g time by
litle & litle gathered by euel diete, remaining in the bodye,
coming either by to moche meate, or by euel meate in qualitie,
as infected frutes, meates of euel iuse or nutriment; or both
ioyntly. To such spirites when the aire infectiue cometh (16)
consonant, then be thei distempered, corrupted, sore handled, &
oppressed, then nature is forced, & the disease engendred. But
while I doe declare these impure spirites to be one cause,
I must remoue your myndes from spirites to humours, for that the
spirites be fedde of the finest partes therof, & aftre bringe
you againe to spirites where I toke you. And forsomuche as I
haue not yet forgotten to whome I write, in this declaration I
will leaue a part al learned & subtil reasons, as here void &
vnmiete, & only vse suche as be most euident to whom I write,
& easiest to be vnderstanden of the same: and at ones therwith
shew also why it haunteth vs English men more then other nations.
Therfore I passe ouer the vngentle sauoure or smell of the
sweate, grosenes, colour, and other qualities of the same, the
quantitie, the daunger in stopping, the maner in coming furthe
redily, or hardly, hot or cold, the notes in the excrementes, the
state longer or sorer, with suche others, which mai be tokens of
corrupt humours & spirites, & onli wil stand upon iii. reasons
declaring y^e same swet by gret repletion to be in vs not
otherwise for al the euel aire apt to this disease, more then
other nations. For as hereaftre I wil shew, & Galen confirmeth, our
bodies can not suffre any thing or hurt by corrupt & infectiue
causes, except ther be in them a certein mater prepared apt & like
to receiue it, els if one were sick, al shuld be sick, if in
this countri, in al countres wher the infection came, which thing
we se doth not chance. For touching the first reason, we se this
sweting sicknes or pestilent _Ephemera_, to be oft in England, but
neuer entreth Scotland, (except the borders) albeit thei both be
ioinctly within the compas of on sea. The same beginning here,
hath assailed Brabant & the costes nigh to it, but neuer passed
Germany, where ones it was in like facion as here, with great
mortalitie, in the yere m.d.xlix. Cause wherof none other there
is naturall, then the euell diet of these thre contries whiche
destroy more meates and (17) drynckes withoute al ordre,
conuenient time, reason, or necessite, then either Scotlande, or
all other countries vnder the sunne, to the greate an