The Castle of Health

Corrected and in some places augmented by the first author thereof, Sir Thomas Elyot, Knight, the year of Our Lord 1541. Galen, the most excellent physician, feared that in writing a compendious doctrine for the curing of sickness he should lose all his labour, forasmuch as no man almost did endeavour himself to the finding of truth but that all men did so much esteem riches, possessions, authority, and pleasures that they supposed them which were studious in any part of sapience...

A New Book of Physic Called

A New Bookiof Physic called The Government of Health whereiniibe uttered many notable rules for man’s preservation, with sundry simples and other matters, no less fruitful than profitable,iiicollected out of many approved authors, reduced into the form of a dialogue for the better understanding of the unlearned, whereunto is added a sovereign regiment against the pestilence....

A Compendious Regiment, or a Dietary of Health

i A Compendious Regiment, or ii a Dietary of Health,iiimade in MontpellierivbyvAndrew Boorde, of physic Doctor,vinewly corrected and imprinted with diverse additions.viiDedicated to the armipotent1 prince and valiant Lord Thomas Duke of Norfolk.2...

Introduction

Dietaries, or regimens, are texts (usually prose) advising readers on how to best achieve and maintain good health, and they were immensely popular in the early modern period. Dozens of titles were published in the sixteenth century, with many reprinted several times, and some corrected, revised, and enlarged in subsequent editions. The market for these texts was clearly huge, and, following the success of the first titles, writers and publishers responded by producing further works aimed at a readership eager to learn more about their physical and mental well-being. Dietaries are an eclectic genre, with some titles aimed specifically at particular groups, such as old men or the melancholic, and some containing recipes or lengthy advice devoted to specific ailments, such as the plague. However most were aimed at a wide range of readers who could each consult the particular piece of advice that especially pertained to them. They all contain detailed advice on how to live a healthy life according to one’s complexion (determined by the predominance or imbalance of a particular humour) but also taken into account are a person’s age, gender, location, and even their occupation....