Andrew Borde and his medical works / by Hector A. Colwell.
- Colwell, Hector A. (Hector Alfred), 1875-
- Date:
- 1911
Licence: In copyright
Credit: Andrew Borde and his medical works / by Hector A. Colwell. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
6/26 page 6
![through Spain, for all the craft of physic that I could do, they died all by eating of fruits and drinking of water, [from] the which I did ever restrain myself.” Borde, as may be seen from this and other passages in his writings, was no friend to water-drinking ; ale, according to him, is the natural drink for an Englishman, and when this is not to be had he recommends light wines, of which, by the way, he seems to have been a pretty fair judge: Choose your wine after this sort: it must be fine, fair, and clear to the eye ; it must be fragrant and redolent, having a good odour and flavour in the nose; it must sprinkle in the cup when it is drawn or put out of the pot into the cuj); it must be cold and pleasant in the mouth ; and it must be strong and subtle of substance.” Regarding the value of the pilgrimage to Compostella he says, with his usual frankness, “ I assure you there is not one hair or one bone of St. James at Compostella.” While on his travels he was, it seems, engaged also in reporting to Cromwell the views of foreign courts respecting the King’s policy in the matter of his divorce from Katherine. While in Scotland he went under the assumed name of Carr, by which means he obtained admission to the Scottish Court and to the homes of many of the nobility. His opinion of Scotsmen is by no means complimentary—“ trust you no Scot, for they will use flattering words, and all is falsehood.” After a brief return to England he travelled again, and settled for a time at the celebrated university of Montpellier; during his stay he wrote the “ Introduction to Knowledge,” the “ Dietary of Health,” and the “ Breviary of Health.” The “ Book of the Introduction of Knowledge ” was dedicated to the Princess Mary, and contained brief accounts of the countries he visited during his travels, together with specimens of over a dozen languages, spelled phonetically for English readers. It is in this book that he gives his account of the pilgrimage to Compostella, and his opinion of its value. The work was formerly exceedingly popular, but now only a very few old copies exist; reprints were made in 1814 and 1870, the latter under the auspices of the Early English](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22445468_0008.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
