Page:Batman upon Bartolome.djvu/138

And therfore Ariſtotle. li.. 14. ſaith, that the hand is not one inſtrument but many. For kinde hath giuen to man inſtruments according to his vertues: as the hands, in which bee many fingers & diuerſe, that they maye thereby holde ſmall things and great. For as he ſaith, The making of the hande is proporcionable to many workes, and to contrary workings: and is diuided and ſtraighted into many parts: And a man may vſe one part alone, or two, or mo, in diuerſe manners.

The palme of a mans hande hath this propertie, yt it is neuer heary within, though haire growe without on ſome handes: and that doth chaunce moſt in handes of males, and that is for plentie of heate that hath the maſterie. And the right hande is of more ſtrong heate, & hath more drineſſe then the left hand. And therfore the right hand is lighter & able to worke then the left hand. Therfore. li. 2. Ariſtotle ſaith, that foure footed beaſts that gender beaſts haue foreféet in ſtéed of mans hands. And the left foote in ſuch beaſts is not ſo frée, neither ſo light of mouing as the right foote is, as the left hande in a man is not ſo able to work as the right hande, except the Elephant. For as Ariſtotle ſaith. liber. 1. the Elephant hath a long noſe like a trump, which he occupieth in ſtéede of handes: and with that noſe he taketh meate, and putteth it in his mouth, and with that noſe he putteth drinke into his mouth, and no beaſt may doe yt with his Noſe but he. Among Birdes and foules, the Popingay and the Pellican vſe ye foot in ſtéede of an hande. For the Popingaye taketh meate with his foote and wetteth it in water, and when it is wet putteth it in his mouth with his foote: and ſo doth the Pellican that is called alſo Porphirio. The hand is grieued in many manners, by the Crampe, ſhrinking of the ſinewes, by crookedneſſe, by drineſſe, by blaines and whelkes, by kitting and cheines, by fretting of worms, by itching and tickeling, by wraſting and wrenching of ioyntes, by Chiraga Paſsio, that is the gout in the handes. The cauſe of ſhrinking & crookednes cōmeth ſometime of hot humours and dry, which dry the ſinewes: either of cold humours & moiſt, which infect the ſinews, & cloſeth ye paſſage of the ſpirits, as it fareth in Paralitiſis & Leproſis,^[1] the handes of whom be ſhronke, & crooked by reaſon of corrupt humours that dry and deſtroy the ſinewes. The hands be dried by wtdrawing of due féeding. As it fareth in olde or oueraged men, and in men that be defaced & ouercome with great trauaile of faſtings, & ouerféebled with age, trauaile, & diſeaſe. And ſometime by diſtemperance of heate & exceſſe, that waſteth ye moiſture, as it fareth in Tiſiks, Ethiks, & ſuch other. And ſometime by vice & default of the vaines and of the ſinews, yt which be ſtopped: and ſo by default of humours & of ſpirits, the vertue of ruling is let: wherby ye hands die, and leeſeth ſtrength & fatneſſe. Blaines and ſwelling bladders be bred & come of ſuperfluous and corrupt humours, which come to the vtter parts: and ſo the fleſh within is waſted and corrupt in the vtter ſide, and the ſkin ſwollen vp is turned & chaunged into blaines & bladders, clifts & chins, and other ſuch, come of hot humours & ſharpe, and of fumoſities betwéene the ſkin & fleſh, that cut the ſkin, & with their ſharpneſſe they diuide and pearce the vtter fleſh: & firſt they cauſe itching, and tickeling, & afterward great ach and ſmarting. Alſo corrupt humour hid in the ſkinne, when it is not put out neither waſted by kinde heate, and lyttle and lyttle, it is corrupte more and more, and is chaunged and tourned into ſmall wormes: The which wormes little and little eate and fret the ſkinne, and cauſe tickeling and itching. And breking out of ioynts ſometime happeneth of falling, either of ſmitting, eyther of hard thruſting and wringing. For by ſuch violence the limme falleth out of ioynt and of his place: And then cōmeth ſore aking & ſmarting, & all the hande is made vnmighty to worke any workes. The ſame hapneth alſo of ſome inwarde cauſe, as of too much humour cooling and ſlippering, and ſlaking the ſinews of the ioyntes. And ſo lightly the limme falleth out of his place. The paſſion which

1. ↑ Paraliſis Diſſolucio, the palſie. Lepra, the leproſie, it hath four names. Elephācia, Leonina, Tiria, & Alopecia.