Pickled 
Oysters. 
Muscles. 
Cockles. 
Crab. 
Lobster. 
100 ON THE PLACE OF FISH IN 
sliced in the vinegar and eaten with them is an excellent 
correctory to the flegm if they be not offensive to the eater. 
But why are oysters eaten a little before meals, and that 
with one-way bread? For two reasons I conjecture. The 
first is, because of their subductory quality concerning the 
belly, which also is holpen with one-way bread ; the second 
is, because through their saltness they excite appetite. 
Oysters roasted on the coals or stewed in white wine, with 
butter, pepper, and a few drops of white or claret wine 
vinegar, and so eaten, do oblectate the palat and stomach, 
and nourish better than if eaten raw. 
Picklec oysters, by reason of their heat and saltness, 
please the palate of drunkards as anchovies do; the fewer 
that are eaten the less the hurt. They are least hurtful, and 
if a. all beneficial, to the phlegmatic that have cold, moist 
stomachs; but they are most pernicious to choloric and 
arrabilaric. 
Amongst shellfish muscles are of grossest. juice and 
wors. nourishment, and most noisome to the stomach. 
They abundantly breed flegm and gross humours, and dis- 
pose the body unto fevers. I advise all such as are 
respectful of their health utterly to abandon use of them. 
Cockles are not so aoisome as muscles; they are of 
lighter concoction, and better nourishment, vet not laudable 
mea’ for such as lead studious or easy kind of life or have 
weak stomach. 
Crab is not very hard of digestion, somewhat pleasant to 
taste, and yieldeth to the body much gross nourishment. 
It is mea. best atted to labouring men, who have strong 
stomachs: put to old men, students, and all such as have 
weak stomachs, and are subject to oppilations of the breast, 
distillations from the head, or are otherwise wont io be 
affected in the head, it is very hurtful. The freshwater crab 
is wholesomer than the sea crab, and the sea is whole- 
somer if it is taken out of ‘resh water. 
Also is not easily digested, and therefore it quickly 
offendeth a weak stomach; but, if well digested, giveth 
