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This text is intended for readers who cannot use the "real" (Unicode,
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The text is taken from the 1912 Cambridge edition of Caius's _Complete
Works_. The editor's general introduction says:

  In this volume no attempt has been made to produce a facsimile
  reprint. Even if such a design had been entertained, the great
  variety of form in which the original editions were issued would
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  difference in spelling in the same work or on the same page--_e.g._
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  left as they stood in the original. On the other hand the accents
  in the very numerous Greek quotations have been corrected.

Numbers in parentheses (2, 3, 4...) were printed in the gutter; they
probably represent leaves of the 1552 original. Bracketed corrections
are from the 1912 text.

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Typographical errors are listed at the end of the e-text.

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  A boke or coun-
  seill against the disease
  commonly called the
  sweate or swea-
  tyng sicknesse

  made by Jhon Caius
  doctour in phisicke

  uery necessary for everye
  personne and much requi-
  site to be had in the handes
  of al sortes, for their better
  instruction, preparation and
  defence, against the soub-
  dein comyng, and fear-
  ful assaultyng of the
  same disease

  1552




  TO THE RIGHTE HONOURABLE
  WILLIAM EARLE OF PENBROKE, LORDE
  HARBERT OF CARDIFE, KNIGHT OF THE HONOUR-
  ABLE ORDRE OF THE GARTER, AND PRESIDENT OF
  THE KYNGES HIGHNES COUNSEILL IN
  THE MARCHES OF WALES:
  JHON CAIUS WISHETH
  HELTH AND HONOUR.


In the fereful tyme of the sweate (ryghte honourable) many
resorted vnto me for counseil, among whome some beinge my frendes
& aquaintance, desired me to write vnto them some litle counseil
howe to gouerne themselues therin: saiyng also that I should do
a greate pleasure to all my frendes and contrimen, if I would
deuise at my laisure some thing, whiche from tyme to tyme might
remaine, wherto men might in such cases haue a recourse &
present refuge at all nedes, as then they had none. At whose
requeste, at that tyme I wrate diuerse counseiles so shortly as
I could for the present necessite, whiche they bothe vsed and
dyd geue abrode to many others, & further appoynted in my self
to fulfill (for so much as laye in me) the other parte of their
honest request for the time to come. The whiche the better to
execute and brynge to passe, I spared not to go to all those
that sente for me, bothe poore, and riche, day and night. And
that not only to do them that ease that I could, & to instructe
them for their recouery: but to note also throughly, the cases
and circumstaunces of the disease in diuerse persons, and to
vnderstande the nature and causes of the same fully, for so much
as might be. Therefore as I noted, so I wrate as laisure then
serued, and finished one boke in Englishe, onely for Englishe men
not lerned, one other in latine for men of lerninge more at
large, and generally for the help of them which hereafter should
haue nede, either in this or other countreis, that they may lerne
by our harmes. This I had thoughte to haue set furth before
christmas, & to haue geuen to your lordshippe at new-yeres (3)
tide, but that diuerse other businesses letted me. Neuertheles
that which then coulde not be done cometh not now out of season,
although it be neuer so simple, so it may do ease hereafter,
which as I trust this shal, so for good wil I geue
and dedicate it vnto your good Lordshippe, trustyng the
  same will take this with as good a mind, as I
  geue it to your honour, whiche our Lorde
  preserue and graunt long
  to continue.

At London the first of Aprill.

1552.




The boke of Jhon Caius

against the sweatyng sicknes.


Man beyng borne not for his owne vse and commoditie alone, but
also for the common benefite of many, (as reason wil and al good
authoures write) he whiche in this world is worthy to lyue,
ought al wayes to haue his hole minde and intente geuen to
profite others. Whiche thynge to shewe in effecte in my selfe,
although by fortune some waies I haue ben letted, yet by that
whiche fortune cannot debarre, some waies again I haue declared.
For after certein yeres beyng at cambrige, I of the age of XX.
yeres, partly for mine exercise and profe what I coulde do, but
chefely for certein of my very frendes, dyd translate out of
Latine into Englishe certein workes, hauyng nothynge els so good
to gratifie theim w^t. Wherof one of _S. Chrysostome de modo
orandi deum_, that is, of y^e manner (4) to praye to god, I sent
to one my frende then beyng in the courte. One other, a woorke
of _Erasmus de vera theologia_, the true and redy waye to reade
the scripture, I dyd geue to Maister Augustine Stiwarde Alderman
of Norwiche, not in the ful as the authore made it, but
abbreuiate for his only purpose to whome I sent it, Leuyng out
many subtile thinges, made rather for great & learned diuines,
then for others. The thirde was the paraphrase of the same
Erasmus vpon the Epistle of S. Jude, whiche I translated at the
requeste of one other my deare frende.

These I did in Englishe the rather because at that tyme men ware
not so geuen all to Englishe, but that they dyd fauoure &
maynteine good learning conteined in tongues & sciences, and did
also study and apply diligently the same them selues. Therfore I
thought no hurte done. Sence y^t tyme diuerse other thynges I
haue written, but with entente neuer more to write in the
Englishe tongue, partly because the commoditie of that which is
so written, passeth not the compasse of Englande, but remaineth
enclosed within the seas, and partly because I thought that
labours so taken should be halfe loste among them whiche sette
not by learnyng. Thirdly for that I thought it beste to auoide
the iudgement of the multitude, from whome in maters of learnyng
a man shalbe forced to dissente, in disprouyng that whiche they
most approue, & approuyng that whiche they moste disalowe.
Fourthly for that the common settyng furthe and printing of euery
foolishe thyng in englishe, both of phisicke vnperfectly, and
other matters vndiscretly diminishe the grace of thynges learned
set furth in thesame. But chiefely, because I wolde geue none
example or comforte to my countrie men, (whom I wolde to be now,
as here tofore they haue bene, comparable in learnyng to men of
other countries) to stonde onely in the Englishe tongue, but to
leaue the simplicite of thesame, and to procede further in (5)
many and diuerse knoweleges bothe in tongues and sciences at
home and in vniuersities, to the adournyng of the common welthe,
better seruice of their kyng, & great pleasure and commodite of
their owne selues, to what kinde of life so euer they shold
applie them. Therfore whatsoeuer sence that tyme I minded to
write, I wrate y^e same either in greke or latine. As firste of
all certein commentaries vpon certein bokes of William
framingham, maister of art in Cambrige, a man ot great witte,
memorie, diligence and learnyng, brought vp in thesame scholes
in Englande that I was, euer from his beginnyng vntil his death.
Of the which bokes, ij. of _continentia_ (or continence) wer in
prose, y^e reste in metre or verse of diuerse kindes. One a
comforte for a blinde man, entitled _ad Aemilianum caecum
consolatio_, one other _Ecpyrosis, seu incendium sodomorum_, the
burnyng of Sodome. The thirde _Laurentius_, expressyng the
tormentes of Saincte Laurence. The fourthe, _Idololatria_,
Idolatrie, not after the trade and veine of scripture (wherein
he was also very well exercised) but conformable to scripture
and after the ciuile and humane learnyng, declaryng them to
worshippe _Mars_, that warre, or fight: _Venus_, that lyue
incontinently: _Pluto_, that folowe riches couetousely; and so
forth through all vices vsed in his time. The fiueth boke
_Arete_, vertue: the sixth, Epigrammes, conteined in two bokes,
whiche by an epistle of his owne hand before y^e boke yet
remainyng, he dedicated vnto me, purposyng to haue done many
more prety thynges, but that cruell death preuented, and toke him
away wher he and I was borne at Norwiche, in the yere of our
Lord M.d.xxxvij. the xxix. daie of September, beynge then of the
age of xxv. yeres, vij. Monethes, and vj. daies, a greate losse
of so notable a yonge man. These workes at his death he willed
to comme to my handes, by (6) which occasion after I had viewed
them, and perceiued them ful of al kyndes of learnyng, thinkyng
them no workes for all men to vnderstande with out helpe, but such
as were wel sene in all sortes of authours: I endeuoured my
selfe partely for the helpe of others, & partly for mine owne
exercise, to declare vpon theim the profite of my studie in
ciuile and humane learnynge, and to haue before mine eyes as in
a worke (which was alwaies my delyght) how muche I had profited
in the same. Thys so done, I ioyned euery of my commentaries to
euery of hys saied bokes, faier written by Nicolas Pergate puple
to the saied Maister Framyngham, myndyng after the iudgement of
learned men had in thesame, to haue set theim furthe in prynte,
if it had ben so thought good to theim. For whyche cause, at my
departynge into Italie, I put an Epistle before theym
dedicatorye to the right Reuerend father in God Thomas Thirlbye,
now Bishoppe of Norwiche, because thesame maister Framyngham
loued hym aboue others. He after my departure deliuered the
bokes to the reuerende father in god Jhon Skippe, late bishop of
Hereforde, then to D. Thirtle, tutor to the sayd maister
framyngham, from him to syr Richard Morisine, now ambassadoure for
y^e kinges maiestie with themperour, then to D. Tailour Deane of
Lincolne, and syr Thomas Smithe, secretarie after to y^e kynges
Maiestie, all great learned men. From these to others they wente,
among whome the bokes died, (as I suppose,) or els be closely
kept, that after my death they may be setfurthe in the names of
them which now haue them, as their workes. Howe soeuer it be,
well I knowe that at my returne out of Italie (after vj. yeres
continuance ther) into England, I coulde neuer vnderstand wher
they wer, although I bothe diligently and desirousely sought
them. After these I translated out of Greke into Latine a litle
boke of _Nicephorus_, declarynge howe a man maye in praiynge
confesse hym selfe, which after I dyd geue vnto Jhon Grome
bacheler in arte, (7) a yong man