and irkfome they  be for the prefent)be
bruch for her benefit, becaufe  they  further the pains, and pro-
voke downward.
                      Section  V.
       How to provide the birth, and caufe fpeedy delivery-
  When the birthis long deferred after the coming  down, o
the waters, let her haften the birth by drinking a good draugfic
of wine wherein ditany, red coral, juniper  berries, betony,  pen-
nyroyal, and feverfew, have been boiled or the juice  of fever-
few taken in its prime(whichisin May)and clarified and fo boil-
ed in a fyrup, and twice its weight of fugar is very good  upon
thisoccafion.   Alfo mugwort ufed in the  fame manner, works
the fame effect.  And fo alfo does a dram of cinnamon in pow-
der, given inwardly, or tanfey  bru'fed and applied to the priv-
ities.   Likewife the ftone  yEtitis held to the  privities  does  in  a
very little time draw forth the  child and the after burden ;   but
great care muft be taken to remove it gently, or elfe it will  draw-
forth the womb and all, fo great is its magnetic  virtue.  Alfo  a
decoftion of favory made with white wine, and drank, gives a 
48          ARiSTOTLE's MASTER PIECE.

woman fpeedy delivery.   Alfo wild tanfey or filver weed bruif-
ed and applied to the w'oman's noftrils  is very good.   So alfo are
date ftones beaten to powder, and half a dram cf thein taken  in
white wine ; parfley is of excellent ufe on this  cccafion ;  for if
you bruife it and prefs our the juice, and then dip a  linen cloth
in it. and put it up, being fo dipped, -in the mouth ofthe womb,
it will preiently caufe the child to come away, though it be dead.
and will bring away the after burden alfo.   1 he juice of parfley
being of great virtue efpecially the (tone jv.r.'ley, being drank by
a woman'with child it cleareth not only the womb, but alio the
child in  the womb, of all grofs humors   A fcruple of cafforum
in powder,  in any convenient liquor, is very  good to be taken in
iuch a cafe, and fo alfo are two or three drops of fpirit of caftor-
um in a  convenient liquor  Eight or nine drops of the fpirit of
myrrh,  given in a convenient liquor, have the fame elf eft.  Or,
givea woman in travail another woman's milk to  drink,  it will
caufe fpeedy delivery.  Alfo the juice of leeks being drank with
wai in water hath a mighty operation, caufing  fpeedy delivery.
Take pionyfeeds beat them to powder and mix the powder with
oil ; with which oil annoint  the loins and privities of the woman
with child ; it gives her deliverance very fpeedily, and with lefs
pain than can be imagined.  And this may be noted for a general.
rule, that all thofe things that move the terms are good for mak-
ing the delivery eafy.  1 here are feveral other things efficacious
in this cafe ;  but I need not heap medicines unnecelfarily, thofe,;
I have already named being fufficient.
  When any ofthe forenamed medicines have haftened the birth„
let the midwife lay the woman in a pofture for delivery.   And.
firft let the woman be condufted to  the pallet bed placed  at a«
convenient dihance from  the fire, according  to the feafon of the-
year ; and let there be a quilt laid upon the pallet bedftead, which
is better than a feather bed,  and let it have thereon a linen cloth
in many folds, with fuch other things as are neceflary, which
may be changed according as the otjcafion requires it, that fo the
woman may not be incommoded  with blood, waters, and other
filth, which are voided in labor.   Then let her lay the wom-
an upon her back, having her head a little raifed by the help of*
pillow, having the like help to  fupport the reins and buttocks,
that her rump may lie high ; for if fhe lie low,, fhe cannot  very
well be delivered.  Then let  her  keep her knees and thighs as
tar afunder as (he can, her legs being bowed  towards  her  but-.
tocks, and let her feet be  flayed againft a log  or fome  other firm.
thing.   And let two women, hold her two  (boulders, that fhe
•nay (train out the birth with more advantage, holding in her
breuih, and forcing herfelf as much as poflible in like manner as,
when fhe goes to (tool : for by fuch (training, the diaphragm,  or
midriff,  being  ftrongly  thr'uft downwards, neceftarily forces
down the womb and the child in it.   In the  mean time,  let the
midwife encourage her all (lie can, and take care that fhe have no
rings on her hands when  fee annoints the part;   then let her.
gently dilate the inward orifice ofthe womb,  and putting her fin-
gers in the entry thereof, ft retch them  from one  another  when
her pains take.her,  bv.this means endeavor to help forward the 
ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.          41
child, and thruftingby little and little the fides ofthe orifice to-
wards the hinder part ofthe child's head, annointing thofe parts
with frefh butter, in cafe it be neceflary.  And when the head of
the infant is fomewhat advanced into the inward orifice, it is ufu-
al among midwives to fay it is  crowned, becaufe it both girds
andfurroundsit like a crown ;  but when it is gone fo far, and
the extremity begins, to appear without the privy parts they fay
the child is in the paflage ; and at this time the woman feels her-
felf as if fhe was feratched or pricked with pins, and is ready to
think that the midwife hurts her ;  whereas in truth it is only oc-
•'alioned by the violent diftention of thofe parts, which  fome-
times even  fuffer-a laceration through the bignefs ofthe child's
head.  When things are come  to this pofture, let the midwife
feat herfelf conveniently to receive the child, which will now
come very quickly ; and with  her fingers' end which (he  ought
alio to  befure to keep pared, let her endeavor to thruft the
crowning of the womb bach over the head of the child.  And as
(oonas it is advanced as far as the earsor thereabout, let her take
hold of the two fides with her  two hands, and wait  till the good
pain conies, and then quickly draw forth the child,tuking care that
the navel uring be not entangled about the child's neck, or any
other part, as fometimes it is, left thereby the after burden  be
puilect with violence, and perhaps the womb alfo, to which it is
tuffened, fo either caufe her to  flood or elfe break theftring,<both
ot-which are of bad confequence to the woman, and render her
k  Tlry the more difficult. Great care muft be taken that the
head be not drawn forth ftraight, but fhake it a little  from one
hde to the other, that the fhoulders' may the fosner and eafier
take its  place  immediately after  it is paft ; which muft  be
clone without lofing any  time  left the  head   being  paifed,
the child  ftop  there  by the  largenefs  of  the lhoulders.
andfobe in danger  of  being fuffocated  in the paflage, a? it
has fometimes happened for want of care  therein.   When the
head is born (he may Aide  in her fingers under the armpits,
and the reft ofthe body will follow  without  difficulty, as Coon
as the midwife hath in this manner drawn forth the child,  let he;
lay if on one fide,  \r'X the blood and water which  follow too im-
mediately (hould do it an injury, by running into its mouth and
nofe, astt would do if it lay on its* back, and fo endanger the
choakingof it. _ The child being thus drawn fcrth, the next
thing r."iuhite is to bring away the  after burden ;  but  before
tnat, let the midwife be very careful to examine  whether there
ba any more  children in the  >vcv.nb, for fometimes  a woman
may ha*ve twins ;  of which the midwife may fatisfy herfelf both
by the continuance ofthe woman's throes and thebignefs other
belly.  But this is not fo certain as to put her hand up the entry
ofthe womb, and there feel whether another child is not pre-
ienting to the paflage : and if  fo, fhe mult have a care how fhe
goes about the ai/cr birth till  the woman be delivered.   The
firfiftring mult be  cut and tied with a thread three or four,
double, and the ends faftened with a firing to the woman's thigh
to prevent the inconvenience it may caufe by hanging between
the-thighs.
                    d   9 
*!          -AR^vLOTLE-s MASTER PhELr

                     Section.   VII.
                     Of the after burden.
  Until the after burden is brought away, which  fometimes  is
 feore difficult to do than the child, and altogether as dangerous,
 if it be not fpeedily done, the woman cannot properly be faid to
 be fafely delivered', though the child be born.
  Therefore as foon as thechild is born, before the midwife ei-
ther ties or cuts the navel  firing left the womb fhould clofe, let
her, having taken the firing, wind it once or twice about one or
»wc ofthe fingers ofthe left hand, joined together, the better to
hold it, with which fhe may only take fingle hold of it above the
left,-near the privities, drawing likewife with that very gently,
re'ting a while,  with the  fore finger of the fame hand extending
and ftretching along the firing towards the entry ofthe Veginia,
always obferving, for the more facility, to draw it from the fide
to which the burden leaft inclines, for in fo doing the reft will
feparate the better.  And extraordinary  care muft betaken that .
it be not drawn forth with too much violence, left by breaking
the firing  near  the  burden, the midwife be obliged to put her
whole hand into the womb to deliver the woman ; and  (he had
need to take care in this  matter,  that fo  the womb itfelf, to
which fometimes this harden is faftened very ftrongly, be not
drawn away with it which has fometimes happened.  It is there-
fore neceflary,  to aflift nature with proper remedies, which are
in'general, whatever  has  been before mentioned,  to  caufe a
fpeedy delivery ; for whatever has magnetic virtue to bring a-
way the birth; h.:3 thefame to bring away the after birth,   be-
sides which, the midwife ought to confider that the woman can-
not but be much fpent by  the fatigue fhe has already  under-
gone in bringing forth the infant, and therefore fhould be fure
to take care to  give her fomething to comfort her.   To which
purpofe fome good jelly  broths  and a little wine, with a toaft
in it, and other comforting things, will be neceflary.   Sneezing
being conducive to bring away the after birth, let her take a lit-
tle white hellebore  in powder to caufe her  to fneeze.   Tanfey
a-id the (tone iEtitis, apy'-'ed as before directed, is very effica-
cious in this".  The jfmoke of marygold  flowers, received up a
woman's privities by  a funnel, will bring away the af.er birth,
though the midwife has loft bar hold.  Or, if you boil mugwort
in water till it be very foft   and then take it out and apply it like
a poultice to the navel ofthe woman in travail, conftantly brings
away both the birth and the after birth ;  but as foon as they are
come forth, it muft be inltantly taken away ;  left it fhould bring
away the womb alfo.
    'Section  VIII.  How to cut the child's Navel firing.
  After the birth and  after  birth are fafely brought away, the
 midwife ought  to take care to cut the  Navel  firing ; which,
 though it  be  by fome efteemed a  thing of fmall matter,  yet it
 requires none of the leaft skill of a midwife  to do it with  that
 care and prudance whkh it ought,  and therefore to inftruft the
induftrious midwife a little herein :  As foon as the child iscome
into the world, let her confider whether it be weak  of  ftrong :
if it he weak, let her gently put back part ofthe vital aid  na* 
             AkiS-rOTLE'-s,  MASTER PIECE.          43

  oral blood in the body of the  child by the navel,  for that re-
  ruits a weak child, the vital and natural  fpirits being commu-
  nicated by the mother to the child by its  navel firing.   But if
  *he child be  (trong there is no need of it.   Only it will not be a-
  rnifs to let the midwife know, that many children that are born
  feemingly dead, may be brought to life  again, if fhe fqueeze
  fix or feven  drops of blood out of that  part of  the navel firing,
  which is cut oft, and give it to the child inwardly.
    As to the  cutting it fhtfrt or long, authors can fcarce agree a-
  bout it, nor midwives neither ;  feme prefcribe it to be cut at
  four fingers  breadth, which is at the beft but an uncertain rule,
  unlets all fingers were of an  equal (ize.  'Tisa received opin-
  ion, that the parts adapted to  generation  are either  contracted
  or dilated, according to the cutting of the navel  firing,  which
  is the  reafon that midwives are generally fo king to  their own
  lex,  that they leave a longer part of the  navel  Itring  of a  male
  than a female, becaufe they would have the male well provided
  for the encounters of Venus.  And  the  reafon they give why
  rhey cut thofe more fhort is becaufe they  believe it makes them
  moaeft, and their parts narrower, which makes them more ac-
  ceptable  to their husbands.    But whether  this be fo  or not
  (which yet fomeof the greateflfearchers into  the fecrets of na-
  ture affirm for a truth) yet certain it is that great care ought to
  be ufed  about cutting off the  navel firing :  and  efpecially,
  that after it  is cut, it be not futiered to touch the ground, for if
  it be, the child will never be able to hold its water,  but be fub-
  ject  all its life time to diabetes, as experience  often  confirms :
  but as to the manner of cutting the navel firing,, let the midwife
  take a brown thread, thee or four times  double, of an ell long,
  or thereabouts, tied with a fingle knot at  each of tke ends, to
  prevent  their entangling -, and with this  thread  fo  accommo-
  dated (which the midwife ought to have in readinefs before the
  woman's labor, as alfo a good pair of feiflbrs,  that  fo no*time
  may be loft) let her tie  the  firing within an inch of the belly
  with a double knot, and turning about the ends of the thread,
  let her tie two or more on the fide ef the firing,  reiterating it a-
  gain, if it be neceflary ; then let her cut off the navel firing, a-
  nother inch below the ligator towards the after birth; fo that
  there only remains but two inches af the firing, in the midft of
  which will be the knot  fpoken  of,  wrhich muft be  fo ftraight
  knit, as not to fuffer a drop of blood to fqueeze out of the vef-
  fels :  but yet care muft be taken not to knit it fb  ftraight as to
  cut it in two ; and therefore the thread muft be pretty  thick,
 and pretty ftraight knit, it being better  too  ftraight than too
 loofe.  Some children have  miferably loft their lives before it
 hath been difeovered that the navel firing was not well tied.
 Therefore great care  muft be  taken  that no blood fqueeze
 through for if there do, new knots muft be made  with the reft
 ofthe firing.  You need not fear to bind the navel firing very
 hard, becaufe it is void of fenfe ; and that  part of it which you
 leave on falls off'of its own accord in a few days, ordinarily fix
fcr. feven, and fometimes in lefs time ; but  it very rarely tarries
 longer  thm the eighth or ninth day. 
44           ARISTOTLE'S MASTER  PIECE.

  As foon as the navel firing is cut off, apply a  little cotton or
lint in the place to keep it warm, left the cold enter into the bo-
dy ofthe child, which it will unavoidably do, in cafe  it be not
bound hard enough;  and if the lint or cotten you apply to it be
dipped in the oil of rofes, it will be better :  than having put a-
nother fmall rag,  three or four time, double, upon the body of
the child, above the  navel, lay the  firing  fo wrapped upon it
that it may not touch the naked belly.   Upon the top of all put
another fmall bolder > »nd then fwathe it in a linen fwathe, four
fingers broad, to keep it fteady, left by rolling too much, or be-
ing continually ftirred from fide to fide, it come to fall off before
the navel firing which you left remaining is fallen off.  'Tis the
ufual cufton ofthe midwives to put a piece of burnt rag to it ;
but I would advife them to put a fmall quantity of bole am-
monica; becaufe of its drying quality.  Thus much may fuffice
as to cutting the navel firing and delivery of a woman  in labor,
where the labor is natural, and no ill accident  happens. But it
fometimes fo falls  out, that the labor is not only hard and diffi-
cult, but unnatural alfo, in which the midwife muft  take other
meafures.
                     CHAP.  VII.
What unnatural Labor is, and whence it proceeds : and what the
              Midwife ought to do in fuch Cafes.
          Section  I.  Wba( unnatural Labor is.
            IT will be neceflary to  acquaint my readers, that
there are three forts of bad labor, all  painful and  difficult, but
not all properly unnaturalawhich are as follows  :
  The  firft, properly ftiled  hard labor, is  that wherein the
mother and child do fuffer very much by extreme pain
  The fecond is difficult labor, different from  the former, in
that befides thofe extreme pains, it is generally  attended  with
fomQrunhappy accident, which, by retarding  the birthr makes
it very difficult : Neither of thofe, though  hard and  difficult,
can be called unnatural; for woman to bring forth children in
pain-and for row is natural.
  It is therefore the third fort of labor whichT call unnatural;
and that is, when the child e flays to come into the world in a.
contrary pofition to that which nature ordained. To explain
this, the reader muft know, that there is but one  right and nat-
ural pofture  in which children come to  the  birth, and that is
when the head domes firft,  and the body  follows after in a
ftraight  line.  Ifinfteadof this, the  child comes with its feet
ioremoft, or with the fide acrofs.it is contrary  to nature or, to1
fpeak more plainly, unnatural.
  Section  II. Whenc? hard  d ficult and unnatural labor pro-
                         ceeds .
  The true phyfical reafon why women in general bring forth
their children with fo much pain, is that the  fenfe of feeling be-
ing diftributed to the whole body by the nerves, and the mouth
of the womb being fo ftrai^tUj that it muft of neceflity be dilated
;,? the time of her delivery ;  thedihuang thereof ftretcheth the
nerves,  and from  thence cometh the pain ; fame women having 
          ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.          45

more pain in their labor than others, proceeds from their having
the mouth ofthe matrix more full of nerves than others.
  Hard and difficult labor may proceed either from the mother
or child,  or from both : It may  proceed from the mother, by
reafon of a. general  indifpofition ot her body, or from the indif-
pofition  of fome  particular  part,  and that principally of  the
womb,  which may be eftefted with fuch a weaknefs as renders
the mother unable to expel her burden   It may be alfo becaufe
(he is too young or  (he may be too old, and  fo may have the paf-
fage too ftraight. and then,  if it be her firft child, the parts may
be too dry and hard, and cannot eafily be dilated.    The cholic
does alfo caufe labor to be hard and difficult, becaufe it hinders
the true pain which fhould accelerate it: for which reafon, all
great and acute pains render a woman's labor very difficult.  As
when the woman is taken with a violent fever,  frequent convul-
fions, a great flooding, or any other violent diftemper, efpecially
when the membranes are thick, and the orifice is too ftraight, or
the neck of the womb not fufficiently opened.
   Hard labor may ajfo proceed from the child, and this is either
when it happens to  (tick to a mole, or is fo weak that it cannot
break the membrane  ;  alfo, when it is too big either  all over,
or its head only ; or if the navel veflels fiiould  be  twilled about
its neck as when it proves monftrous,  or  comes  into the birth
in an unnatural pofture.  Sometimes it  proceeds  from the ig-
norance of the midwife, who may hinder nature in her work.
  Sect. III.  How  the midkmfi muft proceed in order  to the
Delivery sfa Woman,  in cafe of hard Labor and great extremity.
   In cafe the midwifefindsa woman in difficult labor,  fhe muft
endeavor to know the particular  obftruftion or caufe thereof,
that fo fhe may apply a fuitable remedy;   When  hard labor  is
caufed by a woman's being too young and  ftraight, the pafiages
muft be anointed with oil, hog's lard, or frefh  butter,  to relax
and dilate them the eafier.   But if a woman be in years^mdhas
hard labor from her firft child, let her lower parts be  anointed
to molifv the  inward  orifice,  which in fuch  cafe (being more
hard and callous.) does not eafily yield to the diftention of labor ;
and indeed this is the  true caufe why fuch women are  longer in
labor, and why their  children in their birth jare more fubjeft to
bruifes than others.  Thofe who are very  lean, and have hard
labor from that caufe, let them moiften their parts with oil and
ointments, to make them fmooth and flippery, that the head of
the infant in the womb may not be comprefled and bruifed by
the hardnefs of the mother's bones in its  paflage.  But if the
caufe be weaknefs, fhe ought to be ftrengthened,  the  better to
enable her to fupport her pain.   Since difficult labor proceeds
from divers caufes, the midwife muft make ufe of feveral  reme-
dies to women in  hard, difficult labor,  which muft be  adapted
to the caufe from whence-it proceeds.
  I need not tell the judicious, midwife, that in cafe of extremity,
when the labor is not only hard, but difficult and  dangerous, a
far greater care muft be had than at other  times.   In fuch cafes
the fituation ofthe womb mi'ft be minded,  and accordingly her
pofture of Iving will be regulated ; which will be beft aero(^ 
46        ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.
 the bed, being heldby thofe that are of a good  ftrength to pre-
 vent her flipping down, or moving herfelf during the time of the
 operation.  Then let her thighs be put afunder as  far as may
 be, and held fo,  while  her legs are bent backwards  towards
 her hips, her head leaning upon a bolfter, and  the  reins of her
 back fupported in like manner, her rump and buttocks being
 lifted up ; obferving to cover  her  ftomach, belly,  and thighs,
 with warm linen,  as well for  decency's  fake  as to keep them
 from the cold.
  The  woman being intthis pofture, let the midwife,  or other
 operator, put up her hand, and try if the  neck of the womb be
 dilated, and then remove the contiafted blood that obftrufts the
 paflage of the birth, and having greatly made way, let the oper-
 ator tenderly move the infant,  having the  hand anointed with
 fweet butter, or an harmlefs pomatum, and if the waters are not
 come down they may be let forth without any difficulty.  And
 if the infant fhould attempt to  break forth not with the head
 foremoft or acrofs, he ought gently to turn it, that he may find
 the feet ; which having done,  let him draw forth one and hav-
 ing faftened it to a ribbon, put it up again, and  finding  the oth-
 er, bring them as clofe as may  be :  let the  woman breathe be-
 tween whiles, aflifting nature what fre can by ftraining in bring-
 ing forward the birth, that fo he may  the more eafily  draw it
 forth ;  and that the  operator may do it*the better, and  his hold
 may be the furer, he muft fallen orwrap a linen  cloth about  the
 child's thighs, obferving to bring it into the world with its feet
 downwards.
  But in cafe there be a flux of blood, let  the operator be  well
 fatisfied whether the child  or the fecundine  come firft ;  for
fometimes when the fecundine has come firft, the  mouth of the
womb has been thereby flopped, and the birth hindered, to the
 hazard both of the woman and child; and therefore, in this
cafe thfefecundine muft  be removed by a  fwift  turn, and the
child fought for, and drawn forth, as has been directed.
  If upon enquiry, it appears that the fecundine comes  firft, let
 the woman be delivered with  all convenient freed, becaufe a
 great flux of blood will follow  ; for then the veins are opened.
 And on this account two things are te be minded : firft, wheth-
er the fecundine advances forward much or little ; if the form-
er, and the head of the child firft appears, it muft be direfted to
 the neck of the womb, as in the cafe of natural births; but if
 there appears any difficulty in the delivery, the beft way is to
 fearch for the feet, and by them it may be put by  with  a gentle
 hand, and the child taken out firft : but if the  fecundine is ad-
 vanced, fo that it cannotbe put back, and the  child  follow it
 clofe, then the fecundine is to be taken out firft with much care,
 and as fwift as may be> and laid afide, without cutting  the  en-
 trail that is faftened to them ; for by that you may be guided
 to the infant, which whether it be alive or dead, muft be drawn
 forth by the feet as  foon as poflible ;  though  this is not to be
 done but in cafe of great necellity, for the oiraer  of nature is for
 the fecundine to come laft. 
ARiSTOTLE's MASTER PIECE;.         M
       Section  IV.   Of the delivery of a dead Child.
  In delivering a woman of a dead child, the operator ought to
be certain the child is dead, which might be known by the fall-
ing of the mother's breafts, the coolnefs of her belly, the thick-
nefs  of her urine, which is attended with ftinking fediment at
bottom ;  and no motion to  be perceived in the child:  Alfo,
when (he turns herfelf in her bed, the child fways like a lump
of lead, and her breath (links, thobgh not ufed to do fo.  When
the operator is certain that the child is dead, let him or her ap-
ply themfelves to  the faving of the mother, by giving her thofe
things that are jnoft powerful in ferving nature  in  her opera-
tions.  But, if through weaknefs, the womb is not able to coop-
erate with nature, fo that a manual operation is abfoluteiy nec-
effary, let the operator carefully obferve the following direc-
tions, viz. If the child be found dead with his head foremoft,
he muft take notice that the  delivery will be the more difficult,
becaufe in this cafe it is only impoflible that the child (hould any
ways aflift in its delivery,  but the ftrength ofthe mother does ai-
fo very much fail  her, wherefore the moft fure  and fafe way for
him to put up his  left hand, Aiding it, as hollow in the palm as
he can, into the neck ofthe womb, into the lower part thereof
towards the feet, and then between the infant  and the neck of
the matrix ; and having a.hook in the right hand, couch it clofe
and (lip it above the left hand between the head ofthe child and
the fiat of the Ijand, fixing it to the bone of the temple towards    *
the eye ; or, for want of convenient coming at that, obferve to
keep the left hand in its place, gently moving and ftirring the
head with it, and fo with the right hand hook, draw the child
forward,  encouraging the  woman to  put forth  her utmoft
ftrength, and always drawing when the woman's pangs are up-
on her.  The head being thus  drawn forth the operator muft,
with all  fpeed, (lip his hand under the arm holes of the child,
and  take it quite forth, giving immediately to the woman afoafl
of fine wheaten bread in a quarter of a pint of tent, to revive and
cherifh her fpirits.  By what I  have already  (hewn,  the mid-
wife will know  what  to do in any other cafe that may fall out,
remembering, that for a child to come head foremoft, and the
body to follow in  a ftraight line, is the right pofture for a child
when it  comes to the birth ; and if it comes  any other way, it
will  be the wifdom of the midwife, if poflible to bring it to this
pofture ;  but if thatcannot be done without very great danger,
then put it in a pofture that it may be  brought forth by the feet.
And the midwife perceiving in what pofture the child  prefents,
or that the woman floods, or any other accident happens, by
which (he finds it not 411 her power to deliver it, it will be beft
for her to fend for a man midwife in time, rather than put things
to the utmoft extremity.
                      CHAP.   VIII.
Section  I. Direclions for child bed Women after delivery.
          AFTER the birth and after birth are brought away
if the woman's body be very weak, keep her not too hot, the
extremity of heat weakens nature, and  diflblves the ftrength :
but whether  fhe be weak or ftrong, let no cold come near  her, 
 H         ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.

for cold is an enemy to the fpermatic parts : and if cold gets in-
to the womb it mcreafesthe after pains, caufes fw ellings  in  the
womb, and hurts the nerves.  Therefore if a woman has had
very hard labor, 'tis proper, after delivery,  to wrap  her in  the
skin of a (iieep, taken as warm as poflible, and putting the  flelhy
fid.e to her reins and belly : if a  fheep's skin  cannot we'll be had,
the skin of a hare or rabbit, taken off as foon as it is killed -may
be applied to the fame parts, and by fo doing the  dilation made
in tin birth will be clofed up, and the melancholy blood expell-
ed from thofe parts ; and thefe may be continued  during  the
fpace of an hour or two.   After which let the woman be fwathed
w ith a fine linen cloth, about a  quarter of a yard in length, chaf-
ing the belly, before it be fwathed with the  oil of St.  John's
wort : afterwards raife up the matrix with a linen cloth, many
times folded, then with a little pillow or quilt  cover  her  flank,
place  the fwathe fomewhat above the haunches, winding it in-
differently ftift", applying at the fame time, a warm cloth to  the
nipples.  Care fhould be taken  not to apply any  remedy to keep
back the milk, becaufe thofe remedies which drive back the milk
being of a diflblving nature, it is improper to apply them to  the
breaft during fuch a diforder, left evil  humors  (hould be con-
tracted in the breaft thereby :  and therefore twelve hours at
leaft ought  to be allowed for the circulation and fettlement of
the blood.
  After the woman has been delivered fome time^you may make
a reftr'fetive ofthe yolk of two eggs, a quarter of a pint of white
wine, oil of St. John's wort, oil of rofes, plantain, and rofe wa-
ter of each an ounce, mix them  together, fold a linen cloth  and
dip therein, warm it before a gentle fire, apply it to  the breads,
and the pain of thefe parts will be greatly eafed.
  But be fure not to let her deep loon after her delivery, but let
her take fome broth, or caudle, or any other liquid  matter  that
is nourilhing, about four hours after  her. delivery, and  then
fhe may be fafely permitted to fleep,  if fhe is difpofed,  as it
is probable (he  will be,  being tired with  the fatigue of her la-
bor.   But before  this, as  foon as flie is laid in  her bed let
 her drinka draught of burnt  white wine in which melt a dram of
 fpermatic., Let her alfo avoid  the light for the^ firft three days
 for labor weakens the eye fight.  The herb vervain is of fingu-
 larfervice to the fight,  and may be Ufed any way, either boiled in
 meats, or drink, not having the leaft  oflenfive tafte, but many
 pleafant virtues.  If fhe  fhould be feverifh, add the leaves or
 roots of plantain to it; but if her courfes come not-away as they
 ought, let the plantain alone, and inftead thereof .put  mother of
 thyme.   Jf the womb is foul, which r$ay  be known  by the
 impurity of the blood,  and its  (linking and coming away in
 clotted lumps ;  or if you fufpeft  any  of the after  birth to be
 left behind, which may fometimes happen, though the midwife
 be ever fo careful and skilful,  then make  her a drink of fever-
 few, p<?nneroyal, mother of thyme, boiled in  white  wine, and
 fweetened with fugar : panada and new laid eggs are the beft
 meat for her at firft ;  of which let her  eat often, and but a little
 atatime.  Let her ufe cinnamon in all her meats  and drinks, 
ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER PIECE.         49
for it mightily ftrengthens the womb ;  let her ftir very little
for fix or  feven days after her  delivery ; and  talk little,  for
that weakens her.  If fhe goes not to Itool, give a clyfter made
with the decoftion of mallows, and a little brown  fugar   Af-
ter lhe has lain in a week, or more, give her fuch things as clofe
the womb  ; to which you may add  a  little polypOdium, both
leaves and roots bruiled, which will purge gently :  This is as
much in cafe  of natural birth as needs at  firft be done.
                       Section   II.
                In extremity of unnatural labor.
   Let the woman be fure  to keep a temperate diet ;  and take
care that (he does by no means overcharge  herfelf,  after fuch
an exceflive evacuation, not  being ruled by or giving credit
to unfkilful nurfes, who are apt to admonilh them to feed> hear-
tily, the better to repair the lofs of blood :  for the blood is  not
for the moft part pure but fuch as has been detained in the vef-
lels or  membranes, and it is better voided for the health of a
woman than kept, unlefs there happens an  extraordinary flux
of blood ; for if her nouri.hment be too much, it may make her
liable to a fever, and increafe the  milk to a  fupernuity which
may be of dangerous confequence.  It is therefore requifite for
the firft five days efpecially, that  fhe take moderately  panada,
broth, poached  eggs, jelly of chickens and calves feet, French
barley broth, each (omewhatincreafing the  quantity   And,  if
fhe intend to be nurfe to her child (he  may take a  little more
than ordinary to increafe the milk by degrees :  which  muft be
of no cotinuance, but drawn oft" either by the child or otherwife.
In that cafe likewife, let her have coriander or fennel feed boiled
in barley  broth:  and by that means, for the time before men-
tioned let her abftain from meat.  If no fever trouble her,  (he
may drink now and then a fmall quantity of white  wine or cla-
ret, as alfo afyrup of maiden hair, or any other fyrup that is of
an aitringent quality,  taking it in a little water well boiled.
And after the fear of a fever, or contraction of humors to the
breaft is over, fhe may then be nourifhed more plentifully  with
the broth of puliets, capons, pigeons, partridges,  mutton, veal,
 See. which muft not be till after eight days at leaft  from the
time of the delivery  ;  for by that  time  the womb will have
purged itfelt, unlefs feme intervening  accident fhould  hinder.
It will then be expedient to give  her cool meats,  fo it be done
fparingly, the better to gather ftrength ;  and let her during the
time reft quietly, and free from difturbance, not deeping in the
 day time, if (he can avoid it.   If there happens  any  obftruc-
 tions in the evacuation  of excre.nerts, the following  clyfters
 may be adniiniltered :  Take peliuory  of the wall, and of both
 the mallows, of each a handful ;  fennel and annifeed  of each
 two ounces ; boil them in the decoftion ofafheep's head,  and
 take of this three quarters, diflblving  it  in  common honey and
 coarfe fugar, and of new frefh  butter two ounces; ftrain it well,
 and adminifter it clyfter wife.   But if this does not operate  to
 your mind, then you may takeone ounce ofcatholicon. 
50        ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE
                       CHAP.  IX.
Of a mole 01 falfe conception :  and of Monfters and Monflrous
               Births, with the reafon thereof.
                       Section  I.
               Of a Mole, or falfe conception.
         A  MOLE or falfe conception, is  nothing elfe but a
mafs or great  lump of flefh burdening the  womb.  It is an in-
articulate piece of flefh without any form, and therefore differs
froifi monfters, which are formata and articulata ; and then it is
faid to be a conception, but a falfe one which puts a difference
between a true conception and a mole ;  and the difference holds
good three different ways : Firft in the genius,  becaufe a mole
connot be faid to be animal.  Secondly, it differs in fpecies, be-
caufe it hath no human figure, and  bears not the character of a
man.   Thirdly, it differs in the individium for it hath no affini-
ty with the parts of that in the whole body, or any particles of
the fame.   There  are variety of judgments among authors  a-
bout the producing caufe of  this effect, fome affirming  that it is
produced by the woman's feed going into the womb without the
man's:  but becaufe  we have  before proved that women have
properly no feed at all, but only an ovalium, which is foecunda-
ted by theaftive principle of the man's feed, this opinion needs
no confutation.   Others fay, it is engendered of the menftruous
blood : but were this granted, it would follow that maidsby hav-
ing their courfes flopped might  be fubjeft to the fame,  which
never any yet were.  The true  caufe of this carnous conception
which we call a mole proceeds both from the man and the wom-
an, from corrupt and barren feed in the man, and from the
menftruous blood in thewoman,both mixed together in the cav-
ity of the womb ; and nature finding herfelf weak (yet defirous
of maintaining the  perpetuity of her  fpecies)labors to bring
forth a vicious conception rather than none:  and  not being a-
ble to bring forth a living creature generates a piece of flefh.
  This imperfect conception may be known to be fuch by the
following figns.  'I he monthly courfes are  fuppreffed the belly
is puffed up, and waxeth hard, the breath fmells, and the appe-
tite is depraved.  But you will fay  thefe are (ignsof a breeding
woman in true conception, and therefore thefe  cannot  diftin-
guifhamole.   To this I anfwer, though thus they  agree, yet
they are different in feveral refpefts ;  for a mole may be felt  in
the womb before the third month, which an infant cannot : the
motion of the mole being only  caufed by  the faculty  of the
womb, and ofthe feminal fpirit diffufed through its fubftance ;
for though it has  no  animal,  yet it has a vegetative life ; and
then the belly is fuddenly fwelled  where theie is a mole ;  but
in conception the belly is firft contracted,  and then rifeth grad-
ually.  Another difference is, the belly being prefted with the
hand the mole gives way, and the hand being taken away, it re-
turns  to the  place again; but a child in the womb though preff-
ea. with the hand, moves not prefently, and being removed re-
turns not at all, or at leaft very flowly. But, to name no more,
another material difference is, that  a child continues not in the
womb above eleven months at moft ; but a mole fometimes con- 
            ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.         51

tinues four or five years, fometimes more or lefs, accordingto its
being faftened to the matrix ; for fometimes the mole hath fal-
len away in  four or five months ; and if it remains  until the
11th month, the legs are feeble, and the whole body appears in
awaiting condition, or the belly (wells bigger and bigger, which
is the reafon that fome who are thus afflicted, think they are hy-
dropical, though it be no fuch  thing ;   which a woman eafily
knows, if fhe will but confider that inadropfy  the legs will fwell
and grow big ;  in  cafe  of a mole they confume and wither.
This  diftemper is an  enemy to true conception, and of  danger-
ous confequence : for a woman that breeds a mole is every way
more inconvenienced than a woman that is with child,  and  all
the while (he keeps it, (he lives in danger of her life.
  The cure of this diftemper confifts chiefly in expelling it as
foon  as may be ; for the longer it is kept the worfe it is : and
this many times cannot be effected without  manual operation  ;
but that being the lalt remedy, all other means ought to be firft
ufed   Amongft which, phlebotomy ought not to be  omitted  ;
for feeing letting of blood caufeth abortion, by reafon it takes
away that nourifhment that fhould fuftain the life of the child,
 w hy may not this vicious conception be by the fame means de-
prived of that vegetative fapby which it lives ? to which end o-
pen the Jiver vein, and the faphana in both feet; fallen cupping
glaffes to the loins and fides of the belly ; which  done, let the
urinary part be firfl mollified, and the expulfive faculty be pre--
voked to expel the burden.  And to ioofen the ligatures' ofthe
mole, take mallows, with roots, three handfuls, pellitory, cam-
omile, violet leaves, melilot, roots  of fennel, parfley mercury
of each two  handfuls; fenugreek and linfeed,  of each one pound
 boil them in water, and make a bath thereof, and  let her fit
therein up to her navel.  At her going out of the bath, let her
reins and privities be  anointed with this unguent: Take am-
 moniati, landani, frefh butter, of each an ounce ; and with oil of
 linfeed make anointment  ; or, inftead of this may be ufed u»-
guentum agrippse or  dialthae.  Alfo  take aq. bryona; compofito
roots of altnae and mercury, of each a handful;  linfeed and
 bailey meal, of each  fix ounces ;  boil all thefe with  water and
honey, and make a plailler, and the ligaments of the mole being
thus  loofened, let the expulfive faculty be ftirred up  to expel
 the mole ; for the eifefting of which, all thofe medicaments are
 very proper which bring down  the  courfes   Therefore take
favine, madder, valerian, horehound, fage,  hyflop, botony, pen-
: nyroyal, calamint, hypericon, and with water  make a docoftion,
 and give three ounces of it, with an ounce and a half  orTyrupof
' feverfew.   But if thefe remedies prove not available, then muft
the mole be  drawn away by manual  operation,  in the  manner
'following:  let the operator (having  placed  the woman in a
proper pofture, as" has been directed in cafes  of  unnatural  la-
: bor)flide his hand into the womb, and  with it draw  forth the
mole;  but if it be grown fobig that it cannot be  drawn away
■whole(which is very rare, becaufe  it  is a foft  tender body,
and much more pliable than  a child)let  the operator  bring  it
away by parts, ufihg a crotchet or knife, if it cannot  be done 
 52          ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.

 otherwife.  And if the operator finds it is joined and faftened
 to the womb, he muft gently feparate ittvith his fingers  ends,
 his nails being paired, putting them by  little and little between
 the mole and the womb, beginning on the fide  where it does
 ftick faft, and  fo purfue it  till  it  be  quite loofened, taking
 great care if it grows too faft not to rend or  hurt the proper
 fubftance of the womb, proceeding as in cafe of an after burden
 that days behind in the womb when the firing is  brok*n off:
 but a mole has never any firing faftened to it, or any burden
 whence it (hould receive any nourifhment,  but does of itfelf
 immediately draw it from  the  veflels  of  the womb.   And
 thus much fhall fuffice to be faid concerning a mole ; of which
 I have (hewn  the caufe, the figns, and the cure.
                       Section  II.
               OfMonflers, and monftrous Births.
   Monfters are  properly depraved conceptions, andare deemed
 by the ancients to be excurfions of nature,  andare always vic-
 ious either by figure, fituation, magnitude, or number.
,*  They are vicious in figure, when a man bears the character of
' a beaft: Vicious in magnitude, wh#n the parts are not equal or
 one part is bigger than another ;  and this is a thing very  com-
 mon, by reafon of fome excrefTence.  They are vicious in  fitu-
 ation many ways ; as if the ears were on the face, or the  ey«
 on the breafts, or on the legs, as were feen in  a monfter born at
 Ravenna, in Italy, in the year  1570.    And laftly vicious in
 number, when  a man hath two heads, four hands and two  bod-
 ies joined, which was the cafe of the monfter born at Zazara in
 the year 1550.
    As to the caufe of their generation, it is  either divine or nat-
 ural.  The divine caufe proceeds from the premifiive will of the
 great Author of our being,  fuffering  parents to  bring forth
 fuch deformed monfters, as a punifhment for their  filthy and
 corrupt afteftion, let loofe unto wickednefs,  like brute beads
 that have  no underftanding :  for which reafon the ancient
  Romans enafted, that thofe who were deformed fhould  not be
 put into religious houfes.  And St.  Jerome, in his time grieved
 to fee the deformed and lame offered up  to God in religious
 houfes ; and Kecherman, by way  of inference, excluded all
 that w ere misfhapen, becaufe outward deformity of body isoften
 a fign  of the pollution of the heart, as a curie laid upon the
  child for the incontinency of  the parents.  Let us  therefore
  fearch out the natural caufe of their generation,  which accord-
  ing to thofe who have dived into the fecrets of nature, is either
  in the matter or the agent, in the feed or in  the womb.   Tlit
  matter^ay be in fault two ways, by defeft or accefs.  By de-
  feft, when the child hath but one armor  leg, &c  by  accefs,
  w hen it has three hands or two heads.   Some monfters are alfo
  begotten by women's beftial and unnatural coition,  6cc   The
  agent or womb may be in fault three ways.:  firft, in the form-
  ing faculty, which may be too ftrong or too weak, which fome-
  times produces a depraved figure.  2dly. 'I he evil difpolifionof
  the inftruments or place of conception,  will caufe a  monflrous
  birth.  And thirdly,,  the imaginative power at the  time w 
ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER PIECE.         53
conception, is of fuch a force as to ftamp a chara^er of the
thing imagined upon the child ;  thus a woman at the  time  of
conception, beholding the pifture of a Blackamoor, conceived
and  brought forth a child refembling an  Ethiopian; and by
this the children ofanadultrefs> though begotten  by another
man, may have the neareft refemblance to  her  own hufband.
This power of imagination was well enough known to the ancients
as is evident by the example of Jacob, the  father ofthe twelve
tribes of Ifrael, who having agreed with his father inlaw to have
all the fpotted (heep for the keeping of his flock to increafe  his
wages, took hazel rods peeling them with white ftreaks in them
and laid them before the (heep when they came  to drink, and
they couplingtogether whilft they beheld the rods,  conceived
and brought forth fpotted young.   Nor  does the imagination
work in the child at the time of conception only, but afterwards
alfo  ; as was feen in the example of  a worthy gentlewoman,
who being big with child, and pafling by a butcher killing meat,
a drop of blood fpirted on her face ; whereupon (he then  faid
that the child would  have fome blemifh on his face, which pro-
ved  true, for at the birth it was found marked with a red (pot.
  But belides the way already mentioned, Monfters  are  fome-
times produced by other means, to wit, by the undue coition of
a man and his wife when her monthly Sowings are upon her ;
which being a thing againft  natuie, no wonder that  it  fhould
produce an unnatural iflue.  If therefore a man's defire be ever
fo great for coition (as fometimes it is after long abfence)yet  if
a woman knows that the cudom of women is upon her, fhe ought
not to admit of any embraces, which are at that  time both  un-
clean and unnatural  The iflue of thefe uclean emhraces prov-
ing often monftrous, as ajuft punifhment for fuch a turpidinous
aftion.   Or, if they fhould not always produce monftrous births
yet are the children thus begotten, for the moft part dull, heavy,
fluggifh, and defeftive in underftanding, wanting  the  vivacity
andlivelinefs which  thofe children are endued with  who are
 begotten when women are free from their courfes.
  There has been fome eontending amongft authors,  whether
 thofe who are born monfters have reafonable fouls, the refult
 of both fides, at laft coming to this, that thofe who, according to
 the order of nature, are defcendfed from our firft parents by the
coition of man and woman, tho' their outward fhapebe deform-
 ed and monftrous, have notwithstanding  reafonable fouls : but
 thefe monfters that are not begotten by man, but are  the prod-
 uct of a woman's unnatural luft, copulating with other crea-
 tures, fhall perifh as  the brute beafts by whom they were begot-
 ten, not having a reafonable foul. The fame being alfo true  of
 imperfect and abortive births
   Some are of opinion, that monfters may be engendered by in-
 fernal fpirits ;  but notwithftanding .#?gidius Facius pretended
 to believe it with refpeft to a deformed monfter, born at  Cra-
 covia, and Hieronimus Carcomus writeth of a maid that was got
 with child by the devil ;  yet, as a wicked fpirit  is not capable of
 having human feed, how is it poflible he fhould  beget a  human
 creature? If they fay, that the devil may aflume to himfelf a.
                        e  2 
5*        ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.

dead body and enliven the faculties of it, and thereby make it a-
ble to generate, I anfwer-, that though we fuppofe this could be
done, (which I believe not) vet that body niuftbear  the image
of the devil :  and it borders'on blafphemy, to think that the all
ti'ife and good being would fo far give way to the worft of fpir-
its as to fiifter him to  raife up his diabolical offspring :  for in
the fchool of nature, we are taught the  contrary viz. that like
                                    begets like ; whence it
                                   | follows, that  a  man
                                    cannot be born of a dev-
                                    il.   The  firft  I  fhall
                                    prefent is a moft fright-
                                    ful monfter indeed, re-
                                    presenting  an  hairy
                                    child.  It was covered
                                    over  with hair like  a
                                    ' beaft.   That  which
                                    ! rendered  it yet  more
                                    ■ frightful  was  that its
                                   { navel was in the  place
                                   [ where his nofe (hould
                                   | ftand,and  his eyes plac-
                                   [ ed  where his  mouth
                                   r fhould have  been, and
                                   ' its  mouth was in the
                                   I chin. It  was  of the
                                   r male kind and born in
                                   i France,   in  the year
                                   ■ 1597.

  A boy was  born in Germany,  with one head and one body,
but having four ears, four arms, four thighs, four legs and four
feet.________
                              This birth the learned,  who
                            beheld  it, judged  to  proceed
                            from the redundance ofthe feed;
                            but rhere not being enough for
                            twins, nature  formed what (he
                            could, and fomade the moft of it.
                             This child lived  fome  years,
      {^^Hfe^^lS&S^a.     and thoi,gh he  had  f°ur feet>.ne
     Jar  #£ ^fC*^     knew not how  to go ; by which
                            we may fee the wifdom of nature
                            or rather the God  of nature, in
                            the formation ofthe  body of man.
1         ratelf  >«H       Heav'n in our firft formation did
          fa  ril   k*m    ■         provide,
                            Ivjo  arms and legs \  but what
                                  Vie have be fide
                            Renders us monfters,  and mijbapen
                                  too,
                            Nerbave we any ivorkfor thetnw
                                  dc,
 
ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER PIECE.
55
        Two arms, two legs, <ire all that we can ufe.
        And to have more there's no wife man would choofe.
  In the time of Henry III- a woman was delivered of a child,
Having two heads and four arms, and the reft was a twin under
                           the navel ; and then beneath, all
                           the reft was (ingle, as appears in
                           the figure.  The  heads were fij
                           placed that they looked contrary-
                           ways, and  each had two diftinct
                           arms and hands.   They would
                           both laugh, fpeak, cry, and both
                           eat  and  be  hungry  together.
                           Sometimes the one would fpeak,
                           and the other would keep filence,
                           and fometimes both would  fpeak
                           together.  It was  of the female
                           fex; and thoughit had two mouths
                           and did eat with both, yet there
                           was but one fundament to disbur-
                           den nature  It lived feveral years,
                           but one outlived the  other thiee
                           years, carrying the dead one (for
                           there was no parting them) till the
other fainted with the burden, and more with  the ftink ofthe
dead carcafe.
  A child was born in  Flanders which had two heads and four
                                      arms feeming like two
                                      girls joined together,
                                      having two of their
                                      arms lifted up be-
                                      tween and above their
                                      heads  :  the thighs
                                     being  placed   as  it
                                     were acrofs one an-
                                     other according to the
                                     figure.   How   long
                                     they lived I had bo
                                     account of.
Nature to us fometimes does Monfters fbtrw
That  we by them may our own mercies know;
And the%eby fin's deformity may fee
Than which there's nothing can more monftrous be. 
    ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.


                      PART  III.


Displaying the Secrets  of  Nature  relating to.
                   PHYSIOGNOMY.


                CHAP.   I.  Section   I.


  Of Phyfiognomy, Jbewing what it is, and from whence it is de-
                         rived.
           PHYSIOGNOMY  is  an  ingenious  fcience,  or
knowledge of nature, by which the inclination and difpofitions of
everycreature are underftood : and becaufe fome ofthe members
are uncompounded and entire of themfelves, as the  tongue, the
heart, &c. and fome of a  mixed  nature, as the eyes, the nofe,
and others, we therefore fay, that there are many  figns  which
agree and live together, Which  inform a wife man how to make
his judgment, before he be too rafh to deliver  it to the world.
Nor is it to be efteemed a foolifh or idle art,  feeing it is derived
from the fuperior bodies ;  for  there is no part of the face of a
man, but what is under the peculiar influence  or government,
not only of the feven planets, but alfo ofthe twelve  figns ofthe
zodiac ; and the difpofition, vices,  virtues, and fatality, either
of a man or woman, are plainly foretold, if the  perfon pretend-
ing to the knowledge thereof be an artift, which, that my readers
may attain to, I (hall fet thefe things in a clear  light.
  The reader (hould remember that the foreTiead  is governed
by Mars ; the right eye is under the dominion of Sol ; the left
is ruled by Luna or the Moon  ;  the right ear is  the care of Ju-
piter ;  the left of Saturn ;  the rule ofthe  nofe  is claimed by
Venus, which by the way, is one reafon that, in all unlawful
ventral encounters, the nofe is too fubject to bare the fears
which are gotten in thofe wars: and the nimble Mercury, the
fignification of eloquence, claims the dominions of the mouth,
and that very juftly.
   Thus have the feven planets  divided the face among them but
not fo abfolutely, but that the twelve figns of the zodiac do alio
eome in for a part :  And therefore the fign Cancer prefides in
the uppermoft part of the forehead ; Leo attends upon  the right
eye brow, as Sagitarius does upon the right eye, and Libra up-
on the right ear ; upon the left eye  and eye brow Aquarius and
Gemini, and Aries the left ear ;  Taurus rules  in the  middle of
the forehead, and Capricorn the chin :  Scorpio takes upon him
the protection of the nofe  ; Virgo claims the precedence of the
right cheek, and Pifees of the left.   And thus the  face of man
is cantoned  out  among the Signs  and  Planets;  which being
earefully attended to, will fufficiently inform the artifts how to
  fiafs a judgment  ; For, according to the Sign or  Planet ruling,
  6 alfo is the judgment to he of the part ruled, which all thole
 that have underltanding know eafily how to apply. 
             ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.        57

  In the judgment that is to be made from phyfiognomy,  there
is a great difference betwixt a man  and a woman, becaufe, in
refpeft of the whole compofition, men more fully comprehend it
than women do, as  will appear in the following feftion : There-
fore the judgments we pafs properly concern  a man, as compre-
hending the whole fpecies, and but improperly the woman, as a
part thereof, and  derived from the man ;  and therefore  in the
judgment about the lines and marks of a face, refpeft fhould be
had to the fex ; for when we behold a man  whofe face  is like
unto a woman's ; or the face of a woman, who in refpeft  of her
flefh and blood is like unto a man, the fame judgment is not paf-
fed on her, as on a  man that is like unto her, in regard that the
complexion ofthe  woman is much different from  that of a man,
even in thofe refpefts, which are faid to be common ;  therefore
refpeft fhould be had to other parts  ofthe body, as the hands,
&c.   Now in thefe common refpefts, twro parts are attributed to
a man, and a third  part to a woman.
   Wherefore, it being our intention  to give  you an  exaft ac-
 count according to the  rule  of phyfiognomy, of all  and every
 part of the members  of the body, we wHl begin  with the head,
 as it hath relation  only to a man and a woman, and not  any o-
 ther creature that  the work may be more  obvious to every  rea-
 der.
                       CHAP.  II.
              Ofthe Judgments of Phyfiognomy.
            HAIR that hangs down  without curling, if it be
 of a fair complexion  thin and foft, fignifies a man to be natural-
 ly faint hearted, and of a weak body,  but of a quiet and harmlefs
 difpofition.  Hair  that is big and thick and fhort denotes  a  man
 to be of a (trong conftitution,bold, fecret, deceitful, and for the
 moft part, unquiet, and  vain, luffing after beauty, and more
 foolifh than wife,  though fortune may favor him.  He whofe
 hair is partly curled  and partly hanging down, is  commonly a
 wife man or a very great fool, or elfe a  knave   He whofe hair
 groweth thick on his temples and his brow, one may   at firft
 fight certainly conclude  that  fuch a man is by nature  fimple,
 vain,  luxurious, luftful, credulous, clqwniih in  his fpeech and
 converfation, and dull in apprehenfion.  He whofe hair not only
 curls very much, but bufheth out, and (lands on end, if the hair
 be white, or yellowilb, he is bv nature proud and bold,  dull of
 apprehenfion, foon angry,  a lover ofvenery,  given to lying,
 malicious, and ready to do  any mifchief.  He  whofe hair  rifes
 in the corner of his temples, and is alfo grofs and  rough,  is a
 man highly conceited of himfelf,  inclined to malice, but cun-
 ningly conceals it, is very courtly, anda lover of new fafhions.
 He who hath much hair, that is, whofe hair is thick  all over his
 head, naturally vain  and very luxurious, of a good digeftion, eafy
 of belief and flow of performance, of a weak memory,   and for
 the moft part unfortunate.   He whofe hair is of a reddifh com-
 plexion, is, for the moft part, if not always, proud, deceitful,
 detracting, venerous, and  full of envy.   He whofe hair is ex-
 traordinary fair, is  for  the moft part, a man fit for all praife
 worthy enterprizes, a lover of honor and much more inclined to 
58          ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER PIECE.
 do good than evil ;  laborious, and careful to perform whatever
 is comniited to his care ; fecret in carrying on any bufinefs, and
 fortunate.   Hair of a yellowifh  color fliews a man to be good
 conditioned, and willing to do any thing,  fearful,  fhamefaced,
 and weak of body, but ftrong in the abilities ofthe mind, and
 more apt to remember than revenge an injury.   He whofe  hair
 is of abrownifh color, and curleth a little, is a well difpofed man,
 inclined to that which is good, a lover of peace, cleanlinefs and
 good  manners.  He whofe hair  turns gray or hoary in the  time
 of Irs youth, is generally given to women, vain, falfe, unliable
 and_ talkative.
  Note, That whatfoever fignification the hair has in men, it
 hath the fame in women alfo.
          Ihus does wife Nature make our very hair
          Shew all the paffions that within us are ;
          If to the bottle we are moft inclin'd,
          Or} if we fancy moft the female kind ;
          If into virtue's paths our minds we bend,
          Or, if to vicious ways ourfootfteps tend,
          A skilful artift can unfold the fame,
          And from our hair a certain judgment frame :
          But fince our periwigs ore come in fajbion,
          No room is left for fuch an obfervation
  The forehead that  rifeth in a round, fignifies a man liberally
 merry, of good underftanding, and generally inclined to virtue.
 He whofe forehead is flefhy, and the  bone  of the brow jutting
out, and without wrinkles, is a man inclined to fuits of law,  con-
 tentious, vain, deceitful, and addifted to follow ill courfes.   He
whofe forehead is very low and little, is of good underftanding,
magnanimous,  but  extremely  bold and confident, and a great
pretender to love and honor.  He whofe forehead feems fharp,
and pointing up  in the corners of his temples,  fo that the bone
feems to jut forth a little, is a man naturally weak and fickle,
and weak in his intelleftuals.  He whofe brow upon the temple
is full of flefh is  a man of a  great fpirit, proud, watchful, and of
grofs  underftanding.  He  whofe brow is  full of wrinkles, and
hath as it were a feam coming down in the middle of the fire-
head,  is one that is of a great fpirit, a great wit, void of deceit,
and yet of hard fortune."  He who hasa full large forehead, and
a little round,  deftitute of  hair, or at leaft that has little on  it, is
bold,  malicious, high fpirited, full of choler, andapt to tranf-
grefs beyond all bounds and yet of a good wit.   He whofe fore-
head is long and high, jetting forth, and whofe face is figured al-
moft fharp and picked towards the chin, is one reafonably honeft,
but weak and fimple, and of hard fortune,
        Who view men well may on their vices bit,
        For fome men's crimes are on their foreheads writ ;
        But the refolved man outbraves his fate,
       And 'will be good although unfortunate.
  The eye brows that are much arched, whether in man or wo-
man,  and which, by frequent motion, elevate themfelves, fhew
the perfon to be proud, high fpirited, vain glorious, bold and
threatening, a lover <tt beauty, and indifferently inclined to either 
ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.          59
 •good or evil.  He whofe eyelids bend downward when he fpeaks
 to another man, or looks upon him, and who has a kind of fkulk-
 ing look, is by nature a penurious wretch, clofe  in all his ac-
 tions, of few words,  but full of malice    He whole brows are
 thick,  and have but a little hair upon them, is weak and credu-
 lous, very fincere, fociable, and defirous of good company. He
 whofe  eye brows are  folded, and the hair thick,  and bending
 downwards, is one that is clownifh, heavy, fufpicious, miferable,
 envious, and will cheat and cozen you it he can.   He whofe eye
 brow hath but (hort hair, and of whitifh color, is fearful, eafy  of
 belief, and apt to undertake any thing. Thofe whofe eye brows
 are black, and  the hair of them thin, will do nothing without
 great coniideration, is bold and confident of the performance of
 what he undertakes, and is not apt to believe any thing without
 reafon for fo doing.
         Ihus by the eye brows women's minds we know,
         Whether they're white or black, or quick or flaw :'
         And whether they'll be cu/fed or be kind,
         By looking in their eye brows we may find.
   If the fpace between the eye brows be  of more than ordinary
 diftance,  it fhews the  perfon  to be hard hearted, envious, clofe
 and cunning, apprehenfive, greedy of novelties,  addifted to cru-
 elties more than love    But thofe men whofe eye brows are at a
 leffer diftance, are for the moft part of a dull underftanding, yet
 fubtle enough in their dealings, and of an uncommon boldnefs,
 which is often attended with great felicity ; but above all, they
 are moft fure and conftant in  their friendfhip.
   Great and full eyes either in men or women, fhew the perfon
 to be for the moft partflothful, bold, envious,  a bad concealer of
 fecrets, miferable, vain, given to lying, and yet of a bad  mem-
 ory, flow in invention, weak in his intelleftuals,  and yet very
\ conceited of his abilities.  He whofe eyes are  hollow in his head
 and therefore difeerns excellently well at a great diftance,  is one
| that  is fufpicious, malicious, furious, perverfe in  his converfa-
\ tion, ofan extraordinary memory, bold cruel  and  falfe, both in
', words and deeds, proud, threatening, vicious, envious, treach-
\ erous :  But he whofe eyes are as it were ftarting out of his head
\ is a (imple foolifh perfon, lhamelefs, very fervile, and eafy to  be
' perfuaded either to vice or virtue.  He  who looks  ftudioufly
 with his eyes downwards, is of a malicious nature, very tre'ach-
; erous, unfaithful, envious, miferable,  impious towards  God,
 and difhoneft towards  men.  He whofe eyes are fmall, and con-
 veniently round, isbafhful and weak, very credulous, liberal  to
 others, and even in his converfation.  He whofe  eyes look on
 a fquint, is deceitful, unjuft, envious, furious, a great liar, and
 as the effeft of all this, miferable.  A wandering eye rolling up
' and down, denotes a vain,  fimple man, luftful treacherous. He
 or (he whofe eyes are twinkling, and which  move forward  or
 backward fhew the perfon to betuxurious, unfaithful, prefump-
 tuous, treacherous, and hard to believe any thing that isfpoken.
 If a perfon has any greennefs mingled in the white of his eyes,fuch
 is commonly filly and often very falfe and  deceitful unkind to his
 friends, a great concealer of his own fecrets, and very choleric. 
60           ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER PIECE.

Thofe whofe e*yes roll up and down, or thofe who feldom move
their eyes, but when they  do, draw them inwardly, and fatten
them upon fome objeft, fuch are by their inclinations very malic.
ious, vain glorious, flothful, unfaithful, envious,  falfe and con-
tentious   They whofe eyes are addifted to blood  fhot,  are nat-
urally cholericj proud, difdainful, cruel,  fhameful,  perfidious,
and much inclined to fuperftition.  They  who have eyes like
oxen are perfons of good nutriment, but of a  weak  memory,
dull underftanding. and filly in their  converfation :  But they
whofe eyes are neither too little nor too big, and  inclined to a
black, do fignify a man mild, peacable, honeft, witty, and of good
underftanding :  andone that, when need requires is ferviceable
to his friends
          Ihusfrom the eyes vsefev'ral things may fee,
          By nature's art of phyfiognomy,
          That no manfcarce can make a look awry.
          But we thereby fome fecret jymptoms may
          Difcern of his intention, andforefee
          Unto which paths bis fleps directed be ;
          And this may teach its, goodnefs more to  prize?
          For where one's good, there's twenty otberwife.
  A long and thin nofe denotes a man bold, curious, angry weak
and credulous : eafy to be perfuaded either to good or  evil.   A
long nofe and extended, its tip  bending downwards (hews-the
perfon to be wife, difcreet, officious, honeft, and faithful, and
who will not eafily be overreached.   A bottle nofe denotes a
man to beimpetuousin the obtaining his defires, vain, falfe lux-
urious, weak, credulous.  A nofe broader in the middle andlefs
towards the end, denotes a vain talkative perfon, a liar and one
of hard fortune.  He who hath a long aild great nofe, is an admir-
er ofthe fair fex, well accomplifhed for the wars  of Venus, but
ignorant of any thing that  is good ; afliduous in obtaining what
he defires ; and though very ignorant, would  fain  bethought
very knowing.  /\ nofe fharp on the tip of it,  and neither  too
long nor too (hort, too thick nor too thin, denotes the perfon, if
a man, to be of a fretful difpofition, alw'ays pining and peevifh;
and if a woman, a feold, contentious, wedded to her own humor;
and if married, a plague to herhusband.  A nofevei^  round at
the end of it, and having but little noftrils, (hews  the perfon  to
be munificent and liberal,  true tohistruft, but credulous, proud,
and vain.  A nofe very long and thin at the end of it, and fome-
times round, (ignifies one  bold in  his  difcourfe, honeft in his
dealings, patient  in receiving, and flow in offering injuries, but
yet privately malicious.  He whofe nofe is naturally more  red
than any other part of his  face is denoted to be covetous, luxu-
rious, and  an enemy to goodnefs.  A nofe that  turns up again
and is long and full on the tip of it, fhews the perfon to be bold,
covetous, envious, a liar, and deceiver, vain  glorious, conten-
tious, and unfortunate. He whofe nofe rifeth high in the mid-
dle, is prudent, politic, courageous, honorable in  his actions and
true to his word-  A nofe big at the end (hews a perfon to be of
a peaceful difpofition, induftrious, faithful, and of a good under-
Handing.  A very wide nofe with wide noftrils, denotes a man 
           ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.         61

full of apprehenfion, and inclined more to fimplicity than wif-
dom, and withal contentious, vain glorious^ and a liar.
          Thus from the nofe our phyfiogjiomift.
          Can fmell men's inclinations if we lift ;
          And from its color and its make.
          Of vice and virtue a furvey can take.
  When the noftrils are clofe andfthin, they denote a man to
have but little tefticles, and to be very defirous of the enjoy-
ment of women, but modeft in his converfation.   But he whofe
noftrils are great and wide is ufually well hung, and luftful; but
df an envious, bold, and treacherous  difpofuion  ;   and though
dull of underftanding, yet confident.
           Ihus thofe who chiefly mind the brutal part,
           May learn to choofe a hujband by this art-
  A great wide  mouth (hews a man to be bold,  warlike fharne-
lefs, ftout, a great liar, talkative, and a great eater, but dull as to
his intellefts.  A little mouth thews the perfon to be of a quick
and pacific temper,fomewhat fearful,  but faithful, fecret modeft,'
bountiful, and a little eater.  He whofemouth fmells of a  bad
 breath, is one of a corrupted liver or  lungs, is often times vain,
 wanton, deceitful, of indifferent  intellefts,  envious, covetous,
and a promife breaker.  He that has a fweet breath is  the con-
 trary.
           1 bus from the mouth itfelf, we likewifefee
           What figns of good and bad may gathered be ;
           For let the wind blow eaft, weft, north, orfouth,
           Both good and bad proceed out ofthe mouth:
   The lipswhen they are very big and blubbering, fhew a per-
- fon to be credulous, foolifh, dull and ftupid, and apt to be entic-
 ed to any thing. - Lips of a different fize, denote a perfon  to  be
 difcreet, fecret, judicious of a good  wit, but fomewhat  hafty.
 To have lips well colored, and moire thin than thick, (hews a
 perfon to be good humored,  and more  eafily perfuaded to  do
 good than evil.  To have one lip bigger than the  other, fhews
 variety of fortune>, denotes a dull flu^iih temper, and an indif-
 ferent underftanding.
           Ihe lips they Jo much dote on for a kifs,
           Oft tell fond lovers wh«n they do amifs.
    When the teeth are fmall, and but weak in performing their
 office, and efpecially If they are (hort and few,'tho' the party be
 of a weak conftitution, yet they denote him to  be of a meekdif-
 polition, honeft, faithful, and fecret, in whatfoever he is entruft-
 cd with.  To have fome  teeth longer and fome Ihorter than oth-
 ers, denote  a perfon f> be of a good apprehenfion,  but bold, dif-
 dainful, envious and proud.  To have teeth  very'long,  and
 growing fharp towards the end, if they are long in  chewing, and
 thin, denotes the perfon to be envious, gluttonous, bold, fhame-
 fefs,  unfeithful, and fufpicious.  When  the  teeth look very
 brown or yellowifh, whether they be feng or fhort, it  fhews  the
   Eerfon to be of a fulpicious temper,  envious, deceitful, and tur-
   ulent.  To have teeth ftrong and clofe together fhews the per-
 fon to be of a long life, a defirer of novelties, and  thingsthat are
  fair and beautiful, but of an high (pirit, and one that will have 
62         ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER PIECE.
his htimor in all things : he loves to hear news, and afterwards
to repeat it and is apt to entertain any thing in his own behalf.
To have teeth thin and weak fhews a weak, feeble man,  one of
fhort hfe, and of a weak apprehenfion : butchafte, (liamefaced,
tractable, and honeft.
        Thus from the teeth the learned can portend
        Whether man's fteps ffavice or virtue bend.
  A  tongue too fwift in fpeech, (hews a man to be downright
foolifli, or at beft but a very vain wit.  A Hammering tongue,
or one that (tumbles in the mouth, (ignifies a man of a weak un-
derftanding, of a wavering  mind, quickly in a rage, and foon
pacified.  A  thicK  and rough tongue denotes a man to be ap-
prehensive, fubtleand full of compliments, yet vain and deceit-
ful, treacherous, and prone to impiety.   A thin tongue (hewsa
man of wifdom and  found judgment : very  ingenious, and of
an, affable  difpofition, yet fometimes timorous, and too credu-
lous.
        No wondet  'tis that from men's fpeech we fee
        Whether they wife, or whether foolijh be ;
        But from a filent tongue our authors tell
        The fecret paffions within men that dwell.
  A great and full voice in either fex, (hew them to be *Ta great
fpirit, confident, proud  and wilful.  A faint  or weak voice,
(hews a perfon of a good underftanding,  nimble fancy, a little
cater, but weak of body and timorous.   A loud and fhrill voice
denotes one fagacious and ingenious, but capricious,  vainglori-
ous, and  weak, too credulous.   A  ftrong voice when  a man
fings, denotes a  ftrong conftitution, a good  underftanding, in-
genious, amorous   A weak and trembling voice, denotes one
to be envious, fufpicious, (low in bufinefs, and fearful. A loud,
fhrill and unpleafant  voice, fignifies one bold and valiant, but
quarrelfome,  injurious,  and wedded to his own  humor.  A
rough  and hoarfe voice,  declares one to be a dull and heavy
perfon of much guts and  little brains  Full and yet mild voice,
and pleafing to the hearer, fhews a perfon to be quiet and peace-
able, thrifty and fecret, not prone to anger.  A  voice begin-
ning low or in the bafs, and ending  high in  the. treble, denotes
a perfon to be violent, angry, bold, fecure.
         Thus by our voice 'tis to an artijl known
         Unto what virtue or to what vice we're prone :
         And he that of a good wife will make choice,
         May chocfe her by obferving of her voice.
   A thick and full  chin,  abounding with flefh,  fhews a man in-
 clined to peace, honeft, but (low in invention, and eafy to be
 drawn  to good or evil.  A picked chin,  reafonably full of flefh,
 fhews a good underftanding, a high fpirit, and laudable conver-
 iation.  A double  chin, fhews a peaceable  difpofition, but dull
 apprehenfion, vain, credulous,  and fecret  in his actions   A
 crooked chin bending upwards, and picked for want of ficih,  is,
 according to nature, a very bad man, proud, imprudent, envi-
 ous, threatening, deceitful, prone to anger and treachery, and a
 great thief. 
            ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECxi.         63

           Thus, from the forehead to the chin w<e'vejbewn
           How mankind's inclinations may be known :
           From which th' obferving readerftill may find
           We're more to evil, thnn to good irulln'd.
   Young men ufually have hair begin to grow upon their  chins
 at 15 \ ears of age, and fometimes fooner.  Thefe hairs proceed
 from the fupernuity of heat, the fumes  whereof afcend to their
 chins, like fmoke to the funnel of a chimney ; and becaufe it can
 find no open paflage,by which it may afcend higher, it vents it-
 felf in hairs which are called the beard-  There are few women
 that have hair on their cheeks, and the reafon is, thofe humor.-;
 which caufe hair to gr«aw  on the cheeks of a man, are evacuat-
 ed by women  in thetr monthly courfes, which they have more
 or lefs, according to the heat or coolnefs ofthe conftitution :  yet
 fometimes women of a hot conftitution have hair on their cheeks
 but more commonly on their lips or near theirmouths, where the
 heat moft aboundeth ;  And fuch women are much addifted to
 the company of men, and of a ftrong and manly conftitution.
 A woman  who hath little hair on her  cheeks, or about her
 mouth and lips, is of a good complexion, weak conftkution,
 (hamefaced, mild and obedient; whereas, a woman of a more
 hot conftitution is otherwife.   But in a man, a beard well coni-
 pofed and  thick of hair (ignifies him good natured, honeft, lov-
 ing, fociable and full of humanity ;  on the contrary, he that
 hath little beard, is, for the moil part, proud,  pining, peevilh,
 and unfociable. They who have no beards, have always fhrill
 and ftrange fqueaking voices, are of a weak conftitution, as is ap-
 parent in the cafe of eunuchs, who,  after they are  deprived of
 their virility, are transformed from the nature of men into the
 condition of women.
         Of men and women's beards I mit>btfay more,
         Bui prudence bids me this difcourfe give o'er.
  Great and thick ears are certain figns  of a fooli(h perfon,  of
 a bad memory, and worfe  of underftanding ;  but fmall, thin
 ears, fhew a perfon to be of good wit, grave, fecret. thrifty, mod-
 eft;  of good memory, and willing to ferve  his friend.   Ears
 longer than ordinary, fignify a bold man, uncivil, vain, foolifh,
 of fmall induftry, but a great ftomach.
           Who his juft praife unwillingly ^docs hear,
           Shews a good life, as well as a good ear.
  A face apt to fweat on every motion, fhews the perfon to be of
 a hot conftitution, vain, luxurious, of a good ftomach, but bad
 underftanding and worfe converfation.   A very  flefhy face de-
 notes a fearful difpofition, a merry heart, bountiful  anddifereet
eafy to be intteated, and apt to believe any thing.  A lean face,
denotes a good underftanding, but fbmewnat caprieious and dif-
dainful in his converfation.   A little round face (hews a perfon
to be fimple, fearful, of a bad memory,  and a clowni'fi difpofi-
tion.  A plump face and full of carbuncles, (hews a man to be
a great drinker, vain and dareing.  A face red and high colored
fhews a man to be choleric, and not eafily pacihed.  A long and
lean face fhews one  to be  bold in fpeech  and aftion, but foolifh,
quarrelfome, proud and injurious.   A face every way  of  a due 
64         ARISTOTLE'S MASTER  PIECE-,
proportion, denotes an ingenuous, perfon fit for any thing, and
well inclined.  Abroad, full, fat face, fhews a dull heavy confti-
tution, and that for one virtue has three vices.  A plain flat face
without any rifing, fhews a perfon to be very wife,  loving and
courtly, faithful to his friend, and patient in  adverGty.   A face
finking  down a little, with creafes in it, inclining to leannefs de-
nptes-a perfon to  be laborious, but  envious, deceitful,  falfe,
quarrclfome, vain, filly, downifh.  A face of a handfome propor-
tion, and more inclined to fat than lean, fhews a perfon juft in
his actions, true to his word, civil, refpeftful, and of an extraor-
dinary memory*  A crooked face, long and lean denotes a man
endued with as bad qualities, as the face is with i 11 features.  A
face broad about the brows, and iharper.and lefs  towards, the
chin, fhews  a man fimple and foolifh,  vain, envious,  deceitful
ajid'quarrelfome.  A face well colored, full of good features, of
an exact fymmetry and juft proportion, is commonly the  index
ofafairer mind, and fhews the perfon to be well difpofed ;  but
yet virtue is not fb impregnably feated there, but that by  ftrong *
temptation,  efpecially ofthe fair fex, it may be  fupplanted  and
overcome by vice.  A pale complexion, (hews the  perfon  not
only  To be  fickle, but malicious, treacherous, proud,  and ex-.
tremely unfaithful.   A face well coloredihews the perfon to be
of a praifev/orthy  difpofition, found compHstion, eafy  of belief,.
refpeftful to his friend, ready to do a courtefy, and very eafy to
be drawn to any thing.
          Thus phyfiognomy readeth in each face
          But vice or virtue we're moft prone /' embrace .*
          For in man's face there hardly  is a line
          But offome inward pajfion'tis a fign :
          And hejhat reads thisfeclion o'er may find
          Ihefairefl-face bath Jttll the clear eft mind.
  A great head and round withal, denotes a perfon to be fecret,
ingenious, laborious, conftant and honeft  The head whofe gul-
let  ftands forth, and.inclines towards the earth, (ignifiesa perfon
thrifty, wife, peaceable, fecret, of a retired temper,  and conftant
in the management of his.affairs  A long head; and face,  and
great withal, denotes a vain, foolifh and  idle perfon, credulous
and envious.  To have one's head  alway fhaking  and moving
from fide to fide,  denotes a (hallow, weak, unftable  perfon, giv-
en  to lying, a great talker, and prodigal in all his fortunes  A
big head and broad face, fhews a man to be courageous, a great
hunter after women, fufpicious, bold, fhamelefs    A  very big
head, but not  fo proportionate to the body, and a fhort neck and
gullet, denotes a man  of apprehenfion, wife ingenious, of  a
found judgment,  faithful, true and courteous to all. He is weak,
yet apt to learn, but unfortunate in his actions   And fo much
fhall fuffice  with  refpeft to judgment from the head and face.
                        CHAP.   Ill
  Of Judgment drawn, from feveral Parts of Man's  Body, &c,
         IN The body of a man, the  head and face are the prin-
 cipal parts, being the index  which heav£ahas laid open to eve-
ry  one'sview, to  make a judgment therefrom, therefore I have
been the larger in. my judgment from the feveral parte thereqf 
            ARISTOTLE'S  MASTER PIECE.         65

 But as to the other parts  not fo obvious tothe. eyes,  I fhall be
 much more brief ; yet I would proceed in order.
   The throat, if it be white, whether  it be fat or lean, fhews a
 man to be vainglorious, timorous, wanton and much fubjeft to
 i holar.  If the throat be fo thin and lean that the veins appear,
 it fhews a  man to be weak, flow, and of a dull and heavy  con-
 riitution.
   A long neck fhews one to have a  long and flendcr foot, and
 that he is ft'.ff and inflexible.   A (hort  neck fhews one to  be
 witty and ingenious, but deceitful and inconftant,  and a great
 lover of peace and quietnefs.
   A lean fhoulder bone fignifies a man to be weak,  timorous,
 peaceful, not laborious, and yet fit for any employment.  Larg<-
 fhoulder bones denote a ftrong man,  faithful, but unfortunate ;
 fomewhatdull of underftanding, laborious, contented, a great
 eater and drinker. He whofe (houlder bonefeems to be fmooth,
 is modeft and temperate.  He whofe fhoulder bone bends and is
 crooked inwardly, is commonly a dull perfon and deceitful.
   Long arms hanging down, and touching the knees, denote a
 man  liberal, but vainglorious,  proud and inconftant.  He
 whofe arms are very (hort in refpeft to his body is a man of high
 and gallant fpirit, an*fcj>f a graceful temper.   He  whofe arms
 are full of bone?, finews and flefli, is a great defirer oi" novelties,
 credulous and apt to believe every thing.  He whofe arms are
 very hairy, whether they be lean or fat, is for the moft part a
 luxurious perfon, weak in body and mind, very fufpicious an1
 malicious.   He whofe arms have no hair on them at all,  is of a
 weak judgment, angry, vain,  wanton, credulous, a  deceiver,
 and very apt to betray his deareft friends.
                       CHAP.  IV.
 Of Palmiftry,Jbe-wing  the  various Judgments draw: from the
                          hand
          BEING engaged,  in  this third part,  to ll-ew what
 judgments may be drawn, according to phyfiognomy, from the
 feveral parts ofthe body, and coming in order to (peak ofthe
 hands, it has put me under the neceflity of faying fomething a-
 boutpalmiftry, which is a judgment made ofthe  condit\.ns, in-
 clinations, and fortunes of men  and women, from the varic  u-j
 lines and chambers nature has imprinted in rheir hands, \, hie"i
 are almofi as various as the hands that have them.
  'I he reader fhould t:mer.iber trv.t or.3 of thefe lines of the
 hand,  and which indeed is reckon:  I the principal is called jjie
 line of life ; this line inclofes the thumb Separating it from^Je
 hoi few ofthe hand   The next  to it called  the natural  line,
 takes its beginning from the rifing ofthe fere  finger,  near the
 line of life, and reaches to th * table  lir.o, and generally* makes a
 triangle.  The ta^k line commoiJy calLd tie line of  fortune,
 t-fgins under the I'.ttie finger, a;v! ends r.oar the middle- finger,
'I he gii die of Venus, w Ve.eh is another 1! ne fo called ^c± in^  near
 the fii ft joint ofthe iiln ■ finger, and r:nds between the fore  fin-
ger and ti e middle finger.  The li. e  of defh  is_ih.it  v.hicli
plain'y appears in acounier :i;ie>o tli » _>i life, and is called the
iifi.erl n«, ending ufually as the other en:!s ;  for  when 'Ie  !>o 
56         ARISTOTLE'S MAS'liik  PIECE'

of life  is ended, death comes, and it can go no farther.  There
are lines in the fiefhy parts, as in the ball of the  thumb,  called
the Mount of Veaus : under each ofthe fingers are alfo mounts,
each governed by feveral planets ;  and the hollow of- the hand
is called the Plain of Mars.  Thus, (
        The thumb we to dame Venus' rule commit,
        Jove the fore finger fways as he thinks fit :
        Old Saturn does the middle finger guide ;
        O'er the ring finger Sol does ftillprefide ;
        The outflde  drawn, pale Cynthia does direcl'.
        And unto the hollow Mars does much infpecl ;
        The little finger does to Merc'ry fall,
        Which is the nimbleft- plannet of them all-
  I proceed to  give judgment from the feveral lines   In PaU
miftry the left  hand is chiefly.to be  regarded, becaufe therein;
the lines are moft vifible, and have the ftrifteft communication
with the heart  and  brain.  In the  next place, obferve the line.
of life, and if it be fair, extending to, its  full length, and not
broken with an intermixture of crofs lines, it (bews'long life and
health ; and it  is the fame if a  double line of  life appear, as
there fometimes does.   When (tars appear in this line, it (igni-
fies great lofies  and calamities ;  if on i^pere be the figures of
two G's or a Y, it  threatens the  perfon with blindnels ; if it
wraps itfelf about the table line, it promifes wealth  and honor
to be attained  by prudence and induftry.   If the line  be cut
jagged at the upper end, it denotes much ficknefs ;  if this line.
be cut  by  any lines coming from the Mount of Venus, it de-
clares  the  perfon to be unrortunate,  in love and bufinefs alfo,
and threatens him  »vith fudden death.  A crofs between  the-
tine of life  and the table line, (hews the perfon to be very  liber-
al and charitable, and of a noble fpirit.
  The  table line,  when broad  and of a lively  color, fhews a
healthful conftitution,  a quiet contented  mind, and a courage-
ous fpirit ; but if it have crolles  towards the  little, finger, it
threatens the  party with  much  affiifticm  by ficknefs.   If the
line be double,  or divided intotthree parts at any ofthe extrem-
ities, itfhews the perfon to-be 6f a generous temper,  and a good
fortune to  fupport  it ; but if  this line be forked at the end. it
threatens the perfon fhall faffer by jealoufies, and lofs of  riches
gotten by deceit.   If three points fuch as thefe .•. are. found
ir^it,  they denote the  perfon-  prudent and liberal, a lover of
lining, and of a good temper.    Ifitfpreads towards the fore
and middle finger,  and ends blunt it denotes preferment.
  The  middle  line has in  it often very lignificant  characters.
Many final! lines between this and the table line threaten the
party with ficknefs, but alfo give  him hopes of. recovery  A
half crofs branching into this line, fhews honor, riches anu good
/ucccfs in  all  undertakings.   A  half moon denotes cold  and
watery diftempers  ; but a fun or flars promifes profperity  and
riches : This line double, in a woman, fhews (he will have fev-
eral.husbands, but  no children
  If the line of Venus happens to be cut or divided near the fore
finger,  it threatens ruin to the .party,  and thai it (hall befal him 
          ARISTOTLE'S MASTER  PIECE.          67.

uy means of lafcivious women and bad company.  Twocroffes
on this line, one near  the fore finger and the other bending to-
wards the little finger, fhew the party to be weak, inclined to
modefty and virtue : and in women generally denotes modefty.
  The liver line, if it be. ftraight, and crofled by other lines, de-
notes a found judgment* and a piercing underftanding ; but if it
be winding, crooked and bending outwards, it  fhewsdeceit and
flattery-  If it makes a triangle  or quadrangle, it fhews  one to
be of a noble  defcent, ambitious of honor and promotion  If
this line  and the.middle line begin.near each other, it denotes a
man to be weak in judgment, but if a woman, danger by hard
labor.
  The plane of Mars being the hollow ofthe hand, moft of inc-
lines pafling through it, are very fignificant.  Being holtow, and
the lines crooked and diftorted, it threatens the party to fall by
enemies.  When the lines beginning at the wrift are long with-
in the plane reachingto the brawn of the hand, it fhews the per-
fon to be of a hot and fiery fpirit, given to quarreling.  If deep
large crolfes be in the middle plane, it fhews the party fhall ob-
tain  honor by martial exploits : but if a woman, that flie fhall
have feveral husbands, and  eafy labor with her children;
  The. line of death is- fatal, and threatens with  fickneft and
fhort life, when crolfes appear  in it.  A  clouded moon therein
1 hreatens a child bed woman with death.,  A  ftar like a comet,
threatens  ruin by war, or death  by peftilence: But if a bright
(tin appear therein, it promifes long life and profperity.
  The lines of the wrift being fair, denote good fortune, but if
Lroken and crofled the contrary.
          1 bus he that nature richly undirjtandi,
          May from each line imprinted in bis hands,
          His future fate and fortune come to know,
          And in what path it is his feet Jhatt go■-.•■
          His fecret inclinations he may fee,
          And to what vice hejbalt addicJtd be :   ,
          To the end that, when he looks into his hand,
          He may upon his guard the better fland;
          And turn his wand'ring ftcps another way
          Whene'er he finds he does  from virtue flray.
                        CHAP. If.             J
      Judgments drawn from the feveral parts  of the Body.
          •  A LARGE  and full breaft, (hews a man valiant,
but proud, fooivangry, and hard to deal w ith.  He whofe breaft
is narrow, riGng a little in the middle, is' by the beft rules of
phyfiognomy of a clear fpirit, great underftanding, very faith-
ful, clean both in mind and body, yet foon angry and inclined
long to keep it.  He whofe  breaft is fomewhat  hairy, is  very
luxurious,  and ferviceable. to another.  He who hath no  hairs
upon his breaft, is a man weak by nature, of a  (lender capacity,
timorous, but of a laudable life and converfation, much  retired-
and inclined to peace
  The back of the chine bone, if the flefh is hairy and lean, and •
higher than any  otner part behind, fignifies a man fhamefefs,
pcaftly, and malicious. He whofe back.is large and fat, isthere- 
68
ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.
 by denoted to be ftrong and ftout, but of a heavy difpofition^
 vain, flow, and full of deceit.
   He or fhe whofe belly is foft  all over, is weak,  luftful, and
 fearful, of good underftanding, an excellent invention, a little
 eater, of various fortune.  He whofe flelh is rough and hard, is
 of a ftrong conftitution, very bold, but proud, vain, and of a
 cruel temper.  He whofe skin  is fmooth, fat and white, is cu-
 rious, vainglorious, timorous, malicious.
   A thigh full of ftrong briftly hair inclined to curl, fignifies
 one luftful,  and fit for copulation ;  thighs with little hair, and
 that foft, fhews the perfon to be chafte, having no  great defire
 to veneral pleafures, and will have but few children
   The legs of both men and women  have a Hefhy fubftance be.
 hind called calves ; now a great calf, and large bone, and hairy
 denotes the perfon to be ftrong, bold, dull in underftanding, (low
 in bufinefs, inclined to procreation, and for the moft part, for-
 tunate-  Little legs and little hair  on them, (hew the perfon  to
 be weak, fearful, of a quick underftanding, and neither luxuri-
 ous at bed or board.  He whofe legs do much abound with hair,
 is luftful, luxurious, ftrong but fickle, and abounding with  ill
 humors.
   The feet of either men or women, if broad and thick with flefh
 and long in figure, efpecially if the lkin feels hard, of a (trong
 conftitution, but of weak intellefts.  But feet that are thin and
 lean, and foft, fhew a weak body, but a ftrong underftanding,
 and excellent wit.
   The loles ofthe  feet do adminifter as plain and evident  figrts,
 to know the difpofition and conftitution  by, as the palms of the
 hands, being as full of lines, by which all the fortunes or misfor-
 tunes of man or woman may be known, and  their  inclinations
 appear.  But this in general we may take notice  of, that'many
 long lines and ftrokes do prefage many afflictions,  and a very
 troublefome life, attended with much grief, care and poverty
 But (hort lines, if they are thick  and full of crofs lines, are yet
 worfe in every degree.  Thofe the lkin of whofe foles are very
 thick, are generally ftrong  and venturous ; whereas, thofe the
 the lkin of whofe loles are thin, arc  generally weak and timor-
 ous-
  I fhall now, having given an account of what judgment: may
 be formed from the feveral parts of the body, before I conclude,
 give an account of what may be drawn by the rules of Phyfiogn-
 omy, from things extraneous, which are found upon many, ami
 which indeed to them are parts of the boby, but are fo fur fro.ti
 being neceflary parti, that they are the deformity and burden of
 it, and fpeak ofthe habits of the body as they# are diftinguiflicd
 perfons..
              I.   Of crooked and deformed perfons,
            A CROOKED breaft or fhoulder, or the exuber-
 ance of flefh in the  body either  of man or woman,  (igninosthe
 perfon to be extremely parfimonious, and ingenious, and ot
 great u.iderflanding, but very covetous, deceitful, malic ous,
aid of a bid memory ;  either cx;reineiy#Mrtuous <r vicious,
feldjia in a medium.  But  if the perfon deformed hath un ex. 
ARIS-TOTLE's MASTER PIECE.
69
creflenee on his breaft, inftead of the back, he is  for the moft
 art of a double heart, and very mifchievous.
 I.  Of the divers  Manners ofgoiha, andparticular poftures both
                    of Men and Women.
            HE or flie that goes flowly, making great fteps a »-
they go,  are generally perfons of  bad memory, dull of appre -
henfion, given to  loitering, and flow of belief.  He  who goes
apace, and makes fhort fteps, is moft fuccefsful in all his funder-
takings, fwift in his imaginations, and humble in the difpofition
of his affairs.  He who makes wide and uneven fteps.  and fide
long is one of a greedy fordid nature, fubtle, malicious,  and
wills to do evil.
        III.  Ofthe Gait or Motion in Men or Women.
            EVERY man and woman hath  a certain gait or
motion.   For a man to be  fhaking his head, or ufing any fight
motion with his hands or feet, whether, he ftands, fits, or fpeaks,
is fuperfluous, unneceflary, and unhandfome : and fuch, by the
rules of phyfiognomy are vain, unwife, unchafte, detractors, un-
liable and unfaithful.  He or  fhe who have little motion when
difcourfing with any one, is for the moft part, wife,  well bred,
frugal, faithful induftrious and fit  for any employment.  He
whofe pofture is forwards, and backwards, mimical, is thereby
denoted to be a vain, filly perfon,  dull of wit, and very malic-
ious.  He whofe motion is lame and limping,  or otherwise im-
perfect, or that counterfeits an imperfection,  is denoted to be
envious,  malicious, falfe and detracting
       IV.  Judgments drawn from theftature of a man.
            PHYSIOGNOMY draws alfo feveral judgments
from the ftature of a man ; fuch as, If a man be ftraight and up-
right, inclined rather to leannefs  than fat it  fliews him to be
bold, cruel, proud, clamorous, hard topleafe and harder to be
reconciled when  difpleafed, very frugal,  deceitful  and malic-
ious.  To be of a  tall ftature and corpulent with it, denotes him
to be not only handfome, but  valiant alfo ; although of no ex-
traordinary underftanding, and which is word of all, ungrateful.
He who is extremely tall, and  very lean and thin, is a project-
ing man, that defigns no good  to himfelf, and fufpefts every
one to be as bad as himfelf, importunate to obtain what he de-
fires, and extremely  wedded  to his own  humors.  He who is
thick and fhort, is vain,, envious,  fufpicious, fhallow of appre-
henfion, eafy of belief, and long before he forgets an  injury.
He who is lean and fhort, but upright, is, by the  rules of phyfi-
ognomy, wife and ingenuous, bold and confident, of a good un-
derftanding, but of a deceitful  heart.  He who (loops as he goes
not by age but cuftoni, is laborious,  a retainer of fecrets,  but
very incredulous.   He that goes with his belly ftretching forth,
is  forcible, merry, and eafy to  beperfuaded.
          V.   Genera! Obfervations  worthy of Note.
            WHEN  you find a  red  man to be faithful, a tall.
man to be wife, a  fat man  to be fwift on foot, a lean  man to be
a fool, a handfome man not proud,  a poor man not  envious, a.
whitely man not wife, one that talks through the nofe  to fpeak
without  fnuffingj  a knave no  liar, an upri-ht man not t&walk.
f 
  TO         ARISTOTLE'S MASTER PIECE.

  ftraight, one that dwells when he fpeaks not crafty and circum-
  venting ; .a  man of a hot conftitution not luftful, one that winks
  ®n another with his eyes, not falfe and deceitful, one that knows
 hrow to fhufflehis  cards, ignorant how to deal them ; a rich man
  prodigal, a  failor and hangman pitiful, a  poor  man to build
 ^churches, a  higler not to be a  liar and a praiferof his ware, a
"" *uyer notto find fault with and undervalue that which he would
1 willingly buy, a quack doctor to have a good confcience, a bail-
  iff or catchpole not to be a mercilefs villain,  an hoftefs not to o-
  ver reckon you, and an ufurer to be charitable j  then  fay you
  have found  a predigy, or men afting contrary to  the courle cf
  their nature.
ENS> OF  THE  MASTER PIECB. 
FAMILY    PHYSICIAN.
Being choice and approved Remedies for the feveral diflempers in-
                 cident to the human Body.
         A powder for the Epilepfy or falling ficknefs.
            TAKE of opponax, crude antimony, dragon's
blood, caller, peony feeds, of each  an equal quantity, make
them into fo fubtle powder, the dofe of half a  dram,  in black
cherry water.  Before you take it, the ftomach muft be cleanf-
cd with fome proper vomit, as that of Mynfinft's emetic Tartar,
from four grains  to fix.   For children, fait of vitriol, from a
fcruple to half a dram-
             A vomit for afwiming  in the head.
  Take cream of tartar half a fcruple, caftor two grains, rflfec
all together for a vomit, to be taken at four o'clock in the af
tfrnoon.   At night, going to bed, it will  be  very proper to
take a dofe ofthe apopleilic powder.
                   For fpitting of Blood.
  Take conferve of comfrey, and of hips, of each an ounce and
a half, conferve of red rofes three  ounces, dragon's blood a
dram, fpeciescf hyacinth two fcruples, red  coral a dram;  mix
with the fyrup of red poppies, and make a foft eleftuary ! -take
the quantity of a walnut night and morning.
               A powder againfl Vomiting.
  Take crabs eyes, red coral, ivory,  of each two drams ; burnt
hartfhorn, 1 dram, cinnamon and red  faunders of  each half a
dram ; make all for a fubtile powder and take half a dram.
                   For the Bloody Flux.
  Take a dram of powder [of rhubarb  in a fufficient quantity
of conferve of red rofes, early in the morning, and at night
take of torrefied or roafted rhubarb half a dram, diafcordiuma
dram and a half, liquid laudanum cydoniated a fcruple.  Mix
them and make a bolus.
              For an inflamation ofthe Lungs
  Take curious Water  10  ounces, water of red poppies 3 oun-
ces, fyrup of poppies  1 ounce, pearl prepared a dram :  Make a
julep and take dx fpoonfulsevery four hours.
                 For weaknefs in Women.
  After a gentle purge or two, take the following decoftion,
viz.  a quarter of a pound lignumviths, faflafrasi ounces ; boil
the whole in fix quarts  of water to a gallon  : drain and keep it
for ufe ; Take half a pint firft in the morning,  fading  for tw«
hours after: another at  four of the clock in the afternoon :  And
a third at going to bed.
                  An ointment for the Itch.
  Take fulphur vive,  in powder, half  an ounce ; oil of tartar
per deliquium a fufficient quantity ; ointment of  rofes 4oz.
make a liniment, to which add a fcruple of oil  of rhodium t»
aroniatife it, and ruh the parts eflefted with  it. 
t*.               FAMILY PHYSICIAN.
                  For Worms in Children.
  Take worm feed half a dram, flower of fulphur a dram, fut
prunella half a dram : mix and make a powder ; give as much
as will lie upon a filver threepence  night and  morning, in trea-
cle or honey.  For grown perfons add a fmall quantity of aloe
rofatum, and fo make them up int« pills 3 or  4 of which may
be taken every morning,
    A Diet Drink for the Vertigo, or fwimmingof the Head.
  Take fmall ale, and boil it in the leaves of miftletoe of the
apple tree, roots  of male peony and peony flowers ; then put it'
into a veffel of four gallons, in which hang a bag of half a pound
of peacock's dung,- and 2 drams of cloves bruifed ; drink it as
a common  drink.
                       For a  loofenefs.
  Take of Venice treacle and diafcordium, of each half a dram,
rn warm ale, water gruel, &c. at night going to bed.
  ^,               For fevers  in Children.
  ^'ake of crabs' eyes  1 dram, cream of tartar half a dram,
white fugar candy  finely powdered, the weight of both ;  mix
them well together, and give as much as willlie  upon a filver
3d. in a fpoonful of barley water or fack whey.
            For an Headache  of long ftanding.
  Take the juice of powder of diftilled water of hog lice, and
 continue the ufe of it.
                 For the Gripes in Children.
  Give a drop or two of the oil of annifeed in a fpoonful  of
penada, milk, or any thing you fhall think proper.
                       For an Ague.
   Take the common bitter  drink, without  the purgatives i
 quarts fait of wormwood 2 oz. faffrom a dram.  After a vomit
 or convenient purge, take naif a pint of this three  times a day,
""in the morning  fading, mid  day and at night.
                      For the Cholic.
   Take annifeed. fweet  fennel, coriander,  carraway  feeds, I
 drams each, cummin feed a dram,  rafed ginger a fmall quantity
 bruife all in a mortar, and put them into  a quart of Nantz
 brandy to infufe 3 days,  fhaking the bottle 3 or 4 times a day,
 then (train it; take 2 or 3 fpoonfuls in'  the  fit.
         For  the palpitation or beating of the Heart.
   Take powder of crab's eyes, burnt hartftiorn, red coral, fef
 each a dram, Englifh  faffron  a fcruple, mix and make  pow-
 der.   Take a fcruple of it night and  morning in a fpoonful of
 barley water, drinking a draught after  it
       For a pain in the ftomach preceding from 'wind.
   Take Venice treacle '4 drams, dittany, feeds of ambos dau-
 cus,  each fix  grains, galangal, cloves, corol, wood  of  aloeSi
 each a fcruple,  conferve of rofes 1 oz. conferve of mint half an
 ousce, with fyrup  of mint  make an eleftuary. Dofe;  the
 quantity of a nutmeg  in  the  morning,  fading.
            Lozenges reftorative in Cenjumptton.
   Take pirte nuts prepared two drams and a half, green fuffic
 two drams, fpecies diambrae two fcruples, cinnamon and cloves
 half a dram each, galangal a fcruple, nutmeg* two fcruplesi 
                   FAMILY PHYSICIAN.               TS

  white ginger, half a dram.  Xilo aloes half a fcruple, with four
  ounces and a half of fugar diflblved in rofe water, and of the
  fpecies make a confection in lozenges.
              Againft Aches and Pains in the Joints.
    Take powder of camopetys and gentian, of each five  drams,
  dried leaves of rue three ounces ; make all :nto a  fine powder
  after due purging, give a dram of this  night and morning, in a
  fpoonful of white wine.
                For Spots and Pimples in the Jiin-
    Take black foap two ounces, fulphur vive in  powder one
  ounce, tie them in a rag, and hang them in a pint of vinegar for
  the fpace of nine days : then rub and wafh the part gently twice
  a day, that is night and morning.
                  Purging Pills for the fcurvy.
    Take rofin of julep twenty grains, aromantic  pills  with gum
  two grains, vitriolated tartar twenty fix grains, oil of juniper
  ten grains, with a fufficient quantity of gum armoniac  diflblved
  in  vinegar of fquills   Take four at a time early in the morning
  fading two hours after   You may take them once a week.
             A difiilted Water for a confirmed Pbtbific.
    Take leaves of ground ivy five handfuls, fix  nutmegs diced.
  two pound of the crumbs of wheat bread, three  pound of fnails,
  half boiled and diced into milk, and take it three or four times a
  day,  fweetened with fugar and pearl ot rofes
        A quieting Night draught  when the Cough is violent.
    Take of w ater of green wheat fix ounces, fyrup or diafcordi-
  um three ounces Mix them, and take two or three fpoonfuls at
  going to bed.
                    For Vomiting or Loofenefs.
    Take of Venice treacle one ounce, powder of tormentile roots
  contrayerva, pearl and prepared coral, of each a fufficient quan-
  tity, with the fyrup of dried rofes make an eleftuary : Take the
  quantity of a w alnut every fourth or fifth hour ; drink after it a
  draught of ale or beer, with a cruft of bread, mace or cinnamon
  boiled in it.
               A diflilled Water for the Jaundice.
   Take one pound of the roots  of Engli'h rhubarb fliced,  the
  rinds of four   oranges fliced,  filings of fteel one pound,  frefh
  ftrawberries fix pounds, three quarts of white wine : let thtm
  (land  in infufion for fome time, diftilall according to art.  Take
  four ounces twice a day, with twenty drops ofthe  fpirit of faf-
  fron.
                      For the Rbeumatifm.
   Take volatile fait  of hartfhorn, volatile fait of amber, two
'  drains each, crabs' eyes one ounce, cochineal a fcruple ; mix and
  make a powder.   Take half a dram three times a day, or every
  four hours,keeping your bed and fweating upon it.
                    For a violent toothache-
   If the »?etii be hollow, nothing cures but drawing, but if occa-
 fioned through a defluxion of humors, firft take  a gentle purge
 and at night when you go to bed take a grain or two of London 
"4
1AMILY PAYSICIAN.
 andanum, which will thicken the humor, flop the  defluxiorrs
and confequently remove the pain.
                  For Saint Anthony's Fire.
  Bleeding premifed, take frog fpawn water, plantain water, half
a pint each, fugar of lead two drams ; mix and  (hake the bottle
till the fait is dilfoKed.  Dip a linen  cloth in  this water, and
bathe the part affected ; it cools wonderfully.
                   For the Black Jaundice.
  Take flowers offal armoniac, diancum, and extract of gen.
tian,of each a dram; fait amber a fcruple ; gum armoniac dif-
lblved in  vinegar of fquills fuffices ; make a mafs of fmall pills,
take it three or four mornings and  evenings.
             For (linking Gums without Rottennejs.
  Take powder of beft myrrh one  ounce : claret wine a pint;
after two or three days  infufion, wafh  your gums and mouth
with it.
        For the Rhcumatifm proceeding from the fcurvy.
  Take flone horfe  dung a pound, white wine three or  four
quarts, diftil according  to art; take five or fix ounces twice or
thrice a day.  Some take the infufion only, but this exceeds it.
             For a convulfive Cough in Children.            i
  After a gentle  vomit and purge, apply a blifter to the nape of
the neck ; but if the diftemper be obftinate, cut an iflue in the
neck or arm ; Keep them clofe to a diet drink of fhavings of iv-
ory, faunders,  and  fome diuretic ingredients.  But if a ipecifid
you may  have cupiv.ofs in powder every day in boiled milk, and
the decoftion of hylfop, with a little caftor and faffron.
                  For an inward bleeding.
  Take leaves of plantain and nettles,  of each three handfuls,
bruife them well, and pour on theni^ fix ounces of plantain wa-
ter ; make a ftrong emulfion, and drink  the whole oft'.
                  For a bleeding at the nofe.
  Take a dried toad, few it up in a filk bag, and hang it at the pit
ofthe ftomach a  confiderable time.  This  hath performed the
cure when other medicines have failed-
  For the fame,  take calcanthum rubefaftum, or caput mortu-
nm of vitriol half an  ounce, boil it in a quart of quick liifie wa-
 er to a pint, when cold and fettled,  ftrain it   Dip a tint in it,
.'nd thruft.it up the noftril, or you may fnuffiit up.
            Powder-againft Poifon and Peftilence.
  Take  zeodory, euphorbium,  corallina,  tormentil, gentian,
common  dittany, fealcd earth,  armenian bole, red and white
coral, fpikenard, ma nch, clovejelly, flowers, lelfer centuary,
red fuanlers, bone  of a  flag's heart, camphire, of  each equal
parts   Make all into an impalpable powder ; give one  drain
v.'.'.';: forrel water,  ;r w;*h vine  andforrel boiled together. 
  EXPERIENCED   1MIBWIFE.

                   PART  I.

A  GUIDE FOR CHILD  BEARING Vv'GMFN.
INTE.ODUCTIO::.
            I  HAVE given this bock the title of the Comple'e
and  Experienced Midwife, both becaufe it is chiefly defigned
for thofe that profefs midwifery, and contains whatever is necef-
lary  for them to know in the practice thereof, and alfo becaufe it
is the refultof many years experience, and that in the moft diili-
cult cafes, and  is therefore the more to be depended upon    A
midwife is the moft neceflary and honorable office, being indeed
   *elper of nature : which therefore makes it  neceflary for  her
   be well acquainted with all the  operations of nature in the
work of generation,  and inftruments  with which (he works :
For {he that knows not the operations of nature, nor with what
tools fhe works, ff;e muft needs beatalofs ho-* toaffift therein.
And feeing the inftruments of operation both in men and woi.k u
are thofe things by which mankind is produced,  it is very  nec-
eflary that all midwives fhould be acquainted with them,  that
they may the better underftand their bufinefs. and afiift  nature
as there fhall be occafion.   The firft thing then neceflary, asin-
troduftory to this treatife, isan Anatomical Description
ofthe feveral parts of generation both in men and wcnien :  and
having defigned throughout  to  comprehend much in a little
room, I (hall avoid all unneeeffary and impertinent matters with
which boo!c« of this nature are for the moft part too much clog-
ged  and which are more curious than needful.   And  though I
fhould be neceflitated to fpeak plainly- that fo I maybe  under-
ftood, yet I (hall do it with that l.io.iefty  that none  (hall have
need tobhtfh,  unlefs it be from fomething in themfelves, rather
than from what they (hall find here,  having  the motto of th*
royal garter  for my defence which is, (iII:v.; fo'.t qui mrJy  v.-
fe\ " or, Evil  to h:m that evil thir.ks.
                       CM .P.  I.
An Anatomical D fii^l'je  ofthe Inf. uments of'Generation  ■;■: M.. .
                       and Wemail.
                      Section   I.
              Of the farts of Generation in Ma.j.
          AS  The generation of mankind is  produced by  the
coition of both fexes, it neceflarily  follow;-, that the inftruments
of generation are of two forts, to wit, male,  and  female:  the
operations of which are by action and pafilori,  and herein the a-
gent is the feed, and the patient blood .•  whence we may eafily
collect, that  the body of man being  generated  by aftion  and
paflion  he muft nee,is be ffeje't  tl.e'ixunto during his life. 
T6             EXPERIENCED MIDWIfE.

Now, fince the inftruments of generation are male and female,
it will be neceflary to treat of them bothdiftinftly that the difcreet
midwife may be well acquainted with their feveral  parts, and
their various operations, as they contribute to the work of gen-
eration.  And, in doing this, 1  (hall give  the honor of prece-
dence to my own fex, and fpeak firft ofthe parts of generation
in man, which (hall be comprehended under fix particulars, viz.
The preparing  veflels, the  corpus varicofum,  the  tefticles  or
ftones, the vafa deferentia, the  feminal veflels, arid the yard, of
each of w hich in their order.
  1. T he firft are the vafa  preparentia,  or preparing vefTels,
which are in number four, two  veins, and as  many arteries ;
and they are called preparing veflels from their office, which is
to prepare that matter or fubftance which  the  ftones  turn into
feed to fit it for the work.  Whence you may note, that the liv-
er is the original of blood and diftributes it through the body  by
the veins, and not the heart, as fome  have taught.   As  to the
original of thefe veins,  the right vein proceedeth from the vena
cava, or great vein,  which receives the blood from the liver
and diftributes it by its branches to all the body;  the  leftil
from the emulgent vein, which is one of the two main brancheT
of the hollow vein pafling to the reins.   As to the  arteries, they
both arife from the great artery,  which  the Greeks call that
which  is indeed the great trunk and  original of all  the arteries.
Hut I will not trouble you with Greek derivations of words,  af-
fecting more to teach you the knowledge of things than  words.
  2. '1 he next thing to  be fpoken of is the  corpus variofum, and
this is an interweaving of the veins and arteries which carry the
vital and natural blood  to the  ftones to make feed  of.  Thefe
though at their firft defcenfion  they keep at a fmall diftance the
one from the other, yet before they enter the ftones they make
an admirable intermixture of twifhng the one from the other, fo
that fometimes the veins go into the arteries, and fometimes the
arteries into the veins ; the fubftance of which is very hard and
long, not much unlike  a pyramid in form, without any fenfible
hollownefs : The ufe is to make one body  of the blood and vital
fpirits, which they both mix and change the color of, from  red
to white, fo that the ftones may, both have a fit matter to work
upon, and do their work more eafily ;  for which reafon, the in-
terweaving reacheth down to the very  (tones, and  pierceth  in
their fubftance.
  3. The ftones are the third thing to be fpoken of,  called alfo
tefticles : in Latin, lefles, that is, witnelles,becaufe they witnefs
one to be a man.  As to thefe  1 need not tell you their number,
nor where nature has placed them, for that  is obvious to the
eye.  '1 heir fubftance is (oft, white and fpongy,  full of fmall
veins and.arteries which is the  reafon they fwell to fuch a big-
nefs upon the flowing down ofthe humor  in them.   Their form
is oval ; but moft authors are of opinion that their bignefsisnot
equal,  but that the fight is the biggeft,  the hotteft,  and breeds
the  beft and the (irongelt feed.   Each of thefe ftones hath a muf-
cle, called, cremafler, which (ignifies to  hold  up, becaufe they
pull up the (tones in the aft ct coition, that fo the veflels being 
               EXr-EiUENCED  MIDWIFE.           17

fiackened, may the better  void the  feed.  Thefe mufcles arr;
weakened both by age and ficknefs ; and the  ftones then  hang
down lower than in  youth and health.   Thefe  ftones are of
great ufe, for they convert the blood and vital fpirits  into feed
for the procreation of man- But this muft not be underftood as
if they converted all the blood that  comes into them  into feed,
for they keep  fome for their  own  nouriflime-.t.  But bcfides
this, they add ftrength and courage to the body ; which is ev-
ident frdm this, that eunuchs are neither fo hot, ftrong, ncr
valiant, as other men, nor is an ox fo hot or valiant as a bull.
  4. The next in order are the vafa dejercr.tia, which are the
veflels that carry the feed from the'ftones to the feminal veflels,
which is kept there till its expuliion.  Thefe  are  in number
two, in color white, and in fubftance  nervous  or finewy ; and
forma  certain hollownefs which they have in them, are alfo
called fpermatic pores, they rife not far from the preparing vef-
fels ; and when they come into the cavity of the belly, they
turn back again and pafs into the backfide of the bladder, be-
tween it and the right gut ; and when they come near the neck
ofthe bladder they are joined to the feminal galls, which fome-
what refemble the cells of an honey comb  ; which cells contain
an  oily  fubftance, for they  draw the  fatty fubftance from the
feed which they empty into the urinal paflage, which is  done
for the moft part in the a£t of  copulation, that fo the thin inter-
nal lkin ofthe yard fuflers not through the acrimony or fharp-
nefs of the feed.   And when the  vafa deferentia has pafled as
before declared, they fall into the glandula poftrata which arc
the veflels ordained to keep the feed, and which are next  to be
fpoken  of.
   5 The feminal veffels. calledglandulum feminale, are certain
kennels placed between the neck ofthe bladder, and the right
gut, compafling about the v,tfa deferentia, the urethra, or com-
mon paflage for feed and urine, palling through the midft of it,
and may properly enough be called the conduit of the yard.
At the mouth of the urethra,  where it  meets with the vafa de-
ferentia, there is a thick (kin whofe  office is to hinder the femin-
al veffels, which are of a^pongy nature, from fheding their feed
againft their will ; the  Win is very  full of pores, and through
the heat of the aft ofcopulation the pores open, am;. fo give pai-
fage to the feed, which being  of a very fubtile fpirit, and efpec-
ially being moved will pafs thro'  the caruncle or fkin as quick -
filver through  leather ; and yet the pores of this (kin are not
difeernable unlefs in the anatomy of a man, who had  fome vio-
lent running in the reins when he died, and then they art con-
fpicuous, thofe veffels being the proper featof that difeafe.
   6. The laft ofthe partsof generation in man  to be fpoken of,
is the yard,  which  ha* a principle (hare in the  work of genera-
tion ; and is called Penis, from its  hanging without the belly  ;
and itconfifts of fkin, tendons, veins,  arteries,  (inews and great
ligaments and is long and round, being ordained by nature both
for the  pall'a.e for the urine, and for the conveyance of feed
into the matrix   It hath fome parts common with it to the reft
cf the  body, as the  fkin, orthe  Membrana Carnofa  and fome 
?»             EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.

parts it has peculiar to itfelf, as the two  nervous bodice,  the
Septus, the Urethra, the Glans, the four mulcle:;, and the vef--
fels.   1 he fkin, which the Latins called Cutis, is full of pores,
through which the ("weat and fuliginous or footy black vapors'
of the third concoct ion (which  concocts th; blood  into flefh)
paf? out ;  thefe pores are very many and  thick but hardly vifi-
b?e to the eye ; and when the yard ftands not, it is flaggy ;  but
when it ftands, it is fijf: The fkin is very fenfible, becaufe the
serves concur to make up its being ; for the brain gives fenfe
to the bod;:  by the nerves.  As to  the Camus Membrana, or
the ffofhy lkin! it is fo  called,  not  becaufe its  body is. flefhy
lkin, but becaufe it lies between the flelh and paffeth into oth-
er parts of the body underneath the fat, and flicks clofe to the
mufcle : but in the yard there is no fat at all, only a few fuper-
ficial veins and arteries yafs  between the  former fkin and this,
which  when the  yard ftands are vifible to the eye : Thefe are
the parts common both to the yard and the  reft  of the body.  I
will row fpeak of thofe parts ofthe yard which  are  peculiar to,
itfelf and to no other parts of the body : and  thofe are likewife
fix, as has been already faid of  which it will  alfo be neceflary
to fpeak particularly : And,
   1. Ofthe Nervous Bodies : Thefe are two, tho'joined togeth-
er, and are  hard, long and finewy,  they are fpongy within and
full of black blood ; the  fpongy fubftance of the inward part of
it feem to be woven together like a net, confining of innumera-
ble twigs of veins and  arteries.  The black blood contained
therein is very full of fpirits, and the delights or defire of Ve-
nus add heat to thefe, which  caufeth the  yard  to (land; and
that is the reafon that both  veneral fights and tales will do- it.-
Nor need it be ftrange to any, that Venus, being a planet cold
 and moift, (hould add heat to thofe parts, fince  by night, as the
 Pfalmift teft-ifies,  Pfal. exxi.  6.  Now this hollow, fpongy inter-' "
 mixture or  weaving was fo ordered by nature, on purpofe to
 contain the fpirit of veneral heat, that the yard may not fall be-, i
 fore it has done  its work.   Thefe two  fide ligaments of thf
 yard, where they are thick and round, arife from the lower
 part of the (hare bone, and  at the beghining are  feparated the
 one from the other, refembling a paircf horns, or the letter Y
 where the Urethra, or common paflage of urine and feed, paff-
 eth between them.
   2. Thofe nervous bodies of which I have fpoken, fo foon as
.they come to the joining ofthe fhare bone, are joined by the
 Sce'ptum Lucium, which is the fecond internal part to be defcrib*
 ed, which in fubftance is white and nervous, or finewy, and its
 ufe is to uphold the two fide ligaments and the Urethra.
   3. The third thing in  the internal part of the yard is the Ure-
 thra, which is the paflage or channel by which both the  feed
 and urine is convey^ out thro' the yard.   The fubftance of it
 is finewy, thick,  fofflmd loofe,  as the fide ligaments are ;  it be-
 gins at the neck of the bladder, and, being  joined to it, pafleth
 to the glands.   It has in the  beginning of it  three  holes, ot
 which the hrgeft-of them is in the mid't, which receives the u- 
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
79
  • ine into it, the other two are fmaller, by which it  receives the
  feed from each feminal veffel
    4. The yard has four mufcles ; on each fide two : thefe muf-
  cles are inftruments of voluntary motion, w ithout which no part
  of the body can move itfelf.  It confifts of fibrous flefh to make
  its body, of nerves for its fenfe, of veins for its nourifhment, of
  arteries for its vital heat, of a membrane or fkin to knit it to-
  gether, and to difiinguifh one mufcle. from another, and all of
  them from the flefh.   Of thefe mufcles, as I  faid before, the
  yard has two on each fide, and the ufe of them is to  ereft the
  yard, and make it (land, and therefore they are alfo called ereft-
  ors : But here you muft note, that of the two on each fide the
  one is fhorter and thicker than the other ;  and thefe  are they
  that do ereft the yard, and fo are called ereftors : But the two
• other being longer and fmaller, their office  is to dilate the low-
  er part of the Urethra, both  for making water, and emitting
  the feed ; upon which account  they  are called Accelerators.
    5 That which is called the Glands is the extreme part ofthe
  yard, which is very  foft, and of a moft exquifite feeling by  rea-
  fon of the thinnefs of the (kin wherewith it  is covered : This is
  covered with the Praputium, or fore fkin,  which in fome men
  covers  the top. of the yard quite clofe, but in  others it doth
  not; which fkin moving up and down in the aft of copulation,
  brings pleafure both to man and woman : this outer fkin is that
  which the Jews were commanded to cut off on the eighth day :
  this Praputium, or fore fkin, is tied to the glands by a ligament
  or bridle, which is called Franum.
    6. The laft internal part of the yard are the veflels  thereof,
  veins nerves and arteries.  Of thefe fome pafs by the  fkin, and
  are vifible to the eye when the yard ftands ;  others pafs by the
  inwaid part of the yard ; the arteries are wonderfully  difperf-
  ed through the bodvr of the yard, much exceeding the  difper-
  fion of the veins ; for  the  right artery is difperfed to the left
  fide, and the left to the right Tide  It hath two nerves, the lelT-
  er whereof isbeftowed upon the fkin, the greater upon the muf-
  cle sand body of the yard.  But this much (hall fuffice  to be
  faid in defcribing  the parts of  generation in men  : and  fhall,
  therefore in the next place, proceed to defcribe thofe of wom-
  en, fo that the induftnous midwife may know how to help them
  in their extremities.
     Sec. II.  Defcribing the Parts of Generation in. Women.
         WHAT EVER ignorant perfons may imagine, or fome
  good  women think, they are  unwilling triofe private parts
  which nature has given them, fhould be expofed, yet it is in this
  cafe abfolutely neceflary ;  for I do pofitively affirm,  that it is,
  impoflible truly to apprehend what a midwife  ought to do, if
  thefe parts are not perfectly underftood by them, nor do I know.
  any reafon they have to be efhamed to fee or hear a particular
  defeription of what God and nature hath given them, fince it is
  not the having thefe parts, but the  unlawful ufe of them that
  eaufes fhame.
   To proceed then, in  this defeription  more regularly,  I (hall
  fpeak in order of thefe  following-principal parts 5  Ik.  Ofthe 
80             EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.

Privy Paflage : 2etly  Of the womb : Sdly. Of the Tefticles,
or Stones : Athly  Of the Spermatic Veflels
  lft. Of the Privy Paflage.  Under this head  I fhall confider
the fix following parts.
  i. The lips, which are vifible to the eye, and are defigned by
nature as a cover to the Fijfura Magna,  or great orifice ; thefe
are framed of the  body, and have pretty (tore of fpongy fat:
and their ufe is to keep the  internal parts from cold and dud.
Thefe are the only things that are obvious to the fight, the reft
are concealed,  and cannot  be  feen,  unlefs  the two lips  arc
ftretched afunder, and the entry ofthe privities opened.
  a. When the lips are  fevered, the next thing that appears is
the Nymphae or wings; they are formed of  foft and  fpongy
flefh, and are in form and coior like the comb  of a cock.
  3. In the uppermoft part, juft above the urinary paflage, may  «
be obferved the Clitoris, which is a finewy and hard body, full
of fpongy and black matte r within, like the fide ligament ofthe
yard ;; reprefenting in form the yard of a man, and fufters erec-
tion and falling as a man's yard, in proportion to the defire a wo-
man hath in copulation  ; and this alfo is that which gives a wo-
man delight in copulation ;  for without this a woman hath nei-
ther a defire to copulation, and delight in it, nor can conceive
by it.   And I have heard that fome women have had their Cli-
toris fo long, that they  have abufed other women therewith ;
nay, fome have gone fo far as to fay,  that thofe perfons that
have been reported to be Hermaphrodites, as  having the geni-
tals both of men and women, are only fuch women in whom thfe
Clitoris hangs out externally,  refembling the form of a yard.
But though f will not be  pofitive in that, yet it is certain,' that
the larger the Clitoris is in any woman the more luftful fhe is.
  4. Under the Clitoris, and  above the neck,  appears the Ori-
fice, or urinary paflage which is much larger in women than
men, and eaufes their water to come from them in a great ftream.
On both fides the urinary paflage may be feen two (mail mem-
braneous appendices, a  little broader above than  below, iffning
forth of the inward  parts of the great lips, immediately, under
the Clitoris ;  the ufe whereof is to cover the orifice ofthe urine,
ana defend the bladder from the cold air : So that when a wo-
veeeei piffeth, fhe contrafts,herfelf fo, that fhecondufts out the u-
rine without furiering it to fpread along the privities, and often
wit] :>ut fomuch as wetting the lips ; and therefore thefe fmall
membraneous wings are called the Nymphce, becaufe they govern
the woman's water.  Some womeff have them fo great and long, ■
that they have  been neceffitated to cut off fo much as  has ex-
ceeded and grew without the lips
   5. Near this are four Caruncles, or flefhy knobs, commonly
called Caruncles Myrtiformes : thefe are placed, on each  fide
two, and a fmall one above, juft under the urinary paflage, and
in virgins are reddifh, plump and round, but hang flagging when
virginity is loft :  In virgins they are joined together by  a thin
ancf finewy fkin or membrane, which is called the Hymen, and
keeps them in fubjeftion, and makes them referable a kind of
 rofe bud half blown.  This difpofition of the Caruncles is the 
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.           81
only certain mark of virginity, it being in vain to fearch for it
elfe where, or hope to be informed of it in any other way : and
'tis from the prefling and bruifing the Caruncles, and forcing and
breaking the  little membranes (which is done by the yard in
the firft aft of  copulation) that there happens an effufion of
blood ; after which they remain feparated, and never recover
their firft figure, but become more and more flat as the acts of
copulation are increafed ; and in thofe that have children  they
are almoft totally  defaced, by reafon of the  great diftention
thefe parts fuft'erin time of their  labor. Their ufe is to ftraight-
en the neck of  the womb, to hinder the cold air from incom-
moding it, and likewife to increafe mutual pleafure in the aft of
coition :  for the Caruncles being then extremely fwelled, and
filled with blood and fpirits, they clofe with more pleafure upon
the yard  of  a man, whereby  the woman is much more de-
lighted.  What I have faid of the effufion of blood which hap-
pens in the firft aft of copulation, though when it happens it is
an undoubted fign of virginity,  fhewing the Caruncles Myrti-
 formes have never been prefledtill then ; yet when there  hap-
pens no blood,  it is not always a fign that virginity is loft before;
tor the Hymen may be broken without  copulation by the de-
 fluxion of (harp humors,  which fometimes happens  to young
virgins, becaufe in them it is thineft :  It is alfo done by the un-
fkilful applying of beftaries  to provoke the  terms, Sec.   But
thefe  things  happen fo rarely,  that thofe virgins  do thereby
 bring themfelves under a juft fufpicion.
   6. There is next to be  fpoken of, the neck of the womb,
which is nothing elfe but the diftance between the privy paflage
 and the mouth  of the  womb, into which the man's yard enters
 in the aft ofcopulation ; and in  women of reafonable ftature is
 about eight inches in length.  'Tis of a membraneous fubftance,
 flefhy without, fkinny, and very much wrinkled within  ; and
 that it may  both retain the  feed caff into it in the aft ofcopu-
 lation, and alfo that it may dilate and extend itfelf to give fuffi-
cient paflage to  the infant at its birth- It is compofeo of two
 membranes,  the innermoft of them being white, nervous and
 circularly wrinkled  much like the palate of an ox, that fo it
^ might either contraft or dilate itfelf according to the bignefs or
 length of the man's  yard and to the end, that by the co'lifion,
 fqueezing, or prefling made by  the  yard in  copulation, the
 p'eafure may be mutually augmented.  The external, or out-
 inoft membrane is red and fleliy like the mufcle ofthe Funda-
 ment, furrounding the firft, to the end the yard may be better
 clofed within it ; and itisoy means of this membrane that the
 neck adheres the ftronger to both the bladder and the right gut.
The internal membrane in young girls is very foft and delicate,
 but in women  much addicted to copulation  it grows harder ;
 and in thofe that arc grown aged, if they have been given much
 to venery, it is almoft become grifly.
   7. Having fpoken of the privy paflage, I come now  to  (peak
 ofthe womb or matryx, its parts arc two ; the  mouth ot the
 womb, and the bottom of it.   The mouth is an orifice  at  the
 entrance into the which may be dilated and fhut together  like a 
82
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
 purfe ; for though in the aft of copulation it is big enough to
 receive the glands of the yard, yet after conception it is fo clofe
 (hut, that it will not admit the point of a bodkin to enter ; and
 yet again at the time of the woman's delivery it is opened fo
 extraordinary, that the infant pafleth through it into the world ;
 at which  time this orifice wholly difappears. and the womb
 feems to have but one great cavity from its bottom to the very
 entrance of the neck.  When a woman is not with child it is  a
 little oblong and of a fubftance very thick and clofe ; but when
 (he is With child, it is  (hortened, and its thicknefs diminifheth
 } i'oportionably to its diftention : And therefore it is a miftake of
 feme anatomiftsto affirm, that its fubftance  waxeth thicker  a
 little before a woman's labor ; for any one's reafon will inform
 them,.that the more  diftended it is, the  thiner it muft be, and
 the nearer a woman is to the time of her delivery, the fhorter
 her womb muft be extended.  As to  the  adtion by which this
 inward orifice of the womb is opened and fhut, it is purely nat- ■
 ural ; for were it otherwife, there would not be fo many baft-
 ards gotten as there are ; nor would fome married women have
 fo many children were  it at their own choice,  but they would
 hinder conception, though they would be willing enough to ufe
 copulation ;  for nature has attended that aftion with fomething
 fo pleafing and delightful, that  they are willing to indulge
 themfelves in the  ufe  thereof, notwithftanding  the  pains
-4jplt they  afterwards endure, and the hazard of  their lives
"which often follow it : And this  comes,  to pafs  not  fo  much
 from any inordinate luft in women, as for that the geat Direct-
 or, of nature, for the increafe and multiplication of mankind,
 and even  for all other fpeeies in the elementary world, hath
 placed fuch a magnetic virtue in the womb,  that it draws the
 feed to it as the loadftone draws iron.
   The author of nature has placed the womb in the belly, that
 the heat might always be maintained by the warmth ofthe parts
 furrounding it ; it is therefore feated in the middle ofthe Hy-
 pogaflrum (or the lower part ofthe belly) between the  bladder
 and the rectum (or right gut) by which alfo it is defended from
 any hurt through the hard nefs of the bones ; and it is placed in ■
 the lower  part of the belly for the conveniency of copulation,
 and of a birth's being thruft out at the full time.
   It is of figure almoft round, inclining fomewhat to an oblong,
 in part refembling a pear,  for, from being broad at  the bot-
 tom, it gradually ttnninates in the point of the orifice which is
 narrow.
   The length, breadth and thicknffs of  the womb differ ac-
 cording to the age and difpofition of the body ; for, in virgins
 r-ot ripe it is very fmall in all its dimenfions, but in women
 whofe terms flow in great quantities, and fuch as frequently ufe
 copulation, it is much  larger ; and if they have had children,
 it is  larger in them than in fuch as have  none ; but in women
 of a good ftature, and  well  lhaped (it is as I have faid before)
 from the entry of the privy  parts to the bottom of  the womb*
 ufually about  eight, but the length ofthe  body of the womb
 alone does not exceed three inches, and the breadth thereof is
 nearly about the fame, and ofthe thicknefs ofthe little finger, 
               EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.            83

  when the woman is not pregnant ; but when the  woman is
  with child, it becomes cf a prodigious greatn«fs, and the nearer
  (he is to her delivery the more is the womb extended.
   It is not without reafon then that nature(or the  God  of na-
  ture rather)has made the womb of a membraneous fubftance ;
  for thereby it does eafier open to conceive and is gradually di-
 lated from the growth ofthe Fcetus, or young one, and is after-
  Wards contracted and clofed again, to thruft forth both  it  and
  the after burden, and then to retire to its primitive feat.  Hence
  alfo it is enabled to expel any noxious humors which may fome-
  times happen to be contained within it.
   Before I have done with the womb which is the field of gen-
  eration, and ought therefore to be more particularly taken  care
  of(for as the feed of plants can produce no fruits, nor fpring un-
  lefs fown in ground proper to waken and excite their vegetative
 virtue, fo likewife the feed of a man, though  potentially  con-
 tain ing all the parts  of a child, would never produce fo admira-
  ble an effect, if it were not caftinto the fruitful field  of nature,
  the womb) I 'hall proceed to a more  particular defeription or
  the parts thereof, and the ufes to which nature has defigned
  them
   The womb  then is compofed of various fimilary parts, that is
  of membranes, veins arteries and nerves.   Its membranes are
  two, and they compofe the principal part of its body : the  out-
 mofr of which  arileth from the Peritonium, or cawl, and is  very
 thin, without  fmooth, but within equal, that it  may the better
 cleave to the womb,  as it were flefhy and thicker than any  elfe
 we  meet with in the  body when a woman is not pregnant and is
 interwoven with all forts of fibres or fmall firings,  that it  may
 the better fuffer the extenfion ofthe child and the waters cauf-
 ed during the pregnancy, and alfo that it may  the eafier  clofe
 again after delivery
   The veins and  arteries proceed both from  the Hypogaftrics
 and the Spermatic Veffels,of which I (hall fpeak by and by ; all
 thefe are inferted and terminated in the proper membrane ofthe
 womb.  T he arteries fupplv it with blood for its nourifhment,
 which, being brought thither in  too  great  a  quantity,  fweats
 through the fubftance of it, and diftils as it were dew into the
 bottom of its cavity from whence do proceed both the terms in
 ripe virgins, and the blood  which nourifheth the embryo in
 breeding women.   The branches which iflue from the Spermat-
 ic Veffels a re in each  fide of the bottom of the  womb, and  are
 much lefs  than thofe which proceed from the Hypogaftrics,
 thofe being  gieater,  and bedewing  the  whole, fubftance of it.
 1 here are yet fome other (mall  ve:fels? which  arifingthe  onr
 from the other, are condufted to the internal ori^ce, and  by
 thefe, thofe that are pregnant clo purge away the fi'perttuity of
 their t'jrms when they happen to have more than is  u(ed in  the
 noui'ifhment: of the infant , by which means nature has taken
 fuch care of in the womb, that  during its piegnancy,  it (hall
 not be obliged  to open itfelf for the palling away thofe excrenv
 entit.uus humors, which, (hould it be forced  to do might often
endanger abortion. 
84            EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
  As touching the nerves, they proceed from the brain, which
fur nifties all the inner parts ofthe lower belly with them, which
is the true reafon it hath fo great a fympathy with the  ftomach,
which is likewife very confiderably furnifhed from the lame
part : fo that the womb cannot be afllifted with any pain, but
the ftomach is immediately fenfible thereof, which is the  caufe
of thofe  loathings or frequent vomitings which happen to it
  But, befides all thefe parts which compofe the womb, it hath
four ligaments, whofe office  is to keep it firm in its place, and
prevent  its conftant agitation, by the continual motion of the m-
teftines which furround it, two of which are above and two be-
low : Thofe above are called the broad  ligaments, becaufe of
their broad and membraneous figure, and are nothing elfe but
the production of the  Peritonaum, which growing out of the
fide of the loins towards the reins  come to be inferted in the
fides ofthe bottom of the womb, to hinder the body from bear-
ing two  much on the neck, and fo from fuffering a precipitation,
as will fometimes happen when the ligaments are too much re-
laxed ;  and do alfo contain  the tefticles, and as well conduct
the different veflels as the ejaculatories to the womb.  The low.
crmoft are called round ligaments taking their original from the
fide of the womb near  the horn  from  whence they  pafs the
groin, together with the produftion ofthe Peritonaum vyhich ac-
companies them through the rings  and holes of the oblique and
tranfverfe mufcles of the belly where they divide themfelves in-
to many little branches refembling the foot of a goofe, of which
fome are inferted into the os pubis and, the  reft are loft and con-
founded with the membranes that cover the upper and interior
parts ofthe thigh;  and it is that which eaufes that numbnefs
which women with child feel in their thighs.  Thefe two liga-
ments are long, round  and nervous, and pretty big in their be-
ginning near the matrix, hollow in their rife, and all  along to
the os pubis where they are a little fmaller, and become flat, the
better to  be inferted in the manner aforefaid ; it is  by their
means the womb is hindered from rifing too high.  Now, al-
though  the womb is held in its natural fituation by  means ot
thefe four ligaments, yet it has liberty enough  to extend itfelf
when pregnant, becaufe they are very loofe,  and fo eafily yield
to its diffention.  But  befides the ligaments, which keep the
womb as it were in a poife,  yet it is fattened, for greater fecun-
ty, by its neck, both to the bladder and rectum, betweem which
it is fituated.  Whence it comes to pafs, that if at any  time the
womb be inflamed it communicates theinflamation to the neigh-
boring parts.                                         .
  Its ufe, or proper aftion in the work of generation is to receive
and retain the feed, and to reduce it from powder to action, by
its heat, for the generation of the infant, and is therefore  ablo-
1 utely neceflary  for the confervation  of the fpecies.  It alio
feems  by accident to receive and expel the impurities otthe
whole body, as when women have abundance of whites and tc
purge away  from time to time the  fuperfluity  of blood, as it
doth every month by the evacuation of blood, as when a wo-
man is not with child    And thus much fhall fuffice for the eel- 
EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.           «5
cription of the womb, in which I have been the larger,  becaufe
as I have faid before, it is the field of generation-
  3d. The next thing to bedefcribed m the  generals of women
is the tefticles, or ftones, for fuch women have> as well as men,
but  are not for the fame ufe, and indeed are different from
thofe in men in feveral particulars ;  as 1ft, in place, being with-
in the belly, whereas in men they are without. 2dly, In figure
being uneven in women, but fmooth in men.  Sdly, In magni-
tude, beingleffer in women than in men.  Afhly, They are  not
fixed in women by mufcles, but by ligatures   5thly, T hey have
no proftrates or kernels as  men have.   6thly, They differ in
form being depreffed or flattifh  in women,  but oval in men.
Tthly, They have but one skin, whereas raen have four : for the
ftones of men being moreexpofed, nature has provided for them
accordingly.  8thly, Their fubftance is more foft than in men.
And,  9thly, Their temperature is colder  than men.   A.nd as
they differ in all thefe refpefts, fo do they in their ufe, for  they
perform not the fame aftions as, men's, as I (hall (hew prefently.
 As  for their feat, it is in the hollownefs of the Abdomen,  and
 therefore not extremely pendulous, but reft upon theova or egg.
 It is true Galen and Hippocrates did erroneouflyimagine that
 the  ftones in women did both contain and elaborate feed as
 thofe do in  men, but it is a great miftake ; For the tefticles of
a woman  areas it were  no more than two clufters of eggs, which
 lie there to be impregnated by the moift fpiritous  particles, or
animating effluvia conveyed oUt of the womb through the  two
 tubes, or  different  veffels  : But however, the ftones in  women
 are  very  ufeful, for where they are defective, generation work
 is at an end.  For  though  thefe little bladders, which are on
 their fuperfices, contain nothing of feed, yet they contain fever-
 al eggs (commonly  to the number of twenty in each tefticle)
 one of which being impregnated in the aft of coition,by the moft
 fpiritwous part of the feed of the man, defcends through the o-
 vidufts Into the womb, and there in procefs of time*  becomes
 a living child.
   4th.  lam now  to fpeak ofthe  fpermatic veffels in women,
 which are two, and are  faftened  in  their whole extent by a
 membraneous  appendix  to  the  broad ligament of the womb:
 Thefe do  not proceed from the tefticles as in men, but are  dif-
 tant from them a finger's breadth at lead : and beingdifpofed af-
 ter the mar.nerof the miferaic veins, are trained along the mem-
 braneous diftance between the different veflels and the tefticles.
 Their fubftance is as it  were nervous arid moderately hard;
 they are round, hollow, big,  and broad  enough at their end,
 joiningto the horn of  the womb-   Some authors affirm, that by
 thefe women difcharge their feed into the bottom of the womb :
 but the whole currentof our  modern authors run quite anoth-
 er way, and are pofitive that there is no feed at all in  their vef-
 fels ;  but that after the egg, or eggs in the avoric or tefticles are
 impregnated by fhe feCdot the man, they defcend through thefe
 two veflels into the womb where being  placed,  the embryo is
 nouriffied.  Thefe veflels are (horter in  women  than they are
 in men ;  for the ftones of a woman lying within the belly, their 
8S
EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.
paflage muft needs be fliorter ; but their various-.wrcathing and
windings in and out, make amends for the fhortnefs ot their
paflage.  Thefe veffels are not united before they come to  the
•ftones,  but divide themfelves,  into two branches, the largefi
whereof only paffes through lhe tefticles, the lerlerto the womb
both for the nourifhmentoi itfelf and fhe-infont in it   I further
obferve, '1 hat thefe fpermatic veins receive the arteries as they
pafs by the womb, and fo there  is a mixture between  nat-
ural and vital blood, that fo the work might be better  wrought
and that it is fo,  appears by  this.   That if you blow up the
fpermatic vein, .you may perceive the right and left veffel ofthe
womb blown up ;  from whence alfo the communication of all
the veffels of the womb may be eafily perceived.
  The deferentia or carrying veffels fpring from the lower part
ofthe tefticles, andare in color white, and in fubftance finewy,
and pafs not the womb llraight, but wreathed with feveral turn-
ings and windings,  as was find of the  fpermatic veflels,  that  fo
the fhortnefs of the way may be likewife 1 ecompenced  by their
winding meanders ; yet near the womb they become  broad a-
 f;ain-  They proceed in two parts from the  womb,  which re-
 emblehorns, andare therefore called the horns of the womb.
And this is all that  is needful to be known or treated of concern-
ing the parts of generation both in men and women.
  Only finceour modern anatomifts and phyficiansare  cf differ-
ent fentiments from the ancients  touching the woman's con-
tributing of feed for the formation ofthe child as well as the man;
the ancients ftrongly affirming it, but our  modern authors being
generally of anotherjudgment ;  1 will here declare  the feveral
reafons for their different opinions, and fo pafs on.
                      Section   III.
Of the  differences  between the  modern Phyficians, touching  the
     Woman's contributing Seed to the foi motion  of the child.
         I WILL not make  my felf a party in this controverfy,
but fet down impartially, yet briefly, the atguments on each fide
leaving the judicious reader to judge forhimfelf
  Though  it is apparent (fay the ancients) that the feed ofman
is the principal efficient and beginning of action, motion,  and
generation, yet it is evident that the woman  doth afford  feed,
becaufe fhe hath feminal veflels, which elfe had been given ber
in vain ; but fince nature, forms nothing in vain, it muft  be grant-
ed  they were made for the ufe of feed and procreation, and fix-
ed in their proper places to contribute virtue and efficacy to the
feed: And this, (fay they )is further proved from hence.  That
if   women  at  years  of maturity  ufe  not copulation to objeil
their feed, they often  fall into ftrange difeafes, and it is apparent
that women are never better pleated than when they are often
fatisfied this way,  which argues the pleafure and delight they
take therein : which pleafure fay they, is double in  women, to
what it is in men :  for, as the delight of men in copulation con
fifts chiefly in the emiflion of the feed, fo women  are  delighted
both in the emiflion of their own, and the reception  of the
man's. 
              EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.            €7

  Silt againft all this, our modern authors affirm, That the an-
cients were very erroneous :  Forafmuch as the tefticles in wom-
en do not afford feed, but are two eggs, like thofe of fowls  and
other creatures, neither have they  any fuch offices as men, but
indeed are an Ovarium, or recepticle for eggs, wherein  thefe
eggs are nouriflved by thefanguinary velfels difperfcrd  through
iJiem ; and from thence, one or more are fqe'cundated by the
man's feed, are conveyed into the.womb by the ovidufts.  And
the truth of this, fay they is plain, that if you boil  them,  their
liquor will have the fame tafte, color, and confiftency, with "the
tafteof bird's eggs.  And if it be objected,, that they  have no
(hells, tiie anfwer is eafy.; for the eggs of fowls  while they, are
in the ovary, nay, after-'they are fallen into the uterus,  have no
(hell ; and though they have one when they are laid, yet it is no
more  than a fence which nature has provided for them againft
outward injuries, they being hatched without the body ;  but
thofe of women being-hatched within the body, have no  need
of any other fence than the womb to  fecure them.
  They alfo further fay, there arc in the generation of the  fcr-
tus, or young  ones, two principles, aftive and pallive : the aft-
ive is the man's feed, elaborated in the tefticles, out  of the arte-
rial blood and animal fpirits ; the palfive principle is the ovum
or egg impregnated by the man's feed ; for to fay that women
have  true feed (fay. they)  is  erroneous.  But  the manner of
conception is this  :  The moft fpirituous part of man's feed,' in
the act of copulation, reaching up to the ovarium or tefticles of
the woinan(which  contains diverfe eggs, fometimes more and
fometimes fewer) impregnates of them, which being conveyed
by the ovadufts to the bottom of the womb, prefently begins
to fwell bigger and bigger, and drinks in the moifture that is lent
thither,  after  the fame manner that  the feeds  in  the ground
fuck the fertile moifture thereof to make them fprout.
   But, notwithstanding what is here urged by ourmodern a-
natomifts, there are fome  late writers of the opinion of  the an-
cients, viz. that women have both and emit feed in the aft of
copulation,  and the good women themfelves take it ill to be
thought  merely paflive  in  thofe wars, wherein  they make
fuch vigorous encounters, and pofitively affirm, they are fen-
fible of the  emiflion of their feed in thofe  engagements, and
that a great part of the delight they take  in that at confifts in
it.  1 will not therefore go about to take anyof their happinefs
away  from them, but leave them in polfefiion of their imagined
felicity.
  Having thus laid the  foundation of this work,  in the de-
feription  I  have  given  of  the parts dedicated to the  work of
generation both in man and woman I will now proceed to fpeak
wf conception and of thofe things that are neceflary to beobferv-
ed by women from the time of their  conception to  the  time of
their delivery. 
88            EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.
                      CHAP.  III.
Of conception ; whtitit is ; the figns theretf, whether conceived af
  a Male or Female ;  Hovj women are to order themfelves after
  Conception.
                       Section  I-
   What Conception is, and the Qualifications requifite thereto.
          CONCEPTION is nothing elfe but  an  action of
Lhewomb,by which the prolific feed is received and retained,
that an infant may be engendered and formed out of it.   There
are two forts of conception ;  theone according to nature, which
is followed by the generation ofthe infant in the womb ; the
other is falfe, and wholly againft  nature, in which the feed
ahanges into water, and produces only  falfe  conception, moles
or other ftrange matter.   Now there are three things  principal-
ly neceflary in order to a true conception, fo that generation
may follow ;  to wit, diverfity of fex, congreflion, and emiflion.
of feed   Without diverfity of fexes there can  be no conception ;
For, though fome will huvea woman  to be  an animal that can
engender of herfelf, it is a great miftake ; there  can be no con-
ception without a man to difcharge his feed into her  womb.
What they alledge of pullets laying eggs without a cock's tread.
ing them is nothing to the purpofe ; for thofe  eggs, (hould they
be fet under a hen, will never become chickens, becaufe they
never received any prolific virtue from the male : which is ab-
folutely necelfary to this purpofe, and is fufficient to convince
us that diverfity of fex is necelfary even to thofe animals  as well
as to the generation of roan.   But diverfity of fex though it  be
neceflary to conception, yet it will not do alone ; there muft alfo
bea congreflion of thofe different fexes; for diverfity  of fex.
would profit little, if copulation  did not  follow.  I confefs I
have heard of fome fubtle women,  who to cover their  fin and
fhame, have endeavered to purfuade fome perfons  that they
were never touched by men to get them with  child;  and that
one in particular pretended to conceive, by  going into a  bath
where a man had walhed himfelf a little before, and fpent his
feed in it which was drawn and fucked into  her womb,  as Hie
pretended.   But fuch (lories as thofe are only fit toamufe them
thai know no better-Now that thefe different fexes (hould be o-
bliged to come to the touch, which we call copulation or coition,
befides,  the natural deiire of begetting their  like, which ftirs up
men and women to  it.  the parts appointed  for generation are
endowed by nature with a delightful  and mutual itch, which
begets in them defire t-e> theaftion : without which it would not
hi very eafy  for a man born  for the contemplation of divine
myfteries to join himfelf by way of coition to a  woman, in re-
 gard of the uncleannefs of the part and of the aftion : and on the
other  fide, if women did but think of thofe pains and inconveni-
ences to w hich they  ate fubjeft by their great bellies, and thofe
 hazards even of lite  itfelf, befides the unavoidable pains that at-
 tend their deliveiy, it is reafonable to believe they would be  af-
 frighted from it.  But neither fex make thefe reflections till af-
 ter the aftion is over confidering nothing  beforehand  but the
 pleafure of enjoyment.   So  that it is from this voluptuous it«l 
EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.
89
that nature obligeth both fexes to this congreflion   Upon which
the third thing followeth of courfe, to wic the  emiflion  of feed
into the womb in the aft of copulation.  For the woman hav-
ing received this prolific feed into her womb,  and, retained it
there, the womb thereupon becomes compreifed, and embraces
the feed (0 clofely, that being clofed, the poinfof a needle,(as
faith Hippocrates)  cannot enter it without violence ;  and  now
the woman may be faid to have conceived ;  the feveral facuL
ties which are in the feed it contains, being reduced byitsftieat
from power into aftion, making ufe of the fpirits with -which
the feed abounds, and wich are the inftrume.its by which it be-
gins to trace out the firft lineaments ot all the parts ;  to  which
afterwards, of making ufe ofthe menftruousblood flowing to it, it
gives in time growth and final perfection   And thus much fhall
fuffice to fhew  what conception  is,  I fhall now'proceed  to
(hew.
                       Section   \l.
                    The figns of Conception.
            THERE are many prognoftics or figns of concep-
tion ; I will name fome ofthe chief, which are the moft certain
 and let alone the reft.
   1. If a woman has been more than ordinary  defirous of cop-
ulation, and hath taken more pleafure than uliial therein(which
upon recollefticn  (he may eafily know) it is a  fign. of concep-
 tion-
   % If fhe retain the feed in her womb after copulation,  which
 flie may know if (he perceives not to flow dowii  from  the  womb
 as it ufed to do before, tor that is a fure fign the womb has re-
 ceived  it into the inward orifice,,and there retains it..
   3.  If (he finds a celdnfts and chillnefs after copulation it (hews
 the heat is retired  to make conception. '
   4.  If after this (he begins to have loathings  to thofe things
 which (he loved before, and this  attended with a lofs of appe-
 tite, andadefire after meats, to which (he was notafteftedbefore
 and hath often naufeatings and vomitings with  four  belchings
 and exceeding weaknefs of ftomach.
   5.  After conception the belly waxeth very  flat, becaufe the
 wombclofeth itfelf together, to nourifh  and cherifti the feed,
 contracting itfelf (o as to leave no empty fpace.
   6.  If the veins of the breaft are more clearly  feen  than they
 were worn to be, it is a fign of conception.
   1  So it is, if the tops  on the nipples look redder than former-
 ly, and the breafts begin to fwell, and  grow harder than ufual,
 c'pccially  if this be attended with pain and forenefs.
   8  If a woman  hath twilling and griping pains, ■ much like
 thofe of the cramp in the belly, and about the navel, it is  a fign
 (he has conceived.
   9.  Jf under thoiower eye lid the veins be (welled, and appear
 clearly, and  the  eye be fomething difcolored, it is a certain fign
 fhe is with child, unlefs flie have her menfes at the fame time up-
 on her, or that (he has fat up .the night before.   1 his *fign  ha;
 nevei failed.
                     h  2 
%              EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.
  10.  Some alfo make this trial of conception ; They flop the
woman's urine in a glafs or phial for three days, and then (train
;t through alinnen cloth, andifthey find fmall living creatures
in it, they conclude that the woman has certainly conceived.
  11.  There alfo is  another  eafy trial :  let  the woman that
fuppofes  fhe has conceived take a green nettle, and put it into
her urine cover it clofe, and let it remain therein a whole night:
if the woman be with child it will be full of red fpots onthemor-
row■ ji but if fhe be not with child it will be blackifh.
  12  The laft fign I  (hall mention is that whieh is moft obvious
to every woman, which is the fuppreffion ofthe terms :   For af-
ter conception, nature makes ufe of that blood for the  nourifh-
ment ofthe embryo, which before was caft out by  nature, be-
caufe it was too great in quantity.   For it is an  error to think
that the menftrual blood, fimply in 'itfelf confidered  is bad: be-
caufe if a woman's body be in  good  temper, the  blood mull
needs be good j and  that it is voided monthly is becaufe it of-
fends in quantity, but not in quality.
  But though the fuppreffion of the terms is generally a fure
fign of conception to fuch perfons as have had them orderly be*
fore,  yet is not the havingthem always a fign there is no con-
ception : Forasmuch as marfy that  have  been with child  have
had their terms, and fome even till the fifth or fixth  month:
which happens according  to the  woman's being  more or lefs
fanguine; for if a woman has more blood than will fuflice for
the nourifhment of the embryo, nature continues to void  it in
theufualway.  Whence the Experienced Midwife may  learn
there are few general rules which do not fometimes  admit  of an
exception. But this fhall fuffice to be fpoken of the figns and
prognoftics of conception.
                     Section  III.
         Whether Conception be of a Mate or Female.
          AUTHORS give us  feveral prognoftics of this :
Though they are not alFto be trufted, yet there is fome truth
among them ; The  figns of a male child  conceived are,
  1  When a woman at her rifing up is more apt to  flay herfelf
upon her right hand  than her left.
  2  Her belly lies rounder and higher than when  flie  has con-
ceived of a female.
  3. bhe firft feels the child to beat on her right Gde.
  4. She carries her burden  more light, and with lefs pain than
when it is a female.
  5  Her right nipple is redder than the left, and her right breaft
harder and more plump
  6. Ker color is more clear, nor is  fhe fo fwarthy as when fhe
has conceived a female.
  7. Obferve a circle under her eye, which is a pale and bluifh
color ; and  if that  under her right eye be moft apparent, and
moft difcolored, fhe  hath conceived a jbn.
  8. If (lie would know whether »he hath conceived a fon or a
daughter, let her milk a drop of her milk  into a  bafonof fair
water ; if it fpreads  and fwims at top, it certainly is  a boy ; But
if it is round as ij drops in, and finks to the bottom, it is a girl- 
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.           91
 This laft is an infallible rule.  And  in all it is to be noted, that
 what is afign of a male conception, the contrary  holds good of a
 female.
 Sec  IV. Hovj a woman ought to order berfelj after conception.

             MY defign in this treatife being  brevity, I (hall
 pretermit all  that others fay of the eaufes of twins ; and wheth-
 er there be any fuch thing as fuperfoetations, or a fecond con-
 ception in woman, which is yet common enough, when I come
 to (hew you how the midwife ought to proceed in the delivery
 of thefe women that are pregnant with them.  But having al-
 ready fpoken of conception, I think it now neceflary to  fhew
 how fuch as haveconceived ought to order themfelves  during
 their pregnancy,  that  they  may avoid thofe  inconveniences
 which often endangerthe life ofthe child, and many times their
 own.
   A woman after her conceptfbn, during the  time of her being:
 with child, ought to be looked on as indifpofed or  fick tho'  in
 good health ; for child bearing  is a kind of nine month's fick-
 nefs, being all that time in expectation of many inconveniences,
 which fuch a condition ufually eaufes to thofe that are not well
 governed during that time ; and thx.efore  ought torefemble a
 good pilot, who, when failing in  a rough feaand  full  of rocks,
 avoids and fhuns the danger, if he fteers with  prudence ; but if
 not, it is a thoufand to  one but  he fuffers  fhipwreck.  In like
 manner, a woman with child is often in danger of mifcarrying
 and lofing her life, if (he is not very.careful  to prevent thofe ac-
 cidents to which (he is fubjeft all the time of her pregnancy :
 all which time her care muft be double, firft of herfelf, and fec-
 •ndly ofthe child fhe goes with, for othcrwife a (ingle error
 may produce a double mifchief ; for if (he receives any preju-
 dice, her child alfo fuffers with her-
  Let a woman therefore, after conception, obferve a good diet,.
 fuitable to her  temperament, cuftom, condition and quality ;
 and if fhe can, let the air where fhe ordinarily dwells be clear
 and well tempered, free from extremes either of heat or cold ;
 for being too  hot, it diflipateth the fpirits too much, and cauf-
 eth many weaknefl'es, and by being too cold and  foggy, it may
 bring down rheums and diftillations on the lungs, and fo caufe
 her tocough,  which by its impetuous  motions  forcing down-
 wards, may make her niifearry : She ought alfo  to avoid all
 naufeous and ill frnells ; for fometimes the ftink of a candle not
 well put out may caufe her to  come before her time; and I
 have known the fmell ol charcoal to have the fame effeft-  Let
 her alfo avoid fmelling of rue, mint, pennyroyal, caflor, brim-
 ftone, &c.
  But with refpeft to her diet, women with child  have general-
ly fo great loathings, and  fo many different longings, that it is
very difficult to prefcribe an exact diet for  them.  Only this I
think advifable, that they  may ufe of thofe meats and  drinks
 which are to them moft defirable, tho' perhaps  not in them-
felves fo wholefome as fome others, and it may not be  fo pleaf-
ant ; but this liberty muft be nude ufeof with this caution, that 
&'              EXPERIENCED  MlDWTFE.
what fhe fo defires be  not  in. itfelf ahfolutely unwholefome ;
and alfo that in every thing they take care of excefs.  But if a
child bearing woman finds herfelf not troubled with fuch long-
ings as we have fpoken of,  and in fuch quantity as may be fufh-
cient for herfelf and the child  which  her appetite may  in  a
 fjreat meafure regulate ; for it is alike hurtful for her to faft too
 »ne as to eat too much, and therefore rather let  her eat a little
and often, efpecially let her avoid eating too much at night; be-
caufe the ftomach, being too much filled, compreifeth the diaph-
ragm, and thereby eaufes difficulty of  breathings.   Let  her
meat be eafy ofconcoftion, fuch as the  tendereft parts of beef,
mutton, veal, fows, pullets, capons, pigeons and partridges, eith.
er boiled or roafted, as (he  likes beft : new laid eggs are alfo ve-
ry good for her ; and let her put  into  her broths  tnofe herbs
that purify it, as forrql, lettuce, fuccory and burrage ;  for they
will purge and purify  the blood ;  Let her avoid whatfoever  is
hot feafoned efpecially pies and naked meats, which, being of
hot digeftion. overcharge  the ftomach.   If fhe defires fifli, let it
be frefh, and fuch as is taken out of rivers and running ftreams.
Let her eat quinces, or marmalade to ftrengthen her child ; for
which purpofe fweet  almonds, honey, fweet apples, and full
ripe grapes, are alfo good- Let her abftain from all (harp, four,
bitter,  fait things, and all  things that tend to   provoke the
terms, fuch as garlic, onions, olives, muftard,  fennel,  with pep-
per, and all fpices, except cinnamon,  which in the  laft three
months is good for her.  If at firft her diet be fparing as fhe in-
creases in bignefs let her diet be increafed for fhe ought to con-
fider (he has a child as well  as herfelf to nourifh.  Let her be
moderate in  her drinking ;  and if (he drinks wine, let it be
rather claret than white (which will breed  good blood, help
the digeftion, and comfort the ftomach, which is always but
weakly during her pregnancy) but white wine  being diuretic,
or that which  provokes urine  ought to be avoided.   Let her
 have a care of too much exercife, and let her avoid dancing,
 riding in a coach, or  whatever elfe puts the  body  into violent
 motion, efpecially in her firft month.  But to be more particu-
 lar I fhall here fet down rules proper for every month for the
 child bearing woman  to order herfelf, from the time (he has firft
 conceived to the time of her delivery.
               Rules for the firft two Months.
             AS foon as a  woman knows or has reafon to believe,
 fhe has conceived, fhe ought to abftain  from all violent motion
 or exercife, whether in walking, riding on horfehack, or in a
 coach.  Let her alfo abftain from venery, to which,, after con-
 ception, (he has ufually no great inclination, left there be a mole
 or fuperfcetation ; which is the adding of one embryo to anoth-
 er.  Let her beware fhe lift not her arms too high, nor carry great
 burdens, nor repofe herfelf oq hard and uneafy feats.  Let her
 ufe moderately meat of good juice and eafy concoction, and  let
 wine be neither too ftrong nor too fharp, but a little  mingled
 with water ;  or, if fhe be very  abftemious,  fhe may ufe water
 wherein cinnamon is boiled.   Let her avoid faftings, third,
 watching, mourning, fadnefs, anger and all other perturbations 
EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.             M-
of the mind.  Let none prefent  any ftrange or unwholefbme
things to her, not fo much as name it, left fhe  (hould defire it,.
and not be able to get it, and fo either caufe her to mifcarry, or
the child have fome deformity on that account.  Keep her bel-
ly loofe with prunes,  raifins,  or  manna, in her broth ; and let
her ufe the following electuary to ftrengthen the womb and the
child.
  " Take conferve of burrage, buglofs, and red rofes, two oun-
ces each ; balm, citron peel, and mirobalans candied, each an
ounce ; extract of wood aloes a fcruple ; pearl  prepared half a
dram ; red coral, ivory each a dram ; precious  ftones  e^ach a
fcruple ; candied nutmegs, two drams ; and with fyrup of apples
and quinces make an eleftuary.
               Let her ufe the following Rules.
   " Take pearls prepared a dram ; red coral prepared and ivory
each half a dram, precious ftones, each a fcruple ; yellow citron
 peels, mace, cinnamon, cloves, each half a dram, faffron a fcru-
 ple, wood aloes, half a fcruple ; ambergreafe fix drams, and with
 fix ounces of fugar, diflelved in rofe water,  makerouls."  Let
 her alfo apply ftrengtheners to the navel, of nutmegs, mace maf-
 tic, made up in bags, or a toaft dipped in mamfey, fprinkled  in
 powder of mint.   If fhe happens to defire  clay, chalk,  or coal
 (as many women with child do) give her beans boiled with  fu-
  f;ar : ana if (he long  for  any thing  which  fhe cannot obtain,  let
  ler  drefently drink a largs draught of pure cold water.
                 Rules for the Third  Month
   In this month and the next, be fure to keep from bleeding ;
 for though it may be fafe at other times, it will not be  fo until
  the end ofthe fourth month: and yet if too much blood abound,
  or fome incident difeafe happen, which requires evacuation, you
  may ufe a cupping glafs, with Scarification, and a  little blood
  may be drawn from the (houlders and arms efpecially if (he has
  beenaccuftomed to bleed.   Let her take care of lacing  herfelf
  tooftraightly, but give herfelf  more liberty than (he ufed to
  do ; for, incioling her belly in too ftraight a mould,  fhe hinders
  the   infant from taking its free growth, and often  makes it
  come before its time.
                 Rules for the  Fourth Month
    In this month you ought alio to keep the  child bearing wo-
  man from bleeding, unlefs in extraordinary cafes; but when this
  month is paft, blood letting and phyfic may  be permitted, if it
  be gentle  and mild ; and perhaps it  may be neceflary to pre-
  vent abortion.  In this month  flie may purge in acute difeafes ;
  but purging may be only ufed from the beginning of this month
  to the end of the fixth : but let her take care that in purging
  (he ufes no vehement medicine, nor very bitter, as aloes, which
  is an enemy tothechild, and  opens the  mouth of the veflels ,
  neither let  her  ufe  coloquintida,  foammony,  nor turbith ;
  (he may ufecalfia, manna, rhubard, agaric, and fenna, diacido-
  nium purgans is beft with a Uttle ofthe electuary of the juice ©f
  cofe s. 
94            EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
        Rules for the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Month's.
  In thofe  months child bearing women are often troubled'
with coughs, heart beating,  fainting, watching,  pains in the
loins and the hips, and bleeding.  The cough  is  from a (harp
vapor that comes to the jaws and rough artery  from the terms,
or from the thin part of that blood gotten into the veins of the
breaft, or fallen trom the head to the bread: This  endangers
abortion, and ftrength fails from watching ; therefore purge
the  humors that fall from the breaft with rhubarb and  agaric,
and itrengthening the head as  in a catarrh, and  give  fweet lini-
tives as in a cough.  Palpitation and fainting arilc from a vapor
that g» to it by the arteries or from blood that aboundeth, and
cannot get out  at the womb but aftends and opprefl'eth  the
heart; and, in this cafe, cordials (hould be ufed both inwardly and
outwardly •   Watchiug is from fharp, dry vapors that trouble the
animal fpirits ; in thiscafe ufe frictions, and let the woman wa'h
her feet at bed time, and let her take fyrup of poppies, dried rof-
es, emulfions of fweet almond and white  poppy  feeds. If (be  be
troubled with pains in her loins and hips, as in thefe months (he
is fubjeft to be from the weight of her child, who is now grown
big and heavy, and fo (tretcheth the ligaments of the  womb,
and parts adjacent, let her hold it  up with fwathing bands about
her neck.  About this time alfo the woman  often happens  to
have a flux of blood, either at the nofe, womb, or hemorrhoids,
from plenty of blood, or from the weaknefs of the child  that
takes it not in, or elfe from evil humors in the blood, that (tirs
up nature to fend it forth  And  fometimes it happens that the
velfels of the womb may be broken, either by  fome violent
motion, fall,  cough or trouble of mind ; (for any of thefe will
work that effeft) and this is ft> dangerous, that in  fuch  a  cafe
the child cannot be well ; but if it be from blood only, the dan-
ger is no lefs, provided it flows by  the veins of the neck of the
womb, for then it prevents plethory, and takes away the nour-^
ifhment of the child ; but if  it proceeds from  the weaknefs of'
the child that draws it not, abortion of the child often follows,
or hard travail, or elfe fhe goes beyond her time: But if it flows
by the inward veins of her womb, there is more danger by the
opennefsof the womb, if it comes from evil blood  ; the  danger
is alike from cacochimy, which is like to fal) upon both.  If it
arifes from plethory,open a vein,, but with very great caution,
and give her aftringents, fuch as the following;  " Take pearl
prepared a fcruple ; red coral two fcruples, mace, nutmegs each
a dram ;  cinnamon, half a dram ; make  a powder, or  with fu-
gar, rouls," Or, give this powder in broth :  " Take red coral
a dram ;  precious  ftones half a  fcruple: red faunders half a
dram ; fealed earth,  and tormentil roots, each two fcruples,
with fugar of rofes, and manus Chrifti, with  pearl five drams,
make a powder."  You may  alio ftrengthen the child at the
navel; and if there be a  cacochim, after the humor*, and evac-
uate, if you may do it fafely;  you may likewife ufe amulets on
her hands and about her neck. Ina flux of hemorrhoids,  let
her drink hot wine with  a toafted nutmeg.   In thefe  months
the belly is alfo fubjeft to bebound ;  but if it be  without any 
              EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.            9j

apparent difeafe, the  broth of aChicken, or of veal foddenwith
oil, or with the decoftion  of mallows, mercury,  and linfeed
put up in a clyfter, will not be amifs, but in lefs quantity than
is given in other cafes ; to wit of the decoction five ounces, of
common oil three ounces, of fugar two ounces, of caflia fiftula
one ounce.   But if (he will not take a clyfter, one or two yolks
of new laid eggs : or a few peafe pottage warm, with a little fait
and fugar, flipped up a little before meat, will be very conveni-
ent : But if herbelly fhall bediftended, and ftretched  out with
wind, a little fennel feed and annifeed reduced into powder,
and mingled with honey and fugar,  made  after the manner of
an eleftuary, will do very well.  Alfo, if the thighs  and feet
fwell, let them be anointed with oxphrodium fcwhich is a liquid
medicine made with vinegar  and rofe water) mingled with a
little fait.
                Rules for the Eighth Month.
  The eighth is commonly the moft dangerous and therefore the
greateft care and caution ought to be ufed ; and her diet ought
to be  better in quality, but  not more, nor indeed fo much in
quantity as before; but as (he muft abate her diet, fo fhe muft
increafe her exercife : And becaufe then women with child, by
reafon of the (harp humors, alter the belly, are accuftomed to
weaken their  fpirits  and ftrength, they  may well take  before
meat an eleftuary of diarrhodon oraromaticum,rofatum, ordia-
margarton ;  and as they will loath and naufeate their meat they
may take green ginger condited withfugar, orthe rinds of citrons
and oranges condited ;  and often ufe honey for the  ftrengthen-
ingof the infant.  When (he  is not far from her labor,  let her
ufe every day feven roafted figs before meat and fometimes lick
a little honey ;  but let herbeware of fait and powder  meat,  for
it is neither good for her nor her child.
                Rules for the Ninth Month.
   In the ninth  month,  let her have a care of lifting any great
weight; but let her move a little riiore to dilate the parts, and
(tir up natural beat.  Let her take heed of (fooping, neither fit
too much nor lie on her fides  ; neither ought fhe to bend her-
felf much, left the chi}d be unfolded in the umbillicul  ligament,
by which means it often perifhes.  Let her walk and ftir often,
and let her exercife be rather to go upwards than downwards;
Let her diet now" efpecially be light  and eafy of digeftion: as
damask prunes with fugar or  figs, and raifins, before her meat,
as alfo the yolk of eggs, flelh  and broth of chickens, birds, part-
ridges, ana pheafants; aftringent and roafted meats,  with rice
and hard eggs,  millet, and  fuch like other things are proper ;
baths of fweet water, with emolient herbs, ought to  be ufed  by
her this month withoutintermiflion.   And after the bath, lej
her belly be annointed with oil of rofes and violets ; but for her
privy parts, it is fitter to annoint  them  with the  fat of hens,
geefe, br ducks, or with oil of lilies, and the decoftion of linfeed
and fenugreek, boiled with oil of linfeed and marfli mallows, or
w ith the following liniment.
  "' lake of mallows and marfhmallows, cut and fhred, of each
an ounce ; of linfeed one ounce ; let them be boiled from twen- 
96            EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
ty ounces of water to ten; then let  her take  three ounces of
boiled broth :  of oil of almonds, and oil of flourdeluce, of each
one ounce ; of deer's fuet three ounces ; let her bathe with this,
and annoint herfelf  with it warm."
  If for fourteen days before the birth fhe do every morning and
evening bathe and moiften  her belly with mufcadel and laven-
der water, the child will be much firengtheped thereby.  And
if every day fhe eat toafted bread, it will hinder any thing from
growing to the child. Her privy parts may be alfo gently ftroak-
ed down with this fomentation.
  •'Take three ounces of linfeed  ; of mallows  and marfhmal-
lows fliced, of each one handful : let them be put into a bag,
and boiled immediately : and let the woman with child every
morning and evening take the vapor of this decoftion  in a hol-
low ftool,  taking great heed that no wind nor air come to her in
any  part, and let her wipe the part fo annointed, with a linen
cloth, that  fhe may annoint  the belly and groins  as at firft.
When fhe is come fo near her time as to be within 10 or 14 days
thereof, if fhe begins to feel any more than ordinary pain, let
her ufe every day the following.
   " Take mallows, and  marfhmallows,  of each one handful:
camomile, herd mercury, maiden hair, of each half a handful:
of linfeed four ounces: let them be boiled in fuch a fufficient
quantity of water as may make a  broth therewith "   But let her
not fit too hot upon the feat, nor higher than a little  above  her
navel ; nor let her  fit on it longer than about half an hour, left
her ftrength languid) and decay, for  it is better to ufe it often.
than to ftay too long in it.  And thus I have fhewn how a child
 bearing woman ought to govern herfelf in each month during
 her pregnancy.  How (he muft order herfelf at her delivery,
fhall be (hewn in another chapter, after I have firft ftiewn the in-
 duftrious Midwife how  the child is formed in the womb,  anil
 the manner of its decumbiture there.
                         CHAP.  I.
 Of the Parts proper for the Child in the Womb ; bow  it is formed
           there, and the manner of its fituation therein.
             IN the laft chapter I fhewed what conception was,
 how accompli (lied, its figns and how fhe who hath conceived
 ought to  order herfelf during the time of her pregnancy. Now,
 before I fpeak of her delivery, it is neceflary  that the midwife
 be firft acquainted  with the parts proper to a child in the womb,
 snd alfo how it is formed and the manner of its fituation and de-
 cumbiture there ;  without the knowledge of which, no one can
 tell  how to deliver a woman as fhe ought.  This therefore (hall
 be  the work of this chapter.  I fhall begin  with  the firft of
 thefe.
     Section  I.  Of the parts prober to a Child in the  Womb.
            IN this feftion I muff  firft tell you what I mean by
 the parts proper to a child in the womb, and they are  only
 thofe that  either help or  nourifh it, whilft it is lodged in that
  dark repofitory of  nature, and that help to clothe and defend it
  there, and are caft away, as of no more ufe after it is born, and
  thefe are two, viz,  the umbilicum, or navel  veflels, and the fe- 
               EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.           'ST

'C-undum, by the firft it is nouriflied, and by the fecond  clothed
and defended from wrong.  Of each of thefe 1 (hall fpeak'dif-
tinftly, and, firft,
              Ofthe Umbilicum or Navel Veffels.
  Thefe are four in number, viz. one vein,  two arteries, and
the veffel which is called urachos:   1 The vein is that by which
the infant is nouriflied, from the time of its conception,  to the
time of its delivery ; till being brought  into the light of this
 world, it has the fame way of concocting its food that we have.
 This vein arrifeth from the liver of the child, and is divided in-
to two parts whenit harli pafled the navel;  and thefe two are
 again divided, and fubdivided, the  branches being upheld by
 the skin calledchorion(of which I fhall fpeak by  and  by)and
 are joined to the veins of the mother's womb, from thence they
 have their blood for the nourifhment of the child.   2.. The ar-
 teries are two on each fide, which proceed from the back bran-
 ches  of the great artery of the mother  ; and the vital blood is  ?
 carried by thefe to the  child, being  ready  concofted by the
 mother.  3 A nervous or finewy  production is led from the
 bottom ofthe bladder of the infant to the navel, and this is call-
ed urachos;  and its ufe is to convey the  urine of the infant
 from the bladder to the alantois.   Anatomifts do very  much
 vary in their opinionsconcerning this; fome denying any fuch
 thing to be in the delivery of women,  and others affirming it :
 but experience teftifies there is fuch a thing : For Bartholomew
 Cabrolios, the ordinary  doftor of anatomy to the college  of.
 phyficians at Montpelier in France,  records  the  hiftory of a
 maid, whofe water being a long time flopped, -at laft iffiied cut
 thro'  her navel ; And Johannes Fernelius fpeaks  of the fame
 thing that happened to a man of thirty years of age, who having
 a ftoppage in the neck of the bladder, his urine iffued out  of
 his navel many months together, without any prejudice at all to
 his health, which he afcribesto the ill lying  of his navel, where-
 by the  urachos was  not  well  dried'.   And Volchier  Coitas
 quotes another fuch in a maid of thirty four years, at Nurem-
 berg in Germany. Thefe infta'nces, though  they happen but
 feldom, are fufficient to prove that there is fuch a thing as an u-
 rachos in men-  Thefe four veffels before mentioned,, viz. one
 vein, two arteries, and the urachos do join  near to the  navel,
 and are united  by  a skin which they have from the chorion, and-
 fo  become like a gut rope, and are altogether void of fenfe ; and
 this is that w h ich the good women call the navel firing.  1 he
 veflels are thus joined together, that To they may neither  bs
 broken, fevered, nor entangled : and when the infant  is born,
 are of no ufe, fave only to make up the ligament,  which (tops
 the whole ofthe navel and fome other rhyfical ufe, &c.
               ~Of the Secundine or After Birth.
   Setting afide the name given to this day, by the Greeks and
 Latins, it is called in Englifh by the name of Secundine, After
 birth, and After burden, which are held to be four in number.
   1.  The firft is called Placenta, becaufe it-refembles the form
 -of a cake, and is knit both to the navel and chorion., and  makes
 up the greateft part of the fecundine or after birth.   The flefh 
m
EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.
 of it is like that of the milt, or fpleen, foft,  red, and ten ling
 fomething to blacknefs, and hath many fmall veins and arteries
 in it ; and certainly the  chief ufe of it is  for containing the
 child in the womb.
   2. The feccond is the Chorion.  This fkin, and that called the
 Amnios, involve the child, round, both above and underneath,
 and on both fides, which the Alantois  doth not:  This fkin is
 that which is moft commonly called the fecundine, as it is thick
 and white, garniflied with many fmall  veins and  arteries, end-
 ing in the Placenta,  before named, being very  light and (lippery.
 Its ufe is not only to cover the child round  about, but alio  to
 receiveand fafely bind up the roots and the veins and arteries,
 or navel veflels before defcribed.
   S. The third thing which makes up  the fecundine, is the Al-
 antois, of which  there  is a great  difpute  among anatomifts;
 fome faying there is fuch a thing and others that there is not ;
 Thofe that will have it to be a membrane, fay, it is white, foft,
 and exceeding thin, and juft under the placenta, where it is knit
 to the Urachos, from whence it leceives the urine and its office
 is to keep it feparate from the fweat, that the faltnefs of it may
 not offend the tender (kin of the child.
   4. The fourth and laft covering ofthe child is called Amnois,
 and it is white, foft, and tratifparent,  being nouriflied by feme
 very fmall veins, and arteries.  Its ufe is not only  io enwrap
 the  child round, but alfo to retain  the fweat of the child
   Having thus defcribed the parts proper to the child in the
 womb, 1 will next proceed  to fpeak of the formation of the child-'
 therein, as foon as 1  have explained the hard terms in this fec-
 ticn, that thofe for  whofe help this  is.defigned., may underftand
 what they read.  There is none fo ignorant asnotto know that
 a vein is that which receives blood from the liver, and diftrib-
 utes it in feveral branches to all parts  of  the  body.   Arteries
 proceed from the heart, are in continual  motion, and by that
 motion quicken the body.  .Nerve is the fame with finew,  and
 is that by which the brain adds fenfe and motion to the  body.
 Placenta properly fignifies a fugar cake : but in this fection it is
 ufed to fignify a fpuiigy piece of flelh, refembling a cake full of
 veins and arteries, and is made to receive  the mothers blood,
 appointed for the  infant's nourishment  in the womb.   Chorion
 is the outward (kin which compaffeth the  child in the womb.
 The amnois is the inner fkin which  compaffeth the child in the
 womb. The Alantois is the fkin that  holds  the urine ofthe
 child during the time that  it abides in the  womb.  The Ura-
 chos is the veffel that conveys ihe urine from  the child in the
 womb to the Alantois.   I  now proceed to
                       Section   II.
           Ofthe formamn ofthe Child in-the  W*mb.
         TO fpeak of the formation of the child in the womb.
 we muft begin where nature begins; and that  i.>,  at the aft  of
 coition, in which  the wotnb having received the generative feed
 without which there can be no conception, the womb immedi-
 ately (huts up itfelf (o clofe that hot the point  of a  needle  can
enter the inward orifice ; and this i\ does yartly  to hinder the 
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
99-
rffuing out ofthe feed  again.and partly tocherifh it by  the  in-
bred heat, the better to provoke it to action ; which is one reafon
why w omen's bellies are fo lank at their firft conception-  The
women having thus conceived, the firft thing which is operative
in the conception, is the fpirit, whereof the feed is full, which,
nature, quickening by the heat of the womb, ftirs it up to  ac-
fon.   Tliis feed confifts of very different parts,  of which feme
are more, and fome are lefs pure   The internal fpirits there-
fore feparatech thofe parts that are lefs  pure,  which are thick,
cold, and clammy, from them that are more pure  and nobfe
The lefs pure are caft  to theoutfides, and with them  the  feed is
circled round, and of them the membranes are made, in which-
that feed which is the  moft pure  is wrapped ronnd, and kept
 clofe together, that it may be defended  from cold and ether
accidents, and operate the better.
  The firft that is formed Lb the amnois, the  next the chorion ;-
 and, they enwrap the feed round as it were  a curtain.   Soon af-
ter ifliis (for the feed thus fhut up  in.the woman lies not idle) the
 navel vein is bred, which pierceth thofe  (kins, being yet very
 tender and carries a drop of blood from the veins ofthe moth-
 er's womb to the feed ; from which drop is  formed the liver,
 from which liver there is quickly bred the vena cava   cr chief
vein, from which all the reft cf the veins that nourifli the body
fpring ; and  now  the feed hath fomething to  nourith it, whilft
i t perforins the  reft of nature's work, and alfo blood adminif-
tcred to every part of it to form flefh.
  This vein being  formed, the navel  arteries are  foon  after
formed,  then the  great  artery,  of whicii all others  are but-
branches,  and then the heart; for the liver furnilheth the ar-
teries with blood to form  the heart, the arteries being made of
feed,  but the heart and the flefh of blood.   After this the brain
is formed, and  then the nerves, to give fenfe and motion to the
infant.  Afterwards the bones and flefh are formed, and of the
bones, firft the vertebra: or chine  bones,  and then the fkull,
Lc.
  As  to the time in which this curious part of nature 's work-
nianlhip is formed, phyficians aflign four  different  feafons
wherein this microcofm is formed, and its  formation perfected
in the womb : Ihe firfl is immediately after coition ;  the fec-
ond time of forming, fay  they, is  when- the womb by the force
of its  own innate power and virtue makes  a nianifelt mutation
or coagulation in the feed, fo that  all the fubftance thereof feems
coagulated flefh and blood, which happens about the  twelfth
or fourteenth day after copulation and though this  concretion
of flclliy mafs abounds with  fpirits, yet it  remains undiftin-
guifhable  without  any form, and may be called a rough
draught of the foetus  or; embryo.  '1 lie third time in which
this fabric is  come to  fome  further  maturity is,  when  the
principal  parts may  be in fome meafure. diltinguifhed, and
one may difcern the liver, umbellical  veins, arteries, nerves,
brain, and heart :  and this is about eighteen days  after con-
ivpiien.  Use fourth and laft time afligned by phyficians for
the formation  of the child, is about the 30th day  after con-
cH/.tiou for a .male, .but for. a. female, they. tell, us forty two: 
too
EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.
or forty five days are required, though for what reafon I know
not, nor does it appear by the birth : for if the male receives its
formation fifteen days fooner than the female, why fhould it not
be born fo much fooner too-  But as to that  every day's expe-
rience fhews us  the contrary ;  for women go the  full time of
nine months both with male and female  But at this time of 30
days(or fome will have it 45)the  outward parts  may  be  alfo
feen exquifitely elaborate, and diftinguifhed by joints ; and from
this time the child begins to be animated though as yet there is-
no fenfible  motion ; and has all the parts ofthe body,  though
fmall and very tender, yet entirely formed and figured, altho*
not longer in the whole than  one's middle  finger :  and from
thence forward, the  blood flowing every day more and more  to
the womb,  not by intervals like their courfes, but continually,it
grows bigger and ftronger to the end of nine moths, being  the
full time ofa woman's ordinary labor-
  Very great have been the difputes among both philpfophen
and phyficians about the nourifhment of the child in  the wonito,
both as to what it is, and which way it receives it.  Almaeon
was of opinion that the infant drew in its nourifhment by its
whole  body, becaufe it is rare and fpungy, as  a fpunge  fucks
in water on every tide ; and fo he thought  the infant  fucked
blood not only from itsmother'sveins, but alfo from the womb,
Democritus held that the child fucked in the nourifhment at its
mouth  Hypocrates affirms that the child fucks in both nourifh-
ment and breath  by its  mouth from the mother, for which he
gives two reafons : l.That it will fuck as foon as it is born, and
muft have learnt to fuck before.  £• Becaufe there are excrem-
ents found in the guts as foon as it is born.   But neither of thefe
reafons are fufficient to prove, his afTertion ; for as to the  firft,
" That the child will fuck as foon as it is born" it is from  nat-
ural inftinft ;  for take a  young cat that  never  faw her dam
catch a moufe, and yet (he will catch mice herfelf as foon as  (he
is able.   And as to his feccond'realon, it is a fufficient anfwer to
fay, that the excrements found in the  guts of an  infant  new
born are not excrements of the firft concoftion, w hich is evident
becaufe they don't ftink,  but are the thickeft part of the blood;
which is conveyed from the veffels of the fnleen  to the guts.
Having therefore faid enough to  confute tne opinion  ofthe
child's receiving nourifhment by the mouth, I do affirm that the
child receives its nourifhment in the womb by the navel, and,
that it fhould he fo, is much more confonant to truth and reaf-
on ; which, being granted, it will eafily follow  that the nour-
iihment the child receives is pure blood conveyed into the liver
by the navel vein, which is a branch ofthe vena porta, or great
vein, and pafies to the fmall   veins of the liver.   Here this-
blood  is made moft pure, and the thicker and rawer part of it is
conveyed to the. fpleen and kidneys, and the thick excrement
of it to the guts, which is that excrement  found there fo foon as
they are born   The pure part is conveyed  to the vena cava,
and by it chftributed throughout the body  by  the fmall veins,
which like fo many fmall  nvufets, pafs to every part of it. This 
              EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.            101-1

 blood is accompanied (as all blood is)  with a certain watery
 iubftance, the better to convey it through the paflage it is to run
 in, which as in men, is breathed out by fweating,  and contain-
 ed in the amnios, as 1 have already faid.
                      Section  III.
         Cf the Manner of the child's lying in the-womb.
           I COME now to (liew after what manner the child
 lies inthe womb, a thing fo effential foramidwife to know that
 fhe can be no  midwife who  is ignorant of it ; and yet, even a-
 bout this authors extremely differ; for there is not two in ten
 that agree what is the form that the child lies in the womb, or in
 what falhion it lies there ; and this may arrife in a great meaf-
 tn-e from the different figures that the child is found in accord-
 ing to the different times of the woman's pregnancy ;  for  near
 the time of its deliverance out of thofe winding chambers of na-
 ture, it oftentimes changes the form in which it lay before, for
 another.  Hippocrates affirms the child is fo placedin the womb
 as to have its hands, its knees, and its head bent  down towards
 its feet, fbthat it lies round together, its hands  upon  both  its
 knees, and itsface between them; fo  that each eye toucheth
 e-ach thumb, and its nofe betwixt his knees :  And  Bartholinus
 was alfo of the fame opinion.  Columbus defcribes the pofture
 of the child thus,-. " 1 he right arm bowed, the fingers were
 under the ear  and above the neck ; the head bowed down,  fo
 that the  chin toucheth - the breaft, the left arm  bowed above
 both breaft and face, and the  left arm ispropedup by the bend-
 ing of the right elbow, the legs are lifted  up fo that the thigh
 tutcheth the belly, the knees the navel, the hee1,  the  left but-
 tock, and the foot is'turned back and covereth  the  fercrets ;
 the left thigh toucheth the belly, and the leg is lifted up to  the
 bread, the back lying outward.    And ■ thus much (ball fuffice
 concerning the opinion of autl.ors.-
   1 will now fhew the feveral (filiations ofthe child in the womb *
 ^curding to the different times of pregnancy, by  which thofe
 that are  contrary to- nature, and are the chief  caufe of all
 labors, will- be more  eafily conceived by  the  underftanding
 midwife: It ought therefore, in the firft place, to be obferved
 that the infants, as well male as  female, are  generally  fituated
 m the midft  of fhe womb'; for though  fometimes to appearance
 a.woman's belly feems higher on one fide than on  the other vet
 it  is flaw ith refpeft to her belly only, and not of-her womb,  ir
 the midft of which it isalw^ijis placed
   But in the fecond place'a woman's great belly makes different
 figures, according to* the different times of pregnancy ;  for
 when (he is young with child," the embryo is always found of a
 round fi-ure a little oblong, having the fpine moderately turned
 .inwards, the thighs folded, and a little railed, to which the  legs
 are fo joined that the-hcels touch  the buttocks :  The arms  arc-
 bending, and the hands placed upon the knees : towards, which •
 The head :s inclining forwards, fo  that  the  chin  toucheth  the
 creaft.: in which poliure it refembles one's fitting to eafe nature
?nd itooping down with the  head to fee what co-ies from him.
 Ih- fpi:..' i.'f its ba< k ^ at that time placed tuv.^.rds the niovb.- 
102             EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.

crsand the headuppermoft, the  face forwards, and  the  feet
downwards ; proportionably to its growth, it extends its mem-
bers by little  and little, which  were exactly folded the firfl
month.  In  this pofture it ufually keeps till the feventh month,
and then by a natural propenfity  and difpofition of the  upper
part of the body,  the  head is turned downwards towards the
inward orifice of the womb, tumbling  as if  it were over its
head, fo that then the feet are uppermoft,  and the face towards
the mother's great gut; and this  turning ofthe infant  in this
manner, with his head downwards,  towards the latter end of a
woman's reckoning is  fo ordered by nature, that it may there-
by be the better difpofed for its  paffage into the world  at the
time of its mother's labor which is then not far off";  (and in-
deed feveral children turn not at all until the very time of birth)
tor in this pofture  all its joints are moft eafily extended in com-
ing forth ; for by this  means the arms and legs cannot hinder
its birth, becaufe they cannot be  bended againft the inward ori-
fice of the womb ;  and the reft of  the body, being very fupple,
pafleth without any difficulty after the head, which is hard and
big, being paft the birth.  It is true, there are  divers  children
that lie in the womb in another pofture, and come to  the birth
with their feet downs-ards;  efpecially if there be twins; for
then by their different motions they fo difturb one another, that
they feldom  come both in the fame pofture at the time of labor,
but one will come with the head, and another with  the feet, or
perhaps, lie acrofs, and fometimes one of them will come right.
But however the  child  may be  fituated  in the womb, or to
whatever pofture it prefents itfelf at the time of birth, if it be
not with its head forwards, as I have before defcribed, it is al-
ways againft nature ;  and the delivery will occafion the mother
more pain and danger, and require  greater care and (kill froni
the midwife than when the labor is more natural.
                       CHAP.   IV.
A Guide for Women in travail, jhewing what is  to be done when-
        they fall in Labor, in order for their Delivery.
          THE end of all that we have been treating of, is the
bringing forth of a child into the world with fafety  both to the
mother and to the infant.  The  whole time  of the  woman's.
pregnancy may very well be termed a kind of labor ;  for, from-
the time of her conception, to the time of her  delivery,  (he la-
bors under many difficulties, is fubjeft to many diftemper?, and
in continual danger, from one cauiet>r another,   till the time ol
birth comes, and when that comes, the greateft labor and trav-
ail conies along with it, infomuch, that then all her others are
forgotten, and that only is called  the time of her labor ;  and to
de-liver her fafely is the principal  bufinefs of the midwife.  Ts
a Sift her herein -s the chief defign  of this chapter.   The time of
the child's being ready for its birth, when nature endeavors to
caft it forth, is that which is properly the time of a woman's la-
bor.  And fince many women, efpecially of their firft child, are
often miftaken in their reckoning, and fo, when they draw near
their time, taka every  pain they meet with for  the labor, when
J. is act fo, which often proves "prejudicial and  troublefomc tc 
             EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.           10#

them, I will in the firft feftion of this chapter, fet  down fome
ligns, by which a woman may know when the true time of her
labor is come.
     Sect. I.  Signsofthe true Time ofa Woman's Labor.
         WHEN  women with their firft child, percive any
extraordinary pains in their belly, they  immediately fend for
their midwife, taking it for their labor ; and then it the mid-
wife be not a fkilful and judicious woman, (he  will,  without
further inquiry, take it for granted, and fo go about to put her
into labor before nature is  prepared for it : which may endan
ger the life both of the mother and child, by breaking the am-
nois and chorion-  Thefe pains, which are often  miftaken for
labor, are removed by warm clothes laid on the belly, and the
application of a clyfter or two, by  which thole pains which pre-
cede a true labor are rather  furthered than  hindered.    There
are alfo other pains incident to women in that condition  from a
flux in the belly,.which are eafily  known by the frequent (tools
which follow them.
  The (igns therefore of labor  fome few days before are, that
the woman's belly, which before lay high, (inks down, and hin-
ders her from walking fo eafily as fhe ufed to do ;  alfo, there
flows from the womb (limy humors, which nature has  appoint-
ed to moiften and fmooth the  paflage, that its  inward orifice
may be  the more eafily dilated when there is occafion  ;  which
beginning to open at that time, fuffers that flime  to flow away,
which Proceeds from the  glandules called  Proflratae.   Thefe
are  figns preceding labor ; but when fhe  is prefently  falling
into labor, the figns are great pains about the region of the reins
and loins, which, coming and reiterating by intervals, anfwer
to the bottom of the belly  by congruous throes, and fometimes
the face is red and inflamed, the blood being much heated by
the endeavors a woman  makes  to bring forth her child, and
likewife becaufe during thefe ftrong throes her refpiration is in-
tercepted, which eaufes the blood to have recourfe to her face  •
alfo her privy parts are fwelled by  the infant's head lying in the
birth, which by  often thrufting, eaufes thofe pains to defeend
outwards.  She is much fubjeft to vomiting, which is a fign of
good labor and  fpeedy delivery,  though by ignorant  women
thought otherwife, tor good pains are thereby excited and re-
doubled; which vomiting is occafioned by the fympathy  there
is between the womb and the ftoinaeh.  Alfo, when  the birth
is  near, women  are troubled with a trembling in the thighs and
legs, not with cold,like the beginning of an ague  fit, but with
the heat ofthe whole body, though this does not always happen.
When the humors which flow from the womb  are difeolored
with blood, the  midwives call  it Shows, and it is an infallible
mark ofthe birth's being near : and if then  the midwife  put up
her finger into the neck otthe womb (he will find the inner ori-
fice dilated :  at the opening of which, the.  membranes  of the
infant containing the waters prefent themfelvesj and are ftrong-
ly  forced downwards with  each pain (he hath ; at  which time
one may perceive them fometimes to refift and then again prefs
forward  the finger, being more  or  lefs .hard and extended, 
 104            EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.

 according as the pains are ftronger or weaker.  Thefe mem...
 branes, with the waters in them,  when  they  are before  the
 head ofthe child, which the midwives call the Gathering ofthe
 Waters, refemble, to the touch ofthe finger, thofe eggs which
 have no fhell, but are  covered  only with a fingle membrane
 After this, the  pains (till redoubling, the membranes are brok-
 en by a ftrong impulfion of the waters,, which  prefently flow
 away, and then the head ofthe infant is prefently felt naked,
 and prefents itfelf at  the inward orifice of the womb: When
 thefe waters come thus away, then  the midwife-may be allured
 the birth is very near, this being the moft certain fign that can
 be ; for the Amnois and lantois being  broked,  which contain
 thofe waters, by r refling forward of the birth ;  the child is not
 better able tolubfift long in the womb afterwards, than a naked
 man in  a heap of fnow.   Now, thefe waters, if the child comes
 prefently after them, facilitate  the  labor,  by making the p if.
 fage flippery ;  and therefore let  no midwife  (as  fome have
 foolifhly done) endeavor to force away the water, for nature
 knows beft when the true time of the birth is, and therefore re-
 tains the water till that time.   But if by accident the water
 breaks away  too long before the birth, then fuch things as will
 haften it, may be fafely admitted ; and what thofe arc I fhall
 fhew in another feftion
                      Section   II.
 Hovj a Woman  ought to  be ordered when  the Time  of Labor is-
                          come.
          WHEN it is known that the time of a woman's labor
 is come, by the figns  laid down in the foregoing feftion.  of
 which thofe that are moft to be relied on  are pains and ftrong
 throe* in the belly, forcing downwards towards the womb, and
 a dilation of  the inward orifice*  which may be perceived by
 touching it with the finger, and gathering of the waters before
 the head of the child,  and  thrufting down of the  membranes
 which contain them ; through which, between  tke  pain-,, one
 may- with the finger difcover the part which prefents  as faid
 before, efpecially if it be the head of'the  child,  by its round-
 nefs and hardnefs.  If thefe things concur, and are evident, the
 midwife may  be fure it is the time of her labor ;_and care mult
 be taken  to get all things ready that are neceflary to omfert
 the woman in that time.   And the better to  help her, be  furs
 to fee fhe be not ftraight laced:  You may alfo- give her a pretty
 ftrong clyfter, or more, if there be occauon, provided it be done
 at the beginning, and before the  child be too forward.  The
 benefit accruing hereby will be, to excite  the gut to  difcharge
 itfelf of its excrements, that fo the reftum being emptied, there
 may be more  fpace for the  dilation of the  paffage ; likewife fc
caufe the pains to bear the more downward; through the e»
 deavors fhe makes when  fhe is at ftool: and, in  the mean time,
 all other neceflary things for her labor fhould  be put  in order,
 both for the midwife and the child.  To.  this end fome get a
 midwife's flool,  but  a pallet bed girted is much the Beft way,
placed near the fire, if  the feafon fo require : Which pallet
 ought to be fo p'aced, that  there may be eafy accefs to it on ev- 
             EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE            »fr

cry fide, that the woman may be the more readily aflifted, as
there is occafion.
  If the woman abounds with blood, to bleed her a little may
not be improper, for thereby (he will both breathe the better,
and have her breafts more at liberty, and likewife more ftrength
to bear down the pain ; and this (he may do without danger^
becaufe the child being about that time ready to be born, has
no more need of the mother's blood for its nourifhment : Be-
fides, this evacuation does many times prevent her having a fe-
ver after  her delivery.  Alfo,  before  her delivery, if her
ftrength will permit, let her walk up and down her chamber ;:
and that (he may have ftrength fo to do,  it will be neceflary to
give her fome  good ftrengthening  things, fuch as jelly broth,
new laid eggs, or fome fpoonfulsof burnt wine  And let her,
by all means, hold out her pains, bearing them down as  much
as (he can at the time when they take her ; and let the midwife
from time to time touch the inward orifice with the-finger, to
know whether the waters are ready to break, and whether the
birth will  follow foon after ; let her alfo anoint the woman's
privities with emollient oil, hog's greafe, and  frefh butter,  if
(he finds they are hard to be  dilated.  Let the  midwife  be  all
the while near the laboring woman, and diligently obferve her
geftures, complaints, and pains, for by this (he may guefs pretty
well how her labor advanceth ;  becaufe when fhe changethlher
ordinary groans into long cries, it is a fign the child is very near
the birth ; for at that time the pains are greater and more fre-
quent.   Let the woman likewife by  intervals reft herfelf on the
bed to regain her ftrength, but not too long, efpecially if (he be
little,  fhort and thick, for fuch women have  always worfe la-
bor, if they lie longonltheir beds in their  travail;  it  is better,
therefore that they walk, as much as they can, about the cham-
fer, the women fupporting her under their arms, if it be  necefi-
fary, for by this means the weight ofthe  child caufeth the in-
ward orifice of the womb to dilate fooner  than  in bed ; and if
her pains be ftronger and more frequent,  her labor will  not be
near fo long*
  Let not  the laboring woman be  concerned at thofe qualms
and vomitings perhaps which (he may find come upon her, for
they will be much to her advantage in the iflue, however unea-
fy (he may beTor the time, as they further the throes and pains,
provoking downwards.   But to proceed :
  When the waters of the  children are ready and gathered,
which may be  perceived through the  membranes to prefent
themfelves to the inward orifice, of the bignefs of the  whole
dilation, the. midwife ought to let  them break of themfelves,
and not, like fome hafty midwives, who being impatient of the
woman's long labor, break them, intending thereby  to  haften
their bufinefs, when  inftead thereof,  they retard it ; for, by
the too hafty breaking of thefe waters (which Nature defigned
to caufe the infant to Aide forth the more eafily) the paflage re-
mains dry, by which means the pains and throes of the laboring
woman are lefs efficacious to bring  forth  the infant than they
would otherwife have been.  It is   therefore  much the  better 
105           EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
 way to let  the waters break of themrelves : af er which the-
 midwife may  with eafe feel the child bare by that which 6r(l
 prefents, and thereby difcern whether it conies  right, that is,
 with the head foremoft, for that is the  moft proper and natural
 way of its birth ; if the  head comes  right, (he  will find  it
 round, big, hard, and equal ;  but if it be in any other part, (lie
 will feel it unequal, rugged, and  foft or hard, according to the
 nature of the part it is-   And  this being the true time when
 the woman ought to deliver, if nature be not wanting to per-
 form its office, therefore w hen the midwife finds  the  birth thus
 coming forward, let her haften to afliftand deliver it, for it or-
 dinarily happens foon after, if it be natural.
   But  if it happens as fome times it may, that the  v aters break
 away too long before the birth, in fuch a cafe thofe things that
 haften  nature may be fafely admitted ; to which purpole, let
 her make ufe of pennyroyal, dittany, juniper berries,  red coral,
 betony, and feverfew boiled in white wine, and a draught of it
 drank  ; or it would be much better to take the juice of it when
 it is in  its prime, which is in May, and having clarified it, let
 them make it into afvrup, with double its weight of fugar, and
 keep it by them all the year to ufe when occalion calls for it.
 Mugwort, ufed  in the fame manner, is alfo good  in this cale.
 Alfo a dram of cinnamon powder given inwardly profits much
 in this  cafe : and fo  doestanfey bruifed and applied to the. priv-
 ities, cr an oil of itfo made and u[ed as you were taught before.
 The fton^ ./Ftites held to the privities is  cf extraordinary vir-
 tue, and inftantly draws away  both child and after burden, but
 great care muft be taken to remove it prefently, cr it  will draw
 forth the. womb and all ;  for fuch is the magnetic virtue of this
 ftone, that  both child and womb follow it as readily as*iron
 doth the loadftcne, or as the load (tone the North ftar.
  There are many other  things that phyficians affirm are  good
 in this cafe among which are,  an  afs's of an horfe's hoof hung
 near the privities ;  a piece of red coral  hung  near the faid
 place ; a load ftone helps much held in the woman's left hand,
 or the  fkin which a fnake hath cut off", girt about the middle
 next the fkin.  Thefe things are mentioned by Mizaldus ; but
 fetting thofe things afide  as  not fo certain, notwithftanding
 Mizaldus quotes them, the following prefcriptions are  very
 good to give fpeedy deliverance to women in travel
  1  A decoftion of white wine made in favory, and  drank.
  2.  Take wild tanfey, or filver weed, bruifc it, and apply  it to
the woman's noftrils
  3.  Take date ftones, and beat them to powder, and let her
 take half a dram of them in white  wine at a time,
  4.  Take parfley, andbruife  it,  and prefs out the juice, and
dip a linen cloth in it, and put it up fo dipped into theiuouth of.
the womb, it will prefently caufe  the child to come  away
though it be dead, and will bring away the after burden   Al-
fo the juice of parlley is a thing of fo great virtue (efpecially
ftone parfley) being drank by a woman with child, it  cleanfetn:
not only the. womb, but alfo the child in the womb, of all gr-jis
humors 
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
107
   ... A fcruple of caftorum in powder, in any convenient liquor,
•?s very good  to  be taken in fuch cafe ; and  fo  alfo is two  or
 three drops of fpirit of caftorum in any-convenient liquor: alfo
eight or nine drops of fpirit of myrrh, given in any convenient
 liquors gives fpeedy deliverance.
   6. Give a woman in fuch a cafe  another  woman's milk to
 drink it will caufe fpeedy delivery, and almoft  without any pain.
   7. The juice of leeks, being drank with warm water, hath a
 mighty operation to caufe fpeedy delivery.
   8.  Take piony feeds, and beat them into powder, and mix the
 powder with oil, with which oil anoint the loins and privities of
.the woman with child ; it gives her deliverance very fpeedily,
 and with lefs pain than can*be imagined.
   9.  Take a fwallow's neft, and diffolve it in water, ftrain  it,
and drink it warm : it gives delivery with great fpeed and much
 eafe.
   Note, this-alfo is general, thatall things  that move the terms
 are good for making the delivery eafy ; fiich as myrrh, white
 amber in white wine, or lily water, two fcruples or a dram ; or
 caffia lignea. dittany, each a dram, cinnamon half a dram, faf-
 fron a fcruple, give a dram;  or take bora"x mineral a dram, caf-
da lignea a fcruple, faffron fix. grains,  and give  it in fack ;  or
take caffia lignea a dfam dittany, amber of each, half a  dram,
cinnamon,  borax, Of each a dram and a half, faffron a fcruple,
and give her half a dram ; or give her feme  drops of hazel in
a convenient liquor ; or two or three drops of oil of cinnamon
in vervain water.  Some prepare the fecundine thus ;  Take the
 naval firing and dry it in an oven ; take two drams of the pow-
der, cinnamon a dram, faffron half a fcruple, with juice of favin
 make troches ; give two drams ; or wa(h the fecundine in wine
 and bake it in a pot ; then wafh it in endive water and wine ;
 take half a dram of it ; long pepper,  galangal,  of each half a
dram; plantain  and endive  feed, of each a  dram and a half ;
lavender feed four fcruples ;  make a powder  ; or take laudan-
um two drams, ftorax, calamine, benzoin, of each  half a dram ;
nnifk, ambergreafe, each fix grains ;  make a powder, or troches
for a  fume.  Or ufe peffaries to provoke  the birth ; take gal-
banum, diffolved in vinegar,  an ounce ; myrrh two drams ;
 faffron a dram ;  with oil of orts make a peflary.
               , An Ointment for the Navel.
  Take oil of kier two ounces, juice of favin an ounce, of leeks
and mercury, each half an ounce; boil them to the confumption
of the juice ;  and galbanum diffolved in vinegar half an ounce,
myrrh two drams,  ftorax liquid a dram; rourfd birth wort,
fowbread, cinnamon, faffron, a dram ; with wax make anoint-
ment and apply it.
  If the birth be retarded through the weaknefs of fhe mother,
refrefli her with applying  wine and  foap to the nofe, Confeft
Alkermas Diamai g.
  Thefe things may be applied to help nature in  the delivery
when  the child comes to the  birth the right way,  and yet the
birth is  retarded ;  but  if (he finds the child comes the wrong
way, and (he is not  able to deliver the woman au  (he ^ught  to 
108
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
be, by helping nature and faving both mother and child (for ft
is not enough to lay a woman, if it might be done by another
with more fafety and eafe, and lefs hazard both to woman and
child) then let her fend fpeedily forbetter and more able help ;
and not as I once knew a midwife,  when a woman (lie was to
deliver had hard labor, rather than a man midwife fhould le
fent for, would undertake to deliver the woman herfelf (though
told by others that it was a man's bufinefs) and in her attempt-
ing it  brought away  the  child, but left the head of the infant
behind in the mother's womb; and had not a ma» midwife been
prefently fent for, the mother had loft her life as well as  the
child; fuch perfons may rather be termed butchers than mid-
wives.  But fuppofing the woman's labor to be natural, I will
next fhew what the midwife ought to  do in order to her deliv-
ery.
                       "CHAP.  V.
■Of natural Labor; what it is, and what the Midwife is to do in
                      fucb a Labor.
             Section I. What natural Labor is.
          THERE are four things to denominate a  woman's
-labor natural;  the firft is, that it be  at  the full time ;  for if a
woman comes before her time it Cannot properly be termed
natural labor, neither will it be fo eafy as  if flie had completed
her nine months.  The fecond thing is, that it  be fpeedy and
without any ill accident; for when  the time of  the birth is
come, nature is not dilatory in the  bringing of it forth, with.
out fome ill  accident intervene which renders it unnatural,
The third is, that the child be alive : for all will .grant, that
the being  delivered of a dead child  is  very unnatural.  The
fourth thing requifite to a natural birth is that the child come
right; for if the pofition ofthe child in the womb  be contrary
to what is natural, and fhe event proves  it fo too often, making
that which  fhould  be a time  of  life the death  both ofthe
mother and the child.
  Having thus told  you what I mean  by natural labor, I fhall
•next fhew how the midwife is to proceed here, in order to the
woman's delivery.  When all the foregoing requifites concur,
and after the waters are broke of themfelves, let the laboring
woman be conducted  to a pallet bed, provided near the  fire
for that purpofe, as has already been faid, and let there rathw
be a quilt laid upon the pallet bedftead than a feather bed, hav-
ing thereon linen clothes in many folds, with  fuch other things
as are neceflary, and may be changed according to the exigence
requiring it, that fo the woman  may not be incommoded with
the blood,  waters,  and other filth  which is voided in labor.
The bed ought to be fo ordered, that the woman, being ready
to be delivered, fhould lie on her back upon it having her body
in a convenient pofture ;  that is her head and breaft a little raif-
ed, fo that (he is between lying and fitting, for being fo placed,
(he is beft capable of breathing  and. likewife will have more
ftrength  to  bear her pains, than if (he lay otherwife, or funk
down in her bed   Being fo placed  fhe muft fpread her thighs
abroad, folding her legs a  little towards her buttocks, fome- 
              EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.             109

  what raifed by a fmall pillow underneath, to the end that her
  rump (hould have more liberty to retire back,  and let her feet
  be ftaid againft  firm things;Befides this, let her take  hold of
  feme  of the good women attending her,  with her hands,  that
  (he may  the  better  day herfelf during  her pains.  She being
  thus placed near the fide of  her bed, having her midwife  by,
  the better fo aflift upon occafion, let her take courage, and help
  her pains the beft (he can, bearing them  down when they take
  her, which (he muft do by holding in her breath,  and forcing
  herfelf as much as poflible, in like manner as when (he  goes to
  (tool ;  for by fuch (training, thediaphragma or  midriff,  being
  ftrongly thruft downwards,  neceflarily forces down the womb
  and the child in it.  In the mean time, let the midwife endeavor
  to comfort her all fhe can, exhorting her to bear her labor cour-
  ageoufly, telling  her it will be quickly over, and that there i>
  no fear but  (he will have a fpeedy delivery.  Let  the  midwife
  alfo, having no rings on her hand,  anoint it with oil or  frefh
  butter, and therewith dilate gently the inward orificeof the womb
  putting her finger ends into the entry thereof and ftretch  them
  one from the other, when her  pains take  her;  by this means
  endeavoring to help forward the child, and  thrultirig by  little
  and little the fides ofthe orifice towards the hinder part of the
  child's head, anointing the parts alfo. with-freih butter if it be
  neceflary.
    When the head ofthe infant is fomewhat advanced into this in-
  ward orifice, the  midwife's phrafe is,  It is crowned,  becaufe it
  girds and furrounds it juftas  a crown ; but when it  is fo  far
  that the extremities begin to appear without the privy parts,
  then fay they " The child is in the paflage."  And at this time
  the woman feels herfelf as it were feratched or pricked with pins,
  and is ready to imagine that the midwife hurts  her, when it is
  occafioned by the violent diftcntion of thofe  parts, and the lac-
  eration which, at fome times, the  bignefs of the child's head
  caufeth there.  When things are in this pofture, let the  midS
  wife feat herfelf conveniently to receive the child, which will
  now come quickly, and with her finger ends  (which fhe muft be
  fure to keep clofe paired)let her endeavor to thruft  the  crown-
  ing ofthe womb (of which I have fpoken before) back  over
   the head of the child.  And as foon as it is advanced as  far as
  the ears, or thereabouts, let her take hold ofthe two fides with
  her two hands, that when a good pain comes (he  may quickly
  draw forth the child, taking Care that the navel firing be not
  then entangled about the neck  or any other part, as fometimes
  it is, left thereby the after burden be pulled with violence, and
  perhaps the womb alfo, to which it is  fattened, and  fo  either
  caufe her to flood, or elfe break the firing, both which are of
  bad confequence to the woman, whofe delivery may thereby be
  rendered more difficult.  It muft alio be carefully heeded that
  the head be not drawn out ftrait, but (haking it a little from one
  fide to the other, that the fkoulders may fooner and eafier  take
:  their place immediately afterit be paft, without lofing any time
;  left the head being paftr the child be (topped there by the big-
i  nefs of the fhoulders and. fo come in danger of being fuffbcatejj 
110
EXPERIENCED  iMIDWIFE.
and ftrangled in tbe paHage, as it fometimes happens for want of
tare therein.  But as foon as the head is born,  if there be need
the may Aide in her fingers under the arm pits,  and the reft of
the body will follow without difficulty.
  As foon as the midwife hath in this manner drawn forth the
child, let her put it on one fide, left the blood and water which
follow immediately, fhould doit an injury, by running into its
mouth and nofe, as it would do if it lay on its back, and  fo en-
danger the choaking it.  The child being thus  born,  the  next
thing requifite is to bring away the  after burden ;  but before
that, let the midwife be very careful to examine whether there
be more children in the womb ; for fometimes  a woman  may
have tsvins that expefted it not ; which the midwife may eafily
know by the continuance of the pains after the  child is  born,
and the bignefs of the mother's belly.   But the midwife may be
more fu re of it if fhe puts her hand up the  entry of the  womb,
and finds there another w ater  gathering, and a child in it  pre-
fenting to the paffage : and if  (he finds fo, (he muft have  a care
of going about to fetch away the after birth, till the woman be
delivered of all the children fhe is pregnant with.   Wherefore
the firft firing'muft be cut, being firft tied with a thread three or
four times doubled and the other end faftened  with a firing to
the woman's thigh, to prevent the inconvenience it may caufe
by hanging between her thighs .: and then removing the child
already  born, (he muft take care to deliver her of the reft, wheth-
er more or lefs, obferving all   the fame  circumftances  as the
firft ;  after which it will be necellary to  fetch away the  after
birth, or births    But of that in  another feftion, after firft
(hewing what is to  be done to the new  born infant.
      bECT. Ii  Of the cutting off the Child's Navel firing.
          THOUGH thisis by many accounted but a trifle,
yet great care is to betaken about it; and it (hows none  of the
lead art or (kill of a midwife to do it as it (hould  be :  In doing
this the midwife ought to obferve, 1.  The time ; 2.  The place;
3  The manner ;  4.  The event.
  The time is, as foon as ever the  infant comes  out  of the
womb, whether it brings part  of the after birth with it or net;
for fometimes the child brings into the world a piece of the am-
nois upon its head, and is what the good woman calls the caul,
and ignorantly  attributes fome extraordinary  virtue  to the
child thatis fo born ; but this  opinion is only the effeft of their
ignorance ;  for when. a child is born  with fuch a crown  (as
fome call it) upon  its  brows  it generally  betokens  weaknefs,
and denotes^ a !!ort life.   But to the matter in hand.  As foon
as the child is come into  the world, confider whether if be weak
or ftrong ; and if it be weak, let the midwife gently put back
part ofthe vital and natural blood into the body of the child by
its navel ; for that recruits a weak child ; hit, if the  child be
ftrong, the operation is needle's   Only  let me advife you  that
many  children that are bonvfe'emingly dead, may  hi  foon
brought to lifeagain if you fqueeze lix or feven  drops of blood
■out of that part ofthe t.a'vft firing which is cut oftj and give it to
0<echild inwardly. 
EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.            lit
   Authors can fearce agree whether the navel firing fhould be
cut long or fhort ;  fome preforming it to be cut off'at four fin-
ger's breadth which is at beft but an uncertain  rule, unlefs  all
fingers were of a fize.  It is a received opinion that the parts a-
dapted to generation are either contracted  or dilated according
to the cutting ofthe navel firing ; and therefore midwives gen-
erally leave a longer part of it to a male than to a female, becaufe
they would  have the male well provided for the  encounters of
Venus , and the reafon they give that they cut that of the females
(horter, is, becaufe they believe it makes them modeft, and their
privities  narrower, which makes them more  acceptable to their
hufbands.   Mizaldus was not of this  opinion, and therefore he
ordered the navel firing to be cut long both in male and female
children ; betaufe, faitt he, the inftrument of generation follows
the proportion of it, and therefore if it be cut too (hort in a fe-
male, it will be a hinderance of her having children.  I will not
contradict thefe opinions of Mizaldus, that experience has made
good.  The one is, that if the navel firing of a child, after it is
cut be fuft'ei ed to touch the ground, thcchild will never hold its
water, neither fleeping or waking, but will be fubjee~t to  an in-
voluntary making  of water all its life time.   The other is, that a
piece of  the child's  navel  firing carried about one, fo that  it
touch his fkin, defends him that wears it from the falling ficknefs
and convullions.
   As to the manner how it muft be cut : Let the midwife take
a brown thread four or five times double, of an ell long, cr  there-
abouts, tied with a fingle knot at each of the ends, to prevent
their entagling  ; and with this thread fo accommedated (which
the midwife muft have in  readinefs before the the woman's labor,
as alfo a good pair of feiffors, that n* time may be loft) let her
tie the firing within an inch of the belly witli a double knot, and
turning about the ends of the thread let her tie two more  on the
other fide of the firing,  reiterating it again if it be  necelfary ;
then let her cut off" the  navel another  inch  below the  liga-
ture, towards the  after birth, fo  that there  only remains but
two inches of the ftring, in the midft of which will  be the knot
we fpeak of, which muft be fo ftrait  knit as not to fuffer  a drop
of blood to fqueeze out of the veffels : but care muft be taken
not to knit it fo ftrait as to cut it in two and therefore the thread
muft be pretty thick, and pretty ftrait knit, it being better too
ftrait?than too  loofe ; for,  fome children  have  miferably loft
their lives, with all their blood,  before  it  was  discovered, be-
caufe the navel ftring was not well tied.  Therefore great care
muft be taken that no blood fqeeze through, for if there does, a
new knot muft  be made with the reft of the  ftring.  You need
not fear  to  bind  the  navel ftring very hard, becaufe they are
void of fenfe, and that part of it whicn you  leave  on falls off of
its own accord,  in a very few days,  fometimes fix or feven, and
fometimes fooner ;  but rarely tarries longer than the eighth or
ninth  When  you have thus cut the navel ftring, then take
care the piece that falls off touch not the ground for the reafon I
told you Mizaldus gave, which experience has juftified. 
112            EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.

  As to the laft thing I mentioned, which is the event or confe-
quence, of what follows cutting of the navel ftring : As foon as
the naval firing is cut off, apply a little cotten or lint to the place
to keep it warm, left the cold en;er  into the body  of the child,
wiiich it will moft certainly do if you have not bound it hard e-
nough.   If the lint or cotton you apply to it be dipt inoil of ro-
fes, it ^i^be the better ; and  then put another fmall rag three
or fournrn^s  double upon the belly   Upon the top of all, put
another fmall bolffer, and then fwathe it  with alincn fwathe
four fingers broad, to keep it fteady, left by rolling too much, or
by being continually (fined from (ide  to fide, it comes to fall
off before the  naval ftring, which you  left remaining, is fallen
off".   It is theufual cuftom  of mid wives to put a piece of burnt
rag to it, which we commonly call  tinder : but 1 would rathei
advile them to put a little of armoniac to it, becaufe of its dry-
ing quality.   But this fhall fuffice- to be fpoken as  to the cutting
of the navel firing.
     Section JII. How to bring away the after burden.
          A  WOMAN cannot be faid fairly  to be delivered,
though the child be born, till the after burden be alfo taken from
her ; herein differing from moft animals, who, when they have
brought forth their young,  caft forth nothing elfe but fome wa-
fers, and  the  membranes  which contained them.  But women
have an after labor,  which fometimes proves  more dangerous
than the firft : and how to bring  it fafely away, without preju-
dice to  her,  fhall be my bufinefs to fhew in this feftion.
  As foon as the child isborn, before the midwife  either ties or
cuts the navel firing,, left the womb fhould clofe, let her take the
ftring and wind it once or twice about one or two  of the fingers
of her left hand joined together, the better to hold it, with which
(he may draw it moderately, and with the right hand  (he may
only take a fingle hold -of it above  the  left near  the  privities,
drawing likewife  with that very gently, retting the while the
fore finger of the  fame hand, extended and ftretched forth along
the ftring towards the entry of the vagina ; always obferving,
for the more facility, to draw it, from the fide where the  bur-
den cleaves leaft,  for in fo doing the reft will feparate the better:
and efpecially care muft be taken that itbe not drawn forth with
too much violence, left by breaking the ftring near the burden,
the midwife will be obliged to put the whofe hand  into the womb
to deliver the woman ;  and fhe had need be a  very fkilful per-
fon that undertakes it, left the womb  to which  this burden is
fometimes very ftrongly faftened, be drawn with it, as it has
fometimes happened,   it is therefore beft to ufe  fuch remedies
as may  aflift nature.  And  here  take  notice,  that what brings
away the birth will  alfo bring away  the after  birth.   And
ilierefore, for the affecting this work,  1 will lay  down the fol-
lowing  rules ;
  1.  Ufe the fame means in bringing awray the after birth that
you  make ufe of to bring away the birth ; for the fame care and
eucumfpeftion is needful now  that was then.
  •2. Cbnfider the laboring woman cannot but be much fpent
L; what ilif ha-= already undergone  in bringing forth the infant; 
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.            US
 and therefore be fure to take care to give her fomething to com-
 fort her.   And in this cafe good jelly broths, alfo a little wine
 and toafl in it, and other comforting things will be neceflary.
   3.  A little white hellebore in powder, to make her fneeze, in
 this cafe is very proper.
   4.  Tanfey and the ftone JEtites, applied as before direfted, is
 alfo of good ufe in this cafe.
   5. If you take the herb vervain,  and either boil it in wine or
 make a fyrup with the juice of it, which you may  do, by add-
 ing to it double its weight of fugar (having clarified the juice
 before you boil it) and a fpoonful  or two of that given  to  the
 woman is very efficacious to bring away the fecundine  ; and fe-
 verfew and mugwort, have the fame operation taken as the for-
 mer.
   6. Alexander boiled in wine, and the wine  drank; alfo fweet
 fervile, fweet cicely, angelica roots, and mafterwort, are excel-
 lent remedies in this cafe.
   7. Or if thefe fail, the fmoke of marygolds received up a wo-
 man's privities by a funnel  have been known to bring away  the
 after birth, even when the  midwife let go her hold.
   8.  Which is all-1 fhould add in  thiscafe.  Boil  mugwort in
 water till it be very foft; then take it out, and apply it in man-
 ner of a poultice to the navel ofthe laboring woman, and it  in-
 ftantly brings away  the birth and after birth : but  fpecial care
 muft be taken to remove it as foon as they come away, left by
 its longer  tarrying, it fhould draw away the womb alfo.  But
 thus much fhall fuffice to be fpoken of in bringing away the af-
 ter burden in all natural labors.
 Section IV.  Of laborious  and difficult Labors, and  how  the
                 Midwife is to proceed therein.
         TO proceed in this feftion the more regularly, it will
 be neceflary to acquaint the reader that there are three forts of
 bad labors, all painful and difficult, but not all properly unnat ■
 ural.  It will be necelfary therefore'to diftinguifh thefe.
   The firft  of thefe bad labors is that wherein the  mother and
 child fuffer very much by extreme pain and difficulty, even
 though the child come  right; and  this is diftinguifhably called
 laborious labor.
   The fecond is that which is  difficult, and differs not  much
 from the former except  that befides thofe extraordinary  pains,
 it  is generally attended with fome unhappy accident, which,  by
 retarding the birth, eaufes the difficulty ; and thefe difficulties
 being removed, accelerates the birth  and hafiens the delivery.
   Some have afked what the reafon is that women  bring forth
 their children with fo much  pain ? I anfwer, the knfe of feeling
 isdiftributed to the whole  body by the nerves, and the mouth
of the womb being fo ftraight that it muft of neceffity be dilated
at  the time of the woman's delivery, the  dilating thereof ftretch-
es  the nerves, and  from thence comes  the pain.  And therefore
the reafon why fome women have more pain in their labor than
others, proceeds  from  their having the  mouth  of  the matrix
more full of nerves than others, as  fkilful  anatomifts do  eafily
difcover. 
U4             EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.

  But to proceed, the beft way to remove thefe difficulties that
cccafion fuch hard pains and labor I am here to treat of, is to
ihew fiom whence they proceed for the caufe of any diftemper
being knowo, is as much as half the  cure  Now the difficulty
of labor proceeds either from the mother or child, or both.
  From the mother, by reafon ofthe indifpofition of her body,
or may be from  fome particular part only, and  chiefly  the;
womb, as when the woman is weak, and the womb  is not aftive
to expel its burden, or from weaknefs  or difeafe, or want of
fpirits : or it may be from fome (trong paflion of the mind with
which fhe was before pofl'effed ; it may be alfo becaufe (he hath
been too young, and fo may have fhe paffage  too ftrait;  or too
old, and then, if it be  her  firft child, becaufe her parts are too
dry and too hard, and cannot be fo  eafily dilated, as happens alfo
to them who are too lean.   Likewife thofe who are either fmall,
or fhort, or deformed, as  crooked women, who  have  not a
breath ftiong enough to help their pains, and tobear them down,
and perfons that are crooked having fometimes th?  bones ofthe
paffage not well fhapen ;  the  cholic alfo hinders labor, by pre-
venting the true, pains, and all great and acute pains, as when
the woman is taken with a violent  fever, g:eat flooding,  fre-
quent convulfions, bloody  flux or any other great diftemper.
  Alfo excre>ments retained caufe much difficulty, and fo does a
(tone- in the bladder ; or when the bladder is full of urine, with-
out being able  to void it; 01 when  the woman is troubled  with
great  and painful  biles  It may alfo  be from the  paflages,
when the membranes are thick,"the orifice too ftrait, and the
neck of the womb is not fufficiently open, the paflages areprell-
rd and ftrained by tumors in the  adjacent parts,  or when the
bones are too firm, and will not open, which very much endan-
geis mother and child ; or when the paflages are not flippery,
by reafon of the waters having broke  too foon, or  the mem-
branes being too thin.  The womb  may  alfo be out of order
with refpeft to  its  bad fituation, or conformation,  having its
neck too ftrait, hard or callous ; which  may  eafiljj be fo natur-
ally, or may come by accident, being many times  caufed  by a
tumor, a pofthume, ulcer  orfuperfluous flefh.
   As to hard labqr occasioned by the child, it is when the child
happens to flick to a mole, or when it is  fo weak that it  cannot
break the membranes, or if it be too  big all over, or in the  head
only, or if the navel veflels are twilled about its neck, when the
belly is hydropical, or when  it is monftrous, having two heads,
or being joined to another child ; alio when the child is dead, or
 fo weak that it can contribute nothing to its birth, likewife when
 it conies wrong, or when  there are one  or two more.   And in
all thefe  various difficulties there is oftentimes one more, and
 that is the ignorance of the midwife  ; for want of underftanding
 her bufinefs hinders nature in her  work, inftead of  helping her.
   Having thus looked into the caufe of hard labor, I  will  now
 fhew the induftrious midwife how (he may minifter fome reliefto
 the laboring woman under thefe circumftances.  But it will re-
 quire underftanding and judgment in  the  midwife, when fhe
 hndsa woman  in difficult  labor, to know the particular obftruc- 
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.            115
  fion, or caufe thereof, and fo a fuitable remedy may be applied.
  As for  inftance, when it  happens by the mothers being  too
  young and to ftrait, (he muft be gently treated,' and the  paffages
  anointed with oil, hog's lard, or frefli butter, to  relax and  di-
  late them the eafier, left there fhould happen a rupture of any
  part when the child is born;  for fometimes  the peritonaeum
  brcaks.withthe fkin from the privities of the  fundament.   But
  if a woman be in years with her firft child, let  her lower  parts
  be anointed  to mollify the inward orifice, which  in fuch a cafe
  being more hard and callous, doth not eafily yield to the diften-
  tion of labor, which is the true caufe why fuch women are long-
  er in labor, and alfo why their children, being forced againft
  the inward orifice of the womb (which as I have faid, is a  little
  callous)  are born with great humps and bruifes on their heads.
li  Thofe women that are very fmall and mifhapen fhould not be
  put to bed,  at leaft till their waters are broke, but rather kept
  upright, and aflifted to walk about the  chamber, by being fup-
  ported under their arms ;  for by that means they  will  brejfche
  more freely, and bear their pains better than on  the  bed,  be-
  caufe there they lie all on a heap.   As for  thofe that are very
  lean, and have hard labor, from that caufe,  let them  moiften
  the parts with oils and ointments, to make them more fmoothe
  and fiippery, that the head of the  infant and the womb be  not
  focompaffed and bruifed by the hardnefs ofthe mother's  bones
  which form  the paflage  If the caufe be weaknefs, flie ought to
  be ftrengthened, the better to fupport herJpains ;  to which end
  give her good jelly broths, and a little wine with a  toaftinit-   If
  the fears her pains, let, her be comforted, affuring her  that  (he
   will not bear many more, but be delivered in a little time. But
   if her pains be (low and fmall, or none at all, they muft be pro-
  voked by frequent and pretty ftrong clyfters, that  fo  they may
  be excited thereby ;  after which, let her walk about the cham-
  ber, that fo the weight of the child may help them forward.  But
  if flie flood or have convulfions ; fhe muft then be helped by a
  fpeedy delivery ; the operation whereof I fhall relate in the fee-
  tion of unnatural labors.  If fhe be coftive, let her ufe clyfters,
  which may alfo help to difpel the  cholic, at thofe times,  very
  injurious, becaufe attended with ufelefs pains, and becaufe fuch
  bear not downwards, and fo help not to forward the birth.   If
  fhe finds an obftruftion or ftoppage on the urine, by  reafon  the
  womb bears  too much on the bladder, let her lift up her belly a
  little with her hand, andtry if by that fhe  receives any benefit •
  if (he finds fhe does not, it will be  neceflary to introduce  a  cal
  theter  in the bladder, and thereby draw forth her urine.   If
  the difficulty be from the ill pofture of a woman, let her be pla-
  ced otherwife, in a pofture more fuitable and convenient for her.
  Alfo  if it proceed from the jndifoofitions of the womb, as  from
  its oblique fituation, &c. it muft be remedied, as well as can be
  by t^e placing of her body accordingly ; or if  it  be a vicious
  confirmation, having the neck too hard, too callous,  and  too
  ftrait, it muft be anointed  with oils and ointments as before  di-
  rected.  If the membranes be fo ftrong as that the waters  don't
  break in due time, thev m^v he- broken with the fingers if the 
116
EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.
midwife be firft well affured that  the child come forward  into-
the paflage, and ready to follow after, or elfe by the breaking
ofthe waters too foon, the child may be in danger  of remain-
ing dry a long time ; to fupply which defeft  you may  moiflen
the parts with  fomentations,  decoftions, and emollient  oils;
which yet is not half fo well as when nature  does the work in
her own  time, with   the ordinary  flime and waters which do
beft when  they come in their own proper time and places   But
thefe membranes do fometimes prefs forth with the waters three
orfour fingers breadth out of the body before  the child refem-
bling a bladder full of water ; but there is then no great  dan-
ger to break them, if they be not  already broken, for when  the
cafe is fo,  the  child is always in  readinefs to follow, being
in the paflage ;  but let the midwife be very careful not to  pull
it with her hand, left the after  burden be  thereby loofened  be-
fore its time, for it adheres thereto very ftrongly.  If the navel
firing happens to come firft, it muft prefently be put  up again,
and-kept too if poflible, or otherwife the woman muft immedi-
ately be delivered.  But if the after burden  fhould come firft, it
muft not be put up again by no means ; for  the infant having no
further occafion for it, it would be but  an  obftacle if it were
put up :  in this cafe it  muft be  cut off having tied the navel
ftring, and afterwards drawn forth the child with all the fpeed
that may be, left it be fufl'ocated.
     Section  V. Of Women laboring with a dead Child.
          WHEN the  difficulty of  labor arrifes from a dead
child, it is a cafe of great danger to the mother, and  great care
ought t© fee taken therein :  but before any thing be done,  the
 midwife  ought to  be well  allured the child is dead indeed,
which may be known by thefe figns.
   1. The breaft fuddeniy flacks,  or falls flat, or bags down.
  2. A great coldnefs poffeffes the belly of the  mother, efpe-
cially about the navel.
  3  Her urine isthick, a ftinking fettling at the bottom.
  4. No motion of the  child  can be perceived : for the trial
whereof letthe midwife put herhand in warm water and lay it
upon her belly ; for that if it be  alive, will make it ftir
  5  She is very fubjeft to dream  of dead men and be affright-
ed therewith.
   6  She has extravagant longings to eat fuch things as are a-
gainft nature.
  7. Her breath ftinks though not ufed fo to do.
  8. When fhe turns herfelf in the bed, or rifes up, the child
f ways that way like a lump of lead.
   But thefe things carefully obferved, the midwife may make a
judgment whether the child be alive or dead ; efpecially if  the
woman takes the following  prefcription :
  "Take  half a pint  of white wine,  and burn  it, and  add
thereto half an ounce of cinnamon, but no other fpice whatev-
er," and when fhe has drank  it,  if her travailing  pains come
upon  her, the child is certainly dead ; but if not, the child may
poflibly be either weak or  fick, but not dead.  And in this 
EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.
11;
cafe, it will refrefli the child, and give her eafe ;  for cinnamon
refrefheth and (trengtheneth the child in the womb.
  Now if, upon trial, it be found the child is dead, let the moth-
er do all fhe can to forward her delivery,  becaufe a dead  child
can be no ways helpful therein.  It will be neceflary therefore
that (he take fome comfortable things to prevent  her fainting,
by reafon of thofe putrid vapors afcending from the dead child.
Ajjd in order toher delivery, let her take  the following  herbs
boiled in white wine, (or as many of them as you can get) viz.
Dittany, betony, pennyroyal, fage,  feather few, century,  ivy
leaves and berries.  Let her alfo take fweet bafil  in powder,
half a dram at a time, in white wine;  and her privities be  an-
ointed with the juice of garden tanfey ; or, if you  take tanfey
in the fummer when it may be moft plentifully had, and before
it runs up to the flower, and having bruifed it well, boil it in oil
till thejuiceotit be continued.   If  you fet it in the fun, after
you  have mixed it with oil, it will  be more effectual.  This a
careful midwife ought to have always by her.   As to the man-
ner of her delivery, the fame methods muft be ufed  as are men-
tioned in the feftion  of natural labor.  And here I cannot but a-
gain commend the ftone Writes, held near the privities, whofe
magnetic virtue draws the child any way with the fame facility
as the loadftone draws iron.
  Let the midwife alfo make a ftrong decoftion  of hyflbp with
water, and give the woman to drink it very hot, and it will, in a
little time, bring away the dead child.  A decoftion ofthe herb
maderwort, ufed as  the above, works the fame effects   The
roots of polipodium  (tamped well, warmed a little, and bound
on the fides of her feet, will fooiwbring away the child  either
alive or dead.                 *
   If as foon  a?  Che is delivered ofthe dead child, you are in
doubt part of the afterbirth is left behind, for in fuch cafes, be-
ing  rotten,   it may  come away piece meal, let her continue
drinking the  fame decoftion till her body is cleanfed.
  The follQV;ir.g rriceikines ltir alfo up the expulfive faculty;
but  in this cafe they muft be made ftronger becaufe the motion
ofthe child ceafeth.
  Take favin,  round birthvvort, troches of myrrh, afaram
roots, cinnamon half an ounce, faffron a fcruple, give a dram
with favin water.   Or,  take  borax, favin, dittany,  each *an
ounce; myrrh afaram roots, cinnamon, faffron, each  half a
dram make a powder, give a dram.
   But fhe may purge firft, and put her in  an emollient bath, an,
ointing  her round about the womb with  oil  of lilies, fweet al-
monds,  camomile, hen and  gopfe greafe. Alfo, foment to get
out the child  with  a decoftion of mercury, orris, wild cucum-
bers, ffechus, broom flowers   Then anoint the privities  and
loins with ointment of fow bread : Or,
  Take coloquintida, agaric, birthwort, each a dram, make a
powder, add  armoniac diflblved in  wine, ox  gall, each  two
drams,  with  oil of kier make an ointment.  Or, make a fume
with affes' hoofs burnt, or gallianum, or carter, and let it be tak-
en in with a funnel. 
118            EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.

  To take away pains and ftrengthen the parts,  foment with
the decoftion of mugwort, mallows, rofemary, woodmyrtle, St,
John's wort, each half an ounce :  (permaceti two drams, deer's
fuet an ounce, with wax make an ointment   Or, take wax tour
ounces, fpermaceti an ounce, melt them, dip  flax therein,  and
lay it all  over her belly.
  If none of thefe things will do, the  laft remedy is to ufe for-
gery, and then the midwife ought, without delay, to  fend  for
an expert and able man midwife, to deliver her by manual oper-
ation ;  of which I fhall treat more at large in the next chapter.
                       CHAP. VI.
          IN  fhewing the duty of a midwife, when  the wo-
man's labor is unnatural, it will be requifite to (hew in the Srlt
place what I mean by natural labor;  tor, it is natural te> a w o-
man to bring forth children in pain and forrow.  1 hat which  I
call unnatural, is when the child comes to the birth in a contrary
pofture to that which nature ordained, and in which the gener-
ality of children come into the  world.   Now,  as  truth is  but
one, but  error dilates itfelf into infinite variety ; fo there is but
one proper right and natural pofture in which children  come to
birth ; but there are as many wrong and unnatural  ways, as
there are different poftures of children when they are come to be
born.  The right and natural birth is when the  child comes
with its head' firft and yet even this is too (hort a definition of a
natural birth, for if any part of the head but the  crown comes
firft, fo that the body follow not in a ftraight line it is a wrong
and difficult birth.   Now there are four general  ways a child
may come  wrong ; 1ft, when any ofthe fore  parts of the body
firlt prefent themfelves   2(1%, when  by an unhappy tranfpofi-
tion, any of the  hinder parts  firft prefent  themfelves.#  Sdly,
when either ofthe fides. Or,  4thly,  when  the feet'prefent
themfelves firft.  To thefe four, all the particular and different
wrong poftures that a child can prefent itfelf in for the birth,
may be  reduced;  and therefore I fhall confine my felf only to
treat of thefe four more general wrong ways.
                        Section I.
How  to deliver a Woman of a dead child by  natural operation.
          THE laft feftion of the laft chapter treated  ofthe de-
livering of a woman of a dead child, and feveral things were di-
rected to be applied  in  order to  facilitate the delivery:   but
when all thefe fail, a manual operation  is abfolutely  necelfa-
ry  : In  order  thereto, let the operator acquaint  the woman
with the abfolute neceffity, there is of fuch an operation ;  and
that as the  child has already loft its  life, there is no other way
left for the faving of hers .- Let him alfo tell her, for her encour-
agement, that he doubts not, with the divine  blefiing, to deliver
her fafely, and that the painarifing thereby v. ill not be fo great
as fhe fears.  And then let him endeavor to ltir up the woman's
pains, by giving her fome (harp clyfter-to excite her throes to
bear down and bring forth the child,  and if this prevail not, let
him proceed with his manual operation
   Firft, Let her be placed crofs the bed, that he  may operate
the eafier ; and let  her lie on  her back with her hips  a little 
             EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.            il9

higher than her head, or at leaft  the body  equally  placed,
when it is neceffar> to  put back or turn the infant to give it a
better pofture :  Being thus (ituated, fhe muft fold her legs fo  as
her heels be towards her buttocks, and her thighs  fpread, and
held by a couple of ftrong perfons ;  there muft be others alfo to
fupport hei under  her arms that the body may not Aide down
when the child  is drawn forth,  for which  fometimes a great
ftrength is required: let the fheets and blankets cover her thighs
for decency's fake, and alfo to prevent her catching cold.  Then
let him anoint theenterance ofthe womb with oil or frefh but-
ter, if necelfary,  that fo he may with more eafe introduce his
hand, which muft alfo beanointed ; and having by figns before
mentioned, received fatisfaftion that it is  a dead child, he muft
do his endeavor to fetch it away as foon as poflible ; and if the
child offers the head firft, he muft gently puf it back, until  he
hath liberty to introduce his  hand quite into the  womb ; then
Hiding it along under the belly to find the feet, let him draw it
forth by them, being very careful to  keep the head from being
locked in the paffage,  that it be not feparated from the body ;
which may be effected the more eafily, becaufe the child being
very rotten and putrified, tbe operator is notfo mindful to keep
the breaft and face downwards as he is in living births.   But if,
notwithftanding all thefe precautions, by reafon of the  child's
putrefaftion, the head (hould be feparated, and left behind  in
the  womb, it muft be  drawn forth according to the directions
which (hall be given in feft. 3 of this chapter for that purpofe.
But when the head, coming firft, is fo far advanced that it can-
not well be put back, it is  better to draw it forth fo, than to
torment the woman too much by putting it back to turn it and
bring it by the feet; but the head being a part round and flip-
pery, it may fo happen that the operator cannot take hold of it
with his fingers by reafon of  its moifture, nor put  them up  to
the lideof it, becaufe the paffage is filled  w;th its  bignefs,  he
muft take a proper inftrument, and put it up as far as  he can
without violence,  between the womb and the child's head, ob-
ferving to keep the point of it towards the head,  and let  him
fallen it there, giving  it a good-hold upon one of the bones  of
the fkull, that it may not (fide ;  and after it is well fixed he may
therewith draw it forth keeping th" ends of the fingers  flat up-
on the oppofite fide, the better to help difengage it, and by (hak*
ing it a little to conduft it direftly out of the paffage, until the
head be quite  born, and then taking hold of it with the hands
only, the  fhoulders may be drawn into the paffage, and fo Aid-
ing the ringers of both hands Under the armpits, the child may
be quite delivered: and then the after burden fetched, being
careful nrt to pluck the navel itring too hard, left it break as of-
ten happ•'.:■•:  when it is corrupted.
   If the   - ' child come with the arm up to the (houldcrs fo ex-
treme!;   "••'■- ' that the woman muft fuffer too great a violence
tohave  :p';  back'tis then the beft, to take it off at the  fhoul-
der joints, by twilling it three or four times about, which is very
eafily done by reafonof thefoftnefsandtendernefs of the body.
After the  arm is fo feparated, and no longer poffeffing the pall- 
120              EXPERIENCED MIDWII-E.
age, the operator will have more room to put up his  hand into
the womb, to fetch the child by the feet and bring it away.
  But although the operator be fure  the child is dead  in  the
womb, yet he muft not therefore prefently ufe inftruments,  be-
caufe they are never to be ufed but when hands  are not fiiffi-
cient : and there is  no other remedy to prevent the woman's
danger, or to bring forth the child any  other  way  .- and  the
judicious operator will chufe that way which is leaft hazardous
and moft fafe.
                      Section   II.
How a Woman muft be delivered^ when the Child's feet come firft.
          THERE is nothing more obvious to thofe whofe bu-
finefs it is to aflift laboring women than that the feveral unnat-
ural poftures in which  children  prefent themfelves at their
births, are the occafionof the moft bad labors and ill accidents
that happen unto women in fuch a  condition.
  And fince midwives are  very often obliged, becaufe of the
unnatural fituations, to draw the children forth by  the  feet, I
conceive it to be moft proper to fhew firft, how  a  child mull be
brought forth that prefents itfelf in that pofture, becaufe it  will
be  a guide to feveral of the reft.
  I know indeed that in this cafe 'tis the advice of feveral  au-
thors to change  the figure, and  place the head fo that it may
prefent the birth,  and this council I fhould be very inclinable
to follow, could they but alfi. fhew how it muft  be done.   But
it will appear very difficult, if not  impoffible to be performed,
if we will avoid the dangers that by fuch violent agitations both
the mother and the child muft be  put into, and therefore my o-
pinion is. That it is better to draw it forth by the feet, when it
prefents itfelf in that pofture, than to venture a worfe accident
by turning it.
   As foon therefore as the waters are broke, and  it is known
that the child comes thus, and the womb is open enough to admit
the midwife's or  operators hand into it, or elfe by anointing
the paffage with oil or hog's greafe, toendeavorto dilate by de-
  frees, ufing her ringers to  this  purpofe,   fpreading them one
  rom the other, after they are together entered and. continu-
ing to do fo till k be fufficiently dilated,  then  taking care that
her nails are well pared and no rings on  her  fingers, and  her
hands well anointed with oil or frefh butter,  and  the woman
placed in the manner direCied in the former feftion, let her gen-
tly introduce  her-hand  into the entry of the womb, where find-
ing the child's feet, let her draw it forth in the  manner I  will
 prefently direft ;  only let her firft fee whether it prefents one
 foot, or both, and if it be  but  one foot, fhe ought  to confider
 whether it is the right foot or the left, and alfo in what fafhion
it comes : for by  that means  the will  fooner  come to know
where to find  the other,  which as foon as (he knows and finds,
let her gently draw forthwith  the other ; but  of this (he muft
 be efpecially careful, viz  that this fecond be  not  the foot of
another child  ; for if fo, it may be ofthe moft fatal confequenoe,
 for flie may fooner fplit both mother and child ihan draw them
 forth;  but  this may be eafily prevented,  if fhe does but Aide 
              EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.           12?

her hand up  the firft leg and thigh to the twift, and there  find
both thighs joined together, and defcending from  one and the
fame body.   And this is alfo  the beft means to find the other
foot when it comes with but one.
  As foon as the midwife hath found both the  child's  feet, (he
may draw them forth, and holding them together,  may bring
them by little and little in this manner, taking afterwards  hold
ofthe legs and thighs as foon as fhe can come at them,  drawing
themfotill the hips become forth. Whilft this is doing let her
obferve to  wrap  the  parts  in   a fingle  cloth  that  fo  her
hands  being  already greafy,  flide  not  on the infant's body
which  is flippery, becaufe otthe vicious humors which are all fl-
yer it, and prevent one's taking hold of it, which being done,
(he may take hold under the hips, fo to draw it forth  to the  be-
ginning of the breaft ; and let her on both fides with her hand
bringdown the arms along the child's body, whichfhe may then
eafily find ;  and then let her take care that the belly  and face of
the child be downwards, for if it fhould be upwards there would
be fome danger of  its being  ftopt by the chin over the (hare
bone ;  and therefore, if it be net fo, muft turn it to that pofture ;
which  may be eafily done, if (he take  hold on the body when
the breaft and arms are forth in the manner we have faid,  and
draws  it with turning it in proportion on  that  (ide which  it
rno/t inclines to, till it be turned with the face down wards,  and
fo having brought it to thefhoulders, let her lofe  no  time,  de-
fire thewoman at the fame time, to bear down, that fo at drawing,
the head at that inftant, may take its place, and not to be iropt in
the paffage.  Some children there are whofe heads are  fo  big,
that when the whole body is born, yet that  flops in the paflage,
though the midwife takes all poflible care to prevent  it   And
when this happens (he muft not endeavor only to draw forth the
child by the  fhoulders,  left fhe fometimes feparate  the body
from the head, as I have known it done by the midwife but fhe
muft difcharge it by little and little from the bones in the paffages
with the fingers of each hand. Aiding them on each fide oppofite
the one to the other, fometime above, and fometimes under, un-
til the  work be ended, endeavoring todifoatoh it as foon as pofli-
ble left the child be fuffocated, as it will  unavoidably be,  if it
fhould  remain long in that pofture ; and this being well and care -
iully effected fhe may foon after fetch away the afterbirth  as I
have before directed.
                      Section  III.
  How to bring away the Head of the  Child,  when feparated
         from the Body, and left behind in the Womb
          THOUGH the utmoft care be taken in bringing a-
way the child by the feet, yet if the child  happens to k dead,
it is fometimes fb putrified and corrupted, that with the leaft
4>ull the body feparates from the head,  and remains alone in
the womb, and cannot be brought away but with a manual ope-
ration and difficulty it being extremely flippery, by  reafon of
the place where it is, and from the  roundnefs  of its figure,   on
■which  no hold can be well taken.   Andfo very great is the  dif-
ficulty in this cafe, that fometimes two or  three able  praftition* 
 122           EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.

ers in the  art of midwifery, have one after the other left the
operation unfiniflied, as not able to effeft it after the utmoft ef-
forts of their induftry, (kill and ftrength;  fo that the woman
not being able to be delivered, perifheth   To prevent which
fatal accidents for the time to come, let the following operation
be obferved.
  When the infant's head feparates from the  body, and is  left
behind, whether through putrefaction, or otherwife, let the op-
erator immediately, whilft the womb is yet open,  direCt up his
right hand to the mouth, for no other hold can there  be had  ;
and having found it let him put one or two of his fingers into- it,
by little and little, holding it by the jaw ;  but if that fails as
fometimes it will, when putrified, then let him pull  forth his
right hand, and Aide up his left with which he muft fupport the
head, and with the right let him take a harrow inftrument called
a crotchet jbut let  it  be  ftrong and with a lingle branch, which
he muft guide along the infide of his hand, with the point of it
towards it,  for fear  of hurting the  womb ;. and having  thus
introduced it, let him turn it  towards the head, for to (trike eh
ther into an eye hole or the hole of an ear, or behind  the head
or elfe  between the  ftature, as he finds it moft convenient and
eafy;  and  then draw forth the head  fo faftened  with  the  faid
inftrument, ftill helping to conduft it with his left hand  but
when he hath brought it near the paffage, being  ftrongly  faft-
ened to the inftrument,  let  him remember to draw forth  his
hand, that the paffage not being filled with it may be the larger
and eafier,  keeping ftill a finger or two on the fide of the head ;
the better to dilengage it.
  There is alfo another way to this, with  more-eafe  and  lefs
hardftiip than the former; which is this, let the operator takea
foft linen or fillet flip of above four fingers breadth,  and  the
length of three quarters of an ell or thereabouts, taking  the
two ends with the left hand, and the middle with the right  and
let them fo put it up with his right as that it may be beyond the
head,  to embrace  it  as a (ling  doth a ftone ;  and afterwards
draw forth  the fillet by the two ends together, it will be eafily
drawn forth, the fillet not hindering the leaft paflage, becaufe it
takes up little or no place.
  When the head is thus fetched out of the womb,  care muft
be taken that not the leaft part of it be  left behind, and like-
wife to cleanfe the woman well other after burden, if  yet re.
maining.   Some have queftioned whether the child's  head re-
maining yet in the w omb, or  the after birth ought to be brought-
away  firft ? 1 he anfwer to which queftion may be by way of
diftinftion  ; that is to fay, if the  burden be wholly  feparated
from the fides of the womb, that ought to be firft brought away,
becaufe it may alfo hinder the taking hold ofthe head  ;  but if
it ftill adheres to the womb, it muft not  be medled with till the
head be brought away ; for if one (hould then go about to feparate
it from  the womb, it might thevi caufe a flooding which  would
be augmented by the violence of the operation ;   the veffels to
which it is joining remaining for the moft part open as long as
the womb  is diftended, which  the head  caufeth  while   it is 
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.          123
  retained in it, and cannot clofe till this ftrange body be voided,
  and then it  doth by  contracting andcomprefling  itfelf  to-
  gether, as has been more fully before explained.   Befides  the
  afterbirth remaining thus cleaving to  the womb during the op-
  eration, prevents it from receiving eafily either bruife or hurt.
                       Section IV.
  Hovj to deliver a Wom,;n -when the fide ofthe Child's Head is pre -
                     fented to the'Birth.            ,
           THOUGH foniemay  think it a natural  labor when
  the chihPs head may come firft, but yet if thechild's head prefents
  not the right way, even that is an unnatural labor, and there-
  fore though the head comes firft, yet if it be  the  fide of the
  head  inftead of the  crown, it is  very dangerous both to the
  mother and child, for the child may fooner break its neck than
  be born in that manner ; and by how  much  the mother's pains
  continue to bear the child, which it is  impoflible,  unlefs the
  head  be rightly placed, the more the paffages are .ftopt; there-
  fore as foon as the pofition of  the child is known, the  woman
  muft  be laid with all fpeed, left the child  fhould advance further
  in this vicious pofture, and therefore render it more  difficult to
  thruft it back, whieh muft be done in order replace the head in
  the paffage right as it ought to  be.
   To this purpofe therefore place the  woman fo that her hips
  may be a little higher than her head and (houlders, caufing her
  to lean a Tittle upon theoppofite fide to the  child's ill pofture ;
  then let the operator Aide up his hand, well anointed with "oil'
 by the fide of the child's head, to bring it right, gently with
  his fingers between the head and  the  womb  ; but if the head
 be fo  engaged that it cannot be done that way, he muft then
 put his hand to the (houlders, that fo by thrufting them,  back a
 little into the womb, fometimes on the one fide and fometimes on
 the other ; he may by little and little give it  a natural pofition.
 Iconfefsit would be better if the operator could put back  the
 child by its (houlders with both his hands ; but the head takes
 up fo much room, that he will find much ado to put up one,
 with which he muft perform his operation, with the  heip ofthe
 finger ends of the other hand, put forwards the child's birth, a.
 when the labor is natural.
   Some  children  prefent their face firft, having their heads
 turned back, in which pofture it is extremely  difficult that the
 child fhould be born ; and if it continue fo long, the face will be
 fuelled, and withal black and  blue, that it  will at firft feein
 monftrous, which isoccalioned as well by the  compreflion of it
 in that place, as by the midwife's fingers handling it too readily,
 in order to place it in a better pofture   But this blacknefs will
 wear away in three or four days time, anointing it often with oil
 of fweet almonds.  To deliver  the birth, the fame operation
 muft be ufed as in the  former,  when a child comes  with  the
 (ide of the head ; only let the midwife  or operator work very
gently  to avoid as much as poflible the bruiiing ofthe face. 
fi4            EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.

                      Sect ion, V.
How  to deliver a Woman whe-i  a  Child prefents one or both
                Handstogefher with the Head.
          SOMETIMES the infant will prefent  fome other
part together with its head, which if it does it is ufually one or
both its hands, and this hinders the birth,  becaufe the hands
take up part of that paffage  which is little enough for  the head
alone  ; befides, that when this  happens,  they  generally caufe
the head to lean  on one fide; and therefore this pofition may be
very well  ftiled unnatural.   When the child prefents thus, the
rirft thing to be done after it  is perceived, muft be to prevent it
from coming down more, or engaging further in  the  paffage,
y.nd therefore the operator, having placed the woman on the bed
,; little lower than her hips muft put and guide back the infant's
hand with his own as much as may be or both of them, if they
both comedown, to  give way to the child's head ;  and this be-
ing done, if the head be on one fide, it muft be brought into its
natural pofture in the middle of the paflage, that  it may come
in a ftraight line, and then proceed as directed in. the foregoing
feftion
Section  IV.  Hovj  a Woman  is to be delivered  when the
           Hands or Feet of the Infant come together-.
          THERE is none but will readily  grant, that  when*
the hands and feet of an  infant prefent together,  the labor mult
be unnatural, becaufe it is impoflible a child fhould be born in
that manner.   In this therefore, when the midwife guides her
hand towards the orifice of  the womb, fhe  will perceive only
many fingers clofe together ;  and if it be not fufficientlv dilated*
it will be a good while before the hands and feet will be exact-
ly diftinguilned ;  for they are fometimes  fo fhut and preffed
together, that they feem to be all of one and the fame fhape;
but where the womb is open enough to introduce the hand into
it, fhe will eafily know which are the hands and  which arethe
feet;  and having well  taken notice thereof,  let her  Aide her
hand, and prefently direft it towards the infant's breaft, which
flie will find very near, and then let her very  gently thrufi back
the body towards the bottom of the womb, leaving the feet in
the fame place where (lie found them ; and  then having placed
the woman in a convenient pofture,  that is to fay, her hips a lit-
tle raifed above her breaft and head (which fituation ought al-
ways to be obferved  when the child is to  be put back into the
womb) let the midwife afterwards take hold of the child by the
feet, and draw it forth, as is direfted in the fecond feftion.
  This labor, though fomewhat troublefome,  yet is much bet-
ter than when the child prefents only its hands ;  for  the child
muft be quite turned about before it can be drawn forth : but
in this, they are ready prefenting themfelves, and in this there is
not fo much to do, but to lift and thruft back  a little the upper
part of the body, which is almoft done of itfelf by drawing ita-
long by the feet.
  I confefs there are many authors that have  written of labors,
who would have all  wrong births reduced to a natural figure :
v. hcli is to turn it, that it may come with the head firft; but 
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.           12J
 thofe that have thus written are  fuch as never underftood the
 praftical part ; for if they had the leaft experience forein, they
 would know that it is very often impoflible, at leaft if it were to
 be done, that violence  muft neceffarily be ufed in doing it, that
 would very probably be the death  of mother and child in the
 operation.  I would therefore lay down as a  general rule, tiiat
 whenfocver an infant prefents itfelf wrong to the birth, in what
 pofture foever from the fhoulders to the feet,  it is the beft way,
 and fooneft done,  to draw it out by the feet : and that it is bet-
 ter fearching for them if they do not prefent themfelves,  rather
 than try to put it  in the natural pofture,  and place the head
 foremoft ;  for the  great endeavors neceflary to be ufed  in turn-
 ing the infant in the womb do fo  much  weaken both mother
 and child,  that there remains not afterwards ftrength enough to
 commit the operation to the work of nature, for ulually the wo-
 man hath no more throes or  pains  fit  for labor,  after (he  has
 been fo wrought upon  ; for which reafon it would be very diffi-
 cult and tedious at beft : and the child by fuch an  operation,
 made very weak,  would be in extreme danger of perifhing be-
 fore it could be born.  It is therefore much better in thefe cafes
 to bring it  away immediately by the feet, fearching for them, as
 1 have already directed, when they  do not prefent themfelves :
 by which the mother will be prevented of a tedious  labor, and
 the child be often brought alive into the world, who otherwife
 would hardly efcape death.'  And thus much  (hall  fuffice to be
 fa'd of unnatural labors ; for  by  the lule  already  given  a fkil-
 f ul artift will know how  to proceed  in any  pofture in which
 the child fhall prefent  itfelf
 Section   VII    How a  Woman Jhall be delivered  that has
      Twins which prefent themfelves in different poftures
   _       WE have already fpoken fomething ofthe  birth of
 twins in  the chapter of unnatural labor ; for it is not an unnat-
 ural labor barely to have twins, provided they come in aright po-
 fition to the birth.   But when they (hall prefent themfelves in
 divers poftures they come properly  under the denomination of
 unnatural labors :   and if  when one child prefents  itfelf in a
 w rong figure it makes it much more fowhen  there are feveral,
 and renders it not  only more  painful to the mother and child-
 ren, but  to the operator alfo, tor they  often trouble each other,
 and hinder both their births, befides which,  the womb is then
 fo filled with them  that  the  operator can hardly introduce  his
 hand without much violence which  he muft do, if they be  to be
 turned to thruft back, to give  them a better pofition.
  When a woman is pregnant  with  two children,  they rarely
 prefent to the birth together,  the one being generally more for-
 ward than the other, and that  is the  reafon that but one is felt -
that many times the midwife knows not  that  there  are  twins
 nil the firft is born, and that (he is going to fetch away the after
 birth.  In thr ~th chapter,  wherein I treated of natural  labor,
 I (hewed how a woman fhould  be delivered of  twins, prefentintr
themfelves  both ripht ; and therefore, before  I clofe  this cliai--
r.-r of unnatural labor,  it cnly remains that I Aiew  what ought
:cb<; done, when tliry e thet Ik '.  ccri- wr.'-ng, or yne A  th  nv 
126           EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
only, as for the moft part it happens;  the firft generally coming;
right, and the fecond with the teet  forward,  or in fome worfe
pofture.  In fuch a cafe, the birth of the firft muft  be  haftened
as much as poflible to make way for the fecond, which is beft
brought away by the feet, without endeavoring to place it right,
eyen though it was  fomewhat inclining  towards  it, becaufe it
has been already tired and weakened by the birth of the  firft as
well  as its mother, that there would  be  greater  danger of its
death than likelihood of its coming out ot the womb that way.
   But if, when the firft is born naturally, the fecond (hould like-
wife  offer its head to the  birth, it would be„then  beft leaving
nature  to finifh what  fhe has fo well begun; and if  nature
fhould be too flow in her work, fome of thofe things mentioned
in the fourth chapter to accelerate the birth may be properly
enough applied ;  and if after that, the fecond birth fhould be
yet delayed, let a manual operation be deferred no longer : but
the woman being properly-placed, as has been  before direfted,,
let the operator direft his hand gently into the womb to find the
feet, and fo draw  forth the fecond child, which will be the more
eafily affected.,, becaufe there is way made fufficient by the birth
of the firft ;  and if the waters ofthe  fecond child be not  broke,
as it often happens,  yet  intending to bring it by  the feet, he
need not fcruple to break the membranes with his  fingers ;  for
though when the birth of a child is left to  the  operation of na-
ture  it is neceflary that the waters fhould break of themfelves ;
yet when the child is brought out of the womb by  art, there is
no danger in breaking of them ; nay, on the contrary, it be-
comes  neceflary ; for without the waters are broke  it wo;ildbe
almoft impoflible to turn the child.
   But herein principally lies the  care of the operator that he i&
not deceived when either the handaor the feet of both children
offer themfelves togethei to the birth ; in this cafe he  ought
well  to cqnfider theoperation, as whether they be not joined  to-
gether or any way monftrous ; and which part belongs  to one
child and which to the other, that fo they maybe  fetched on»
after the other, and  not  both together, as  might be, if it were
not duly confidered, taking the right foot ofthe one and the left
ofthe other, and fo drawing them together,  as if they belong-
ed to  one body, becaufe there is-'a  left  and a right, by which
means it would be impoflible ever to deliver them : But a fkil-
(iil operator will eafily prevent  this, if having  found two or
three feet ot feveral children, prefenting together in a paffage,
and taking■afide two of the forwarded, aright  and  a left, and
(tiding his hands along the  legs and thighs up to the twift, if
forwards or the buttocks, if backwards, he finds  they both be-
long to the body ; of which being thus allured, he may begin to
draw forth the neareft, without regarding which is ftrongeftor
weakeft, bigger or lefs, living or dead, having put firft a little a-
fie'e that part of the other child which offers, to have the more
way and fo difpatch the firft, wherever it is, as  foon  as  may be,
obferving the fame rules, as if there were bet one,  that is keep-
ing the breaft and face downwards, with every circumftance di-
rected in the feftion where  the  child comes with its feet firft. 
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.           127
And not fetch the burden till the fecond child is born.  And
therefore when the operator has drawn forth one child, he muft
feparate it  from the burden, having tied  and cut the navel
ftring, and then fetch the other by the feet in the fame manner,
and  afterwards,  bring away  the after burden with the  two
firings, as have been before  fhewed.    If the children prefent
any other part than the  feet, the operator may  follow the  fame
method as is directed in the foregoing feftion, where the fever-
al unnatural pofitions are carefully treated of.
                       CHAP. VIII
       Direclions for child bearing Women in their lying in.
             IN the fourth, fifth, and fixth chapters, we have
treated at large  of women's labor, and how they may be fafely
delivered both in natural and unnatural labors.  Having there-
fore thus brought the good woman to bed, I will in this chapter
direft how  fhe ought to be ordered in her lying in.
  Sect. I. Hovj a Woman newly delivered ought to be ordered.
             AS foon as (he is laid in bed let her be placed in
it conveniently for eale  and  reft, which fhe ftands in great need
of, to recover herfelf of the  great fatigue (lie underwent during
her travail  ; and, that  fhe may lie the more eafily, let her head
and body  be a  little raifed, that flie may breathe more freely,
and cleanfe the better, efpecially of that blood which then comes
away that fo it may not clot, which being retained caufeth very
great pain.
  Having thus placed  her in  bed, let her drink a draught of
burnt white wine, when you have firft  melted therein a dram of
fpermaceti.  The herb  vervain is alio a moft fingular herb for a
woman  in this condition, boiling it in what  flie either eats or
drinks,  fortifying the womb  fo exceedingly,  that it will do it
more good  in two. days, having no offenfive tafte,  though very
pleafant virtues.  And  this  is no more than what  fhe ftands in
need of, for her lower  parts being fo  greatly diftended to the
birth ofthe infant, it is good  to endeavor the prevention of an
inflamation there.  Let therefore be outwardly applied all over
the bottom ofthe belly  and  privities,  the following anodyne or
cataplafm   Take two  ounces of oil of fwcet almonds, and two
or three new laid eggs,  yolks and whites, ftirring them together
in an earthen pipkin over.hot embers, till it comes to the confift-
enceofa poultice ;  which being fpread upon a cloth, muft be
applied to thofe  parts indifferently warm,  having firft taken a-
way theclofures (which were put to her prefently after her de-
livery) and likewife fuch clots of blood as were then left    Let
this lie on five or  fix hours, and then renew it again as'you fee
caufe •
  Great care ought to be taken at firft, that if her body by very
weak, fhe be not kept too hot, for extremity of heat weakens na-
ture  and dilfolves  the  ftrength ; and  whether fhe be weak or
Urong, be lure that  no  cold air comes near her at firft ; for cold
is an enemy to the fpermatic parts, and if it gets into the womb,
it increafes  the after pains,  eaufes fwellings in  the womb, and
hurts the nerves  As to her  diet, let it be hot, and let her eat
but a little at a time. Let her avoid the light for three or four 
128            EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
days, and longer if fhe be weak, for labor weakens her eyes ex-
ceedingly, by a harmony between the womb and them.  Let
her avoid great noifes, fadnefs and troubles of mind
  If the womb be foul, which may be eafily perceived by the
impurity of the blood (which will then  either come away in
clots or ftinking, or if you fufpett  any ofthe after burden to be
left behind, which may fometimes happen) make her drink ot
featherfew, mugwort, pennyroyal, and mother of thyme, boiled
in white wine, lweetened with fugar.                 •
  Panada and  new laid eggs is the beft meat for her at firft, of
which fhe may eat often, but not  too much at a time. And let
her ufe cinnamon  in  all  her meat and drink, for  it is  a great
ftrengthener to the womb.
  Let her  ftir as little as may  be, till after the fifth, fixth, or
feventh days of her  delivery, if (he be weak.   And let her talk
as little as may be, for that weakens her.
  If fhe goes not well to (tool, give a clyfter made only with the
decoftion of mallows.and a little brown fugar
  When (he hath lain in a week or more, let her ufe fuch things
as clofe the womb, of which, knot grafs and comfrey are verv
good ;  and to them  you may add a little polipodium, for it will
do her  good, both leaves and roots being bruifed.
Sect*  II. How to remedy thofe accidents which a lying in wom-
                    an is fubjecl to.
              I. THE firft common  and ufual  accident that
troubles women in their lying in, is after pains; the caufe where-
of fome affirm to be one thing, fome another ; but it is moft
certain  that they proceed from cold and wind contained in the
bowels with which they are filled after labor, becaufe when they
have more room to dilate, than when the child was in the womb,
by which they were  compreffed, and alfo becaufe the nourifh-
ment and  matter contained  in them and the  ftomach, has been
confufedly agitated from fide to fide during the pains of labor,
and could not be well digefted, whence this wind is afterwards
generated and by confequence the gripes which the woman feels
running into her belly from fide to fide, according as the wind
moves, and fometimes from the womb becaufe ofthe compref-
fion and commotion which the  bowels  make.  Thefe  being
generally the caufe, let us now apply a fuitable remedy.
  i. Boil an egg  foft and pour out the yolk of it, with which
mix a fpoonful of cinnamon water and let her drink it;  and if
you mix in it two grains of ambergreafe it will be the better;
and yet virvain taken in any thing fhe  drinks, will be effeitual
as the other.
  &. Give the lying in woman, immediately  after delivery, oil'
©f fweet almonds and fyrup of maidenhair  mixed  together :
fome prefer oil of walnuts, provided it be made of nuts that are
very good, but ittaftes worfe than the other.   This will lenity
the infides of the inteftines by  its  unftuoufnefs, and by that
means bring away that which is contained in them more  eafily.
  S Take and boil onions very well in water, then (lamp them
with oil and cinnamon and feed in powder, fpread them  upon a
tluth and apply them to the  reg;c:: ofthe womb. 
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.            129
  ■i.  Let her be careful to keep her belly very hot, and not drink
what is too cold ; and if they prove very  violent,  hot clothsj
from time to time, muft be laid on her belly, or a pancake fri-
ed in walnut oil  maybe applied to it  without  fwathing  her
belly fo ftrait ;  and, for the  better evacuating  the wind
out of the inteftines, give her a clyfter repeating it as often as
neceffity  requires.
  5.  Take bayberries, beat them to powder, put  the powder
upon a chaffing di(h of coals,  and  let her receive the fmoke
of them upher  privities.
  6.  Take tar and  barrows greafe,  of each an equal quantity,
boil  them together, and whilft it is boiling add a little  pidgeon's
dung to it.  Spread fome of this  upon a linen cloth and apply
it to the reins of her back, and it will give her fpeedy  eafe.
  Laftly, let her take half a dram of bayberries  beaten into a
powder in a draught of muftard or tent.
  II. Another accident in which  women in child bed are fub-
jeft, is the hemorrhoides, or piles, occafioned through their
(training in bringing the child into the world.  To cure this,
  1.  Let her be let blood in the vein faphama.
  2  Let herufepollypodium in her  meat and drink,  bruifed
and boiled.
  3. Take an onion, and, having  made a hole in the middle of it
fill it full of oil. toaft it and having bruifed it all together,  ap-
ply it to the fundament.
  4.  Take as many wood lice as you can get, and  bruife them,
and having mixed them with a little oil, apply  them  warm as
before
  5. If (he go well to ftool, let her take an ounce of caflia fiflu-
la drawn  at night going to bed ; fhe need no change of diet after.
  III.  Retention of the menftrues is another accident happen-
ing to women in child bed ;  and,  which is of fo dangerous con-
feuuence, that,  if  not timely  remedied it  proves mortal.
Where this happens,
  1.  Let  the woman take fuch medicines as ftrongly   provoke
the terms, fuch as  ditany, betony,  favory, featherfew,  can-
taury, juniper berries, peony,roots
  2  Let her take two or three fpoonfuls or briony water each
morning,
  3.  Gentian roots beaten into a powder, and a dram of it taken
every morning in wine, is an extraordinary remedy.
  4.  The root of birthwort, either long or round, fo ufed, and
taken as the former is very good.
  5.  Take twelve piony feeds, and beat them into a  very fine
powder, and let her drink them in a draught of  hot carduus
 Eoffet, and let her fweat after.  And if this laft medicine don't
 ring them down the firft time (lie  takes it,  let her take  as
much more three hours after, and it feldom fails
  IV.  Overflowing of the menfes is another accident  incident-
al to child bed women.
  1  Take (hepherd's purfe, either boiled in  any  convenient
liquor, or dried  and beaten into  powder, and it will be  an, 
130              EXPERIENCED MIDWlf E.
 admirable remedy to flop them, this being efpecially  appn&pri.
 ated to the privities.
   2. The flowers and leaves of brambles, or either of them be-
 ing dried and beaten into powder, and a diam of them  taken
 every morning in a fpoonful of red wine, or in the decoction of
 the leaves of the fame (which perhaps is much better;) is an ad-
 mirable remedy for the immoderate flowing  ot  the  terms in
 women.
   V. Excoriations, bruifes and rents,, of the  lower part of the
 womb, are often occafioned by the violent diftention and repara-
 tion of the four caruncles in a woman's  labor.   lor the heal-
 ing whereof,
   As foon as the woman isdaid, if there be only fimple contu-
 fions and exoriations, let the anodyne cataplafin,   formerly  di-
 rected, be  applied to the lower parts to eafe  the pain, made  of
 the yolks and whites of new laid eags, and oil of rofes boiled a
 little over warm embers, continually ftirringit  till it be equally
 mixed, and then fpread upon a fine cloth, it mult be applyed very
 warm to the bearing place for five or fix hours, and when  it is
 taken away, lay fome fine rags, dipped in oil of St. John's  wort
 twice or thrice a day, alfo, fome  foment the  parts with barley-
 water and honey of rofes to cleanfe them  from the excrements
 which pafs  When the woman makes water,  let them be de-
 fended with fine rags, and thereby hinder the  mine from cauf-
 ing fmart and pain
   VI. The  curdlin* and clotting of  the  milk  is another  acci-
 dent that often  happens to women in childbed  ; for, in the be-
 ginning of child bed the woman's milk is not purified, becaufe
 of thofe great commotions her body fuffered during  her labor,
 whichaffefted  all the parts, and it is then mixed with  many
 other humors-  Now this clotting of milk does,  for .the moft
 part, proceed from the breafts not being fully drawn, and  that
 either becaufe fhe hath too much milk, and that the infant is too
 fmall and weak  to fuck all, or beeaufe fhe doth not defire to fee
 a nurfe, for the milk in thofe cafes remaining, in the breaft after
 concoftion without being draw n- loofeth the fweetnefs and the
 balfamic quality it had,  and by reafon of the heat it acquires and
 the too long flay it makes there, it fours, curdles, and clots as
 we fee runnet put into ordinary milk turns it into  curds.   This
 curdling of the  milk may be alfo caufed by having taken a great
 cold, and not keeping the breafts covered
  But from what caufe foever this curdling of the milk' pro-
 ceeds the moft certain remedy is, fpesdily to draw the breafts
 until they are emitted and dried    But  in regard the infant, by
 reafon of its weaknefs cannot draw firong enough, it will be
 prorer to get another woman to draw her breafts until the milk
come freely, and then fhe may give her child fuck.  And  that
fhe may not afterwards be troubled with a (urplufage of milk,
fee muft eat fuch diet as gives but little nourilhment, and keep
her body open.
  But if the  cafe be fuch that the woman neither can nor will
be a nurfe, it is  then neceffary to empty the body by bleeding in
{he arm ; befides drawing down the humors, by ftrong clyfters 
               EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.           131

and bleeding in the foot, nor will it be amif« to purge gently ;
and to digeft, dilfolve and diflipate the curdled milk, apply the
catuplafmofpure honey, or ufe the following liniment.
         A Liniment to featter and diflipate the milk.
  That the  milk  flowing back to the breafts may without of-
fence be diflipated  ufe this ointment : " Take pure wax two
ounces, linfeed oil half a pound ; when the wax is melted, let
the liniment be made wherein linen cloths muft be dipped, and
laid upon the brealt ; and when it fhall be difcuffed, and pains
no more, let other linen cloths be dipped,  in the diftilled wa-
ter of acorns, and put upon them."
  Note, I hat the cloths dipped in the diftilled water of acorns,
muft be ufed only by thofe who cannot nurfe their own chil-
dren;  but if a fwelling in the breafts of thofe who  give fuck,
arifes from abundance of milk, and threatens an inflamation,
ufe the former ointment, but abftain from  ufing  the diftilled
water of acorns.
                      CHAP.  VIII.
       Direclionsfor nurfes in ordering new born children.
            HAVING in the former chapter fhewn  how the
lying in  woman (hould be ordered,  it is now high time to take
( are of the infant,  to whom the firft fervice  that (hould  be per-
formed for it, is the cutting  ofthe navel ftring of  which I have
fpoken at large before.
bECT.  I. What is to be done  to the new born  infant after cutting
                     the navel firing.
            WHEN  the  child's navel ftring has  been  cut ac-
cording to  the  rules  before  preferibed,  let the  midwife pref-
ently cleanfe it from the excrements and  filth it brings into the
world  with it, of which feme are within the body, as the urine
in the bladder, and the excrement found in  the guts ; and oth-
ers without, which are thick, whitifli^ind clammy,  proceeding
from the Aiminefs of the waters ; There are children fome-
 times  fo covered ever with this, that one would  fay they are
rubbed over with foft cheefe, and fome women are of fo eafy a
belief,  that they really tlvnk it isfo, becaufe they had eaten fome
while they  were with child.   From  thefe  excrements  let the
child be cleanfed with wine and water a little warmed, waffling
every part therewith,but  chiefly the  h$id becaufe of the hair,
alfo the folds ofthe groins, armpits,  and  the cods or privities  ;
which parts muft  be gently  cleanfed with a linen rag  or foft
fponge dipped in  this lukewarm wine.   If this clammy or vif-
cious excrement flick fo clofe that it will not be  eafily wafted
off from thole places, it may be fetched off with the  oil of fweet
almonds, or a little frefh butter melted with  wine,  and after-
wards well dried off.  She  muft alfo make  tents of fine rags,
and wetting thefn in  this liquor, clear the ears and noftrils • but
tor the eyes, wipe them only with a dry foft  rag, not dipping it
:n the wine, left it (hould make them (mart.
  The child being thus w allied and  cleanfed from its native
blood and impurities which attended it into the world.it muft
in the next plaee be fearched to fee whether all things be right
about it,  and that there is no fault or diflocation  ; whether its 
132           EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.

nofe be ftraight or its tongue tied, whether  there be any bruifc
or tumor en the head, whether the mould  be not over(hotten {
alfo whether the fcrotuni, if a boy, be not blown up  and fwel-
led j and in fhort, whether it has fuffered any violence  in any
part of its body, and whether all the parts be well and duly fhap-
ed, that fuitable remedies may be applied, if any thing be found
not right   Nor is it enough that all be  right without, and the
outfide of the body cleanfed, but fhe muft chiefly obferve wheth-
er it difchargeth the excrements retained within,  and whether
the paflages be open, for fome have been born without having
them perforated ; therefore let her examine whether the con-
duit  of the  urine and ftool be  clear, for want of which fome
have died,  not  being able to  void their excrements, becaufe
timely care was not taken at firft.  As to the urine, all children,
males and females, do make water as foon as  they are born, if
they can, efpecially when they feel  the heat of the fire, and  ;
fometimes alio the excrements, but not fo foon as the urine.   If
the infant does not ordure the firft day, then put up into its fun-
dament a fmall fuppofitory, to ftiritup-to be  difeharged, that it
may not caufe painful gripes by remaining fo long in its belly,
A lugar almond may be proper  for this purpofe anointed over
with a little boiled honey, or elfe a fmall piece of caftile foap
rubbed aver with frefti butter ; fhe may alfo give the child,  to
this purpofe, a little fyrup of rofes or violets at the mouth, mix-
ed with fome oil of fweet almonds drawn without a fire, anoint-
ing the belly alfo with the fame oil or a little  frefh butter.
   The midwife having thus  walhed and cleanfed the child, ac-
cording to  the before mentioned  directions, let  her begin 1o
fwaddle in fwathing choths, and whenfte  dreffes the head, let
her  put fmall rags behind the  oars to  dry up the filth which
ufually engenders there, and alfo in the folds of the armpits and
groins, and fo  fwathe it,  having wrapped it up warm  in bed
blankets; only take care that  they  fwathe  not the  child too
ftraight, efpecially about the breaft and ftomach, that  it may   i
breathe the more freely, and not be forced to vomit upthe milkit
fucks, becaufe the ftomach cannot be fufficientty extended to con-
tain  it ; therefore, let its arms and legs be wrapped in its bed
ftretched and ftraight, and fwathed to keep  them fo, viz. the
arms along its fides, and its legs equally both together,  with a
little of the bed between them, that they may not be galled by
rubbing each other ; let the head be  kept  fteady and ftraight,
with a (lay faftened on each fide of the blanket, and then wrap
 the child up in mantles and blankets  to keep it  warm.   This
 fwathing or the infant  is very  neceflary,  to give its body a  I
 ftraight figure which is moft decent and proper for a  man, and  i
to accuftom him to keep upon his feet, and  not walk upon  all  |
four, as moft other animals do.
                       CHAP   IX.
           NEW-BORN children are fubjeft to fo many  diftem-
 pers that daily experience fhews us, there are not above half the
 children that are  born who live till thoy are three  years old;
 which is occafionedby the tendernefs of their bodies and feeble-
 eefs of their age, which hinders them from expreffing the in» 
                EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.            13S

  commodities they labor under, any otherways than by their
  cries.  The bufinefs of this chapter therefore will  betodifcov-
  er the indifpofitions to which they are fubjeft, with the  reme-
  dies proper for them.
                        Section  I.
          Of Gribes  and pain's in the bellies of young Children.
            THIS Imention firft, as itis often the firft and  moft
  common diftemper which happens to  little infants after their
  birth, many children being fo troubled and pained  therewith,
  that they cry night and day.  and at Jaft die of it.  This c.-unes,
  for the  moft part, from the hidden change of their nourifhment,
  for having always received it from the umbilical veflels whilft in
  their mother's womb they come to change, on a hidden,, not
  only the.manner of receiving it, but the nature and quality of
  what they receive as foon  as they are born,  for inftead of purified
  blood only, conveyed to them by means of the umbilical vein,
i  they are now obliged to be nourifhed with their mother's  breaft:
'  milk, which they fuck with their mouths, and from which are
  engendered many excrements, caufing gripes and pains, and that
  not only becaufe it is not fo pure as the blood with which  it was
  nourifhed in the womb but becaufe the ftomach and inteftines
  cannot yet make a good digeftion.  Itis  alfo caufed fometimes
  by a tough phlegm, and fometimes by the worms ; for phyficians
  affirm, that worms have been bred in children even in their
  mother's belly.
    The remedy therefore muft be fiiited to the caufe ; if it pro-
  ceed from the too hidden changes of nourifhment,  the remedy
  muft be to forbear giving the-child fuck for fome  days left the
  milk be mixed with phlegm : and at firftitmuft fuck but  little
  until it be accuftomed to digeft it.  If it be the excrements in the
  inteftines, which by their long ftay increafe theie pains, give
  them at the mouth a little oil of fweet almonds, and fyrup of
  rofes-  If it be worms lay a cloth dipped in oil of wormwood,
  mixed with ox gall, upon the  belly* for a fmall  cataplafm,  the
  powder of rue and wormwood, coloquintida,  alloes, the feeds
  of citron, incorporated with ox gall, and the powder of lupines.
  Or, give it oil of fweet almonds with fugar candy, and a fcru-
  ple ofannis feed ;  h purgesnew born babes from  green choler
  andftinking phlegm, and if it  be given with fugar pap it  aliays
  the griping pains of the belly  ;  alfo  anoint the belly with oil
  of dill, or pellitory (tamped with oil of camomile to the belly.
                        Section   II.
               Of weaknefs in new) born Infants
           WEAKNESS  S«  an accident that  many children
  bring into the world along with them, and is  often  occafioned
  by the labor of the mother ; by the violence and length where-
  of they fuffer fo much, that they are born with great °weaknefs>
  and many times it is difficult to know whether they  are alive oV
  dead, their body appearing fofenfclefs, and their face  fo blue
  and livid, that they feem to be quite choaked ; and, even after
  fome hours, their (hewing figns of life is attended with fo  much
  weaknefs, that it looks like a return from death,  and that they
  are ftill upon the borders of that kingdom. 
3il
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
-   In this cafe the beft way to help the infant is to lay him fpeed-
ily in a warm bed and blankets, and carry him to the  fire,  and
then let the midwife fup a little wine, and fpout it into his mouth
repeating it often, if there be occafion.   Let her apply linen to
■the breaft, and belly, dipped in wine, and then let  the face be
uncovered that he may breathe more freely ;  alfo let  the mid-
wife keep its mouth a little open, cleanfe the noftrils with fmall
iinen tents dipped in white wine, that fo he may  receive the
fmell of it, and let her chafe every part of his body well with
warm cloths, to bring back the blood and fpirits, which being
retired inward through weaknefs often'puts him in danger of be-
ing choaked.  By the application of thefe means the infant  will
infenfibly recover ftrength and begin to ftir his limbs by degrees
and, at length to cry, which though  it be but weakly at firft, yet
afterwards as he breathes more freely, he will cry ftronger  and
ftronger.
                      Section  III.
    Of the fundament being clofied up in a new born Infant. -
           ANOTHER effeft that new born infants are liable
to, is to have their fundaments clofed  up, by means whereof
they can neither evacuate the  new excrements engendered by
 the milk they fuck, nor that which  was  amaffed in their inteft-
ines, whilft in their mother's belly,  which is certainly mortal
without a fpeedy remedy.   There have been fome female chil-
dren who have  had their fundaments quite clofed, and yet have
voided the excrements of the guts by an orifice, which nature,
to fupply that defect, had made within the neck  of the womb.
   For the cure or remedy of this, we muft notice that the fund-
ament is clofe two ways ; either by a tingle fkin, through which
one may difcover fome black and blue marks, proceeding from
the excrements retained, which of one touch with  the finger,
there is a foftnefs felt within, and thereabouts it ought to be
pierced ; or elfe it is quite flopped by a  thick  flefhy fubftance;
m fuch fort that there appears nothing  without  by which its
 true fituation may be known.  When there is nothing but the
 (ingle fkin which makes the cloture, the operation is very eafy,
 and the child may do very well; for then an  apertion or opening
 may be made with a fmall incifion knife, crofs ways, that it may
 the better receive a round'form, and that tfo. place afterwards
may not grow  together taking great care not to prejudice  the
 fphinfter or mufcle of the  Reftum. The  incifion being thus
 made, the excrements will certainly have iflue.  But if, by rea-
 fon of their long flay in the belly, they are become  fo  dry that
 the infant  cannot void them, then let a fmall clyfter be given to
 moiften and bring them away ; afterwards put a linen tent  into
 the new made fundament, which at  firft had  beft be anointed
 with honey of rofes, and towards the end with a drying cica-
 trizing ointment, fuch as  Unguentum, album, or  Pomphelix,
 obferving  to cleanfe the infant of his excrements, and dry  it a-
 gain as foon and as often as he evacuates them,  that fo the aper-
 tiOn may be prevented^ffonvturning it to a malignant ulcer.
   But now if the fundament be flopped up in fuch a manner that
 neither mark nor appearance can be  either feen or felt, then the 
              EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.            135

 i.-pcation is fo much more difficult ; and even when it is  done.
 the danger is much more ofthe infent's efeaping it.  And  then
 if it be a female, and that it fenda forth its excrements by the
 way I have mentioned before, it is better not to meddle,  than
 by endeavoring to remedy an inconvenience to run an  extreme
 hazard ofthe infant's death.  But when there is no vent for the
 excrements without which death is unavoidable, there the oper-
 ation is jullifiabie.
   The operation in this cafe muft be  thus :.let the operator,
 with a fmall incifion knife that hath but one edge, enter into the
 void place, and turning the back of it upwards within  half a
 finger's breadth of the child's rump, which is the place where
 lie will certainly find the inteftine, let  him thruft it  forward,
 that it may be open  enough to give free vent to the matter;
 tliete contained, being  efpecially careful of  the fphinfter ; af-
 ter which, let the wound be drefied according to the method
 directed.
   Sect. IV.  Of the Thrujh or Ulcer in the mouth of an Infant.
         THE thrufh is a diftemper that children are very often
 fobjeft to, anditarifes from bad milk, or from foul humors in
 the ftomach ; for fometimes, though there be no ill quality in
 the mi k itfelf, yet it may corrupt in the child's ftomach becaufe
 of its weaknefs or fome other indifpofition, in which, acquirim;
 an acrimony Inftead of being well digefted,  there' arife froiii
 thence biting vapors, which forming a thick vifeoflity, do there-
 by produce this diftemper.
   It is often difficult; as phyficians tell us, becaufe ;t is feated in
 hot and moift places, where the  putrefaction  is eafily  augment-
 ed, and for that, the remedies applyed cannot lodge there, being
 foon wafhed away by fpittle. But if they arife from too hot a
 quality in the nurfe's milk, care muft  be taken to temper  and
 cool, prefenbing her cool diet,  bleeding and  purging her a'fo,
 if there be occalion.                              °        '
  Take lentiles hulked, powder  them and lay it upon the child's
 gums;  or take mehdium in flower, half an ounce, and with oil
 of rofes make a liniment. Alfo wafh the child's mouth with bar'-
 ley and plantain water, and honey of rofes, or fyrup ot dry rof-
 es, mixing them with a little verjuice,, or juice of lemons as well
 to loo'en and'cleanfe the vifciaus humors w  inch cleave to the in-
 fide of the child's mouth, as to cool thofe parts which are~al-
 rcady over heated.  This may be done by means of a fmall fine
 rag faftened  to the  end of  a little  (tick,' and dipped  therein
 wherewith the ulcers may be gently rubbed, being careful not
 to put the child to too  much pain, left an iuflamatien make the
 diftemper w orfe.  The child's body muft be alfo kept open, that
 the humors being carried to the  lower parts, the vapors may not
 afcend, as it is ufual foi them to do, when  the body is coitive
 and the excrements too long retained.  If the  ulcers appear ma-
lignant, let fuch  remedies be ufed as do their work fpeedily
that the evil qualities that caufe them being  thereby  inftantly
corrected, their malignity may be prevented ; and in this cafe
touch the ulcers with plantain waters  fharpened with  the fpirits
of vitriol,  for tfie remedy, muft be made  fharp, according^ the 
136           EXPERIENCED  MIDWIF-E.
malignity of the diftemper.  It will not be unnecefTary to purgt
thefe ill humors out ofthe whole habit ofthe child, by  giving
half an ounce of fuccory with rheubarb.
  Section V. Cf pain in the ears, Inflamation, moiflure, &c.
        THE  brain in infants is vcrj  moift and hath  many ex-
crements which nature cannot  fend out at its proper paffages ;
they get often  to the ears, and there caufe pains, flux of blood,
with inflamation, and matter w ith pain : and in  children is hard
to be known, having no other way to make it known but by
conftant crying ; you will alfo perceive them ready to feel their
ears  themfelves, but will not let others touch  them if they can
help it: and fometimes you may difcern the parts about the ears
to be very red.  1 hefie pains, if let alone, areof  dangerous con-
fequences,  becaufe they bring forth watching and epilepfy, for
the moifture breeds worms there and fouls the fpongy bones,
and by degrees incurable deafnefs.
  To prevent all thofe ill confequences, allay the pain with all
convenient fpeed, but have a care of ufing  ftrong  remedies.
Therefore only life warm milk about the ears, with the decoftion
of poppy tops,  or oil of violets : to take away  the  moifture, ufe
honey of roles, and let aquamellis be dropped into the ears j or
take virgin honey half an ounce, red  wine two  ounces, allum,
faffron, faltpeter, each a dram ; mix them at the fire ; or drep
ih hempfeed oil with a little wine.
Section.  VI. Of rednefsand Inflamation of the buttocks, groin
                  and thighs of an infant.
        IF there be not great care taken to change and wafh the
child's beds as  foon as they are fouled with the excrements, and
to keep the child very clean, their acrimony will be fure to caufe
rednefs, and beget a fmarting in the buttocks, grein and thighs
of the child, which  by reafon of the  pain, will afterwards be
fubjeft to inflamations, which follow the fooner, through the
delicacy  and tendernefs of their fkin  from which the  outward
fkin  of the  body is in a fhort time feparated and  worn away.
  The remedy of this is two fold ;  that is to fay, firft.  to keep
the child cleanly, and in  the fecond place, to take oft' the fharp-
nefs  of its urine   As to keeping it cleanly, (he muft be a forry
nurfe that needs to be taught how to do it, for if (he lets it but
have dry, clean and warm beds and clouts, as often a .d foon as
it has fouled and wet them, either by its urine or excrements, it
will  be fufficient ; and,  as to the fecond, the  taking off the
(harpnefs of the child's urine, that muft be done by the nurfe's
keeping a cooling diet, that her milk may  have  the fame quali-
ty ;  and therefore (he ought to abftain from all things that may
heat it.  But beiides thefe, cooling and drying remedies are req-
uilite to be applied to the inflamed parts; therefore,  let the
parts be bathed with plantain water, with a fourth of lime wa-
ter added to it, each time the child's excrements are wiped  off;
and if the pain be very great, let it only  be fomented with hike
warm milk.  The powder of a pod to  dry it or a little, mill dull
itrewed upo.i the parts aftefted, may be proper enough ; and it
is ufed by feveral women.  Alfo Unguentum, Album, or Dia-
pamphohgos, fpread upon a fmall piece of leather in form of i
plaifter, will not be amifs. 
EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.           lft"
   But the chief thing  muft be the nurfe's taking great care to
 wrap'the inflamed parts with fine rags when fhe opens the child,
 that thofe parts may not be gathered and painned by rubbing
 them together.
        Section VII. Of Vomiting in young Children.
          VOMITING in children proceeds fometimes from
 too  much milk,  and fometimes from bad milk, and is often
 from a moift loofe ftomach j for as  diynefs retains, fo loofenel.
 lets go.  This is for the moft part, without danger in children  -,
 for the ftomach,  not being ufed to  meat and milk being taken
 too  much,  crudities are eafily  bred, or the milk is corrupted  ;
 and it is better to vomit thefe up than to keep them  in ; but it
 vomiting laft long, it will caufe an atrophy or confumption for
 want of nouriftment.
   To remedy this, if from too much milk that v. hich is  emitted
 is yellow and green, or otherwife ill colored and thinking ; in this
 cafe, mend  the. milk, as has been (hewed before ; cleanfe the
 child with honey of rofes,  and (trengthen its ftomach with fyrup
 of milk and quinces made into  an eleftuary.  If the humor be
 hot and (harp, give the fyrup of pomegranates, currants and co-
 ral ; and apply to the belly the plainer of bread, the ftomach  -
 create, or bred dipped in hot wine ;  or take oil of maftic, quin-
 ces, mint, wormwood, each half an ounce ; of nutmegs by ex-
 preffions, half a dram, chy mical oil of mint, three drops.  Coral
 hath an occult property to prevent  vomiting, and is therefore
 hung about their necks.
      Section VIII. Of breeding Teeth in young Children.
          THIS is a very great, and yet neceffary  evil in  all
 children, having variety of fymptoms joined with it; they begin
 to come forth, not all at a time, but one after another, about the
 fixth or feventh month ; the fore teeth corning firft, then the eye
 teeth, and at laft of all the grinders  : the eye teeth caufe more  ,
 pain to the child than any ot the reft, becaufe they have a very
 deep root, and a fmall nerve, which hath communication to that
 which makes the eye move. In the  breeding of their teeth, firft
 they feel an itching in their gums, when they are  pierced as with
 a needle, and pricked by the (harp bones, whence proceed great
 pains, watching, and inflamation of the gums, fever, loofenefs,
 and convulfions, efpecially when they breed their eye teeth.
   The figns  when children breed their teeth, are thefe ,1  It is
 known by their time, which is ufually about the feventh  month,
 ~ Their gums are fwelled, and they  feel a great heat there,
 with an itching, whk h makes them put their fingers in  their
 mouth to rub them,from whence a moifture diftils down into the
 mofch,  becaufe of the pain they feel there, m  They hold the
nipple fafter than before. 4. The gum is white where the tooth
begins to come ;  and  the nurfe  in giving them fuck finds  tho
mouth hotter, and that they are much changed, crying even
moment, and cannot fleep, or but very little at a time.  The
 fever that  follows breeding of teeth comes from choleric hu-
mors, inflamed by watching, pain, and heat.  And the longer
teeth are breeding, the more dangerous it is, fo that'many in the
breeding of them die of fevers and convulfions.
                       m 2 
*33
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
  For remedy, two things are to be  regarded ;  one is, to pre
ferve the child from the evil accidents that may happen to it by
reafon of the great pain ;  the other, to aflift as much as may be
the cutting of the teeth,  when they can hardly cut the  gums
themfelves.
  For the firft of thefe, i. e. the preventing of thefe accidents to
the child, the nurfe ought to take great care to keep a good diet,
and to ufe all things that may cool and  temper her milk ; that
fo a fever may not follow the pain of the teeth.   And to prevent
the humor from  falling too much upon the inflamed  gums, let
the child's belly be  kept always loofe  by gentle clyfters, if it
be bound ;  thoughoften times there is no need of them, becaufe
they are at thofe times ufually troubled with a loofenefs, and yet
for alt that, clyfters rrray  not be improper.
  As to the other, which is to aflift in cutting of (he  teeth, that
the nurfe muft do from time to time, mollifying and loofening
them, by rubbing them with her finger dipped in butter or hon-
ey, to let the child have a virgin wax candle to chew upon ; or.
anoint the gums with the mucilage of  quince made with  mal-
lows water, or with the brains of a hare ; alfo foment the cheeks
with the  decoftion of Althea, and camomile flower and dill, or
with the juice of mallows and frefh butter.   If the  gums are in-
flamed, add juice of nightfhade and lettuce. I have already faid
the nurfe ought to keep  a temperate diet-  I will now add, that
barley broth, water gruel,  raw eggs,  prunes,  lettuce and en-
dive, are good for her : but let her avoid fait,  fharp, biting and
peppered meatsrand wine.
   Section IX.  Of the Flux of the belly, or loofenefs in Infants.
          IT is very common for  infants to .have the flux of
the belly, or loofenefs,  efpecially  upon the  leaft indifpofitionj
nor is it to be wondered at, feeing their natural moiftnefs con-
tributes fo much thereto ; and if it be not extraordinary violent,,
fetch are in a better ftate of health  than thofe that are bound.
This flux, if violent proceeds from divers eaufes : as, 1  From
 breeding teeth, and is theft commonly attended  with a fever, in
which the concoction is hindered, and the nourifhment corrupt-
ed.  2. From watching.  3. From  pain.   4, From ftirring of
the humors by a fever   5  When they fuck or drink too much
in a fever.   Sometimes they have a flux  without breeding of
teeth, from outward cold in the  guts, or ftomach, that obftrufts
concoftion.  If  it be from teeth it is eafily known, for the figns
in breeding of teeth will difcover it.   If it be from external cold,
there are figns of other eaufes.   If from a humor  flowing from
the head, there are figns of a catarrh,  and!* the excrements are
frothy.  If crndjfcand raw humors are' voided, there is wild,
belching, and phlegmatic excrements.  If they be yellow, green
and ftink, the flux is  from a hot and fharp humor.   It is beft in
breeding of teeth when the belly is loofe, as I have faid before ;
 but if it be too violent, and you are afraid.it may end in a con-
 fumption, it muft be flopped;  and if the excrements that are
 voided be black, attendedi with a fever, it is very bad.
   The remedy in this cafe has a principal refpeft to the nurfe,
 and the condition of the milk, muft chiefly be obferved } the 
EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.            139
nurfe muft be cautioned that (he eat no green fruit, nor things
of a hard concoftion.  If the child fuck not, remove the flux
with purges, fuch as leave a blooding quality behind them : As
fyrup of honey, of rofes, or a clyfter.  Take the  deception of
millium, myrobolans, each two or three ounces, with an ounce
or two of fyrup of rofes, and make a clyfter.   After cleanfing, if
it  proceed from a hot caufe, give fyrup of dried rofes, quinces,
myrtles, coral, maftic, hart's horn, red rofes,  or powder of
myrtles, with a little Sanguis,  Draconis.  Alfo  anoint with oil
of rofes myrtles, maftic, each two drams, with oil of myrtles and
wax, make  an ointment.  Or take red rofes,  moulin, each a
handful, cyprefs roots, two drams :  make a bag, boil it in red
wine and apply it to the belly.  Or ufe the plainer of bread  or
ftomach ointment.  If the caufe be cold, and the excrements
white,  give fyrup of maftic, and the quinces, with mint water.
Ufe  outwardly mint, maftic, cummin ; or, take rofe feeds  an
ounce, cummin and annis feed, each  two drams;  with  oil  of
maftic, wormwood, and wax, make an ointment.
   Section X. Of the Epilepfy and  Convulfions in Children.
          THIS is a diftemper that is the death of many young
children, and proceeds from the brain firft, as when the humors
are bred in the brain that caufe it, either from the parents,  or
from vapors, or bad humors, that twitch the membranes of the
brain ; it is alfo fometimes caufed from other diflempers, and
from bad diet; likewife the tooth ache, when the brain confents,
eaufes it, and fo does a hidden fright.   As to the diftemper it-
felf, it  is manifeft, and well enough known where  it  is ; and as
to the caufe whence it comes, you may know  by the figns of the
difeafe whether it comes from bad milk, worms, or teeth; if thefe
are all abfent, it is  certain that the brain is  firft affefted  ; if it
conies  with  the  fmall pox or meafles, it ceafeth when they
come forth, if nature be  ftrong enough.
  For the remedy of this grievous and often  mortal diftemper,
give the following powder to prevent it to a child as foon  as it
is born : Take male piony roots, gathered in the decreafe  of the
moon,  a fcruple, with leaf gold make a powder ; or, take  piony
roots a dram, piony feads, mifletoe ofthe oak, elk's hoof,  man's
(kull, amber, each a fcruple, mufk two grains ; make a  powder.
1 he  beft part of the cure is taKlng care of the nurfe's diet  which
muft not be diforderly by any means.   If it be from corrupt
milk, provoke a vomit, to do which, hold down the tongue, and
put a quil dipped in fweet almonds down the throat.  If it comes
from worms give fuch things as will kill the  worms.   If there
be a fever, refpeft that alfo, and give coral fmaraged, and elk's
 ■u    i rthe ?l glve ePi,ePt>c water, as lavander water, and rub
with oi of amber, or hang a piony root, elk's hoof, and fmarae-
ed coral, about the neck.                                  6
  As to a convulfion, it iswhen the brain labors to caft out that
which  troubles it : the  matter is in  the marrow of  the  back.
kills  ountain of the nerves ; it is  a ftubborn difeafe and  often

,vFKrtKremed* thereof,, in the fit wafh the body, efpecially
the back bone, with Decoition of Altfoea, lily roots, Pi6ny arS 
140            EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.

 camomile flowers, and anoint it with man's and goofe greafi-,
 oils of worms, oris,  lilies, turpentine, maftic, ftorax and  cala-
 mint.  The funflower is alfo  very good, boiled  in water, to
 wafh the child.
                           THE

        EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.

                        PART II.
Containing proper and fafe Remedies for curing of all thofe diflem-
  pers that are peculiar to the Female Sex, and efpecially thofe that
  have Obflruaions to the bearing of Children.
          HAVING finifhed the firft part of this book, and I
hope therein amply made good my promife to the reader.  I am
now come to treat of the diftempers peculiar to the female fex:
in which it is not my defign to enlarge, or to treat of all the dif-
tempers they are  incident to, but thofe only to  which they.are
moft fubjeft, when in a breeding condition, and that  keep them
from being fo :  for each of which diftempers I have laid down
fuch proper and fafe remedies, as, with the divine blefling, may
be fufficient  to repel them ; and (ince as amongft all the difeafes
to which human nature is fubjeft, there is none  that more dia-
metrically oppofes the very end of our creation, and the defign
of nature  in the  formation of different fexes, and the power
thereby given us  for the work of generation, than that of fteril-
ity or barrennefc, which, where it prevails, renders the moftac-
complithed midwife, but an ufelefs perfon, and deftroyes the de-
fign of our book ;  I think  therefore barrennefs is an" effeft that
deferves our firft coniideration.
                        CHAP. I.
Ofbarrennefs ;  its feveral kinds, with proper remedies againft it;
     and the Signs ofinfufficiency both in  men and women.
            Section I. Of ba rrennefs in general.
          AS there is no genera^ rule but will  admit of fome
exception, againft this fecond part; for though I have promifed
to treat herein only  of difeafes peculiar to the female  fex, yet
this chapter  will engage me to fpeak ot a  defeft in men, barren-
nefs being an effeft incident to them alio; and  therefore it is
neceffary to be handled with refpeft to men as well as women,
that without treating of it lo, I fhall not be able to make good
the old proverb, of letting the faddle on the right horfe.
  Having  promifed this, and thereby anticipated  an objection, I
fhall now proceed to the fubject of this  chapter, which is bar-
rennefs.
  Barrennefs is  either natural or accidental
  Natural barrennefs is, when a woman  is barren, though  the
inftruments of generation are perfeft both in herfelf and huf-
band, and no prepofterous or diabolical courfe ufed to caufe it ;
and neither age  nor difeafe,  or any natural defeft hindering, 
              EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.            14*

 and yet the woman remains naturally barren, and conceives
 not.
   Now this may proceed from a  natural caufe : for if the man
 and woman be of one Complexion, they feldom have children ;
 and the reafon is clear, for the univerfal courfe of nature being
 formed by  the Almighty of acompofition of contraries, cannot
 be increafed by a compofition  of likes ; and therefore,  if the
 conftitution ofthe woman be hot and dry as  well as the man,
 there can be no conception ;  and if, on the contrary, the man
 (hould be of a cold and moift conftitution as well as the woman,
 the.efteft would be the fame ;*and this barrennefs is purely nat-
 ural.  The only way to help it is for people before they marry
 to obferve each others conftitution and complexion, if they  de-
 fign to have children.   If their  complexions  and conftitutions
 be alike, they are not fit to cone together,  for the  difcordant
 nature makes the only harmony  in the work of generation.
   Another natural caufe ofbarrennefs is want of love between
 the man and wife  Love is that vital principle that ought to in-
 spire each organ in the aft 'of generation, or elfe 'twill be  but
 fpiritlefs and  dull; for if their hearts be not united in love,
 how (hould their feed unite to caufe conception -, and this is evi-
 dently evinced in that  there never  follows conception on  a
 rape : therefore if men and women defign  to have children, let
 them live fo that their hearts as well as their bodies may be unit-
 ed, or elfe they may mifs ot their expectations.
   A third caufe of natural barrennefs is virgins letting blood in
 the arm before their natural courfes come down, which is ufual-
 ly in the  fourteenth or fifteenth year  of their age; fometimes
 perhaps before the thirteenth but never before  the twelfth.
 And becaufe ufually they are out of order and indifpefed before
 their purgations.come down, their parents run to the doftor to>
 know what is the matter, and he ftraight way opens a vein in the
 arm, as if it was fulnefs of blood which was the caufe of offend-
 ing, and this makes her well at prefent; and  when  the young
 virgin happens to be in the fame  diforder again, the mother
 ftraight runs to the furgeon, and he direftly ufes the fame reme-
 dy ; and by thefe means the blood is diverted from its proper
 channel, that it conies not down  the womb as in another  wom-
 an ; and fo the womb dries up,  and the woman is forever bar-
 ren.  The way to prevent this is to let no virgin blood in  the
 arm before her courfes  come down well;  but if there be occa-
 (ion, let  her blood in the  foot ;  for that  will bring the blood
 downwards, and by that means provoke the nienftrues to come
 down.                        *
   Another caufe of natural barrennefs is the debility in copula-
 tion ; if perfiJns perform not that aft with all the heat and ardor
 that nature requires, they may as well let it alone, and expeft to
 have children without it, for frigidity and coldnefs never pro-
 duce conception.  Ofthe cure of this we will fpeak by and  by,
 after I have fpoken of accidental barrennefs, which is what is oc-
 cafioned by fome morbific matter or infirmity upon  the  body,
 either of the man or woman, which being  removed, they  be-
come  fruitful.  And fince (as I have before noted) the firft  and 
**2              EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
great law ofthe creation was to increafe and multiply, and  bar-
rennefs is the direft oppofition to the law, and fruftrates the end
of our creation ;  and that it is a great affliction to divers  to be
without children, and often eaufes man and  wife to have hard
theughtsofone another, each party thinking  the caufe not in
them.   I fhall here, for the fatisfaftion of well  meaning people,
fet down the figns and eaufes of infufticiency both in men and
women, premifing this firft, that when people have no children,
they mult not prefently blame either party, for neither may be
in fault, but perhaps God fees it not good (for reafons  beft
known unto himfelf) to give them any ; of  which we have di.
vers inftances  in hiftory.—And though the Almighty in the
production of nature, works by natural means,  yet where he
withholds his blefling, natural means are  ineffectual : for it is
the blefling which is the power rnd energy by which nature
brings forth her productions.
      Sect.  II. Signs and eaufes of Infufficiency in men.
          ONE  caufe may be in fome vicioulnefs  in the yard,
as if the fame be  crooked, or any ligaments thereof diftorted or
broken, whereby the ways and paflages through which the feed
fhould flow, come to be (topped or vitiated
  Another caufe may be too much  weaknefs of the yard, and
*endernefs thereof, fo that it is not ftrongly  enough erefted to
injeft feed into the womb ; for the ftrength and ftiffnefs ofthe
yard very much conduce to conception, by reafon of the forcible
mjeftion ofthe feed.
  Alfo if the ftones have received any hurt, fo  that they cannot
exercife the proper gift in producing feed, or if they be opprelT-
ed with any inflamation or tumor, wound or  ulcer,  or draw up
within the belly,  and not appearing outwardly thefe are figns of
infufficiency and  eaufes ofbarrennefs.
  Alfo a man may be barren by reafon of the defeft of feed ; as
firft, if he caft forth no feed at all, or lefs in fubftance thanks
needful. Or, fecondly if the feed be vicious,\or unfit for gener-
ation, as on the one fide, it happens in bodies that are  grofs and
fat, the matter of it being defeftive, and on the other fide too
much leannefs, or continual wafting of confumption of body de-
ftroys the  feed ; nature turning all the matter and  fubftance
thereof into nutriment of the body.
  Too frequent copulation is alfo one great caufe of barrennefs
in men ;  for it attrafteth the feminal moifture from the ftones
before itis  fufficiently prepared and concoCted ; fo if any one
by daily copulation do exhauft and draw out  all the moifture of
the feed, then do the ftones draw the moilt humors from the fu-
perior veins into  themfelves ; and fo having  but little blood in
them, they are forced of neceffity to  caft it out ra% and uncon-
cocted, and thus  the ftones are violently  deprived of the moift-
ure of their veins,  and the fuperior veins  from all the  other
parts ofthe body for their proper nouriftiment, thereby depriv-
ing the body of its vital fpirits.  And therefore no wonder that
thofe that ufe  immoderate copulation are  very weak in  their
bodies;  feeing their whole body is thereby deprived of their beft
and pureft blood, and ofthe fpirit,  infomuch  that many who 
EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.
145
 have been too much addifted to that pleafure, have killed them-
 felves in the very aft, and therefore it is no wonder if fuch un-
 concoftedand undigefted feed be unfit for generation.
  Gluttony, drunkennefs, and the other exceffes, do alfo much
 hinder men from fruitfulnefs, and make them unfit for genera-
 tion
  But among other eaufes of barrennefs in men, this alfo is one
 (hat makes them barren, and almoft  of the nature of eunuchs,
 and that is the incifion or the cutting of their veins behind  their
 ears, which  in cafe of diftempers is oftentimes done ; for accord-
 ing to  the opinion  of moft phyficians and anatomifts,  the feed
 flows from the brain by thofe veins behind the ears more than
 from any other part of the body.   From whence it is very prob-
 able, that  the tranfmiflion ofthe feed is hindered by the cutting
 ofthe veins  behind the ears, fo that it cannot defcend at all to
 the tefticles, or come thither very  crude and raw.  And thus
 much for the figns and eaufes of barrennefs in men.
 Section  III.  Signs and Caufes of Infufficiency, or Barrennefs in
                          Women.
          ALTHOUGH there are many caufes of barrennefs of
 women, yet the chief and principal are internal, refpefting either
 the privy parts, the womb, or menftruous blood
  Therefore Hippocrates faith (fpeaking of either eafy or diffi-
 cult conception of women) the firft confideration is to be had of
 their fpecies, for little women are more apt  to conceive  than
 great; (lender than grofs ; white and fair, than ruddy and high
 colored ; black than wane ; thofe  that have their veins confpic-
 uous are more apt to conceive than others ; but to the very flefh
 is evil; to have great fwelled breafts is good.
  The next thing to be confidered, is the monthly purgations,
 whether they have been duly every month, and  whether they
 flow plentifully, and are of good color, and  whether they have
 been equ al every month.
  Then the womb or place of conception is to be confidered, it
 ought to be  clean, found, dry and foft: not retraCted or drawn
 up ; not prone, nor defeending downwards, nor the mouth there-
 of turned awry nor too clofe thut.  But to fpeak more particu-
 larly :
  The firft parts to be fpoken of are the pudenda, privities, and  '
 the womb ;  which parts are  fhut and inclofed, either by nature
 or againft nature ;  and from hence fuch women are  called im-
 perfores ;  and in fome women the mouth of their womb contin-
 ues cornpreffed, or clofed up, from the time of their birth, until
 the coming  down of their courfes and then on a hidden when
 their terms prefs forward to purgation, they are molefted  with
 great and uniifijal pains ; fome of thefe break of their own ac-
cord, others  are diffefted and opened by phyficians, others  nev-
er break at all, and it brings death.
  And all  thefe Aetius particularly handles, (hewing that the
 womb  is (hut three manner of ways which hinders conception.
And the firft is, when the lips of the pudenda grow or cleave
together;  the fecond is,  when there  are certain membranes
growing in the middle part ofthe matrix within ;  the. third is, 
144
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE,
when (tho' the lips and bofom of the pudenda may appear lair
and open) the mouth of the womb may be quite fhut up ; all
which are occafions of barrennefs, in that they hinder both the
ufe of man, the monthly courfes, and conception.
  But among all the caufes of barrennefs in women, the greateft
is in the womb, which is the field of generation;  and if this
field be corrupt, it is in vain to expeft any fruit, let it be ever
fo well fown : for it may be unfit for generation, by  reafon of
many diftempers to which it  is fubject: as for in fiance, over
much heat and over much  cold; for women,  whofe wombs
are two thick and cold, cannot conceive, becaufe  cold extin-
guifhes the heat of the human feed.  Immoderate  moifture of
the womb alfo deftroys the  feed of man, and makes it ineffect-
ual, as corn fown in ponds and marfhes: and fo does over much
drynefs in the womb,  fo the feed periffieth for want of nourifh-
ment.  Immoderate heat ofthe womb is alfo a caufe of barren-
nefs, for it fcorcheth up the feed, as corn fown in  drought of
fummer ; for immoderate heat hurts all the parts of the body,
fo as no conception can live in the  woman.  And  w"hen un-
natural labors are engendered, as too nvuch phlegm, tympanies,
wind,  water, worms, or any fuch evil  humors abounding con-
trary to nature,  it caufes barrennefs; as does all the terms not
coming down in due order, as I have already faid.
  A woman may  have  other  accidental caufes of barrennefs
(at leaft fuch as may binder her conception) as hidden frights,
anger, grief and pertubation ofthe mind ; too violent  exercife,
as  leaping, dancing,  running after copulation, and the  like.
But I will now add fome figns by which thefe  things may be
known.
  If the caufe of barrennefs  be in the man through over much
heat in his feed, the woman may eafily feel that in receiving it.
  If the nature of the womb be too hot and fo unfit for concep-
tion, it will appear by her having her terms very little, and the
color inclining to yellownefs.; fhe is alfo  very  hafty,  choleric,
and crafty, her pulfe beats very fwift, and fhe is very  defirous
of copulation.
  If you would know whether the defeft is in the man or the
woman, fprinkle the man's urine upon a lettuce leaf, and the
woman's upon another, and  that  which dries away  firft is un-
fruitful.  Alfo,Takefive wheaten corns, and feven  beans, put
them into an earthen pot, and let the party make water therein,
if thefe begin  to fprout, after (landing feven days then  the party-
is fruitful, if not, they are barren whether it be man or woman
This is a certain fign.
  Some make this experiment of a woman's fruitfulnefs : They
take myrrh, red ftorax and  fome odoriferous things and makea
perfume, which the woman is to  receive  into the neck of the
womb through a funnel : And if the woman feels the fmoke af-
cend, through her body to the r.ofe,  then fhe is  fruitful, other-
wife not. Some alfo rake garlic and beat it, and caufe the woman
to lie on her bacV upon it, and if (he feel the fcent thereof tohex
nofe, it is a fign of fruitfulnefs. 
EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.          Hi
  Culpepper and others alfo give a great deal of credit  to  the
 following experiment.
  Take a handful of  barley, and deep half of it in the urine of
 the man, and the other haft in the urine ofthe woman,  for the
 (pace of twenty four  hours, and then  take  it out,  and   fet
 each  by itl«df, in a flower pot, or feme other thing ; water the
 man's every morning  with his own  urine, and the  woman's
 with hers, and that which grows firft, is the moft fruitful ; and
 if one grow not at all, that party is naturally barren.
  But, now, having fpoken enough of the difeafe, it  is high
 time to aflign the cure.
  If barrennels proceedsfrom ftoppageof  the menfes, fet  the
 woman fweat, for that opens the parts;  and  the'  beft way to
 fweat is in a hot houfe.  Then let the womb be ftrengthened by
 drinking a draught of white wine, wherein a handful of (link-
 ing arrack, firft bruifed, has been boiled.  For by a fecret mag-
 netic virtue ititrengthens the womb, and by a fympathetic qual-
 ity  removes any difeafe thereof.  To which add alfo a handful
 of vervain, which is very good  to ftrengthcn both the womb*
 and head, which are commonly  afflicted together by  fympathy.
 Having ufed thefe two or three days,  if they  come  not down;
 take of calac, mint, pennyroyal, thyme, betony, dittany, fever-
 few,  burnet,  mugwort, fage,  piony  roots, juniper berries,
 half a handful of each, or fornany as can be got, let  all thefe be
 boiled in beer, and drank for her ordinary drink.
  Take one part of the gentian root, two parts of centory, diftil
 them with ale in an alembic, after you have bruifed the  gentian
 roots, and infufedthem well.  This water is an admirable rem-
 edy to provoke the terms.  But if you have not this  water in
 readinefs, take a dram of centory, and half a dram of  gentian
 roots bruifed, boiled in poffet drink, and drink a draught of it
 atnight going to bed.  Seed of  wild  navew beaten to powder,
 and a dram of it taken in the morning in white wine, alfo is very
 good; but if it do not do, you muft be let blood  in the legs.
 And be fore you adminifter your medicines  a little  before the
 full ofthe moon, or between a new and full moon, by no means
 in the wane ofthe moon ;  if you do, you will find them inef-
 fectual-
  If barrennefs proceed from the overflowing ofthe menftrues,
 then ftrcngthen the womb, as you were taught, and afterwards
 anoint the reins ofthe back with oil of rofes, oil of myrtle,  oil
 of quinces every night, and then wrap a piece of white baize a-
 bout your reins, the cotton fide  next  the fkin, and keepthefame
 always to it-   But above all I recommend this medicine to vou.
 Take comfrey leaves or roots, and blown woundwort, of each a
 handful ,  bruife them well,  and boil them in ale, and drink a
 good draught of it now and r!ien.  Or, takp cinnamon, caftia lig-
 nia, opium, of each two drams  : fiiyrih., whit- pepver galban-
 um, of each one dram : dill^lvc the gum  and opi-iin in  white
 wine and beat the reft into powder ;/tnen  make it  into pills, by
 mixing them together exactly, and let the patient take tw o pills
every night going to bed, but let not the  pills exceed Tiftten
 grains.
                         -N 
146           EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE-
   If barrennefs proceed from a flux of the womb, the cure muff
 be according to the caufe producing it, which may be known
 by its (igns :  for a flux of the  womb being a continual diftilla-
 tion from it for a long time together, the color of what is voided
 (hews what humor it is that ottends :  In fome it is red, and that
 proceeds from blood putrified ; In fome it is yellow,  and that
 denotes cholor :  In others  white and pale, and  that denotes
 phlegm.   If pure blood comes out, as if a vein were opened,
 fome corroiion or gnawingof the womb is  to be feared.   All
 thefe are known by thefe (igns.
   The place  of conception is continually moift with the hu-
 mors, the face  is ill colored, the party loathi meat, and breaths
 w.ith difficulty, the eyes are much fvvolen,  which is  fometimes
 . without.pain.  If theoffending humor be pure blood, then  you
 muft let blood in the arm, and the cephalic vein is fitted to  draw
 back the blood, and then let juice of plantain and comfrey be in-
 jetted into the womb-  If phlegm bethe caufe, let cinnamon be
 ufed in all her meats and drinks, and let her take  a little Venice
' treacle ormithridate every morning. Let her boilburnet, mug-
 wort, featherfew and vervain, in all her broths.  Alfo, half a
 dramof myrrh taken every morning is an excellent  remedy a-
 gainft this mallady. If cholor be the caufe, let her take  burrage,
 buglofs and rofes,"endive and fuccory  roots, lettuce and white
 poppy feed, each  a handful; boil thefe in white wine till one
 hall be wafted ; let her drink half a pint every morning, to which
 add fyrup  ofpeach flowers,  and fyrup of chicony, of each an
 ounce with a little rhubarb, and this will gently purge  her-  ]f
 it proceeds from putrefied blood, let her be bloooed in the  foot,
 and then ftrengthen the womb as I have directed in  ftoping of
 the me-i.-s.
   If barrennefs be occafioned by the falling out of the womb, as
 fometimes happens  let her apply fweet (cents to her nofe,  fuch
 as civit, galbum, ftorax  calamitis,   wood  of  aloes  and other
 things of that nature ; and let her lay  (finking  things to  the
 womb, fuch as affafoetida, oil of amber,  or the fmoke of her
 own hair burnt ;  for this is a certain truth, that the  womb flies
 from all ftinking, and cleaves to all fweet things. But the moft
 infalliblecure is this, Take common burdock leaf  (which you
 may keep dry all  the year) apply this leaf to her head, ana it
 will draw the womb upwards.  In fits ofthe mother apply it
 to the  foles of her feet, and it will draw the womb downwards.
 But feed beaten into powder draws the  womb which  way you
 pleafe  according as  it is applied.
   If barrennefs proceed from a hot caufe,  let the  party  take
 Whey and  clarify it, then boil plantain  leaves and roots in it and
 drink it for her ordinary drink.  Let her alfo inject the juice of
 plantain into  the womb  with  a  lyringe; If it  be in winter,
 when you cannot  get the juice, make a  ftrong decoftion ofthe
 leaves and roots in  water, and injeft that up with a lyringe;
 but let it be but  blood warm, and you will  find  this medi-
 cine of great efficacy.  And further, take  often conferve of
 rofes, cold lozenges made of tragacanth, the  confections of
 traifantali,  frequently fmell  camphire, rofe water, and laun 
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.            147
ders. It is alfo good to bleed the bafilica, or liver vein, and
take 4 or 5 ounces of blood, and then  ufe  this purge.   Take
eleftuarum de epithimo de fucco rofarum, of  each  two drams
and a half, clarified whey four ounces, mix them well together,
and take it in the morning fafting ; deep after it about an hour
and a half, and faft four hours after it   And about an hour  be-
fore you eat any thing, drink a good draught of whey :  Alfoj
take 1 illy water four ounces, mandrogory  water one ounce, faf-
fron half a Icrupla ; beat the faft'ron to powder,  and mix it with
the waters, and drink them  warm in the morning.  Ufe this
eight days together.
Some excellent Remedies againft Barrennefs, and to caufe fruit-
                         fulnefs.
          TAKE broom flowers, parfley feed,  cummin, mug-
wort, featherfew, of each half a fcruple ;  aloes  half a* ounce ;
India fait, fafiron, of each half a dram ; beat and mix them well
together, and put it to five ounces o; featherfew water warm,
ftwp it up clofe, and let it ftand and dry in a warm place, and
thus do two or three times one after another; then make each
dram into fix pills and take one of them every other day before
fupper.
   For purging medicine againft barrennefs ;  take conferve  of
benedifta lax, one quarter of an ounce : dipfillo, three drams ;
eleftuary de fucco rofatum, one  dram;  mix  them together
with featherfew water and drink it in the morning betimes.   A-
bout three days after the patient hath  taken a  purge, let her
blood four or five ouncesin the median or common black vein
in the right foot;  and then take, for five days one after another,
filed ivory, a dram and a half  in  featherfew water ; and dur-
ing the time, let her fit in the following  bath an  hour together,
morning and night ; Take wild yellow  rapes, daucus, balfam
wood and fruit, afhkeys, of each two handfuls ;  red and  white
bhen, broom flowers, of each a handful;  mufk three grains,
amber, faffron, of each one fcruple ; boil all in water fufficient -
ly ;  but the mufk, faft'ron, amber,and broom  flowers, muft be
nut into the decoction after it is boiled and (trained.
   A confection very good againft  barrennefs;  Take  piftachia,
pingles, eringoes, oLeach half an ounce, faffron  one dram,  lig.
nuni aloes, galfingaoe, mace, balm flowers,  red and white bhen
each four fcruples, (haven ivory, caftia bark, each two fcruples ,
fyrup of confefted ginger twelve ounces,  white fugar fix ounc-
es ; decoct all thefe well together, in twelve ounces  of balm wa-
ter, and (lir it well together ; then put  to  it raulk and amber,
each a fcruple : Take thereof the quantity of  a nr.tmeg three
times a day, in the morning, an hour before noon, and an hour
after fupper.
   But if the  caufe ofbarrennefs  either in a manor  woman, be
through fcarcity or diminution of the natural feed, then fuch
things are to be taken as do increafe the feed, and incite or  ftir
up to venery, and further conception, which  I  (hall  here  fir.
down, and conclude the chapter of barrennefs.
   For this, yellow rape, feed baked in bread is  very  good ; alfo
young fat flefh, not too much falted; alfo  faffron, the fails (fin- 
148           EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
qus, and long pepper prepared in wine.  But avoid four, (harp,,
doughy and (limy meats, long deep after meat, with furfeiting'
and drunkennefs, and as  much as they can,  keep themfelves
from forrow.
  Thefe things following increafe the natural  feed and  ffir  up
venery, and recover the  feed again whr.n it is  loft, viz.  eggs,
milk,  rice boiled in milk, fparrow's brains, flefh bones and au ;
the bones and pizzles of bulls,  bucks, rams, and bears; alfo
cock ftones, lamb ftones,  partridges, quails, and pheafants eggs,
for this is an undeniable aphorifm, that whatever  any  creature
is addifted unto, they move or excite the  woman  or man that
eats them to the like ; and therefore pai fridges, qiails, fparrows,
Sec being extremely addifted to venery, they work the  fame
cffe£t in thofe men and women that eaf thern.  Alfo take no-
tice that »in what part of the body the faculty  which you would
ftrengthenlies, take the fame part  of the body of another  crea-
ture, in whom the faculty is ftrong, asa medicine.   As  for  in-
ftance, the procreative  faculty lies in the tefticles, therefore.
cock ftones, lamb ftones, &c. are proper to ftir up venery.   I
will alfo give you another general  rule ; all creatures that are
fruitful being eaten, make them fruitful that eat them ; as crabs,
lobfters, prawnes, pidgeons, &c.  The ftones of a fox dried and
beaten to powder and a dram  taken in the morning in  fheep's
milk; and the ftones of a boar taken in the like manner  are ve-
ry good.  The heart of a male quail carried about, the  man,
and the heart of a female quail carried about the woman,  cauf-'
eth natural love and fruitfulnefs   Let them alfo that would in-
creafe their feed, eat and drink ofthe beft as near as they can ;
for fine cerere et libero frigit  Venui, is an old proverb, which is,
Without good meat and good drink,  Venus will be frozen to
death.
  Pottages are good to increafe the feed,  fuch as  are made pf
beans, peas and lupines, and mix the reft  with fugar.   French
beans, wheat fodden in broth,  annis feeds, alfo onion s  ftewed,
garlickf, leeks, yellow rapes, frefb bugwort roots, oringp roots
ginger  confefted,  &c.  Of fruits; hazle nuts, cyprefs nuts,
piftachia almonds, and marmupane made thereof.   Spices good
to  increafe  feed, are cinnamon,  cardailum  galengal, long
pepper, cloves,  ginger,  faft'ron,  affafa^tida, take a dram and  a
half in good wine, is very good for this purpofe.
  The weaknefs and debility of a map's yard being  a  great
hindrance to procreation, let him to ftrengthen it,   ufe the foh
lowing ointments.   Take wax,  oil of bevercod, marjorum
gentle,  add oil of-coflus,of e3th a like quantity,  mix it intoart.,
ointment, and put to it a little mufk. and with it anoint the yard,
cods,  &c.   Take of houfe emmets three drams, oil of white fef-
anum, oil of lilies of each an ounce ; pound and bruife the ants,
and put them to the oil, and fet them (land in the fun fix days,
then (train out the oil, and add to it euphorbium one fcruple,
pepper and rue, of each one dram ; muftard feed half a dram.
Set this again all together in the fun two or three days, then a-
noint  the inftruments of generation therewith.  So much for
this chapter, 
EXPERIENCED MIDWLFE.          149
                       CHAP. II.
                  The difeafes of the Womb.
          I HAVE already faid, that the womb is the field of
 generation ; and if this field becorn%>ted, it is in vain to expeft
 any fruit though it be never fo well fown ;  it is therefore not
 without reafon, that I intend in this  chapter to fet  down the
 feveral diftempers to w hich the womb is obnoxious, and proper
 and fafe remedies againft them.
         Section I. Of the hot Diftemper of the Womb.
          THIS diftemper confifts in the excefs of heat ; for the
 heat of thewombis neceflary for conception,  but if it be too
 much it nourifheth not the feed, but difperfeth its heat,  and
 hinders the conception ; this preternatural heat is fometimes
 from the birth, and makes them barren ; but if it be accidental it
 is from hot caufes that bring the heat and the blood to the
 womb ; ii arifes alfo from  medicines, and  from too much
 hot  meat,  drinks and exercife.   Thofe  that are troubled"
 with this diftemper have but few courfes, and  thofe yellow,
 black, burnt or tharp, have hair betimes in their privities ; they
 are'very prone to  luft, andare fubjeft  to the headache, and a-
 bound with choler.  And when the diftemper is ftrong upon
 them, they have but few terms, and out of order, being bad and
 hard to flow, and in time they become hypochondriacs, and, for
 the moft part barren, having fometimes a frenzy of the womb.
   The remedy is to ufe coolers, fo that they offend not the vef-
 fels that muft be open for the flux of the term s.  Therefore in-
 wardly  ufe coolers, fuch as fuccorys, endive, violets, water lil-
 ies forrel, lettuce, fanders, and fyrups, and  conferves made
 thereof   Alfo take conferve of fuccory, violets, water lilies,
 burrage, each, an ounce ; conferve of roles half an ounce, diam-
 argaton frigid, diatriafcantal, each half a dram ; and with (yrup
 ot violets, or juice of citrons, make an eleftuary.   For outward
 applications make ufe of ointment of rofes, violets, water lilies,
 gourds, Venus narvel applied to the back and loins.
   Let the  air be cool, her garments thin, and her meat endive,
 lettuce, fuccory and barley   Give her no hut meats, nor ftrong
 whie, unle^rajfted with water.  Reft is good for her, butfhe
 n£ft abftain from copulation though fhe may deep aslongas (he
 will.
       Section  II. Of the cold diftemper of the Womb
              x THIS diftemper is the reverie of the foregoing,
 and equally an enemy to generation, being caufed by colci  qual-
 ity abounding to excefs, and proceeds from too cold air, reft,
 idlenefs and cooling medicines.  It may be known by an avei -
 (ion to letchery ; and taking no pleafure in the aft of copulation
 when they  fpe'nd their feed:  1 heir terms are phlegmatic, th'ck
 and (If my. and do not flow as they (hould.  M he womb is win.
 dy, and the feed crude and wateriih.  It is the caufe of obftruc-
 tions and barrennefs, and hard to be cured.
  For the  cure of this diftemper ufe this water : Take galangal,
 cin:ianion,  nti»meg, mace, cloves, each two drams ;  ginger cu«.-
bebs, ifdory,  caicianum,  each  an. ounce ; grains c: Pa tad tie, „ 
 150           EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.

 long pepper, each half an ounce ; beat them and put them into-.
 fix quarts of wine for eight days ; then add fage,  mint, balm,
 motherwort, each three  handfuls.  Let them (land eight days
 more, then pour oft the wine, and beat the herbs and the fpices,
 and then pour on the  wme and diftil  them.  Or you may ufe
 this : Take cinnamon,  nutmegs, cloves, mace, ginger, cubebs,
 cardamums, grains of Paradife, each an ounce and a half, galen-
  fal fix drams, of long pepper half an ounce, zedony five drams,
  ruife them, and add fix quarts of wine :  put them ino a cel-
 lar nine days, daily  ftirring them : then add of mint two hand-
 fuls, and then let them (land fourteen days, p'our off the wine
 and bruife  them,  and then pour  on the wine  again, and diftil
 them.  Alfo anoint with oil of lilies, rue, angelica, bays, cinna-
 mon, cloves, mace, and nutmeg.  Let her diet and air be warm,
 her meat of eafy  concoftion, feafoned with annis feed, fennel,
 and thyme, and let her avoid raw fruits and milk diets.
           Section III   Of the inflation of the Womb
                THE  inflation of the womb, is the ftretching
 of it by wind,called by fome the windy mole, the wind proceed-
 ing from a cold matter whether thick or thin, contained in the
 veins ofthe womb by which the weak heat thereof is overcome,
 and it either flows thither  from other parts,  or is gathered there
 by  cold meats or  drinks :  cold air maybe a procuring caufe of
 t alfo, as lying in  women are expofed to it.  The wind is contain-
 ed either in the cavity ofthe veffels of fhe womb, or between the
 tunicles, and it may  be known by the  fwelling in the region of
 the womb, which  fometimes reaches to the navel, %ins, and di-.
 aphragma :  and it rifes and abates as the wind increafeth or de-
 t reafeth.  Itdiffers from  the dropfy, in that it never fwells fo
 iiigh ; and  that neither the phyfician  nor  midwife may take it
 for conception, let them obferve the figns of women with cfiild ,
 iaid down in the firft part  of the  book ; and if one fign be want-
 ing, they may fnfpeft it to be an inflamation, of which this is a
 farther lign, that  in conception the fwelling ftill increafeth alio,
 if y©u ftrike upon  the belly in an inflation, there will be a noife,
 but notfo in cafe there  be a conception.  It alfo  differs from a
 mole, becaufe in that there is a weight and hardnefsin the belly;
 and when they move from  one fide to another, fney^bel a wekht
 which-moving ; but  not  fo in this   If the inflation be wiffBut
 the cavity of the womb, the pain  is greater and more extenfive,
 nor is there any noife, becaufe the. womb is more  pent up.
  This diftemper is neither of any long continuance, nor danger-
 ous, if looked after in time, and if it be in the cavity ofthe womb
is more eafily expelled.   To which purpofe give her diaphoni-
con with a little caftor and (harp clyfters that expel wind.  If
 this diftemper  happens  to a woman in travail,  let her not purge
after delivery, nor bleed,  becaufe it is from a cold matter ;  but
if it come after child bearing, and her  terms come down funi-
ciently, and that (he has fullnefs of blood, let the fephaenavein
 be opened ;  after  which let  her take the following electuary ;
 take conferve of betony, rofemary, of each an ounce and a half;
candied eringoes, citron peels candied, each half an ounce, diach-
tUm, galengat, each a dram, oil of annis feed fix drops, and with 
               EXPERIENCED MIDWgFE.          151

fyrup of citrons make an eleftuary.  For outward  applications
make a cataplafm of rue, mugwort, camomile, dill, calimints,
new penyroyal ; thyme, with oil of rue, keir, and camomile ;
and let the following clyfters, to expel wind,  be put into the
womb : Take agnus,, callus, rue, calamint, each an handful j-
annis feed, caftus, cinnamon, each two drams, boil them in wine
to half a pint.   She may likewife ufe fulphur, baths, and fpaw
waters, both inward  and outward, becaufe they expel wind.
          Section IV,  Of the dropfy of the Womb.
                THIS is another morbific effeft of the womb,
proceeding from water, as that before mentioned did from-windcj
by which the belly is fo fwelled, that it deceives many, caufing
them to  think themfelves with child when indeed they are not.
This  is an unnatural fwelling raifed by the gathering together
of waters, from moifture mixed with the terms, and an evil fan-
guification  from-the liver and  fpleen ; alfo. by  immoderate
drinking, or eating of crude meats ; all which caufing a reple-
tion,  do  fuffocate the native heat :  It may alfo be caufed by o-
vernowing of the courfes, or by any other immoderate evacua-
tion.  The figns  of this diftemper, are  the lower parts of the
belly, with the privities putted up and pained; the feet fwell, the
natural color of the face decays ; the appetite is departed ; the
terms alfo are  fewer, and ceafe before their time  ; her breafts
are alfo foft, but without  milk.  This is diftinguifhed from a
general dropfy, in that  the lower parts of the  belly are moft
(welled ? neither does the fanguificative faculty appear fo hurt-
ful, nor the urine fo pale, nor the countenance fo foon changed,
neither are the fuperior parts fo extenuated, as in  a general drop-
fy.   But yet this diftemper foretels the total ruin of the natural
 functions, by that lingular content the womb hath with the liver,
and therefore an evil habit of body or a general dropfy will fol-
low.
   For the cure of this difeafe, firft  mitigate the pain  with fo-
mentations, of mellilot, mallows, linfeed,  camomile, and althae,
then  let  the humor be prepared with fyrup of ftoeihus, calamint,
mugwort, both  forts,  with the  diftilled waters, or decoftion of
nodder,  marjorum, fage, oringe, fpeerage,pennyroyal, and bet-
ony ; and let her purge with fenna, agaric, rhubarb, and elite-
 rian. Take calannnts, mugwort, lovage roots, r ennyroyal, each
an handful : favila pugil ; madder roots, angelica, of each an
ounce ; boil them in water, and fweeten  them with fugar.  Or,
if (he Uke it better, make broths ofthe fame.  Alfo take fpeci-
rem diambree, diamefcidulcis, diacalamenti,diacinnimoni, diac-
imini, troce de myrrh,-of each two drams, fugar one pound ;
with betony water make lozenges, and let her take of them two
hours before meals.   Apply alfo to the bottom of the belly,  as
hot as can  be endured, a little bag of camomile,  cummin and
 mellilot boiled in oil of rue ; and anoint the belly and privities
with  unguentum Agrippae, mingling therewith  oil of 1 roes.
Let the lower parts of the belly be covered with a plaifter of bay
berries, or with a cataplafm made of cummin, camomile and bn-
ony roots, adding thereto cow's and goat's dung.  Forinjeftion
into the womb, take afarum roots three drams, pennyroyal, cat- 
152            EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.
 imint, each half a handful, favin, a pugil, machoacan a drarn^
 annis feed, cummin, each half a dram.  Boil  them and take (if:
 ounces (trained with oil of elder and orris, each an ounce ;  and
 injeft it into the womb by a metrenchita ;  let  the air be hot and
 dry.  Moderate exercife may be allowed, but much fleep is
 forbidden.  She may eat the flefh of partridges, larks, chickens,
 mountain birds, hares,  conies, &c. and drink wine mixed with
 a little water.
         Section  V. Of the inflamation ofthe Womb.
                THIS is  a tumor pofleffiv.g the womb, accom-
 panied with unnatural  heat, by obftruction, and gathering to-
 gether of corrupt blood, for the blood that comes  to the womb,
 gets out ofthe veffels into its fubftance and  grows hot, putrefies,
 and caufeth an inflammation, either all over,  or in part, before
 Or behind, above or below. This happens alfo by fuppreffion of
 the menftrues, repletion ofthe whole body,  immoderate copu-
 lation, often handling of the  genitals, difficult child birth, ve-
 hement agitation ofthe body or by falls  or  blows.  The (igns
 of this inflammation are tumors with heat and pain in the region
 af the womb, ftretchingand heavinefs in the privities, alfo a pain
 in the head and ftomach, with vomiting, coldnefs of the knees,
 convulfions of the neck, doting, trembling of the  heart:  and
 fometimes ftraitnefs of breath by reafon of heat which  is com-
 municated to the diaphragma, or midriff;  and the breafts fym-
 pathizing with  the womb,  are pained and fwelled  ; but more
 particularly, if the  fore part of the  matrix  be inflamed,  the
 privities are grieved, and the urine is fuppreffed, or  flows forth
 with difficulty ; if it be behind, the loins  and back fofter,  and
 the belly is bound ; if the  inflammation be in the bottom ofthe
 womb, the pain is towards the navel; if the  neck ofthe womb
 be affefted, the midwife, putting up  her  finger, may feel   the
 mouth of it retrafted, and clofed up, with a  hardnels about it.
 As to the prognofticks of it, all inflammations ofthe womb  are
 dangerous and fometimes deadly efpecially if it be all over  the
 womb : if the weman be with child (he rarely  efcapes, an abor-
 tion follows, and the mother dies.
  As to the cure : firft, Let the  humors flowing to  the  womb
 be repelled ;  for the affefting  of which  after the belly hath
 been opened by the cooling  clyfters, letting of blood will be
 needful :  open therefore a vain in the arm, but have a care of
 bleeding in the foot, left thereby you draw  more blood to  the
 womb, but if it be from the terms ftopt, you  may.  The opin-
ion of Galen is, that  the blood may be diverted by  bleeding in
 the arm, or cupping the breafts and  that it may be by opening
an ancle vein, and cupping upon the hips.  Then  purge gently
 with caflia, rhubarb,  fenna, and mirobolans thus, take fenna
two drams, annis feed one fcruple, mirobolans half an ounce, bar-
ley water a fufficient quantity ; make a docoftion, dilfolve it in
 fyrup ot fuccory, with rheubarb two ounces,  pulp of caflia half
an ounce, oil or annis feed  two drops  and  make a portion.   At
 the beginning ofthe difeafe anoint the privities and reins with
oil of rofes and quinces.  Make  plafters of plantain, linfeed
barley meal, mellilot, fenugreek and  whjj;e cf egg; and if the 
•   EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.          153
 pain be vehement, add a little opium.   For repellersand ano,
 dynes take Venus navel, purflain, lettuce houfleek, vine leaves,
 eacha handful, boil them in wine ;  barley meal two ounces,
 pomegranate flowers two drams, boil a dram with oil of rofes,
 and make a poultice.  Or  take  diacibilou fimple two ounces,
 juice of Venus navel, and plantain each half an ounce; takeot
 fenugreek, mallow  roots, decoded figs,, linfeed, barley  meal,
 dove's dung, turpentine, each three drams ; deer's fuet half a
 dram, opium half a fcruple, and with wax make a  plaifter.  Afe
 ter it is ripe break it by  the motion of the body,  coughing,
 fneezing, or elfe by cupping and peflaries,; as, Take rue half an
 handful figs an  ounce, pigeon's  dung, orris root each half a
 dram;  with wool make penary.   After itis broken and the
 pains abate, then cleanfe and heal the ulcer with fuch cleanfers
 as thefe, viz. Whey, barley water, honey, wormwood, fmallage
 orris, birthwort, myrrh, turpentine, allum: Take new milk
 boiled a pint, honey half apint, orris powder half an ounce, and
 ufe it very often every day.   If it  break about the bladder, ufe
 an emulfion of cold feeds, whey, and fyrup of violets.  Let her
 drink barley water, or  clarified whey, and her meat be chick-
 ens, and chicken bread, boiled with endive, fuccory, forrel, bug-
 lofs and mallows.
   Section VI.    Of Schirrofity and Ha tdnefs of the Womb...
             A SWELLING in .the womb neglected, or . not
 perfectly  cured,  often produces  a fchirrofity in the matrix,
 which is a hard infenfible? unnatural fwelling, caufing  barren-
 nefs, and begetting an indifpofition of the whole body.   The
 immediate caufe  is  a thick,  earthy humor (as natural melan-
 choly, for inftance) gathered in the womb, and caufing a fchir-
 rous withoutimflammatibn.   It is aproper fchirrous when there
 is neither fenfe nor pain, and if is  an  improper fchirrous when
 there is fome little  fenfe and pain.   This diftemper is moft uf-
 ual in women of  a  melancholy conftitution,  and alfo fuch as
 have not been cleanfed from their menfes, or from the retention
 ofthe lochia, or after purging ; it is likewife fometimes caufed
 by eating corrupt meat;  orthpfe inordinate lodgings called pi-
 ca, to which breeding women are  often  fubjeft ;  and laftly, it
 may alfo proceed from obftriiftionsand ulcers  in the womb, or
 fome  evil eft'efts in the liver and fpleen.  It may  be  known by
 thefe figns ; If the effeft be in the bottom  of. the womb,  fhe
 feels as it were a heavy burden reprefenting a  mole,  yet differ-
 ing, in that the breafts are attenuated, and the whole  body alfo-i
 If the neck ofthe womb be hardened, no  outward humors will
 appear, themouthof it is  retrafted, and touched with the fin-
 ger, feels hard : nor can fhe have the company of a man  without
 great  pains and   prickings.   This fchirrofity or  hardnefs is
 (when  confirmed)  incurable, and will turn'into a cancer, or
 dropfy : and ending in a cancer, proves  deadly ;  the reafon of"
 which is, becaufe  the native heat  in  thofe parts being almoft
 fmothered, it is hardly to  be reftored again.
  For the cure of  this,  firft  prepare the  humor with fyrup of
btirrage. fuccory,  epicymum, and clarified whey ; winch being
done, take of thefe pills following, according to  the ftrength o? 
 iU              EXPERIENCED MIDWTFSi

 the patient ?  take hicra  picra, fix drams  and a half ; agaric,
 lapiflazuli, abluti falis Indoe,  coloquintida, of each  one  dram
 and a half; mix them, and make pills.   The body being purg-
 ed, proceed to mollify the hardnefs  as  followeth ; anoint the
 privities and the neckof the womb with  thefollowingointment :
 take oil of capers, lilies, fweet almonds, jeffamin, each an ounce ;
 mucilage, fenugreek, altha;, ointment of alth:e, each fix drams :
 amoniacum diffolved in wine, an ounce, which  with wax make
 into an ointment.  Then apply below the navel  diochylon fer-
 nelli ;  and make emulfions of figs, mugwort,  mallows, penny-
 royal, althae, fennel  roots, mellilot, fenugreek,  and linfeed boil-
 ed in water ; but for injection, take bdellium di.lblved in wine,
 oil of fweet almonds, lilies,  camomile,  each  two ounces,  mar-
 row of veal bones, and hen's  greafe, Gachan ounce, with, the
 yolk of an egg.   The air muft be temperate;  and as for her
 diet, let her abftain from all grofs, vicious and fait  meats,  fuch
 as pork, fifh,  oil, cheefe,  &c
  Section VII  Of the ftraightnejs of the Womb and its Veffels.
            THIS being feated in the veffels of the womb, and
 neck thereof is an obftruftion  to the  bearing of children,  as it
 hinders both the flowing of the menfes  and conception  The
 caufe of this ftnfitnefs is thick and tough humors, that flop the
 mouth ofthe veins andarteries ; thefe humors, are bred of grofs
 or too much nourifhment : when  the heat  ofthe womb  is fo
 weak that it cannot attenuate the humor which, bv reafon t'ntre-
 o.f, either flow from the whole  body,  or are gathered int<; the
 womb.   Now,  the  veffels are made clofer or  iira'.tcr feveral
ways ; fometimes by inflammations, fchirrous, or  other tu-
 mors ; fometimes by compreflions, or by a fear; or flelh, or
 membrane, that grows after the wound.  The figns by which
this is known, are ftoppage ofthe terms,  not conceiving, crudi-
ties abounding in the body, which  are  known by particular
 figns; for if there was a wound,  or  the fecundine was pulled
out by force, phlegm comes from the  wound.   If ftoppage of
the terms be from an old obftruftion by  humors, it is hard to he
cured ; ifitisonly from the diforderly ufe of aftringents  itis
more curable; ifitbefrom a  fchirrous, or other  tumors that
comprefs or clofe the veffels, the difeafe  is incurable.
  For the cure of that which is curable, obftruftions muft be
taken away, phlegm muft be purged, and fhe muft be  let blood,
as will be hereafter  directed  in  the ftoppage  of the  terms.
Then ufe the following medicines; take of annis feed  and  fen-
nel feed, each a dram; rofemary,  pennyroyal, calamint, betonv
flowers, each an ounce ; ceftus, cinnamon, galengal,  each half
an ounce ; faffrom half a dram, with  wine.  Or, take afparagus
roots, parfley roots, each an ounce; pennyroyal, calamints, each
a handful;  wall flowers, dill flowers, each  two pugils :  boil,
ftrain, and add fy r.-:p of mugwort, an ounce and a half.   For a
fomentation, take pennyroyal, mercury calamint, marjoram,
mugwort, each two handfuls ;  fage, rofemary, bays,  camomile
flowers, each an handful ; boil them in  water, and foment the
groin and the bottom of the belly, or let her fit  up to  her na- 
              EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.           155

■»':i in a bath, and then anoint about the groin with oil  of rue,
lilies, dill, &c.
                     Section  VIII.
                 Ofthe falling ofthe Womb.
         THIS is another evil atfeft  ofthe womb, which is
both very troublefbme, and alfo a  hindrance  to  conception.
Sometimes the womb falleth to the middle of the thighs, nay,
almoii to the knees, and it may be known then by  its hanging
out.  *<ow that which caufeth the womb to change its  place is
when the ligaments- by which it is bound to the other parts  are
not in order for there are four ligaments, two above, broad and
membraneous, that come from the peritoneum, and two below
that  are nervous  round and  hollow ;  itis alfo bound by  the
great veffels by veins and arteries, and to the back by  nerves.
Now the place is changed when  it is  drawn another way, or
when the ligaments are loofe, and it falls down by its own weight.
It is drawn on one fide  when the menfes are hindered from flow-
ing,  and the veins and arteries are full,  namely thofe which go
to the womb.  If it be  a mole on one fide, and the  fpleen caufe
it.;  by the liver veins on the right fide and  the fpleen r>n  the
left, as they are more or lefs filled.  Others are of  opinion it
comes from the folution  or connexion of the fibrous  neck,  and
the parts adjacent, and  that from the weight of the womb  de-
fcending.   This we  deny not ; but the ligainents muft be loofe
or broken.   But women in a dropfy  could not be faid  to have
the womb fallen down,  if it came only from loofnefs ; but, in
them it is caufed by the faltnefs of the  water, which dries more
than it moiftens.  Now, if there be a 1 ittle tumor within or with-.
out the privities, it is nothing elfe but a  defcent of the womb ;
but if there be a tumor like a goofe egg, and a hole at the bot-
tom  there is at firft a great pain in the parts'to which the womb
is faftened as the loins, the bottom of the belly, and the os  fa-
crum, which proceeds  from the  breaking or ftretching of the
•ligaments, but a little after the  pain abaies ;  and there is an
impediment in walking ; and fometimes blood comes from  the
breach ofthe veffels, and theexctements and urine are ftopt, and
then a fever and a convulfion enfueth, which often  times proves
mortal,  efpecially  if it happens to women with child.
  For the cure of this diftemper, firft put it up before fhe air alter
it, or it  be fwolen  or inflamed;; and therefore firft of all give  a
clyfter to remove the excrements : then lay her on her back with
her legs abroad, and thighs lifted up, and  head down ; then
take tne tumor in your hand, and thruft  it  in  without vi-
olence   If it be  fwelled by  alteration and  cold  foment  it
with the decoftion of mallows, alths, line,  fenugreek, cam-
omile  flowers, bay berries,  and  anoint it with oil of  billies
and  hen's  greafe.   If there  be an  inflamation, do  not  put
it up, but  fright  it in, by putting  red  hot  iron  before it,
and  making a (how as if you  intended to  burn it  ;  but  firft
forinkle upon it the powder of  mafich, frankincenfe, and the
like : Take  frankincenfe,  maftich  each two drams ;  farcocol
fteeped  in milk, a  dram  ; mummy, pomegranate  flower,  fan-
guis draconis, each  half a dram ; when it  is  put  up, let  her 
 156           EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.

 lie with her legs ftratched, and one upon the other, for 8 or ft)
 days, and make a peffary in the form of a pear, with cork or
 fpunge and  put  it  into the womb, dipped in fharp wine or
 juice of afcacia, with powder of fanguis, galbanum bdellium,
 Alfo apply a cupping  glafs, with great flame under the navel or
 paps, or to  both kidneys,  and lay this plaifter to the  back:
 Take opoponix two  ounces, ftorax liquid half an ounce, maftich
 frankincenle, pitch, bole, each two drams, then with wax make
 a plaifter ; or laudanum a dram and a half, maftich, and •frank-
 incenfe, each half a dram, wood aloes, cloves, fpikes, each a
 dram ; afh colored amber greafe four grains, mufk  half a firm-
 pie; make two round plaifters to be laid on each fide of the na-
 vel ;  make a fume of fnail fkins falted, or of garlick, and let it
 be taken in the funnel.  Ufe alfo  attringent  fomentations of
 bramble leaves, plantain,  horfetail,  myrtle, each two handfuls,
 wormfeed two pugils, pomegranate flowers half an ounce, boil
 them in wine and water.  For an injection, take comfrey roots
 an ounce, rupture wort two drams, yarrow,  mugwort, each
 half an ounce, boil them in red wine,  and injeft it with a fy ringe.
 To ftrengthen the womb, take hartfhorn bays, of each a dram,
 nfyrrh half a dram : make a powder for two ao'fes,  and give it
 with fharp wine.  Or, Take zedoary, parfnip feedj  crabs eyes
 prepared, each a dram ; nutmeg half a dram, and give a dram in
 powder ; butaftrinj|pnts muft be ufed with gl eat caution, left by
 itoppingthe courfes a worfe mif chief follow. To keep it in its
 place, make rollers and ligatures as  for the rupture ; and put
 pefferies into the bottom ofthe womb, that may  force it to re-
 main.  I know fome  phyficians objeft againft this, and fay they
 hinder conception ; but others in my  opinion, much more juftly
 affirm, that they neither hinder conception, nor bring any incon-
 venience ; nay, fo far from that, they help conception, and re-
 tain  it, and cure the difeafe.perfeftly.  Let the diet  be  fuch as
 are of drying aftringent, and glewui£ qualities,  fuch as rice,
 ftarch, quinces, pears, and green cheefe : but let fummer  fruits
 be avoided, and let her wine be aftringent and red.
                       CHAP.   III.
         Of Difeafes relating to Women's monthly courfes.
      Section I  Of Women's monthly courfes in general.
          DIVINE providence which, with a wifdom worthy of
 itfelf, has appointed  woman  to conceive hy coition with the
 man, and to bear and bring forth children, has provided for the
 nourifhment of children during their  recefs in the womb of their
 mother by that redundancy of the blood which is natural  to all
 women, and which flowing out at certain periods of time (when
 they are nonpregnant) are from thence called terms and menfes
 from their  monthly  flux of excrementitious and  unprofitable
 blood; which is only  to be underftood with refpeft to the redun-
 dancy^ thereof, being an  excrement only  with refpeft  to its
 quantity, for as to its quality it is as pure and incorrupt as any
 blood in the veins; and this appears  from the final caufe ot it,
 which is the propagation and confervation of mankind ; and al-
 fo from the generation of it, it being the fuperftuity ofthe laft a-
-limeftt of the flefhy parts.' If any afk, if the menfes be  not ofa 
           EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.               VJX

 ii.'.il-ful quality, how can it have fiicli venomous effects* as if it
 fall upon treesand herbs, it makes the one barren,  and morti-
 fies the other > lanfwer, This  malignity  is contracted  in  the
 womb ; for the woman wanting  native heat  to digeft this fu-
 perftuity, fends it to the matrix, where  feating itfelf till  the.
 mouth of the womb  be dilated, it becomes corrupt and mortiri
 ed, which may eafily be, conlidering the heat and moiftnefs of
 the place ;  and fo this blood being out of its proper veffels,  and
 too long retained, ort'endsin quality.   But  i frigidity be the caufe
 why women cannot  digeft all  their laft nourifhment, and by
 confequence have thofe monthly  purgations,  how comes it to
 pals,  may fome fay, that they are of fo cold a  conftitution more
 than men ? Of this I have already fpoken in the chapter of bar-
 rennefs ; It i* chiefly thus : The Author of our  being has  laid
 an injunction upon men and  women to propagate  their kind,
 hath alfo fo wifely fitted them for that work; and feeing that in
 the aft of coition there muft bean at*ent,and a patient  (for if
 they  be of oneconftitut'ton, there canbe no propagation) there-
 fore the man is hot  and dry, and the  woman cold and moift.
 It is therefore neceffary that the woman  fhould be of a coM
 conftitution, becaufe in her is required a redundency of  matter
 for the nouriftiment of the infant depending on her   And  this
 is wifely ordained by nature, for otherwife the child would  de-
 tr.i t  from, and  weaken the  principal parts  of the  mother ;
 which would moft unnaturally  render theprovifion ofthe infant
 to be  the deftrttftion ofthe parent.  Now  thefe monthly purg-
 ations ufually begin a bout the  14th year and continue till  the
 4ith or 50th year :  yet not fo conftantly, but that oftentimes
 there happens a fuppreffion, wkich is fometimes natural  and
 fometimes morbifical  When they are naturally fuppreft, it is
 either in breeding women, or fuch as give fuck ;  but that which
 is morbifical  muft be the fubjeft  of the following feftion.
                       Section  II.
            Of the fuppreffion ofthe monthly Courfes.
             i Hh. fuppreffion of  the terms which is mcrrbific, is
 an interception of that accuftomary evacuation  of blood  which
 fhould come from the matrix every month, and which process
 from  the matter vitiated   The caufe of this fuppreffion is either
 internal or external ; The internal caufe is either inftrumental,
 or material, in the blood or in the  womb.   The  blood may be
 faulty two ways, in quantity,  or in quality ;  in quantity, when
 it is fo con fumed that there is no overplus  left, as in viragoes,
 and all virile women, who through their heat and irength of
 nature digeft and confume all their beft nourifhment ;  but wo-
 men of this conftitution are rather to be accounted anrhropoph-
 ageae, that is women eaters, than women breeders becaufe they
 confume one of the principles of generation which gives a  be-
 ing to the world, i. e.  the  menftruous blood   The Mood may
 alfo be confuined, and the terms ftayed, by too  much bleeding
at the nofe, and likewife by a flux of the hemorrhoides, or  by
adyfenteria,   evacuations ;  chronicle and continued difeafes.
But fecondly, the matter may be vicious in quality, as  if it  be 
158
EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
Sanguineous, phlegmatical, melancholic : each ot thefe  if they
ottend in groilnefs, will caufe an obftruftion in the veins.
  The womb alfo may be in fault diverfe ways:  as by the nar-
rownefs of the veins and paffages, by apoftumous, tumors, ulcers,
and by overmuch cold or heat, theone vitiating  the aCtion, and
the other confuming  the matter ; alfo, by an evil  compofition
of the uterine parts by the neck of the  womb being turned a-
fide ; and fometimes though but  rarely, by a membrane or ex-
crefence  of flelh growing about the womb
  The external caufe may be heat, or drynefsof the  air,  immod-
erate watching, great labor, violent motion, whereby the matter
is fo confuined, and the body is fo exhauffed,  that  there is  no
redundant blood remaining to be expelled : whence it is recor-
ded ofthe Amazons, that being aftive, and always in motion,
they had little  or no monthly  fluxes:  It  may  alfo be caufed
from cold ; and moft frequently  it is fo making  the blood vic-
ious and grofs, condenfing and binding up the paffages,  that it
cannot flow forth- The figns of the difeafe are pains in the head,
neck, back, and loins, with wearinefs ot the whole body  but e(-
pigally of the hips and legs, by reafon of a confinity which the
womb hath in thofe  parts ;  if the fuppreffion  proceeds from
cold it caufeth a heavy fluggilh difpofition, a pale color, a flow
pulfe, the urine crude, waterifh, and much in quantity,  and no
defire to copulation, the excrements ofthe guts being  ufually
retained; but if it proceeds from heat the  figns are contraiy.
If it be natural, or caufed by conception, it may be known  by
drinking water and honey after fuppers, going to bed ;  forif af-
ter the taking it, it caufeth the woman to feel a bearing  pain a-
bout the navel and lower parts of the belly, it is a fign (he  hath
conceived, and that the fuppreffion is natural, if not then it is vi-
cious, and ought medicinally to be taken away, otherwife many
dangerous difeafes will follow ;  fuch  as  fwoonings,  faintings,
intermiflion of pulfe, obftnui ions, epilepfies,  apoplexies, fren-
zies, melancholy, pafliens, &c  which makes it  highly neceffa-
ry to fay fomething now of the cure.
  The cure of this diftemper muft be by  evacuation, for  this
fupfreflion is a phlethoric effeft, it will therefore be beft in the
midft of the humor two days before the wonted evacuation, o-
pen the faphxna veins of both feet :and if the repletion be  no
great, apply cupping glaffes to the legs and thighs, after letting
blood, the humor muft be prepared and made flexible with fyr-
up of fta;chiis, horehound, by fop, betony- maiden hair, of each
one handful, make a decoftion, and take thereof  three ounces of
fyrup of mugwort,  fuccory,  maiden hair, mix each  half an
ounce, and after (he  comes out ofthe bath, let her  drink it oft.
Then purge pil. de Agarick, Elephang, Coch ; F;edit Galen in
thiscafe commends  1'ilula de Hiera cum coloqmntida ; for as
they are proper to purge the humor offending, io :he\ open t)v
paflage of the womb-  If the ftomach be overcharged,  let her
take a vomit, but let it be fo prepared as to aft both ways left the
humors fhould be too much turned back by working  only  up-
wards , to which end, take trochifk ofagaria two drams, inftife
them in three ounces ofoximel, in which dilfolve benedict, lax- 
EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.           159
»t, hail an ounce, and of the eleftuary  diafarum one fcruple ;
arid k t her take it after the manner ofa purge.   When the hu-
mor has been thus purged you may proceed to more proper and
forcible remedies.  Take extract of mugwort one fcruple and
a half, rinds ot caflia, parfly feed, caftor, of each a fcruple ; and
with juice of fmallage, after fupper going to bed.  Alfo, admin-
ifter to the lower parts  fuh'umigations  of amber, unCtions, in-
jections and incelhons; make fuftumigationsof amber, galbanum,
 melantlium, bayberries,mugwort, cinnamon, nutmegs, cloves,
&c.  Make peflaries of figs, and the leaves of mercury bruifed,
and roled up in lint.  Make injections of the decoction  of mer-
cury ; betony, origin, mugwort, and figs, and inje.t  it  into the
womb by an inftrument fit for that purpofe.  For unftion, talc
ladant.oil of myrrh, of each two drams : oil of lillies, almonds,
capors, camomile, of each half an ounce, and with wax  make an
unguent, with which let the place be anointed-  Let the air be
hot and dry, her fieep ihorter than ordinary, let her ufe  moder-
ate cxercile before meals, and let her meat and dn'n'c be atten-
uating.
                      Section III.
          Ofthe Overflowing of the monthly Courfes.
          1 HIS diftemper is directly contrary to that of which
I have fpoken, in the foregoing feftion, and is no lefs dangerous
than the other, and therefore requires to be fooken of next in or-
der- This diftemper-is a fanguineous excrement, proceeding
from the womb and exceeding in time and  quality.  I call it
fanguineous, becaufe there are two ways  by which the blood
flows forth, one is by the internal veins in the body ofthe womb
which is properly called the monthly flux ; the other isby thofe
veins which are terminated in the neck of the matrix, which
fome phyficians call the hermorrhoides of the womb ; and that
it exceeds, in quantity, when they flow about three days; but
this is the moft certain fign  of their  excefs in flowing, when
they flow fo long that the faculties ofthe body are thereby weak-
ened ;  for in bodies abounding with grofs humors, this immod-
erate flux does fometimes unburden nature of her load, and  is
not fo be ftopt without advice from a phyfician.
  The caufe of this immoderate flowing is either  external  or
internal.  The external caufe may be the  heat  ofthe air; lift-
ing and carrying heavy burdens, unnatural child births,  falls,
ike.  The  internal caufe may be threefold,  in  the matter,  in-
ftrument, or faculty :  the matters which is the blood,  may be
vicious two ways; firft,  in quantity  being  fo much that  the
veins arc not able to contain it ;  fecondly, in quality, being  a-
dull, fharp, wateriih, or  unconnected.  The  inftrument, viz.
the veins, are faulty  bythe dilation of the  orifice, which may
be caufed two ways ; firft by the heat  of the conftitution,"cli-
mate, or feafon, heating the blood, whereby the pafles are dilat-
ed, and the faculty weakened, that it cannot retain the blood ;
fecondly, by falls, blows, violent motion,  breaking ofa  vein
&c.
  This inordinate flux may be known by the  appetite being  de«
cayed, the QoncoCtiondepraved,.andalithe aftfons of the body 
16p            EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.
 weakened; the feet fwelled, the color of the face  changed anji
 a general feebfenefs  poffeffeth the whole body.  If it comes rbj
 the breakingof a vein, the body  is fometimes cold, the  blood
 flows forth on heaps and that fuddenly, with g.eat pain ;  if it
 comes through heat, the orifice of the veins being  dilated,  then
 'here is little or no pain,  yet the blood flows fafter than  it doth
 in an eroiion, and not fo faft rs in a rupture.   If by erofion, or
 fharpnefs ofthe blood (he feels a great heat fcalding the ptdfagc,
 it differs from  the other two in that it  flows not  fo  fuddenly,'
 nor fb copioufly as they do.  If it be weaknefs of the womb, (he
 lias an averfion to copulation : if it proceeds from the  blood,
 drop fome of it on a cloth, and when itis dry, you  may judge of
 the quality by the color ; if it be choleric, it will be yellow,  if
 melancholy black, if phlegmatic, waterifh and whitifh
   The cure of  this confifts in three particulars.  1ft, In repelling '
 and carrying back the blood : Sdly, in correcting and  taking
 away the" flexibility of the matter :  and Sdly, cproborating the j
 veiif or faculties.  For the rirft, to caufe a regreflion of the blood
 open a vein in her arm,  and  draw out fo much blood as the
 ftrength of the  patient will permit,  and that not  at once, but
 at feveral times, for thereby the fpirits are lefs weakened, and
 the retraftion fo much greater.   Apply the cupping glaffes to ,
 the liver that the reverfion may be in the fountain.  To correct '
 the fhtxibility of the matter, cathartics moderated With aftriftoi
 ries may be ufed.  I f it be caufed by fharpnefs of blood, confid-
 er whether the corrofion be by fait phlegm, or aduft cholor ;  if
 by fait phlegm, prepare with fyrup of violets, wormwood, rofes,
 citron peels, fuccory, &c.  and then take this purgation: Miro-
 bolans, chervel, half an ounce, trochifks of agaric  one dram,
 with plantain water make a decoftion, add  thereto, fyr.  rofcr.
 lux  three ounces, and make apotion.   I f by aduft cholar, pre- ,
 pare the body  with fyrup of rofes, myrtles, forrel, purfam, J
 mixed with water ef plantain, knotgrafs, and endive, thenpute-
 with this potion : Take rinds of mirobolans,  rheubarb, of each
 one dram, cinnamon fifteen grains, infufe  them  cne night in
 endive water, add to it the (trained pulp of tamarinds, caflia, ot
 each half an ounce, fyrup of rofes one ounce, and make a potion-
 If the blood be waterifh and unconcofted, as it is  in hydropical <
 bodies, and flows forth  by reafon ofthe tenury, to draw oft the
 water will be profitable, to which end purge with agaric, elaten- '
 urn, and coloquintida-  Sweating is alfo very proper in this caie,
 for by it the matter offending istaken away, and the motion ot
 the blood is carried to the outward Parts-   ^° procure fweat, ■
"ufe cardanum water with mithridate, or the decoftion of guiac-
 utn does alfo u ready provoke fweat; and pills ot  fafapanlla, ta- i
 ken every night at going to bed, are worthily recommenced.  It
 the blood flows forth from the opening or breaking  ot a vein,
 without any evil quality of itfelf, then ought coroboiatives on-
 ly to be applfed, which is the thing  to be done m this in ordinate
 flux ; bole armonic one fcruple, London treacle one drain,  old
 conferve of rofes half an ounce, withfyrup of myrtles, make an
 eleftuary.  Or iff he flux has continued long,  take  of mafticli
 two drams, oliba*. tinft. de careble, of each one dram,, baian- 
EXPERIENCED  MIDWIFE.
161
  ftium one fcruple, make a powder ; with fyrup of quinces make
„  it into pills, and take.one always before meals.
  Section IV.  Of Terms coming out of Order,  either  before or
                      after the ufual Time-
            BGTH thefe fhew an ill conftitution of body.  Every
  thing is beautiful in its order, in nature as well as in morality,
  and if the order of  nature be broke, it fhews the body to be out
  of order  Of each of thefe effects briefly.
    When the monthly courfes come before their time it fhews a
  depraved excretion that comes for the time often flowing fome-
  times twice a month ; The caufe why they come fooner is in"
  the blood, which ftirs up the expulfive faculty in the womb, or
  fometimes in the whole body, caufed oftentimes by the perfon':;
  diet, which increafes the blood too much, makes it too (harp or
  too hot; and if the retentive faculty of the womb be weak, and
  the expulfive faculty ftrong, and of a quick fenfe, it brings them
  forth the fooner, and fometimes they flow fooner by reafon  ofa
  fall,  ftroke, or fome violent pafiion, which the parties themfelves
  can beft relate.   If it be from heat, thin and fharp humors,  it is
  known by the diftemper of the whole bod>.  The loofenefs of
  the veffels, and weaknefs ofthe retentive faculty, is known from
  a moift and loofe habit of body.   It is  jnore troublefome  than
  dangerous but hinders conception, and therefore the cure is
  neceflary for all, but efpecially  fuch as defire children.   If it
  proceeds from a fharp blood, let her temper it by a good  diet
  and medicines : for which purpofe, let her ufe baths of iron wa-
  ter, that correft the diftemper of the bowels, and, then evacu-
  ate.  If it proceeds from the retentive faculty, and loofenefs of
  the veffels, itis to be corrected with gentle aitringetits.
    As to the courfes flowing after the ufual  time, the caufes are
  thicknefs ofthe blood and the fmallnefs of its quantity, with the
  ftraitnefsof the paffage and weaknefs ofthe expulfive  faculties,
  either of thefe fingle, may flop the courfes,  but if they all con-
  cur, they render the diftemper the wcrfe.   If the blood abounds
  not in fuch a quantity as may ftir up nature to expel it, its purg-
  ing muft neceflarily be deferred till there be enough.  And  if
  the blood be thick, the paffage flopped and the expulfive fac-
  ulty weak, the menfes muft needs be out of order, and the purg-
  ing of them retarded.
   For the cure of this, if the quantity of blood be fmall, let  her
  ufe a larger diet and very little exercife.  If the blood be thick
  and foul, let it be made thin, and  the humors mixed therewith .
  be evacuated.  It is good to purge after the courfes have done
  flowing, and to ufe calamints : and indeed the oftener (he purge
  the better.  She may alfo ufe fume and peffaries, apply cupping
  glaffes without fearification to the ihfides of the thighs, a:id  rub
  the legs and fearify  the ancles, and hold the  feet in warm water
  four or five days  before the courfes come down.  Let her alfo
  anoint the bottom of her belly with things proper to provoke
  the terms.
                       o 2 
1*2              EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE-

          Section  V.  Of the falfe courfes or Whites.
          THE whites or falfe courfes are a foul excretion from
the womb, for from the womb proceeds not  only the menftru-
ous blcod, but accidentally many other excrements, which is a
diftillation of a variety of corrupt humors through  the  womb,
flowing from  the  whole body,  or part of the fame; which,
though  called the whites, are fometimes blue or green, or red-
u'h,  not flowing at a fet time, or every month, but in  a difor-
ciejy manner, fometimes longer, and fometimes fhorter.  Itis
dnterent from the running of the  reins,  both  lefs  in  quantity
and whiter and thicker in quality,  and  coming at  a great dift-
ance : it is different alfo from  thofe night pollutions which are
only in deep, and do proceed from the imagination of venery.
  The caufe of this  diftemper, is either promifcuoufly  in the
whole body, by a cacochymia, or weaknefs ofthe  fame: or in
foinc ofthe  parts, as in the liver, which by the inability  of the
fanguificative faculty, caufeth a generation of corrupt blood, and
then the matter is  redifh :  fometimes in the gall being remifs in
its office, not drawing away thofe choleric fuperfluities which
are engendered in the liver, and then the matter is yellow: fome-
times in the fpleen, not defecating  and cleanfing the blood of
the excrementitious parts, and then the matter flowing forth is
blackifk. It may (alfo come from catarrhs in the head, or from
any  other putrefied or corrupt member-  But if the matter  of
the flux be  white, the cafe is either in the ftomach or reins.  In
 the ft >machby a phlegmatical  and crude mattq#-there contract-
ed and vitiated through grief, melancholy, and other diftempers;
-for otherwife, if the  matter were only pituitous, and noways
vorrupt or v; dated, being taken into the liver, it might  be con-
verted into blood  for phlegm in the ventricle is called nourish-
ment half digefted ;  but being corrupted,  although it be fent
into the liver, it cannot correct that  which the firft hath corrupt-
 ed,.and therefore the liver fends  it to the womb, which can nei-
 ther digeft it nor repel it, and fo it is voided out, ftill  keeping
the color which it had in the ventricle.  The caufe alfo may be
in the veins, being over heated, whereby the fpermatical matter,
 by reafon of its tenuity, flows forth. 'I he external caufe may
 be the moiftnefs of the air, eating corrupt meats,  anger, grief,
 flothfulnefs, immoderate fleeping, and coftivenefs-
   The figns are extenuation  ot  body, fhortnefs and  flanking
 breath, loathing of meat, pain in the head, fwelling of the eyes,
 melancholy, humidity, flow-ings from the womb, of divers col-
 ors-, as  redifh, black, green, yellow, white ; it is known from the
 overflowing of the courfes, in that it keeps no certain period and
 is of fo many colors, all which do degenerate from blood.
   For the cure of this, it muft  be by  methods adapted to the
 cafe ; and as the caufes are various, fo muft be the cures.
   If it be caufed by  the diftillation from the  brain,  take fyrup
 of betony,  ftaechas and majoram, purge  with pil.  loch : make
 rtapalia, of  the juice of fage, hyffop, betony,  negella, with one
 drop of oil  cloves, and a little (ilk cotton.  Take eleft. dianth
 aromat, rcfir, diambre,  diamofci  dulcis, of each one dranij
 nutmegs half a dram at night going to bed. 
              EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE.            i§3

  If the matter flow ing forth be redifh, open a vein in the arm,
if not, apply ligatures  to the  arms and (houlders :  fome have
cured this  diftemper  by  rubing the upper parts  with crude
honey ; andfo Galen fays he cured the wife of Boetius.
  If it proceeds from cruditiesin the ftomach, or from a cold
diltempered liver, take every  morning of the decoftion of  lig-
num fanftum : purge  with pill deagarico, de harmodaft, de hi-
era dyacolocynthid foetida, argragrative.  Takeofeleft,  aro-
mat, rof. two drams, citron peels dried, nutmeg, long pepper,
of each one fcruple, diagalingaone dram, fantah albia, fign aloes,
of each half a fcruple,  fugar, fix ounces, with mint water make
lozenges of it, and then take it after meals.
  If with frigidity  ofthe liver be joinedarepreflionof the ftom-
ach, purging  by  vomiting  is commendable ; for which, take
three drams of the eleftuary of diaru.   Some phyficians alfo al-
low ofthe diuretical means, of opium, petrofolinum, &c.
  If the matter ofthe difeafe be melancholious prepare with fyr-
up of maiden  hair, epithimum, polipody,  burrage, buglofs,
fumetory, heart's tongue, and fyrup by fantinum, which muft
be  made without vinegar, otherw'fe it will rather  animate the
difeafe, than ftrengthen nature, for melancholy is increafed by
the ufe of vinegar ; and by Hippocrates, Silvius, and Aventinus,
itis difallowed of as an enemy to the  womb, and therefore not
to be ufed in uterine difeafes.
  Purges  of melancholy are, Pilulae eumartae, pilulae India?,
pilulae de lap.  Lazuli diofena, and confeftio hamech.  Take
ftampt prunes two ounces, fenna one dram,  epithimum, polypo-
dy ; fumetory ; of each a dram and a half, four dates one ounce,
with endive water make a decoftion ;  take of it four ounces, add
unto it confections hamech three drams, manna three  drams, or
pilulae indatum, phil,  faetidaruni, agarici trochifcati, of each one
fcruple, lapiduz lazuli, five grains, with fyrup of er ithimum make
pills, and take one every week.
   If the matter of the flux be choleric, prepare with  fyrup of
endivine, violets,  fuccory rofes and  purge  with mirabolans,
 manna, rhubarb, caflia ; take of rhubarb two drams,  annis feed
one dram,  cinnamon a fcruple  and a half, infufe them in fix
ounces of prune broth ; add to the ftraining of manna, an ounce,
and take it according to art.   Take fpicierum diftriontafon, dia-
tragacant.  frig,  diarrhod.  Abbatis diaconit, of each a dram,
fugar four ounces, with plantain water make lozenges.
   Laftly, let the womb be cleanfed from the corrupt matter, and
then corroborated and ; for the cleanfing thereof, make injec-
tions ofthe decoftion of betony, featherfew, mugwort, fpiken-
 ard, biftort, mercury, fage, adding thereto fugar, oil of fweet al-
 monds, of each two ounces :  then to corroborate the womb, pre-
pare trochifks in this manner : Take of myrrh, featherfew, mug-
 wort, nutmegs, mace, amber, lign, aloes, ftorax, red rofes, of
 each an ounce, with mucilage of tragacanth make trochifks, caft
 them  on the coals and fmother the  womb therewith :  Fomen-
 tations may be  alfo made for the womb of red wine, in which
 has been decoded maftich, fine bole, naluftia, red rofes.  Dry-
 ing diet is  beft,  becaufe this difttmper ufually abounds  with 
1G4           EXPERIENCED MIDWIFE,
phlegmatic and crude humors.  Immoderate fleep is hurhul
but moderate exercife will do well.
  Thus I have gone through the principal difeafes peculiar to the
female fex; and prefcribed from each of them fuch remedies, as
with the divine blelfing, will cure  their diftempers, confirm
their health, and  remove  all thofe obftruftions,  which might  |
otherwife prevent their bearing children :  and I  have brought  '
it into fo  narrow a compafs, that it might be of the more gener-
al  ufe, being willing to put it into every one's power, that has  ;
occafion for it, to purchale this rich treafure at an eafy rate.
THE  END 
ARISTOTLE'S
BOOK  OF
PROBLEMS,
WITH  OTHER
ASTRONOMERS,         I   PHILOSOPHERS,
ASTROLOGERS,          |   PHYSICIANS, &c.

WHEREIN  ARE CONTAINED DIVERS  QUESTIONS AND AN-
  SWERS, TOUCHING THE STATE OF MAN'S BOBY TOGETH-
  ER WITH THE REASON OF DIVERS WONDERS IN THE CRE-
  ATION: THE GENERATION OF BIRDS,  BEASTS,  FISHES,
  AND INSECTS ; AND  MANY  OTHER PROBLEMS ON THE
  MOST  WEIGHTY MATTERS,  BY WAY OF  QUESTION AND
  ANSWER.
                TO  THE  HEADER.

     READER,

               THESE Problems having been printed very often,
 and finding fo general an acceptance, divers books have been hoift-
 ed into the world under the name of Ariftotle,/o that many people
 have bought them, thinking they had the  right fort, by  which t'be
 public has been injured as well as the  proprietors.
   The matter it contains is neceffary for all people to know, and. as
 man is faid to  be a microcofm, or little world, and  in him the Al-
 mighty hath imprinted his  own image fo lively, that no power
 whatjoever i^ able to blot  it out;  Jo his image and fimilitude is the
foul and underftanding.  And notwithftanding all the  perfeclions
 which man hath in himfelf, few or none take delight in  the ftudy of
 himfelf, or is careful to know toe fubftance, ftate, condition, quality,
 or ufe of the feveral parts of his ozvi body, although he be the honor
 of nature,  and more to be admired th.m the ftrongeft  and rareft
 wonder that ever happened   I have '^erefore publijhed this little
 book written by Ariftotle, and the -dtcfjl philosophers,  who teach
 the ufe of till parts of  the body, their  nam re, quality, property  and
fubftance, and queftion not  but it will afford both  innocent, necejfa -
ry and nfeful knowledge, and prove profitable to both fexes. 
         ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.


            AMONG all living creatures, why  hath man only,
his countenance lifted uf> towards heaven.
  Unto this queftion there are divers anfwers.
  1ft, It proceeds from the will ofthe Creator   And although
theanfwer be true, yet it feemeth not to be of force, becaufe
that fo all queftions might be eafily refolved.
  2d!v, I anfwer, that for the moft part, every  workman doth
make his firft work worfe, and then  his fecond  better,  fo God
created  all beads  before  man.  gave them their  face looking
down on the earth, and then he created man as it doth appear in
Genefis, unto whom he gave an upright fhapc, lifted into heav-
en, becaufe it is drawn from divinity,  but this  derogates from
the goednefs of Cod,-who maketh all his works  perfect and  .
good.
  Sdly, Itis aqfwered, that man only, among all living crea-  |
tures, is ordained to the kingdom of heaven, and therefore hath  !
his face elevated and lifted up to heaven, becaufe that defpifing
worldly and earthly things he ought to contemplate o.i heavenly
things.
  ■4thly, That the reafonable foul is like unto angels, and finally
ordained toenjey  God, as appears by Averro s de a-iima, and
therefore he hath a figure looking upwards.
  5thly, That man is a microcofm, that is a little world,  as Ar-  .
ijftotle faith,  and therefore he doth command all other living
creatures and they obey him,
  ^ithly, It anfwered that, naturally there is given unto every
thing, and every work, that form and figure which is  fit and
proper for its motion : as, unto the heaven roundnels, to  the fire
a pyramidical form, that is, broad beneath, and (harp towards
the top, which  form is moft apt to afcend :  and fo man  has his
faceup to heaven, to behold the wonders of God's works.
  Why is the head ofbeafls hairy ?
  The  anfwer, according to the opinion of Conft. is, that the
hairs are the ornament of the head and ot the brain,  and the
brain is purged and evacuated of grofs humors  by the growing
ofthe hair, from the higheft unto the lowed parts, which pafs
through the pores of the exterior  flefh and do become dry, and
are converted into hairs.   This appears to be true, becaufe that
in ail the body of man there is  nothing  drier than the hairs;
for they are drier than the bones, as Albetus Magnus doth  af-*
firm, becaufe that feme beads are nourifhed with bones,  but no
bead can digeft feathers or hair,  but do  void them undigefled ;
they being too  hot for nutriment
   Sdly, It is anfwered, that the brain is purged four manner of
ways ; of fuperfluous watery humors by the eyes, from melan-
choly by  the ears, of choler by the'nofe, and of phlegm by the
hair, and that is the intent of the .lhyfician.
   Why have men longer hair on their heads than ether living crea-
tures P
   Arid, degenerat. anim. fays men have the  moifteft  brain  of
all living creatures, from which the feed proceedeth, which  is
converted into  the long hair of the head. 
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.
16T
  2dly, It is anfwered that the humors of man are fat,  and do
not become eafily dry, and therefore the hair groweth longer in
man than in beafts, whofe humors eafily dry.
  Why doth the hair take deeper root in man's skin than in any oth.
er living creature ?
  Becaufe they have greater ftore of nourifhment in man, and
therefore grow more into the inward parts of man—And this is
alfo the reafon why in other creatures the hair doth  alter and
change with the fkin, and not in man, unlefs it be fometimes a
fear or wound.
  Why have women longer hair than men P
  lft, Becaufe women are moifter than men and phlegmatic, and
therefore there  is more matter of hair in them : and further-
more, this matter is more increafed in women than in men  from
their interior parts, and efpecially in the time of their monthly
terms, becaufe the matter doth not afcend, whereby the humor
which breedeth  the hair doth increafe. And Albertus fays, that
if the hair of a woman in the time of their flowers be put  into
dung, avenomous ferpent is engendered of it
  Sdly, Becaufe women want beards,  and fo the  matter of the
beard doth go into the matter of the hair.
  JVhy have fome men foft hair, and fome hard P
  We anfwer, with Ari'fotle, that the hair hath proportion with
fhe fkin, of which fome is hard, fome thick and grofs,  fome
fubtil and foft;  therefore the hair which groweth Out ofa thick
and grofs fkin, is thick and grofs and that which groweth out of
a fubtil and foft fkin, is fine and foft. When the pores are open,  ,
much humor cometh forth,  which  engenders hard  hair; but
when the pores are ftraight, then there groweth foft and fine
hair   Ariftotle fhews that women have fofter hair than  men,
becaufe their pores are  more fhut and ftrait, by reafon  of their
coldnefs.
  2dly, Becaufe that, for the  moft part, choleric men, have hard-
er and thicker hair than others, by reafon  of  their heat, and
their pores being forever open, and therefore they have beards
fooner than others.  Ariftotle giveth example ot the bear and
boar, which have hard hair,  proceeding of heat and  choler,
which makes them bold ;  and contrawife, thofe beafts that have
foft hair, as the hart and hare, are fearful, becaufe they  be cold.
Another reafon  of the  foft nefs and hardnefs  of the hair,  is
drawn from the climate where a man is born ;  becaufe that in
hot regions hard and grofs hair is engendered, as in the Ethio-
pians ; and the  contrary :s true in cold countries.
  Why have fome men ru-led hair and fome fmooth P
  The anfwer is,  thai  he caufe of the  curling  ofthe  hair  is
great abundance of hea;  n a man, then the hair doth curl and
crow upward.  A fign of this is. that fometimes  a man doth en-
Ter into a bath fmoorh haired and afterwards becometh curled ;
and therefore the keepers of baths have often curled hair as alfo
the Ethiopians and cliuie  sc men : but the caufe ofthe  lmooth-
nefs is the abundance of l.ioifi: humors which tend downwards ;
and a proof of this, they have much humidity in  them and fmall
heat- 
US            ARlSTOTLEs  PROBLEMS
   Why do women fhew their ripenefs by their hair in  their priiy
 parts and not elj'ewbere, but men in their breafts ?
   We anfwer, becaufe there is abundance of humidity in that
 place, but more in women than in men.  Men have  the mouth
 of the bladder in that place  where the urine is  contained,  of
 which the hair in the breafts, and about the navel, is  engender-
 ed ; but in  women the  humidity of the bladder,  and of the
 womb, is joined and meeteth in that low fecret place, and is dif-
 folved  and  feparated in that  place through much  vapor and
 fumes,  which are the caufe of hair.  And the like doth happen
 in other places, where hair is, as under the arms.
   Why have not women beards P
   Becaufe they want heat asappeareth in fome effeminate men,
 who are beardlefs for the fame caufe,  becaufe  they  are of the
 complexion ofa woman.
   Why doth the hair grow in them that are hanged?
   Becaufe their bodies are expofed to the fun, which  through
 its heat diffelves all the moifture into a fume or vapor, of which
 the hair doth grow.
   Why is the hair ofthe beard thicker and groffer, than  elfewhere,
 and the more men aie Jbaven, the harder and thicker it groweth ?
   Becaufe according to the rule of the phyfician, by how much
 more the humor or vapor of any liquor is diffolved and taken a-
 way, by fo much more  the  humor remaining  doth draw the
 fame : and therefore by how much the more the hair is (haven
 fo much the humors gather, thicken, and of theinhair is engen-
 dered and doth there alfo wax hard.
   Why are  women morefmooth  andjoft than men P
   The anfwer, according to Ariftotle, is, that in women all hu-
 midity and fuperftuity, is expelled with  their monthly terms;
 which fuperftuity remainethin  men, and thro' vapors do pafs in-
 to the hair.  And a fign of thisis, that in  women who have run-
 ning at the nofe, impofthume, or ulcer, no fuch matter is expell-
 ed.  And fome women  begin  to have beards in  the;r old age,
 after forty or fifty years of age,  when their flowers are ceafed.
   Why doth  man only, above all other creatures, wax  hoary and
 grey as Pythagoras and Ariftotle affirm P
   The anfwer according unto the philofophers,  is, becaufe man
 hath the hoteft heart of all living creatures; and  therefor, na-
 ture,  left a man fhould be fuftocated  through  the heat of his
 heart, hath placed the heart, which is moft hot, under the brain,
 which is moft cold ; to the end  that the heat ofthe heart may be
 tempered with the coldnefs ofthe brain and the coldnefs of the
 brain may be heated with the heat of  the heart,  and  thereby
 there imght  be a temperature in both.  A ',gn to  prove  th.s is,
 becaufe of all living creatures man hath the worft  breath, ii he
 conies to his full age.  Furthermore,  man doth  confume half
 his time in fleeping, which doth proceed  from the great, accefs
 ofthe coldnelsand moifture of the brain, and by that means
 doth wane natural heat to digeft and confume that  moiftnefs;
 which heat he  haih diffidently in  his youth,  and therefore  in
 that age is not grey, but in his old age, when heat faileth ; and
'therefore the vapors afcending  from the ftomach  remain undi- 
               ARISTOTLE'S  PROBLEMS.            169

'gefted and unconfirmed for want of natural heat and then putre-
fies^-of which putrefaction of humors the wifitenefs doth follow
which is called  greynefs or hoarinefs.   Whereby it doth appear,
that hoarinefs is nothing elfe but awhitenefsofthehair, caufed by
putrefaftion of humors about the roots of the hair, through the
natural want of heat in  old age.  Sometimes alfo greynefs  is
caufed by the naughtinefs of complexion which may well hap-
pen in youth, and fometimes by reafon. of the moifture undigeft-
ed and  fometimes   through overgreat fear arid care, as  appear-
cth in merchants, failors,  thieves : from whence cometh this
vice.
     Curafacit canos, quamvis homo non habet annos.
   Why doth red hair grow wbitefooner than other P
   According to the opinion of Ariftotle, becaufe rednefs  is  an
infirmity of the hair, forh is engendered of a weak and infirm
matter, that is to fay, of matter corrupted with the  flowers of
the woman, and therefore they wax  white fooner than black
hair.
   Why do wolves grow grif.y ?
   The better to underftand this queftipn note the difference be-
tween greynefs and grifling :   Becaufe that greynefs is caufed
through the defeft of natural heat, butgriflinefs through devour-
ing and eating, as Ariftotle witneffeth,Tib.  7. de animal.  The
 wolf being a devouring beaft, and an eater, he letteth it  down
gluttenoully without chewing, and that at once enough for three
days, by which means grofs vapors are engendered in the wolf's
body, and by confequence grillinefs.   Secondly,  greynefs and
griflinefs do differ,becaufe greynefs is only on the  head,  and
griflinefs over all the body.
   Why do horfes grow grijly and grey ?
   According to Ariftotle, becaufe they are for the moft fart
in the fun:  and in his  opinion alfo,  heat  doth  accidentally
caufe putrefaction : and therefore that kind of heat doth putre-
fy the matter of hair, and by confequence they are quickly  pil-
led. .
   Why do men  become bald,  and  trees fall their  leaves in the
'winter ?
   Ariftotle doth give the fame reafon  for both ; becaufe that the
want of moifture in both is the caiile of the want ot  the hair and
of the leaves :  and this is proved becaufe  that a man becometh
bald through venery, forfeit is  letting forth of natural humidi-
ty and heat.  And fo by that excefs in carnal pleafure, moifture
is confuined, which is the nutriment  of the ha'r, and therefore
haldnefs doth   cnfue.  Andth'sis evidently provedin-eunuchs
and women who do not grow bald, becaufe they do not depart
from their moift nefs ; and therefore  eunuchs  are  of tire Com-
plexion of women.  But if you afk why eunuchs are not bald,
nor have the gout, as Hypocrates faith, the anfwer is, occording
to Galen, becaufe the caufe of baklnefsris drynefs  the which  is
hot in eunuchs, becaufethey want their (tones t' e which do min-
ifter heat into all the parts of the body, and the heat doth  open
the pores, which being open, the hair doth fall. 
1T0            ARISTOTLEs PROBLEMS.
  Why are not women bald.
  Becaufe they are cold and moift, which* are the  caufes that
the hair remaineth ;  for  moiftnefs doth give nutriment to the
hair and coldnefs doth bind the pores.
  Why are bald men deceitful, according to the verfe ?
      Si non vis falii, fugies confortia calvi.
  Becaufe baldnefs doth witnels a choleric complexion which is
hot and dry : and choleric men are naturally deceitful accord-
ing to the verfe.
      Herfuiousfallax, irafcens prodigus, audax.
  And therefore it folioweth, a primum adultimmum, that bald
men are deceitful and crafty.
  Why are not blind men naturally bald P
  Becaufe that according to Ariftotle, the eye hath moft moifture
in it, and that moifture which (hould pafs through by the fub-
ftance of the eyes, doth become a  fufficient  nutriment of the
ha ir, and therefore they are feldom bald
  Why doth b air ft and on end when men are afraid ?
  Becaufe  in time  of fear the heat doth go from the out-
ward part ofthe body into the inward, to the intent to help the
heart, and fothe pores in which the hairs are faftened, are ftiut
up ; after which (topping and fhutting up ofthe pores, the (land-
ing up of the hair doth follow,  as it is feen in  beafts,  as  dogs,
wild boars, and peacocks.
                       Ofthe Head.
  Why is man's head round ?
   Becaufe it is moft fit to receive any thing into it,  as  Ariftotle
 doth affirm, Lib. de c<zs and the head doth contain in it five fenf-
es.  This is alfo feen in a material fphere.
   Why is the head round?
   Ariftotle faith, becaufe it doth contain'in it the moifteft part of
 the living creatures, and alfo becaufe the brain  may be defended
 thereby as with a Ihield.
   Why is the head abjolutely long butfomewbat round  ?
  To the end the three  creeks and cells of the brain might the
better be diftinguifhed ; that is the fancy in the forehead, thedif-
cour'ing or reafonable part in the middle, and memory in the
 hindermoft part.
  Why doth a man lift up bis head towards the heavens when he
 doth imtgiue ?
   Becaufe the imagination is in the forepart ofthe head or brain
and therefore it litteth up itfelf, that the creeks or  cells  of the
imagination may be opened, and that the fpirits which help  the
imagination, are fit  for that purpofe, having their concourfe
 thither, may help the imagination.
   Why doth a man when be mufeth, or thinketh  on  things paft,
look down towards the earth ?
   Becaufe the cell or cieek which  is behind, is the creek  or
chamber of memory, and therefore that looketh towards heaven
 when the head is bowed down  ; and  fo that cell is open,  to  the
 „*nd that the fpirits which perfect the memory  fhould enter in.
   Why is not the head flejhy like unto the other parts ofthe body ?
   Becaufe that, according to Ariftotle, the head would be  too 
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.
1T1
heavy and would not (land ftedfaftly ; and therefore it is  with-
out flefh.  Alfo a head loaded with flefh doth  betoken an evil
complexion.
  Why is the headfubjecl to aches and griefs ?
  According to Conftant, by reafon of evil humors which pro-
ceed from the ftomach, afcend up to the head and difturb  the
brain, and fo caufe the pain in the head.  And fometimes it pro-
ceeds from overmuch filling the ftomach, becaufe, according to
the .opinion of Galen, twO great finews pafs  from the brain to
the mouth of the ftomach, and therefore thefe two parts do fuf-
fer grief always together.  Sometimes the ache doth proceed of
drinking ftrong wine, of fuming meats, as garlic or onions,  and
fometimes of phlegm in the ftomach, whereof fpring quotidian
fevers.
  Why have women the headache more than men ?
  Albertus faith it is by reafon of their monthly  terms,  which
men are not troubled with, and fo a moift, unclean and venom-
ous fume is  diffolved, the  which feeking paffage  upward doth
caufe the headache
  Why is the brain white ?
  There are two anfwers ; the firfi becaufe it is cold, and  cold-
nefs is the mother of white  ; the philofophers do teach the  fec-
ond, becaufe it may receive the (imilitude and likenefsof all col-
ors,  which the white color can beft do, becaufe it is mod fimple.
  Why are all the fenfe sin the head P
  Becaufe, as Albertus faith, the  brain is there on  which all
the fenfes do depend, and are direfted by it and by confequence
 it maketh all the fpirits to  feel, and by it all the membranes are
governed.
  Why cannot a man efcape  death if the brain or heart be hurt ?
  Becaufe the heart and brain are  two of the moft principal
parts which concern life : and therefore  if they be hurt there is
no remedy left for  the cure.
   W by is the brain moift ?
  Becaufe it may ealily receive an iinprHTion, which  moifture
can beft do, as it appeareth  in wax, which doth ealily receive the
print of the feal when it is foft.
   W'hy is the brain cold ?.
  This is anfwered two ways ; firft,  becaufe that by this cold
nefs it may clear the underftanding of a man, and make it fubtil.
Secondly, that by the coldnefs ofthe brain the heat ofthe heat*
may be  tempered.
                       Ofthe Eyes.
  Why have you but one nofe and two eyes ?
  Becanfe our light is more neceffary for us than the fmelling.
And therefore it doth proceed from the  goodnefs of nature that
if we receive any hurt or lots of one eye, that yet there  fhould
one remain ; unto which the fpirit with which we fee,  called
Spiritus Vitus, is direfted  when the other is out
  Why have children in their youth great eyes, and why  do they be-
come fmaller and lejfer in their age ?
  According to Ariftotle de generat.  It proceedeth from  the
want of fire ami from the  aflembling and; meeting together of-- 
1-             ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.

light and humor :  the eyes are lightened by reafon of the fun!
which doth lighten the eafy humor of the eye, and purge  it,
and in  the abfenceof the fun thofe humors become dark and
black, and therefore the fight is  not fo good.
  Why dvtk the bluijl)grey eye Jee  badly in  the day time and well
in the night.
  Becaufe, faith Ariftotle, greynefs is light and (Inning of itfelf,
and the fpirits with which we iee are weakened in the day time,,
and (trengthenin the night.
  W^y be men's eyes of divers colors  ?
  This proceedeth, faith Ariftotle,  by reafonofthe diverfity  of
the humors ; the eye therefore  hath  four coverings and three
humors: the firft covering iscalled confolidative, which is the
outermoft,  and ftrong and fat.  The fecond is a horny fkin and
covering to the likenefs qf an horn, and that isa clear covering.
The third is called Uvea, of the likenefs  of a black grape.  The. •
fourth is called a cobweb.  But  according to the opinion of feme
the eye doth condit of feven coverings or (kins,  and three hu-
mors.  The firft humor is called abungines for the likenefs un-
to the white of an egg.  The fecond glacial, that is clearlike un-
to ice or chriftaline.  The third vitreous, that is, clear as glafs.
And the diverfity of humor caufeth the diverfity of the eyes.
  V* by are  men who have but one eye good archers ? and why  Jo
 ood archers commonly Jhnt  one eye ? end why do fitch as behold the
flars look through a  trunk with one eye ?
  This matter \-z handled in the  perfpeftive arts and the reafonis
as it doth appear in the book of Caufes, becaufe that  every vir-
tue and ftrength united knit together, is  ftronger than itfelf dif-
perfed and  feat te re J   T he re fore all the  force of feeing diperfed
in two eyes, the one being (hut, is  gathered into the  other, and
fo the light is fortified in him, and  by confequence he doth fee
better and more certainly with one eye being (hut than boih
open.
  Why do fuch as drink much, and laugh much fhe I much tears.
  Becaufe that wh 1ft they drink and laugh without meafure, the
air which is drawn in, dctii not pad out through  the windpipe,
and fowith  force  is direfted and fent to  the  eyes,  and by ,
rheir pores palfing out doth expel the humors ofthe eyes, the.
which humors beii.g fo expulfed do brin; tears.
  WAy dcj'ucb as weep much, urine  but l.ttle i
  Becaufe faith Ariftotle, the radical humidity of a tear  and of
urine are one and the fame nature ;  and therefore,  where weep-
ing doth increafe, urine doth diminifh ;  and that they be of one
nature, is plain to the tafte, becaufe thev are both fait.
  vV by do fome that have clea r eyes fee nothing at alii
  By reafon of the  copulation and nau'ghtinefs of the finews with
which we fee ;  for the temples being deftroyed, the  ftrength  ot
the light cannot be carried from the brain to the eye, as philofo-
phers teach, lib  de fen. & fentio.
  Why is the eye  clear and fmooth like unto agkfs ?
  Becaufe the things which may be feen  are better beaten back
from a fmooth thing than otherwife.
  Secondly, I anfwer, it is becaufe  the eye is very moift above 
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.           173
ail oarts of the body and of a waterifh nature ;  and as the wa-
ter is clear and fmooth, fo likewife is the eye.
  Why do men who have their eyes deep in their head fee well .a-
fir off and the like in beafts ?
  Becaufe, faith Ariftotle,  (2d. de.  Gener. Animal. J the force
and power by which we fee is difperced in  them,  and doth, go
directly to the thing which is feen.  And  this is  proved by  a
fimilitude, becaufe that when a man doth ftand in a deep ditch
or well, he doth fee in the day time, ftanding in thofe places, the
ftarsof the firmament ; as  Ariftotle  doth teach in his treatife,
De Forma Specula ;  becaufe that then the power of the fight and
ofthe beams are not feattered.
  Wherefore do thofe men who have their  eyes fat out,  and not
deep in their head, fee but meanly and not far dijlant P
   Becaufe, faith  Ariftotle, the beams of the fight which pafs
from the eye are feattered on every fide, and go direftly  unto
the thing that is leen, and therefore the fight is weakened.
   Why are many  beafts born blind as lions' whelps,  and  dogs'
whelps ?
   Becaufe fuch beafts are  not yet of perfect ripenefs and matu-
rity, and the caufe of nutriment doth not work in therm  And
this is proved by a fimilitude ofthe fwallow, thofe eyes,  if they
were taken out when they are little ones  in the neft, would grow
again ; and this is plain in many other beafts, which are brought
forth before their time, as  it were  dead,  as bears' whelps   And
this reafon doth belong rather to the perfpeftive than the natural
philofopher.
   Why.do the eyes of a woman that hath her flowers _ ftain a new
elajsfas AriftotleJaith, de fomnoet Vergil,  and this is the prob-
.ein why doth a bajilijk. k 11 a man with his eyes P
   To the firft, I anfwer that when the flowers do run from a wo-
man,  then a  moft venomous air is diflblved  in them, which
rioth afcend unto  the woman's head ; and (he having grief of
her head, doth cover it with many veils and kerchiefs  ; and be-
caufe theeyesare full of fmall infenfible holes, which  are called
pores, there the air feeketh a paflage, and fo doth infeft the eyes,
which are full cf blood, and their eyes do appear alfo  drooping
and  full of tears, by reafon of the evil vapors, that are in them,
and thofe  vapors  are incorporatedj  and multiplied*  until they
came into the glafs before  tnem, and by reafon that fuch a glafs
is found,  clear  and  fmooth it  doth ealily  receive that which
is unclean.
   'Io thefecon'i it is anfwered, that the baftlilk is a very veno-
mous and infected beaft and that there pafs f.om his eyes veno-
mous vapors which are multiplied upon the  thing which is feen
by him, and even unto the eye of man ;  the  which  venomous.
vaporsor humors entering into the body do  infeft him, and fo
in the end the man dierh   And this is alio  the reafon why ih^
nafilifk looking upon a Ihield perfectly well made with  faft clam-
my pitch, or any  hard fmooth thing, doth kill himfelf,  becaufe
rhe humors are beaten back from  the fourth  ha^d thing, unto
<fe- bafili::- , by w hich beating back he i>  killed.  And  the like
" (aid of a woman v-.lien me hath her monthly difeafe, whereof 
174            ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.
 it followeth that fome old women do hurt themfelves when
 they look upon glalfes, or other firm and  folid things, in the
 time of their terms.
   Why are not fparkling cats' eyes and wolves eyes feen in the light
 and not in the dark ?
   Becaufe that the  greater light doth darken the leffer and
 therefore in a greater light the fparkling cannot be feen, but the
 greater the  darknefs,  the  eafier it is  feen, and is made more
 ftrong and fhining, becaufe it is not then hindered by  a great-
 er external light, which might darken it.
   Why dotb a man beholding himfelf in a glafs prefently forget bis
 own difpofition  ?
   Anfwer is made in Lib. de forma fpeculi, that the image  ken
 by the glafs doth reprefent it weakly and indireftly, to  thepow-
 erofthe  fight; and becaufe it is reprefented  weakly it is alfo
 weakly apprehended, and by confequence is no longer  retained.
   Why is the fight recreated and rejrejbed by a green color as this
 verfe flbeweth ?
         Fens,fpeculum  gramen oculisfunt aleviamen.
   Becaufe the green color doth meanly move the inftrument of
 fight, and therefore doth comfort  the fight; but this  doth not
 black nor white colors, becaufe the colors do  vehemently ftir
 and alter the organ and inftrument ofthe  light, and therefore
 make the greater violence, but by how much more violent the
 thing is which is felt or feen, the more it doth deftroy and weak-
 en the fenfe,  as Ariftotle doth teach.  Lib. 2 de animal.
                       Ofthe Nose.
   Why doth the nofe jiand out further than other parts ofthe body ?
   There  are two anfwers; the  firft, becaufe  the nofe is  as it
 were the fink of the brain, by which the phlegm of the brain is
 purged, and therefore it doth (land forth,  left  the  other parts
 fhould be  defiled :  the fecond (according to  Conftant.) is be-
 caufe the nofe is the beauty of the  face, and therefore, it doth
 (hew itfelf and fhine.   It doth fmell alfo and adorn the face, as
 Boetus faith, de defcip  fchol.
   Why hath man the worft fmell of all living creatures, as it dotb
 appear, Lib. de Animal.       ,
   Becaufe the man (as  the commentator faith)  in refpeft to this
 quality hath  the moft brain ot all creatures : and therefore by
 that exceeding coldaefs and moiftnefs the brain wanteth a good ;
 difpofition, and by  confequence the  fmelling inftrument is not
 •,ood, as Ariftotle and  Themiftocles do teach :  yea,  fome  men
 there be who do not fmell at all.
   Why doth the  vulture or cormorant fmell very well, as  the  com-
 mentator doth fay ?
   Becaufe they have a very dry brain, and therefore the air car-
 rying the fmeli, is not hindered by the humidity of the brain,
 tut doth prefently touch it* inftrument ; and therefore he faith,
 that the vultures; tygers, and other beafts,  came five  hundred
 miles to the dead bodies after a battle in Greece.
t Why did nature make noftrils ?
^•For three commodities.  1 irft, becaufe that the mouth being
 (hut, we d:avy I* \tthin  by the noftrils to refrefh  the heart with. 
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.
175
  The fecond cammodity is, becaufe that the air which proceedeth
  from the mouth doth favor badly, becaufe if the vapors which
  rife from the ftomach, but that which we breathe from the nofe
  is not noifome.  The third is,  becaufe the phlegra which doth
  proceed from the brain is purged by them.
    Why do men fneeze \
    Becaufe that the  expulfive virtue of power and  the  fight
  fhould thereby be purged, and the brain alfo from fuperfluities,
  becaufe that as the lungs are purged by coughing fo is the fight
  and brain by fneezing : and thofe who fneeze often are faid to
  have a ftrong brain ;  and therefore the phyficians give fneezing
  medicaments to purge the brain, and fuch fick perfons as can-
  not fneeze die quickly, becaufe it is a fign their  brain  is wholly
  fluffed with evil humors, which cannot be purged.
   Why do fuch as are apopleclic not fneeze ; that is, fuch asarefub.
 jecl to bleed i
    Becaufe the paffages or venetricles of the brain are flopped in
  them ;  and if they  could fneeze, their apoplexy would be
  loofed
   Why doth  the beat of the fun provoke fneezing and not the heat
  of fire ?
   Becaufe the heat of the fun doth diffolve and not confume ;
 and therefore the vapor diffolved is expelled by  fneezing; but
 the heat ofthe fire doth diffolve and confume,  and  therefore
 rather doth hinder fneezing than provoke.
                       Of the Ears.
   Why do beafts move their ears and not men ?
   Becaufe there is a certain mufcle near unto  the  jaw  which
 doth caufe motion in the ear ;  and therefore  that mufcle being
 extended and ftretched, men do not move their ears, as it hath
 been feen in  divers men, but  all  beafts  do ufe that mufcle or
 fle(hy  (inew, and therefore do move their ears
   Why is rain prognofticated by the pricking up ofaffes' ears ?
   Becaufe the afs is a very melancholy  beaft, and it proceedeth
 from  melancholy that he doth  forefee  rain to come.  In the
 time of rain, all beafts prick up  their ears,  and therefore the afs
 perceiving that it wili rain, doth prick up his ears before it come.
   Why have fome benjls no ears ?
   Ariftotle doth anfwer and fay, that nature doth give unto eve-
 ry thing that  which is fit for it ; but if fhe (hould have given birds
 ears, their Hyingwould have been hindered by  them :  likewife
 fith do not want ears,  becaufe  they would hinder their fwim-
 ming, and have only certain little holes through which they hear,
 as Ariftotle declares by the fea calf.
   Why have  dates ears, feeing they feem to be birds >
   Becaufe they are partly birds in nature,  in  that they do fly,
 by reafon whereof they have wings ; and partly they are hairy,
 becaufe they  are mice, therefore nature has, being wife,  given
 them ears.
   Why have men only  roundears ?
  Becaufe the lhape of the whole and of the parts fhould be pro-
portionable, and efpecially in all things of one nature :  for, a", a
drop of water is rc.od, fo the whofe water, John de fa, :o E0(co 
ITS            ARtSTOTLE's PROBLEMS.
 doth prove;  and fo becaufe a man's head is round,  the ears in.
 cline towards the fame figure: but the heads of beafts, are fome-
 what long, and fo the earsaredrawn into length alfo.
   Why did nature give living creatures ears ?
   For two caufes :  1. Becaufe with them they fhould hear.  1.
 Becaufe that by the ear choleric  fuperfluity is purged ; for, as
 the head is purged of phlegmatic  fuperfluity by the nofe, fo
 from choleric by the ears.
                     Ofthe Mouth.
   Why bath the mouth lips to compafs  it }
   According to  Conft  becaufe the lips do cover and defend the
 teeth it were  unfeemly  that  the teeth fhould always be feen.
 .Another anfwer  is, that the teeth are of a cold nature, and would
 therefore be foon hurt, if they were not  covered with lips.  A-
 nother moral reafon is, becaufe a man  fhould  not  be too hafty
 of fpeech.
   Why hath a man  two eyes, two ears, and hut one mouth ?
   Becaufea man fhould fpeak but little, and hear and fee much.
 And withal,  Ariftotle doth  fay that the  hearing and the fight
 doth fhew us the difference of many things ; and Seneca doth
 agree unto this, affirming that nature environed the tongue with
 a double cloifter, and teeth, and lips, and has made the ears open
 and wide, and has  given us but one mouth to  fpeak but little,
 though we hear  much.
   Why hath a man  a mouth ?
   For many commodities :  1.  Becaufe the mouth is the gate
 and door of the ftomach. 2. Becaufe the meat is chewed in the
 mouth, and prepared and made ready for the firft digeftion, al«
 though A vicen doth hold that digeftion is made in  the mouth.
 3   Becaufe that the air drawn into the hollow of the mouth for
 the refreftiing of the heart is made more pure and fubtil.  And
 for many other caufes which hereafter (hall appear.
   Why are the lips  moveable ?
   Becaufe of forming the voice and words, which cannot be
 perfectly done without them. For as without a, b. c, there is no
 writing, fo without the lips no voice can be well formed.
   Why do men gape ?
   The glofs upon the laft part of Hippocrates' Aphorifms  faith,.
 that it proceeds of wearifomenefs, as when  a man fitting among
 inch as he doth not know, whofe company he  would willingly
 be rid of.  Befides, gaping is caufed ofthe thick  fume and va-
 pors which fill the  jaws, by the expulfionof which is caufed the
 ftretching out and  expulfion ofthe jaws, and opening ofthe
 mouth, which is called gaping.
   Why doth a man gape when be feeth another gape ?
  This proceedeth  of imagination.  And  this  is proved  by  a
fimilitude, for an afs isan animal void of fenfe, by reafon of Irs
melancholy, becaufe he doth retain  his fuperfluity a long  time,
and would neither eat nor pifs, unlef:> he fliould hear another
pifs ; and fo a man gapes thro'  imagination when another man
doth gape.
                      Ofthe Teeth.
  Whyhave they only, among all other bones, the fenfe of fielir.g? 
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.           177
  Becaufe,  as Avicen and Galen fay, they difcern heat and cold
which hurt them, which other bones need not.
  Why have men more teeth than women ?■
  By reafon of the abundance of heat and bloody which is more
in men than in women.
  Why doth the teeth gro-w to the end of our life, and not the  other
bones ?
  Becaufe otherwife they would be confuined with chewing and
grinding
  Why do the teeth only come again when they jail, or be taken
out, and other bones, taken away grow no more ?
  Becaufe that, according to Ariftotle,|all other bones are engen-
dered ofthe humidity which is called  radical, and fo they breed
in the womb ofthe mother, but the teeth are engendered of nutri-
tive humid'ty, which is renewed and increafed from day today.
  Wiy are the fore teeth Jharfi and the cheek teeth broad.
  This proceedeth ot the defect of matter, and ofthe figure, be-
caufe the  fore teeth are (harp, and the others  broad:.  But, ac-
cording to Ariftotle, there is another anfwer ;  that is,  that it  is
the office of the fore teeth to cut the meat, and therefore they are
(harp ; and the office of the other to chew the meat, and there-
fore they are broad in fafhion, which is fit for that purpofe.
  Why do the fore teeth grow Joonejl ?
  Becaufe we want them fooner  in  cutting than the other  in
chewing.
  Why do teeth of human creatures grow black in old age ?
  This proceedeth of the corruption of meat, and the corrup-
tion of phlegm, and a naughty choleric humor.
  Why are colt's teeth yellow, and ofthe color of faffron when they
areyoung and grow white when they are old  I
  Ariftotle faith, that a horfe hath abundance of watery  humors
in him,  which in his youth are digefted and converted into groff-
nefs ; but in old age heat is diminished, and  the watery  humors
rema;n, whofe proper color is white.
  Why did nature give living creatures teeth ?
  Ariftotle faith (Lib. dtgenerat-.   Animal) to fome to fight with,
for the defence of their lives, as unto  wolves and bears; unto
fome to eat with, as unto horfes ; unto fome for the forming  of
tlieir voice, as unto men, as it appeareth  by the commentary  in
the book de Animal.
  Why do homed beafts want their upper cheekteeth}       ,
  According to Ariftotle, in  his  book de Animal,  horns and
teeth are caufed of the felf fame matter, that  is of nutrimental
humidity, and therefore the matter which pafleth into horns
turned not into teeth, confequently they want the upper teeth.
And fuch beads, according  to Ariftotle, onnot chew, well  ;
whereupon for want of teeth, they have two ftomachs by confe-
quence, audio to chew  their meat twice : and they do firft con-
vey their meat into the ftomach or belly,  and then  return  it
from whence it came, and chew it.
  Why are fome creatures brought forth with  teeth, as kids and
lambs, and fome without them, as men ?
  Mature doth not want in things neceffary, nor abound in things 
178            ARlSTOTLEs PROBLEMS.
fuperfluous ; and therefore becaufe thefe  beafts not long  after
they be fallen, do need teeth : but men are nourifhed with  their
mother's dugs for a time, and therefore, for a time, do not  need
teeth.
  Why have not birds teeth t
  Becaufe the matter of teeth pafleth into their deak, and there.
fore there is their digeftion :  orelfe it is anfwered, that although
they do not chew with teeth, yet their  head  in digeftion  doth
fupply the want of teeth.
                     Ofthe Tongue,
  Why is the tongue full of pores ?
  According to Ariftotle de Animal. Becaufe the tongue is the
means whereby we tafte ; and through the  mouth in the pores of
the tongue the tafte doth come into the fenfe  of rafting.  Other.
wife, it is anfwered, that frothy fpittle is fent into the mouth-by
the tongue from the lungs, moiften the meat, and making it ready
for the firft digeftion ; and therefore the tongue is full of pore;,,
becaufe many  have paffage through it.
  Why doth the tongue of fuch as are fick of agues judge  all things
bitter >.
  Becaufe the  ftomach of fuch perfons is filled with choleric  hu-
mors, and choler is very bitter, as it appeareth  by the gall,  and
therefore this  bitter fume doth infeft their tongue,  and fo the
tongue being full of thefe taftes,  doth  judge  them  bitter, al-
though the fault be not in the meat.
  Why doth the tongue water when we*bear  four and fharp things
named i
  Becaufe the  imaginative virtue or power  is of greater force
than the power and faculty of tafting : and when we imagine a
tafte, we conceive it by the power of tailing as by a mean, be-
caufe there is nothing felt by the  tafte ; but by means of that
fpittle the tongue doth water.
  Why do fome flammer and UJp ?
  This happeneth from many caufes,  fometimes through the
moiftnefs of the tongue and brain, as in children, which  cannot
fpeak plainly,  nor pronounce many letters.  Sometimes it  hap-
peneth by reafon of the (hrinking of certain finews,  which arc
corrupted with phlegm ; for fuch finews there be which go to
the tongue.
  Why are the tongues of ferpents and mad dogs venomous ?
  Bfecaufe of the malignity and tumofity or the venomous humor
which doth predominate in them.
  Why is a dog's tongue fit and apt for medicine  and contrarywijt
an  horfe's tongue peftiferous \
  'Tis by reafon of fome fecret property, orelfe it may be faid
the tongue of a dog is full of pores, and fo doth draw  and take
away the vifcofity of the wound.   Some fay that a dog hath by
nature fome tumor in his tongue, with the which by  licking he
doth heal  ; the contrary is in a horfe,
  Why is the fpittle white f
  By reafon of the continual  moving  of  the  tongue, wheseof
heat is engendered, which makes this fuperfluity white, as i'
feen in the froth of water. 
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.            179
   Why is the fpittle unfavory, and without tafte ?
   If it had a certain determinate tafte, then the tongue would not
 tafte at all, but would only have the tafte of fpittle, and fo could
not receive other taftes.
   Why doth the fpittle of one that is fafting heal an impofthume ?
   Becaufe, According to Avicin, it is well digefted and  made
fobtle.
   Why  do fome abound in fpittle more than others ?
   This proceedeth of a "phlegmatic complexion,  which doth
predominate in them, and therefore the phyficians fay that fuch
lhould take care of a quotidian ague, which arrifeth from  the
predominacy of phlegm : the contrary is in thofe  that fpit little
becaufe heat abounds in them, which confumes the humidity of
the fpittle;  and fo the defeft of fpittle is a fign of a fever.
   Why is the fpit tie ofa man that is fafting more fubtle than one who
is. full}
   Becaufe the fpittle is without  the vifcofity of meat, which is
wont to make the fpittle of one who is full grofs and thick.
   From whence proceedeth the fpittle of a man}
   From the froth of the lungs,  which according  to phyficians
are the feat of phlegm.
   Why are fuch beafts as often go together for generation  very full
of foam and froth ?
   Becaufe that then the lights and the heart are in  great motion
of luft, therefore there is engendered in them much frothy mat-
ter.
   Why  have not birds fpittle}
   Becaufe they have very dry lungs, according to Ariftotle, in
his fifth book de  Animal,
   W by  do fuch as are called Epileptic, that is fuch  as are  over-
whelmed and as it were drowned in their own blood, andare dif-
eaj'edja vor badly and corruptly.
   The anfwer according to phyficians  is,  becaufe the  pecant
matter lieth in the head ,  but if he do vomit,  then  the matter is
in theftomach ; but if he pifs much, then the matter is in  the
paffage ofthe urine ; but if he begin to have  feed, then it is in
the veffels of the feed, and according to the phyficians do  purge
them.
  VVby doth the tongue lofe fometimes the uje of fpeaking.
  The anfwer is out of Hyppocrates.   That this doth happen
through apalfy orapoplexy, that is a fudden  erfufion of  bipod
and ot a grofs humor, and fometimes alfo by infection  of fpirit.
us animalts in the middle of the brain, which hinders the  fpirits
from being carried  to the tongue ;  and fo is  Galen's  meaning
for by the expreflion of the tongue, many aftions of divers per-
fons are made manifeft
                Oi the Roof of the Mouth.
  Why are fruits bejo-e they are ripe, ofa naughty relijh er bitter and
aftc*fweet ?
  A i.ji.^hty relifh in tafte proceedeth of coldnefs and  want  of
hea« -.i grub and thick humidity ;  but a fweet tafte  proceedeth
of fufiicier.t heat, and therefore  in the ripe fruit the humidity is
fubtle through the heat of the fun,  a..d fuch fruits are common- 
180            ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.
ly fweet ; but before they be ripe,  and humidity is  grofs or
fubtle for want of heat., the fruit is bitter and four.
  Why are we better delighted with fweet taftes than with bitter^
or any other \
  Becaufe nature is delighted with fv'veetnefs ;  the reafon is be-
caufe a fweet thing is hot and moift ; and through the heat doth
diffolve and confume fuperfluous humidities, and  by  this hu-
midity, immundicity is waftiedaway, but a fharp eager  tafte, by
reafon of the cold which, predominates in  it,  doth bind  over-
much, and prick and offend the parts of the body  in  purging,
a»d therefore we do not delight in that tafte becaufe  the phyfi-
cians counfel us to eat nothing that is bitter, in the fummer nor
in a great heat ; and the reafon is, becaufe bitternefs doth bread
heat, but we  fhould eat bitter things in winter only : and there-
fore Ariftotle doth fay, that fweet things are grateful unto na-
ture,  and dp greatly nourifh-
  Why doth ti fharp tafte as of vinnegar provoke appetite,  rather
than any other ?
  Becaufe it is cold and doth cool.  Now it is the nature of cold
to defire and draw,, and therefore is  caufe  of appetite.    Mark,
that there are nine kinds of taftes, three of which proceed  from
heat,  three from cold, and three from a temperate mean.
  Why do we draw in more air than we breathe out ?
  Ariftotle and Albertus in his book De Motu Cordis, do an-
fwer, that much air is drawn in, and fo converted into nutriment
which together with the vital fpirits is  contained in  the lungs.
Wherefore a  beaft is not futfocated fo long as he receives air
with the lungs, in which fome part of the air remaineth alfo.
  Why doth the air feem to be expelled and put forth, feeing that in-
deed the air isinvijible, by reafon of its variety and thinnefs ?
  Becaufe the air which is received in us is mingled with vapors
and fumofity of the heart by reafon  whereof it  is made thick,
and fois feen, and this is proved by experience, becaufe that in
winter, we fee our breath, for the coldnefs of air doth bind the 1
breath mixed with fumofities, and fo it is  thickened  and made
grofs, and by confequence is feen.
  Why have fome flinking breath ?
  The reafon is, according to the phyficiauS$ becaufe there rife
evil fumes from the ftomach ;  and  fometimes it doth proceed
from the corruption of the airy parts of the body, as ofthe lungs.
And the breath of the lepers is fo infefted, that it doth poilon
the birds that are near them,  becaufe the inward parts are very
corrupt,  as  appears by Conft.  de Sin.  Now the leprofy is a
nouriihme. t of all the parts of the body,  together with a  cor-
rupting of them ; and it doth begin in  the blood, and exterior
members ofthe body.
  Why are lepers hoarfe i
  Becaufe that in them the inftruments vocal are corrupted, that
is the  lights.
  Why do men become hoarfe ?
  Becaufe of the  rheum [defcending from  the brain filling [the
conduit of the lights ; or fometimes through fome impofthumes
ofthe throat , or rheum gathering in the neck. 
              ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.             l&l

   Why have females of all living creatures thefljrillejl voice, a crow
 only excepted, and a woman Jbrillcr than a man,  and d Jmaller ?
   According to Ariftotle,  by reafon of the compofition of the
 veins, the vocal arteries of voice is formed, as appears by a fimil-
 itude, becaufe a fmall pipe  founds ihriller  than  a great : And
 alfo in women,  becaufe the paffage where the voice is formed is
 made narrow and ftraight, by reafon of cold, it being the nature
 of cold to bind ; but in men the paffage is open and wider thro'
 heat, becaufe itis the property of heat to open and diffolve.  It
 proceedeth in women  through the moiftnefs cf the lungs and
 weattnefs of the heat.  Young men and difeafed  liave tharp and
 fhrill voices for the fame caufe.   And this is the natural  caufe
 why a man child  at his birth doth cry a. 2. which is a  bigger
 found, and the female*, which is a (lender found.
   Why doth the voice change in men and women ;  in men at 14, in
 'women at 1£, in men when they begin to yield their Jeed ; in wo-
 men when  their breafts begin  to grow ?
   Becaufe  then, faith  Ariftotle  the beginning  of the voice is
 flackened and loofened ; and he proves this by a  fimilitude of a
 ftring of an inftrument let down or loofed, which gives a  great
 found.  He proves it another way, becaufe creatures that are
 gelded, as  eunuchs, capons^, Sec. nave fafter and more  flender
 voices than others by reafon they want (tones.
   Why is not a wolfhoarfe when a man looks on him?
   Becaufe  a man is notfo cold as a wolf, nor of  fo malignant a
 quality.
   Why doth a man who isjlain bleed when he is feen of him 'who
 killed him ?
 ►-■  This proceedeth of divine caufe, and  not  of natural,  becaufe
 his blood calleth  for vengeance  againft the murderer: but if
 there be any natural caufe of it, 'tis this, the committer of this
 wicked faft calling it to mind, is very forry for it, repents him of
 it, is in anguiih of mind, and in a great heat  through the imagin-
 ation  he hath conceived, and by that means all his fpirits do ftir
 and boil, and repair into the inftruments ofthe fight of the eyes,
 unto the wounds which are made, which if they be frefli, do pref-
 ently fall a bleeding.  Befides, this is done by the help of the air
 then  brethed in, which being drawn  from  the wound  caufeth
it  to bleed.
  Why do fmall birds fing more and louder than great ones,  as ap~
pears in the lark and nightingale ?
  Becaufe the fpirits of fmaU birds are fubtle and foft, and the
organ conduit ftraight, aslbpeareth in a pipe, and therefore fol-
low eafily any note, and fing very foft.
  Why doth  the male Jing more than thefemahi as appeareth in  all
living creatures P
  It proceedeth from the  defire of carnal copulation, b ecaufe
that then the fpirits are moved throughout all the body with the a-
forefaid appetites and defire.  And, generally {peaking, the fe-
males are colder then the males
  Why do bees, wafps, flies, locufts, and many  other fuch like infeclg
 T'jkea noife, feeing they have no lungs, not inftruments ofthe voicei 
182
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.
  According to Ariftotle, there is, in  them a certain fmall fkin,
which, when the air doth ftrike, it caufeth the found-
  Why do notfijb make a found.
  Becaufe they have no lungs, but only gills, nor yet a heart;
and therefore they need not the drawing in of the air,  and  by
confequence they make no noife, becaufe that a voice  is a per-
cuflion ofthe air which is drawn.
                       Ofthe Neck.
  Why bath a living creature a neck ?
  Becaufe the neck is the fupporter of the  head, and therefore
the neck is the middle between the head and the body, to the in-
tent that by  it, and by its finews, as by certain means and ways,
motion and fenfe ofthe body might be conveyed throughout all
the body ; and that by means ofthe neck, as it were by a  dif-
tance, the heart which is very hot, might be feparated from the
brain
  Why do fome beafts want necks as ferpents and fifties  ?
  Becaufe fuch beafts want a heart, and therefore they want that
diftance which  we have fpoken of, orelfe we anfwer, they  have
a neck in fome inward part of them, but it is  not  diltinguifhed
outwardly from the heart to the head.
  Why is the neck full of bones and joints ?
  Becaufe it may bear and fuftain the head the ftronger, alfo be-
fore thebackbone is joined to the brain in the neck and from
thenceit receives marrow, which is of the fubftance ofthe brain.
  Why have fome beafts long necks, as cranes, ftorks, and fuch
like }
  Becaufe fuch beafts do feek their living in the bottom of the
Water ; and foine beafts have (hort necks, as fparrowhawks,  &c.
becaufe fuch are ravenous beafts, and therefore  for  ftrength,
have fhort necks as appeareth in the ox, which has a fhort neck,
and is therefore ftrong.
  Why is the neck hollow, and efpecially before and about the tongue}
  Becaufe there are two parages whereof the one doth carry the
meat into the nutritive inftrument as to the ftomach and liver,
and is called ofthe Greek Qefephagus.
  Why is the artery made with rings and circles ?
  The better to bow, and give a founding again.
  Why dotb a chicken move a good fpace after his head is  cut off,
and a man beheaded never ftiretb ?
  Becaufe a  chicken and fuch like, have ftraight finews and ar-
terise, and therefore the fpirit of moving continueth long after
the head is cut  off; but men and  many beafts,  have long  and
large finews and arteries, and therefore the motive fpirits do
quickly depart from them, and fo by confequence cannot mova
their bodies.
              Of the Shoulders and Arms,
  Why hatha manjboulders and arms i
  To give and carry burdens, and do any manner of work.
  Why are his arms round ?
  For the fwifter and fpeedier work,  becaufe that figure is fitefl
fo move.
  Why are his armt^hick > 
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.
18S
  Becaufe they (hould be ftrong to lift and  bear burdens, or
thruft and give a ftrong blow ; fo their bones are thick, becaufe
they contain much marrow, for elfe they  would  be eafily cor-
rupted and marred ; but marrow cannot fo well be contained in
fmall bones as in great.              x
  Why dojuch as are difeafed and in grief uncover and cover their
arms, and fuch alfo as a re in agony P
  Becaufe fuch are  near unto death:  and it is a fign of death
by reafon of great grief, whichicaufeth that uncovering, as Hip-
pocrates doth teach, lib. Prognoft.
  Why do the arms becomefmall and/lender in fome ficknefs, as in
madmen,.and fuch as are flick of the dropfy ?
  Becaufe all the parts of the body do fuffef  the  one with  the
other, and therefore one member being in grief all the humors
do concur and run thitherto give fuccor and  help to the afore-
faid grief.  For when the head doth ache, all the  humors of the
arms doth run into the head,  and therefore  the arms become
fmall and (lender, becaufe they want  their proper nutriment.
  Why have brute beafts no arms ?
  The fore feet are inftead of arms, and in their  place, or elfe
we may anfwer more fitly, becaufe all beafts have fome  parts
for their defence, and to fight  with, as  the wolf his teeth,  the
cow her horns, the horfe his hinder feet, birds  their beak and
wings, but only man hath his arms.
                     Of the Hands.
  For what ufe hath a man hands, and an  ape alfo which  is  like
unto a man ?
  The hand is an inftrument which a man doth efpecially make
ufe of, becaufe many things, are done by the hands, and not by
any other part.
  Why are fome men ambo dexter, i. e.  ufing the left band as the
right ?
  By reafon ofthe great heat ofthe heart  ; for that makes a man
as nimble of the left  hand as ofthe right ; and without doubt,
are of good complexions.
  Why are not women ambo dexter as well as men ?
  Becaufe as Gafen faith, a woman in health  that is moft hot, is
colder than the coldeft man in health  ;  I fay, in health, for if fhe
have an ague, (he is accidentally hotter than a man.
  Why are the fingers full of joints ?
  To be more fit and apt to receive, and keep the things received.
  Why hath every finger three joints, and the thumb but two r
  The thumb hath three but the third is  joined unto the arm
therefore it is ftronger than the other fingers
  Why are the fingers of the right hand nimbler than the fingers of
the left, as Agideusfaith?                          J  &    J
  It proceedeth from the heat whichdoth predominate in  thofe
parts, which caufeth great agility.
  Why are the fingers thicker before meat than after, as Albertus faith ?
  Becaufe a man who is fafting, is full  of bad humors,  which
puff-up the parts of the body,  and fingers alfo ;  but when  the
humors are expelled through  meat,  the  fingers  become  moie-
fiender.  Add for the fame reafon, a man  who is fafting, is heav- 
tu
ARISTOTLE'* PROBLEMS'.
*cr than when he hath meatin his belly, as is moft pla;n in falters.;
Another reafon may be given, Becaufethat after  meat the heat
is departed from the outward parts of the body into the inward,
to help digeftion, and the outward and  external  parts become
(lender ;  but after digeftion is made,the blood turneth again to
the exterior parts, and then they become great again ?
  Why are fome meu left handed ?
  Becaufe the heartifendeth out heat into the right fide, but more
into the left, and doth alfo work a flendernefs and fubtilty oq
the left fide.
                      Ofthe Nails.
  From whence do nails proceed ?
  Of the  fumofity and humors, which are refolved, and go info
the excrements  ot the fingers and they  are dried through  the
power ofthe external air, and brought to the hardnefs ofa horn.
  Why da the nails, of eld men grow black and pale >
  Becaufe the heat ofthe heart decayeth, which decaying, their
Ljffauty decayeth alfo.
  Why are men judged to be of good or evil complexion by the color
ofthe nails ?
  Becaufe they  give witnefs of the goodnefs or badnefs of  the
heart and therefore ofthe complexion ; for, if they be fomewhat
red, they betoken choler well tempered} but  if they be yellow -
ifh or black they fignify melancholy.
  Why do white fpots appear in the nails >
  Through mixture ofa phlegm with the nutriment.
                      Ofthe Breast.
  For what reafon is the breaft hollow ?
  Becaufe there is the feat of the  fpiritual and serial  membres
which are moft  noble, as the heart and lights ; and therefore be-
caufe thefe might be  kept from hurt,  it was neceffary that  the
breafts fhould be hollow.
  Why hath man the broadeft breaft of all living creatures ?
  Becaufe the fpirits of men are weak and fubtle, and therefore
do require a  fpacious place wherein they are contained, as  the
breaft is.                         .
  Why are the breafts of beafts round ?
  Becaufe they  are in continual motion.
  Why have women narrower breafts than men ?
  Ifecaufe there is more heat in men, which doth naturally move
to the uppermoft part of them, making thofe parts  great and
large, and therefore a great breaft is a token of courage, as in the
lion and bull  ; but in women cold predominates,  which natural-
ly tends downwards-,  and therefore women often fall  on their
backfide, becaufe the hinder parts are grofs and heavy, by  rea-
fon of cold afcending thither ; but a man commonly falls on his
breaft, by reafon of its greatnefs and thicknefs.
                  Ofthe Paps and Dugs.
  \Vly a A pafs placed upon the breafts ?            _          .
  Becaufe the breaft is the feat of the heart, which is moft hot,'*
and therefore  the paps grow there, to.lhe  end that the menfes
being  conveyed thither, as being near  to the heat ofthe heart
(hould the fooner be digefted, ancTconverted into the matter and
fubftance of milk. 
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.            185
  Why are the paps below the breaft in beafts and above the breaft
in women ?
  Becaufe a woman  goes upright and has two  legs only, and
therefore, if her paps (hould be below her breafts,  they would
hinder her going, but beafts have four feet, and therefore  they
are not hindered in their going.
  Why have not men as great breafts and paps as women*
  Becaufe a man  hath no monthly terms, and therefore hath no"
veffel deputed for them.
  Which paps are beft for children to fuck, great or little ones, or the
mean between them both >
  In great ones the heat is difperfed, and there is no good digef-
tion of milk ; but in fmall ones  the power and  force is ftrong,
becaufe a virtue united is ftrongeft, and by confequence there is
good working and digeftion of the milk, and therefore, thefmall
are better than the great ones, but yet the mean ones are beft of
all, becaufe every mean is beft.
  Why do the pups of young women begin to grow about IS  or 15
years of age, as Albertus faith I
  Becaufe then the flowers have nocourfe to the teats, by which
the young one is nouriflied, but follow their ordinary courfe,
and  therefore wax foft.
  Why hatha woman who is with child of a boy the right paphard-
er than the left ?
  Becaufe the male child is  conceived in the right fide of the
mother, and therefore the flowers do run  to the right pap, and
make it hard.                 •
  Why doth it fhew weaknefs of the child when the milk doth
drop out of the paps before the woman be delivered ?
  Becaufe the milk is the proper nutriment* of the child in the
womb ofthe mother, and therefore, if the milk  run out, it is a~
token that the child is not nouriihed, and is therefore weak.
  Why doth the  hardnefs of the paps betoken the health of the
child in the womb ?
  Becaufe the flowers are converted into milk, and that milk doth
fufficiently nourifh the child, and thereby the ftrength is fignified.
  Why hath a woman but two paps, and fome  brute beafts^ren
or more P
  Becaufe for the moft part, a woman hath but one child, either
boy or girl, and  therefore  one  pap is fufficient, or two ; but
beafts have many young ones, and therefore fo many teats.
  Why are women's paps hard when they  be with child, and foft
at other times ?
  They fwell then and are puffed up becaufe the much moifture
which proceeds from the flowers doth run into  the paps, which
at other feafons remaineth in the womb, and is expelled by the
place deputed for that end
  By what means doth the milk ofthe paps come to the matrix
or womb ?                                         »
  According to Hippocrates, becaufe there is a certain knitting
and coupling of the pap with the womb, and there are certain
veins which the midwives do cut in the time of the birth of the
child- and by  thofe veins the milk doth  flow in at the navel o* 
186
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEM^
the child, and.fo it receives nutriment by the navel.   Some fay
the child in the womb is nouriflied at the mouth, but  it is falfe,
becaufe that fo it (hould void excrements alfo.
  Why is it a fign of a male child in  the womb  when  the  milk
thai:  runneth out of the woman's breaft is thick and not much,
and a female when itis thin I
  Becaufe a woman that g< J'h with a boy hath great heat in her,
which doth perfeft the milk, and make it thicker, but fuch as go
with a girl hath not fo much heat, and therefore the milk is un-
digefted, watery, and thin,, and will fwim above the  water if it
be put  into it.
  Why is the milk white,  feeing the flowers are red which it is
engendered of?
  Becaufe blood  which is well purged and concofted becometh
white as appeareth in flefh, whofe proper color is red,rnd being
boiled  is white.   Another anfwer is, every humor which is en-
gendered of fUch part of the body, is made like unto that part
in color where it is engendered, as near  as it can be, but becaufe
the flefh of the paps is white,  therefore  the color of the milk is
white.
  Why doth a cow give milk more abundantly than other beafts ?
  Becaufe (lie is a great eating beaft ;  and w here much monthly
fuperfluity is engendered, there is much milk, becaufe it is noth-
ing elfe but that blood purged and  tried; and becaufe a cow
has much of this monthly blood fhe has much milk.
  Why is not milk wholefome ?
  According to the opinion ^f  Galen  it is for  divers reafons;
1ft,  Becaufe it doth  curdle in the ftomach, wherefore an evil
breath is bred.  But to this Hippocrates gives this remedy, fay-
ing, if the third pant of it be mingled with running water, then
it is not hurtful.  2-dly, Becaufe the milk doth four in the ftom-
ach, and breeds evil humors which infeft the breath,
   Why is milk bad for fuch as have the headache  ?
   Becaufe  it is eafily turned into great fumofities, and hath much
terreftrial  fubftance in it which afcending doth caufe the head-
ache.
  Why is milk fit nutriment for infants ?  .
   Becaufe  it is a natural and ufual food, and they were nourifh-
ed by  the fame in the womb.
   For vjh.it reafon are the white meats made ofa  new milked ctiv
good.
   Becaufe  milk at that time is very fpungy, and does as it were
purge.
  Why is the milk nought for the child, if the  woman ufe carnal
copulation ?
   Becaufe in time of carnal copulation, the beft part of the milk
gees to the feed veffels, and to the womb, and  the worft re-
mains in the paps which doth hurt to the child.
   Why is the milk ©f brown women better than  that of white ?
   Becaufe brown women are hotter than othen, and heat purges
the milk.
  Why do phyficians forbid the eating fifh and milk at the fame
time. J 
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.            i$l
  Becaufe they are phlegmatic, and are apt to produce a leprofy.
  Why have not bird and fifh milk and paps ?
  Becaufe paps would hinder the flight of birds : fifh  alfo have
neither paps nor milk, but the females caft much fpawn on which
the male  touches with a fmall gut : which  caufes their kind to
be infinite in fucceflion.
                       Of Backs.
  Why have beafts backs ?
  For three caufe*; firft, Becaufe the back fhould be the way
and means of body, from which all the  finews of the back bone
are extended  and fpread ; as appears in  fuch as are hanged,
whofe finews hang whofe in the chine or back bone,when they are
in pieces, or without flefh.  2dly.  Becaufe it fhould be a guard
and defence for the foft parts ofthe body, as of the ftomach, liv-
er, lights, and fuch like.  Sdly-  Becaufe it fhould be the foun-
dation of all the bones, becaufe we fee other bones, as the ribs,
 faftened to the back bone.
  Why hath man above all other creatures a broad back which
he can lie upon, which no beaft can do ?
  Becaufe a broad back doth  anfwer a  broad breaft ; if there-
fore a man fhould have a fharp back like unto  a beaft, he would
be of an  unfeeming fhape, and therefore it is requifite that  he
have a broad back.
  Why hath a man that lieth on  his back horrible vifions ?
  Becaufe the paffage or fign ofthe fantafy isf open, which is in
the fore part ofthe  brain, and fo the fantafy is deftroyed, and
then thofe  vifions  follow.  Another reafon is becaufe when a
man lieth on his back, the  humors  are diftributed and moved
upward where the fantafy is, which by that means is diftribut-
ed.  To lie on the back difpofes a man to leprofy, madnefs, and
to an incubus or night mare,  which is a paflion  of the heart
wherein a man thinks himfelf to be (trangled in his ffeep, and
fomething lying heavy on him, which he would put off.
  Why hath the back bone fo many joints or knots called Spon-
delia by the phyficians f
  For the more eafy moving and bending  of it ; and therefore
they fay amifs, who fay, that elephants have no fuch joints,' for
without them they could not move                         /
  Why do  fifh die after  their back bone is burft ?•
  Becaufe in fifh the back bone is inftead of the heart.   Now, the
heart  is  the  firft thing that  lives, and the laft that dies, and
therefore when the bone is broke, fifh can live no longer.
  Why does a man die foon after the marrow is hurt or perifhed ?
  Becaufe the marrow proceeds from the brain, which is a prin-
cipal part of a man ; asappears, 1ft, becaufe the marrow is white
like the brain :  and 2dly, becaufe it hath a thick  fkin or rind,
which that  called nucha has not,  which differs from the marrow,
becaufe of  two  coverings like the brain, called pia  mater, and
dara mater.
  Why have fome men the piles ?
  Thofe men are cold and melancholy, which  melancholy firft
naffes to the fpleen, its proper feat, but there cannot be retained
for the abundance of blood j for which reafon, it is conveyed to 
188          ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.

the back bone, where there certain veins which terminate in the
back, and receive the blood; when thofe veins are full ofthe
melancholy blood, then the conduits of nature are opened, and-
the blood iffues out once a month, like  women's terms.  Thofe
men who have this courfe of blood, are kept from many infirmi-
ties as dropfy, plague, &c.
  Why are the Jews much fubjeft to this difeafe ?
  Divines fay, becaufe they cried at the death  of Chrift, " Let
his blood be upon us  and our children." Another reafon is be-
caufe, the  Jews eat  much phlegmatic aad cold meats, which
breed melancholy blood, but it is purged with this flux ; a third
reafon is, motion caufes heat, and heat digeftion, but drift Jews
never move, labor, nor converfe with men, befides  they are  in
continual fear left we (hould revenge the death  of our Saviour,
which breeds a coldnefs in them, and hinders digeftion, caufing
melancholy blood, which is by this means purged out.
                     Of the Heart.
  Why are the heart and lungs called lively parts of the body ?
  From the word Spiritus, which fignifies breath, life, or foul,
and becaufe the vital  fpirits are engendered in the heart.  Yet
that's no good anfwer, for the liver and brain might be fo called
becaufe the liver giveth nutriment, and the brain fenfe and life ;
the confequence is clear, for the vital fpirits are engendered in
the liver, and the fenfible and animal fpirits in the brain.
  Why are the lungs light, fpungy and full of holes ?
  That the air may the hetter be received in  them  for cooling
the heart, and expelling  humors becaufe the lungs are the fan of
the heart: and as a pair of bellows is raifed up by taking  in the
air, andfhrunk by blowing it out, fo likewife the lungs drawin the
air to cool the heart and to caft it out, left through too  much
heat ot the air drawn in, the heart fhould be fuffocated.
  Why is the flefh ofthe lungs white ?
  Becaufe they are in continual motion.
  Becaufe the lungs are no part  for themfelves, but for the
heart; and therefore it were fuperfluous for  thofe  creatures to
have lungs who have no  hearts : but nature, is never wanting in
things neeefTary, nor abounds in fuperfluities.
  why do fuch creaturesas have no  lungs want a bladder ?
  Becaufe fuch drink no water to make their meat  digeft, but
only for their tempering their food, and therefore they want a
bladder and urine, as appears in fuch birds as do  not drink at
all, viz. falcon and fparrow hawk.
  Why is the heart in the  midft  ofthe body  ? .
  Becaufe it fhould impart life to all  the parts of the body, and
therefore it is  compared unto the fun, w htch is placed in the midft
of the planets, to pour light unto  them all : therefore the Py-
thagoreans (tiling the heavens a great living  creature, fay, the
fun is the heart thereof.
  Why only  in men is the heart on the left fide ?
  To the end that the heat of the heart fhould mitigate the cold-
nefsof the fpleen, for the fpleen is the featof melancholy, which
is on the left  fide alfo
  Why is the heart firft engendered, for according to Ariftotle
the heart doth live firft ana die laft ? 
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.            189
  Becaufe as Ariftotle faith, dejuvent, etfeneth the heart is the
beginning and the origin of life,  and without it no part  can
live.  According to the Philofopher, of the feed retained in the
matrix there is firft engendered a fmal] fkin,  which compaffeth
the feed, whereof firft the heart is made  of  the pureft  blood ;
then of blood not fo pure, the liver; and ot thick and cold blood
the marrow and brain.
  Why are beafts bold  that have little hearts ?
  Becaufe in  a little heart the heat is well united, and vehement
and the blood touching  it doth quickly heat  it,  and is fpeedily
carried intoother parts  of the body, which  gives courage  and
boldnefs.
  Why are creatures with a fmall heart timorous as the  hare ?
  The heart is difperfed in fuch, and not able to heat the blood
that cometh to it and fi»fear is bred.
  How  conies it that the heart is centinually  moving ?
  Becaufe in  it  there  is a certain fpirit which is more fubtle
than air, which by reafon of its thicknefs and rarefaftion, feeks
a larger fpace, filling the hollow room of the  heart, whereof the
dilating and opening of the heart doth follow ; and becaufe the
hea/Os earthly, the thrufting and ceafing to  move, its parts are
at /eft, tending downwards.  Galen gives an experiment of an
acorn, which if put into the fire, the heat diffolves its humidity,
therefore it doth, occupy a greater place, fo that the rind  cannot
contain it but puffs up,  throws it into the fire ;  the like  of the
heart ; Therefore note, that the heart of a living  creature is
triangular in a manner,  having its leaft part towards the left  fide
and the greateft towards the right, and doth  alfo open and  (hut
in the leaft part, by which means it is in continual motion :  the
firft motion is by the phyficians called Diaftcle, that is  extending
the heart ; the other Syftole, that is, fhutting  the heart;  and
from thefe two all the motions of the body proceed, and  that of
the pulfe which phyficians feel. \
  Why are great beafts  lean ?
  The natural heat proceeding from the heart confumes  that
natural humidity which fhould be converted into fat.
  How comes it that the flefh of the heart is fo compaft and  knit
together ?
  It  is becaufe in a thick compaft fubftance  heat is ftrongly re-
ceived and united, as appears in other things:  and becaufe the
heart with its heat (hould moderate the coldnefs ofthe brain, it is
made of that hard flefh  which is apt to keep  a ftrong heat.
How comes the heart to be the hoteft part of all living creatures.
  11  is fo compacted as  to receive heat beft, becaufe  it fliould
mitigate the coldnefs of the brain.
  why is the heart  the  beginning of life.
  Becaufe in  it the vital fpirit is bred, which is the heat  of  life,
and therefore according to  the opinion of Auguftine, the heart
hath two recepticlesthe right and the left :  the right hath more
blood than fpirits, which fpirits it engendered to  give life,  and
vivify the body.
  Why is the heart long and (harp like a pyramid.
  A round figure hath no angles, therefore  the  heart is round
for fear any poifon or hurtful matter (hould be retained in it; 
190           ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.
and, as Ariftotle«ffirms, becaufe that figure is fitteft for motion.
  How comes the blood to be chiefly in the heart ?
  The blood is in the heart, as in its proper or efficient place
which fome attribute to the liver, and therefore, the heart doth
not receive blood of any other part, but all other parts of it.
  How happens it that fome creatures want a heart ?
  Although they have no heart, yet they have fomewhat which
anfwers it, asappears in eels and fifh which have the back bone
inftead ofa heart.
  Why doth the heart beat in fome creatures when the head is
cut oft, as appears in birds and hens 1
  Becaufe the heart is what lives firft and dies laft, and  therefore
beats  more than other parts.
  Why doth the heat of the heart fometimes fall of a hidden, as
in thofe who have the falling ficknefs ? •
  This proceeds from a defeft ofthe  heart itfelf and of certain
fmall  (kins with which it is covered, which being infefted and
corrupted, the heart falleth on a hidden ;  and fometimes it hap-
pens by reafon of the parts adjoining, and therefore, when any
venomous humor goes out of the ftomach that hurts  the heart
and parts adjoining, it caufes this fainting.  The difpofition of
the heart is known by the pulfe, for, a fwift beating pulfe fhews
the heat ofthe heart, and a flow beating one denotes coldnefs ;
therefore, a woman that is in health, has  a flower and weaker
pulfe  than a man, as fhall appear hereafter,
                     Ofthe Stomach.
  For what reafon is the ftomach large and round ?
   Becaufe in it the  food  is firft concofted or digefted, as it were
in a pot,  that what is pure may be feparated from that which is
not, and therefore, according to the quantity of the food the
ftomach is enlarged.
   Why is the ftomach round ?
F  Becaufe if it had angles and corners, food wobld remain in  it,
and breed humors, fo a man would »ev#r want agues : which
humors neverthelefs are evacuated, lifted up, and confumed,
and not hid in any  fuch  corners, by  reafon of the roundnefsof
the ftomach.
   How comes the ftomach to be full of finews ?
   Becaufe the finews can be extended and enlarged, and fo is the
ftomach when it is full, but, when empty, it is drawn  together,
and therefore nature provides thofe finews.
   How comes the ftomach to digeft ?
   Becaufe of the heat which is in it, which comes from the liver
and the heart.  For we fee in metals the heat of the fire takes a-
way the  ruft and drofs from iron, the filver from tin, and gold
from copper : fo that by digeftion the pure is feparated from the
impure.
   For what reafon does the ftomach join the liver f
   Becaufe the liver is very hot, and with its heat helps digeftion,
and provokes an appetite.
   Why are we cold commonly after dinner ?
   Becaufe then the heat goes to theftomach to further digeftion,
and fo other parts become cold. 
              ^-   -—-—  '   ' *^s
             ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.           191

  Why is it hurtful to ftudy foon after dinner ?
  Becaufe when the heat labors to help the imagination, it ceaf-
eth from digefting the food ; fo that people fhould walk fome
time after meals-
  How come women with child to have an inordinate defire of
eating coals, afhes, and fuch like ?
  It flows from the humors of theftomach ;  and becaufe wom-
en with child have corrupt humors,  therefore they  defire the
like things            0
  How cometh the ftomach (lowly to digeft fat meat-
  Becaufe it fwims in the ftomach.   Now, the beft digeftion is at
the bottom of the ftomach, where the fatdefeends not : fuch as
eat fat meat are very fleepy. by reafon digeftion is hindered.
  Why is all the body worfe when the ftomach is uneafy
  Becaufe the ftomach is knit  with  the brain, heart, and  liver
which are the principal parts in man ; and therefore, when it is
not well, the others are evil difpofed.  Another anfwer is, that
if the firft digeftion be hindered, the others are alfo hindered;
for, in the firft digeftion, is the beginning ofthe infirmity that is
in the ftomach.
  Why are young men fooner hungry than  old men.        ^
  Young men dodigert tor, three caufes,  firft, growing ; then^
for the reftoring of life; and laftly,  for converfation of life, as
Hippocrates and Galen do fay : elfe we anfwe , that young men
are hot and dry, and therefore, heat doth digeft  more, and of
confequence they defire more.
  Why do phyficians prefcribe that men fhould eat when they
have an appetite.
  Becaufe much hunger and emptinefs will fill the ftomach with
naughty  rotten humors which are drawn unto it infteadof meat;
which do eafily appear, becaufe if we faft over night, we  have
an  appetite to meat, but in the morning none. That is therefore
a token that the ftomach is filled with naughty  humors, and ef-
pecially its mouth which is no true rilling, but a deceitful one.
An* therefore, after we have eaten a little, our ftomach comes
to us again ; and then the proverb is, one morfel draweth down
another : for the firft morfel having made clean the mouth ofthe
ftomach, doth provoke the appetite.
  Why do phyficianfi prefcribe that we fhould not eat too much
at a time, but by little and little.
  Becaufe when the ftomach is full, the meat doth fwim in it,
which is  a dangerous thing.  Another reafon  is,  that as very
green wood doth put out the fire, fo much meat choaks the nat-
ural heat and puts it out; and therefore the beft phyfic is,  to
ufe temperance in eating and drinking
  Why do we  defire change of meats according to the change of
times ; as in winter, beef, pork, mutton ;  and in fummer,  light
meats, as veal, lamh, &c.
  Becaufe the complexion of the body is altered,  and changes
according to the time of the year.  Another anfwer is, that this
proceeds from the quality ofthe feafon, becaufe the coldwintar
doth caufe a better digeftion, and the ftomach and belly is hotter
in winter, by reafon ot the compaffing cold,  as  Hippocrates and
Ariftotle doth teach. 
1S2            AR
   Why fhould not the meat we eat be as hot as pepper and ginger,
   Becaufe hot meat doth burn the blood, and difpofe it to a lep-
 rofy.  So contrarywife, meat too cold doth mortify and congeal
 the blood  And our meat fhould not be over (harp, becaufe it
 procureth old age, and too much fauce doth burn the entrails,
 and procureth often  drinking, as raw meat  doth; and over
 fweet meats do conftipate and cling the veins together.
   Why is it a good cuftom to eat cheefe after dinner,  and pears
 after all meat ?                      «
   Becaufe cheefe, by reafon of its eartrrinefs and thicknefs ten.
 deth down towards the bottom of the ftomach, and fo putteth
 down the meat, and the like of pears.   Note, that new cheefe is
 better than old, for the old dry foft cheefe is very naughty, and
 procureth the headach ; and flopping ofthe liver ; and the older
 the worfe.  Whereupon it is faid, that the cheefe is naught, and
 digefteth all things but itfelf.
   Why are nuts good after fifh ?—The verfe is,
   After fiih nuts ; after flefh cheefe.    .-
   Becaufe firti is of a hard digeftion, aj^d doth eafily putrify and
 corrupt ; and nuts help digeftionvj^ecaufe they are  fomewhat
 iiot ; fi(h is poifoned fometimes, rfndnuts area remedy againft a
%oifon.   And note, they (houhi be ofa clear flony water, and
 not ofa cold (landing muddyvwater, and fhould be fo in wine and
 parfley, and fo it hurteth lefft>>,;
   Why is it unwholefome tp ff^jjoiig for one difh after another, .
 and eat of divers kinds of meatgg?%t
   Becaufe the firft begins to digeft when the laft is eaten, and fo
 the digeftion is not equally" made, and therefore the meat digeft-
 ed begmneth to corrupt.  But yet this rule is to be noted, touch-
 ing theorderof meat, that if there be  any difhes whereof fome
 are light of digeftion, as chickens, kid, veal,  foft eggs, and fuch
 like, thefe meats (hould be firft eaten ; but grofs meats,  as veni-
 fon, bacon, beef, roafted pork, hard eggs, and fried eggs, fhould
 be eaten laft.  And the reafon is, becaufe that if they fhould be
 firft ferved and eaten, and were digefted, they would hinde» the '
 digeftion of the others; and  the light meats  not digefted would
 be corrupted in  the ftomach, and kept in the ftomach violently,
 whereof would follow belching, loathing, headach, bellyach,and
 great thirft   And by confequence,  it is very hurtful too at the
 lome meal to fup milk and drink  wine, becaufe they  difpofe a
 man to leprofy.
   Which is bed-for the ftomach, meat or drink.
   Drink is fooner  digefted than meat, becaufe meat is of greater
 fubftance, and more material  than drink, and therefore meat is
 harder to digeft.
   Why is itgood to drink after dinner.
   Becaufe the drink fhould make the meat  readier to  digeft.
 lor, if a pot be filled with fifh or flefh without liquor, then both
 the  pot and meat is marred.  The ftomach is like unto a pot
 which  doth  boil  meat, and therefore phyficians do counfel to |
 drink at meals.
   Why is it good to forbear a late fupper ?
   Becaufe there is no moving or ftirring after fupper, and fo the
■«neat is not fent  down to the bottom of the ftomach, but remain* 
              ARISTOTLE' s PROBLEMS.           193

clh undigelled, and fo breeds hurt; and therefore a light and
ihort fupper is beft.
  How comes fome men to evacuate clear meat ?
  By reafon of the weaknefs of nature and expullion ; which dif ->
eafe is called Lienteria.
                      Ofthe Blood,
  Why is it necelfary that every living  thing  that hath  blood,
hath alfo a liver ?     ,
  According to Ariftotle, becaufe the blood is firft made  in the
liver, its feat, and is drawn from the ftomach by certain princi-
pal veins, and fo engendered.
  For what reafon is the blood red.
  Firft, it is like the part in which it was made, i e. the liver,
which is red, then it is likewife fweet becaufe it is well digefted
and concofted ; but if it have a little earthy matter mixed with
it, that makes it fomewhat fait, as appears in Aritt. L-.b. Meteor.
  How conies women's blood to be thicker than men's-
  Their coldnefs thickens, binds, congeals, and joins it together.
  How comes the blood in all parts ofthe body through the liv-
er, and by what means.
  Through the principal veins, as the veins of the head, liver,
Sec. tonourifti all the  body.
                      Of the Urine.
  How doth frhe urine come  into the bladder, feeing the bladder
is (hut.
  Some fay by fweating, and it feems to be true.  Others fay it
comes by a fmall fkin in the bladder, which opens  and  lets  in
the urine.  Urine is a certain and  not deceitful mefl'engcr of the
health or infirmity of man.  Hippocrates  fays, that  men make
white urine in the morning,  and  before dinner red, but  after
dinner pale, and likewife after fupper ; for there is divers  colors.
  How doth the leprofy  proceed from the liver.
  Becaufe it doth greatly engender the brains, an«  breed the
falling ficknefs and apoplexy.
  Why is it hurtful to drink much water.
  Becaufe one contrary doth hinder and expel  another ; for wa-
ter is  very cold, and lying fo on theftomach hinders digeftion.
  Why is it unwholelonie to drink new wine  ; and why doth it
very much  hurt the ftomach-
  One reafon is, it cannot be digefted,  therefore  it caufeth the
belly  to fwell, and in fome fort tho bloody flux ; fecondly, it hin-
ders making water, but to drink good wine is  wholefome.
  V hy do  phyficians forbid us to labor prefently after dinner-
  For three reafons ; firft becaufe motion hinders the virtue and
power of digefticn ; fecondly, becaufe ftirring immediately  after
dinner caufeth the parts  of the body todiaw  the meat  raw  to
them, which  often breeds licknefs: and thirdly, becaufe  motion
makes the food defeend  before it is digefted :  but after fupper it
is <'c-od to ftir, by reafon we foon after go to deep,  therefore
fliould wa'.k a little, that the  food may go to the bottom  of the
ftomach.                                 ^
                      R 
194            ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.

  Why is it good to ftir atter dinner.
  It makes a man well difpofed, fortifies and ftrengthens the nat.
ural heat, caufing  the fuperfluity in the ftomach to defeend :
wherefore Avicen fays, fuch as  negleft this  exercife fall into
inflammation of the heart.
  Why is it  wholefome to vomit as fome fay.
  Becaufe it purges the ftomach  of all naughty humors, expell-
ing them, which would breed agues if they (hould remain in  it.
Avicen lays, a vomit purges theeyes and head, clearing the brain.
  How comes fleep to ftrengthen the ftomach  and the digeftive
faculty.
  Becaufe in fleep the heat draws inwards, and helps digeftion ;
but when we awake, the heat remains, and is difperfed through
the body.
                Ofthe Gall and Spleen.
  How comes living creatures to have a gall.
  Becauie choleric humors are received into it,  which, through
their acidity, help the gutsto expel  luperfluities, alfo it helps di-
geftion.
  How comes the jaundice to proceed from the gall
  The humor of the gall is bluiih and  yellow, therefore  when
its pores are ftopt,  the humors cannot go into  the  fack thereof,
but is mingled with the blood,  wandering throughout all the
body, and infecting the fkin.
  W hy hath not a liorfe, mule, afs, or cow a gall.
  Though thofe creatures have no gall  in one place, as inapurfe
or veffel, yet they  have one difperfed in fmall veins.
  How comes the fpleen to be black.
  It is occafioned by  a terreftrial and earthy matter  of  black
color, as  Ariftotle  fays.  Another reafon is, according to i>hy(i-
cians, the fpleen is the recepticle of melancholy, and. that isolack.
  Why is he lean who hatha large fpleen.
  Becaufe the fpleen draws much water to itfelf, which would
turn to fat ;  therefore contrarywife, men that have but a fmall
fpleen are fat.
  Why  does the fpleen caufe men to laugh.
  H'odorus lays we laugh with the fpleen, we are angry with the
gall, we are wife w ith  the heart, we love with the liver, we feel
with the brain, and fpeak with the  lungs, that is,  the caufe  of
laughing, anger, love, wifdom, fpeech, and feeling proceeds from
the fpleen, gall, liver, lungs, and brain.
  The reafon is, the fpleen draws much melancholy to it,  being
its proper feat,  which melancholy proceeds from fadnefs,  and is
there confumed, and the caufe failing,  the effect  doth fo like-
wife.  And by  the fame reafon,  the gall caufes anger ; for chol-
eric men are often  angry, becaufe they have  much gall,   for
the better underftanding of this, note, that there are four humors
in man, namely, blood, choler, phlegm, and melancholy  ; each
has its particular recepticle.   Ot  a hot and dry fubftance, choler
is engendered, which  gc;\-> to the  gall ;  but ofa cold and dry hu-
mor,  melancholy i.s engendered, and goes to the fpleen : of a
cold and moift humor, phlegm is engendered, and goes  to the
lungs for its reception,  nor (as phyficians fay)  to the fpleen ; 
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS           195
 but the blood, which is the moft noble humor is engendered in
 the liver, which is its proper place.
                Of Carnal Copulation.
   Why doliving creatures ufe carnal copulation.
   Becaufe it is moft natural to beget their like ; for, if copula-
 tion were not, all procreation had funk ere now.
   What is this carnal copulation.
   Itis a mutual aftion of male and  female, with inftruments or-
 dained for that purpofe, to propagate their kind ; and therefore
 divines fay, itis a fin to ufe that aft for any other end.
   Why is this aftion good in thofe who ufe it lawfully and mod-
 erately.
   Becaufe, fay Avicen and Conft. it eafes and lightens the  body,
 clears the mind, comforts the head and fenfes, and expels  mel-
 ancholy.   Therefore fometimes through the omiflion of this aft
 dimnefs of fight doth enfue, and giddinefs ; befides the feed of a
 man retained above its due time, is converted into fome infec-
 tious  humor.
   Why is immoderate carnal copulation  hurtful.
   Becaufe it deftroys the fight, dries the body, and  impairs the
 brain; often caufes fevers, as Avicen and experience ftiew ;  it
 (hqrtens  life  too as is evident in the fparrow, which by reafon
 of its often coupling, lives but three years
   Why doth carnal copulation injure  melancholy or  choleric
 men, efpecially thin men.
   Becaufe it dries the bones much which are  naturally fo.   On
 the contrary, it is good for the phlegmatic a id fanguine, as  Avi-
 cen fays, becaufe they abound with that fubftance which by na-
 ture is neceffarily expelled.  Though Ariftotle affirms, that ev-
 ery fa^crcature has but little feed becaufe the fubftance turns to
 fat.
   Why do not female brute beafts covet carnal copulation  after
 they are great with young.           ,
   Becaufe then the womb or matrix is fhut, and defiredoth ceafe.
   Why ihould not the aft be ufed when the body is full.
   Becaufe it hinders digeftion, and it is net good for a hungry
 belly becaufe it weakens him-
   Why is-it not good after birty.
   Becaufe then the pores are open, and the heat difperfes through
 the body, yet after  bathing it cools the body very much.
   Why is it not proper after  vomiting or loofenefs.
   Becaufe it is dangerous to purge twice in one day :  but fo it is
 in this aft  the reins are purged, and the j;iitsby the vomit.
  Why are wild beafts furious when they couple as appears in
 affes which bray ; and harts, who are mad almoft, as Hippocra-
 tes fays.
   Their blood is kindled with defire, and nature alfo labors fo
 expel fuperfiuitiesin them, which difpofe to anger andmadnefs ;
 therefore the act done, they are tame and gentle.
  Why is  there fuch delight in the act of venery
  Becaufe this aft is a bafe and contemptible  thing in itfelf, info-
 much that all creatures would naturally abhor it, were there no
pleafure in it, and therefore nature readily ufes it, that  all kind.;
ofjiving creatures fhould be maintained and kr-pt. 
19€            ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.

  Why do fuch as ufe it often, take lefs delight  in  it than thofe
who come to it feldom ?
  For three reafons : firft, becaufe the paffages of the feed, arc o-
verlarge and wide, therefore  it makes no  (lay there,  which
would caufe the delight  Secondly, becaufe that through often
evacuation there is little feed left, therefore no delight.  Third-
ly, becaufe fuch inftead of feed, caft  out blood  undigefted and
raw, or  fome other watery fubftance, which  is not hot, and
therefore affords no delight.
  Can this carnal copulation be done by the mouth, fo that beads
may conceive thereby, as fome fay of pigeons, that  by  killing
they do it, and conceive   Some fay that it  is true in the  weafel
or ermine.
  According to Ariftotle it is falfe; for, though pigeons do kifs
by the beak, yet they  do not couple this way  nor conceive.
'\nd becaufe the weafel carries his young  one.i from place  to
place in  his mouth, they are of that opinion : But, Ariftotle fays,
whatever gccth in at the mouth isconfumcd by digeftion, ana if'
the feed fliould <ro in at the mouth, then that would be confuined
by digeftion.   The major part is plain, the conclufion doth hold
true.
              Ofthe Seep of Man or Beast.
  How cr of w hat cometh flie feed of man.
  There are dver.T opinions of philofophers and  phyficians  in
this point.  Some fay it is a ftiperfluous humor of the fourth di-
geftion ;  others fay, that the feed is pure blood flowing from the
brain concoMed and whitened in the tefticles ; and fome fay, it is
the fuperfluity of the fecond or third digeftion ; but Ariftotle
',ays, the feed is always the fuperfluity ofthe laft nutriment, that
i< of blood dilperfedthrougout the body, and comes chiefly frorn
the heart, liver, and brain : which is argued, becaufe  thofe parts
ate greatly weakened dy  ejecting fee'..and therefore  it appears
that cama! copulation is# rot good,  but fome think, when moder-
ate! v i.fe i it is very v. holeLme.
   V.' fiy i§ a man's fee1 wh'tr and a woman's red.
   '■ lis'white in man by reafon of Irs gre tf  heat .md quick dige.1-
io::,became rarified in the tefticles ; but a woman's is red, becaufe
:ris the fuperfluity of the fecond d'.ge'tion, which is done in  the
liver   Or elfe we may fay, it is becaufe the terms corrupt undi.
geffeci Mood, and hath its color
   Doth the feed of man come from the parts of the body or from
humor-.
   Some fay from the parts of the body, and that a lame man be-
gcts a lame child ; and if the father hath a fear, the child hath one
alfo, w Ifch could not be, if the feed did not fall from the parts of
-the body  Others fay, it comes from the humors, by reafon it is
made ofthe laft nutriment, and that is no part but a humor.   As
for lamencfscr fears, they proceedfrom imagination ofthe moth-
er at the time of carnal copulation.
   tiuw comes the imagination ofthe mother to caufe her tobring
forth a blackmoor, as Albertus Magnus reports of a queen who
in the aft of carnal copulation.- imagined a black being  painted,,
 and in her fight. 
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.
19?
  As itis faid, the imagination ofa fall, makes a man fall, and tne
imagination ofa leprofy makes a man aleper ; fo, in this the im-
agination is above  the forming power, and therefore the  child
born followeth the imagination, and not the power 01 forming.
and fhaping, becaufe 'tis weakeft             ,
  Doth the man's feed enter into the fubftance ot the child.
  The feedof both father and mother go into the  fubftance of the
child in the womb, as cream goeth to the fubftance ofthe cheefe :
Yet this opinion doth feem to be of force, therefore, we lay, the
feed doth not go into the fubftance ofthe child: andit is proved
thus, becaufe that fo the matter and the efficient caufe (hould be
all one, w hich is againft the philofopher.   The confequence is
good becaufe the feed is the efficient caufe ofthe houfe, and there-
fore is not the material caufe of the child. This is proved.another
way; as there is the felf fame material caufe of nourifhment and
generation; fo we have our being and nouriftiment ot the fame
matter : But the feed cannot be the material caufe of nourifhment,
according to Averrois, therefore not of the being.  And as both
feeds are (hut up in the womb,  fo  that of the man difpoieth and
prepares the woman's  to receive the form, perfection, or foul,
which being done it is converted into a humidity that is breathed
out by the pores of the matrix.
   How come females to have  monthly.courfes.
   They are cold in refpect of men, and as their nouriftiment can-
not all be converted  into blood, a great part thereof turns to men-
fes, which are monthly expelled.
   For what reafon do not-the courfes come before thirteen.
   Becaufe young women are hot, and digeft all their nourilhment
 therefore they have them not before that age.
   1'or-what reafon do they leave them at about fifty.
   Some anfwer that old women are barren, and therefore they
ceafe ; but a better anfwer is,  that then nature is weakin  them,
and therefore they cannot expel them : there is great (tore of im-
mundities bred in them, which lies in a lump: this makes them
troubled with coughs and  other infirmities.  Men  fliould refrain
tiieir ufe at thofe times.
   Why have not breeding women the menfes.
   Becaufe that then-they turn into milk, and into the nouriftiment
of the child:  for if a woman with child have them, itis a lign (he
 v, ill miicarry.
   Why are tfiey termed menftnu;
   Prom the vrord.menfis a month, .becaufeit is a time which meaf-
ures the moon, as Ihe  ends her courfe in  29 days  and 14 hours.
'1 he moon hath dominion over moift things, and the menfes are
humid, and moid things increafe and decreafeas  the  moon does.
   Why do they continue  longer with feme, than others, with
fome lix or feven  but commonly with all three, days.
   The firft are colder, therefore they increafe molt in  them, and
confequently are  longer in expelling ; other women are  more-
 hot,  and therefore they have  fewer, and are foon expelled.
   Where are the terms retained  before they are  run.
   Some fay in the matrix or womb : but Averrois fays, the ma-
 trix is the'pi ace for generation, and that thofe terms  further not 
i 98
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.
generation at all; therefore 1* alferts that there are certain veins
about the backbone which retain them : a fign of w Inch is, thofe
women, at that time have great pain in their backs.
  Are the menfes which are expelled, and thofe of w hich the
child is engendered, all one.                     ■%
  No : becaufe the one are unclean, and unfit for that purpofe,
but the other very pure and clean, therefore fitteft for generation*
  Why do thofe got with child, when they have the terms upon
them, bring forth weak and leprous children
  Becaufe they are venomous; fo the caufe appearethin the effeft
  Why have women their terms, fome  at the new moon, fome
at the full, and others at the wain.
  By reafon of their feveral complexions.;  and though all wom-
en in refpeft of men are phlegmatic, yet fome are more fanguine
than others, fome are choleric.   As months have  their quar-
ters, fo have women their complexions : one of a fanguine com-
plexion hath her terms in the firft quarter, a choleric in the fec-
ond_, a melancholic in the third, &c.
  Why have the fanguine theirs in the firft quarter.
  Becaufe faith Galen, every fuch thfog added to fuch  a thing
doth nuke it more fuch ; therefore the firft quarter ofthe moon.
increafeth blood in a fanguine complexion,and then fhe expeh it-
  How do they come in the end of the month.
  Becaufe molt women then are phlegmatic, and the laft quarter
is phlegm : or elfe it  proceeds from defeft, and therefore cold
works, then do multiply the matter, and fo multiplied, is thea
expelled.
  Mow happens pain and grief at that time.
  Becaufe itis like the pain of the ftranguary in making water
drop by drop ; for the  ftranguary, by reafon ofthe drink undi-
geffed, oftends the fubtle paffage of the urine,  as happens after
bathing ; fo the menfes, undigefted and of an earthy fubftance-,
hurt tiie paffage by which they go.
  Why do women eafily conceive after their menfes-
  Becaufe the w omb being cleanfed, they are better prepared
for conception.
  Why do women look pale when they are upon them.
  Becaufe then the heat goes from the outward part ofthe body
to the inward to help nature and expel their terms, which dep-
rivation of heat doth caufe a palenefs in the face.  Or elfe it  is,,
becaufe that flux is caufed  of raw  humors,  which when they
am, make the face Coforlefs,
  Why do they at that time'abhor their meat.
  Becaufe nature labors more to expel their terms, than to digeft,
and therefore, if they, (hould eat it would remain raw on their
fiomach.
  Why are  fome women barren and cannot conceive^
  1. It proceeds fometimes of the man, who being of a cold na-
ture his feed is unfit for generation ; 2.  Becaufe  it  is  waterifh,
and fo doth  not ftay in the womb : S. The  feed of  both is not
proportionate : as if the man  be melancholy  and the woman
fanguine, orthe man choleric and the. woman phlegmatic ; for
it is evident in philefophy, that the agent and the patient ought
to have the fame proportion, elfe the aftion  is hindered. 
ARISTOTLE'S  PROBLEMS.
199
  Why do fat women feldom conceive with child.
  Becaufe they have a flippery womb, and the feed w ill not flay
in, or elfe becaufe the mouth ofthe matrix is very ftrait, and the
feed cannot enter in, or if itdo, itis-fo very flowly, that it grows
cold in the mean time, fo is unfit for generation,  and is diffolved
into any  flefhy fubftance.
  Why do thofe of very hot conftitution feldom conceive.
  Becaufe the feed m them is extinguiftied or put out as water
caft into fire.
  Why are whores never with child.
  By reafon of divers feeds, which corrupt and fpoil the inftru-
ment of conception, for it makes them fo flippery that they can-
not retain the feed.  Orelfe it is becaufe one man's feed deftroys
another,  fo  neither is good for generation.  Albertus fays,  the
beft thing to help conception is to take the matrix ofa hare beat
to powder in drink.
  Why have fome women long and (lender children, and others
thick and (hort.
  Becaufe, as Galen and Averrois fay, the child is  formed ac-
cording to the dimenfionsof the womb : wherefore, becaufe fome
women have a long and narrow  womb : Their children are long
n id (lender, others, on the contrary, (hort and large,  therefore.;
their children be (hort and thick.
  Why doth a woman  conceive  tw ins.
  According to Galen, becaufe  there are feveral  cells or recep-
tacles of the womb,, wherefore they may naturally have fo ma-
ny children at once, as there falls feed in thofe cells : There are
A in the right fide .and  S in the left :  in the right  fide  boys  are
engendered, in the left girls : and in the midft of  thefe cells or
chambers, there is another, where the ancients affert  hermaphro-
dites to be engendered   If a woman fhould have more than 1
children at once, it would rather be miraculous than  natural.
  Why are twins not fo ftrong as other men.
  By reafon the feed which lhould have been for one is divided in-
to two, and therefore they are weakly, and in truth do not often
live long.
                  Of Hermaphrodites.
  How are Hermaphrodites begotten.
  There are feven cells.in the womb, three on the righf fide, and
three on the left, and afeventh in the centre, into which the feed
falls, an hermaphrodite is faid to be begotten in  this  manner :
Nature tends always to that which is.beft, therefore fhe does al-
ways intend to begeta male:  which male is fometimes begotten
in all its principal parts, and yet,  through the evil difpofition of
the  womb and objeft, and inequality of the feeds, when nature
cannot perfei-t the  male,  (lie  brings forth the female too: and
therefore an hermaphrodite is impotent in the privy parts of man.
as appears by experience.
  Why doth not nature difpofe in him two fecret parts of a man
or twoof a woman  ? But one of a man and one of a woman !
  Becaufe nature would make one in vain ' Butphjlofophersfay
that God  made nothing in vain.
■  ]■:. an hermaphrodite accounteda man or woman. 
200
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS
  It is to be confidered in which member he is fitted for the aft of
copulation:  If fitted in the woman's then it is a woman ; Ifin the
man's he is a man.
  Should he be baptized in the name ofa man or a woman.
  In the name of a man, becaufe names are given ad placitum, and
therefore he fhouldbe baptized accordingto the worthieft name.
  Should he ftand in judgment in the name ofa man or a woman.
  According to the law he fhouldfirft fwearbefore he be admitted
to judgment, which fecret part he can ufe, and fo is to be admir-
ed according to the ufe and power of that part.
                     Of Monsters.
  Doth nature make any monfters.
  She doth ; for if fhe did not, we would foon be deprived  of
her end.  For of things poflible fhe doth always propofe to bring
forth that which is moft perfeft : but in the end, through the evil
difpofition ofthe matter, and influence of fome efpecial conftel-
lation,  not being able to bring forth that which (he intended, (he
brings  forth that which fhe   can.  In Albertus'  time a  cow
brought forth a  calf half a man,  the countrymen fufpefting a
(hepherd, would have burnt him with the cow, but Albertus
being fkilltul maftronomy, faid that  this did proceed from a
fpecial conftellation, and delivered the fhepherd from their hands.
  Be they one or two ?
  Ariftotle faith you muft look into the heart, and  if there be
two hearts there be two men.
  Why is a man born fometimes with a great head, and fix fin-
gers on one hand, or with four ?
  Ariftotle faith it proceeds of fuperfluity  and abundance of
matter: when there is too much matter, then he is born with a
great head, or fix fingers ; but if there be want of matter,  then
there is fome part wanting or lefs than it ought to be.
                       Of Infants.
  Why are fome children altogether like the father, fome  like
the mother, fome like both,  and fome like neither ?
  If the feed of the father do wholly overcome that of the moth,
er,  the child doth wholly referable the father ; but if the moth-
er's predominate, then it is like the mother :  but it he  be not
like either, that doth happen for many caufes fometimes through
the  four qualities, fometimes thro' the influence of fome heaven-
ly conftellation.   Albertus faith, that there was on a time a
good conftellation for begetting of hogs, and a child  was  then
begotten and brought forth, which had a face like a hog  ;  Ac-
cording to this divers forts of monfters are brought forth.
  Why are children oftener like the father than the mother ?
  That proceeds of imagination of the mother in the aft of  cop-
ulation, and therefore the children get the  difpofition of the
father.  This appears from an ethiopian queen, who brought
forth a white child, becaufe her imagination was  upon a white
color :  and is feen in Jacob's fkill in calling rods of divers colors
into the water when his fheep went to ram.
  Why do children fometimes more referable their grandfathers
and great grandfathers, than their parents .••
  The  virtue and force ofthe grandfather is grafted in the heart
of the begetter, and it may be laid that fometimes it  doth pro- 
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.
201
 cced of the fimilitude of the nutriment,  and then the child is
 funned by the fimilitude ofthe grandfather.
   Why do children, accordingto the courfe of nature, come out
 of the mother's womb in the ninth month ?
   Becaufe the child is then fully perfeft, or elfe  becaufe fome
 benign planet doth reign, Jupiter, who is a friend of nature ;
 for, accordingto the aftronomers, he is hot, moift, and  there-
 fore doth temper the malice and naughtinefs of Saturn, who is
 cold and dry  ; therefore for the moft part, children born  in  the
 ninth month, and are healthful.
   Why do children born in the 8th month, for the moft part, die
 quickly :  and why are they called the children of the moon i
   Becaufe the moon is a cold planet, which  has dominion over
 the child, and therefore doth bind it with its coldnefs which is
 the caufe of its death.
   Why doth a child cry as it is born?
   lft. Becaufe of the hidden change from heat to  cold, which
 cold doth hurt itstendernefs.  2dly, Becaufe the child's foft and
 tenter body is wringed and put together, coming out of the nar-
 row and ftrait paffage of the matrix ;  and efpecially the  brain
 being moift and the head preffed and  wringed together,  is  the
 caufe that fome humors do diftill by  the eyes, which are  the
 caufe of tears and weeping,   Sdly, Divine's fay  it is for  the
 traiifgrefiionofour firft father and original fin.
   Why doth a child put his fingerinto his mouth when he  com-
 eth fit ft into the world r
   Becaufe that coming out ofthe womb, he cometh out of a hot
 bath, and entering into the  cold, he  pUts  his fingers into  his
 mouth for  want of heat.
  ■ How doth a child come intothe world out of the womb ?
   He cometh forth with the head  forward ; for,  if he  fhould
 come with the thighs or arms, he would kill himfelf and  the
 mother.
             Ofthe Young One in the womb.
   How is t]i? young one engendered in the womb ?
   The firft (ix days the feed hath the color  of milk, but  in the
 fix days following a red color, which is near unto  the difpofition
 of flefh, and then is changed into a thick fubftance of blood,' but
 in twelve days following, this  fubftance is made fo  thick and
 found, that it is able to receive fliapc a;id form, becaufe a fluid or
 running fubftance ffeepeth on till its b'rth ; and  it is governed
every month by  the planets.
   Doth the child in the womb void excrements or make water ?
  Ko :  and the reafon is bee mfe '/- hath th-=> firft digeftion which
is in the ftomach  ; he receives no feed by the mouth, but it comes
to him  at the navel, ic therefore makes no urine, but fweats,
 which at beft isbuHitilr, and is received in a lkin in the matrix.
unci at  his birth is caft out.
  Why doth the child come eafily out ofthe  matrix, after feven,
eight or nine months ?
  Becaufe, faith  Gr.fen, when the fruit is ripe, then  the  liga-
mentsare broken, ant (oit falls out. 
202
ARISTOTLE'S  PROBLEMS.
           Of Abortion and untimely Birth.
  Why do women that eat unwholefome meats eafily mifcarry :
  Becaufe it breeds putrefied feed in them, which the  mind ab-
horring doth caft out of the womb, as unfit for the moft noble
ihape which is adapted to receive the foul.
  Why doth wrefiling or leaping caufe the calling of the child as
fome fubtle women ufed to do on purpofe ?
  Becaufe it loofes the ligaments which (hould hold the child.
  Why doth thunder caufe mifcarriage.
  The vapor is burning, and doth eafily hurt the tender fubftance
ofthe child, entering in at the pores of the matrix.  Albertus
fays, if the child be near delivery,  lightning and thunder will
kill it.
  Why doth thunder and lightning rather caufe young women
than old to mifcarry ?
  Becaufe the bodies of young women are fuller of pores, and
more flender, and therefore the lightning fooner enters into
their body ; but old ones  have a thick fkin,  well  compacted,
therefore the vopors cannot enter.
  Why doth much joy  caufe women to mifcarry  ?
  Becaufe in a time of joy a woman is deftitute  of heat, and fo
the mifcarriage doth follow.
  Why do women eafily mifcarry when they are firft with child,
viz. the firft, fecond, or third month ?
  Apples and pears eafily fall, at firft becaufe the knots  and liga-
ments are weak, fo it is ofa child in the womb.
  Why is it more hard to mifcarry in the fourth,  fifth, or fixth
month ?
  Becaufe then  the ligaments are ftronger and well fortified.
                   Of divers Matters.
  Why have fome women greater grief than others in child birth?
  For three reafons, 1ft.  For the largenefs of the child.  Sdly,
The midwife being unfkilful, and thirdly, becaufe the child is
dead.  For the  contrary caufes, fome have lefs pain.
  Why hath not a man a tail like a beaft ?
  Becaufe a man is a noble creature, whofe property  is to fit :
fo a beaft cannot, that hath a tail.
  Do thofe who keep hot houfes expel the heat ofa furnace bet-
ter with cold water than hot ?
  Yes :  becaufe they  are of contrary  qualities, which  work
ftrongly one againft the other, and therefore,  the heat is eafily
expelled from the ftone.
  Why does hot water freeze fooner than cold ?
  Becaufe hot water is thinner, and gives better entrance to the
froft.
  For what reafon is every living thing dull after copulation ?
  Becaufe the aft is filthy and unclean, and fo every living crea-
ture abhors it :  When men do think upon it they are aftiamcd
and fad.
  Cannot drunken men judge of taftes as well as fober men ?
  No : becaufe the tongue being full of pores and fpungy, it re-
ceives great moifture in it, and  more in drunken  men than in
fober ; therefore the tongue, by often drinking, is full of bad
humors and fo the faculty of the tafte is cut of order ; there- 
             ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.            3©S

fore though the thickening of the  mean, /'. e. tafte,  drink taken
of drunkards is not prefently felt, for, to due feeling there is re-
quilite to have a due proportion ofthe mean.   And by this is
alfo underftood why drunk perfons have not a perfeft fpeech.
  Why have melancholy beafts long ears ; and why are not thofe
men wife for the moft part that have long ears, but thofe other-
wife that have fhort ones ?
  T he ears proceed from a cold and dry fubftance called a griltle,
which is apt to become a bone ; and becaufe melancholy beafts
do abound with this kind of fubftancej they have long ears.
  How comes the other to be half witted ?
  Becaufe the minds and fouls follow the bodies,  for if the fen-
fes ot the body be fubtle, the foul exercifes fubtle operation, as
well aftive as (peculativc ;  and the contrary is in  a grofe body.
  How is the intellectual foul joined to a child in  the womb of
rhe mother; and how does the man who  begets it, make the
matter apt and fit to receive the foul ? -
   Divines  fay, that into a fubftance diffidently difpofed  and
made fit, God doth infufe the intellectual  foul;  and St.  Au-
guftine fays the like : the foul in creating is infufed, and in in-
filling is created
  Why do  hares deep with their eyes open ?
  Their eyes (land out and their  eyelids are (hort, therefore
never quite (hut.  Befides  they are  timorous ;  and, as a fafe-
guard to themfelves, fleep with their eyes open.
  Why do  not crows feed their young till they are nine days old?
   Becaufe feeing them of another color  they think  them of an-
other kind; meanwhile God feeds them with heavenly dew, as
the Pfalmift faith, " He giveth  beafts  their food, and young
crows will call upon him."
   Why are (heep and pigeons mild creatures ?
   Becaufe they want galls, which ftir anger.
   Why have birds their ftones inward  ?
   Becaufe if they  were outward, they would hinder their flying
and lightnefs.
   How comes it that birds do not pifs ?
   Becaufe that fuperfluity which would be converted into urine
is turned into feathers, for there is much moifture in the feath-
ers.   Another reafon is, they are in continual motion, there-
fore moifture in them is drieU  up by air or wind.
  How come long eggs to be a (ign and caufe of the male,  and
flat fhort eggs ot the female ?
  Hippocrates fays, it is the property of heat to afcend from the
centre to the circumference of cold ; therefore long eggs  have
great heat  and therefore  pafs  into the fubftance of the male
tor, in every kind the male is hotter than the female, asphilof-
ophersfay.  If the eggs be fhort and flat, it is a (ign the heat is
i mall and undifperfed,  and goeth into  the fubftance of the fe-
male.
  Wy do we hear better by night than by day r
   Becaufe there is a greater quietnefs in the night  than in the
day, for the fun doth not exhale the vapors by night, as it doth
it the day, therefore, the mean is more fit than ready, and the 
 204            ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.

 mean being fit, the motion is better done by it,  which, is faid
 to be done by a found.   Another reafon  is, there are more mo.
 tions and founds in the air, in the day than in the night, which
 hinder one another : In the  night there is filence, which isoppo-
 fire to found, and oppofites put one againft the other (hew better.
   For what reafon doth a man laugh fooner when touched in the
 armpits than in other parts of the body ?
   Becaufe there is in that place a meeting of many finews and
 the mean we touch (which is the flefh) is more  fubtle, than in
 other parts, and therefore a better feeling   When a man is
 moderately and gently touched there, the fpirits are difperfed,run
 into the face, and thence caufes laughter;  but  if touched too
 roughly,  then there is not that delight.
   How comes burnt wood to be black, and a bone burnt to be of
 a white fubftance ?
   Becaufe the wood, before it was burnt was moift, and the heat
 is not able to confume all the moifture of the wood, and  there-
 fore there remaineth fome after the burning, which is convert-
 ed into black fubftance, becaufe the humidity ot the wood  was
 (limy and could not altogether be confumed by the fire.   But a
 bone is cold and dry of its own nature, having but fmall moifture
 in it, which the burning doth wholly confume, and fo the moift-
 ure being confumed, the body waxeth white.
   Why do fome women love white men and fome black ?
   There are two anfwers.  Some women have a weak fight, and
 fuch delight in  black, becaufe white doth  hurt  the fight more
 than black  The fecond reafon is, becaufe like delights in like :
 fome women are*of a hot nature,  and fuch are delighted with
 black becaufe blacknefs doth follow heat,  and  others  are of a
 cold nature, and thefe are delighted with white,  becaufe cold is
 the mother of whitenefs.
   Why do men willingly fleep after labor >
   Becaufe that  though continually moving the heat is difperfed
 to the external parts of the body, which after labor, is gathered
 together tc the internal parts, to help the digeiiion : and thence
 vapors do arife from the heart to the brain, which  flop  the paf-
 fages by whicli the natural heat fliould be difperfed to the  ex-
 terna! parts ; and then the external parts being cold and thick,
 by reafon ofthe coldnefs of the brain, fleep is procured.   And
 by this it appeareth, that fuch as eat and drink much do fleep
 much and long, becaufe great flore of humors and vapors  are
 bred in fuch, which cannot be digefted by the natural heat.
  Why are fuch as fleep much evil difpofed and ill colored f
  Becaufe that in deeping much moifture  is gathered together,
 which cannot be confumed, and is expelled in walking, and fo it
 doth covet to go out through  the  fuperficial part of the  body,
 and efpecially it reforts to the face, and is the caufe ofa bad col-
 or, as appeareth in fuch  as -be  phlegmatic,  who defire more
fleep than others.
  Why doth it appear unto fome in their fleep that they eat and
 drink fweet things ?
  Becaufe the phlegm drawn up by the jaws doth diftil and drop
to the throat, and this phlegm is after a fort  fweet,  and there-
 fore that feemeth fo to them. 
               ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.           20j

    Why do fome dream in their fleep that they are in the  watcr
  and drowned and  fome that they are in the water and hot
  drowned ?
  -  The reafon is becaufe the phlegmatic fubftance doth run to the
  high parts ofthe body, and then they think they are in.the^water
  and drowned ;  and when that fubftance draweth unto the inter-
  nal parrs, then they think they efcape,  Another reafon may be,
  overcome repletion and drunkennefs : and therefore when a man
  is overcome, filled with meat, the fumes and vapors afcend and
  gather together, and therefore they think that they are drowned
  and ftrangled : but if they cannot afcend fo high then they feem
  to efcape
    May a man procure  a dream by an external caufe ?       -
    Ariftotle holdeth that it may be done, if a man do fpeak fofLy
  at a man's ear, and awake him, then of this ftirring of the fpirits
  there are thunderings and  birzzings in the  head,  and fo they
  dream of that.  And fo fome men have dreams by divine rev -
  elation, when it pleated God to fend any.
    How  many humors are there in a man's body ?
    Four : whereof every one hath its proper place in man's body.
    The firft is choler, which phyficians call fiava  bills,  and is
  placed in the liver.  The 2d is melancholy, called atrabilis\yho(e
  feat is in the  fpleen.  The 3d is phlegm, whofe  place is in the
  head.   The 4th is blood, whofe place  is in the  heart
    Wh.it condition and quality hath a man of a fanguine complex-
  ion '
    He is fair and beautiful : he hath his hair for the  moft part
  fmooth ; he is bold, he retaineth that which he hath conceived ;
  he is (hamefc ced, given to mufic, a lover of feiences, liberal cour-
  teous, and defires no revenge.
    What properties do follow a phlegmatic complexion ?
    They are dull of wit, their hair never curl., they are feldom
:  very thirfty, they are much given to deep, they dream of things
  belonging to water, they are fearful covetous, given to heap up
  riches, are  weak in the act ot venery
    What properties do  follow the choleric man ?
  He is furious and angry, quarrelfome, given  to war, oale color-
  ed and unquiet;  drinks much, deeps   little, and  defires  much
(  company ot the women.
    What properties do follow the melancholy man ?
    He is unquiet, brown in  complexion,  his  veins hidden, he
  eateth little, and digefteth lefs ; when he dreameth, it is of dark
  confufed things ;  he is fad, fearful  exceeding covetous and in-
  continent,  unlefs he bridle his affeftion.
    What dreams do follow  thefe complexions ?
*    Pleafantmery  dreams do  follow, the fanguine  complexion
i:  fea i*.;l  dreams the melancholy ; the  choleric  dream of children
-  fighti.lg, and fire;  and the  phlegmatic dream of water  And this
  i-; the reafon vhy a man's complexion is faid to be known by his
<l   dre  :;.'
    What is  the reafon that if you cove- meggover with fait and
&  let it lie in it a fe■■•■' days ali die ima,  within is confumed ?
tf    Th1 rr-.at drvnefs of the fait doth confume  the  fubftance of
                           S 
£,'OtJ
ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.
the egg ; but i:i fand fome fay they may be kept as long as  you
pleafe, as the mariners  praftife.
  Why is the melancholy complexion the worft of all P
  Becaufe it is the dregs  of the blood, which is an enemy to
mirth, and the iarthereft from the beginning ofa man's life, and
bringing old age and death, becaufe it is cold and dry.
  Why is the phlegmatic for  the moft part dull of wit ?
? Becaufe the vivacity of wit  proceedeth of heat, fo of'cold, the
contrary, which they are fubjeft unto.
  V nerefore doth it proceed  that fome men die with extreme
Joy, and fome with extreme  grief ?
  Over great joy  doth overmuch heat the internal parts of the
body, and overmuch heat doth drown and  fuffocate the body,
:ri which failing a man  dieth.
  Why hath a manfo much hair on his head ?
  The hair ofthe head proceedeth^of the vapors which arife from
the ftomach, and afcend to the head, and alfo of the  fuperfluities
which are in the brain  ; and thofe two puffing through the pores
of the head, are converted into hair, by reafon of the heat and
drynefs ofthe head. And becaufe man's body is full of humors
and hath more brains than other creatures, and alfo more fuper-
fluities in  the brains, which  the brain expelleth,  it followeth
that he hath more hair than other living creatures.
  How many way sis the brain purged, and other hidden places
of the body *
  Four :  the watery and grofs humors are purged by  the  eyes,
melancholy by the ears, choler by the nofe and phlegm by the hair.
  What is the reafon that fuch as are very fat in their youth,
are in danger to die on a hidden?
  Such have very fmalland clofe veins, by reafon of their fatnefs
fo that the air and the  breath  can hardly have free courfe in
them ; and thereupon the natural  heat wanting fome refrefh-
ment ofthe air, is put out, and as it were quenched.
  Why do garlics and onions grow after they are gathered ?
  They grow in the great humidity which is in them.
  Why do men feel cold fooner than women ?
  Becaufe that men being hotter than women, have their  pores
 more open, and therefore the cold doth fobner enter into  them
than women.
  Why are not old men fo fubjeft to the plague, as  young   men
 and children P
  They are cold,  and therefore the pores are (hut up, and not fo
 open as in youth ;  and therefore the infecting air do,h not  pen-
 etrate fo foon asw hen they are  open, as in youth, by reafon of heat.
  Why do we caft water in a man's face when he fwooneth/*
  Becaufe that through the coldnefs of water, the heat may run
 fo the heart, and fo give  ftrength
  Why are thofe waters bed, and moft delicate which run towards
 the fun rifing?
  Ik caufe they arefooneft ftricken with  the fun  beams, and
 made pure and fubtle, becaufe the fun hath them long under him
 and by that means takes eft"  the coldnefs and grofs vapors which
 ■-.hey  garherfrom  the ground they run through. 
             ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.            2Q7-

  Why have fome women fuch weak and fmall voices ?
  Becaufe their inftruments and organs of (peaking, by reafon
they are cold, are fmali and. narrow ; and therefore receiving
but little air caufeth the voice to be fmall and effeminate.
  Whereof doth it proceed that want of fleep doth  weaken the
brain, and the body ?
  Much watching doth engender choler, which being hot, doth
dry up and left'en the humors which conferve the brain, head and
other parts of the body
  Whereof dothit proceed that vinegar doth (launch blood ?
  It proceedeth of its cold virtue,  for all cold is naturally  bind-
ing,, and vinegar being cold hath the like property.
  \Vhy is the fea water falter in fummer than in winter ?
  It proceedeth from the heat ofthe fuu, feeing-  by  experience
t hat a fait thing  being heated, becometh more (alt.
  Why do men  live longer in hot regions than cold ?
  Becaufe they may be more dry,  and by that means the natural
heat is better conferved in them than in cold countries becaufe
the cold  doth extingtiifh the heat.
  Why is well water feldom or never good ?
  All water whicli ftandeth ftill in the fpring, and is never head-
ed by the fun beams is very heavy, and hath much  earthy mat-
ter in it ; and therefore, wanting  the heat ofthe fun, is naught.
  Why do we deep better and more at eafe on the r;»hi fide than
on the left \
  Becaufe, when we  lie on the left, the  lungs do lie open and
cover the heart,  which is under that fide  under  the pap.  Now
the heart, the fountain of life,  being thus occupied and hindered
with the lungs, cannot exercife its own proper operation as b°-
ing overmuch heated with the lungs lying on it, and therefore
wanting  the relrefhment of the air, which the lun°s do give it
like the blowing a pair of bellows,  is choaked and °fuftocated •
but by lying on the right fide thefe inconveniences are avoided '
  Whereof doth proceed that  holding ofthe breath doth caufe
yuxing to ceafe ?
  Becaufe that holding the breath doth heat the internal part-
of the body.  And this heat chafetli  away the yux, being noth-
ing elfe but cold air within the body
  What is the reafon that old men fneeze with difficultv ?
  Becaufe that  through their coldnefs their arteries are verv
narrow and clofe, and therefore the heat is not of force to expft
the cold ;  for I think fneezing is like the combat in  the >'r m£r,.
  y thunder, which is caufed by ne~t ;-.ud'.:o!d.
  Why doth a drunken man tnink that a!' things about him do
turn round ?
  Becaufe the fpirits which ferve  the ii-ht are mingled with va-
pors, fumes and wine ;  and then the overmuch heat caufeth the
eye to be in a continual moving ;  and the eve being round cauf-
eth all things about it to feem to go round.
  Wherefore doth  it proceed, that  bread which is made with
fait is lighter than that which is made without it, confidering feIt-
very heavy of itfelt  ?
  Although bread is heavy of itfelf. yet the fait  dries it and
makes it light by rcai^ oi_the_hea.t which it hath, which'hea* 
80S           ARISTOTLE'S PROBLEMS.

doth di y, and the more heat there is in it the better the bread is,
the lighter and more wholefonie for the body.
  Why is.not new bread good for the ftomach ?     /
  Becaufe it is full of moiftnefs, and thick and hot vapors, which
do corrupt the blood, and hot bread is blacker than cold, becaufe
heat is the mother of blacknefs, and becaufe the vapors are not
gone out of it.
  Why does lettuce make a man fleep ?
  Becaufe they engender grofs vapors.
  "Why do the dregs of wine and oil go to the bottom, and thofe
ot honey fwim a top ?
  Becaufe the dregs of wine ar.d Gil  are earthy and  not  purged
before, and therefore being of the nature of earth do  go to the
bottom ;  but honey is a liquor, which cometh from the ftomach
and belly of the bee, and is there in fome fort purified and made
fubtle ; and by that means, that which remains is light and hot,
and therefore fcoes upward-
  Why do cats' and wblves' eyes fhine at night and not in day ?
  The eyes of thofe beafts are by nature more chriftaline rhan the
eyes of other beafts, and therefore do fhine as they do ;  but the
brightnefs of the fun doth hinder them to be feen  in  the day
time.
  What is the reafon that fome men when they fee others dance,
do the like  with their hands and feet, or by fome other  gefture
ofthe body f                                     \
  The anfwer is, becaufe the fight having carried and reprefent-
ed unto the mind that  action, and judging the  fame to be pleaf-
ant and delightful, and therefore (defiring it) the'imagination
draweth the likenefs of it in conceit, and ftirs up the body by the
ge (lures.        •
  Why doth much fleep caufe fome to grow fat and fome lean ?
  Thofe who are of ill complexion," when they fleep, do con-
fume and digeft the fuperfluities  of that they have  eaten, and
therefore  become fat. But fuch  as are  of good complexion
 when they fleep are much  more cold, and fo digeft lefs.
  How and for what caufe do we fuffer hunger better than third!
  Whenthe ftomach hath nothing to confume,  it confumeth  the
phlegm and humors  which it findeth  more ready and moft at
hand : and therefore we fuffer hunger better than thirft, becaufe
 th- heat hath nothing  to lefrefh it withal.
  Why doth the hair fall after a great.ficknefs ?
  Where  the ficknefs is  long, as in agues, the humors of the.
head are dried up through overmuch heat, and  therefore wa.it.
 ing nourifhment they  fall.
  Why does the hair of the eyebrows grow long in old men ?
   Becaufe that through  their age the bones  of the cvelids  are
thin, by reafon of the  want of heat, and therefore the  hair doth
 grow there, by reafon of the rheums of the eyes. The like doth
 happen in fuch as  imagine much, becaufe that  with their heat
 they draw  up many humors to the forepart ofthe head, wht-rc,
 the imagination is placed.
   Whereof proceedeth gaping ?                            ,:
   Of grofs vapors \vi;...-h .cciipy the vital fpirits ofthe head, andf
 the fenfe1; are cold, making them ready to ifeep.              j 
ZLVIARAS' PROBLEMS.             209
  Why do fome flowers open with the fun rifing, and fome with
the fun fetting ?
  Cold doth fhut and  clofe as hath been faid, but the heat of the
fun doth open and enlarge :  fome do compare the  fun  to  the
foul ofthe body ; for, as the foul giveth life, and when it de-
parteth, death followeth ;  fo the fun doth give life, and vivifies
all things; the cold bringeth death, withering and decaying of
all things
  Why doth grief caufe men to grow old and grey ?
  Age is nothing elfe but adrynefs, and  want of humors in the
body  ; grief then caufeth alteration  and  alteration heat, and
heat drynefs , age followeth immediately, and greynefs.
  Why are gelded beafts weaker than fuch as are not gelded ?
  Becaufe they have leffer heat and by  that means leller force
and ftrength.
M. ANTON. ZIMARASSANCTIPERTIAS's PROBLEMS,
  Why is itefteemed in the judgment of the moft wife the hard-
eft thing to know  a man's felf?
  It is becaufe nothing can  be known ; its form and perfection
cannot be found ; to know  the form  and perfection ofa man's
felf, as it cometh unto the philofopher, is a matter hard enough,
and a man, by the authority of Plato, either is nothing, or if he
be any thing, he is nothing  but his foul.  Or, is it becaufe it
cannot be done by a refiefted aftion, and to refleft and look un-
to himfelf as a token that he is feparated by the flefh ; for  he
who would know himfelf fhould  be drawn from fenfible affec-
tions  ; and hew  hard this is,  no man is ignorant of ?  Or, is it
becaufe a man liveth by underftanding ; but the underftanding,  '
a man cannot conceive of himfelf, but after the undertianding
of fenfes,  which is very  hard-
  Why was Socrates efteemed  the. wifeftofall Greece by Apol-
lo, feeing  that, by the opinion of Ariftorfe, he was converfant
and bufied only about morality, and nothing about nature i
  Whether it is becaufe itis more expedient for the commodity
and ufe of men  to live well and  contemplate; or. becaufe  it
feemcth to  Plato  that he was ufually profefled of him every
where, I know one thing, that I know nothing
  Why do men efpecially ftrive and contend in things  of wit t
  It is becaufe they think  that other things which are called
goods are the power of another ; as the gifts ofthe body are na-
ture's and external, and worldly goods are fubjeft unto the rule
of fortune > whereof it cometh to pafs, that every man can eafily
fuffer  himfelf to be overcome in fuch things, as things not hap-
pening through his fault or occafion, but they think wit to be in  '
their own power.  Or, it is becaufe they think that the goods of
the mind do  excel all other goods, and therefore do think it a
thing  moft natural to contend for  that which is moft excellent.
Or, it  is b ecaufe it is a common difeafe of all men, as it  feemeth
unto a certain  wife man, that every man doth think  himfelf
more learned thanhe is,  and therefore doth defire to  perform
that which.he believeth, without ftudy and labor.
  Why do men fay that philofophy is naked ? 
210             ZIMARAS- PROBLEM?.

  IH.-. becaufe truth is naked, and that there need;.  :..; *. Jor ol
words when we handle a matter of truth  ; for, it brfongeth  to
fophiers todifpute of terms when the fincere  t:uth  is fought.
Or it is  becaufe they do not play the  philofopher well,  who
feek philofephy for gain and ambition and not tor herfelf.  Or,
;t is becaufe he fhould be void  from all worldly affections who
defirer to endear himfelf in the ftudy ofphilofophy;  for Arif-
totle doth fay, the foul is made wife by reft and quictnefs.   And
it were eafy for philofophers to  become rich, if they would, as
it appeareth by the example of Thales
  Why do men defire to be had in  memory after their death,
and therefore fome make pyramids,  ftatues, images, and divers
other tokens and monuments which they  build and leave behind
them ?
  It is becaufe all things, as feems unto  Ariftotle, do defire  to
participate of fome perpetuity and divine being, as much as they
can ;  and therefore, if they cannot remain in nature  and being,
yet they endeavor at leaft to continue in the opinion  and conceit
of men.  Or elfe cuftom hath brought it  in fo, to ftir up fuch as
comes after, to the end  they fliould not  degenerate  from  their
parents.                        *
  What's the caufe why men's defires grow without  meafure a-
bout fortunes' goods ?
  It is becaufe natural defires, as Seneca faith, have an end, and
fuch defires, as proceed of falfe opinion have no where to end-
  Why do poets always aflignand appoint  fome wife men to be
familiar with princes : as,  Homer doth Neftor with Agamem-
non ; Euripides, Tirefius with Creon ; Hefiodus, Promotheus,
with Jupiter"; and, Maro,  Achates and iEneas ?
  It is becaufe that by the law of nature,  as Plato doth fay, wif-
dom and power do direft our aftions to one end, and to  effeft
the fame thing, love it and feek it.
  Why doth Homer when  he makes mention of Ambaffadors,
talk always of the embafl'y ofa commander in bare words ?
  It is becaufe it is the duty of ambaffadors, to declare the bare
will of the commander, and put his fentencein execution ; and
therefore, itis certain, he fhould add nothing ; orelfe, it  is be-
caufe the commandment of him who doth rule, that is, of a wife
man, is put  into good order and is prefumed to be moft perfeft.
And therefore there fhould be nothing changed; but his decrees
and conftirutions are to be judged abfohite and perfeft.
  Why does Ariftotle ufe exceeding brevity in  maft hard mat-
ters ?
  Whether becaufe it is the cuftom of wife,  men to load their
words With fentences, or elfe to the end  that he would be ob«
feure, to fear and keep oft'rude wits from reading of his works,
as it feemeth in the expofitors : or, whether it is becaufe that in a
hard matter, and in a matter of truth, many words are fufpeft-
ed, becaufe  that truth doth confift  in few words ; or  it  is be-
caufe it feemeth to wife men, in many words there is error often
Committed
  Why do famous men, in any feience, when they do err in any
matters, err^more dangerourty than thofe who are lefs famous ? 
ZIMARAS' PROBLEMS.
Sit
  it is becaufe that fuch fruiting to the heat of their own wit, are
drawn far from their own ferries, and therefore, muft needs be
deceived.  Avicen may ferve for  a proof of this, who, for  all
his fame  in   philofophy, faid that a man  might  naturally br
brought forth of the earth.  And that great  famous Averrois,
thought that a maid might conceive a child in a bath without the
knowledge of a man.
                   Out of ARISTOTLE.
  Why is a man, being endued with reafon,  the moft unjuft  of
all living creatures ?
  Itis  becaufe men only are defirous of honor,, fo it comes to
 Eafs that every one covets to feem good and yet naturally (huns
 ibor, though he attains no virtue by it; or elfe,  it is becaufe
the nature ofa fophifter is rather to feem, than be and not feem ;
but very few do attain to true virtue.
  Why do feme in their youth  beget girls^ and  in their middle
age, and when old beget boys ?
  It is becaufe the feed waxeth cold in fuch  as ufe carnal copu-
lation too often, are therefore in their  middle age, when  they
grow tired, their feed is hotter, and fo produceth males.
  Why have children or boys pleafure in the aft  of venery, fee-
ing they do  not caft forth feed ?
  it is as the philofopher faith; becaufe there are certain ticklings
in the letting out the fpirit or breath, as it is in fuch as are of age
by calling forth feed.
  Why have thofe the leaft pleafure who ufe the aft ot copula-
tion often ?
  By often ufing carnal copulation the  fpirit and feed  doth  itv»
create and wax cold, therefore notfo itching or tickling, which*
is of delight  :  -
  Why doth immoderate copulation dp more hurt than immod-
erate letting of blood ?
  It is becaufe the feed is fuller of fpirit and nutriment, belter
difpofed  and prepared for the nurture of the body than  the
blood ;  for, fays Galen, the feed is the caufe of the fubftantiail
parts ofthe  body, and  of it the body grows and  is nourifhed.
And he who  is hungry is hurt more by taking away bread than
flour, fo the  body is  more weakened by taking away feed than by
evacuating bleod
  What is the reafon that thofe who  have  a very long yard
ca nnot get children  ?
  Becaufe the feed in going a long diftance the fpirit doth breathe
out,  and therefore is cold and unfit for generation
  Why do fuch as are corpulent caft forth little feed in the aft
of copulation, and are often barron ?
  It is becaufe the feed of fuch goes to nourifhing the body ;  for
the fame reafon corpulent women have but few menfes.
  How comes women prone to venery in the fummer time, and
men in winter?
  It is becaufe at that time his tefticles hang down and are  feeb-
ler than in winter :  orelfe, becaufe hot natures become lively ;
for a man is hot and dry, women cold  and moift, and therefore
m fummer the ftrength of men decays, and that of women in- 
212           /  ZIMARAS' PROBLEMS.

creafes, and fhe grows livelier by the benefit ofthe contrary qual-
ity.  And for the fame reafon, fome beafts ofa cold nature lie
in dens and holes, and, through the frigidity of the air, receive
little or no nouriftiment, but revive again when heat comes
  How comes a man to be the proudeft of all living creatures ?
  Whether it is by reafon of his great knowledge, or that (as the
philofophers fay) all intelligent beings  having underftanding,
nothing remains that efcapes man's knowledge in particular; or,
it is becaufe he hath rule over all eartly creatures, and all things
feemtcbe brought to his arbitrament : or, I fhall anfwer, that
the pride of man proceeds from  his not knowing himfelf; for
truly would remember that he is but duft and afhes, came naked
into the world, was born to earn.his bread by the fweat of his
brow, and after born to die, he would abhor pride.
  How comes a man to underftand one thing and do another ?
  It is becaufe there is in the fame feience contrary  things ; or
becaufe the office of the mind is  to reach at many  things, and   *
the appetite tends to  one only ; and fo a man chiefly lives by
underftanding and reafon, but beafts are governed by  appetite,
anger, and pleafure.
  How comes moft women's wits unapt in good things, and*
prompt in naughty ?
  Becaufe of a privation which feems to be coupled and joined
to her nature ; for as a woman is a man's hurt, fo the faculty of
the privation is always to do mifchiet.
  Why do men fay A woman's firft counfel (houldbe cofen ?
  Becaufe (as we fee in things that  want reafon)  their aftions.
and motions are guided to their proper ends by a fuperior pow-
%r ;  for I think that it is  very true which is faid, that there is a
Providence which puts into a difhoneft heart the defire of honef-
ty, and in a poor man the defire of wealth, as far as is fufficient.
So a woman's under ftandmg, though (he knows not the reafon of.
good and evil, is fometimes direfted by an infalliable truth to
take fome thmgs in hand ; but fome things they undertake of
themfelves are to be let alone, as weak and fubjeft to many errors.
  How comes it that women defire to go fine,., and deck them-
felves, rather than men ?
  Itis becaufe by nature they are  imperfeft, fo they endeavor to
fupply their imperfections  by art : or elfe it is becaufe  they
want the beauty of the mind, fo they ftudyto adorn their bodies,.
  How»comesit that a tall man is  feldom wife?
  By reafon the largenefs of his body proceeds from excefs of
heat, and abundance of humidity.   Some wife men think the per-
fection, accomplifhment, and  goodnefs of the operation is per-
fected by drynefs, which  does  always go and increafe till  it
brings us to our end; for the conftitution of the body originally
fprung from the laft,humidity,  but the vehemences and excefs of
heat overflows the judgment, and hinders quietude.
  Why is a number of princes and rulers naught ?
  It is becaufe if the government  fhould dwindle into tyranny, it
is better to be under the yoke of  one than many ;  or, becaufe a
multitude of rulers feldom regard the good of the public. Hence-
it proceeds, that if once they difagree, great evil is like to befal 
ZIMARAS' PROBLEMS.
21S
the commonality ; it is eafier for one man to be well difpofed
than many ;  in the government of many, there want not ftrife,
debate, and envy, for which reafon let there be but one prince
at a time.
  Why have beafts their hearts in the middle of their breaft, and
man inclining towards the left f
  It is becaufe it would moderate the cold on that fide !  for Ar-
iftotle fays, man hath only the left fide cold.   ' >r,  it is as phyfi-
cians fay, becaufe it (hould give  place to the liver, which is on
the right fide.
  Why doth a woman love that man beft who had her maiden-
head ?
  It is becaufe that as matter doth covet a form of perfection fo
doth a woman the male : Or, it is by reafon of fhamefacednefs,
for, as  Plato faith,  fhamefacednefs  doth follow love.  Or, be-
caufe the beginning  of great pleafure doth bring  a great altera-
tion in the whole, whereby the powers of the mind are  much
delighted, and ftick  and  reft immoveable in the fame.   Hefiod
advifes to marry a maid.
  How comes the night in full of the moon to be fomewhat
warm, fince the moon is cold by  night ?
  Whether it is becaufe the opinion  of the  peripateticks  ought
to be preferred, which fays, every light,heats in that refpeft it
is reflected.
  How is the night colder in autumn, than in the fpring ?
  Becaufe the air is very thin, and  bodies that are rarified are
very apt to receive heat, or cold, as is feen in water ; for water
heated doth fooner-freeze than cold
  How are the bodies fooner hurt with cold in autumn than in
fpring ?
  Becaufe the bodies which are accuftomed to cold, doin fpring
receive heat, and therefore the moving or mutation is  natural,
and not furprizing.  But in autumn  they haften  from  heat to
cold, not being accuftomed.   Galen fays, nature doth  not en-
dure hidden things.
  Why are hairy people more luftful than others ?
  Becaufe in them is fuppofed great (tore of excrements  and
feed, as philofophers affert
  How comes it that men who have fmall heads  are naturally
angry and tefty ?
  Becaufe when the head is little the brain is fo-of courfe, the
heat ofthe heart cannot be moderated with the heat of the brain,
as it ouglit to be, and anger proceeds of the boiling of the blood
about the heart through fome  vexation.
  How comes the fundament of a man  to clofe  after  he hath
made water ?
  Becaufe the air runs prefently to fill that which was empty,
and fo the parts o f the body are altered by the coldnefs of the air,
which caufes trembling
  Why have fome men died thro' grief, fome thro' joy^ but more
thro' anger ?
  Becaufe joy ceols the very inward guts ;  grief  doth fuffocate
and choke the inward  parts, and coel the outward ; but anger 
214                ZIMARAS'PROBLEMS.

eats both, while heat remains : life and nature  doth fo too, be-
caufe the foul is counted the life and nati tal heat.
  Why doth the voice change in people when they  begin to
have feed ?
  Becaufe that heat is in the beginning of veins  and blood, as
Ariftotle faith againft the phyficians,  and thereupon  it raifeth   y
that, becaufe the change of the excrements of feed is made in
the h'^heft  part of the body, the voice being above,  makes it
manifo.i • and thereupon it is the voices both of men and women
do change when they begin to have feed.
  How comes it that when a pot full cf boiling liquor is feething
yet the bottom is cold ?
  It is becaufe  the hot vapors  afcend upward, and  therefore
when the uppermoft water is hot, the bottom is Cold, by reafon
of the coldnefs ofthe water adjoining to it.
  Why is the grain which.we find in  the ants holes gnawed at
one end ?
  They are direfted by nature  to gnaw and  confume that end
where the virtue of feeding is, for fear it fproiit again; left, by
thefproutingand growing, they would be deprived of the nu-
triment belonging neceffarily  unto themfelves.
  Why do  children  love  their mother  more, frequently than
their father ?
  It is becaufe they  take great pains with  them, or becaufe of
the great certainty which they have of themfelves.
  Why is not the father, as well beloved of the fon as  the fon is
ofthe father?
  It is becaufe love does not go backward, but always forward :
whence our defire neglefts things  paft,  and looks to  things to
come.   Or, it is, becaufe the father hath fomewhat of his in the
fon, the fon nothing of his in the father.
  Why are aftes more nimble when  they are young than at any
other time  ?
  Whether it is- becaufe  their  nature  and conftitution being
melancholy, itis requifite there (hould be a temperance with the
recompence of contrary qualities ; for melancholy by nature is
cold and dry, but when they are young, they are hot and moift.
This alfo we fee in melancholy children :  fome children are of
great wit,  befcreitbe looked for, infomuch that you  may hope
and promife any thing in time to come, whofe wit  neverthelefs,
in progrefs of time, doth decay  and fade.  Be  therefore, faith
the Greeks naught to the endthat thou may eft live, for the na-
ture of fuch is moft (hort.
   Why are there no afies in Pontus and Scythia ?
   It is becaufe  their nature is moft impatient of cold, as philofo-
phers do fay.
   Why are clergymen and women moft covetous ?
   It is becaufe the habit of virtue is bred  of many actions, and
 therefore feeing that priefts want wives and children, they are
 forced on ways to fpend their goods,  and  yet are accuftomed to
 take and receive, and fo become covetous ;  for fuch as every
 man's aftions are, fuch doth he become.  The nature  of women
 is imperfect, and therefore they think it impoflible fully to  fat- 
ZIMARAS' PROBLEMS.             21a
lsly themfelves :  they gather together, and keep that by which
they may help their need ;  and by indrrttry and art they covet to
obtain that which nature does not give them   And for the fame
reafon, J fuppofe, old men  give themfelves to covetoufnefs ;  for
being deftitute of helps by age and nature, they gripe after  the
goods of fortune, that with them they may provide  for them-
felves againft all  wants.
  Why  do wounds grieve  lefs in war than out of war ?
  It is becaufe the powers ofthe foul bend another way ; for if
ourmind be ftrongly fixed on other matters, we do not fee thofe
things which-are before our eyes : or, whether it is by reafon of
anger, which as wife men fay, dbth heat the internal  and exter-
nal part : and as Ariftotle affirms, with the heat the  foul works
all things and therefore it happens that the angry man grows but
(lowly whole after his wound, and therefore alfo doth lefs grieve
and heat.
  Why  do we wonder at the eclipfe ofthe fun and moon, and not,
at the generation of plants and beafts ?
  Whether it is becaufe our admiration  ceafeth in  things that
are ufual, and our minds negleft to fearch out the truth  in fuch
things :  or, that which happens feldom, doth ftir us up  to won-
der, and indnceth the underftanding to fearch out the caufe.
  How comes it that the headache, dullnefs of  memory and an
evil difpofition, of imagination doth follow the long detaining of
the feed ?
  It is becaufe it doth hinder and make heavy the  brain by  ex-
cefs of feed ; or, becaufe the feed long kept, gets feme  venom-
ous quality, and therefore the fume and vapors of it  doth hurt
the head.
   How is it that priefts and monks fear and abhor death  more
than other men ?
  It is becaufe they are by nature cold and melancholy ;  becaufe
they perceive themfelves toperifh utterly ;  for, when they  are
out of this world, they neither continue in their own  nature  nor
in  po'ferity.
  Why  though trees lofe their leaves, beafts their hair, and birds
their feathers, do they receive them again, when if  a man  be-
comes  bald  his hair groweth no more ?
  It is becaufe the time of the year doth  bring that  change of
bodies :  fo that in the firft change there floweth an interchang-
able courfe one after another, and beafts receive their hair, birds
their feathers, and trees their leaves  : but baldnefs cometh to a
man through age, and nature giveth no coming to age.
  Why  doth fummer end all difeafes ?
  If force and nature be ftrong, it (hall find air moft fit for refo-
hition, digeftion, and expullion of fuperfluities ;  if weak,  the
heat doth overthrow it more.  It doth loofen weak bodies, and
therefore there cometh nothing but death unto the fick.
  Why  ifamanput his hands into the water in fummer,  is he
colder if the water be moved, than when it ftandeth ftill P
  It is becaufe that part of the water which touchetli his hand is
hot,by the heat of his hand : for every agent which  doth com,
inut-icate with the patient in the things whereon  he worketh, 
216              ZIMARAS' PROBLEMS.
in doing fo doth fufter again, and the water being moved, it is
neceffary that the parts of it which are  rarified  be feattered a-
broad, and others more cold fucceedthem.
  Why do fome who have an evil complexion and conftiution of
body live longer than fome others who are of a fanguine  and
better nature ?
  Whether it is through bad government and order ;  or becaufe
there is fome hidden caufe in thofe difpofitions ;  for as .werrois  J
faith, the number of elements is infinite in works of nature, the
which miie befides the Author of nature doth underftand
  What is the caufe that  the fuftocation  of the  matrix,  which
happens to women through ftrifeand contention, is more dan-
gerous than the detaining of flowers ?
  V, hether it is becaufe that by how much the more  an  excre-
ment is perfeft, fo long as it doth continue in its natural  difpo-
fition, by fo much the more it is worfe when it is removed from
that, and drawn  to the contrary quality, as ;s  feen in vinegar,
which is the  fharpeft when it is made of the beft wine : and fo it
happens, that the more men love one another, the more they hate
when they fail to variance  and difcord.
  Why doth the land,  which ftandeth ftill, feem to move unto
fuch as fail by fea ?
  It is becaufe the nutriment of the fenfe of feeing  is accident-
ally moved when the fhip is moved,  whereby  the likenefs  and
fimilitude of  things is perceived and received with the moving.
  Why do we love our fight above our fenfes ?
  It is becaufe it both fhews us the difference .of things, and  be-
caufe its knowledge is more drawn from material lubftance  :
Or, it is becaufe the divine force of love is placed in that  fenfe,
as Plato faith.
  Why do we not judge aftaffto be broken in the water,  feeing
it doth fo appear to our fight ?
  Becaufe we perceive by the fenfe  of feeling and touching, that
the fight doth err ; Or, becaufe we do not judge with the fame
power as we imagine with.  Thus the fun doth feem to be  but
a foot round  ; and by a trick and moving of the  finger, one  fin-
ger doth feem two, yet we do not yield they be two.
  Why do we put our hands over our eyes when we  would fee
afar off ?
  Becaufe the light fhould not be difperfed ;  and fo  thofe who
have their eyes ftanding out, cannot fee far : and contrary, fuch
as have them hollow in their head can fee far, becaufe the mov-
ing of the fight is not feattered
  How do fome people difcern things near them, and not at  a
diftance >
  Itis through fhe weaknefs of the fight, for in fuch the power
of feeing is very  weak;  therefore  they  do not need a  ftrong
moving, as it is alfo feen in fuch as have their eyes  ftanding out
who cannot fee far.
  Why do fuch as would  (hoot aright, wink with one eye  i
  Becaufe thereby the fight is more ftrengthened and united.
  Why  are fuch as have been long  in the dark, if on a fudden
they come into the light, half blind > 
               ZIMARAS' PROBLEMS.              £17

  Becaufe nature cannot endure thofe hidden mutations, or be-
caule the fpirit ofthe light is fmall and weak, and therefore is
glad ofthe light, and fo dilfolves when they come into the light.
Or, becaufe of the defire of that light they wanted before, which
when they behold too earneftly, their fight is weakened,  as it
happens in fome who have a long time endured famine, and then
eating greedily, take more  than they can digeft and fo.perifli.
  Why can nothing be the caufe of its own generation and cor-
ruption r
  Kecaufe the mover muft be before the thing moved, and the
engenderer before the things engendered : for it  is impoflible
for any thing to be before itfelf.
  How comes women's bodies to be  loofer, fofter,  and  their
veins leffer than men's : And why do  they want hair?
  By reafon of their menfes : for'with them their  fuperfluities,
which would produce hair, go  away ; and where  the  flefh is
filled, confequently their veins are more hid than mens'.
  What is the realon that when we think ofa horrible thing we
are ftricken with fear ?
  Becaufe the conceit, and thinking of things  hath force-and
virtue :  for Plato faith the reafon of things  hath  fome affinity
with the things themfelve« : for the immage and  reprefentation
of cold and heat, is fuch as the nature of the things are :  Or, be-
caufe when we comprehend any dreadful matter, the blood runs
to the internal parts, and therefore the external parts are  cold,
and (hake with fear.
  Why doth a reddifh root help digeftion and yet kielf remains
undigefted ?
  Itis becaufe the fubftance confifteth of divers parts, for  there
are fome thin parts in it which are fit to digeft meat, the which
being diffolved, there doth remain fome thick and clofe (ubftance
in it, which the heat cannot digeft.
  Why do fuch as cleave wood, cleave it eafier in  length  than
athwart ?
  Becaufe in wood there is a grain, if it be cut in length, where
by, in the very cutting, one part draweth another faft by it.
  What is the  reafon that if afpear be ftricken  on the end, the
found cometh fooner to one who ftandeth near, than to him who
ftriketh  ?
  Becaufe there is a certain long grain in wood direftly forward
filled with air : but crofs, or on the fide, there is none ;   And
therefore when abeam or fpear is ftricken on the end, the air
which is hidden receiveth a found in the aforefaid grain which
ferveth for the paffage ofthe air, and therefore feeing the found
cannot go eafily out, it is carried unto the ear of him who  is op-
pofite to him, and thofe paffages do not go from fide to fide, and
therefore a found cannot be diftinftly heard.
  Why are there not famous men in every faculty in our age ?
  Becaufe the  nature of man decayeth in our age ;  and fuccef-
fion  being corrupted, the progeny of our age is worfe by birth ;
Or, it is becaufe fuch are not efteemed of princes; for, take a-
way*the reward due unto virtue, and no man will embrace  it; or 
il8
-ZIMARAS'  PROBLEMS.
 it is ordained by nature, that men do always complain  of the
 prefent time.
   Why are flatterers in great credit with princes ?
   Becaufe they love themfelves too much ;  immoderate love of
 themfelves caufeth them to admit flatterers,  and to  give  them
 credit: Or, it is becaufe they want the light of reafon I  for a-
 mong birds, fome through the corruption of their  nature, de-
 light in (linking meat,  and whom the day doth  blind, the  night
 doth lighten.
   Why have philofophers for the moft part,  in  thefe days, evil
 conditions ?
   Becaufe they are efteemed of princes :  Or,becaufe of the phi-
 lofophy itfelf  they are accufed of crimes, and  think  therefore
 they are compelled to forfake virtue, and follow vice : Or elfe
 deceived through error, they think they have fnatched to them-
 felves fome other rags ; and therefore they are by us rather call-
 ed fophifters  than philofophers, for  certainly a  philofopher
 ihould be of a ftout courage in all refpefts, and in all fortunes:
 but as they would  be honored of princes, and their defire is not
 ruled by  nature but by error,  they  are thruft  forward  with
 itreams of falfe credulity.
   Why do fuch as are angry, wax jjale in the beginning, and af-
 terwards  red ?
   Itisthrough the  defire of revenge for that which grieveth, that
 the heat and blood are  called unto the heart, and  therefore, of
 neceffity, the external parts are pale : when they are determin-
 ed to put that  in execution which they defire, the heat and blood
 do run into the outward parts, and then they are greatly  to be
 feared.
   Why do ferpents want a yard and ftones ?
   Becaufe they want thighs, therefore they want a yard and ftones
 and becaufe of the  length of the body.
   Why can ferpents turn their heads backwards, and the reft of
 the body Hand ftill ?
   Becaufe they are made of a  winding compofition, and have
 their joints flexible, and made of griftle;  and alfo, that  they
 may avoid all thofe things which hurt them, for having no  feet,
 and being long in  body,  they cannot eafily  turn themfelves
 whilft they bow againft  thofe things which are behind them.  It
 were to no purpofe to lift up their head if they could not exer-
 cife anger.
  Why is a camelion changed into many colors ?
  The caufe is to be referred unto the quality of the mind, for
 being the (lendereft of all four footed beafts engendered of eggs, he
 is ftark cold for want of blood, and  through  overmuch coldnefs
 he is of fo many colors, for it is the property  of fear to bind faft,
 through want  of. blood and heat.
  Why are the thighs and calves ofthe legs of man  flefhy, fee-
 ing the legs of beafts are not fo ?
  Becaufe men only go  upright, and therefore nature hath  giv-
ten to the lower part corpulency, and hath taken it away from the
upper: and therefore the buttocks, thighs,  and calves of the
 legs are flefhy. 
              APIiRODISEUS' PROBLEMS.          21?

  Why are the fenfible powersin the heart, yet if the hinderpart
of thc'brain be hurt the memory payethforit ; if the fore parts,
the imagination : if the middle, the ccagitative part ?
  Becaufe the brain is appointed by natureto cool theheatofthe
heart, wherefore, in divers of its parts, it ferveth thefe  powers
and inftruments of their heat ; for every aftion of the foul  doth
not proceed from one ineafure of heat.
      lhe PROBLEMS of ALAX. APHRODISEUS.
  Why doth the fun make men black : and make dirt  white ;
and make wax foft, and dirt  hard ?
  By  reafon of the difpofition of the fubftance  that  doth fuffer.
All humors phlegm excepted, when they are heated above meaf-
ure, do feem black  about the fkin, but dirt being either  full of
faltpeter or fait liquor, w hen the fun hath confumed its dregs,
and filth, doth become white again ; when the fun  hath drawn
and ftirred up the humidity ofthe wax, it is  foftened ;  but in
dirt the fun dothconfume the.huminity which is very  much,
and fo doth dry it and make it hard.
  Why doth black choler, coming into the paps, caufea corro-
fion or gnawing; and in thofe who are melancholy, it doth not,
but flies into the brain  ?
  Becaufe there are many great veins in the paps by reafon of
engendering milk,  and therefore ftore of that  humor doth run
thither.  But in the brain becaufe it is.above,  and alfo  becaufe
it hath very fmall veins,  fmall ftore of choler doth afcend,  and
which hath only power and force to prick and not to gnaw and
eat.   Moreover the brain is hard and moift, whereby it is, after
a fort contrary to the difpofition of black choler,  which  doth
mortify it ;  that therefore which is properly called  black chol-
er doth  breed an eating and gnawing canker in the paps.   In
the brain it doth breed a man fierce and melancholy, but  that
which is not properly  black  choler, but  melancholy   humor,
caufeth fwelling only, which is like a cancer but doth rot  gnaw
and eat, and doth alfo breed a quiet and  peacable  melancholy..
   For what reafon will not the water run out of thebottom ofa
watering pot, when we put our finger on the mouth of it, and the
finger being taken away  it runneth  prefently ?
  Becaufe when the finder is taken  away from the mouth of the
pot, the air entering in doth thruft down the water, which of its
own naturedoth go down ward, and fo goeth cut at  the bottom.
And this isthe reafon of all mecha:v'--al-engitiesand  inftruments
made  to go by air and water,  as clocks, and  hour glaffes, made
by water.
 'Why dotli wineand water given out of feafon, to the fick ofan
ague, caufe a diftemper of the brain, when the water is cold and
the wine is hot ?
  The wine being apt to afcend, doth burn the brain at the
time it is difturbed  and diftempered with  the  ague.  And we
fee alfo many who are  in health,  if they ufe much wine, to  be
fcarce well in their  wits.  But water doth ftop the  paffages of
the body, by which the fpirits are diffolved, and fo caufes them
fo become thick and grofs,  and  more  corrupt  and putrified, 
220            APHRODISEUS'  PROBLEMS.

by the ague, becomcth its nourifhment ; as we fee in  a fin;th's
forge, where a little water doth kindle the fire,  and  make it
burn fiercer.
  Why have women, children, and gelded men fhrill  and loud
voices  ?
  Becaufe that through the abundance of humidity their artery
is not ftretched wide ;  and theref re, as a  fmall  flute or pipe
giveth  a fmall flender found, fo does the aorty  in  them that is
ftraight and narrow ;  for it is the property of heat to make wide
and loofen, but eunuchs and women are cold
  Why are children ftricken with the planet in the fummer time
  They are fickof a weak and lingering ague, and their eyes
fink hollow in their head, and they become weak and feeble, and
deep very little : and fome of them have a flux, becaufe child-
ren are tender and fo ealily fufter:  and having  great ftore of
phlegm in the head, and that  phlegm being overmuch heated,
and alfo putrefied, doth inflame the ague, whereupon  the  grift-
les ofthe brain are fet on fire, and  therefore they fleep  little ;
and that fire  defcending by the arter'esof the heart, and fetting
on fire the lively fpirits, doth kindle an ague :  and feeing that
much choler arifes of an ague, thereby it falleth  out, that the
choler  gnaweth and eateth the belly.  It is plain, that  the  caufe
of that alteration is in  the brain, becaufe that cooling  medicines
are applied unto the head, and fuch as are good to quench that
fire  bome of riper years are  tick of the fame difeafe, i. e. fuch
as have phlegm and choler heaped up in their head, which pu-
trefies by  the very breathing thereof, and  after a manner, the
fpirits are fet on fire by a fiery air.
  Why are round ulcers hard to be  cured ?
  Becaufe they are bred of (harp choler, which eats and gnaws,
and becaufe it doth run, for  which reafon it  requires drying
medicines as  phyficians affert.  Natural philofophers  fay  it
comes to pafs becaufe there is beginning where the mifchievous
impofthume doth begin, for in a  circle  there  is neither begin-
ning nor endt  When they are burned by phyficians they doaf-
fume another kind of fhape.
  Why is honey fweet to all men, and  yet feemeth  bitter to
fuch as have the jaundice ?
  Becaufe they have much bitter choler all over  their bodies,
but it abounds with the tongue,  whence it happens when they
eat honey the humors are ftirred,and the tafte itfelf, when it hath
found the  bitternefs of choler, caufes  an imagination that the
honey is bitter.
  Why have angry men fiery eyes ?
  Becaufe the blood about the heart is  fervent, and  the fpirit
hot, and fo being very  fubtle  and  pure, and carried  upwards,
and by the eyes, which are clear they do fhine, and have bloody
vapors  that afcend with them, wlvch makes the face red, which
Homer not beingignotantof,  fays"  And his eyes were  like a
burning flame.
  Why doth water caft, upon ferpantscaufe them to fly Lorn us ? 
              APllROblSElJS'PROBLEMS.           221

  Becaufe they are cold and dry  by  nature, having but little
blood, and therefore fly from excellive coldnefs.  And that they
be of this quality is plain, becaufe they feek for dens and fecret
places in the earth, as being warm: At fun fet they  (hun  the
air, as being cold ;  and again in fummer, becaufe the bowels of
the earth are cold they find out he warmeft places.
  Why doth an egg break if it  be roafted, and not if boiled.
  The reafon is when moifture comes near  the  fire, it heats it
too much and fo breeds much wind, which being pent up  in a
little, forceth its way out, and fo breaks the fhell.   The  hke
happens in tubs, or earthen veffels, when  new wine  is put in
them.  Much phlegm breaks the (hell of an eggin roafting, the
which dothhappen in earthen   pots too much heated;  where-
fore  the common people wet an egg when they intend to roalt it.
Hot  water  through its foftnefs, doth feparate its humidity be-
little and little, and fo dilfolves it through the paffages that  are
in the fhells.
  Why do men, in the aft of  carnal copulation, in a manner
wink and find a like alteration in all fenfes  ?
  Becaufe that being overcome w ith the effeft of that pleafure,
they do comprehend it better,  winking as  it were with  their
eyes. They are not lifted up, nor do carry the wiad abroad in-
to the air with the fenfes, whereby they would difcern thofe cor
poreal affeftions.
  Why have fome medicines of one kind contrary force, as ex-
perience doth teach, maftic  doth expel, diffolve, and fo knit;
vinegar both cools-and heats ?
  Becaufe there are fome fmall invifible bodies of them, not by
confufion but by interpofition ;  as fand nioiftened doth  clog to-
gether, and feems to be but one body, though indeed there are
many fmall bodies in fand.  Since this is fo, it is not abfurd that
contrary  qualities and virtues  (hould be hidden  in  maftic, and
nature hath given the law to thefe bodies
  Why do our privities fwell when we hurt one of our toes ?
  Nature caring for thofe things  which  belong to the body,
haftes to aflift the  part  grieved and becaufe die hath the  moft
profitable and nourifhing of all the humors, it is  requifite when
fhe doth defcend  to the toe with the blood,  that  thofe  veins be
filled which are abouttheprivy  members.
  Why doth not nature give birds a bladder, or a receptacle for
urine ?
  Becaufe they do want much  moifture to give the  matter for
feathers to grow, and that they do confume  with  the exercife
of flying;  neither do they pifs  at all, and when they drink they
void  very much dung.
  Why have children  gravel breeding in their bladder,  and
old men in their kidneys, and  reins of the kidneys ?
  Becaufe children have ftraight paffages in the kidneys  and an
earthy  thick humor  is thruft with violence by the urine from
thefafhionof the moon, even to the bladder,  which hath wide
conduits or paffages that give room for the urine  and humor,
whereof gravel is engendered, to wax thick and feat itfelf, as
the cuftom of it is.  In old men  it  is the reverfe,  for they  have 
S-23            APHRODISEUS'' PROBLEMS.

wide paffages of the reins, back, and kidneys, that the urine
may pafs away, and the earthy humor congeal and  fink down ;
the color of the gravel (hews the humor whereof the  ftones
come.
  Why, if the ftone do congeal and  wax hard through heat,
(children are hot, and by the fame reafon it is done  in old men,
for there is not fo much cold to be granted as there is in ice or
Inow, through which extreme cold the kidneys would perifh)
y.'t we ufe not contrary things to  diffolve coldnefs, but light
things as parfley, fennel and fuch like.
  They fay itfalleth out that by exceflive  heat and fcorching,
the ftones do crumble  into fand,  as in earthen  veffels which
when they are overheated or roafted, they become  fand   And
by this means it happens that fmall ftones are voided  together
with fand in making water.  Sometimes cold drinks thruft out
the ftones, the  kidneys being ftretched, and cafting out by a
greater lafk, and eafing the belly ofits burden  Befides it often
happens that an immoderate heat of the kidneys or of the reins
of the back (through which the ftone doth grow) is quenched .
with coldnefs.
  Why is the curing an ulcer or bile in the kidneys or bladder
very hard ?
  Becaufetheurinebeing very (harp, doth exulcerate the wound
while good and fit medicaments would cover  the  fkin.  Ulcers-
are harder to cure in the bladder than in  the kidneys, becaufe
urine flays in the former, but runs away from the latter.
   What is  the  reafon that in bathing veffels, the hot  water,
when it is furred, feems the  hotter to us, almoft burning our
boJies ?
  Becaufe, when we enter thefe forts ©f baths, the water itfelf
doth fufter, that is, when the water heats our bodies it is made
colder by us.  We have learned that whatever works in gener-
ation of corruption, the fame (without all doubt) doth fuffer ;
the water then being in fome fort  cooled, doth not heat alike,
and we being accuftomed to it, do not feel the heat as we did  in
the beginning, becaufe it is diminiflied-  If, by ftirring. the wa-
ter, more heat is added," which neither  hath yet wrought  or
fullered any thing of the body which isJn it,  that will feem very
hot and fealding, in regard that it  fuffers by fomething and  fo
by degrees lofes its heat, as the firJtdid.
  How is it that whatfoever is moved, is hotter for it, efpecially
in fummer, when the heat ofthe fun is moft violent.
  This feems acontradiftion to the other ;  for  hot water did
not feem hotter to us by moving.   Therefore, it is a common
thing for what is moft and principal in any thing,  either in quan-
tity or quality, to overcome and change, that which is lefs and'   !
weaker:  and that which is ftrong doth fomewhat fuffer again   I
in doing.  Wherefore the hot water, when it isvery hot, (tick-   j,
ing to the hot body cools, and does not retain the  fame quality*   .•<
The air then which doth compafs us about, being hot in fum-   ■•
mer like the water compaffing our bodies, is fomewhat heated by
us, who are hot through the feafon it heats us as linen garments
do, which being, firft cold, and then ftirred, that  air which was 
APHRODISEUS' PROBLEMS.         223
before heated by us is driven away,  and another,  not  heated,
fuccceds and leems cold to us.
  Why do thofe fores which breed in the ball of the eyes  feem
white, when they have lefs growing, and are cold, and others do
not feem fo that grow out ofthe ball ?
  Becaufe through the ball of the  eye the fight proceedeth,
which is bright and clear, therefore in the white of the eye, when
the wound doth make thick that part ofthe covering which is
like a horn, the fpirit ofthe fight cannot iflue out ; hence it comes
to pafs (much of it being got together) it makes the wound light
and clear, fhewing it white ; and becaufe ofthe quietnefs of the
fight, the fpirit cannot go out, it caufes blindnefs.
  Why doth chaff and  draw keep water  hot, and  fnow  cold,
which are feemingly contraries ?
  Becaufe the nature of chaff wants a manifeft  quality; feeing
therefore, that oftheir nature,  they can eafily be mingled, ana
confumed with that which they are annexed unto, they eafily
alfo take the fame nature unto them;  and therefore being put
into hot things, they are eafily hot, and do heat again, and keep
hot ; and, on the contrary  being  made cold of  the fnow, and
making the fnow cold, do keep in  its coldnefs. So  wax and oil
will eafily be confumed,.and made  one with  another thing, and
do help the quality which is mingled with them, as  being made
one with them.
  Why do the ftars and  heaven, feem cleareft in the bright
winter time ?
  Becaufe the air, either which doth compafs us,  or that which
is higheft, is made thin and purged with winds  and fhowers of
rain, and by that means our fight doth fee both  further and
clearer.  The like is manifeftly feen in running rivers; for fuch
things as are in them are far better feen than in the thick ftand-
ing puddle of water, where, either nothing is feen, or confuf-
edly.
  Why have we oftentimes a pain in makingwater ?
  Becaufe that (harp choler iffuingout and pricking the bladder
ofthe urine, doth provoke and ftir up the whole body to eafe the
part offended, and to expel the humor moderately.   This doth
happen moftly to children, becaufe they have moift excrements,
by reafon of their often filling.
  Why do nurfes rock and move their children when they would
have them fleep ?
  To theend that the humors,  being feattered by moving, may
move the brains ; but thofe of more years cannot endure this.
  Why do fome drunkards  fee double ?
  Becaufe the mufcles ofthe fight being more or lefs filled, and
by the felf fame means weak and feeble, do draw one eye upward,
and the other downward, and by that  means the beams do not
look that way at once,  but  towards divers  places  and bodies ;
and therefore, each of the eyes ufing a private office and duty of
feeing, doth caufe a double  fight.
  Why are boys apt to change their voices about fourteen years
of age ? 
224          APHRODISEUS'  PROBLEMS.

  Becaufe that then nature doth  caufe a  great  and hidden
change of age ; experience proveth this to  be true, for at that
time we may fee that womans' paps do grow great to  hold and
gather milk, and alfo thofe places that are above the hips, in
which the young fruit (hould remain.  Likewife  mens' breafts
and (houlders, which bear them great and heavy burdens- Al-
fo their ftones in which their feed may increafe  and abide, and
their privy members, to let out  the  feed with  eafe.   Further,
all the whole body is made larger and dilated, as  the alteration
and change of every part doth teftify, and the harftinefs of the
voice and hoarfe nefs ; for the rough artery, the wind pipe, be-
ingmade wide in the beginning, and the exterior and outward
part within equal to the throat, the air going out at the rough,
unequal and uneven pipe, doth  become unequal and (harp, and
after a fort hoarfe like unto the voice of a goat, wherefore it has
its name  Bronchus   The fame doth happen to them unto whofe
rough artery diftillation  doth flow : It happens by reafon of
the drooping humidity that a light fmall  fkin  filled  unequally
caufes the uneven going forth of the fpirit and air.  Underftand
that the wind pipe of goats is fuch by reafon of the abundance of
humidity.  The like doth happen unto all  fuch as nature hath
given a rough artery, as unto cranes.  After the years of four-
teen they leave off that voice, becaufe the artery is made wider,
and reachethits natural evennefs and quality.
  Why doth oil, being drunk caufe one to vomit, and efpecially
yellow choler ?
  Becaufe that feeing it is light, and afcending  upwards, it pro-
uoketh the nutriment in the ftomach, and lifteth it upland fo the
ftomach being grieved,  fummoneth  the ejeftive virtue to vom-
it, and efpecially choler, becaufe that is light, and  confifteth  of
fubtile parts and therefore it is the fooner carried upward ;  for
when it is mingled with any moift thing, runneth into-the  high-
eft room.
  Why doth not oil mingle with moift things ?
  Becaufe that'being pliant, foft, and conftipate in itfelf, it can-
not be divided into parts, and fo cannot be mingled; neither'
if it be put on earth, cannot it enter into it.
  Why is water and oil frozen in cold  weather, and wine and
vinegar in hot ?
  Becaufe that oil being without all quality,  and fit to be com-
pounded  with any thing, is cold quickly, andfo extremely that
it is moft cold   Water being cold of nature, doth eafily freeze
when it is made colder than its own nature.   Wine being hot,
and of fubtle parts, is not fo foon cold, but vinegar being of
moft fubtle parts, fufl'erethno freezing.
  Why do contrary things in quality produce the fame effeft ?
■  That which is moid  is hardened, and abounds alike of heat
and of cold.  Snow and liquids do  freeze with cold ; a plaifter
and gravel in the bladder, are made hot with heat.   The heat
doth  confume, and eat the abundance  of moifture ; but the'
cold flopping and fhutting with its overmuch thicknefs, doth ring
out the fifthy humidity, like as the fpunge wrung with the hand 
             APHRODISEUS' PROBLEMS.          225

doth caft out the water which it hath in the pores or fmall paf-
fages
  Why doth a  (baking or quivering feize  us oftentimes, when
any fearful matter doth happen, as a great noife or a crack made
by the hidden downfal of water or a great tree ?
  Becaufe that  often times the humors being digefted and con-
fumed with time and made thin and  weak, all the heat  vehe-
mently, fuddenly, andjiharply flying into the inward part of the
body, confumeth the humors  which caufed the  difeafe.  So
treacle hath its  effeft, and many fuch like, which are hot and
dry, when they  are taken after concoction.
  Why do fteel  glalfes fhine fo clearly ?
  Becaufe they  are lined in the inlide with white led, whofe na-
ture is fhining, which being put to the glafs, which is alfofhining,
doth fhine much more ; and cafting its beams through the paf-
fages of the  glafs,  doth double that which  is in the fuperficial
parts of the glafs, and without the body ofthe glafs, and by that
means the glafs  is very fhining and clear.
  Why do we fee ourfelves in glaffes and clear water ?
  Becaufe the quality ot the fight pafling into the bright  bodies
by  reflection, doth turn  again by the beam ofthe eyes, as the
image of him who looked on it.   That qualities do go forth and
pafs from the face, as it is not abfurd, they do (hew which remain
near unto  trees, becaufe they are wont to look green, for the
green quality of green leaves pafleth to the face of itfelf; like-
wife going into  the running water doth make it  (hew green.
  Why do hard dens, hollow and high places, fend  back the
likenefs and found of the voice ?
  Becaufe that in fuch places reflection returns back the image
ofa found;  for the voice doth beat the  air, and the  air the
place, which the more it  is beaten the more it doth beat, and
therefore doth  caufe the  more vehement found of the  voice ;
moift places  as  it were foft, yielding to the ftroke and diffolving
it, give no found again : for according to the quality and quan-
tity of the ftroke, the quality and quantity of the voice is given,
which is called  an echo.   Some doubly  fable, that  (he  is a god-
defs;  fome fay  that Pan was in love  with  her,  which without
doubt is falfe.   He  was  fome wife  man, who did firft defire to
fearch out the caufe of that voice ; and as they who love, and
cannot enjoy the'r love, are grieveJ, fo in like  manner, was he
very forry until he found out the folution of that caufe.  As En-
dymion'alfo, who firft found out the courfe ofthe moon, watch-
ing  night, and obferving  her courfe, and fearcfong her motion,
did  fleep in the  day  time,  and  therefore they do fable that he
was beloved of her, and that (be came to him when he was afleep,
becaufe fhe did give  to the philofopher the folution ot the courfe
of herfelf   They fay alfo,  that he was a fhepherd, becaufe that
in the defert and high places,'he did mark the courfe of the moon.
And they give him alfo the pipe, becaufe  the high places are
blown with wind, orelfe becaufe he fought out  the confonancy
of figures.  Prometheus alfo being a wife man, fought the courle
ofthe ftars, which is called the  eagle in the firmament, his na-
ture and place ;  and when he was, as it w ere, wafted with the dc- 
2£6            APHRODISEUS' PROBLEMS

fire of learning, then at the laft he refted, when  Hercules did re-
folve unto him all doubts with his  wifdom.
  What is the reafon that if you caft a ftone into (landing  water,
it makes many circles, and not if the w ater be deep in the mrthv
  Becaufe that 'he ftone with the  vehemence  of  the caft doth
purine  and follow  the water from every part of it,  until the
ftone come to the bottom ; for if there be a very great vehemen-
cy in the throw, the circle is the greater, the (tone going down
upon the earth, caufeth  many circles.  For firft of all, it doth
drive the overmoft and fuperficial parts of the water into many
parts, and fo going down always  to the bottom, again dividing
the water it maketli into another circle, and this is done fuccel-
fively, until the ftone refteth ; and becaufe the veheinency of the
ftone is flackened ftill as it goes down, of neceflity the laft circle is
leffer than the firft, becaufe that with the ftone  and alfo with the
body the water is divided.
  Why do fome think that laughter  proceeds from the fpleen,  »'
affirming that it is not like that they laugh as much, whofe fpeen
is corrupted, as they whofe fpeen is found, but fay that fuch are
very fad?
  Truly,  I think that  the caufe of laughter is accidental, and
r.ot  properly the fpleen ; for, if it be found and perfeft, it doth
draw from the liver melancholy humors, whereof it proceedeth,  <
that  when the pure blood, without any dregs,  doth go through  :
the whole body, and alfo in the brain it doth delight both  nature
and mind, and doth make men merry like unto wine and bring  '
them to a quietnefs and tranquillity, and  fo that of laughter is
moved.
  Why do not mulesbring forth young ones ?
  Becaufe they proceed of divers kinds of beafts, and fo then the
mixture of feed differing in quality and quantity, begets a  cer-
tain other thing ; befides, that which is firft doth mar and abolifh
the  nature of thofe things which were laft, as the  mingling of
white and black, abolifhing the color of excrements, breedeth
another color which is dark and dun, which is none at all of the
extreme;  therefore, the  engendering quality  is abolifhed, and
the aptnefs of receiving form.
  Why are inch as are deaf by nature dumb ?
  Becaufe they cannot fpeak and exprefs that which they never-
heard ; fome phyficians fa>, that there is one knit'-ng and unit-
ing of finews belonging to the like difpofition.   But fuch as are
dumb by an accident, are not deaf at all, for then  there arifeth a
localpaffion.
  Why do not fwinecry  when they are carried with tlieir fnouts
upwards ?
  Becaufe that above all other beafts they bend more than others
to the earth.  They  delight in  filth, and  that they feek,  and
therefore in the fudden change of their face, they are as it were
ftrangers ; and being amazed with fo much light, do keep filence;
fome fay the wind pipe doth  clofe together  by  reafon of the
ftraitnefs of it.
  Why do fvvine delight in dirt ? 
APHRODISEUS' PROBLEMS.             «W
   As the phyficians fay ;  they are naturally delighted  with it,
 becaufe they have a great liver, in whicli defire is ; the widenels
 of their fnout is the caufe, for he hath fmelling  which doth  dif-
 folve itfelf, and as it were drive with (tench.
   Why doth itching arife  when an ulcer doth wax whole,  and
 phlegm ceafe ?
   Becaufe the part which is healed and made found doth purfue
 the relick ofthe humors which remaineth there againft nature,
 and which was the caufe ofthe bile, and fo going out  through
 the (kin, and diffolving itfelf, doth originally caule the itch.
   Why are thofe difeafes and accidents fongeft and moft griev-
 ous which moleft one eye and not both ?
   For two reafons :  firft, becaufe a  running fluxion is heaped
 up at one eye only ;  for, whatfoever is divided into many, is
 weaker than  when entire,  andofaleffer force :  fecondly,  be-
 caufe, when the whole eye doth make any  motion, it often o-
 bligeth the ailing  eye to move too, and the help for any difeaf-
 edpart confifts in quietude.
   How comes a man to fneeze  oftener and more vehemently
 than a beaft ?
   Becaufe he ufes more meats and drinks, and of more different
 forts, and that more than requifite, which when he cannot  di-
 geft as he would he doth gather together much air and fpirit by
 reafon of much humidity, the fpirits being then very fubtle, af-
 cending into  the head, often forces a man to void it, and fo pro-
 voke  fneezing.  The noife caufed thereby proceeds from a  ve-
 hement fpirit or breath paifing through the conduits ofthe noft-
 rils, as belching does by the ftomach, or f----gby the funda-
 ment, the voice by the throat, and a found by the ears
   How come the nails and hairof dead people to grow ?
   Becaufe the flefh rotting, withering, falling away, that which
 was hidden about the root of the hair doth now  appear,  and
 caufes an imagination that the  hair  doth grow ;  fome fay it
 grows indeed, becaufe the deadcarcafes are diffolved, in the be-
 gin*ing to many excrements and fuper thirties, by reafon ofthe
 putrefaction which comes to them.   Thefe going out at the  up-
 permoft parts ofthe body by fome paffages do increafe the growth
 ofthe hair.
   Why doth not the hair of the feet grow prefently grey ?
   Becaufe that through great motion they difperfe anddiffolve
 the fuperfluous  phlegm that breeds greynefs,   The hair of  the
 fecrets do grow grey very late, becaufe of the heat of the  place
 and becaufe that in carnal copulation it does diffolve the phlegm
 alfo.
  Why do many beafts wag their tails when they fee their friends
 and a lion and a bull beat their (ides when they are angry ?
  Becaufe they have the marrow in their backs reaching to  the
 tail, which hath the  force of motion in  it,  the  imagination  ac-
 knowledges that which is known to them,  doth force  them to
 move  their tail,  as men do their hands.  This  doth manifeftly
 (hew fome fecret force to be within them, which doth  acknowl-
edge what they ought.  In the anger of lions and bulls, nature
doth confent to the mind, and caufeth it to be greatly moved, as
men do fometimes  when they are angry beating their  hands on 
228            APHRODISEUS' PROBLEMS.
other parts ; when the mind cannot be revenged on that which
doth hurt, it prefently feeksout fome other folace, and cures the
malady with a ftroke or blow.
  Why, if you put hot burnt barley upon a  horfe's fore, is the
hairwhichgrows upon  the fore not white, but like  the other
hair ?
  Becaufe it hath the force of expelling, and doth wipe away and
diffolve the excrements ot phlegm, as likewife all unprofitable
matter that is gathered together through the weaknefs of the parts
or crudity ofthe fore.
  Why doth hair never grow on an ulcer or a bile ?
  The reafon is, a man hath a thick fkin, as is feen by  the thick-.
nefs of the hair;  and  fince the fear is thicker than the fkin itfelf,
it flops the paffage from whence the hair (hould grow.  Horfes
have  thinner (kins, as is plain by the thick hair :  therefore, all
paffages are not ftopt in their wounds and fores, and after the ex-
crements, which were gathered together, have broke a paffage
through thofe fmall pores, the hair doth grow.
  What is the reafon that fuch as are bitten with a fnake, if  they
are thirfty, quench it  by drinking of treacle which is hot and dry.
  I fay then, it doth not quench thirft folely by its own  quality,
but by fome mutual fympathy and confent, and natural reafon.
It is a kind of counterpoifon, and a prefervative too. being  coni-
pofed ofdivers forts of herbs that have fome kind of agreement
with all the parts of the body, as diftamnum, dittanger, or  gin-
ger, hath a proportionableconfervation of the heart:  agrimony
or liver wort with the liver ; ftone woit or finger fern with the
fpleen  ; parfley with the mouth  of the belly ; hyfop with the
lungs ; elecampane with the reins ot  the back :  rue with the
neck ; bitterwort the brain  ; and filer montanum with the blad-
der.  Every one of thefe drawn as it were with fhe fweetnefs of
honey, doth draw that which is beft for his fafety ;  among all
of thefe the blood of fome vipers is mingled, which hath a cer-
tain natural difaftection, which we call antipharmicum, a contra-
ry of all natural qualities againft every venomous beaft and cor-
ruptible creature.  Thefe being diftributed into every part  they
fuffer nothing to work that effeft which doth threaten  corrup-
tion, for they  do refill,like lawful foldiers who  have taken arms
for the defence of their country.
  Why is fortune painted with a double forehead, one fide bald,
and the other hairy ?
  The baldnefs fignifies  adverfity,  and  hairinefs profperity,
which we enjoy when it pleafesher.
  Why have fome commended flattery ?
  Becaufe flattery fetteth forth before our eyes what we ©ught
to be,  though not what we are.
  Wherefore (hould virtue be painted girded ?
  To (hew that virtuous men fhould not be flothful, but  dili-
gent and always in aftion.
  Why did the ancients fay it was better to fall into the hands of
a raven, that a flatterer ?
  Becaufe the ravens don'teatus till we be dead, but flatterers
devour us alive, 
APHRODISEUS' PROBLEMS.
   Why have choleric men beards before others ?
   .Becaufe they are hot, and their pores large and wide.
   How comes it that fuch as have the hicup do eafe themfelves
 by holding their breath ?
   The breath retained doth heat the interior parts of the body
 and the hicup proceeds from nothing but cold.
   How comes it that old men remember well that  which they
 have feen and done in their youth, and forget things as they fee
 and do in their age ?
   Things learned in youth have taken root and habituate in the
 perfon,  but thofe  learnt  in  age  are  forgotten,  becaufe the
 fenfes are weakened in them.
   What kind of covetoufnefs is beft ?
   That of time when it is employed as it ought to be.
   Why is  our life compared to a ftage play ?
   Becaufe the difnoneft do occupy the place of the honeft, and
 the word  fort the room of the  good.
   Why do dolphins, when they appear above- ihe  water denote
 fome (form or temped approaching ?
   Becaufe that, at the beginning of the temped, there do arife
 from the bottom of the fea certain hot  exhalations and vapors
 which heat the dolphins, caufing them to rife up  and feek  for
 cold.
   Why are things more quiet in the night than in the day ?
   The motion ot the air, and the coldnefs of night, is the caufe
 thereof,  which coldnefs continues and hinders the  motions.
   How come the Romans to call Fabius Maximus the  target of
 the people, and Marcellus the fword ?
   Becaufe the one adapted himfelf to the fervicc of the com-
 monwealth, and the other was very eager to revenge the injur-
 ies of his country ?  and yet they were in the  fenate joined  to-
 gether, becaufe the gravity of the one  would moderate  the
 courageand brevity of the other.
   Why does the fhining of the  moon hurt the head ?
   Becaufe  it moves  fhe humors of the brain  and cannot after-
 wards refolve them.
   If water  do not nourifh why do men drink it ?
   Water caufes the nutriment to fpread through the body.
   Why is fneezing good ?
   It purgeth the brain, as milk is purged by the cough.
   Where is the feat  ofthe affections ofthe body ?
   Joy u.velleth in the fpleen, anger in the gall, fear in the heart,
 and lechery in the liver
   Why is hot water lighter than cold ?
   Becaufe the boiling water has lefs ventofity, and is more light
 and fubtle, the earthy and heavy fubftance being feparated from it.
   How come marfh and pond water to be evil?
   By reafon they are phlegmatic,  and do corrupt  in fummer
•time, the finenefs of the water is turned into vapors,  and the
 earthinefsdoth remain.
   Why are ftudious and learned men fooneft b*ld ?
   It proceeds from a weaknefs of the fpirits, or becaufe warmth
 of digeftion caufes phlegm to abound in them. 
230            APHRODISEUS' PROBLEMS.

  Why doth much watching make the Brain feeble ?
  Becaufe it increafes choler,  which  dries and extenuates the
body.
  Why are fteel glaffes better for the fight than others ?
  Steel is hard, and doth prefent unto us more fubftantially  the
air that receiveth the light.
  How doth love (how its greateft force, by making the fool to
become wife, or the wife become a fool ?
  It attributes wifdom to him that hath it not; for k  is harder
to build than to pull down, and ordinary love and folly are but
an alteration of the mind.
  How comes too much labor to be bad for the fight ?
  Becaufe it dries the blood too miich.
  Why is goats' milk counted beft for the ftomach ?
  Becaufe it is thick, not flimy, and they feed upon boughs and
wood rather than grafs.
  Why do grief and vexation bring gray hairs ?
  Becaufe it drier, and age is nothing elfe.
  How is he the moft merry that hath the thickeft blood ?
  The blood which is fat and thick makes the fpirits  firm  and
conftant, wherein confilts the force of all creatures.
  In your opinion which is hardeft, to obtain the love of a per-
fon, or to keep it when obtained ?
  To keep it, by reafon of the inconftancy  of man, who is
quickly angry, and foon weary ofa thing ;  hard to be got and
Uippery to keep.
  Why do ferpents fhun the herb rue ?
  Becaufe they aVe  cold, dry, and  full of finews, but the herb
rue is of a contrary nature
  How comes a capon better to eat than a cock >
  The capon lofes not his moifture becaufe he does not tread the
hens and therefore  is better.
  Why do we fmell athing lefs in the winterthan in the fummer?
  Becaufe the air is thick, and*lefs movable.
  How comes hair to burn fo  quick as it does ?
  Becaufe the hair is dry and cold.
  Why is love compared to labyrinth ?
  Becaufe the entry and coming in is  eafy,  and the going out
impoflible,  or very hard.
THE END, 
ARISTOTLE'S
.LAST-LEGACY,

         UNFOLDING THE

     MYSTERIES of NATURE

             IN THE

  GENERATION of  MAN.
TREATING,
I. Of Virginity,  its Signs
  and Tokens,  and  how a
  Man may know whether he
  hath Married a Virgin
  or not,
II. Of the Organ of Gen-
  eration in Women, with
  a defeription of the Womb.
III. Of the Use and Action
  of the  Genitals  in  the
  Work of Generation.
IV.  Of Conception ; and
  how to know whether a
  Woman has Conceived,
  and whether of a  Male or
  Female
V. Of the  Pleas-jre  and
  Advantage   cf   Mar-
  hiage; with the unhappy
  Cons': QjJtrCES of unequal
  Matchi.-?, and Miseries
  Of UN LA YV FULI.OVE,
VI. Of  BARRENNESS,  wit?!
  remedies  againft it; and
 gjhe Signs of the Insuffi-
  ciency both in Men and
  Women.
VII.  Directions  to  both
  Sexes how to manage them-
  felves in the Act of Coi-
  tion, or their Venereal
  Embraces.
VIII.  A Vade  Mecum for
  Midwives and Nurses;
  Containing  particular  Di
  rections for  the faithful
  Discharge of their feveral
  Employments
 IX. Excellent Remedies
  againft all  Diseases inci-
  dent   to  Virgins   and
  Child Bearing Women ;
  fitted for the ufe of Mi.i>-
  W I V Ei,  &c. 
                 INTRODUCTION.

               WHEN the almighty Arehitetl  cf the world  had
formed the hea,ven in the beginning, and laid the foundation cf the
earth, and by his blefled Spirit moving upon the abyfs, had created
a fair and beautiful world, out ofa rude mafs and undigeftcd chaos,
and by bis powerful fiat had brought into being all the. feveralfpe-
des of vegetables and animals, and given even to  the plants  and
vegetables to have feed in themfelves for producing  their feveral
kinds or forms, iind to the animals  (which he created male, and
female) the power of propagating their fpecies, and  had adorned
the world with all thofe beautiful and glorious embellijbments,  that
bis omnipotent wifdom and goodnefs flaw fit  and tequfite for  that
great guefi he defigned to bring into it ;  be at laft created man  as a
tnicrocojm, or lejfer wo> Id to be lord of this greater world, not with
a bare flat only, as he did the reft of his creatures, but called fas it
were)  a council of the facred Trinity about it, faying, Let us make
man in  our oven image, after our own likenefs,  &c.  as the divine
biftorian e.vprejfes : So that man, in his original, is a ray of the di-
vinity,  and the very breath of the Almighty;  and  then fore it is
faid,  God breathed into bis noftrils the breath of life, and he became
a livingfoul.  Man being thus created, and made lord ofthe woild,
had in himfelf at firft both fexes, for the text tells us,  Male and fe-
male created he them,  and called their name  Adam .* but yet till
Adam was divided he was ftill alone ; and every  creature had a
mate, he was lord of all;  fo that in paradife itfelf he feemed to be
unhappy, 'wanting a meet beljM  and therefore his munificent Maker
refolving to make him completely happy, divides himfelf from him-
felf, that by a more agreeable conjunction, he might be united to him-
felf again ; andfo ofa part of  himfelf was formed  Eve,  whom
Adam,  having never Jeen before, byufympathy of nature, prefent-
ly called, bone of bis bone, andflefb ofbisjlejb : And Adam having
thus found a meet help given  him by  his  Creator,   be  was now
completely happy, and being bleffed by  the Almighty,  bad this law
alfo given him, to increafe and multiply, be being endo-veed  with a
natural propenfion thereunto, and the woman having a plaftic pow-
er given her by nature for the formation ofthe embryo.  This nat-
ural inclination and propenjton of both fexes to each other, with the
plaftic power of nature,  is only  the energy of the firft blejjing and
command oj'the Almighty, which to this day upholds the world.
   The myftery rf the generation of that ncblefl piece of creation man,
and the unfolding ofthe plaftic power of nature, in the fecret work-
ings of generation, and  formation of the feed in the womb, is the
fuojeil of the following treatife : afubjccl Jo neceffary to  be known
by all the fenuilefex (the conception and bearing of children being
that  which  nature has  ordained their province)  that many for
want of the knowledge hereof pi rijh, with the fruit of their womb
alfo,  who had they but underftood the fecrets cf generation difflayed
in this book, might have been (till in the land of the living,
   'Tis therefore for the  ufe of fuch that this treatife is compiled:
wherein the myftery of generation is not  only  unravelled,  and the
abftrtfe jecrets of nature  made knoWK, but the obflrueljons  and
b'-nderaucesoj'generation  are declared, and proper.remedies againft
all the defied so) the veo/nb dirciled. 
ARISTOTLE'S  LAS r  LEGACY.
Fully unfolding the Mysteries of Nature in the Genera-
                     tion of Man.
 Of Virginity, what itisjts Signs and Tokens, and how a Man may
                 know if he marries a Virgin.

          THE great maker of the univerfe, that gives all crea-
 tures life and being, and a power in themfelves to propagate
 their kind, even to the end of the world, has to that end created
 them male and female, and thefe of contrary qualities ; for, in this
 noble pair, man and woman, the man is hofrand dry, the woman
 cold and moift ; and thefe two  different  qualities uniting, are
 ordained by nature for the procreation of children, the feed of
 the man being the efficient caufe, and the  womb of the woman
 the field ot generation, wherein the feed  is nourifhed,  and the
 embryo formed, and in due time brought forth
  Suice women then have fo great part in the generation of man.
 I (hall endeavor to fhew how nature has fitted them for it ; anu
 becaufe a knowledge of the difeafe is half the cure, I will give
 a brief defeription ofthe feveral parts or members of generation,
 that fo, if at any time, any part be affefted, or out of  order, it
 may be fooner rectified :  And although I muft ufe plainnefs,
 yet I hope to doit fo as not to caufe a guilty blufh on the  cheek
 ofthe fair fex.
  And fince the firft ftate of woman is virginity, order and meth -
 od require that  I fpeak fomething of that; and in  fpeaking on
 it, I will firft fhew what it is, and then lay down fome figns and
 tokens of it, how it may be known, and then proceed to what  \
 have before promifed
  Virginity is the boaft and pride of the fair fex, though  they
 generally commend it to putit off, and that they may the fooner
 get a good husband and thereby lofe it : And 1 think they are
 in the right, for, if they keep it  too long, it grows ufelefs, or at
 lead abates much of its value : a ftale virgin being looked  upon
 like an old almanack out of date.   Virginity the chief, the bell,
 the prime of any thing, and is properly the integrity of woman's
 privities, not violated by man or known by him, it being the
 property of a virgin not to have  known man.  But  to  come a
 little mor£ clofe, there is in young maidens, in the neck of th. ,
 womb, a pendulous produdlion called Hymen, which is like the
 bud of a rofe half blown, and this is broke in the firft aft ofcop-
 ulation with a man, and from thence the word deflora,  to  de-
 flower, becaufe the taking away  of virginity is  deflowering a
 virgin, for when the rofe bud is expanded, virginity is wholly
 loft.  Certain it is, there is in the firft acL of copulation, fome
 thing which caufeth pain and bleeding, which is an evident  fign
 of virginity, but, what this is, authors agree not : Some fay h is
a nervous membrane,  or  thin fkin,  with fmall veins, which
bleed at the firft penetration ofthe yard :  Others fav ir U   f.-,i
                     u  2                     ' 
2S4          ARISTOTLE'  LAS I" Ll-'.G ACV.

caruncfes, or b;ts of flefh, or little buds like myrtle bei rics.  and
thefe are plump and full in virgins, but hang loofe and flag  in
thofe that have ufed copulation.   Some have obferved a flelhy
circle about the nymphte or neck of the womb,  with little ob-
feure veins, which make the membrane not to be nervous, but
flefhy.
  There is no doubt but that the part  which receiveth the yard
is not in women that have ufed a man, as it is in virgins, and yet
it is not alike in all, which hath caufed diverfity of opinions both
in authors andanatomifts, for  this is tu;t found in all virgins:
Excels ofluft, and defire ofa man, in fome, may break the Hy-
men, or claiulrum virginale ;  fometimes when  it itcheth,  they
put in their ringer and fo break it: "fometimes  the midwives
break it in the birth ;  and fometimes it is done  by  flopping  of
the urine, coughing, violent ftraining, or fneezing  and there-
fore, if there be no bleeding at the firft penetration,  it is not al-
ways a fign of unchaftity ; but where  there is bleeding it is  an
unqueftionable fign  of virginity.
   Leo Africanusmakes mention of the cuftom of the  Africans at
tffeir weddings, wh:ch was this ; After they were married, the
bridegroom and the bride were  (hut up in a chamber, whilft the
wedding dinner was preparing, and an old woman flood  at ftie
chamber door to receive from  the bridegroom a fheet, having the
bloody tokens  of  the wife's  virginity, which fhe  ihewed  in
triumph to all the guefts, and then they might  feaft   with joy ;
but if there was no  blood to be feen,  the bride was  fent home
with difgrace, and thedifappointed guells went home fadly with-
out their dinner.  But notwithstanding the  African  cuftom  I
affirm that fome honeft virgins have loft their maidenheads with-
out bleedirg, and therefore are not to  be cenfured for want- of
this token, asforne ignorant men may  do,  and caufe their wives
to live an uncomfortable life all  their days, fancying  themfelves
to be cuckolds, when there is  no fuch  matter.
   Some make the ftraitnef's ofthe privities to be a fign  of vir-
ginity, but fhis is no certain rule,  for  much  depends  upon the
age, habit of body, and other  circumftances: Though it  cannot
but be acknowledged, that women that have ufed carnal copu-
lation are not fo ftrait as virgins, yet this can be no certain argu-
ment of virginity for, after repeated  acts ofvenery,  the privi-
ties may be made fo ftraight by the ufe of aftringent  medicines,,
that a whore may be fometimes  taken-tor a virgin.    Culpepper
mentions a woman that defiring to appear a virgin, ufed a bath
of comfrey roots, whereby lhe deceived thofe with whom fhe had
to do
   Some make milk in  the breaft  a fign of loft virginity, not con-
fideringthereisa twofold milk, the one of virgins contrary  to
nature, the other natural: The firft is made of blood that can-
not get out ofthe womb, and  fo goes to the breafts, being noth-
ing but a fupcrfluous nourifhment that is turned into milk by
the faculty of the breafts without the knowledge ofa man:  the
other is only when there is a child either in the womb, or horn;
And the milk differs very much, both in  refpeel of the blood
and diverfity of veins that bring it to the breaft and though both 
ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.
 are white, yet that of virgins is thinner, lefs in quantity  and not
 fo'fweet ; and therefore, if virgins happen to have fuch milk,
 they are not for that reafon re be deemed unchafte.
   Upon the whole, when a man marries, and finds,  upon lying
 with his wife, the token of her  virginity  he has all the reafon
 in the world to be fatisfied he has married a  virgin :  but if  on
 the contrary, he finds them not, he has no reafon to fufpecL her
 of unchaftity, as if fhe were not a virgin, fince the hvmen, or
 clauftrum virginale may be broken fo ruany other ways, and yet
 the woman be both virtuous and chafte.
   And thus much I thought my felf bound to fay in behalf of the
 female fex, who are often accufed and fufpedted  of diftionefty,
 when there is no occafion for it.
                      CHAP.  II.
 Of the Organs of generation in Women, with a Defeription if the
                     Fabric of a Woman.
           IN Defcribing the organs of generation in women, I
 fhall ufe all polfible plainnefs and perfpicuity, and fhall not be
 afraid to fpeak fo as I may be underftood by the meaneft capaci-
 ty, fince I defign nothingbut the inftrucVion of theignorant, for
 their own fafety, and (hall fay with the motto ofthe royal gar-
 ter,  Honi foil qui maly penfie.
   In the genitals of women  there are feveral parts  which muft
 be diftinctly fpoken of :  That which appears to view at the bot-
 tom ofthe belly is the fiffura magna, or the great clift or fiffureof
 an oval form, with its hair about it, alfo the lips, which  nature
 defigned to keep the internal parts from  cold and duft :  Thefe
 are called by the general name of pudenda, from fhamefacednefs,
 becaufe a woman is afhamed when thofe parts are discovered on
 made bare. The fiffura  magna  reaches  from the lower parts of
 the os pubis, near to the annus ;  but it is clofer in  virgins than in
 thofe who have born children, and has two lips, which towards
 the pubis grow more full and thick, and meeting upon the mid-
 dle ofthe ox pubis, make that rifing  hill   called  mons  Veneris
 or the mount of Venus,
   The next thing is the  nympha, or wings w hich appear when
 the lips are fevered, andare framed of fpungy or foft [flefh,  of a.
 red color, two in number, joined in an  acute angle producing
 there a  fle!hy fubftance compofing the clytoris, andboth in form
 and color refembling the comb of acock*
   The clitoris is a finewy and hard body,  full of fpungy and
 black matter within : and in form reprefents the  yard ofa  man
 and is fubjeft to erection and falling as that does.   This is  that
 which is the feat of veneral [leafure, and gives women delight
 in 'he acl of copulation :  For without this a woman neither de-
 fires coition, nor hath pleafure in it, nor conceives by it.  The
, clytoris fometimes grows out of the body  two inches, but this
 very feldom happens.  And fome  think that hermaphrodites,
 or thofe that have the genitals, are only fuch women  in  whom
 the clitoris hangs out extremely, and fo refemble the form of a
 yard : and I am almoft inclined to be of theiropinion, efpecially
 confidering that the hanging out of the clytoris,  is  generally
 occafioned through extreme luft ; and both reafon and author!- 
ess
ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.
ty demonflrate that the higher the clytoris, in women, the more
vehement their defires are carried after, coition, and confequent-
ly the more luftful.
  In the fourth place, under the clytoris, and above the  neck of
the womb are the flefhy knobs or caruncles, placed behind the
wings, and are like myrtle berries placed one againft another, in
which place is inferted the orifice of the bladder, for the  paffiige
ofthe woman's  urine:  fo that  the urine of the woman comes
through the neck ofthe womb,  neither is the paflage of  the  u-
rine common as in men, but particular by itfelf
  Near the orifice ofthe womb, as I have faid before, there are
the caruncles, or.flefhy knobs, in number four, inform like myr-
tle benies; in virgins thefe are round and plump, but in wom-
en that have ufed copulation, thefe are loofe and flagging, asd
often quite undiftinguilhed, fo that the infide ofthe neck of the
womb appears fmooth :  theuppermoft of them islargeand fork-
ed, the others are below this  on the fides, but they all ferve  to
keep back the air, or any otfenlive thing, from entering the neck
of the womb. Thefe caruncles or knobs are joined together by
a thin or finewy  fkin or membrane,  full of fmall veins this
membrane hath a hole in the midll for the paflage of the  month-
ly courfes, about thebignefs ofthe top of one's little finger  in
fuch as are in years fit for marriage; this is that noted fkin call-
ed  Hymen, of which I have fpoken in the former chapter, and
which  is a certain fign of virginity  wherever it is found,  for the
firft act of copulation furely breaks it,  though it may be  broken
without the act of copulation but it is moft generally broken by it.
  Authors have been of divers opinions concerning this  Hymen
or mark of virginity ; fome affirm it to be one  thing and fome
another ;  but whatever it be, this is an undoubted truth, that it
hath certain veins in it which bleed in the breaking, and that
blood fhews it to  be then firft broke, and confequently the per-
fon to be  a virgin : and I do believe, that all virgins have  at firft,
it being the mark that God gave the  Hebrews to try their vir-
ginity by : and I cannot believe God  would give that for a cer-
tain fign df virginity which is not always to be found, and tho'
it may be broke without copulation, yet young maidens ought to
be very wary of it, fince their honor does fo much depend upon
preferving it. For men are not bound to believe it was  broken
by accident, though perhaps it might  be fo,to which end they
ought to cor reel and expel  all  fharp  and  corroding humors
which fometimes gnaw it afunder, and alfo to avoid all  violent
exercifes  which  may overllrain them, and by all means  touch-
ing it with their fingers   1  have in the former chapter told you
that the caruncles or flefhy  knobs, together with  the Hymen,
reprefent the form of a hair  blown rofe, from whence to deflow-
er a virgin had it original.
  The next thing to be fpoken of is the neck of the womb, which
is nothing but the diftance that is between the privy paflage and'
the mouth of the womb, into which the yard goes in the  act  of
copulation, which in fome women is eight inches in length ; its
fubftance without is flefhy, but within fkinny,  and  exceedingly
wrinkled, that it may the better retain the feed ejected  in the 
ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.         237
aflof copulation, and alfo that it may dilate and ftretch in the wo-
man's labor, and the paflage may be the wider for the  birth of
the child.   The length ofthe neck ofthe womb is very necella-
ry for two reafons :  Firft, that it may be filled with abundance
of fpirits, and there be dilated, for its better taking hold of the
penis or yard, great heat being required in fiich motion, which
becoming more intenfe or exquifite by the acl of frication, con-
fumes a great quantity of moifture, which there ought to be large
veffels to fupply : Secondly, becaufe the termsormonthly courf-
esmake their way  through them; on which account  women
with child fometimes continue their purgations:  for although
the womb be (hut,  yet. the paffage in the neck  of the womb
through which thefe velfels pafs is open.
  I will only further obferve, that as foon as  man penetrates the
pudendum,  there appears two little pits or holes, thefe contain
an humor, which being preffed out  in  the  time of  copulation,
 gives great delight to a woman.
  Having thus fpoken ofthe organs of generation in women, I
will now defcribe the fabric ofthe womb.
  The womb is joined to its neck in the lower part of the hypo-
 faftrion, and is placed between the  bladder and the ftraight gut.
 ts parts are two, the mouth ofthe womb and the bottom of the
womb  : The mouth or entrance may be both dilated and  con-
tracted, much like a purfe, for though in the act of copulation it
be big enough to receive the glands,nut, or top of the man's yard,
yetafter conception, it isf'o clofe fhut, that it will  not admit the
point ofa bodkin to enter: and after this, at  the time of delive-
ry, it dilates itfelf again fo wide, that it makes room enough for
the child to come forth,, which is fo wonderful a thing, that  all
men muft acknowledge that the wifdom and goodnefs of our Cre-
ator is eminently to be feen in it.
  Its figure is almoft perfectly round, and  in virgins doth not
exceed the bignefs of a walnut, yet after conception,  it dilates
itfelf gradually, fo that it is able to contain the child  and all  its
appurtenances
  It is thick in fubftance, infemuch that it exceeds a  thumb's
breadth, which after conception, is fo far from decreafing, that
it augments very much :  anatoftrengthenit more, it is interwo-
ven with fibres over athwart, which are both  ftraight and wind-
ing, and its proper veffels are veins, arteries, and  nerves among
which there  i e two little veins, which pafs from  the fpermatic
veffels to the bottom of the  womb, and two  larger from the hyp-
ogaftrics, which touch tfe-bottom and the neck :  The  mcu.li of
the veins piercing ao far as the inward cavity.
  Alfo the womb hath two  arteries o;\ each  fide  the  fpermatic
veffels, and the hypogaftrics, which ftill accompany the veins, al-
io divers little nerves that are knit and entwined in the form of
a net, and extended to the pudenda, placed chiefly for fenfe and
pleafure, moving by way offympathy between the head and the
womb'.
  The ftones and tefticles in women differ  in  feveral refpefts
from thofe of men, and that in relation to their place, form, fig-
ure, &e.  As to the place, in men they are without the belly, in 
258         ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.
women within : in men they are oval, and have  four (kins,  to
prefcrve them from injuries : in women they are dcprefled and
flattifh, and have but one fkin :  Their fubftance is alfo more foft
than thofe of men, and their temperature iscolder.  Tlieir office
is to contain their ovum or  egg, according to  our  modern au-
thors :  But the ancients were of opinion, that they ferved to con-
nect the woman's feed, and  had the fame office in women as the
ftones have in men but as this  of the  woman's having  feed is
ftrongly oppofed by feme, and as ftrongly contended  for by oth-
ers, 1 will therefore fet down the opinions of both, having firft
made an end ofthe defeription  ofthe feveral parts belonging  to
the organ of generation in women, which is what I am now upon.
  I come now to fpeak ofthe fpermatic veflels in women, which
are divided or diftinguiflied by preparing veffels, and carrying
veffels :  the preparing veflels are the fame in number as in men,
which are four, two veins and two arteries, not differing from
thofe in a man, but only in their largenefs and  manner of infer-
tion ; the right vein ifliiing from  the trunk of the vena cava,
which is the great vein that receives the blood from  the liver,
and diftributes it by branches  to all the body, under the emul-
gent vein which is one ofthe chief branches ofthe hollow veins
pailing  to the reins ;  but the  left fpringing from the emulgent
of the fame fide.   Both the arteries ifliie from the great artery
called Aorta, becaufe it is the nobleft and mother of all the reft.
Thefe preparing velfels are  much fliorter in women than  in men
becaufe  their paflage is (horter : The ftones of a woman,  as I
have already noted, lying within the  belly, but thofe ot  men
without: but then what they want in length, they have in their
various wreathings and contortions, which are  more than in men
that the fubftance they carry may be the  better prepared, and
therefore, their often  turning to and fro, and winding in andput
make amends for the fhortnefs of the paflage.  Obferve alfo", that
thefe veflels are not united, as they are in men, before they come
to the ftones but are divided in  twobranches, whereof the great-
er only goeth, to the  ftones, and the leflerendeth in  the womb,
both for the nourifhment of itfelf and the iafant, and that part
ofthe courfes may pafs through the veflels:  Thefe fpermatic
veins receive the arteries as  they pafs by the fide of the  womb,
and fo there is a mixture between the vital and natural  blood,
and thereby the work of generation might le better wrought;
and thus much for the preparing veiiels
  The carrying veffels called  vafa de fercntia  (that is veflels
which carry the feed  from  the ftones to the feminal veffels) arife
from the lowerpart of the  tefticles:and are in  color  white, but
in fubftance finewy ;  they  pafs not ftraight to the womb, but  are
wreathen, that the fhortnefs of the way  may be  compenfatcd
by their various turnings and windings, and, as  they come next
to the womb, they grow broader.
   The ejaculatory veffel* are two paflages on each fide  of  the
womb, and hardly differ in fubftance from the fpermatic veins,
they rife from the bottom of the womb but reach  not either to
the ftones, or any other part, but are fhut up  and  are iinpafla-
blc, adhering to the womb   as the collar does to the hind gut> 
            ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.         239

winding halfway about.  Although the ftones are at a diftance
from them, and do not fo much as touch them, yet they are faft-
ened to them, by certain membranes, much refembling the
wings ot a bat through which certain veins and arteries that pafs
from the end of the tefticles have their paflages,  proceeding from
the corners ofthe horns ofthe womb to the  tefticles, being the
proper ligaments by which the tefticles and the womb are knit
together;  and thefe ligaments in men are"talled creamallers,
which are the mufcles that hold  up the ftones, of which I fhall
fpeak further, when I treat of the organs of  generation in man.
                       CHAP.   III.
Of the Ufe and Aclion ofthe Genitals in the Work of Generation.
          THE ufe ot the external parts, commonly ealled the
pudenda, are defigned to cover the great orifice, and the irfe of
that is to receive the yard in the act of copulation,   and to give
paflage to the child at thebirth ; and alfo a paflage for the urine.
The ufe ofthe wings and knobs like myrtle  berries are for  the
fecurity of the internal parts, fhutting the  orifice and neck of
the bladder ; and by their fwelling up do caufe titillation and
delight in thofe parts, and alfo to hinder the involuntary paffage
of the urine.  L he action of the clytoris in women is like that of"
the yard in men, which is erection, and its outer end is  like the
glans, or top of the yard, and has  the fame name,  and as the
glans in men is the feat of the greateft pleafure in  copulation,  fo
is this in women.
  The aftion and ufe of the  neck of the womb is  equal with
that ofthe yard, and is occafioned feveral ways ; for firft, it is e-
redted and made itraight for the paffage of the yard to the womb
in the act of copulation ;  and then whilft the paffage is repleted
with fpirit and vital blood, it becomes more ftraight for embrac-
ing the yard ; and the convenience of erection  is two fold ; firft
if the neck ofthe womb was  not erecled, the yard  could have
no convenient paflage to the womb ; and in the fecond place, it
hinders any damage that may happen, through the violent con-
cuflion of the yard in the time of copulation.
  And as for thofe veflels that make their way through the neck
of the womb, their office is to replenifh it with blood and fpirit,
that fo as the moifture confumes by the heat  contra ted  in cop-
ulation, it may by thofe veflels be  renewed ; but their chief
bufinefs is to convey nourifhment to the womb.
  The womb has many properties attributed to it ;  the firft is
the retention of the  feed ; as the ancients fpeak, of  the fecund-
ated egg, as others would have it;  and this properly is called
conception ; and, 2dly, to cherilh and nourifh  it till nature has
framed the child,  and  brought it  to perfection, and Sdly, it
worketh ftrenuoufly in fending forth the birth, when the time of
its remaining there is expired, at which time it ftretcheth forth
itfelf in a very wcnderful manner.
  The ufe of the preparing veffels is to convey the blood to the
tefticles, (part of which is fpent in the nourifhment of them, and
the production of thofe little bladders, in all things  refembling
eggs) through which the preparing veflels run, and are obliter-
ated in them ; that is done by the arteries ; and as for the veins 
 240        ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.

 their office is to bring back what blood remains from the afore-
 faid ufes.   Thefe velfels are more fhort in women  than in men,
 by reafon of their nearnefs to the ftones ; which defect, is fuffi-
 ciently repaired by the many windings and "turnings to  which
 they are fubject, dividing themfelves in the middle, way  into
 two branches, though not of an equal bignefs, for one is greater
 than the other.
   The ftones in women are of that ufe that if they are defeftive,
 the work of generation ceafes ;   for though (according  to the
 modern opinion) thofe little bladders which are in their outward
 fuperficies, contain nothing of feed,  yet they contain feveral
 eggs (uncertain as to their number, though  generally about
 twenty) one of which eggs being  impregnated by the fpirituous
 part of man's feed in the aft of coition, defcends into the womb,
 and in the time nature has appointed, becomes a living child.
   Having thus given an account  of the ufe  and aftion of the
 genitals in the aft of generation, I fhall now fhew you the opin-
ion of both the ancients and moderns touching the woman's con-
 tributing  feed  for  the formation of the child, as well as the
 man's  ; which was the opinion of the ancients; but is denied by
 our modern authors.
   Though itis apparent, fay the ancients, that the feed  ofa man
 is the principal efficient, and beginning of aftion, motion, and
 generation, yet that the woman affords feed, and contributes to
 the procreation of thechild, is evident, from hence, that the wo-
 man has feminal velfels, which had been given her in vain, had
 fhe wanted feminal excre (fence: but fince nature doth nothing
 in vain, it muft be granted they were made for the ufe of feed
 and procreation, and fixed in their proper places to operate and
 contribute virtue and efficacy to the feed ; and this, fay they, is
 farther proved from hence, that if women at the years of matu-
 rity ufe not copulation to eject  the feed, they often  fall into
 ftrange difeafes, as appears by young women and virgins ; and
 alfo it is apparent, that women are never better pleafed  than
 when they are often fatisfied this way, which pleafure and de-
 light, fay they, is double in women  to what itis in men, for as
 the delight of men confifts chiefly in the ejection of the feed, fo
women are delighted both by the  ejection of their own, and the
 reception ofthe man'^.
   But againft all this, our modern authors affirm,  that the an-
cients were very erroneous; for as much as tefticles in women
 do not afford feed,  but are two eggs, like thofe of fowls ; neith-
er have they any fuch office as  thofe of men  but are indeed an
 ovarium, a receptacle for eggs ;  wherein thefe eggs are nour-
 ifhed by thefanguinary veflels difperfed through  them; and
 from thence, one or more (as they are foecundated by the man's
 feed) are conveyed into the womb  by  the ovidufts ;  and the
truth of this, fay they, is fo plain that if you boil them, they will
have the fame tafte, color and confiftency, with the tafte of birds'
eggs: and if any objeft, that they  have  no (hells that fignifies
nothing, for the eggs of fowls, while in the ovary, nay after they
have fallen into the uterus have no fhell; and though they have
one when they are laid, yet it is no more  than a fence* which na- 
           ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.         241

ture hath provided for them againft outward injuries, they be-
ing hatched_without  the  body; but thofe of women  being
hatched within the body ; have no need of any other fence than
the womb to fecure them   And they  further fay, there  are in
the generation of the foetus, two principles, aftive and paflive ;
the aftive is the man's feed elaborated in the  tefticles out of the
arterial blood and animal fpirits ;  the paflive  principle is the
ovum or egg impregnated by the man's feed  ; for to  lay that a
woman has true feed, is, they fay, erroneous.  But the manner
of conception is this ;  The moft fpirituous part of man's feed) in
the aft of copulation,,reaches up to the ovarium or   tefticles of
the woman (which contain  divers eggs, fometimes more, fome-
times fewer) impregnates one of them, which being conveyed
by the ovidufts to the bottom ofthe womb, prefently begins to
fwell bigger and  bigger, and drinks in the moifture that is plen-
tifully fent  thither  after the  fame manner that feeds in the
ground fuck the fertile moifture thereof to make them fprout.
   But notwithftanding all this, Culpepper, in his directory for
Midwives, pofitively affirms, that the tefticles or ftones ofa wo-
man are  for generation of feed, and for to deny  this,  is both a-
gainft reafon and experience I will not undertake to determine
the controversy, but leave the reader to judge for himfelf, and
proceed  (having accordingto the  cuftom of Britain,  given wo-
men the preference) todefcribe the organs of generation in man.
                      CHAP.  TV.
       Of the Inftruments or Organs of Generation in Man.
          THE penis or yard of the man (being the principal
inftrument of generation^ is called fo,  from its hanging without
the belly ; and it con lifts of fkin, tendons, veins, arteries, finews
and great ligament",, and is long and round :  it is ordained  by
nature both for the paflage ofthe urine, and the  conveying of
the feed into the matrix.  It hath fome parts common with it to
the reft ofthe body, as the fkin and flefhy  membrane  ; and fome
parts it has peculiar to itfelf, as the  two nervous bodies ; the
ieptum, the  urethra, or glans, the four mufcles, and veffels
   The fkin which the Latins call cutis, is full of pores, through
which the fweat and  fuliginous or footy black vapors  ofthe
third concoftion (which concofts the blood into flefh) pafs out:
The pores are very many and thick, but  hardly  viable to the
eye, and  when the yard ftands not, it is flaggy, but wheat it ftands
it is ftiff  : This fkin is very fenfible, becaufe the  nerves concur
to make up its being.
   The carnis membrane or flefhy fkin, fo called, becaufe it li-
eth between the  flefh, and pafleth in  other  parts ofthe  body,
underneath the fat, and flicks clofe to the mufcles, not that there
is any tat in the  yard, only a few fuperficial  veins and arteries
pafs between the former fkin and  this, which, when the yard
(lands, are vifible to the eye.  Thefe are the.parts common both
to the yard and the reft of  the body.  Now, I will fpeak  of the
parts peculiar to itfelf, and firft. ot the nervous bodies.
   The two nervous bodies are furrounded  with a thick,  white
nervous  membrane  but are fpungy  within and full of  black
felood, the fpungy fubftance of the inward part of it feems to lv* 
242          ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.
 woven together like a net, and confifts of innumerable veins and
 arteries; the black blood contained therein is full of fpirits, and
 the defire of copulation adds  heat to them, which caufeth the
 yard to ftand ;  and the hollow fpungy  intermixture, or weav-
 ing was ordained on purpofe to hold the heat or veneral fpirits,
 that the yard may not fail before it has done its work ; thefe
 two fide ligaments of the yard, where they are thick and round,
 fpring from the lower part of the fhare bdhe,  and,  at  their be-
 ginning are feparated theone from the other, andrefembleapair
 of horns, or the letter Y, where the urethra,  that is the com-
 mon channel of urine and feed pafleth between them.
   The feptum  is in fubftance white,, nervous  and finewy, and
 its office is to uphold  the two fide ligamejitsand the urethra.
   The urethra  is finewy, thick, loft, and loofe, like to that of
 the fide ligaments before mentioned.   It begins at the  neck  of
 fhe bladder, and fo pafleth to the glans ; in  the beginning of it
 are three holes  : one  large in the midft, which receives the urine
 into it, the other two are fmaller, which are fent by each femin-
 al veffel  to it, by which it receives feed.
   The mufcles  of the yard are four, two on  each fide.  A muf-
 cle isan  inftrument of voluntary motion without which no part
 ofthebody can  move  itfelf; it confifts of fibrous  flefh to make
 up its body of nerves for its fenfe, of veins for its nourifhment,
 of arteries for its vital heat, of a membrane or fkin, to kint to-
 gether, andfo difiinguifh one mufcle from another ;  one of each
 fide is (horter and thicker than the other, and their  ufe to ereft
 the yard and make it ftand, and are called erecors;  the" others
 are longer and fmaller, and  their office is to dilate and open the
 lower part of the urethre, or channel both for making water
 and voiding the feed; and thefe are called accelerators.
   The glans, in the extreme partof theyard is foft, and of an
 exquifite feeling, by reafon of the thinners ofthe fkin, wherewith
 it is covered.  Itis covered with the  preputium, or forefkin,
 which the Jews were  commanded t© cut off on  the eighth day.
 The fkin in fome men covers the top of the yard quite clofe, but
 in others not, which moving up and down in the aft of copula-
 tion brings pleafure both to the man and woman-   The liga-
 ment by which  the praeputium is tied to the glans is called frce-
'num. or the bridle.
   The veffels of the yard are veins, nerves, and arteries   Some
 Veins and arteries pafs by the fkin, and are vilible  to the eye;
 others pafs by the inward part of the  yard, the arteries being
 difperfed through the body ofthe yard  exceeding  the  difper-
 fion ofthe veins, for the right artery is difperfed to the left fide,
 it hath alfo two nerves, the leifer ot which  is hollowed on the
 greater upon the mufcles and body of the yard.
  Having thus defcribed the yard, I fhall now fpeak of the ftones
or tefticles, fo called  becaufe  they  teftify that he  is a  man.
Their number every body knows, is  two;  their fubftance  is
white, foft and fpungy : Their form is oval, but in fome they
are bigger than  others ; each ftone hath  a mufcle, becaufe they
pull up the ftones in the aft of copulation, that fo the velfels be-
ing flackened, may the better void the feed. 
ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.         243
   The ufe of the ftones is to convert blood  and fpirit  into feed
  for the procreation of man,and to add ftrength, heat and cour-
  age to man ;  as appears  from eunuchs,  who have loft their
  (tones, who are neither lo hot, ftrong nor valiant as other men.
   To the upper part ofthe tefticles are fixed theeqidimes, from
  whence arifes  vafa deferentia, or ejacu'atoria,  which, when
  they come to the neck ofthe bladder, depofit the feed in vifcu-
  las feminales,  which are two,  each  like a  bunch  of grapes,
  which admit the feed into the urethra in the aft of copulation.
  As for the preparing veflels, which prepare the  blood and vital
  fpirits and carry them t© the tefticles, where they are elaborat-
  ed into feed I have fpoken of them in the chapter of the geni-
  tals of women~% and fince thy differ fo little from thofe  of .men,
  I (hall not need to repeat what I have faid before.
                        CHAP.  V.
  Of Conception . and how a  Woman may know whether Jhe hath
         conceived or not, and whether a Male or Female.
           THE natu al inftinct implanted in men and women to
  propagate their own (pedes, puts them upon making ufe of thofe
  ways nature has ordained for that  end, which after they have
  ufed, the woman many times, through ignorance ti her having
  conceived, or want of that due care fee ought to take is little
  better than a murderer of her own child, though (he intends it
  not ;  for,after conception,  finding herfelf not well, and not
  knowing what the matter is, flie runs to a doftor, and enqiiries
  of him, and he knowing nothing but what fhe  tells  him, givcj
  her a ftrong cathartical potion, which deftroys the conception,
  And fomelthereare, that out of afoolifh bafhful coynefs, though
  they know they have conceived, yet will not confefs it, that fo
  they  might be  inftrufted  to order  themfelves  accordingly :
  Thofe that are focoy may  in time learn tobe wifer ; and for the
  fake of thofe that are ignorant, I fhall fet down the fignsof con-
  ception,.that women may  thereby know whether they have
  conceived or not.
                      Signs of Conception.
   If under the eye  the vein be fwelled, that is under the lower. ■
  eyeled, the veins in the eyes  appearing  clearly,  and the eye
  fomething difcolored ; if flie has not  her  terms upon her, nor'
  watched the night before,  you may certainly conclude her tobe
  with child.  This appears moft plainly juft upon her conception,
  and the firft two months  I never knew this fign to fail.
    Keep the urine ofthe woman clofe in a glafs three days, and
  then ftrain it through a fine linen cloth ; if you find fmall living
  creatures in it, fhe hath moft affuredly conceived, for, the urine,
  which was before part of her own fubftance, will  be generative
  as well as its miftref's.
   A coldnefs and chillinefs ofthe outward'parts  after copula-
-  tion,  the heat  being retired to make conception    The  tops ot
  the nipples look redder than  formerly.  The veins of the breaft >
  are more clearly feen than they were wont to be.  'The  body is
  weakened and  the face difcolored. The belly waxeth very fat, be-
  caufe the womb clofeth itfelf together, tonourifh andchcrift) the
  feed.  If cold water be drunk, a coldnefs is  felt  in the breafts. 
 ~4i          ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.

 Lofs of appetite to vLiuals, four belchingsand exceeding weak-
 nefs of ftomach  The breafts begin ro f\\ ell and wax hard, not
 without pain and forenefs  Wringing or griping pains, like the
 cramp, happen in the belly a'iout the navel.   Divers appetites
 and  longings  are engendered.   The  veins of the eyes are
 dearly feen, andftheeyes feem fomething difcolored, as a look-
 ing glafs  will (hew you  This is an infallible fign.   The excre-
 ments of the gutsare voided painfully, becaufe the womb fwel-
 ling thrufteth the right gut together   Take  a green nettle, and
 put it into the urine of th.: woman ; cover it clofe, and let it re-
 main a whole night:  if the wpman be with child, it will be full
 of red fpots ori the morrow ;  if fhe be not, it will  be black ifh.
 Thereare feveral other rules of this nature,  but thefe are the
 beft, and forne of them feiriom  fail    Now  becaufe many are
 .mighty defirous to know whether they be with child of a male1
 or female, I will, in the next place, lay down fome rules where-
 by they may make a judgment in that cafe.
                  Signs ofa Male child.
  A woman breads a boy with lefs pain-than a girl, and docs
 not carry herburdehfo heavily, but is more nimble in ftirring.
 The child is firft felt by her on the right fide, for  the ancients
 areof opinion, that male children  lie on the right fide of the
 womb.   The  woman when  ft.e rifeth  up from a chair,  doth
 readier flay herfelf upon her right hand than on  her left.  The
 belly lies rounder and higher than when it is a female   The
 right breaft is more plump, and harder  than  the left, and the
 right nipple.   The color ofa woman is more clear, and not fo
 fwarthy as when fie conceives a, girl.'  The contrary to thefe
 are figns of the conception of a female,  and therefore it is need-
 lefs to fet them down.  But I will add the following ; they have
 been the refult of my own experience, and which 1 never knew
 fail   If the circle  under the woman's eyes,  which is of a wan
 blue color, be more apparent under the right eye, and the veins
 moft apparent in her right eye, and  then  moft  diflblved, fhe is
 with child of a boy :  if the mark be  moft apparent in her left
 eye, fhe is with child of a girl.   Again,  let her milk a drop of
.her milk in abafon of fair water : If it finks  to the bottom, as it
 drops in, round in  a drop, it is a g:|l fhe is with child of, but  if
 it be a boy, it will fpread and fwim at the top.  This I have of-
 ten tried, and it never failed.  But before 1 conclude this chap-
 ter, I (hall lay  flown fome rules that women ought to obferve in
 order to  conception : and  likewife,  what they fhould do after
 conception, to prevent mifcarriage.
       What Women ought to obfervein order to conception.
  Women that are defirous to  have children, in order thereun-
 to, muft give themfelves moderate exercife;   foridlenefs and
 want of exercife are Very great enemies to  generation work;
 -end thofe that obferve it, (kail find that your city  dames, who
 live high and do nothing, feldom have children, or it they have
 they feldom live ;  whereas thepdor women who arcuftom them-
 felves to labor, have many children and thofe lufty.  Nor need
 we wonder at it, if we confider the benefit that comes  by mod-
 erate exercife and labor, for it  opens the pores, quickens the 
            ARTSTOTLE's LAST LEGACY.         245

fpirits, ftirs up the natural heat, ftrengthens the body, fenfes, and
fpirits, and comforts the limbs, and helps nature inherexercifes,
of which the procreation  of children is none ofthe leaft.
  Next to moderate exercife, fhe muft avoid all manner of dif-
content, and the occafion of it; for difcontent is a great enemy
to conception, but contentment and quietnefsgof mind are as
great friends to ft;  for content  dilates  the  heart and arteries,
whereby the vital  blood  or fpirits is  fufficiently diftributed
throughout the body :  and thence arife fuch affections  as pleafe,
recreate, and refreih the nature of man, as, hope, joy, love, glad-
nefs and mirth.   Nor does it  only  comfort  and ftrengthen the
body, but alfo the operations  and imaginations of the mind ; fo r
all agree, that the imagination  of the  mother works forcibly
upon the conception ot the child ;  and therefore women ought
to take great care that their imagination be pure and clear, that
their children may be well formed.
   Another thing that women ought to do in order to conception
is to keep the womb in good order ; and to that end, fee that the
raenftrues come down as they ought to do ;  if they are difcolor-
ed, then they are out of order, but if the blood come down pure
then the woman will be very prone to conceive with child, ef-
pecially if they ufe copulation a day or twoafter the monthly
terms are ftayed.
  Another thing a woman ought to obferve that would conceive
is. that fhe ufe not the aft of copulation too often, for fatiety^
gluts the womb and makes it unfit to do its office.  There are
two things demonft- ate this :  one is, that the common whores
(who often ufe copulation) have feldomany  children, the other
is, that thofe women whofe hufoands have been-long abfent, af- ■'
ter they come again conceive  very quickly.
  And then  let the time of copulation be convenient, that  there
may be no fear offurprife, for fear hinders conception.
  And let the time of copulation be natural, and not  ftirred up
by provocatives. and obferve alfo, that the greater the woman's
defire of copulation is, the more fubject fhe is to conceive.
  A loadftone carried about a woman caufeth not only concep-
tion but concord between man and wife-
        Things neceffary for women to obferve after Conception,
  Women are very fubject to mifcarriages in the two firft months
after conception, becaufe then the ligaments are weak  and foon
broken.  To prevent which,  let the  woman  every   morning
drink a good draught of fage ale, and it will-do her abundance
of good.
  But if figns-of abortion or  mifcarriage appear, let  her lay a
toaft dipped in tent, (in cafe mufkadelcannot be gotten) to her
navel, for this is very  good :  or let her take a little garden tan-
fey, and having bruifed it, fprinkle it with mufkadel,  and apply
rt to the navel, and (he will find it much  better.  Alfo tanfey
infufed in ale, like fage ale, and a draught drunk every morning
is moft excellent for fuch \wmien as are fubjeft to mifcarriages,
alfo t-ake juice of tanfey clarify it, and boil it up into  a fyrup,,
with twice its weight in fugar, and let a  woman  take a fpoonfu..
                     w 2 
246       "  ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.

or ;,vo of it, in fuch cafes it w ill be an excellent preservative  a-
j.;a:nft mifcarriages.
  Alfo let the air be temperate, fleep moderate, avoid watching
and immoderate exercife, with difturbing paflions, Moud clam-
ors, and  filthy fmells ? and let her abftain from all things which
may  provoke either the urine or the courfes, and  alfo  from all
fharp and wMidy-hieats, and let a moderate diet  be obferved,
If the excrements of the  guts be retained, lenefy the belly with
clyfters made of the decocFion of  mallows,  violets  with  fugar  "'
and common oil ; or make broth of burrage, buglofs, beets, mal-
lows, and take therein a  little manna : but on  the  contrary,  if
(he be troubled with aloofnefs of the belly, let it not  be flopped
without-the judgment ofa phyfician,  for all uterine fluxes have
a malignant quality in them, which muft be  evacuated  and  re-
moved before the  flux is ftayed.
                       CHAP.  VI.
Of Barrennefs veith the remedies aga'.nft it. and the Signs cf Infuf-
              ficiency both in Men cmd Women.
          HAVING, in  the foregoing chapter), treated of con-
ception, with the figns, and given directions to the women both
before and after conception, I will in this chapter treat of the
oppofite  to conception, to  wit, barrennefs
  If it is,a bleding to have children,  then  certainly barrennefs
muft be a great curfe ; And indeed in holy  writ it is fo account-
ed, and therelorc,  fome are threatened that they (hall die child-
lefs : and the wife of Jacob, even  his beloved Rachel, cried out
to him " Give me children or elfe 1 die"  Indeed it was a  paf-
fionate expreifion, and fell out according to her words, for fhe
had children, and died in childbed  But to the fubjeft in hand,
which is barrennefs.
  Barrennefs is threefold, to  wit,  either natural,, accidental or
againft nature.
  Natural barrennefs is when a woman  is barren, though the
inftruments of generation  are perfeft both in herfelf and her
hufband, and noprepo''erousand diabolical courfe ufed to caufe
it, and neither age nor difeafe, nor any  natural defeft  hinder-
ing, and  yet the  woman  remains naturally barren, and con-
ceives not.
  Now this may proceed from a natural caufe ; for  if the  man
and woman be of one complexion, they  feldom have children,
and the reafon is clear, for, the univerlal courfe of nature being
formed  by the Almighty of a   compofition  of  contraries,
cannot be increafed by a compofition of likes, and  therefore, if.
the conftitution ofthe vvoman be hot and dry, as well as that of
the man,  there can be no  conception, and if on the contrary, the
man  fhould be ofa cold and moift conftitution, as well as the wo-
man, the effeft would be the fame, and this barrennefs is pure-
ly natural.  The anly way to help it is, for people before they
marry to obferve each others conftitutions  and complexions if
they defign to have children; if their complexion  or  conftitu-
tions be alike, they are not fit to come together ;  for difcordant
matures make the only harmony in the works of generation, 
           ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.         247

  Another natural caufe ofbarrennefs, is want of love between
man and wife, love is that vital principal that ought to animate
each organ in  the aft of generation, orelfe itwill befpiritlefsand
dull, for, if their hearts be not united in love, how  fhould their
feed unite to caufe conception ? And this is fufficiently eviden-
ced, in that there never follows  a conception upon a rape, there-
fore if men and women defign to have children, let  them take
care to live, fo that their hearts  as well as their bodies may  be
united, orelfe they mifs of their expeftations.
  A third caufe of natural barrennefs is  the  letting of virgins'
blood in the arm before their natural courfes  are come  down,
which is ufually in the  fourteentlvand fixteenth years ef their
age, fometimes perhaps, before the thirteenth, but never before
the twelfth.  And becaufe ufually they are out oforder and in-
difpofed before their purgations come down, their parents run to
a doftor to know what's the matter,  and he  ftraight prefcribes
opening a vein in the arm, feeing it was  fullnefs of blood which
was the caufe  offending, and this makes her well at prefent, and
when the young virgin happens to-be in  the fame diforder again
the mother ftraight runs to the furgeon, ufes  the fame  remedy,
and by thefe means the blood is diverted from its proper chan-
nel, fo that it  conies not down to the womb, as in other women,
whereby the  womb dries up, and the woman is forever berren.
The way to prevent this, is to let  no virgin  blood  in the arm
beforeher courfes come well  down, but, if there be occafion, in
the foot, for that will bring the blood downward, and by that
means provoke the menftrues to come down.
  Another caufe of natural barrennefs is, the debility of perfons
in copulation  : if perfons perform not that aft with all the heat
and ardor that nature requires,  they may as  well let  it  alone,
and expeft to have children without it ;  for frigidity  and cold-
nefs never produce conception.   Of the cure of this we will
fpeak, after I  have  fpoken of accidental barrennefs,  which  is
what is occafioned by fome morbific matter  or infirmity upon
the body, either  of the man or  woman,  which  being removed
they become fruitful.   And hence (as  I have before noticed)
the firft and great law  of the  creation was to increafe and  multi-
ply, and barrennefs is the direft oppofitionof that law, andfruf-
trates the end of our creation :  and it is  fo great an affliction to
many to be without children, as to caufe man and wife to have
hard thoughts of one another, eaqh party thinking the eaufe  is
not in them ;  I fhall here, for the fatisfaftion of all well mean-
ing people, fet down the figns and caufes of infufficiency both in>
men and women, premifing this firft that when  people have  no
children, they muft not prefently  blame either  party, for nei-
ther may be in the fault, but  perhaps God fees it not good (for
reafons beft known to himfelf) to give them any : of which  we
have divers inftances both in  facred and profane hiftory : and
though the Almighty in the production of nature, works by nat-
ural means, yet where he withholds his bleffing, natural means
are ineffectual, for, it is his bleffing, that it is the power and en-
ergy by which nature brings  her productions forth. 
248         ARISTOTLE'S  LAST LEGACY

          Signs and Caufes of infufficiency in Men.
  One caufe may be fome  vicioulnefs in the yard ; as if the fame
be crooked, or any ligaments thereof diftorted or broken, where-
by the ways and paflage, through which the feed fhould flow,
come to be flopped or vitiated.
  Another caufe may be too much weaknefs  of the yard and
tendernefs thereof, fo that it is not ftrongly enough erected  to
inject the feed into the womb, for the ftrength and ftitfnefs of
the yard very much conduce to conception, by  reafon of the for-
cible injection ofthe feed.
  Alfo if the ftones have received any hurt, fo that they cannot
exercife their proper gift in producing feed ; or, if they are op-
prefled with any inflamation or tumor, wound or ulcer, drawn
up within  the belly, and  not appearing outwardly, thefe are
figns Of  infufficiency and caufes ofbarrennefs
  Alfo,  a  man may be barren,  by reafon of the  defeft of his
feed  : as, Firft  If he caft forth no feedat all or lefs in fubftance
than is needful : or Secondly, if the feed be vifcous, or unfit for
generation,as, on the one fide,it happens in bodies that are grofs
and fat,  the matter of it being defective : and on the other lide,
too much leannefs, or continual wafting or confumption  of the
body deftroys the feed,  nature turning all the  matter and fub-
ftance thereof into nutriment of the body.
  Too frequent copulation is alfo one great caufe of barrennefs
in men for itattradteththe feminal moifture from the ftones be-
fore  it is fufficiently prepared and concofted,  fo if any one by
daily copulation do exhauft and draw out all the moifture ot his
feed,  then do the ftones draw the moift humors from the fupe-
rior veins  unto themfelves,  and fo having but little blood in
them, they are forced of neceffity to caft it out raw and uncon-
cofted ; and thus the ftones, violently deprived ofthe moifture
of their  veins, attraft the fame from the other fuperior veins,
and the fuperior veins, from all the other parts  of the body  for
their proper nourifhment,  thereby depriving the body of its vi-
tal fpirits ; and therefore no wonder that thofe who ufe immod-
erate  copulation  are very weak in their  bodies, feeing their
whole body is thereby deprived of its beft and pureft blood, and
alfo of the  vital fpirits, infomuch that many who have been too
much addicted to  that pleafure  have killed themfelves  in the
aft ;  and therefore,  it is  no wonder if fuch  unconcofted and i
undigefted feed be unfit for generation.
  Gluttony and drunkennefs, and other exceffes, do alfo much
hinder men from  fruitfulnefs, and make them unfit for genera-
tion.  But amongft other caufes ofbarrennefs in men, this alfo
is one that makes them  barren,  and almoft of the  nature  of
eunuchs, and that is the incifion,or cutting ofthe veins behind
the ears, w hichin cafe of diftempers is oftentimes done, for ac-
cording  to  the opinion.of moft phyficians and anatomifts, the
feed flows  from the brain by thofe veins behind the ears more
than from  any otherpartof the body :  from  whence it is very
probable, the tranfmiflion ofthe feed is hindered by cutting off
the veins behind the ears,  fo that it cannot  defcend at all to the 
           ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.         249

tefticles, or comes thither very crude and raw.   And thus much
 for (igns of barn»nnels in men.
    Signs and Caufes oj Infufficiency, or Barrennefs in Women.
  Although there are many caufes of barrennefs in  women, yet
the chief and principal are internal, refpefting either  the  privy
parts of the womb, the feed or the menftruous blood.
  Therefore Hippocrates faith (fpeaking of either the eafy or
difficult conception in women) the firft confideration oughttobe
had of their fpecies, for little women are more apt to conceive
than great, (lender than grofs, white  and fair than ruddy and
high colored, black than pale  and wan ;  thofe which have their
veins confpicuous are more apt than others; but to be very flefhy
is evil ; to have great fwelling breaftsis good.
   The next thing to be confidered is, the monthly purgations,
whether they have them duly every month ; if they flow plen-
tifully, are ofa good color, whether they have them equally ev-
 ery month ; for fo they ought to be
   Tiien the womb or place of conception is to be confidered ;  it
ought to be clean and found, dry and foft, not retracted,  nor
drawn up, nor prone nor defcending  downward, the  mouth
 thereof turned away, nor too clofe fhut.   But to be more.partic-
 ular.
   The firft parts to be fpoken of are the Pudenda, or privities,
 and the womb ; when thefe are fhut andenclofed either by na-
 ture or againft nature, fuch women are called  imperforate ;  for
 in fome women the mouth of the womb continues compreffed,
 or clofed up, from the time  of their birth,  until the coming
 down of their courfes ; and then of a fudden, when their  terms
 prefs forward to purgation,  they are m»lefted  with  great and
 unufual pains  : Some of thefe break of their own accord, others
 are diffectedand opened by aphyfician ;  others  never break at
 all and then it brings death.
   All thefe Aetius particularly handles, fliewing that the  womb
 is fhut three manner of ways, which  hinders conception; firft,
 when the lips of the pudenda grow or cleave together ; fecond,
 when there are certain membranes growing in the middle part
 ofthe matrix within ;—third, when (though  the lips and bofom
 ofthe Pudenda'may  appear  fair  and open) the  mouth  ofthe
 womb may be  quite fhut up : all which are occafions of barren-
 nefs, in that they hinder both the  uie#.of man,  the monthly
 courfes, and conception                ■        ■  '
   But among all the caufes ofbarrennefs in women, the greateft
 is in the womb, which is the field  of  generation :  and, if the
 field be corrupted, it is in vain to expect any fruit, let it be ever
 fowell fown —for it may be unfit for generation,  by  reafon of
 many  diftempers to which it is fubjeft, as forinftance, overmuch
 heat and overmuch cold, for  women whole wombs are too thick
 and cold cannot conceive, becaufe  coldnefs extinguiftieth the
 natural heat of the human feed-
   Immoderate moifture ofthe  womb alfo deftroys the  feed ot
 man  and  makes it inefl'eftual, as corn fown in fens  and marines ;
 and fo doth overmuch drynefs of the womb, fo that the feed per-
 iiheth for want of nutriment. 
250         ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.

  Immoderate heat of the womb is alfo a caule  of barrennefs ;
for it fcorcheth up the feed, as corn fown in the drought of fum-
mer :  for immoderate heat hurts all the parts of the body, and
no conception can live to be nouriflied in that woman
  Alfo when unnatural humors arc engendered ;  as too much
phlegm, tympanies, wind, water,  worms, or any fuch evil hu-
mors abounding, contrary to nature ;  it  caufes barrennefs, as
does alfo the terms not coming down  in  due order, as I have
already faid.
  A woman may alfo have other accidental caufes of barrennefs
as fudden frights, anger, fear,  grief, and peiturbation ofthe
mind ; too violent exercifes, as  leaping, dancing, running, after
copulation, and rhe like.  But I will now add fome figns where-
by we may know thofe things.
  If the caufe ofbarrennefs be in  the man through overmuch
heat in his feed, the mowan may eafily feel that  in receiving it.
  If the natureof the womb be  too hot, and fo unfit for concep-
tion, it will appear by having her terms very little,  and their col-
or inclining to yellownefs ; fhe is alfo very hafty,  choleric, and
crafty, her pulfe beats, very fwift, and fhe  is very  defirous of
copulation.
  If you would know whether the fault lies in the  man  or wo-
man, fprinkle the man's urine upon one lettuce leaf, and the wo-
man's upon another, and that which dries away firft is unfruit-
ful.  Alfo take five wheat corns,  and feven beans, put them in-
to an earthen pot, ,and let  the party  make  water therein ; let
this ftand feven days, and if in that time  they begin to fprout,
then the party  is fruitful, but if they fprout not, then the party
is barren, whetherit be,man or woman   This is a certain fign.
  There are fome that make this experiment ofa woman's fruit-
fulnefs :  Take myrrh,  red ftorax, and fome fuch  odoriferous
things, and make a perfume of it, which let the  woman receive
into the neck of the wemb  through  a funnel ;  if (he  feel  the
fmoke afcend through the body  to her nofe,  then (he is fruitful,
otherwife barren.
  Some alfo take garlic and beat it,  let  the woman lie on her
back upon it, and if fhe feels thefcent thereof afcend to her nofe,
it is a fign of fruitfulnefs.
  Culpeper and others, give a great deal  of credit to the follow-
ingexperiment.       #                               '
  Take a handful of barley and fleep half of it in  the urine  ofa
man, and the other half in  the urine of a woman,  for the fpace
of twenty four hours, and then take it out, and  fet the  woman's
by itfelf ; and the man's by itfelf; fet it in a flowerpot, or fome
other thing where you may keep it dry ;  then water the  man's
every morning with his own urine, and the woman's with her's,
and that which grows firft is the moft fruitful, and if one grow
not at all that  party is naturally barren.
  Bpt  now having lpoke enough of the difeafe,  it is high time to
affign the cure.
  If barrennefs proceeds from ftoppage  of  the menfes, let  the
woman fweat, for that opens the part, and the beft way to fweat
is in a hothoufe.   Then, let the womb be ftre'ngthenedby drink- 
             ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY        251

ing a draught of white wine,wherein a handful of ftinking ar-
rack, firft bruifed, ha« been boiled,  for by a certain magnetic
virtue, it ftrerigthens the womb, and by a fympathetic quality,
removes any difeafe thereof  To which add aifo  a  handful of
vervain, which is very good to ftrengthen both the womb and
the head, which are commonly afflicted together by a fympathy.
  Having ufed this two orthree days, if they  come  not down,
take of calamint, pennyroyal, thyme, betony, dittany, burnet,
feverfew, mogwort, fage, piony roots, juniper berries, half a
handful  of thefe,  orfo many or them as can be gotten ; let all
thefe be boiled in  beer, and drank for her ordinary drink.
  Take one part of gentian, two  parts of centaury,  diftil  them
with ale  in an alembick, after you  have bruifed the gentian
roots, and infufed them well   This water is an admirable reme-
dy to provoke  the terms   But  if you have nof this water in
readincfs, take a dram of centaury, and half a dram  of gentian
roots, beat them to powder, and take in the  morning in  white
wine, or elfe take ahandful of centaury,  and half a  handful of
gentian  roots bruifed;  boil it in poffet drink, and drink a draught
of it at night going to bed   Seedof wild navew beaten to pow-
der, and a dram of it taken in the mornirvgin white wine,  isalfo
very good.   But  if this doth not do,  you muft let blood in the
legs  And be Aire you adminifter your medicine a little before
the full of the moon, or between the new and full moon, but by
no means in the wane of the moon ;  if you do you will find them
ineffeftual.
  If barrennefs proceeds from the overflowing of the menftrues,
then ftrengthen the womb,'as you were  taught before, and af-
terwards anoint the reins of the back with oil of rofes, oil of
myrtles, or oil of quinces, every night, and then wrap a piece of
white baize about your reins, the cotton fide next your  fkin and
keep the fame always to  it.   But  above all, I  commend this
medicine to you ;  take comfrey leaves or roots, clowns, wound
wort, of each one handful, bruife them well, and boil them in
ale, and  drink a good draught of it every now and then : or take
caflia, cinnamon, lignea, opium,  of  each  two. drams:  myrrh,
white pepper, galbanum, of each-one dram;  diffolve the gum
and opium in white wine,beat the reft into powder ; then make
them into pills, by mixing them together exactly, and let  the
patient take two pillsevery night going to bed ; but let not both
the pills exceed fifteen grains.
  If barrennefs proceed from a flux ofthe womb, the cure muft
be accordingto the caufe producing it, or which  the flux pro-
ceeds from,  which may be know by its figns ;  for a flux  of the
womb being a continual  diftillation  from it for a long time to-
gether, the color of what is voided fhews what humor it  is that
it offends ; in fome  it is red, and  that proceeds  from  blood
putrefied :  and in fome it is yellow, and that denotes cheler : in
others white and  pale, and that denotes phlegm.   If pure blood
comes out, as if a vein was opened, fome corrofion or knawing
ofthe womb is to be feared.  All of them are known by thefe
f'gns.
  The place of conception is continually moift with the humors,
the place is colored, the party loathes meats, and breathes with 
252          ARISTOTLE'S  LAST  LEGACY.

difficulty ;  the eyes are much fwollen, which is fometimes with
pain.   If the offending humor be  pure blood, then you  muft
let blood in the arm, and the cephalic vein is fitteft to draw  back
the blood, and then let the juice of plantain and comfrey  be in-
jefted into the womb.  If phlegm be the caufe, let cinnamon  be
the fpice ufed in all her meats and drinks;  and let her take a
little Venice treacle or mithridate every morning ; iet  her boil
burnet, mugwort, featherfew and vervain in all broths.  Alfo
half a dram ©f myrrh taken every mcrning is an excellent rem-
edy againft this malady.  If choler  be  the caufe,  let her take
burrage, buglofs, red rofes, endive, and fuccory roots,  lettuce
and white popy feed, of each a handful;  boil thefe  in white
wine till one half is walled ; let  her drink half a pint  every
morning ; to which half pint  add  fyrup of peach flowers and
fyrup of chickory, of each  one  ounce,  with a little rhubarb;
and this will gently purge her.   If it  proceed from putrefied
blood, let her blood in the foot, and then ftrengthen the womb,  :
as 1 have direfted, in Itoppingthe menftrues.
  If barrennefs be occafioned by the falling out ofthe womb,as  '
fometimes happens, fet her  apply fweet fcents to her nofe,  fuch
as civit, galbanum, ftyraxcalamitis,  wood of aloes, and fuch oth-
er things as are of that nature, and let her lay ftinking things to
the womb, fuch as afafcetida, oil of  amber,  or the fmoke of
her own hair burnt; for this is certain that the womb flies from
all ftinking, and applies to all fweet things.   But the moft infal-
lible cure in this cafe is  this;  take a common  burdock leaf,
(which you may keep dry if you pleafe all the year) apply this
to her head, and it will draw the w-omb downward.   Bur feed  i
beaten into powder, has alfo the like virtue ; for by a magnetic  <
power it draws the womb which way you pleafe, according as
it is applied.
  If barrennefs proceed from a hot caufe,  let  the  party take
whey and clarify it, then boil plantain  leaves  and  roots in it,
and drink it for her ordinary drink.   Let  her alfo injeft the
juice of plantain into the womb with a fyringe : If it be in the
winter, when you cannot get the juice, make a ftrong decoftion
ofthe roots and leaves in water, and injeft that up with a fyr-
inge : but  let it be blood wafhi, and you will find this medicine
ot great efficacy.  And further* to take  away  barrennefs pro-
ceeding from hot caufes, take often conferve of rofes, cold loz-
enges made of tragacanth, the confection of tricantelia, and ufe
to fmell camphire, rofe water, and faunders.   It is alfo good to
bleed the balilica, or liver vein, and then take this purge ; take
eleftuarum de epithimo de  fucco rofarum,  of each  two drains
and a half, clarified whey four ounces ; m'X them well together
and take it in the morning fafting : fleep after it about an hour
and a half, and faft four hours after it; and about an hour  be-
fore you eat any thing drink a good  draught of  whey.   Alfo,
take lily water four ounces ;  mardrogar water one ounce, faf-
fron half a fcruple : beat the  faffron  to  powder, and mix it"
with the waters and drink them warm in the morning ;  ufe this
eight days together. 
          ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.           253

Here followeth fome excellent Remedies againft Barrennejs,  and to
                     caufe Fruitfulnefs.
          TAKE broom'flowers, fmallage, parfley feed, cum-
min, mugwort featherfew, of each half a fcruple :  aloes half an
ounce; India fait, faffron, of each half a dram, beat and  mix
well together, and put it into five ounces  of featherfew  water
warm, ftop it clofe, and let it ftand and dry  in  a  warm place:
and thus do two or three times one after another; then make each
dram into fix  pills, and take one of them every other night be-
fore fupper.
  A confeftion very good againft barrennefs.  Take pifrachia,
pingles, eringoes, of each half an ounce :  faffron one dram, lig-
num aloe's, gallingale, mace, caryophilla, balm flowers, red and
white behen,  of each four fcruples ; (haven ivory, caflia bar, of
each two fcruples ; fyrup of confected ginger twelve  ounces ;
white fugar fix ounces  ; decoft all thefe'well together, then put
to it of mufk and amber, of each half a fcruple ; take thereof the
quantity ofa nutmeg three times a day ; in the morning and an
hour before noon, and an hour after fupper.  -,
  But if the caufe ofbarrennefs  either in man or woman, be
through the fearcity or diminution of the natural feed, thenfiich
things are to be taken as do increafe the feed,  and  incite or ftir
up venery and farther conception ; which I fhall here fet down,
and fo conclude this chapter of barrennefs.
  For this, yellow rape feed baked in bread is very good; alfo
young fat flefh, not too much fal ted ;  alfo fafl'ron, the tails of
ftincus, and long pepper prepared in wine :  let fuch perfons ef-
chew alfo four, fharp, doughy and (limy meats, long fleep after
meat, furfeiting and drunkennefs, as much as they can ; keep
themfelves from forrow, grief, vexation and care.
  Thefe things following, increafe natural  feed and ftir up to
venery, and recover the feed again when loft,  viz. eggs, milk,
rice boiled in milk ;  fparrow's brains, flefh, bones and all ; the
ftones and pizzles of bulls, bucks, rams, and boars;  alfo cock
(tones, lamb ftones,  partridges, quail's  and pheafant's  eggs ;
and this is an undeniable aphorifm, that whatfoever any crea-
ture is addifted unto, they move or incite the man or woman
that eats them to the  like :  and therefore partridges, quails,
fparrows,  &c. being extremely  addicted  to venery, they work
the  fame effeft in thofe men and  women that eat them.  Alfo to
take notice, that in what part of the body the faculty, which you
would ftrengthen lies,  take the fame part of the body of anoth-
er creature in whom the faculty is ftrong  for a medicine.  As,
for inftance, the procreative faculty 'lies in the tefticles ;  there-
fore cock ftones, lamb ftones, &c are  proper to ftir up venery.
I will alfo give you another general rule ;  creatures that are,
fruitful, being eaten, make them fruitful that eat them, fuch as
lobfters, prawns, pigeons, &c.
  Authors have fet down feveral ways  for the prevention ofbar-
rennefs ;  to carry the herb  St. John's Wort about  them;
which for that caufe was called by the  ancients Fuga Demonum,
or the devil driver.  Alfo to carry a load ftone about them, was
accounted a great prefervative: as likewife a plaifter of St. 
254         ARISTOTLE'S  LAST LEGACY.

John's Wort laid to the reins.  And laftly, the heart of a turtle
dove carried about them ; but thefe  are only  for prevention.
But you will fay, how if prevention come too late, and the mif-
chietbe done already, and the man cannot give his due benevo-
lence ? muft the poor man remain helplefs,  and the  good wo-
man go without what fhe is married for ? No, there is help even
in thiscafe alio ;  and the cure is eafy, which though the reader
may fcruple  to believe, yet it has been tried and found effectu-
al ; it is no more than this, let the man only*make water thrbugh
the wife's wedding ring and the enchantment  will be broke:
and thus one piece of witchcraft is made to  drive out another.
But I wil 1 here put a period to this chapter.
Of the pleafure and advantage of Marriages ; with the unequa
         Matches, and ruinous effecl ofunlawful Love.
          WE have hitherto been treating of the generation of
man which is effefted by man and woman in the aftion of coi-
tion or copulation.  But this can be no ways lawfully done but
by thofe  who are joined together in wedlock, according to the
inftitution of the Creator in paradifewhen he firft brought man
and woman together •.  Which being  fo it neceffarily  leads  to
treat of the pleafure and advantage of a married life.
   And fure there is none that reafonably queftion the pleafure
and advantage of a married life that  does but  reflect upon  its
author, or the  time and place of its inftitution.  The author and
inftitutorof marriage was no other than  the great Lord ofthe
whole univerfe, the Creator of heaven and earth, whofe wifdom
is infinite, and therefore knew what was beft for us, and whofe
goodnefs is equal to his wifdom,  and  therefore inftituted mar-
riages, as what was beft for the man whom he had but juft cre-
ated, and whom he looked upon as (hort  of  that complete hap-
pinefs which he had defigned him while he  was alone and had
not the help  mate provided for him.  The time of its inftitution
was no lefs remarkable ;  it was  whilft our  firft parents were
cloathed with that virgin purity and innocence in which they
were created ; it was at atime wherein they had a bleffed and un-
interrupted converfe and communion with their great Creator ;
and were complete in all the perfections both of body and mind,
being the lively image of him that created  them ; it was at a
time when they could curioufly furvey the feveral incomparable
beauties and perfeftions of each other without fin, andknew not
what it was to  luft ; it was at this happy  time the  Almighty
divided Adam from himfelf,  and ofa crooked rib made an help
mate  for him;  and by inftituting marriage, united him unto
himfelf again in Wedlock's facred bands.  And this muft needs
fpeak very highly in commendation of a married life.
   But we have yet confidered only the time ;  now let us con-
fider  next what place it was wherein this marriage knot was firft
tied and we fhall find the place was Paradife, a place formed  by
the great Creator for delight  and pleafure :  and in our ufual di-
alect when we fhould fhew the higheft fatisfaftion we take  in,
and give the greateft commendation to a place, we can afcend
no higher than to affirm it was like a Paradife.  There are many
curious delicacies and delights to pleafe the eye and charm the 
            ARISTOTLE'S  LAST LEGACY.         25 j

ear in the gardens of princes and noblemen ; but  paradife did
certainly out do them all, the facred Scriptu reviving of its high
encomiums.  It was pleafant as the gardens of God.   It was in
the midft of Paradife, the centre of delight  and happinefs, that
Adam was unhappy while in a Angle ftate ;  and therefore mar-
riage may properly be ftiled the Paradifeof Paradife itfelf
  I will (hew you the love ofa good wife to her hufband in an
ill uftrious example ofa queen to our own nation.
  King Edward the firft  making a  voyage to P.ilcftine, for the
recovery of the Holy Land, in  which expedition he was  very
victorious and fuccefsful, took his queen along with him, who
willingly accompanied him in all the dangers he expofed  him-
felf to.  It fo happened  that after feveral   victories obtained,
which made him both beloved and feared, he was wounded by
a Turk  with an impoifoned arrow, which all the  king's phyfi-
cians concluded mortal, unlefs fome human creature would
fuck away the poifonous blood out of the wound :  at the  fame
time declaring that it would bethe  death of thofe that did it :
upon this the thing was propofed to feveral of the  courtiers :
but they all waved this piece Of loyalty ; and  as well as they
pretended to love the king, yet loved their own  lives better ; and
therefore with a compliment  declined it, which, when the no-
ble queen perceived, and that the king  muft die for the want of
fuch a kind affiftance, (he, with a bravenefs  worthy  of herfelf,
declared (he was refolved herfelf to undertake his cure, and
venture her own life to, fave the kingher hufband ; and fo ac-
cordingly fucked the poifonous matter from  the wound, and
thereby favcd the king : and, Heaven which did infpire her
with that generous  refolution, preferved her  too, as a reward
for her great conjugal affection.
  But that which renders marriage fuch a mormo, and makes
jt look like fuch a bugbear to our modern fparks, are thofe un-
happy confequences that too often  attend it, for there are few
but fee what inaufpicious torches Hymen  lights at every wed-
ding ; what unlucky hands link in the wedding ring, nothing
but fears and jars, and difeontents or jealoufies, a curie as cruel
orelfe barrennefs, are all the bleflings which crown the genial
bed.  But it is not marriage that is to blame fortius, the things
are only  the  effects of  forced and unequal  matches;  when
greedy parents, for the thirft of geld, will match a  daughter that
is fcarce feventeen to an  old miier that is above threefcore, can
any think they two can ever agree,  whofe inclinations are as dif-
ferent as the months of June and January ?  this makes the  wo-
man (w ho ftill wants a hufband, for the old  mifer is fcarce the
lhadow of one) either to wilh or may be to  contrive his death,
to whom her parents thus againft her w ibl, have yoked her •
 orelfe to fatisfy her natural inclinations, (he throws herfelf into
 the arms of unlawful love, both of which are equally deftruilive,
and which might both have been prevented, had her greedy in-
cynfiderate parents provided her fuch a match as had been fuita-
ble and proper.   A fad  truth of which an inftance follows.
  There lived in Warwickihirea gentleman of very good eftate,
 who being grown ancient  at the death of h;s firft wife, though: 
    256          ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.

    of marrying his fon  and heir, then  at  man's eftate, to the
    daughter ofa neighboring gentleman, ofan ancient family anda
    fair eftate, who approved ofthe motion, and agreed to give 50001.
    with his daughter Upon hermarriage with theyoung gentleman.
    No fooner had the father a fight   of the young lady,  but for-
    getting his fon, became a Alitor for himfelf;  and to obtain her
    offered as much  money  for her (befides the  fettling  her,
    agood jointure on her) as*her father had promifed to give  with
    her to his fen.  This liberal offer fo wrought on her lady's fa-
    ther, that with perfuafions,  and with menaces, he forced his
    daughter unwillingly to confert to be married  to the old man.
    But as flie was in! a manner compelled to this unequal match, fo
    'ike never lived contentedly with him  : for her affections wan-
    dering after other men, (he gave entertainment to a young gen-
    tleman of twenty two years of age, whom fhe liked much better
    than her hufband, as one  more fuitable to  her young years ;
    that (he grew impatient for her hufband's death  therefore fought
    to cut that thread of life fiie was  of opinion nature  lengthened
    out too long : and-to that end having corrupted her waiting wo-
    man, and a groom belonging to the (table,  (he refelyed  by their
    ainftance,  and that of her enamorato, to murder him  in  his bed
    by ftrangling him ; which refolution (although her lover failed
   .her, and came not at the time (lie appointed him recoiling at the
    difinal apprehenfion of a faft fo horrid) fhe executed  only by
    her fervants.  For watching till her hufband was afleep, fhe let
    in thofe aflaffins, and then calling along  towel about his neck,
    fhe caufed the groom to lie upon him, that he might not ftruggle,
    whilft fhe  and her maid,  by ftraining the  towel,  flopped his
"*  breath.   And now the next thing was now to prevent difcovery,
    and to that end they carried him to another room, where a clofe
    ftool was placed, on which they fet  him ;  and when the maid
    and groom were both withdrawn and the coaft clear,, fhe made
    fuch a hideous outcry in  the  houfe, wringing  her  hands and
    pulling off her hair, and weeping fo extremely,  that none fuf-
   pefted her ; for (he alledged, that mifling him fometime out; of
    bed, fhe went to fee what was the matter he ftaid fo long, found
   him dead fitting on his clofe ftool ;  which  feeming very plaufi-
   ble, prevented all fufpicions of his death.   And being  thus  rid
   of her hufband, (lie fet a greater value on her beauty, and quite
   fhook oft her former lover  (perhaps becaufe he had implicitly
   refilled to  be an actor in her hufband's tragedy) and coming up
   to London, made the beft market of her beauty  that (he could.
   But murder is a crime that feldom goesunpuniihed to the grave;
   in two years after, juftice overtook  her,  and brought  to  light
   this horrid deed of darknefs.   The groom  (one ofthe actors of
   t-his fatal tragedy, being retained  a fervant  with  tiie  fon  and
   heirof the old murdered Gentleman, for whom the lady  was
   firft defigned) with fome other fervants attending him to Cov-
   entry, his guilty confidence (he being in his cups) forced  him
   upon his knees to beg forgivenefs of his mailer for the  murder
   of his father.   And taking him afide, acquainted h'm  with all
   the circumftances of it.
    The gentleman, though  ftruck with horror and amazement at
   ;' ,  4'feovery of fo vile a faft, yet gave the  groom good words, 
            ARISTOTLE'S LAST  LEGACY.        257

but ordered his fervants to have an eye upon him, that he might
not efcape when fober;  and yet efcape he did, for all their vig-
ilance, and being got to the lea fide, he attempted three times
to put to fea, but was as often forced back by contrary w inds ;
where being purfued and apprehended by his mafter, he was
brought back a prifoner to Warwick, as was foon after, the la-
dy and her gentle woman alfo, who were all juftly executed for
that horrid murder;  The lady  was  burned on Wolveyheath
and the two fervants fuffered death at Warwick ; leaving the
world a fad example ofthe difmal confequences of doting love,
forced marriages and unequal matches.
  And though in many fuch like matches, the mifchief does not
run fohigh, as to break forth into adultery and murder, but the
young lady from a principle  of  virtue  and the fear of God,
curbs her  natural inclinations, and preferves her chaftity  yet e-
ven in this very cafe, her hufbahd, confcious  of  the abatement
of hisyouthfial vigor, and his own weak imbecile performance of
the conjugal rites, fufpefts his virtuous lady  ana watches over
her with Argus' eyes, making himfelf and her unhappy by his
fenfelefs jealoufy.; and though he happens to  have children by
her (which may well be, having fo good ground to improve on)
yet can fcarcely think they are his own.  His very fleep  is dis-
turbed with the dreams of cuckoldum and homes;  nor dares
he keep a  pack of hounds for fear Aftaeon's fate fhould  follow
him.  Thefe are a few of the fad effefts of old men's dotage and
unequal matches.
   But let us turn the tables now, and fee if it be  better on the
other fide, when a young fpark about two and twenty marries  a
granum of three fcore and ten, with a face more wrinkled than  *
a piece of tripe.  This  I am fure is more unnatural :  Here can
be no increafe, unlefs of gold, which oftentimes the old hag (for
one can call her no better) that marries a young boy  to  fatisfy
her  letcherous  itch, conveys   away before her marriage, to
her own relations, and leaves the  expefting  coxcomb nothing
but repentance for his portion.  Pocket  expenfes perhaps  fhe
will allow  him, and for thofe flender wages (he is bound  to do
the bafeft drudgery.  But-it he meets  with money, which was
the only motive of the match (her gold being the greateft cordi-
al at the wedding  feaft^ he does  profufely fquander it away
and riots in excefs among!! his whores hoping, erelong, his an-
tiquated wife will  take a voyage to another  world, and leave
him to his liberty: whilft the old grandame, finding her money
wafted and herfelf defpifed, is filled  with thole refentments
that jealoufy, envy, and neglected  love can give, hoping each
day, to fee him in his  grave, though (he has almoft both feet
in her own: thus they each  day  with for each  other's death,
which, if it comes not quickly, they often help to haften.
  But thefe are ftill excrefences of marriage, and  are fhe  errors
the people  marrying, and not the fault of marriage itfelf.  For
let that be  what God at firft ordained, a nuptial of two  hearts,.
as well as hands, whom equal years and  mutual love has firft
united, before the perfons join their hands, and fuch will tell you
that mortals can enjoy no greater happinefs on this fide of heav-
en,                     x  2 
158          ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGAC V

                       CHAP.  III.
Oireclions to both Sexes, how to manage  their ft Ives in  the Acl cf
                 Coition, or Veneral Embraces.
          HAVING fhewedin the former chapter,  the pfea.fi
■ ires and advantages of marriage, I will now give fome direction.-:
;> the new married perfons, how to manage themfelves in the
;   ercife of one ofthe greateft, moft natural and agreeble pleaf-
itres thereof,  and that is their nofturnal or veneral embraces ; a
>  i:'afure peculiar to a married life, or at leaft it  ought to be fo,
;  ..; ir is not permitted to any befides. And let not any think it
Grange"that we  pretend  to  give  directions  to  do what nature
feacheth every one,fince it is well known, that nature  has been
a'ffifted by art in fome of our moft noble obfervations ;  befides,
it is not the bare performing of that act that they are directed to,
but the performing of it fo that it may  be  efficacious for the
prOduftion or generation ot man, which our great mafter Arif-
totle defigns in this laft legacy to the world.  To which purpofe,
fome things are to be'obferved previous to  this aft,  and fome
things consequent upon it.
                Firft, Things previous to it.
  When man ied perfons defign to follow the propenfions of na-
ture for the produftion of the fair images of themfelves, let ev-
ery thing that looks like care and bufinefs bebaniihed  from
their thoughts, for all fuch things are enemies  to  Venus ; and
let their animal and vital  fpirits be powerfully  exhilerated by
fome brifk and generous reftoratives i and fet them, to invigor-
ate their fancies, furvey the lovely  beauties ofeath other, and
bear the bright ideas or them in their minds-  And fome  have
thought it necelfary, for the further heightening of their  joys,
for the brifk  bridegroom to delineate  the  fcene  of  their ap-
proaching happinefs unto the amorous bride, in fome  fuch he-
i oical rapture as this :
            / will enjoy thee now myfaireft ; come,
            And fly with me to love's elyfium ;
            Now my enfranchis'd hand on every fide
            Shall o'er thy naked polijh'd ivoryJlide
            Now free as th' ambient air, I will behold
            Thy braidedfnow and thy unbraided gJd.
            No curtain now though of tranfparent lawn,
            Shall be before" thy virgin treajure drawn.
            Novo thy rich mine, to my inquiring eye
            Expos'd fhall ready for my mintage lie
            My rudder, with thy bold hand like a try'd
           AndJkilfulpilot, thou fhalt fleer and guide
           My bark into Love's channel, where itjhall
           Dance as the bounding waves do rife and fall.
           And my tall pinnace in the Ciprian flrait
            Shall ride at anchor and unlade her freight.
  Having by thefe, and otheramorous arts, which love can bet-
'eVdiftate than  my pen, woundup your fancies to the highe-ft
pitch and defire,
           Pet form thofe rites which mighty Love requires,
           And with each other quench your Am'rous fires. 
              ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.        259

     But then, in the fecond place,  when coition is over, fome  fur-
   ther directions are neceflary ; and therefore, let the bridegroom
   take heed how he retreats too foon out of the field of love, left
   he fhould thereby leave an entrance too open,  and cold (hould
   ftnke into the womb.  But after he has given time for the  mat-
   rix to clofe up, he may withdraw and leave the bride in  her foft
   repofe, which ought to be with all the calmnefs that the filent
   night, and a mind free from  all difturbing care, can give, in-
   clining hcrto reft on her  right fide and not removing,  without
   great occafion, till flie has taken her firft fleep.   She alfo ought
   to have a great care of fneezing, and avoid coughing, if it is pof-
   fible, or any other thing that caufes a too violent emotion of the
   body :  Neither (hould thefe amorous  engagements be  too often
   reiterated, till the conception be confirmed ;  and even  then the
   bridegroom fhould remember, that it is a market that  lafts all
   the year and fo fhould have a care of fpending his flock too lav-
 '  ifhly.   Nor would the bride like him at all the worfe for it; for
   women rather chufe to have a thing well done, than to have it
   often„andwell and often too can never holdout.
                          CHAP.  IX.
   The Midwifes' Vade Mecum : Containing  particular Direclions
                   for  Midwives, Nurfes, &c.
            THOSE who take upon them the office ofa midwife,
   ought to take care to fit themfelves for that employment,  with
   the knowledge of thofe things thatare neceflary for the  faithful
   difcharge thereof.  And fuch perfons ought to be ofthe middle
   age, neither too young nor too old, and ofa good habit  of body,
   nor fubjeft to difeafes, fears  or fudden frights; norj  are the
   qualifications afligned for a good furgeon improper for a  mid-
   wife, viz a lady's hand,  a hawk's eye, and a  lion's heart:  to
   which may be added, aftirity of body, and convenient ftrength,
   with caution and dilligence, not fubject to drowfinefs, nor apt  to
   be impatient.  She ought alfo to be fober, affable, courteous,
   chafte; not covetous, nor fubjeft to paflion, but bountiful'and
   companionate. And, above all, fhe ought to be qualified as the
   Egyptian midwives of old, that is, to have the  fear of God,
   which is the principal thing in every  ftate and condition, and
   will furnifh her, in all occafions", both with knowledge and dif-
   cretion.
     When the time of birth draws near, and the good  woman,
   finds her travailing  pains begin to come upon her, let her  fend
   for her midwife in time ;  better too foon  than too late, and get
   thofe things ready which are proper upon fuch occafions.  When
   the midwife comes,  let her  firft find whether the true  time  of
   the birth be come, for want of obferving this hath fpoiled  ma-
   ny a child, and endangered the  life of the mother, or  at  leaft
   put her to twice as much pain as fhe needed. For unfkilful mid-
   wifes not minding this, have given things to force down the child,
   and thereby difturbing the natural courfe of her labor ; whereas
   nature works beft in her own time and way.   I  do confers,  it  is
 ,  fomewhat difficult to know the true time of fome women's labor,
 !  they being troubled with pains fo long before their true labor
\,  «omes in fome, weeks before, the reafon of  which I conceive  to 
2G0         ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.

be the heat of the reins, and this may be known by the fwelling
of their legs : and therefore when women with child  find their
legs to fwell much, they maybe affured that their reins  are  too
hot.   For the cure whereof, let them cool the reins before  the
time of their labor, with oil of poppies, and oil of violets, or  wa-
ter lilies, by anointing the reins of their back with them :  for
fuch women whofe reins are over hot have ufually hard  labor.
but in this cafe, above all the remedies that I know, I prefer the
decoftion of plantain  leaves and roots: you may make  a  ftrong
decoftion of them in water, and  then having ftrained and clerifi-
ed it with the white of an egg, boil it into a fyrup with its equal
weight in fugar, and keep it for your ufe.
  1 here are two fkins that compafs the child in the womb,  the
one is the amnois, and this is the inner fkin ;  the other is the al-
antois, and this is the fkin that holds the urine of the child dur-
ing the time that it abides in the womb :  both thofe  fkins,  by
the violent ftirring of the child near the time of  the  birth,  are
broken :  and then the urine and fweat of the child contained in
them fall down to the neck ofthe womb ; and this is that  which
midwives call the water : and this is an infallible fign that  the
birth is near ;  fo the child is  no longer  able to  fubfift in  the
womb, when thofe fkins are broken, than a naked man is in the
cold air.  Thefe waters, if the child comes prefently after them
facilitate the laber, by makingtheir paffage flippery ;  and there-
fore the midwife muft have a care that (he force  not  her water
away, for nature knows better the true time of the birth than fhe
and ufually retains the water till that time.
          Several Medicines  to caufe fpeedy delivery.
          A LOADSTONE held in her left hand, Take wild
tanfey and bruife it, and apply  it to fhe woman's noftrils.  Take
date ftones and beat them to powder, and let her take half a
dram of them in  white wineatatime.
  Take parfley, bruife itandprefs out the juice, and put  it up,
being fo dipped, into the mouth ofthe womb, and it  will pref-
ently caufe the child  to come away, though it be dead,  and af-
ter burden alfo : befides, it cleanfeth the womb, and alfo the
child in the womb of all grofs humors
   Let no midwife ever force away a child, unlefs fhe be fure it is
dead.  I once was where a woman was  in  labor, which being
very hard her midwife fent for  another  midwife  to aflift her,
which midwife fending the firft down flairs, and defigning to
have the honor herfelf, forced away the body of the  child, and
left the head behind, of which the woman was forced afterwards
to be delivered by a man midwife
   After the child is born, great care is to be taken by the mid-
wives in cutting the child's navel ftring, which, though by fome
is accounted but a trifle, yet it  requires none of the leaft  fkill of
a midwife to do it with that  prudence  and judgment  that  it
ought.  And that it may be done fo, you muft confider as  foon
as the child is freed  from its mother, whether it be  weak or
ftrong (for both the vital and natural fpirits  are  communicated
by the mother ofthe child by the navel  ftring) if the  child be
weak, put back gently part of the vital and natural blood in the 
            ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.        261

body of the child by its navel, for that recruits a weak child ;
but, if the child be ftrong you may forbear.
  As to the manner of cutting the child's navel ftring, let the
ligature or binding be very ftrong, and before do not cut it oft
very near the binding, left the binding unclofe  You need not
fear to bind the navel ftring very hard, becaufe it is void of fenfe
and the part of the navel ftring which you leave on,  falls off  in
its own accord in a few days : the whole courfe of nature  being
now changed into the child, it having another way ordained  to
nourifh it-  Itis no matter with what inltrument you cut it off,
if it be (harp, and you do it cleverly.    The piece  ofthe  navel
ftring that fall before you keep from touching the ground ; re-
member what I have before told you ; and if you,keep it by you it
may be of ufe.   The navel ftring being cutoff, apply a little
cotton or lint to the place to keep it warm, left the  cold  enter
into the body of the child, which it will be apt to do if it be
not bound hard enough.
  The next thing to be done, is to bring aw>ay the after birth  or
fecundine, elfe it will be vary dangerous for the woman.   But
this muft be done by gentle means, and without any delays, for
in this cafe efpecially, delays are dangerous:  and  whatever  I
have fet down before, as good to caufe fpeedy delivery, and
bring away the birth, is good alfo to bring away the  after  birth.
  And after the birth and after birth are brought  away,  if the
woman's body be weak, keep her not too hot; for extremity of
heat weakens nature and diffolves fhe ftrength; but whether fhe
be weak or ftrong let no  cold  air come  near her at firft ;  for
cold isan enemy to the fpermatic parts.   If  cold get into  the
womb, it increafes the after pains, caufesfwellings in the womb,
and hurts the nerves.
 If what I have written be carefully obferyed among midwives,
and fuch nurfes as keep women in their lying in, by God's blef-
fing, the childbed women may do very well, and both  midwife
and nurfe gain credit  and reputation.
  For though thefe directions  may  in feme things thwart the
common practice, yet they are grounded upon experience, and
will infallibly anfwer the end.
  But there are feveral accidents that lying in women  are fub-
jeft unto which muft  be provided againft, and thefe  I fhall fpeak
of next.
  The firft I fhall mention are the after pains, about the caufe of
which authors very much differ, fome think they are caufed  by
thinnefs, fome by the thicknefs, fome  by (liminefs, and fome  by
the fharpnefs of the blood ; but my own opinion  is it proceeds
from cold and water.  But whatever the canfe may be, the ob-
ferving  of the foregoing directions will very much abate them,
if not quite take them away.   But in cafe they do happen, boil
an egg,  and pour out the yolk of it, with whicli mix a  fpoon-
ful of cinnamon water, and let her drink of it ■; and if you mix
two grains of ambergreale  with it, it will be better.
  The fecond accident lying in women are fubjeft to, is excoria-
tions in the lower part ofthe womb.   To  help this, ufe oil of 
264       ARISTOTLE'S LAST LEGACY.

  Hot fomentations open the breaftsand attack the blood, as the
decoftion of fennel, fmallage, or (lamp mint applied.  Or,
  Take fennel and parfley green,' each a handful, boil and (lamp
them, and barley meal half an ounce, with feed a dram,  ftorax,
calamint two drams, oil of lilies two ounces, and make a poul-
tice.
  Laftly, take half an ounce of deer's fuet and as much  parfley
roots, with the herbs, an ounce and a half of barley meal, three .
drams of red ftorax, three ounces of oil of fweet almonds ; boil N
the root and herbs well, and beat them to a pap, and then min-
gle the other amongft them, and put it warm to the nipjrles, and
it will increafe the mHk.
  And thus courteous Reader, I have at length finifhed  what I
defigned, and promifed, andean truly affirm,  that  thou haft
here thofe Receipts, Remedies and Direftions given unto thee,
with refpeft to Child Bearing Women, Midwives, and Nurfes,
that they are worth their  weight in gold,  and will affuredly
with the bleflingcf God, anlwer the end,  whenever thou ha$
occafion to make ufe of them, they being things  taken  on
truft  from tradition or hearfay, but the refult and diftates of
found reafon and long experience.
FINIS. 
 

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