WHAT THINGS, BY MERELY TASTING OF THEM, ALLAY HUNGER AND THIRST

Latine · Mayhoff 1906

augescunt corpora dulcibus atque pinguibus et potu, minuuntur siccis et aridis fridigisque ac siti. quaedam animalia et pecudes quoque in Africa quarto die bibunt. homini non utique septimo letalis inedia; durasse et ultra undecimum plerosque certum est. morbus esuriendi semper inexplebili aviditate uni animalium homini.

Quaedam rursus exiguo gustu famem ac sitim sedant conservantque vires, ut butyrum, hippace, glycyrrhiza. perniciosissimum autem et in omni quidem vita quod nimium, praecipue tamen corpori, minuique quod gravet quolibet modo utilius.

Verum ad reliqua naturae transeamus.

English · Bostock & Riley 1855–57

The size of the body is increased by eating sweet and fatty substances, as well as by drinking, while, on the other hand, it is diminished by eating dry, acrid, or cold substances, and by abstaining from drink. Some animals of Africa, as well as sheep, drink but once every four days. Abstinence from food for seven days, even, is not of necessity fatal to man; and it is a well-known fact, that many persons have not died till after an abstinence of eleven days. Man is the only animal that is ever attacked with an insatiate craving for food.

On the other hand, there are some substances which, tasted in small quantities only, appease hunger and thirst, and keep up the strength, such as butter, for instance, cheese made of mares’ milk, and liquorice. But the most pernicious thing of all, and in every station of life, is excess, and more especially excess in food; in fact, it is the most prudent plan to retrench everything that may be possibly productive of injury. Let us, however, now pass on to the other branches of Nature.