the history of life and death the entrance there be a old complaint of the  shortness of life and tediousness of be therefore it seem very fit to we who  strive to the uttermost of our power to make be perfect to take care also of  prolong the life of man the author of life and truth assist we therein for  although man life be nothing else but a increase and accumulation of sin and  misery and that life be but of small advantage to those who aspire to eternity  yet we who be Christian shall not contemn or despise a continuation of work of  charity and the belove disciple live long than any of the rest and many of the  father especial the holy monk and hermit be long live and there be less take  away from this blessing so often make mention of in the old law than from any  other earthly blessing after the come of our saviour but it be plain manifest  enough that this be hold for a great good but how to attain thereunto be a  high and mysterious question and so much the more because it have be abuse  both by false opinion and false Praeconiums for those thing which be common  speak of by the rabble of physician concern the radical humour and natural  heat be deceitful and the immoderate praise of chemical medicine first swell  man up with hope and then forsake they and leave they in the mire neither be  our inquisition now of that death which proceed from suffocation putrefaction  and diverse other disease for that belong to a physical or medicinal history  but of that death only which come by the resolution and consumption of old age  yet to inquire of the last passage or step to death and the very extinction or  put out of life which may be do by many both internal and external way which  notwithstanding have as it be one and the self same place of habitation before  we come unto the very pang of death I believe have some affinity with our  present inquisition but we will set that in the last place that which may be  repair by degree and without destruction the primary entire thing that in  force be eternal as the vestal fire wherefore when the philosopher and  physician see that creature be nourish and that their body be repair and make  up again yet that it can not last long but that a while after they grow old  and die they seek for death in some thing which proper can not be repair think  that some radical and first engender humour be not total repair but that there  be even from the infancy some degenerate addition and not a precise solid and  just reparation which by degree be deprave with age and at last bring that  which be deprave to nothing these unskilful and erroneous opinion they hold  for all thing in youth and young age be full and whole repair and for a time  increase in quantity and be better in quality so that the matter of reparation  may in a manner be eternal if the mean of reparation do not fall away but  indeed in a decline age there be but a very unequal reparation make in some  part reparation proceed happy and other part grow worse and worse and from  that time man begin to endure that torment which Mezentius do use to inflict  namely to kill live man with the embrace of dead one and those thing which may  easy be repair do fail by be join to those thing which can hardly be repair  for even after that man do begin to decline through age their spirit blood  flesh and fat may easy be repair but those part which be more porous all  membrane and tunicles nerve artery vein bone cartilege most part of the inward  and final almost all the organical part be difficultly and with great lose  repair and those part be to assist the reparation of those reparable part  which be actual to be repair lose their activity and strength can no long  perform their function and from thence a while after proceed the fall to ruin  of all together and those very same part which in their own nature be very  reparable the organ of reparation fail can be well repair but decrease and at  last total fail and the cause of the period be because the spirit prey always  like a still and gentle flame the external air which also suck and dry up the  body conspire with it at the last ruin the frame of the body and its organ and  make they unable to perform the act of reparation and these be the true way of  natural death which be careful to be revolve in man mind for he that know not  the way of nature how can he obviate and turn they therefore there ought to be  a double inquisition one of the consumption or depredation of the body of man  and the other of the reparation or refection of the same and with this proviso  or caveat that the one may be inhibit and restrain and the other promote and  comfort as much as may be and the first of these belong chief to the spirit  and external air by which the depredation and waste be make the second to the  whole process of alimentation which cause the restitution and as for the first  part of the inquisition which be of the consumption that be for a great part  common to inanimate body for those thing which the inbred spirit which be in  all tangible thing be they live or dead and the encompass air do operate upon  inanimate thing the same they do also attempt upon those thing which be  animate though the Vital which be add unto they partly break and quell those  operation and partly do most powerful increase and augment they for it be most  manifest that many inanimate thing can last a long time without any reparation  whereas animate thing do present fall and be extinguish without aliment or  reparation as the fire also therefore there ought to be a double inquisition  first contemplate man body as inanimate and without aliment then as it be  animate and aliment and have speak thus much by way of preface let we now  proceed to the topic of the inquisition concern which you must read the  history of life and death Finis