LIFE AND DEATH. 323 



mours of the body, which after they begin to be repaired 

 again seem manifestly more vigorous and young. Nay, and 

 I am of opinion, that emaciating diseases afterwards well 

 cured have advanced many in the way of long life. 



Observations. 



1. Men see clearly, like owls, in the night of their own 

 ! notions, but in experience, as in the daylight, they wink, 

 I and nre but half-sighted. They speak much of the ele 

 mentary quality of siccity or dryness, and of things desic 

 cating, and of the natural periods of bodies in which they 

 are corrupted and consumed ; but meanwhile, either in the 

 beginnings, or middle passages, or last acts of desiccation 

 and consumption, they observe nothing that is of moment. 



2. Desiccation or consumption in the process thereof is 

 finished by three actions ; and all these (as was said before) 

 have their original from the native spirit of bodies. 



3. The first action is the attenuation of the moisture into 

 spirit ; the second is, the issuing forth or flight of the 

 spirit ; the third is, the contraction of the grosser parts of 

 the body immediately after the spirit issued forth. And 

 this last is, that desiccation and induration, which we 

 chiefly handle, the former two consume only. 



4. Touching attenuation, the matter is manifest : for the 

 spirit which is enclosed in every tangible body forgets not 

 its nature, but whatsoever it meets withal in the body (in 

 which it is enclosed) that it can digest and master, and 

 turn into itself, that it plainly alters and subdues, and mul 

 tiplies itself upon it, and begets new spirit. And this 

 evicted by one proof, instead of many; for that those 

 things which are thoroughly dried are lessened in their 

 weight, and become hollow, porous, and resounding from 

 within. Now it is most certain, that the inward spirit of 

 anything confers nothing to the weight, but rather lightens 

 it; and therefore it must needs be, that the same spirit 

 hath turned into it the moisture and juice of the body which 

 weighed before, by which means the weight is lessened. 

 And this is the first action, the attenuation of the moisture 

 and converting it into spirit. 



5. The second action, which is the issuing forth or flight of 

 the spirit, is as manifest also. For that issuing forth, when 

 it is in throngs, is apparent even to the sense, in vapours to 

 the sight, in odours to the smelling ; but if it issueth forth 

 slowly (as when a thing is decayed by age), then it is not 

 apparent to the sense, but the matter is the same. Again, 



