Subsect. 1. Bad diet a cause. Substance. Quality of meats.

According to my proposed method, having opened hitherto these secondary causes, which are inbred with us: I must now proceed to the outward and adventitious, which happen unto us after we are born. And those are either Evident, Remote; or inward, Antecedent, and the nearest: Continent causes some call them.

These outward, remote, precedent causes are subdivided again, into necessary and not necessary. Necessary (because we cannot avoyd them, but they will alter us, as they are used, or abused) are those six non-natural things, so much spoken of amongst Physitians, which are principal causes of this disease.

For almost in every consultation, whereas they shall come to speak of the causes, the fault is found, and this most part objected to the patient; Peccavit circa res sex non naturales: He hath still offended in one of those six. Montanus, consil. 22. consulted about a melancholy Jew, gives that sentence, so did Frisemelica in the same place; and in his 244. counsel, censuring a melancholy souldier, assigns that reason of his malady, He offended in all those six non-natural things, which were the outward causes, from which came those inward obstructions; and so in the rest.

These six non-natural things, are Dyet, Retention, and Evacuation, which are more material then the other, because they make new matter, or else are conversant in keeping or expelling of it. The other four are, Air, Exercise, Sleeping, Waking, and perturbations of the minde, which onely alter the matter.

The first of these is Diet, which consists in meat and drink, and causeth melancholy, as it offends in Substance, or Accidents, that is, Quantity, quality, or the like. And well it may be called a material cause, since that as Fernelius holds, It hath such a power in begetting of diseases, and yields the matter and sustenance of them; for neither air, nor perturbations, nor any of those other evident causes take place, or work this effect, except the constitution of body, and preparation of humors do concur. That a man may say, this Diet is the mother of diseases, let the father be what he will, and from this alone, Melancholy and frequent other maladies arise.

Many Physitians, I confess, have written copious volumes of this one subject, of the nature and qualities of all maner of meats; as namely, Galen, Isaac the Jew, Halyabbas; Avicenna, Mesue also four Arabians: Gordonius, Villanovanus, Wecker, Johannes Bruerinus sitologia de Esculentis & Poculentis, Michael Savanarola, Tract. 2. c. 8. Anthony Fumanellus, lib. de regimine senum, Curio in his Comment on Schola Salerna,

Godefridus Stekius arte med. Marsilius cognatus, Ficinus, Ranzovius, Fonseca, Lessius, Magninus, regim. sanitatis, Frietagius, Hugo Fridevallius, &c. besides many other in English, and almost every peculiar Physitian, discourseth at large of all peculiar meats in his Chapter of Melancholy:

Yet because these Books are not at hand to every man, I will briefly touch what kinde of meats ingender this humor, through their several species, and which are to be avoyded. How they alter and change the matter, spirits first, and after humors, by which we are preserved, and the constitution of our body, Fernelius and others will shew you. I hasten to the thing it self: And first of such Diet as offends in substance:

Beef, a strong and hearty meat (cold in the first degree, dry in the second saith Gal. l. 3. c. 1. de alim. fac.) is condemned by him, and all succeeding Authors, to breed gross melancholy blood: Good for such as are sound, and of a strong constitution, for laboring men, if ordered aright, corned, young, of an Ox (for all gelded meats in every species are held best) or if old, such as have been tired out with labor, are preferred.

Aubanus and Sabellicus commend Portugal Beef to be the most savory, best, and easiest of digestion: we commend ours: but all is rejected, and unfit for such as lead a resty life, any ways inclined to Melancholy, or dry of complexion: Tales (Galen thinks) de facile melancholicis ægritudinibus capiuntur.

Pork, of all meats is most nutritive in his own nature, but altogether unfit for such as live at ease, are any ways unsound of Body or Minde: Too moyst, full of humors, and therefore noxia delicatis, saith Savanarola, ex earum usu ut dubitetur an febris quartana generetur: Naught for queasie stomacks, in so much, that frequent use of it may breed a quartan ague.

Savanarola discommends Goats flesh, and so doth Bruerinus, l. 13. c. 19. calling it a filthy beast, and ramish; and therefore supposeth it will breed rank and filthy substance: yet Kid, such as are young, and tender, Isaac accepts, Bruerinus and Galen, l. 1. c. 1. de alimentorum facultatibus.

Hart and Red Deer hath an evil name, it yields gross nutriment; a strong and great grained meat, next unto a Horse. Which although some Countries eat, as Tartars, and they of China; yet Galen condemns.

Young Foals are as commonly eaten in Spain, as Red Deer, and to furnish their Navies, about Malaga especially, often used; but such meats ask long baking or seething to qualifie them, and yet all will not serve.

All Venison is melancholy, and begets bad blood; a pleasant meat: in great esteem with us, (for we have more Parks in England, then there are in all Europe besides) in our solemn feasts. ’Tis somewhat better hunted then otherwise, and well prepared by cookery; but generally bad, and seldom to be used.

Hare, a black meat, melancholy, and hard of digestion, it breeds Incubus, often eaten, and causeth fearful dreams, so doth all Venison, and is condemned by a Jury of Physitians. Mizaldus and some others, say, That Hare is a merry meat, and that it will make one fair, as Martials Epigram testifies to Gellia; but this is per accidens, because of the good sport it makes, merry company, and good discourse that is commonly at the eating of it, and not otherwise to be understood.

Conies are of the nature of Hares, Magninus compares them to Beef, Pig, and Goat, Reg. sanit. part. 3. c. 17. yet young Rabbets by all men, are approved to be good.

Generally, all such meats as are hard of digestion, breed melancholy, Areteus, lib. 7. cap. 5. reckons up heads and feet, bowels, brains, entrals, marrow, fat, blood, skins, and those inward parts, as heart, lungs, liver, spleen, &c. They are rejected by Isaac, lib. 2. part. 3. Magninus, part 3. cap. 17. Bruerinus, lib. 12. Savanarola, Rub. 32. Tract. 2.