] Videndum est de hijs que eam defendunt et retardant dissolui.

[Capitulum 4.] Videndum est de hijs que eam defendunt et retardant dissolui.

It is to be seen of thiese thynges whiche defenden and tarien dissolu- 900 cioun. Thyng whiche succuren natural humydite bien iij: wherof oon swymmeth in the see, another lith in [fol. 12v] th’entrailes of th’erthe, the iij is founde in th’entrails of beestis of long lif. And nat only the for-

877. farmacie] written with compressed letters, poss. over eras. 896. euery day] euery L cotidie 897–898. Videndum est . . . dissolui] in display script 899. It is to be seen] marg. in small later hand: cap. 8 901. see] marg. in later hand: swymmythe in þe see etc. 902. beestis of long lif] marg. in later hand (H.D.): þe entrailes of þe erthe. in

þe entrailes of beestis. 879. be withdrawyng of the wombe vndirlith next to corrupcioun: L per subtractio-

nem veteris humiditatis propinque corruptioni subiacentis ‘by the withdrawal of the un- derlying old moisture that is close to corruption’; the sense should be that renewal of youth comes from reducing nearly corrupt moisture and regenerating good, incorrupt moisture, but the veteris/ventris confusion sends the meaning off course. The spelling < be> for the preposition “by” is highly unusual in T, which almost always distinguishes the verb be orthographically from the preposition bi.

887. purposed: L composito ‘compounded.’ how that: L quamuis illud ‘although that (story).’

The Accidents of Age

saide thynges tarien natural humydite from dissolucioun but and nat- ural heete reteignen and withholden temperat and from chaunchyng

905 of their temperaunce. Forwhi til heete natural and humydite is natu- raly temperat in man, heete temperat and strengthed. Forwhi helth and long enduryng standith in thiese ij. <Aristoteles in epistola ad Alex- andrum> And this is the comaundement that Aristotil yaf in his epis- tel to Alisaunder.

But thiese oughten to bien take chose and arraied, forwhi in the preparacioun and arraieng of theym is al the secrete that sapient men han hid. And bien thikke of substaunce, therfor thei must be broken at the highest. <Obelay in 2 o canone de judicijs> Forwhi the sone of the prince Obelay seith in the secunde canon in the chapitre of jugement-

915 is of sum medicynes, forwhi al medicynes bien thikke of substaunce and bien to be broken to the vtterest. And the propirte with our inten- cioun is as that it come to th’end of elongacioun and passe ouer to the iiij digestioun, as to the hert and membris of like parties. But thiese for- saide thynges needen eleccioun and many preparaciouns, wherof oon

920 is goode, another is better, the thrid is best. But medicynes whiche bien founde in th’entrails of a beest is gristell, whiche weyeth nat above a scripule, forwhi in al wield beestis is bloode. Wherof was founde a beest in whos nekke was founde a cer- cle in whiche was writen: This beest was put in this woode in the tyme

925 of Julius Cesar. 101 But this medicyne is cold and drie and this medicyne tarieth natural humydite to be dissolued and the natural heete of hym and the humydite witholdith temperate, if thei bien tempered with hote medicynes cardynal.

But of that whiche swymmyth in the see sum seyn it to be cold, 930 whiche is of temperat complexioun. <Isaac i lius Salamonis> And Isaac the sone of Salamon spekith of it, seyeng that propirly it clarii eth the bloode of the hert and the gretnes therof subtilith and the humydite in eyen ooned drieth. It availith to cardiacle . . . to suspecious pacientis

920. best] marg. in later hand (H.D.): good. better, and best. 925. Cesar] marg. in later hand: Julius Cesar; N[ota] symbol 933. cardiacle] foll. by blank space approx. 15 characters long, at beg. of next line L

cardiacis et tremori cordis et timorosis et 916–917. And the propirte with our intencioun: L Et proprie cum nostra intentio ‘and

rightly so, since our intention . . . .’ 922–923. forwhi in al wield beestis is bloode: L que in omnibus fere aliis animalibus est sanguis ‘which is blood in nearly all other animals’ (i.e., most animals do not have

any cartilage in their hearts, but only blood).

182 Everest/Tavormina

of blac coler. 102 And oþer seyn that it availith to stopped, to vomyte the 935 bloode congeled within the body of wounde or any other cause, if the powder therof be taken in drynk. Also other seyn that if of this medi- cyne be made water or bi any other engyne be made liquide, it curith the sikenessis comyng of errour of the iiij digestioun, lieful tho thyng- es he wassh of nail, so as bien white morphues.

But that medicyne whiche lith in th’entrails of th’erth hath the propir[te] natural humydite to tarie of dissolucioun and that in his temperaunce to reteigne and the temperat natural heete in his tem- peraunce to reteyne [fol. 13r] and distemperat reducith to his tempe- raunce. And Isaac seith of the sustentacioun of the craft of medicyne,

945 that hath the propirte to help the defaute of the stomac, cardiacle and cynorose comfortith, and is contrarie malencoly as plente of heris aboute priues. 103 And the prince: That it evene berith the sorow of the herte and the tremelyng dreede of it, and of hym whiche spekith in the nyght of malice and ini rmyte of the soule. 104 It is nat to wounder but

950 that thiese medicynes whiche lien in th’entrails and bowels of th’erth makith and doeth thiese operaciouns. <i lius Zacharie> Forwhi the sone of Zacharie 105 saith that it is temperat in the 10 degre and excedith of al medicynes. Forwhi in temperaunce and in thoo thynges is nature equal and right, neither wndirlith to corrupcioun of any element. And

955 therfor natural humydite tarieth from dissolucioun and newly gen- drid defendith that soone he be nat resolved. <<Nota bene nota>> And

934. to stopped] poss. slightly compressed into 8-character space 941. propirte] propir L proprietatem 943. reteyne] catchword and distemperat 946–947. plente of heris aboute priues] plente of heris aboute in compressed

script, with plente and heris abbrev.; priues in marg., marked for ins. L allopi- ciam atque tirram

934. to stopped: L epilenticis ‘to epileptics,’ read as if opilanticis ‘to those suffering blockage.’

938–939. lieful tho thynges he wassh of nail: L si [var. silizet M] ex ea cutis lauetur ‘if the skin be washed with these things.’

946. cynorose: L timorosos ‘fearful’; the translator here attempts a word that he seems to have left alone a few lines earlier (see Textual Note to line 933), but misreads t as c.

947. evene berith: L confert ‘brings together,’ analyzed with the translator’s common equation of the prefi x con- with the adverb evene.

948. tremelyng dreede: L tremori ‘tremor, trembling’; the translator seems to be hes- itating between tremor and timor, an uncertainty which may help explain the blank space in line 933 above.

954. wndirlith: L subiacet ‘is subject to,’ by analysis as sub + iaceo (and so passim).

The Accidents of Age

whosumeuer lakkith to conserve and kepe mennys bodies in helth, which lith to alteracioun of vj general causes whiche chaungen bodies of veray need, seekith this thyng and non other, whiche to corrupcioun

960 and alteracioun vndirlith nat. <Aristotiles in libro secretorum> And that thyng shall kepe bodies in helth, as Aristotil seyth in the Booke of Secret-

is. Also so it defendith bodies from hasty alteracioun and takith the defaute vj causis after possibilite of mesures. Whiche causes chaungen tymes and conserven, after that that in the forsaide chapitre of causes

965 of age hath declared. 106 And after this, wherof Aristotil in the forsaide causes of age: Impos- sible that medicyne whiche vnderlyne to corrupcioun and alteracioun shulden conserve and kepe the bodies of men in helth and natural humydite, that soone it be nat dissolved bifore the tyme, and defend-

970 en men from the accidentis of age and of elder age, that it come nat bifore the tyme. And this lechis bien wont to do in medicynes aroma- tik, whiche vndirlyn to corrupcioun. Therfor in what maner medicynes whiche vnderlith to corrupcioun may yield vncorrupt — and this semyth to me impossible. And thiese medicynes owith to be elect and chosen

975 and with goode preparacioun arraied; and than shal it make goode operaciouns. 107 And whan it is evene temperat with the best prepara- cioun, than it makith high operaciouns. And this is al the secrete.

Therfor, most diere prince, and the vse of the forsaide thynges nat- ural humydite and heete shal reteigne temperat and defendith as wel 980 the body as the humydite and heete to be chaunged from his temper- aunce causes necessarie evil mesured, and takith the defaute of causes after the possibilite of mesuris. And haply of this thyng be made water that th’old man shal drynk. <Quomodo arator estimat aurum conuerti- bile in aquam puram & currentem> An erth tilier in the realme of Ci-

985 [fol. 13v] cil <<Nota de mirabile>> of whom he met the plowgh with a vessel ful of water, þe whiche trowyng that to be like the water of the cistern for his cliernes, whan he was afl ict and scourged with labour

973. whiche] whiche whiche 957. lakkith: L gliscit ‘grows, swells’ (possibly corrupt; varr. conclusit in marg. M, cupit

O, querent V). 962–963. takith the defaute vj causis: L suplet defectum vj generum causarum ‘(it)

makes up for the lack of the six kinds of causes.’ 971. bien wont: L crediderunt ‘believed (they could),’ poss. read as consueverunt ‘were

accustomed.’ 981. causes necessarie evil mesured: L a causis necessariis male mensuratis ‘by neces-

sary causes poorly moderated’; cf. Language Note to lines 187–188 above.

184 Everest/Tavormina

and heete toke it gredily and drank it. And th’olde plowghman was chaunged in evene complexioun and in the age of xl yeere in appar-

990 ence and was made of more discrecioun, memorie, and vndirstandyng and lived xl yeere after that drynk in the kynges court of Cecile. And sum sapient men seyn that the forsaide cardynal medicynes ought to be medled with safron and musk. Forwhi safron bryngith the medicynes to the hert; musk comfortith the herte and helith his tremelyng and

995 malice and dulnes and comfortith the brayne and gladdith the soule and yevith hardynes and ought to be to rednes, havyng the forme and shap of an eere.