That this our treatise of meate and drinke may be more briefe and plaine, I have thought good to part it into these heads, as to consider the goodness and illness of both of them, their quantitie, qualitie, custom, delight, order, time, and to accommodate them all to the ages and seasons of the yeare. We judge of the goodnesse and pravity of meats and drinks, from the condition of the good or vicious humors, or juice which they beget in us. For evill juyce causeth many diseases. As on the contrary, good juice drives away all diseases from the body, except the fault happen from some other occasion, as from quantity, or too much excesse. Wherefore it is principally necessary, that those who will preserve their present health, and hinder the accesse of diseases, feede upon things of good nourishment and digestion, as are good wine, the yolkes of eggs, good milke, wheaten bread well baked, the flesh of Capons, Pertridge, Thrushes, Larkes, Veale, Mutton, Kid, and such like other, which you may finde mentioned in the Bookes with Galen writ de Almentorum facultatibus; where also he examines those which are of evill juice by their manifest qualities, as acrimony, bitternesse, saltnesse, aciditie, harshness, and such like.

But unless we use a convenient quantitie and measure in our meates, howsoever laudable they be, we shal never reape these fruits of health we hoped for. For they yield matter of diseases, by the only excesse of their quantity; but we may by this know the force of quantitie on both parts, because often the poisonous quality of meates of ill nourishment doth not hurt, by reason they were not taken into the body into a great quantitie. That measure of quantitie is chiefely to be regarded in diseases: for as Hippocrates saith, if any give meate to one sick of a feaver, he gives strength to the well, and increases the disease to the sick, especially if he doe not use a meane. Wherefore it is a thing of no small consequence, to know what diseases require a slender and what a large diet, of which thing there is large relation made in them. Section of the Aphorismes of Hippocrates, where he teacheth, the sicke must feed more largely in the beginnings of long diseases, wherby they may be inabled to indure the length of the disease, and last to the state thereof. But in sharpe and violent diseases, which presently come to their height, we must use a slender diet; but most slender, when the disease is inthe height; and besides, all our consultations in this kinde, must be referred to the strength of the patients. But those who enjoy their perfect health, must use a quantitie of meate, agreeable to their evacuation and transpiration; for men by reason of the strength of their heat, and the more copious dissipation of the triple substance, have greater appetite, than women; altogether by the same reason, that young people, and such as grow, need more frequent and plentiful nourishment, than old men, and also amongst young men of the like age, some doe rightly require more copious nourishment than othersome, that is according to the quantitie of their evacuations and custome. Certainly for gluttony, it is such as may be extended to all, but we all should take so much meate and drinke, that our powers may be refreshed and not oppressed, for by the decree of Hippocrates, these be the two compendiary wayes of preserving health; not to be over-filled with meate, and to be quicke to worke; and thus much of the quantity of meates. Neither must these who are either sound, or sicke, have lesse regard to the qualities of their meates; and those are either the first, as heating, cooling, moistening, drying; or the second, attenuating, incrassating, obstructing, opening, or some otherlike, working according to the condition of their nature. The manner of our diet is not only to be framed according to these, but also to be varied; for the present state of such as be in health, requires to be preserved by the use of like things. As hot and moist nourishment is to be prescribed to children, as to those which are hot and moist: and cold, and drie, to old men, as to those who are cold and drie; if so be that vulgar saying be true, that health delights in the use of like things. Yet because old age how greene and new begun howsoever it be, is of itself as it were, a disease, it seems to be more convenient, both to truth and for health, that old people should eat meats contrary to their nature, that is, hot and moist, that so we may defer as much as we can, the causes of death, cold and driness, which hasten the destruction of age. For we must resist diseases by the use of their contraries, as those things which are contrary to nature. For otherwise, as much meate as you give to the sicke, you add so much strength to the disease. And the same is the cause why Hippocrates said, that a moist diet is convenient for all such as are sick of feavers, because a feaver is a drie distemperature. Therefore we must diligently prie into the nature of the disease, that knowing it, we may endeavor to abate its fury by the use of contraries.

But if custome (as they say) be another nature, the Physition must have a great care of it, both in sound and sicke. For this sometimes by little and little and insensiblely, changes our naturall temperament, and instead thereof gives us a borrowed temper. Wherefore if any would presently or sodainely change a custome which is sometimes ill, into a better, truly he will  bring more harm, than good; because all sodaine changes (according the opinion of Hippocrates) are dangerous. Wherefore if necessitie require, that we should withdraw any thing from our custome, we must doe it by little and little that so nature may by degrees be accustomed to contraries without violence, or the disturbance of its usual government. For that meate and drinke which is somewhat worse, but more pleasant and familiar by custome, is to be preferred (in Hippocrates opinion) before better, but Jesse pleasant and accustomed. Hence is it, that countrie men doe very well digest beefe and bacon, which commonly they use; but will turn into nidorulent vapours, partridge, capons, and other meate of good nourishment, sooner than change them into good and laudable Chylus. The cause of which thing is not only to be attributed unto the propertie of their stronger, and as it were burning heat, but much more to custom, which by a certain kind of familiarity, causeth that meates of hard digestion are easily turned into laudable blood. For the force of custome is so great, that accustomed meats are more acceptable; whereby it comes to passe, that while the stomacke delights in them, it more streightly embraces them, and happily digests them, without any trouble of loathing, vomiting, or heavinesse. All the contrary meete and happen in the use of meates which are unpleasant to the taste and stomacke. For the ventricle abhorring those things, makes manifest how it was troubled by its acide and nidorulent belchings, loathing, nauseousnesse, vomite, heavinesse, paine of the head, and trouble of the whole body.

Wherefore we must diligently enquire, what meates the Patient chiefely delighted in, that by offering them, his appetite languishing by reason of some great evacuation, vomit, or the like, may be stirred up. For it will be better and more readily restored by things acceptable, though they be somewhat worse, as we noted a little before out  of Hippocrates. By which words he plainely taught, that it is the part of a good and prudent Physition to subscribe to, and please the palate of his patient.

But seeing that order is most beautifull in all things, it is truly very necessary in eating our meate: for how laudable soever the meates bee in their quantity and qualitie, howsoever familiar by use, and gratefull by custome, yet unlesse they be eaten in due order, they will either trouble or molest the stomacke, or be ill, or slowly and difficultly concocted; wherefore we must diligently observe, what meates must be eaten at the first, and what at the second course; for those meates which be hard to concoct, are not to be eaten before those which are easy of digestion; neither drie and astringent things, before moistening and loosing.

But on the contrary, all slippery, fat, and liquid things, and which are quickly changed out to goe before, that so the belly may  be moistened; and then astringent things must follow, that the stomacke, by their help, being shut and drawne together, may more straitly comprehend the meate on every side, and better performe the Chylification by its proper heate united and joyned together.

For this cause Hippocrates Lib. de victu in acutis, commands those things to be alwayes eaten in the morning, which are fit to loosen the belly, and in the evenings such as nourish the body. Yet notwithstanding drinke ought not to preceede, or goe before meate, but on the contrary meate must preceede drinke, by the order prescribed by him.

Whether ought we in our eating to have lesse care of the time, than we have of the order: for the time of eating of such as are healthful, ought to be certaine and fixt; for at the accustomed houre, and when hunger presses, any sound man, and which is at his owne disposure may eate, but exercise and accustomed laboures ought to goe before; for it is fit, according to the precept of Hippocrates, that labour preceed meate, whereby the excrements of the third concoction may be evacuated, the native heate encreased, and the solid parts confirmed and strengthened, which are three commodities of exercise very necessary to the convenient taking of meate. But in sicke persons we can scarse attend, and give heed to these circumstance of time, and accustomed houre of feeding; for that Indication of giving meate to the sicke, is the best of all, which is drawne from the motion of the disease, and the declining of the fit; for if you give meate in feavers, specially the fit then taking the patient, you nourish not him, but the disease. For the meate then eaten, is corrupted in the stomacke, and yeelds fit matter for the disease. For meate (as we noted before out of Hippocrates) is strength to the sound, and a disease to the sicke, unlesse it be eaten at convenient time, and diligent care be had of the strength of the patient, and greatnesse of the disease.

But neither is it convenient that the meate should be simple, and of one kinde, but of many sorts, and of divers dishes dressed after different formes, lest nature by the continuall and hatefull feeding upon the same meate, may at the length loath it, and so neither straitly containe it, nor well digest it; or the stomacke accustomed to one meate, taking any loathing thereat, may abhorre all other and as there is no desire of that we doe not know, so the dejected appetite cannot be delighted and stirred up, with the pleasure of any meate which can be offered. For we must not credit those superstitious, or too nice Physitions, who thinke the digestion is hindered by the much varietie of meates.

The matter is farre otherwise, for by the pleasure of what things soever the stomacke allured doth require, it embraces them more straitly, and concocts them more perfectly. And our nature is desirous of varietie.

Moreover, seeing our body is composed of a solid, moist, and airy substance, and it may happen, that by so many laboures, which we are compelled to undergoe, and sustaine in this life, one of these may suffer a greater dissipation and losse than another; therefore the stomacke is necessarily compelled to seeke more variety, lest any thing should be wanting to repaire that which is wasted. But also the age and season of the yeare, yeeld indications of feeding, for some things are convenient for a young man, some for an old, some in summer, some in winter. Wherefore we ought to know what befits each age and season. Children need hot, moist, and much nourishment, which may not only suffice to nourish, but encrease the body. Wherefore we ought to know what befits each age and season. Children need hot, moist, and much nourishment, which may not onely suffice to nourish, but encrease the body. Wherefore they worst endure fasting, and of them, especially those who are the most lively and spiritfull. With old men it is otherwise, for because their heate is small, they neede little nourishment, and are extinguished by much. Wherefore old men easily endure to fast, they ought to be nourished with hot and moist meates, by which their solid parts, now growing cold and drie, may be heated and moistened, as by the sweet nourishment of such like meates. Middle aged men delight in the moderate use of contraries to temper the excesse of their too acride heate. Young people as temperate are to be preserved by the use of like things.

The manner of diet in Winter must be hot and inclining to drinesse. Wherefore then we may more plentifully use rost-meates, strong wines and spices; because in the Winter season we are troubled with the cold and moist aire, and at the same time, have much heate inwardly; for the inner parts, according to Hippocrates, are naturally most hot in the winter and spring, but feaverish in summer; so the heat of summer is to be tempered by the use of cold and moist things, and much drinke. In the temperate spring all things must be moderate; but in Autumne, by little and little, we must passe from our Summer, to our Winter diet.