a male child in the womb when the milk that
runneth out of a woman's breast is thick, and not much, and of a female
when it is thin? A. Because a woman that goeth with a boy hath a great
heat in her, which doth perfect the milk and make it thick; but she who
goes with a girl hath not so much heat, and therefore the milk is
undigested, imperfect, watery and thin, and will swim above the water if
it be put into it.

Q. Why is the milk white, seeing the flowers are red, of which it is
engendered? A. Because blood which is well purged and concocted becomes
white, as appeareth in flesh whose proper colour is white, and being
boiled, is white. Also, because every humour which is engendered of the
body, is made like unto that part in colour where it is engendered as
near as it can be; but because the flesh of the paps is white, therefore
the colour of the milk is white.

Q. Why doth a cow give milk more abundantly than other beasts? A.
Because she is a great eating beast, where there is much monthly
superfluity engendered, there is much milk; because it is nothing else
but the blood purged and tried.

Q. Why is not milk wholesome? A. 1. Because it curdeth in the stomach,
whereof an evil breath is bred. 2. Because the milk doth grow sour in
the stomach, where evil humours are bred, and infect the breath.

Q. Why is milk bad for such as have the headache? A. Because it is
easily turned into great fumosities, and hath much terrestrial substance
in it, the which ascending, doth cause the headache.

Q. Why is milk fit nutriment for infants? A. Because it is a natural and
usual food, and they were nourished by the same in the womb.

Q. Why are the white-meats made of a newly milked cow good? A. Because
milk at that time is very springy, expels fumosities, and, as it were,
purges at that time.

Q. Why is the milk naught for the child, if the woman giving suck uses
carnal copulation? A. Because in time of carnal copulation, the best
part of the milk goes to the seed vessels, and to the womb, and the
worst remain in the paps, which hurts the child.

Q. Why do physicians forbid the eating of fish and milk at the same
time? A. Because they produce a leprosy, and because they are
phlegmatic.

Q. Why have not birds and fish milk and paps? A. Because paps would
hinder the flight of birds. And although fish have neither paps nor
milk, the females cast much spawn, which the male touches with a small
gut, and causes their kind to c