cause of
anger.

Q. Why have birds their stones inward? A. Because if outward, they would
hinder their flying and lightness.

Q. How comes it that birds do not piss? A. Because that superfluity
which would be converted into urine, is turned into feathers.

Q. Why do we hear better in the night than by day? A. Because there is a
greater quietness in the night than in the day, for the sun doth not
exhale the vapours by night, but it doth in the day, therefore the moon
is more fit than in the day; and the moon being fit, the motion is
better received, which is said to be caused by a sound.

Q. For what reason doth a man laugh sooner when touched in the armpits
than in any other part of the body? A. Because there is in that place a
meeting of many sinews, and the mean we touch, which is the flesh, is
more subtle than in other parts, and therefore of finer feeling. When a
man is moderately and gently touched there the spirits that are
dispersed run into the face and causes laughter.

Q. Why do some women love white men and some black men? A. 1. Some have
weak sight, and such delight in black, because white doth hurt the sight
more than black. 2. Because like delight in like; but some women are of
a hot nature, and such are delighted with black, because blackness
followeth heat; and others are of a cold nature, and those are delighted
with white, because cold produces white.

Q. Why do men incline to sleep after labour? A. Because, through
continual moving, the heat is dispersed to the external parts of the
body, which, after labour, is gathered together in the internal parts,
there to digest; and from digestion, vapours arise from the heart to the
brain, which stop the passage by which the natural heat should be
dispersed to the external part; and then, the external parts being cold
and thick, by reason of the coldness of the brain sleep is easily
procured. By this it appeareth that such as eat and drink too much, do
sleep much and long, because there are great store of humours and
vapours bred in such persons which cannot be consumed and digested by
the natural heat.

Q. Why are such as sleep much, evil disposed and ill-coloured? A.
Because in too much sleep moisture is gathered together, which cannot be
consumed, and so it doth covet to go out through the superficial parts
of the body, and especially it resorts to the face, and therefore is the
cause of bad colours, as appeareth in such as are phlegmatic and who