214 THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



together within the Pia Mater. It is regu- j It is under the dominion of Venus, some say. 

 lated by Mercury, (perhaps this is one rea- 1 Mercury : A thousand to one, but it is 

 son why men are so fickle-headed) and its I under Mercury. 



office is to preserve a harmony among the 



Ine tour ADMINISTERING VIRTUES are* 



scllsea. . , , . 



Particular senses are five, mz. seeing,\ attract > digestive, retentive, and expulsive^ 

 hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling. The attractive virtue is hot and dry, hot 



These senses are united in one, in the j by quality, active, or principal, and that 

 brain, by the common sense, but are ope- 1 appears because the fountain of all heat is 

 ralively distinguished into their several : attractive, viz. the sun. Dry by a quality 

 seats, and places of residence. i passive, or an effect of its heat ; its office 



The sight resides in the eyes, and par- j is to remain in the body, and call for what 

 ticularly in the christaline humour. It is ; nature wants. 



in quality cold and moist, and governed by j It is under the influence of the Sun, say 

 the luminaries. They who have them weak | authors, and not under Mars, because he ij 

 in their genesis, have always weak sights;! of a corrupting nature, yet if we cast an 

 if one of them be so, the weakness pos- i impartial eye upon experience, we shall 

 sesses but one eye. \ find, that martial men call for meat none of 



The hearing resides in the ears; is in j the least, and for drink the most of all other 

 quality, cold and dry, melancholy, and { men, although many times they corrupt the 

 under the dominion of Saturn. \ body by it, and therefore I see no reason 



The smelling resides in the nose, is in j why Mars being of the same quality with 

 quality hot and dry, choleric, and that is \ the Sun, should not have a share in the 

 the reason choleric creatures have so good j dominion. It is in vain to object, that the 

 smells, as dogs. It is under the influence j influence of Mars is evil, and therefore he 

 of Mars. \ should have no dominion over this virtue ; 



The taste resides in the palate, which is i for then, 



placed at the root of the tongue on pur pose j 1. By the same rule, he should have no 

 to discern what food is congruous for the {dominion at all in the body of man. 

 stomach, and what not ; as the meseraik I 2. All the virtues in man are naturally 

 veins are placed to discern what nourish- $ evil, and corrupted by Adam's fall, 

 inent is proper for the liver to convert into: This attractive virtue ought to be forti- 

 blood. In some very few men, and butlfied when the Moon is in fiery signs, viz. 

 a few, and in those few, but in few instances : Aries and Sagitary, but not in Leo, for the 

 these two tasters agree not, and that is the i sign is so violent, that no physic ought to 

 reason some men covet meats that make j be given when the Moon is there : (and 

 them sick, viz. the taste craves them, and I why not Leo, seeing that is the most attrac- 

 the meseraik veins reject them : In quality : live sign of all ; and that's the reason such 

 hot and moist, and is ruled by Jupiter. jas have it ascending in their genesis, are 



The feeling is deputed to no particular \ such greedy eaters.) If you connot stay till 

 jrgan, but is spread abroad, over the whole! the Moon be in one of them, let one of them 

 body ; is of all qualities, hot, cold, dry, and {ascend when you administer the medicine, 

 moist, and is the index of all tangible' The digestive virtue is hot and moist, and 

 things; for if it were only hot alone, it? is the principal of them all, the other like 

 could not feel a quality contrary, viz. cold, 'handmaids attend it. 

 and this might be spoken of other qualities. J The attractive virtue draws that whi 



