Ihe Hi/lory of Life and Death, 



Alimentation) or JVcur/fkmettt : And the way of Ncur tying, 

 The Hiftery. 



Ourifrment ought to be of an Infcriour nature,aijd more fimple flibllancc, 

 than the thing nourifhed, c plants-x\t nourifhed wiih the Earth and 

 Water j Living Creatures with Plants ; Manmth Living Crearurcs: 

 There are alio certaine (Creatures feeding upon Flefh ; And Man him- 

 fclfe,takes Plants,into a part of his Nourifhment : But Man, and Crea- 

 turet feeding upon Flefh,are fcarccly nourifhed with Plants alone. Perhaps, Fruit:, or 

 Graines+bakcd, or boylcd, may,with long ufe, nourifh them ; But Leaves, of ""Plants-, 

 or Herbs^xW. not doe it ; As the Order otthe Foliatanes fhewed by Experience. 



Over-great tAjfmty, or Confubflantialtty of the Nouri foment , to the Thing nouri- 

 fhed ,proveth not well : Creatures,feeding upon Herbs, touch no Flefh ; And of Crea- 

 tures feeding upon Flefh,few of them eattheirown kind ; As for Men, which are Can- 

 nibals, they feed not ordinarily upon Mens Flefh ; But referve it as a Dainty, either to 

 ferve their Revenge upon their Enemies, or to (atisfie their Appetite at fome times. So 

 the Ground febeltfow.be , with Seed growing ell-where ; And Men doe not ufe to 

 Graft, or In-oculate,wpon the fame (rock. 



By how much the more the Nourifhment is better Prepared , and approacheth neerer 

 in likeneffe to the Thing nourifhed ; By fo much the more , are Tlants more Fruitfully 

 And Living Creatures id better liking , and plight. For a young Slip, or Cions , is not 

 fo well nourifhed, if it be pricked into the Ground ; As if it be grafted into a Stock, a • 

 greeing with it in Nature ; And where it hndc s the Nourifhment already digefted,and 

 prepared : Neither, (as is reported,) will the Seed of an Onion, or fome fuch like fown 

 in the bare earth, bring forth fo large a Fruit, as if it be put into another Onion ; Which 

 is a new kind of Grafting-, Into the Root, or under ground: Againe, it hath been 

 found out tttely j Thata$//'/>ofa Wild-tree ; As of an C%, oAfo, or fuch like 



grafted into a Stock of che fame kmde , will bring forth larger Leaves , than thole that 

 grow without Grafting . AUb Men are not nourifhed fo well with Raw Flefh,as with 

 that which hath palled the Fire. 



Living Creatures are nourifhed by the Month • Plants by the %oot ; Young ones in 

 the Wombe>by the Navil : Birds-, for a while,are nourifhed with the Tolke in the Egg; 

 whereof fome is found in their Crops, after they are hatched. 



All Nourifhment moveth, from the Center, to the Circumference ; Or, from the In- 

 ward, to the Out-wardj yet it is to be noted ; That in Tra^and Plantsj.hc Nourifh- 

 mend pafleth, rather by the Barke, and out-ward Paits, than by the Pith, and in- ward 

 parts : For if the Barke be pilled off, though but for a fmall bredth, round, they live no 

 more : And the bloud in the Veines of Living Creaturcs,doth no kffe nourifh che Flefh 

 beneath it,than the Flefh above it. 



In all Qs4limentation,or Nourishment ,thcre is a two-fold Action ; Bxtufion and At- 

 traction : whereof the former proceeds from the In-waid Fun&ion , the later from the 

 Out-ward. 



V rgetables aflimilate their Nourifhment fimply, without Excerning : For Gun\s,and 

 Teares oftrces,are rather Exuberances, than Excrements : And knots, or knobs,are no- 

 thing but Difeafes. But the fubitance of Living Creatures is more perceptible , of che 

 like ; And therefore it is conjoyned with a kind of Difdain ; whereby it rejecteth the 

 bad, and aflimilateth the good. 



It is a ftrange thing, of the Stalks of Fruits ; That all the Nourifhment, which pro- 

 ducethjfometimes, fuch great Fruits, fhould be forced to pafle thorow fo narrow Necks: 

 For the Fruit is never joyn'd to the Stock, without fome ftolke. 



It is to be noted ; That the Seeds of Living Creatures will not be fruitful} but when 

 they are new fhed ; but the Seeds of Plants, will be fruitful! a long time , after they are 

 gathered. Yet the Slips,or Cions of trees, will not grow, unlefle they be grafted green j 

 Neither will the Roots keep long frefh,unlefTe they be covered with earth. 



In Living Qreatures there are Degrees of Nourithmenr,accordingto their Age : In 

 the Womb, t he young one is nourifhed with che Mothers bloud i when it is new-born, 

 with Milk ; Afterwards with Meats, and Drinks, And in'old age, the molt Nourifh- ' 

 nftiing,and Savoury Meats, pleafe belt. 



D 3 Above 



To the 

 Artie 



