i2% ■ TliefeventhBookedf 



1 kohiilg holdcih flill for good which Petofiris and Necepfcs calculated and grounded upon their G 



Qiiadf antj which they call Tetartmorion^ that is to fay^ the coinpaffe in the Zodiacke of three 

 figncs (Orientalljwhicli determine of the life or death of men) according to which account it is 

 evident, that in the trad or climat of Italic, men may reach to a hundred twentic and fix yeeres. 

 The above-named Aftrologers affirmedjthat a man could not poifibly paiTc the (pace of de- 

 greesfrom the Afccndcntorcredion of his nativitie(which they cairAnaphoras)andthat even 

 this courfe through the degrees of three fignes, is many times interrupted and cut fhorr, cither 

 by the oppofltion and^ ncounter of fome wicked planets, or by the maiigne afpeds of them 

 orthefunnc.Onthcothcrfidc,/^(/f/<'/'M^f^and his fe£taffirmej that the length of our life pro- 

 ccedeth from the influence of the [fixedjftarres : but as touching the utmoft tearme therof^they 

 fee downe nothing definitively : mary thus much they fay. That the fewer fort of men live any H 

 long time; for that the greateft number by farre, have their nativitie incident and liable to the 

 daungeroushourcsand times either of the moones occurrence (as in her Quadrature, Oppofi- 

 tionjand Sextile aiped) or of daies according to the number of feven or nine (which are daily 

 and nightly marked and obferved: ) wherupon enfueth the rule of the dangerous graduall yeers^ 

 called Clima£lericke;andfuchasarc in that wile borne, lightly live not above foureand fiftie 

 yeeres. But here may v^ec (eeby the doubtfulnefle and incertitude of this Science of Aftrolo- 

 gie,howuncertein this wholematteris which we have in hand. Over and befides, we found the 

 contrarie by experience, and many examples 5 and namely ,in the laft taxation, num bring, and 

 reviewof the provinces fubje(5l to Rome within Italic, that was taken under the Cafm Vefpafi^ 

 am the father and the fonne, both Emperours and Cenfors. And here we need not to learch eve- \ 

 ric corner, and to ranlacke every place narrowly ^ wee will onely give inftance and let downe the 

 examples of the one moitie thereof, namely that trad which lyeth betweene Apenninc and the 

 Po. At P^rmaj three men were found that livcd a hundred and twentie yeeres ratBrixcls, one 

 that was an hundred twentie and five yeeres old : at Parma moreover two, an hundred and tbirtie 

 yceresof 3gc:atPlaifance,oneelderby ayeere: at Faventia, there was one woman anhundred 

 thirtie and two ycers old : at Bononic, LJcrenttm the fbnne of Mmm^'xcA at Ariminum M,A'' 



[ ■ />i?»//^^,reckoned each of them an hundred and fifde yeeres. T trtulU was knowne to be an hun- 



r.M^ '-^^ f^'^ dred thirtie and leven yeeres old. About Plaifance, there is atownefituateuponthe hills, na- 

 * med Velleiacium, wherein fix men brought a certificatCjthat they had lived an hundred yeeres 

 apecce : fourelikewife came in with a note of an hundred and twentie yeeres .'one, of anhun- |^ 

 drcdandfourteenjnamely^.A///////^ fonne of Marcm {unumtd Galen Fc^lix, But becaufe 

 ive will not dwell long in a matter fo evident and commonly confefledrin the review taken of 

 the eigth region of italic, there were found in the toll, foure and fiftie perfons of an hundred 

 yeeres of age : 57, of an hundred and ten; two, of an hundred and five and twentie : foure, of an 

 hundred and thirtie; as many that were 135 or 137 yeeres old: and laf^ of all, three menofan 

 hundred and fortie. Let us leave thefe ages, andconfider awhile another inconflant varietie in 

 the nature of mortall men : Hmet^ maketh report, that Hecior and Pd^ damns were borne in one 



H night,menfo different in nature andqualitie. Whiles C.ilfdr//^ was Confull and C».Ofii? with 



him^ who had beenc rwifc before ConfuU, the fifth day before the calends of lune. M. CACtlm 

 Mfjiu and C. Licimus Calvm were borne upon a day, and both of them verily prooved great ^ 

 Oratours : but they fped not alikCjbut mightily differed one from the other in the end. And this 

 is a thing feene daily to happen throughout the world, confidering that in one houre kings and 

 beggers ajce-bornejlikcwife lords and ilaves. 



Chap. l. 



^Sundrie examples of divsrs difeafisi 



Prb» Cornelim Rufm^ who was Confull togither with LM, Curm\ dreamed that hcc had loR 

 his fight : and it prooved true indeed,for in hisfleepe he became blind and never faw again, 

 Contrariwife Phakrem [otlafon Ph^rtus] being given over by the Phyficionsfot an impo- |vS 

 flume that he had in hiseheffjin delpaireof all health (purpofing to killhimfelfe for to be rid 

 out of his paine) ilabbcd his breafl with a knife j but he found this deadly encmie to be his onely 

 Phyficion, ^FaBm Maximm being long fickc of a quartane ague,ftrucke a battaile with the 

 people of Savoy and Auvergne necr the river Ifarajupon the Cm day before the Ides of Auguff, 



wherein 



