| [p. 25] copper, silver, gold, sulphur, alum, bitumen, or nitre (soda)
in them; for all these are formed by the force of heat. Good waters
cannot proceed from such a soil, but those that are hard and of a
heating nature, difficult to pass by urine, and of difficult evacuation
by the bowels. The best are those which flow from elevated grounds,
and hills of earth; these are sweet, clear, and can bear a little
wine; they are hot in summer and cold in winter, for such necessarily
must be the waters from deep wells. But those are most to be commended
which run to the rising of the sun, and especially to the summer sun;
for such are necessarily more clear, fragrant, and light. But all
such as are salty, crude, and harsh, are not good for drink. But there
are certain constitutions and diseases with which such waters agree
when drunk, as I will explain presently. Their characters are as follows:
the best are such as have their fountains to the east; the next, those
between the summer risings and settings of the sun, and especially
those to the risings; and third, those between the summer and winter
settings; but the worst are those to the south, and the parts between
the winter rising and setting, and those to the south are very bad,
but those to the north are better. They are to be used as follows:
whoever is in good health and strength need not mind, but may always
drink whatever is at hand. But whoever wishes to drink the most suitable
for any disease, may accomplish his purpose by attending to the following
directions: To persons whose bellies are hard and easily burnt up,
the sweetest, the lightest, and the most limpid waters will be proper;
but those persons whose bellies are soft, loose, and pituitous, should
choose the hardest, those kinds that are most crude, and the saltiest,
for thus will they be most readily dried up; for such waters as are
adapted for boiling, and are of a very solvent nature, naturally loosen
readily and melt down the bowels; but such as are intractable, hard,
and by no means proper for boiling, these rather bind and dry up the
bowels. People have deceived themselves with regard to salt waters,
from inexperience, for they think these waters purgative, whereas
they are the very reverse; for such waters are crude, and ill adapted
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