CHAP. XXX. OF WHAT BINDS THE BELLY.
On the contrary the belly is bound by bread made of the siligo, or flour of wheat; especially if it be unleavened; and more so if it be also toasted: and this virtue is even increased, if it be twice baked: pulse made either from alica, or panick, or millet; also gruel prepared from the same; and more so, if these have been toasted first. Lentils with the addition of betes, or endive, or cichory, or plantain, and more so, if these have been toasted before: endive also by itself or cichory toasted, with plantain; small greens, cabbage twice boiled; hard eggs, and more so if roasted; small birds, black bird, ring-dove, especially boiled in vinegar and water, crane and all birds that run, more than they fly; hare, wild goat; the liver of those animals, that have suet, especially that of beef, and the suet itself; cheese, which is grown strong by age, or by that change, which we observe in the foreign kind; or if it be new, boiled with honey or mulse; also boiled honey, unripe pears, fruit of the service-tree, more especially those that they call torminalia[(62)], quinces and pomegranates, olives either white or early ripe, myrtle-berries, dates, the purpura and murex, wine either resinated or rough, and wine undiluted, vinegar, mulse, that has been boiled, also rough defrutum, passum, water either tepid or very cold, and hard, that is, such as keeps long without stinking, therefore particularly rain water, every thing hard, lean, austere, rough, and scorched, and the same flesh rather roasted, than boiled.
CHAP. XXXI. OF DIURETIC MEATS AND DRINKS.
The urine is promoted by whatever grows in the garden of a good smell, as smallage, rue, dill, basil, mint, hyssop, anise, coriander, cresses, rocket, fennel. Besides these, asparagus, caper, catmint, thyme, savory, nipplewort, parsnip, especially the wild kind, radish, skirret, onion; of venison principally the hare; small wine, pepper both round and long, mustard, wormwood, pine-nuts.
CHAP. XXXII. OF SOPORIFEROUS AND EXCITING THINGS.
Sleep is procured by the poppy, lettuce, especially the summer kind, when its stalk is replete with milk, mulberries, and leeks.
The senses are excited by catmint, thyme, savory, hyssop, particularly pennyroyal, rue and onion.
CHAP. XXXIII. OF THOSE THINGS, WHICH DRAW, REPEL, OR COOL, OR HEAT, OR HARDEN, OR SOFTEN.
Many things are powerful in drawing out matter: but as these consist principally of foreign medicines, and not so much adapted to the cases of those who are to be relieved by diet, I shall postpone the mention of them for the present: and shall only name those things, which are commonly at hand, and are fit for corroding, and thus extracting whatever is hurtful in those distempers, concerning which I am presently to treat. This virtue resides in the seeds of rocket, cresses, radish; but most of all mustard. The same power is also found in salt, and figs.