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, BooK IV. Royal Commentaries.
CH A P. XII.
That they educated their C'hildren without any tender:.
nefs.
III
A S well the lncM, as the Commonalty, both rich and poor, bred up cheir
Children with the 1eaíl: of tendernefs and delicacy that was poffible: for
fo foon as an lhfanc was boro, they waíhed it in cold water, before they fwathed ic
in its Mandes; and then every morning they bathed it in cold water , and fome–
times expofed it to the dew of the night; perhaps the Mother would fometimes
out of rendernefs fpirt che water out_of her momh on the Child, and fo waíh ic;
but generalty they had <!n opinion, that cold and exercife did con-oborate and
ftrengthen the Body and Limbs: their Armes they kept fwathed, and bound
down for three months, upon fuppofition, that to loofe them fooner, would wea–
ken them; they kept them always in their Cradles, which was a pitifull kind of
a frame, fet on four legs, one of which vvasJhorter tban the reíl:, for conve~nce
ofrocking; the Bed was made of a fort ofcourfe knitting, which was fometbing
more foft than che bare boards, and with a 11ring of chis knitting they bound up
the Child on one fide, and the other, to keep it from falling out.
When they gave them fuck they never took them into their Lap or Armes,
for if they had ufed them in that manner, they believed thac they woulci' never
leave crying, and would always ex¡:,eél: to be iq Armes, and not lie quiet in
t.heir Cradles; and therefore che Mother' would lean over rh(!' Child, and reach it
the Breaft, which they did three times a day, chat is, ac morning, noon and night,
and unlefs it were at chofe times, they never gave it fuck; for they faid, that noc
accuíl:oming it to fet hours, would caufe it. to expeél:fuckling the whole day, and
be never quier, but when che Breaíl: was ar che Mouth; which caufes frequenc
vomits and pewkings, and made t~em, wh~n they were grown Men, to be gluc–
cons, anddrunkards; for we fee, faid they, mother Creatures,-'that chey admini–
fier their Dugs and Nipples to their Young at certain hours and feafons. The
Mother always nurfed lier OWIJ,Child, for though íhe were a Lady of the higheíl:
degree, (he would riever fuffer her lnfant to be nouriíhed with che milk ofánother,
unlefs in che cafe of ficknefs, or fome ocher infirmity; and during che time of
their nurfing, they abíl:ained (rotn che Bed oftheir Husbands, as rbat which would
cnrple tbeir milk, and make 'the Child a Changeling. Such as were chus transferr~
to íl:ranger Nurfe, were called Ayufca, which is aparticiple of the precerperfeél: tenfe,
and is as much as to fay, one denied, or renounced, or changed by its Parents; and
by way of j\1e~aphor the younger fort would re_proach one the otber with thac
word, iAtimating that bis Miíl:refs íhew'd more favour to his Rival chan to him–
(elf ;· co utter that word co a married manwere a high affront, being one ofthofe
tjve words'that are (cancfa.lous, and will bear an Aél:ion. I knew once a Palla, ot' ,
r,ady of che Bloud Royal, 'who was forced to give her Daughcer to be fuckled by
anot-her; che fairhlefs Nurfe proving with Child, her Fofter-child fell into aCon·
fumption and,Convulfions, and became nothing bue Skin and Bones; che Mother
Íinding her Daughter in chis manner made Ayufca, at che end of eight months after,
when fhe had almoíl: dried up her rnilk, íbe refiored her lnfant to her own natural
Bre,µls, which fetched clown her rnjlk again, and applying an Unguent of Herbs
fo the Shoulders, che lnfant recovered, which was before given over, as in a de.
f~rate condicion ; fuch is the vircue of che Mother's Milk, that there is nothing
qiore medicinal, qnd notlii11g m_ore reftorative chao chat na\ural fuíl:enance.
. If the Mother hada füfficiem fiock .ofMilk, che Child never received any ocher .
nourifhment than that, l)ntill, the timé,it weaned; for ,chey were of opinion, ·
tbat all other forts of food éreated nothing-buc crudities and indigefüons. When
it was cimt (o take it out of the Cradle, they made a little pie for it in che floor,
which reached to che Breaíl:, in wbich they puc ir, with fome old cloucs to make
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