The twelfth Booke of 



to digeft in fleepe,is better to make a man fat and corpuIcnt,than ftrong and luflie. And therfore G 

 weftlcrs and championswhoare acquainted widifull and liberalldict, ufe rather towalkc after 

 meat for to digeli And iii one wordamuch watchin^makcih beft digeftion* 



Chap. Lint* 



^ Ofmakmgiodies fat or learn, K^lf9:,rvhat things being taJled^doealUy 

 hunger ^nd quench thir pi 



Bodies grow to be burly and groflc,with fweet meats/at feeding,and much drinkc : contrari- 

 wife^dric diet, adually cold, and thirft withaJl, make a bodie leanc. There bee beafts in Af- 

 frickcjand cfpecially the leffer forc^which drinkc not above once in foure dales. A man may H 

 well live fevcn daies without any food whatfoever :& well it is knowne^that many have continued 

 more then eleven daies without meat or drinke.There have been fome knownc fo hungrie ever- 

 more^ that nothing would fatisfie them, and fuch have died for very famine, although they did 

 nothing els but eat i a difeafc incident to no creature but tb man. Some againe can afluage and 

 appeafc their hunger^yea^and flacke and extinguilh their thirft with a very little,and yet preferve 

 and maintains the naturallftrengthof their bodie :namely,with rafting Butter, Cheefe made of 

 Mares or Affesmilke, and Licorice. But to conclude and knit up this difcourfe: the worfl;and 

 moft dangerous thing every way that can be in all the courfe of our life,is Excefle and Superflu- 

 ities but to the health of our bodies moft of all : and therefore the beft courfe is^ to cut oti by all 

 mcanes that which is offenfive and heavie to the bodie. Thus much (hall fuffice as touching U- I 

 vingand fenfible creatures. Let us therefore now proceed to the reft of Natures workes. 



THE TWELFTH BOOKE OF ' 



THE HISTORIE OF NATVRE, 



WRITTEN BY C. PLINIVS 



SECVNDVS. 



i^The1>reface. 



^ ^ Has you fee hy that which hath been mitten before^ what art the natures well in ^ 

 generall^as pariicuUrlyin ^artSj of all living andfenfitive creatures within the 

 compafjeof our knowledge » It remaineth now to difcourfe of thofe which the earth 

 yeeldeth: and even they likewifeare not without a foule in their kind {for nothing 

 liveth which wantcth iti)thatfrom thence we may paffe to thofe things that lie hid-* 

 den within the earthy and are to bee digged out of it : to the end hat no worke and 

 benefiteof Nature might overpajfe oar handstand be omitted. Jnd in truth ythefe treafures of hers lay 

 long covered under the ground^ infomachas men were perfuaded^that Woods and Trees were the lajl 

 and onely goods left unto m and be flowed upon us by Nature, For of the fruit of trees had wee ourfirjl 

 food : their leaves and branches fervedtomake m foft pallets and couchet within the caves : andwith 

 their rinds and barke we clad and covered our nakedneffe^And even at this day j feme nations ihcre be M 

 that livefttllin that fort^ and no otherwife . A wonder full thing therefore it is hat from fo [mall and 

 hafi beginnings we Jhouldgrow to that paffe in pride ^thai we mufl needs cut through great mount aines 

 for to meet tvith marble :fend out as f arte as to the Seres for filke fluff e to apparell m : dive downe into 

 the bottoms of the red fea for pear let jandlaflof all^fmkedee^e pits even to thebottomeof the earthy 



for 



