Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Rosa Anglica (Author: [unknown])
section 2
2
Gilbert72 says that it is not because there is no matter in it that this fever is said to be non-material, but because it has no peccant humoral cause that precedes it, (like hectica). And73 though Avicenna puts down this fever as coming from many causes, such as excessive flux, coition, or excessive
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drinking, hunger, syncope, want of sleep, and many more of the like; nevertheless these may be reduced to four causes74 alone. The first of these from an external cause which heats and blocks the pores actually or potentially, as is the heat of the sun or of a fire, or a bath with hot things in it, or one wherein is sulphur or cold water; briefly everything that closes the pores and prevents the escape of the vapours. Note, the diversity of fever is understood according to the diversity of the bodies and the vapours; for if the body be hot and dry, and the vapour(s) likewise, this stoppage is caused by the blocking of the pores and the like; then this fever called ephemera is easily generated. And if the body be hot and moist, the vapour is thus retained, and therein putrid fever is easily generated.