114 HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. 



called the sweating sickness. This disease had a 

 swift course, both in the sick body, and in the time 

 and period of the lasting thereof; for they that were 

 taken with it, upon four and twenty hours escaping, 

 were thought almost assured. And as to the time 

 of the malice and reign of the disease ere it ceased ; 

 it began about the one and twentieth of September, 

 and cleared up before the end of October, insomuch 

 as it was no hinderance to the king s coronation, 

 which was the last of October ; nor, which was more, 

 to the holding of the parliament, which began but 

 seven days after. It was a pestilent fever, but, as it 

 seemeth, not seated in the veins or humours, for that 

 there followed no carbuncle, no purple or livid spots, 

 or the like, the mass of the body being not tainted ; 

 only a malign vapour flew to the heart, and seized 

 the vital spirits ; which stirred nature to strive to 

 send it forth by an extreme sweat. And it appeared 

 by experience, that this disease was rather a surprise 

 of nature than obstinate to remedies, if it were in 

 time looked unto.* For if the patient were kept in 

 an equal temper, both for clothes, fire, and drink, 

 moderately warm, with temperate cordials, whereby 

 nature s work was neither irritated by heat, nor 

 turned back by cold, he commonly recovered. But 

 infinite persons died suddenly of it, before the 

 manner of the cure and attendance was known. It 

 was conceived not to be an epidemic disease, but to 

 proceed from a malignity in the constitution of the 



* See Note A at the end of this volume. 



