CENTURY VIII. H 



that kind of colliquation is not made either by an over- 

 dry heat, or an over-moist heat : for over-moisture doth 

 somewhat extinguish the heat ; as we see that even hot 

 water quencheth fire ; and over-dry heat shutteth the 

 pores : and therefore men will sooner sweat covered 

 before the sun or fire, than if they stood naked : and 

 earthen bottles filled with hot water do provoke, in bed, 

 a sweat more daintily than brick-bats hot. Secondly, 

 hot water doth cause evaporation from the skin ; so as 

 it spendeth the matter in those parts under the water, 

 before it issueth in sweat. Again, sweat cometh more 

 plentifully, if the heat be increased by degrees, than if 

 it be greatest at first, or equal. The cause is, for that 

 the pores are better opened by a gentle heat than by a 

 more violent ; and by their opening the sweat issueth 

 more abundantly. And therefore physicians may do 

 well, when they provoke sweat in bed by bottles with 

 a decoction of sudorific herbs in hot water, to make 

 two degrees of heat in the bottles ; and to lay in the 

 bed the less heated first, and after half an hour, the 

 more heated. 



707. Sweat is salt in taste ; the cause is, for that 

 that part of the nourishment which is fresh and sweet, 

 turneth into blood and flesh ; and the sweat is only 

 that part which is separate and excerned. Blood also 

 raw hath some saltness, more than flesh ; because the 

 assimilation into flesh is not without a little and subtile 

 excretion from the blood. 



708. Sweat cometh forth more out of the upper 

 parts of the body than the lower ; the reason is, be 

 cause those parts are more replenished with spirits ; 

 and the spirits are they that put forth sweat : besides, 

 they are less fleshy, and sweat issueth (chiefly) out of 



