The Hiſtory of Life and Death. ſhall find onely three Set Diets, the Opiate Diet, the Diet Malaciſſant or Suppling, and
the Diet Emaciant and Renewing. But amongſt thoſe which we preſcribed for Familiar
Diet, and to be uſed daily, the moſt efficacious are theſe that follow, which alſo come
not far ſhort of the vertue of Set Diets: Nitre and the ſubordinates to Nitre; the Re-
giment of the Affections and Courſe of our Life; Refrigeratours which paſs not by the
Stomach; Drinks Roſcidating, or ingendring Oily Juices; beſprinkling of the bloud with
ſome firmer Matter, as Pearls, certain Woods, competent Unctions to keep out the Air,
and to keep in the Spirit; Heaters from without, during the Aſſimilation after ſleep; avoiding of thoſe things which inflame the Spirit, and put it into an eager heat, as wine
and Spices; laſtly, a moderate and ſeaſonable uſe of thoſe things which endue the Spi-
rits with a robust Heat, as Saffron, Croſſes, Garlick, Elecampane, and compound Opiates.

132. Canon XXXI.

THe Living Spirit is instantly extinguiſhed if it be deprived either of Motion, or of Re-
frigeration, or of Aliment.

133. The Explication.

NAmely, theſe are thoſe three which before we called the Porshes of Death, and
they are the proper and immediate paſſions of the Spirit. For all the Organs of
the principal parts ſerve hereunto, that theſe three Offices be performed; and again,
all deſtruction of the Organs which is deadly brings the matter to this point, that one or
more of theſe three fail. Therefore all other things are the divers ways to Death, but
they end in theſe three. Now the whole Fabrick of the Parts is the Organ of the Spirit,
as the Spirit is the Organ of the Reaſonable Soul, which is Incorporeous and Divine.

134. Canon XXXII.

FLame is a Momentany Subſtance, Air a Fixed; the Living Spirit in Creatures is of
a middle Nature.

135. The Explication.

THis matter ſtands in need both of an higher Indagation and of a longer Explica-
tion than is pertinent to the preſent Inquiſition. Mean-while we muſt know
this, that Flame is almoſt every moment generated and extinguiſhed; ſo that it is con-
tinued only by ſucceſſion: but Air is a fixed body, and is not diſſolved; for though Air
begets new Air out of watery moiſture, yet notwithſtanding the old Air ſtill remains; whence cometh that Super-oneration of the Air whereof we have ſpoken in the Title
De Ventis. But Spirit is participant of both Natures, both of Flame and Air, even as
the nouriſhments thereof are, as well Oil, which is homogeneous to Flame, as
Water, which is homogeneous to Air: for the Spirit is not nouriſhed either of Oily
alone, or of watry alone, but of both together; and though Air doth not agree well
with Flame, nor Oil with water, yet in a mix’d body they agree well enough. Alſo
the Spirit hath from the Air his eaſie and delicate impreſſions and yieldings, and from
the Flame his noble and potent motions and activities. In like manner the Duration
of Spirit is a mixed thing, being neither ſo momentany as that of Flame, nor ſo fixed as
that of Air: And ſo much the rather it followeth not the condition of Flame, for
that Flame it ſelf is extinguiſhed by accident, namely, by Contraries and Enemies envi-
roning it; but Spirit is not ſubject to the like conditions and neceſſities. Now the
Spirit is repaired from the lively and florid bloud of the ſmall Arteries which are in-
ſerted into the Brain; but this Reparation is done by a peculiar manner, of which we
ſpeak not now.

136. FINIS.