The best site for chamber windows in my judgement are North, East, South, and which is the worst, West. Levinus Lemnius lib. 3. cap. 3. de occult. nat. mir. attributes so much to aire, and rectifying of wind and windowes, that he holds it alone sufficient to make a man sick or well; to alter body and minde. A cleer aire cheares up the spirits, exhilarates the minde; a thick, black, misty, tempestuous, contracts, overthrows. Great heed is therefore to be taken at what times we walke, how we place our windows, lights, and houses, how we let in or exclude this ambient aire.

The Egyptians, to avoid immoderate heat, make their windows on the top of the house like chimnies, with two tunnells to draw a through aire. In Spain they commonly make great opposite windows without glass, still shutting those which are next to the Sun: So likewise in Turkey and Italy (Venice excepted, which brags of her stately glased Palaces) they use paper windows to like purpose; and lye sub dio, in the top of their flat-roofed houses, so sleeping under the canopy of heaven.

In some parts of Italy they have Windmills, to draw a cooling aire out of hollow caves, and disperse the same through all the chambers of their Palaces, to refresh them; as at Costoza the house of Cæsareo Trento, a Gentleman of Vicenza, and elsewhere. Many excellent means are invented to correct nature by art.

If none of these courses help, the best way is to make artificiall aire, which howsoever is profitable and good, still to be made hot and moist, and to be seasoned with sweet perfumes, pleasant and lightsome as may be; to have Roses, Violets, and sweet smelling flowers ever in their windows, Posies in their hand.

Laurentius commends water-Lillies, a vessell of warm water to evaporate in the room, which will make a more delightsome perfume, if there be added, Orange flowers, pils of Citrons, Rosemary, Cloves, Bayes, Rose-water, Rose-vineger, Belzoin, Ladanum, Styrax, and such like Gums, which make a pleasant and acceptable perfume. Bessardus Bisantinus prefers the smoak of Juniper to melancholy persons, which is in great request with us at Oxford, to sweeten our chambers.

Guianerius prescribes the aire to be moistned with water, and sweet herbs boiled in it, vine and sallow-leaves, &c. to besprinkle the ground and posts with Rose-water, Rose-vineger, which Avicenna much approves. Of colours it is good to behold green, red, yellow and white, and by all means to have light enough, with windows in the day, wax candles in the night, neat chambers, good fires in winter, merry companions; for though melancholy persons love to be darke and alone, yet darkness is a great encreaser of the humour.

Although our ordinary aire be good by nature or art, yet it is not amiss, as I have said, still to alter it: no better Physick for a melancholy man then change of aire and variety of places, to travel abroad and see fashions. Leo Afer speakes of many of his countrymen so cured, without all other Physick: amongst the Negroes, there is such an excellent aire, that if any of them be sick elsewhere, and brought thither, he is instantly recovered, of which he was often an eye-witness.

Lipsius, Zwinger, and some other, adde as much of ordinary travell. No man, saith Lipsius in an epistle to Phil. Lanoius, a noble friend of his, now ready to make a voyage, can be such a stock or stone, whom that pleasant speculation of countries, cities, towns, rivers, will not affect. Seneca the Philosopher was infinitely taken with the sight of Scipio Africanus house, near Liternum, to view those old buildings, Cisterns, Baths, Tombs, &c.

And how was Tully pleased with the sight of Athens, to behold those ancient and fair buildings, with a remembrance of their worthy inhabitants. Paulus Æmilius, that renowned Roman Captain, after he had conquered Perseus, the last king of Macedonia, and now made an end of his tedious wars, though he had been long absent from Rome, and much there desired, about the beginning of Autumn (as Livy describes it) made a pleasant peregrination all over Greece, accompanied with his son Scipio, and Athenæus the brother of King Eumenes, leaving the charge of his army with Sulpitius Gallus.

By Thessaly he went to Delphos, thence to Megaris, Aulis, Athens, Argos, Lacedæmon, Megalopolis, &c. He took great content, exceeding delight in that his voyage, as who doth not that shall attempt the like, though his travell be ad jactationem magis quam ad usum reipub. (as one well observes) to crack, gaze, see fine sights and fashions, spend time, rather then for his own or publike good? (as it is to many gallants that travel out their best daies, together with their means, manners, honesty, religion) yet it availeth howsoever.

For peregrination charms our senses with such unspeakable and sweet variety, that some count him unhappy that never travelled, a kinde of prisoner, and pity his case, that from his cradle to his old age beholds the same still; still, still the same, the same. Insomuch that Rhasis cont. lib. 1. Tract. 2. doth not only commend, but enjoyn travell, and such variety of objects to a melancholy man, and to lye in diverse Innes, to be drawn into severall companies: Montaltus cap. 36. and many Neotericks are of the same minde.

Celsus adviseth him therefore that will continue his health, to have varium vitæ genus, diversity of callings, occupations, to be busied about, sometimes to live in the city, sometimes in the countrey; now to study or work, to be intent, then again to hawk or hunt, swim, run, ride, or exercise himself. A good prospect alone will ease melancholy, as Gomesius contends, lib. 2. c. 7. de Sale.