liquor best," when a brewer's horse will bear much more than any sturdy
drinker, yet for his noble exploits in this kind, he shall be accounted a
most valiant man, for [1434]_Tam inter epulas fortis vir esse potest ac in
bello_, as much valour is to be found in feasting as in fighting, and some
of our city captains, and carpet knights will make this good, and prove it.
Thus they many times wilfully pervert the good temperature of their bodies,
stifle their wits, strangle nature, and degenerate into beasts.

Some again are in the other extreme, and draw this mischief on their heads
by too ceremonious and strict diet, being over-precise, cockney-like, and
curious in their observation of meats, times, as that _Medicina statica_
prescribes, just so many ounces at dinner, which Lessius enjoins, so much
at supper, not a little more, nor a little less, of such meat, and at such
hours, a diet-drink in the morning, cock-broth, China-broth, at dinner,
plum-broth, a chicken, a rabbit, rib of a rack of mutton, wing of a capon,
the merry-thought of a hen, &c.; to sounder bodies this is too nice and
most absurd. Others offend in overmuch fasting: pining adays, saith [1435]
Guianerius, and waking anights, as many Moors and Turks in these our times
do. "Anchorites, monks, and the rest of that superstitious rank (as the
same Guianerius witnesseth, that he hath often seen to have happened in his
time) through immoderate fasting, have been frequently mad." Of such men
belike Hippocrates speaks, _l. Aphor. 5_, when as he saith, [1436]"they
more offend in too sparing diet, and are worse damnified, than they that
feed liberally, and are ready to surfeit."


SUBSECT. III.--_Custom of Diet, Delight, Appetite, Necessity, how they
cause or hinder_.

No rule is so general, which admits not some exception; to this, therefore,