350 HISTORY OF 



The same things may be considered on the part of the 

 mother, unto which must be added the condition of the 

 mother whilst she is with child, as touching her health, as 

 touching her diet, the time of her bearing in the womb, to 

 the tenth month or earlier. To reduce these things to a 

 rule, how far they may concern long life, is hard ; and so 

 much the harder, for that those things which a man would 

 conceive to be the best, will fall out to the contrary. For 

 that alacrity in the generation which begets lusty and lively 

 children, will be less profitable to long life, because of the 

 acrimony and inflaming of the spirits. We said before, that 

 to partake more of the mother s blood conduceth to long life. 

 Also we suppose all things in moderation to be best ; rather 

 conjugal love than meretricious ; the hour for generation to 

 be the morning, a state of body not too lusty or full, and 

 such like. It ought to be well observed, that a strong con 

 stitution in the parents, is rather good for them than for 

 the child, especially in the mother. And therefore Plato 

 thought ignorantly enough, that the virtue of generations 

 halted, because the woman used not the same exercise both 

 of mind and body with the men. The contrary is rather 

 true ; for the difference of virtue betwixt the male and the 

 female is most profitable for the child, and the thinner 

 women yield more towards the nourishment of the child, 

 which also holds in nurses. Neither did the Spartan 

 women, which married not before twenty-two, or, as some 

 say, twenty-five (and therefore were called manlike women), 

 bring forth a more generous or long lived progeny than 

 the Roman, or Athenian, or Theban women did, which 

 were ripe for marriage at twelve or fourteen years ; and if 

 there were any thing eminent in the Spartans, that was 

 rather to be imputed to the parsimony of their diet, than 

 to the late marriages of their women. But this we are 

 taught by experience, that there are some races which are 

 long lived for a few descents, so that life is like some dis 

 eases, a thing hereditary within certain bounds. 



33. Fair in face, or skin, or hair, are shorter livers; 

 black, or red, or freckled, longer. Also too fresh a colour 

 in youth doth less promise long life than paleness. A hard 

 skin is a sign of long life rather than a soft ; but we under 

 stand not this of a rugged skin, such as they call the goose- 

 skin, which is, as it were, spungy, but of that which is hard 

 and close. A forehead with deep furrows and wrinkles is 

 a better sign than a smooth and plain forehead. 



34. The hairs of the head hard, and like bristles, do be- 



