Prognostication of Erra Pater, Doctor in astronomy, and Phesyke, Profitable for to keep the body in health, & Ptholome saith the same.  

Ptholomeus.   crowned Ptolomy (or Ptolemaeus) and a woman with astronomical instruments   

AS I find in the science of astronomy/ There been four manner of Coolers in a man's body of the four complexions. The first is blood, the second black Cooler, the third phlegms, & the fourth yellow Cooler. And if one of the four lack, all the body should be anon forthwith deed, for as moche sustaineth one of them the body, as the other. And everich of them ought to be at a certain, for and one of them sermount the other, all the body shall have damage thereby, & all four be right perilous, for and the blood surmount the other, he might esteygner destroy & overcome the body, & make him to die, for he gathereth & congealeth even right on the heart and taketh away the flat, spyrte, & the breath, and in that manner (lesteygne) and is overcome & dead. But at that time when the great course taketh him, he may soon be assuaged to less him a little to take away a little blood from him and anon all will assuage of this peril.  
¶ Also the black Cooler be right perilous & they surmount all the other, they may damage greatly the body, & by many divers manners, for they may cause and make the body to fall on the evil sickness, and lose his wit and knowledge, and become a fool, and cause also the body to be full of evil scabs, & often times to be mesel, and maketh a man to be fearful, and a coward, & of many evil manners. And when they surmount the other: they be right grievous & domageous. And by herbs, flowers, fasting, abstinence, drinks, and medicines they may be assuaged.  
¶ The phlegms that be white be perilous when they surmount the other Coolers of the body, they do great damage and hurt, for they engender gouts & many other evil sicknesses that be cold, and they hurt also the feet and the hands, and the reins, and the knees, the legs, & the teeth, & make the mouth and the breath stinking, & the nose, & the ears, & causeth many other diseases and sicknesses, but they may be assuaged by herbs, flowers, roots, drinks, medicines, & also by vomishing.  
¶ Also the yellow Coolers, be perilous, for when they surmount the other Coolers, in a man's body, they (assorbent) the heart & travel the brain, and maketh all the members feeble and soft, and taketh away the will and the appetite from the body, that he may not eat nor drink. And also they change a manes colour, and maketh him to lose his sight and become blind, & they may be also assuaged as the other phlegms be, by herbs, flowers, roots, and by vomyssing.  
¶ These four humours be of the four Complexions, and they have the domination of the body four times in the year, and each of them a quarter of a year.  
¶ The year is xii months, that is to say lii weeks and one day, And this is to understand. CCC.lx. days, & vi hours.  

¶ The disposition of the first season of the year.  
Capricornus, Aquarius, & Pisces.  
THe first season of the year that hath domination of the body of man, is iii Months, and they be named these three signs, Capricorn, Aquario, and Pisces. And these three signs have power of all phlegms of the body of man and woman, and they be cold and moist, and they begin to reign the xxiiii day of Decembre, & dureth unto the xxiiii day of March.   

¶ The disposition of the second part of the year.  
Aries, Taurus, and Gemini.  
THe second part of the year, is other iii Months, and these be the signs, Aries Taurus, and Gemini. And they have power in the body of man of the blood, & they be hot and mostye, and they begin to reign the xxiiii day of March, and dureth unto the xxiiii day of june.   

¶ The disposition of the third season of the year.  
Cancer, Leo, and Virgo.  
THe third season of the year, be other iii Months, and these be the signs, Cancer, Leo, and Virgo, and they have power within the body of man of the yellow Coolers, and they be hot and dire, and they begin to reign the xxiiii day of june, and dureth unto the xxiiii day of Septembre.   

¶ The disposition of the fourth part of the year.  
Libra, Scorpio, & Sagittarius.  
THe fourth part of the year, be other iii Months, and these be the fygnes Libra Scorpio, and Sagittarius, and they be cold and dry, and they begin to reign the xxiiii day of Septembre, and dureth unto the xxiiii day of Decembre. And by the manner of these four seasons, every man may keep him from all contraries of meats and drynkꝭ, and clothing, and from other contrary. And if a man will keep him after the manner that is rehearsed in this book, he shall never have infirmities of body, by the grace of god, Take pelater of spain and chaw it in thy mouth, for it is good to spurge the heed & the body. Also eat fennel seed, common seed, for each of these sedes destroy the phlegms, that all the evils in man's body come of.   

¶ Eest.  
¶ Ignis inventus et Estas.  
¶ The water red and thin, the gross male red and hard, the spetyll thick & clammy. The sings Aries, Leo, & Sagittary, is gendered of coloryke, hot, and dry, and Oriental, & the sickness be take in these signs, it is great peril: but he have his medicine cold & moist, and the diet of the same complexion, than he may be healed by the grace of god.   

¶ West.  
¶ Aer Adolescentia Ver.  
¶ The water red and thick, the gross matter reed and thin, the spetyll thin and sweet, the extremytyves out of course, The signs Gemini, Libra, and aquary, is engendered of sanguine, hot, and moist, and Occydentall, the cure is cold and dry, with diet of the complexion, cascia fistula in aqua vite.   

¶ north.  
¶ Terra Senectus Autumpnus.  
¶ The water white and theynne, the gross male black and thick, the spetyll thick and sour, the extremytyves uneath feeled, The signs Taurus, Virgo, and Capricornus: he is engendered of melancholy cold and dry, Septemtyrnall, the cure hot and moist with the diet of the same complexion.   

¶ Sowthe.  
¶ Aqua Senium et Hiems.  
¶ The water, white and thick, the gross matter white and thick, the spetyll thin and sweet, the extremytives feeble. The signs Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces, he is engendered of phlegm cold & moist, Meridional, the cure hot & dire of the same, purgatio travit aqua vite, or in pottage.   

¶ The dysposyon of the xii Months, upon blood letting.  

¶ january.  
IN the month of Ianuarye, let the no blood on the first day for it is perilous, ne on the ii day, ne the .v. day, ne the ten day, ne the xu day, ne the xix day, ne the twenty day, ne the xxv day, but as often as thou wilt drink good white wine fasting. And alway take good heed of the days that be above written, for they be perilous for to be let blood on, but the sign be right good for blood letting.   

¶ February.  
¶ In the month of February, eat no pottage of hokkes or maloys, for that is venom. And if thou have need to bleed, on the wrist on the vain of thy thumb, bleed not on the iii day, ne on the vi day, ne on the viii day. But on the xiiii day is right good, ne bleed not on the. xvii. day, ne on the xxvi day, ne on the xxviii day, but that the sign be very good and thou mayst choose.   

¶ March.  
¶ In the month of March, eat figs, raisins, & sweet meats & drinks and hot meats. And let the blood on the right arm on the .v. day, or on the vii day, or on the xvii day, for that is good against all manner of Febres, but beware bleed not the first day, ne the xu day, ne on the xvi. day, ne on the xix day, ne on the. xxviii. day, & thou may choose. And if thou do look that the sign be right very good.   

¶ april.  
¶ In the month of Apryll, bleed on the left arm on the iii day, or on the xi day, or on the. xv. day, and thou shall have no great heed ache, ne lose thy sight that year. And use fresh and hot meats, but bleed not on the vii day, ne on the viii day, ne on the ten day, ne on the twenty day, for these days be not right good for bleeding. ☞ ❧ ❧ ❧   

¶ may.  
¶ In the month of may, rise early, & eat and drink by time, use hot meats & drinks, but eat neither of head nor foot while the may last. And let the blood on the first day, or on the. xviii. day, on which arm thou wilt, or on the xxvii day, or on the. xxviii. day, & it shall moche help the against all manner of evils. But beware that thou bleed not on the iii day, ne the vi day, ne the xxv day.   

¶ june.  
¶ In the month of june, some Physycyens say, that it is good every day to drink a quantity of cold water fasting. And rule the of thy meet & thy drink measurably, & eat lettuce and sawge, and if thou have need to bleed, bleed on the xxviii day for that is right good. But beware that thou bleed not on the vii day, ne on the ten day, ne on the xu day, ne on the xvi day, ne on the xxii day.   

¶ july.  
¶ In the month of july, keep the from Lechery, for than thy brain and thy humours been alway open. And bleed not in this month, but if thou have great need. And than beware alway that thou bleed not upon the xiii day, ne on the xu day, ne on the xix day, ne on the xxii. day, for it is very dangerous.   

¶ August.  
¶ In the month of August, eat no manner of wortes, nor of no manner of hot meats nor drinks of spycerye, nor bleed not on the first day, ne on the twenty day ne on the xxix day, ne on the xxx day. The other days thou mayst bleed for great need if the sign be good for blood letting, but not else and thou love thyself in good health.   

¶ Septembre.  
¶ In the month of Septembre, all manner fruit that is ripe and not infected is good for to eat. And bled on the xvii day, or on the xxvii day, & of the dropsy, frense, and palsy, ne of the falling evil dread the not of all the year. And if thou have need to bleed more. Beware that thou bleed not on the iii day, ne on the four day, ne on the xvi day, ne on the xxi day, ne on the xxii day.   

¶ Octobre.  
¶ In the month of Octobre, drink good & wholesome wine, and bleed not, but that great need make thee, and look that the sign be very good. But yet beware that thou bleed not on the iii day, ne on the vi day, ne on the xvi day ne on the xxiiii day, & thou wilt do well.   

¶ Novembre.  
¶ In the month of Novembre, bleed not but for need, for all thy blood is gathered that time upon thy heed vain.  them not but vent the a little of grazing, for than been all thine humours over quick for to bleed, and if case be that thou have great need for to bleed, beware of the .v. day, & the vi day, & the xu day, & the xix day, and the xxviii day, and the xxix day.   

¶ Decembre.  
¶ In the month of Decembre, bleed not but if thou have great need for the case. And bleed than on the xxvi day, for it is right good. And in case thou have more need for to bleed, beware of the vii day, & the xu day, and of the xvi day, & of the xvii day, and of the xxii day, and in this month come nigh no fire with thy shanks.   
¶ Thus endeth these xii Months.   

¶ For to understand & know the years that shall be plenteous and in great abundance of goods.  

¶ In die dominica, That is sunday.  
IN the year that january shall enter on the sunday, the winter shall be cold and moist, and the Summer shall be hot, and the time of Harvest shall be windy and rainy with great abundance of corn, of wines, and of other grains, and of all garden fruit and herbs. There shall be little Oil, abundance shall be of all manner of flesh, some great news shall men here spoken, of Kings, of Prelates of the church, and other earthly princes, great wars and robberies shall be made, and many young people shall die.   

¶ In die Lune, that is Monday.  
¶ In the year that Ianyuere shall enter on the monday, the winter shallbe peaceable enough, and the summer shall be very temperate. Than shall be great floods of waters, that shall break out of their limits and bonds, and many ships upon the see shall perish, & in that year shall reign divers sicknesses, & changes of great lords shall be made, many women shall perish in travailing with child, many great lords shall die. That year shall be little grass and mustard seed, but there shallbe plenty of corn and wines, and good cheap of flesh, and but little oil.   

¶ In die Martis, that is tuesday.  
¶ In the year that january shall enter on the tuesday, the winter shall be changeable and not steadfast, for in the primetimes, of truth it shall freeze, and that shall hurt sore the Rye, the wines, and the flowers, & the Summer shall be dry, hot, & burning, in so much that the herbs of the gardens shall have no power to come out of the ground. All things shall be dear, save only corn, many men shall die of the bloody flix. There shall be no tidings of thunders, lightnings, & tempests, but all flesh shall be dear, many wines shall turn.   

¶ In dei Marcurij, that is wednesdaye.  
¶ In the year that january shall enter on the wednesday, the winter shall be temperate, but in the end there shall be snows and frost. The primetimes shall be raynye, great abundance of all corns, of wines, of fruits, of hay, of grass, and generally of all good things. The summer shall be a little cloudy, by the which thereof shall come great sicknesses, poor labourers as hand crafts, and artificers, shall gain meately well this year. Many thenes shall be, by whom the mean people shall before pilled and discomforted, great waters, battle, and slaughters shall be towards the mids of the year, by the which shall come great goods to some men. In the end of the year, there shall be divers pestilences, botches, and falling evils, and in especial next the see.   

¶ In die iovis, that is Thursday.  
¶ In the year that january shall enter on the Thursday, the winter shall be long and most part dry, and this year shall be very wholesome. The primetimes shall be very windy, the summer shall be good and temperate, and Harvest shall be most part rainy, by the which the waters shall sore break out of their bonds. The wheat & wines shall be good cheap, there shall be of oats, of hay, of grass, and of fruits competently enough, great war and division shall be between the Church and the kings, & the princes, and in the end the princes shall have victories of their enterprises, women shall set themself much to lechery, the people shall be well eased of taxes and talleges.   

¶ In die Veneris, that is friday.  
¶ In the year that january shall enter on the friday, the winter shall be long and dry And the summer unwholesome, Harvest shall be dry all corn shall be dear, the vintage shall be good enough, and abundance of oil, of fruit, of hay, of grass, and of all gradayne herbs. The world shall be sore persecuted with divers sicknesses, as of sore eyes, and of all etyckes, many young children shall die. Great thunders, lightnings, and tempests shall be, that shall grieve sore all the ground. There shall be earth quakes, and good cheap cloth poor people shall gain little or no thing, many beasts shall die for hunger, for the diversity and malady of the time.   

¶ In die Sabbati, that is saturday.  
¶ In the year that january shall enter on the saturday, the winter shall be temperate sufficiently. And in the primetimes shall be frosts, the which shall destroy the Ryes, the wines, the oils, and the fruits. The summer shall be meately temperate, the Harvest time shall be dry, the oats & other corn shall be good cheap, all garden herbs shall be good cheap, enough, and flesh shall be good cheap, many old people shall die, fevers tercyans shall grieve sore the world, that shall be sick through evil heat. And many murmurations, war and murders shall be done, by the one against the other, & neighbours against neighbours and many other cases shall be often committed and done. ☞ ❧ ❧ ❧    
¶ Finis. ¶ Thus endeth the Prognostication ☞ for ever. ☜   

¶ Imprinted by me (Robert wire) For Richard Banks.   

Cum privilegio, Ad imprimendum solum.