pi 
Experiment 
Solitary tou¬ 
ching thc/tcce 
{(ratten ej Birth. 
3 53 
^(aturall Hijlory: 
made okaying it abroad in Profly tveath a, which hurt it not. 16.There was 
a great Peece ofa Root which did fhinc, and the Shining Part was Cut ojf\ 
rill no more Shined j Yet after two Nights, though it were kept in a dry 
Roome, it got a Shining. 
T He Bringing forth of Lining Creatures may bee accelerated in two Re- 
A fpetfs: The one, if the £ mbryon ripe fifth and perfe&eth fooner: The 
other if there be fome Caufe from the Mothers Body, of Expulfton or Put¬ 
ting it downe : whereof the Former is good, and arguethftrength •; The 
Latter is ill, andcommethby Accident or Dileafe. And therefore the An¬ 
cient Obfer nation is true, that the Childe borne in the fenenth Moneth, doth 
commonly well • But borne in the Eighth Moneth, doth (for the moft part) 
die. But the Canje aligned is Fabulous • Which is,that in the Eighth Mo- 
neth, fhould bee the Returnc of the Reigne, of the Planet Saturne .-which 
(as they fay) is a Planet Maligne s whereas in the Seuenth is the 
Reigne of rhe Moone, which is a Planet Propitious. But the true Caufe is, 
for that where there is fo great a Preuention of the Ordinary time, it is the 
Luflwejje of the Childe - But when it is leffe, it is fome lndijfofition of the 
Mother. 
Experiment “T* O Accelerate Growth or Stature, it muft proceed • Either from the 
cWngthr /tcet ! * p l* at 7 the Nourifbment • Or from the Nature of the Nourifbment ; 
Umm of LU I Or from the Quickening and Exciting of the Naturall Heat, Forthefirft, 
ExceJJe of Nourifbmcnt is hurtfull 5 For it maketh the Childe Corpulent j 
And Growing in Breadth, rather than in Heighth. And you may take 
an Experiment from Plants^ which, if they fpread much, are feldome 
tall. As for the Nature of the Nourifbment • Firft, it may not bee too Dry ; 
And the refore Children in Dayry Countries doe wax more tall, than 
where they feed more vpon Bread, and Flefh. There is alfoareceiued 
Tale; That Boyling of Da fie Roots in Milke (which it is certaine are great 
Driers) will make Dogs little. Butfo much is true, that an Ouer-drie^j 
Nourifbmcnt in Childhood putteth backe Stature. Secondly, theiV<w»- 
ysfhment mu ft be of an Opening Nature , For that Attenuatetn theluyee, 
and furthereth the Motion of the Spirits, vpwards. Neither is it with- 
; our Caufe, that Xenophon, in the Nouriture of the Perfian Children, doth 
| fo much commend their Feeding vpon Cardamon . which (hee faith) 
made them grow better, and bee of a more A6liue Habit. Cardamon is in 
Lat 'meZfaflurtium-, And with vs water-Creffes . W hich, it is certaine, is 
an Herbe, that while ft it is young, isFriendly toLife. As for the Quick- 
ning of Naturall Heat , it muft bee done chiefly with Exercife • And there¬ 
fore (nodoubt) much Going toSchoole, where they fitfo much, hin- 1 
dereth rhe Growth of Children ; whereas Countrey People, that goe not j 
to Schoole, are commonly of better Stature. AndagaineMen muft be- ( 
ware, how they giue Children, anything that is Cold in Operation j For / 
euen Long-Sucking doth hinder both Wit, and Stature. This hath beene j 
tried, thata Whelpe, thathathbeeae fed with Nitre in Milke, hath be¬ 
come] 
growth and 
Stature . 
354 
