374 HISTORY OF 



lible, that the spirit discharged and issuing forth, drieth 

 bodies; detained, melteth and intenerateth them. And it 

 is further to be assumed, that all heat doth properly atte 

 nuate and moisten, and contracteth and drieth only by 

 accident. 



4. Leading the life in dens and caves, where the air 

 receives not the sunbeams, may be effectual to long life. 

 For the air of itself doth not much towards the depredation 

 of the body, unless it be stirred up by heat. Certainly, if 

 a man shall recall things past to his memory, it will appear 

 that the statures of men have been anciently much greater 

 than those that succeeded, as in Sicily, and some other 

 places: but this kind of men led their lives, for the most 

 part, in caves. Now length of life, and largeness of limbs, 

 have some affinity ; the cave also of Epimenides walks 

 among the fables. I suppose likewise, that the life of 

 columnar anchorites was a thing resembling the life in 

 caves, in respect the sunbeams could not much pierce 

 thither, nor the air receive any great changes or inequali 

 ties. This is certain, both the Simeon Stelitas, as well 

 Daniel as Saba, and other columnar anchorites, have been 

 exceeding long lived ; likewise the anchorites in our days, 

 closed up and immured either within walls or pillars, are 

 often found to be long lived. 



5. Next unto the life in caves, is the life on mountains : 

 for as the beams of the sun do not penetrate into caves, so 

 on the tops of mountains, being destitute of reflection, they 

 are of small force. But this is to be understood of moun 

 tains where the air is clear and pure ; namely, whether by 

 reason of the dryness of the valleys, clouds and vapours do 

 not ascend, as it is in the mountains which encompass 

 Barbary, where, even at this day, they live many times to 

 a hundred and fifty years, as hath been noted before. 



6. And this kind of air of caves and mountains, of its 

 own proper nature, is little or nothing predatory ; but air, 

 such as ours is, which is predatory through the heat of the 

 sun, ought as much as is possible to be excluded from the 

 body. 



7. But the air is prohibited and excluded two ways: 

 first, by closing the pores : secondly, by filling them up. 



8. To the closing of the pores, help coldness of the air, 

 going naked, whereby the skin is made hard, washing in 

 cold water, astringents applied to the skin, such as are 

 rnastick, niyrrhe, myrtle. 



9. But much more may we satisfy this operation by baths, 



