356 HISTORY OF 



spices are to be rejected, and a consideration to be had how 

 waters and liquors may be made of the former simples ; not 

 those phlegmatic distilled waters, nor again those burning 

 waters or spirits of wine, but such as may be more tem 

 perate, and yet lively, and sending forth a benign vapour. , 



6. I make some question touching the frequent letting of 

 blood, whether it conduceth to long life or not ; and I am 

 rather in the opinion that it doth, if it be turned into a 

 habit, and other things be well disposed, for it letteth out 

 the old juice of the body and bringeth in new. 



I suppose also, that some emaciating diseases, well cured, 

 do profit to long life, for they yield new juice, the old being 

 consumed, and as (he saith) to recover a sickness, is to 

 renew youth. Therefore it were good to make some arti 

 ficial diseases, which is done by strict and emaciating 

 diets, of which I shall speak hereafter. 



The Intentions. 



To the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth articles. 



Having finished the inquisition according to the subjects, 

 as, namely, of inanimate bodies, vegetables, living creatures, 

 man. I will come now nearer to the matter, and order 

 mine inquisitions by certain intentions, such as are true 

 and proper (as I am wholly persuaded), and which are the 

 very paths to mortal life. For in this part, nothing that 

 is of worth hath hitherto been inquired, but the contem 

 plations of men have been but simple and non-proficients. 

 For when I hear men on the one side speak of comforting 

 natural heat, and the radical moisture, and of meats which 

 breed good blood, such as may neither be burnt nor phleg 

 matic, and of the cheering and recreating the spirits, I 

 suppose them to be no bad men which speak these things ; 

 but none of these worketh effectually towards the end. 

 But when, on the other side, I hear several discourses 

 touching medicines made of gold, because gold is not sub 

 ject to corruption ; and touching precious stones, to refresh 

 the spirits by their hidden properties and lustre, and that 

 if they could be taken and retained in vessels, the balsams 

 and quintessences of living creatures would make men con 

 ceive a proud hope of immortality. And that the flesh of 

 serpents and harts, by a certain consent, are powerful to 

 the renovation of life, because the one casteth his skin, the 

 other his horns (they should also have added the flesh of 

 eagles, because the eagle changes his bill). And that a 



