IheHijioryof Life and Death. 



15 



16 



l 7 



' To the frft 

 Artie, 



Inquire, touching the Length', and Shortneffe^ of Life, in Men-, according to their 

 Fare, Diet, Government of 'their Exerctfes-.and the like. For as for the Aire , in 

 which Men live, and make their Abode r we account that proper to be inquired of, in 

 the above-laid Article, touching the Places of their Habitation. 



Inquire, touching the Length find Shortneffeo{ Lifejw Men, according to their fttt- 

 dwjTheir feveral Courfes of Life ? The Ajfettions of the (JVLinde ; And divers Occi- 

 dents befalling them. 



Inquire apart,touching thofe Medicines, which are thought to prolong Life- 

 Inquire, touching the Signes, and Progneftickj, of Long and Short Life; Not thofe 

 which betoken Death, at hand; (for they belong to an Htftory of Phyfickj, ) But thofe, 

 which are feen, and may be obferved, even in Health, j whecherthey be Phyfiegnomi- 

 cal fignes,or any other. 



Hitherto have been propounded Inquifitioiis touching Length W Shortneffe of Life, 

 be/ides the Rules of Art, and in a confuted manner ; Now we thinkjo ad.de fome, 

 ■which (hall be more Artlike, And tending to Pra£tife, under the name of Intentions. 

 Thofe Intentions are generally, three : As for the particular T>iflnbutions of them, 

 •we will propound them, when we come to the Inquihtion it filfe. The three general 

 Intentions are,The Forbidding of VVafte <i«dConlumptionjThe Perfecting ^/Re- 

 paration ; And the Renewing o/OldnefTe. 



lnq uire,touching thole things, which Conferve and Exempt the body of man , from 

 ArefaBton and Qonfumption^hx. leart,which put off, and protract the inclination there- 

 unto. 



Inquire, touching thofe things which pertain to the whole Proceffe of Alimentation-, 

 (By which the Body of man is repaired;) that it may be good, and with the beft im- 

 provement. 



Ii>quire, touching thofe things which jmrge out the old Matter , and fupplyvinh 

 New As alfo, which doe Intenerat-e, and Moiften thofe parts, which are already dri- 

 ed,and hardned. 



But becAufe it willbe hard to know the wayeso/ Death,«»/e/?£ you fearchout anddif- 

 cover,the Seat,or Houic,or 7ather,X)en of Death;/? will be convenient to make Inqui- 

 fition of this Thing; yet ofyevery kind of Death , but of thofe Deaths which are 

 eanfed,by want, and Indigence of Nourishment, not by violence •' for they are thofe 

 Deaths only y which pertain to a Decay of Nature, and meet old Age. 

 Inquire,touching the point ot D$ath; and the porches of Death leading thereunto 

 from all parts'- fo as that Death be'eaufed, by a Decay of Nature, and not by vio- 

 lence. 



Laftlyi Becaufeitis behovefullto know the Character and Form of Old- Age; which, 

 will then beft bedonejf yovt make a ColltUion of all theD\farenccs,bcth in the State, 

 and Funftionsof the Body ^betwixtYouih <WOkl-Age; That bythemyeu may ob- 

 fe'tve,what it ii that produceth fuch manifold E^ec-ts ; let not this Inquilition £tf 

 omitted. 



Inquire diligently ,touching the Differences, in the State of the Body, and Faculties 

 of the Mind, in Touth and Old- Age , And whether there be any that remaine the fame 

 without Alteration^ Abatement,™ Old- Age. 



Nature Durable, and Not Durable. 



The Hiftory. 



t^&Etals, are of "that longlafting, that Men cannot trace the Beginnigs of 

 them. And when they doe decay, they decay through Ruft } r\ox. through 

 Verfpiration into Aire. Yet Gold decayes neither way. 

 « JQuickjfilver-i though it be an Humide and Vluide Body ; And eafily 

 made volatile by Fire ; yet (as far as we hare obferved) by Age alone, 

 without Firqit neither wafteth,nor gathereth Ruft. 



Stones, especially the harder fort of them > and many other Fofiles t are of longlaft- 



