Milk, and all that comes of Milk, as Butter and Cheese, Curds, &c. increase melancholy (Whey onely excepted, which is most wholsom:) some except Asses Milk. The rest, to such as are sound, is nutritive and good, especially for young children, but because soon turned to corruption, not good for those that have unclean stomacks, are subject to headach, or have green wounds, Stone, &c.

Of all Cheeses, I take that kinde which we call Banbury cheese to be the best, ex vetustis pessimus, the older, stronger, and harder, the worst, as Langius discourseth in his Epistle to Melancthon, cited by Mizaldus, Isaac, p. 5. Gal. 3. de cibis boni succi, &c.

Amongst Fowl, Peacocks and Pigeons, all fenny Fowl are forbidden, as Ducks, Geese, Swans, Herns, Cranes, Coots, Didappers, Waterhens, with all those Teals, Curs, Sheldrakes, and peckled Fowls, that come hither in winter out of Scandia, Muscovy, Greenland, Friezland, which half the yeer are covered all over with snow, and frozen up.

Though these be fair in feathers, pleasant in taste, and have a good out-side, like Hypocrites, white in plumes, and soft, their flesh is hard, black, unwholsome, dangerous, melancholy meat; Gravant & putrefaciunt stomachum, saith Isaac, part 5. de vol. their young ones are more tolerable, but young Pigeons he quite disproves.

Rhasis and Magninus discommend all Fish, and say, They breed viscosities, slimy nutriment, little and humorous nourishment. Savanarola addes cold, moyst, and phlegmatick, Isaac; and therefore unwholsom for all cold and melancholy complexions:

others make a difference, rejecting onely amongst fresh-water fish, Eel, Tench, Lamprey, Crawfish (which Bright approves, cap. 6.) and such as are bred in muddy and standing waters, and have a taste of mud, as Franciscus Bonsoetus poetically defines, Lib. de aquatilibus.

Nam pisces omnes, qui stagna, lacusque frequentant, Semper plus succi deterioris habent.

All fish, that standing Pools, and Lakes frequent, Do ever yield bad juyce and nourishment.

Lampreyes, Paulus Jovius, c. 34. de piscibus fluvial. highly magnifies, and saith, None speak against them, but inepti and scrupulosi, some scrupulous persons; but Eels, c. 33. he abhorreth in all places, at all times, all Physitians detest them, especially about the Solstice.

Gomesius, lib. 1. c. 22. de sale, doth immoderately extol Sea-fish, which others as much vilifie, and above the rest, dryed, sowced, indurate fish, as Ling, Fumados, Red-herrings, Sprats, Stock-fish, Haberdine, Poor-John, all Schell-fish. Tim. Bright excepts Lobstar and Crab. Messarius commends Salmon, which Bruerinus contradicts, Lib. 22. c. 17. Magninus rejects Congre, Sturgeon, Turbet, Mackerel, Skate.

Carp is a fish, of which, I know not what to determine. Franciscus Bonsoetus accompts it a muddy fish. Hippolitus Salvianus in his Book de Piscium naturâ & præparatione, which was Printed at Rome in Folio, 1554. with most elegant Pictures, esteems Carp no better then a slimy watery meat.

Paulus Jovius on the other side, disallowing Tench, approves of it; so doth Dubravius in his Books of Fish-ponds. Frietagius extols it for an excellent, wholsom meat, and puts it amongst the Fishes of the best rank; and so do most of our Country Gentlemen, that store their Ponds almost with no other Fish.

But this controversie is easily decided, in my judgment, by Bruerinus, l. 22. c. 13. The difference riseth from the site and nature of Pools, sometimes muddy, sometimes sweet; they are in taste as the place is, from whence they be taken. In like maner almost we may conclude of other fresh-fish. But see more in Rondeletius, Bellonius, Oribasius, lib. 7. cap. 22. Isaac, l. 1. especially Hippolitus Salvianus, who is instar omnium solus, &c.

Howsoever they may be wholsome and approved, much use of them is not good: P. Forestus in his Medicinal observations, relates, That Carthusian Fryers, whose living is most part fish, are more subject to melancholy then any other order, and that he found by experience, being sometimes their Physitian ordinary at Delph in Holland.

He exemplifies it with an instance of one Buscodnese, a Carthusian of a ruddy colour, and well liking, that by solitary living, and fish-eating, became so misaffected.

Amongst Herbs to be eaten, I finde Gourds, Cowcumbers, Coleworts, Mellons, disallowed, but especially Cabbage. It causeth troublesome dreams, and sends up black vapors to the brain. Galen, loc. affect. l. 3. c. 6. of all Herbs condemns Cabbage; and Isaac, lib. 2. c. 1. Animæ gravitatem facit, it brings heavinesse to the soul.

Some are of opinion, That all raw Herbs and Sallets, breed melancholy blood, except Bugloss and Lettice. Crato, consil. 21. lib. 2. speaks against all Herbs and Worts, except Borrage, Bugloss, Fennel, Parsly, Dill, Bawm, Succory. Magninus, regim. sanitatis, 3. part. cap. 31. Omnes herbæ simpliciter malæ, viâ cibi. All Herbs are simply evil to feed on (as he thinks.) So did that scoffing Cook in Plautus hold,

—Non ego cœnam condio ut alii coqui solent, Qui mihi condita prata in patinis proferunt, Boves qui convivas faciunt, herbasque aggerunt.

Like other Cooks I do not Supper dress, That put whole Meadows into a Platter, And make no better of their Guests then Beeves, With Herbs and Grass to feed them fatter.

Our Italians and Spaniards do make a whole dinner of Herbs and Sallets (which our said Plautus calls Cœnas Terrestres, Horace, cœnas sine sanguine) by which means, as he follows it,

Hic homines tam brevem vitam colunt—— Qui herbas hujusmodi in alvum suum congerunt, Formidolosum dictu, non esse modò, Quas herbas pecudes non edunt, homines edunt.

Their lives that eat such Herbs, must needs be short, And ’tis a fearful thing for to report, That men should feed on such a kinde of meat, Which very Juments would refuse to eat.

They are windy, and not fit therefore to be eaten of all men raw, though qualified with Oyl, but in Broths, or otherwise. See more of these in every Husbandman and Herbalist.

Roots, Etsi quorundam gentium opes sint, saith Bruerinus, The wealth of some Countries, and sole food, are windy and bad, or troublesome to the head; as Onyons, Garlick, Scallions, Turnups, Carrets, Radishes, Parsnips: Crato, lib. 2. consil. 11. disallows all Roots, though some approve of Parsnips and Potatoes.