and bruising the harder kinds of flesh before they are put to the fire. And this will be one of the best preparations.

11. Bread a little leavened and very little salted is the best. It should be baked in an heated and not too slow.

oven well

12. The preparation of drinks suited to longevity may be comprised in one precept. Of water-drinkers there is no need to speak; for, as has been said elsewhere, such a diet may continue life for a certain time, but can never prolong it to any great extent. But in other spirituous liquors (as wine, beer, mead, and the like) the one thing to be aimed at and observed as the sum of all is to make the parts of the liquor as fine and the spirit as mild as possible. And it will be difficult to effect this by age alone; for that makes indeed the parts somewhat more fine, but renders the spirits much stronger and sharper; and therefore I have already advised the infusion of some fat substance in casks, to restrain the acrimony of the spirits. There is also another way, without infusion or mixture; which is, to keep the liquor in perpetual agitation, either by water or land carriage, or by hanging the vessels on ropes and shaking them daily, or other similar processes. For it is certain that such local motion refines the parts, and in the mean time so ferments the spirits in them that they have no leisure to turn to acidity, which is a kind of putrefaction.

13. In extreme old age, food ought to be so prepared as to be almost half way to chyle. Distillations of meat are mere folly; for the best or nutritive part does not rise in vapours.

14. The incorporation of meat and drink before they

meet in the stomach is a step towards chyle. Take chickens therefore, partridges, pheasants, and the like; boil them in water with a little salt; let them be then cleaned and dried, and afterwards infused in new wine or beer that is still working, with a little sugar.

15. Extracts of meats and minces well seasoned are good for old men; the more so, because they have mostly lost the use of their teeth for chewing, which is a principal preparation.

16. Towards the supply of that defect, namely, of teeth for grinding food, there are three things which may help. The first is, to grow new ones, which is extremely difficult, and cannot be done without a radical and powerful restoration of the body. The second is, so to harden the gums by the use of proper astringents that they may in some way perform the office of the teeth; and this does not appear impracticable. The third is, to prepare the food in such a way that it does not require mastication; and this is easy, and quickly attained.

17. With regard to the quantity of meat and drink, it occurs to me that a little excess is sometimes good for the irrigation of the body; whence immoderate feasting and deep potations are not to be entirely forbidden. And so much for the operation on aliments and the preparation thereof.

VIII.

THE OPERATION UPON THE LAST ACT OF ASSIMILATION.

Transition.

The advice concerning the last act of assimilation, whereat the three preceding operations principally

aim, shall be short and simple; for the matter rather requires explanation than any variety of rules.

Comment.

1. It is certain that all bodies are endued with some desire of assimilating the things which lie next to them. This is performed freely and vigorously by thin and pneumatic bodies, such as flame, spirit, and air; but very languidly by thick and tangible bodies; because in them the desire of assimilation is controlled by a stronger desire for rest, and an aversion to motion.

2. It is certain likewise that this desire for assimilation, which in a gross body is bound up, as was said, and rendered ineffectual, is somewhat liberated and excited by heat or spirit in its neighbour, and in the end actuated by it. And this is the only reason why inanimate bodies do not assimilate, and animate bodies do.

3. Again, it is certain that the harder the consistency of a body, the greater is the heat required as a spur to assimilation. And this turns out ill for old men, because in them the parts are more stubborn and the heat is weaker; and therefore either the hardness of the parts must be softened, or the heat must be increased. With regard to the softening of the parts, as I have already laid down many precepts which relate to the prevention or prohibition of this kind of hardness, I will speak of it hereafter. But, on increasing the simple heat, I will now give one precept; first however assuming this axiom.

4. The act of assimilation (which, as has been said, is excited by the surrounding heat) is an extremely accurate and subtle motion which affects even the smallest particles. But all motions of this kind are

only in vigour when all the local motion which may disturb it is at rest. For the motion of separation into homogeneous parts, which in milk causes the cream to rise to the top and the whey to sink to the bottom, will never take place if the milk be at all stirred. Neither will any putrefaction take place in water or mixed bodies if they be in continuous local motion. From this assumption then I will draw, with reference to the present inquiry, this conclusion.

5. The act of assimilation is performed principally during sleep and rest, especially towards the morning, when the distribution is finished. The only advice therefore which occurs to me, is that men keep themselves warm during sleep, and towards morning use some ointment or anointed shirt to excite a moderate heat; and after that fall asleep again. And so much for the inquiry concerning the last act of assimilation.

IX.

THE OPERATION UPON THE INTENERATION

OF THE

PARTS WHICH HAVE BECOME DRY, OR THE SOFTENING OF THE BODY.

Transition.

Having already inquired of the internal inteneration of the body, which is performed by many tortuous and circuitous methods both of alimentation and detention of the spirit, and therefore by slow degrees; I now come to the inteneration which takes place from without and at once, or the softening of the body.

The History.

1. In the fable of the restoration of Pelias to youth,

Medea, when she pretended to set to work, proposed to accomplish it by cutting the body of the old man to pieces and boiling it up in a cauldron with certain drugs. Some boiling may perhaps be required there, but the cutting to pieces is unnecessary.

2. But yet the cutting to pieces (not indeed with a knife, but with the judgment) may in some sort be useful. For since the consistency of the bowels and the parts is very different, their inteneration cannot be performed by the same means; but there must be a distinct cure for each part, besides the things which pertain to the inteneration of the whole mass of the body. Of this last however I will discourse first.

3. This operation (if it be possible) may probably be satisfied by baths, anointings, and the like; with respect to which the following observations are to be noted.

4. We must not be too sanguine of accomplishing this object, because we see things done in the infusing and steeping of inanimate bodies whereby they become tender; whereof I have brought forward some instances before. For this kind of operation is easier upon inanimate bodies, because they attract and suck in the liquors; but upon animate bodies it is more difficult, because in them the motion proceeds more towards the circumference.

5. The emollient baths therefore that are in use do more harm than good; for they rather draw out than press in, and rather loosen than consolidate the framework of the body.

6. The baths and anointings suitable to the present operation of softening the body well and perfectly ought to have three properties.