and cleerenesse and of the Balsomes and Quintessences of living Creatures which being contayn'd and received in Vessels would give a proud hope of immortality And of the flesh of Serpents and Harts being powerfull to renew Life the one changing his skinne the other his Hornes and the flesh of Eagles because the Eagle changeth his Bill and of one that by annointing himselle all over except the soules of his feete lived 300 yeeres and never felt any other sicknesse but onely a swelling of his feete and of Artesius who perceiving that his spirits grew old attracted the spirit of a lusty young man killing him for that purpose and receiving it into his mouth with the young mans last Breath living many yeeres by his Spirit and of fortunate Houres according to Astronomie wherein medicines to prolong Life should bee gathered and compounded and of the Planets influence powerfull to prolong life and the like superstitious fables and strange delusions by which Reason being besieged hath miserably yeelded up the Fort of beleefe But to these materiall Intentions touching the quicke of the matter though not largely handled much cannot be added some few Admonitions onely concerning them are to be delivered First the Offces and Duties of Life being better than Life the Prescriptions of our Intententions hinder not the Offices and Duties of Life such being rejected or lightly mentioned and not insisted on For no serious Discourse of living in a Denne or hole of a Rocke like Epimenides Cave never befriended with any cheerefull Sun-beame or Day-light or of continuall Baths of prepared Liquors nor of Seare-cloaths keeping the body in a bagge nor of thicke pargetting and painting used by Salvages or of accurate dyets to prolong life formerly kept by 〈◊〉 and in our Age more moderately by Cornarus Venetus nor the like unprofitable idle projects are heere mentioned But our Remedies and Precepts may be used without interrupting and hindering common duties and businesses Secondly it is a vaine conceit to imagine that any Potion or Medicine can stay or renew the course of Nature which great Worke must bee brought about and effected by Application of divers Remedies and being a new project must bee wrought by unusuall meanes Thirdly some following Propositions are not grounded on approoved experiments but on Reason and our former Principles and suppositions are all cut and digged out of the Rock and Myne of Nature And because mans body is in Scripture said to be the Soules upper garment therfore no dangerous but wholesome and profitable Remedies are here propounded Besides it is observable that the same drugs are not good to preserve Health and to lengthen life for some being good to cheere the spirits and make them vigorously and strongly performe their duties doe shorten life others being powerfull to prolong life unlesse prevention bee used doe endanger health therefore some Cautions and Advertisements shall bee inserted leaving the choise of Remedies belonging to the severall Intentions to the Readers discretion For their agreeablenesse to different constitutions of bodies to divers kinds of Life and severall ages and the Order observable in their Application would bee too tedious to declare and unfit to bee published The 3. Intentions propounded in the Topicks of staying consumption perfecting reparation and renewing Age are enlarged into these ten Operations 1. The first Operation is of reviving and renewing the Spirits 2. The second Operation is of excluding or keeping out the Ayre 3. The third of Blood and heate breeding Blood 4. The fourth of the juyce and moysture of the Body 5. The fifth of the Bowels and digestion of nourishment 6. The sixth is of the outward parts attracting nourishment 7. The seaventh is of making Dyet more nourishing 8. The eight is of the last act of Assimilation or converting into the substance of the body 9. The ninth is of making the parts of the body tender after they begin to wither and waxe dry 10. The tenth is of purging out old-moysture and filling the body with fresh new moysture Of these Operations the first foure belong to the first Intention the second foure to the second Intention and the two last to the third Intention And because these Intentions may bee dayly practised therefore under the name of an History Experiments Observations Counsells Remedies Explications of Causes and Reasons are together blended and mingled The Operation on the Spirits to make them continue youthfull and to revive and renew them being decayed The History 1. THat the Spirits worke all effects in the Body is most cleere and evident by divers Experiments 2. And youthfull Spirits convey'd into an old Body would like a great wheele turning about the lesser make Nature move backward and old folks become young 3. In all Consumption by Fire or age the more moisture that the spirit or heate doth devoure the lesse durable is the substance 4. The spirits working temperately should not drinke or devoure but sip the moysture of the body 5. Flames are of two kinds one suddaine and weake working and vanquishing thinne substances as the blazing flame of straw and shavings of wood the other strong and constant invading hard stubborne substances as the flame of great wood 6. Flames suddainly blazing and weake doe dry consume and parch the Body but strong flames dissolve and melt the body making it moist and solt 7. Also some plasters and medicines for swellings drawing out thinne humours doe harden the flesh others by drawing strongly doe soften 8. And some Purgations doe sweepe and fetch away waterish thinne humours others draw downe watery stubborne flymy matter 9. Such spirits as are more powerfull to abate and subject hard stubborne humours than to avoyd thinne and prepared humours will keepe the body lusty and strong 10. The Spirits should bee composed thicke in substance hot and lively not sharpe and burning of sufficient quantity not abounding or swelling and quiet in motion not hoyting or leaping in an unequall unruly manner 11. Vapours worke powerfully on the Spirits as those doe arising from sleepe drunkennesse melancholy and merry passions and from odours and sweet smells recreating the fainting spirits 12. The Spirits are by foure sorts of meanes thickned by flight cooling delight and restraint and first of the thickning by flight 13. Bodies by generall driving and putting to flight are forced into their Center and so thickned 14. The juyce of blacke Poppy and all medicines procuring sleepe doe thicken the spirits by flight 15. Three Graines of Poppy-juyce will make the spirits curdle together and quite extinguish their working 16. The spirits are not put to flight by the coldnesse of Poppy-juyce and the like Drugs being hot but the flight of the spirits doth make them hot and cooling 17. The flight of the spirits from Poppy-juyce is best discerned by the outward application making the spirits withdraw and retire and keepe within untill the mortified part turne to a Gangrine 18. In painefull incisions or cutting for the Stone or cutting
violent but naturall by defect of Nature doth enter at certaine common doores The History 1. THE living spirit subsists by due motion temperate cooling and fit nourishment A flame needs onely motion and Nourishment being a simple substance the Spirit a compounded substance destroyed by approaching neerer to the nature of flame 2. A flame as Aristotle well no ted is by a greater stronger flame extinguished much more the spirit 3. The flame of a Candle being put into a Glasse and kept very close is extinguished by the Ayre enlarged by heate and thrusting the flame together And fewell lying too close in a Chimney burnes not with a bright flame 4. Fire also by thrusting pressing together is extinguished and a coale of fire being trodden Or crush'd with the Tongs 5. But concerning the spirits blood or fleame getting into the Ventricles of the Braine doe cause suddaine Death the spirit having no place of residence or motion Also violent Fractures and beating of the head doe cause suddain Death by straightning the spirits in the ventricles of the Braine 7. Opium and other strong Drugs procuring unsensiblenesse doe by thickning the spirits deprive them of motion 8. Venemous vapours beeing hateful to the spirits are deadly poysons by whose malignant quality the spirits are opprest deprived of their motion and made unable to resist so strong an enemy 9. Extreame Drunkennesse and Gluttony have caused sudaine Death the spirits not with thicke or malignant vapours proceeding from Opium or poyson but with aboundance of Vapors being opprest 10. With the suddain apprehension of Griefe and Feare conceived at the relation of unexpected bad tidings some have suddainly Dyed 11. The Excessive compression and inlarging of the Spirits are both deadly 12. Great and suddaine ioyes have deprived many of their life 13. Greater Evacuations of water by Dissections for the Dropsie or violent and suddaine Fluxes of Blood are Deadly the Blood and spirits doe avoyde vacuity or emptinesse and fill up the emptie places repaying hither slower Fluxes of Blood procuring want of nourishment but no powring backe of the spirits So much of the compression and effusion of the spirits causing Death 14. Stopping the breath is through defect of cooling deadly by choaking and strangling the motions of the spirits being not hindred but cooling defective for excessive hot Ayre drawne in for breath doth choake as soone as stopping of the Breath As by burning charcoale or by the smell of new whited walles in a close chamber Iustinian and others have beene choaked Fausta the wife of Constantine the great was strangled by the steame of an exceeding hot Bath 15. For breath is drawne in by the Lungs and breathed forth againe every third part of a minute 16. The beating of the Pulse and of the Heart both by the systole or backward motion or Dyastole or forward motion is thrice as swift as breathing for the beating of the Heart could it be without stopping being stayd would cause Death sooner than strangling 17. Delian Dyvers and PearleFishers through continuall use will hold their Breath tenne times longer than another 18. Living Creatures having Lungs hold their breath a shorter or longer time as they neede more or lesse cooling 19. Fishes neede lesse cooling than other creatures cooling and breathing themselves at their Gills And as other creatures cannot endure a hot close ayre so Fish in water quite frozen over and long covered with Ice are choaked and strangled 20. The naturall heate of the Spirits is by another more violent heate oppressed being unable to endure them both without cooling as may bee seene in burning-feavers naturall heate being extinguished and Dissipared by hot putrified Humors 21. Want of Sleepe is a want of cooling For motion doth rarifie make thinne sharpen and encrease the heat of the Spirits But by sleep their motion is allayd and their wandring restrayn'd For sleepe doth strengthen and excite the working of the inward parts and Spirits and all outward motion but maketh the living spirit rest from motion Every 24. houres nature requires 5. or 6. houres sleepe Thogh some have miraculously refrained from sleepe for Mecaenas slept not a great while before hee dyed 22. Nourishment is a third want of Nature suffered by the parts of the Body not the living spirit subsisting in Idenity and Beeing without succession or renewing And the reasonable Soule proceeding not from Generation needs no reparation beeing not subject to Death as the Animall and Vegative soule differing both in Essence and Forme from the reasonable Soule For their confusion without distinction was the Originall of transmigration and many heathen hereticall opinions 23. A healthfull body doth every day require food enduring not to fast three dayes together unlesse enabled by custome but sicke folkes can easily fast and sleepe doth nourish as Exercise makes the body require nourishment And some miracles of Nature have lived a long time without meate or drinke 24. Dead bodies being kept from putrefaction will not a long time decay But living bodies cannot above three dayes subsist this speedy consumption being the worke of the living spirit repairing it selfe or making the parts neede repairing and therefore living creatures by sleeping endure longer without food sleepe being the reception and collection of the living Spirit 25. A continuall Flux or voyding of blood by the Piles or by vomiting of Blood some veyne within being opened or broken or by wounds doth cause speedy Death For the Blood of the veines doth supply and feed the blood of the Arteries and the blood of the Arteries doth feed the spirits 26. Meate and Drinke received twice daily is not all voyded by Extrements vrine or sweating the rest being converted into the moysture substance of the body the body growing not bigger as the repaired spirits are not in quantity increased 27. Nourishment must be so prepared and Dressed that the spirits may worke thereon For the flame of a Torch is not maintayned and kept burning by the staffe unlesse it bee covered with waxe lights and hearbs alone are no nourishing flood This doth cause the decay in Age the Spirits cloathed with Flesh and Blood being few and thinne and the moysture and blood old and hard are unable to nourish 28. The ordinary necessities of Nature are these continuall motion of the Spirits in the ventrieles of the Braine beating of the heart every third part of a moment Breathing every moment Sleepe and Food within three Dayes the decaying after fourscore years of age of the faculties of Digestion these Defects beeing not seasonably supply'd Death will ensue So that Death hath three Doores the spirits fayling in motion cooling and nourishing The living spirit is not like a flame continually lighted and extinguished without certaine duration and continuance A flame doth live in a flame being by contrary qualities only extinguished But all parts of the Body beeing to the living Spirit friends and servants are also comfortable and serviceable Therfore the living Spirit
IN oyly fat substances not clamy the spirits are willingly detayned The Explication THE Spirit not incited by the Antipathy of an encompassing Body nor fed by too neere likenesse of a Body doth not strive much to depart As in oyly substances being not so trouble some to the spirit as hard substances nor so like it as watry substances nor tempted forth by the flattery of encompassing Ayre CAN. 17. THE suddaine departure of the watery humour doth make oylinesse endure the longer The Explication WAtery spirits as was sayd being like Ayre doe sooner depart than Ayre oyly spirits slower having not so much affinity with ayre But both these moystures being in most bodies the watery spirit doth vent before the oyly and the former getting forth by degrees carryeth with it the latter Therefore light drying is healthfull maling the watery humour expire not forcing out the watery humour there by becomming more perfect and both hindering putrefaction and preserving the body yong And therefore light rubbings and exercise breathing the body not procuring sweate doe exceedingly lengthen life CAN. 18 THE exclusion or keeping out of the ayre lengthens life other inconvemences being avoyded The Explication THE evolation or departing of the spirit as was sayd is a two-fold action proceeding from the Appetite of the Spirit and of the Ayre The former Action may be stayed and taken away by Oyntments the Remedies for the inconveniences ensuing thereon being prescribed in the second Operation CAN. 19. By young spirits being put into an aged body the course of 〈◊〉 may be suddainly brought about againe to youth The Explication THE Spirits are in Nature like the highest wheele turning about the other wheeles in Mans body and an especiall Engine to lengthen Life Besides the spirits are easily and soone altered For Operation on the spirits is two-fold one by Nourishment being slow and indirect the other suddaine directly working on the spirits by vapors or by affections CAN. 20. THE moisture of the body being hard and oyly doth lengthen life The Explication THE Reason is grounded on a former Rosition that hard and oyly substances are hardly dissipated or dispersed But yet as was sayd in the tenth Operation hard moisture 〈◊〉 lesse dissipable is also lesse reparable and an inconvenience therefore joyned with a convenience can produce no great effect But the oyly moysture being not dissipable and also reparable is therefore diligently to bee regarded CAN. 21. Sv btile thinne piercing substances without gnawing Acrymony or sharpnesse doe breed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Explication THis Canon is more difficult in practice than in 〈◊〉 For all piercing 〈◊〉 and sharpe substances doe 〈◊〉 and corrode hardening 〈◊〉 but the penetration of the subtile substances without violence doth bedew and water the body as was 〈◊〉 in the fourth and seventh Operation CAN. 22. ASstmilation or Digestion is best performed when all locall motion doth cease The Explication THis Canon in the Cōment on the third Operation is sufficiently explained CAN. 23. Nourishment received by outward meanes not onely by the stomacke would lengthen life if it may be effected The Explication NOurishment doth work in a compasse course but infusions more suddainly therfore outward nourishment would be good because the faculties of digestion doe faile in age And inward Nourishment joyned with outward Nourishment by baths oyntments and glisters wonld be more powerfull and strong CAN. 24. DIgestion being weak to drive out nourishment the outward parts must be comforted to draw forth nourishment The Explication 〈◊〉 His Canon and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are not the same for 〈◊〉 of outward 〈◊〉 differs from Extraction 〈◊〉 drawing out of in ward 〈◊〉 but both by several 〈◊〉 doe helpe weaknesse 〈◊〉 Digestion CAN. 25. ALL 〈◊〉 renewing of the Body is wrought either the Spirits or by softning The Explication IN the Body there are spirits and parts where Nourish 〈◊〉 by a compasse-course 〈◊〉 but vapours and 〈◊〉 doe work suddainly on the spirits and softning on the parts yet externall Nourishment and softning must not bee confounded softning intending not to nourish the parts but make them more nourishable CAN. 26. SOftning is wrought by like substances by piercing and shutting substances The Explication FOr Consubstantials or like substances doe properly soften conveying substances drive in and binding shutting substancesdoe retaine and restraine Perspiration or breathing forth being a motion contrary to softning Therefore as was said in the ninth 〈◊〉 softning cannot be 〈◊〉 once effected but by an 〈◊〉 proceeding First by 〈◊〉 and keeping out the 〈◊〉 by thicke Oyntments because the outward thicke 〈◊〉 doth not supple the body but the subtile vapours thereinto penetrating and piercing Secondly by softning 〈◊〉 Consubstantialls and the 〈◊〉 substances for Bodies by the gentle touch of like substances doe open and loosen 〈◊〉 pores Thirdly by 〈◊〉 of the like substances and 〈◊〉 restrayning 〈◊〉 Afterwards binding 〈◊〉 Plasters and Oyntments 〈◊〉 good applyable untill 〈◊〉 subtile softnesse of the 〈◊〉 be growne hard and solid CAN. 27. THE frequent renewing of reparable parts doth bedew and moysten the lesse reparable The Explication IN the beginning of the History the perishing of the more reparable and lesse reparable parts together was called the high way of Death and therefore the Reparation of these parts should be most intended For as Aristotle well observed that in Plants new sap passing through the boughes doth refresh the body also so in like manner by often repairing the flesh and blood of the body the Bones and Membranes and other lesse reparable parts by the passage of new moysture and being cloathed with new flesh and blood may be 〈◊〉 renewed CAN. 28. COoling not passing by the stemacke doth lengthen life The Explication FOr a strong cooling of the Blood is necessary to prolong Life which cannot bee effected inwardly without hurting the stomacke and bowels CAN. 29. COnsumption and reparation being both effected by heate 〈◊〉 by their conioyned Operation 〈◊〉 length of Life The Explication ALL great workers are destroyed by the mixture of Natures helpfull and hurtfull in severall respects Therefore Judgement in practice must distinguish good heates from hurtfull CAN. 30. DIseases are curable by Medicines but Life must bee lengthned by Dyets The Explication ACcidentall Diseases their Causes being taken away doe cease but the continuall course of Nature flowing like a River must bee stopt and turn'd backe by Dyets whereof there are two kinds set dyet used at certaine times and familiar dayly Dyet Set Dyets are more powerfull being able to turne backe Natures course and sooner change and alter the Body than usuall Dyets In the Intention three set Dyets are onely mentioned the Dyet with Opium the Dyet for softning and the Dyet for making leane and renewing the Body But in dayly Dyet these Prescriptions good also in set Dyets are most effectuall Nitre and Drugges subordinate to Nitre the government of the Affections and the kinds of Studies Coolers not passing by the stomacke oyly Drinkes making the Blood firme by Potions of the Powder of Pearle and wood Drugs Oyntments to keepe out the Ayre and keepe in the Spirits outward heaters to further 〈◊〉 after sleepe avoyding inflamers of the Spirits infusing into them a sharpe heat as Wines and hot Spices and the moderate and seasonable use of Drugges infusing a strong heate into the Spirits as Saffron Cresses Garlick Elecampane and compositions of Opium CAN. 31. THe living Spirit doth immediatly perish being destitute of motion cooling or nourishment The Explication THese are three Doores of Death formerly mentioned being the proper and immediate passions of the spirit For all the Organs of the principall parts serve them in performing their Offices And the destruction of the Organs doth cause their Defectivenes Therefore all other wayes to Death meete in these three commonroades But the Fabricke of the parts is the Organ of the spirit as the spirit is of the reasonable Soule being immortall and Divine CAN. 32. FLame is a momentary Substance Ayre a fixed the living spirits in creatures is of a middle Nature The Explication THis Canon requires a deeper search and larger Explication than is here requisite Flame is continually generated and extinguished and continued only by succession But ayre is a fixed body not subject to dissolution for though the ayre doth out of moisture generate new ayre yet the olde ayre remaineth whence proceedeth the over-burdning of the ayre mentioned in the title of Winds But the spirits participating of the nature of flame and ayre is nourished by Oyle being of the same kinde with flame and by ayre homogeneous to water For the spirit is not nourished by an oyly or waterish substance but by both And though ayre and flame oyle and water are hardly blended and compounded yet they agree in a mixtbody The ayre raysing quicke and delicate conceits in the Fancy and the flame enciting noble active Desires in the Soule The continuance also of the spirit is compounded beeing neyther so momentary as flame nor so fixed as ayre And therfore is not accidentally extinguished like a flame by contraries for the spirit is not so hard beset with Destructive qualities But the spirits are repayred by lively fresh Blood insinuated through the Arteries into the Braine by a speciall manner of reparation not now to be mentioned FINIS Artic. 1 Artic. 20. Artic. 3. Cōnexion Artic. 4. Artic. 5 6 7 8 9 and 11. An admonition Artic. 10 An admo nition Artic. 15 Connexion 〈◊〉 Admonition Artic. 16