Plinies Naturall Hiftorie; 



A 



Chap. liii, 



of the fpirii and heath of living creatmes : aifi^ what things he vmomm in 

 taflydnddo kilLOf memfood,Andlaftofdlljcf>hathindercthdi' . 

 gefiionandcdncoSliorf'of meat, 



THc breath of Lions hath a very ftrong dcane and linking fmell with it :but that of a Beate is 

 peftilentiall and deadly : infomuchjas no beaft will touch where a Beare hath breathed and 

 blowne upon : for furely fuch will fooner corrupt and putrifie than others^ asif tl^ey weje 

 blafted. As for the breath of a manj Nature hath fuftered it to be infe<a«d nnaiiy waies,-naroel|i 

 B by the viands and meat that heeeateth^ by faultie and rotten teeth 5 and moft of all^by old age. 

 And yet our breath^without which there is no fcnce/eeleth nopainitfelfejasberrng void of fee* 

 Jing,and altogether fencelefle. The fame goeth and commeth continually without refland in^ 

 termiffion.-thefameisalwaies new and fretTi .-andas it (hall depart out of thebodielaftj fo ic 

 fhall remaine alone^when all is gone befides it. Finally^returne it fhallinto the aire and the hea* 

 venjf rom whence it firft came. Now^albeit this breath that we draw^bc the very meanes whereby- 

 we live^and without which we cannot maintaine our life jyet othctwhiles troublefome it is Untd 

 iis,and plagueth us as averypuniilimcnt ordained for us. TheParthiansof all others bee moH 

 fubje6t to this inconvqniencCjeven from their very youth, by reafon of their groflTe feeding of all 

 meats indifferently jwithoutchoife anddifcretion landelpecially of their drunkennelTe. For cx- 

 C cefTive drinking ofwinec'aufcth (linking breath. But the Nobles and great States of thatcoun- 

 trey have a remedie thereforCjand make their breath fweet, by taking with their meats the ker- 

 nels of Pome-cicronSj which yeeld a moft pleafant lavour.The very breath of Elephants caufcth 

 Serpents to come out of their holes: but Stags and fuch other DeerCj therewith doeblaft and 

 burne ihem.As touching certaine kinds of men^who by fucking only could draw and fetch out 

 the poifon out of bodies wounded by venomous SerpentSjWe have alreadie fpoken.Asfor hogSj 

 they will feed of Serpents^and doe well ynoughjwheras to other creatures they beno better than 

 poyfon. All thofc little creaturesj which we named Infeds^ will die if they bee but fprinckled or 

 wet with Oile.The Vultures or Geires which flie from fweet ointments^ are defirous yet of other 

 odors and perfumes ; like as Beetles like well the fmell of Rofes.Some Serpents there be that the 

 D Scorpion killeth. The Scythians poyfon their arrow heads with the venomous filthiebloud of 

 vipers and mans together. A prelent poyfon this island remedileffe j and it no fooner toucheth 

 but it taketh^and killeth forthwith. As touching thofe creatures tha t feed of poyfon, we have fpo- 

 ken hcretofore.fvioreover/ome creatures there bejwhich otherwifc being harmelelTejif they bee 

 fed with venomous beafts or plantSjbecome alfo themfelves noifome and daungerous. The wild 

 Bores in Pamphylia,and upon mountainesofCiliciajthat have eaten SalamanderSjbecome ve- 

 nomous: and whofoevcr chaunce to eat of their venifon^are fure to die upon it. And yet cannot 

 ■ a manknow any fuch venome therein,either by fent at nofe^or taft ot tongucMoreover^the ve- 

 ry water or wine wherein a Salamander hath been ftiffled and fuffocatcd, or whereof it hath but 

 drunke.will kill a man that firall but fip ther&of never fo little. The like is to be faid of that Frog 

 E which we call Rubeu, [/.the toad that liveth in bufhes.j See how many ambufhes our lifeis fub- 

 jed: unto IWafpcs feed greedily on Serpents, and upon that food their flings bee deadly. And 

 therefore you fee it skilleth much what meats we eat, and the manner of our food is very mate- 

 riall.As we may Icarne farther in that treatife yMchrheofhrajlm wrote of the Ichthyophagi that 

 live of filh : where he hath fet downe Jhat Kine and Oxen doth eat fifh^but they muft m any ok 



be alive. , " "''^}L 



To come now unto mens diet : their beft and mofl wholefome feeding is upon one diih 

 and no more, and the fame plaine and fimple :for furely this hudling of many meats one upon 

 another of diverfe tafts^ is peftiferous : but fundrie fauces are more daungerous than that. As 

 touching our conco^ion : all tart and fliarpe meats are of hard digeition : alfo fulnelfe and lur- 

 F feting: haft ie and greedie feeding likewife be enemies to digeftion, and hurtfull to the if omackc. 

 In [umme,we digeft our meat more hardly in Summer than in Winter^and in age worfe than itx 

 youth. Now to helpe and remedie all this exrefle and enormitie^vomite hath been devifed : but 

 ufe it whofoever wiil^he (hall find the naturall heat of his bodie thereby to decay : he fhall fcnfi- 

 bly perceive thatithurcech the teeth^andeies efpecially^To goe tobed upon afuliftomacke, and 



