Of Cure 5^ Phyfical, Lib. L 



from whence it came h as Heat to the Fire, Moiftnefs to the Air, Cold- 

 nefs to the Water, and Drinefs to the Earth. And thus briefly you. 

 fee that of thefe Four common Elements, or common Beginners of 

 Things •, the Fire being hot, feparateth ^ the Air being moift, iha- 

 peth^ the Water being cold, bindeth-, and the Earth being dry, hard- 

 neth and retaineth. The ufe that you are to make of this Knowledge, 

 over and befides the Compofition of a natural Body, is, that when you 

 find any Sicknefs, or Infirmity, which proceedeth from the Fire as- 

 Inflammations of the Body, or fuch like, that then you apply Simples of 

 the Nature of the Air or Water, which may moiften. and cool the vio- 

 Jence of the Heat. If the Infirmity proceed from the Air, as Flux of 

 Blood, or too much moifture, then you ihall apply Simples of the Kature 

 of the Fire or Earth, whole heat and drinefs may difperfe and harden 

 fuch moifture. If the Difeafe fpring from the Water, as Colds, Rheums, 

 Apoplexies, and fuch like ^ then you fiiall feek Simples of the nature of 

 the Fire and Air ^ that through the heat of the one, and the moift light- 

 nefs of the other, all fuch cold, grofs and folid humours may be dilper- 

 led. But if the Difeale proceed from the Earth, as Mangir.els and Le- 

 profie, or their like, that are dry and hardned InfciH: ions, then you iliujl 

 leek Simples of the nature of the Fire only, whofe heat may diifolve and. 

 loofen thofe ill knit, dry, and hard Humours. 



Thus you fee, too much heat is abated by coldnefs and moiftnefs, 

 too much moiftnefs by heat and drinefs^ too much coldnefs by heat and 

 moiftnefs \ too much drinefs by heat only. 



Thus much of thefe Four common Elements, which begin all thiiigs 

 living and unliving, fenfible and unfenfible j yet of fenfibie. things, which 

 liveand have Blood, there be other more near Elements, or beginningSj 

 which are called proper Elements, or Generation ^ as the ingendring 

 Seed, and menftrual Blood, from whence every Beaft taketh his firft 

 ihape and beginning ; and yet thofe proper beginnings have their whole 

 dependency and hanging upon the. Qualities of the firft common beginn- 

 ings already fpoken of, which is moift, dry, hot and cold, for without 

 them they are nothing, nor can do any thing. 



C H A H. III. Of Temperaments, and their feverd Kinds, and how far every 



way they extend in Horfes. 



THefe Temperaments, or Temperatures, which are the fecond thing in 

 a Horfe's Compofition, do Ipring from the Commixture of the 

 four Elements, and are nine in Number, whereof eight are unequal, and 

 the ninth is equal. Of the eight unequal, four are fimple, and thofe 

 be hot, cold, moift, and dry, which Phyficians call the firft Qualities ^ 

 and of thefe, the firft two be aftive, and the other two pafiSve : The 

 jDthei- four are compound, and they be hot and moiftj hot and dry, cold 



and 



