_A pretie disputation of the philosopher Phauorinus, to perswade a woman
not to put forth her child to nursse, but to nourishe it herselfe with
her owne milke._
It was told to the Philosopher Phauorinus, that the wife of one of his
Sectators and scholers was brought a bedde of a sonne. “Let vs go (quoth
Phauorinus) to visite the childwife, and to gratulate the father for the
ioy of his sonne.” When they were entred the house, after hee had
saluted the good man, according to the custome, he asked the wife how
she did, and prayed the Gods to sende her good footing, and then
inquired of her trauel, and painfull panges. When he vnderstode that her
trauel was greate, and her bodye weake with watchinge, howbeit somewhat
comforted with sleepe which she had taken, he determined to enter into
further talke. “I doubt not gossip (quoth he) but that you purpose to
nourish your sonne your selfe.” The mother of the woman hearing him say
so, began to pray pardon, and said, that her doughter might not both
sustaine paine in the birth, and also trouble to nourish it herselfe.
“I pray thee mother, said Phauorinus, to suffer thy doughter to be the
whole and intire mother of her owne sonne. What kinde of halfe and
vnperfecte mothers be they, which so sone as they be deliuered do,
against nature, by and by thruste the child awaye from them? Can they
nourishe with their owne bloud, the thing which they see not, and wil
they not vouchsafe to bestow their milke vppon that, which is now a
lyuing creature, crying out before their faces for the mothers helpe,
and dutie? O thou vnkinde woman, doest thou thincke that nature hath
giuen thee two breastes for nothinge els, but to beautifie and adorne
thy bodie, and not to giue sucke to thy children? In like sort many
prodigious and monstruous women, haue dried vp and extinguished that
moste sacred fountaine of the body, the educatour of mankinde: not
without peril of their persons: as though the same were a disgracing of
their beautie and comlinesse. The like also some do attempt by deuises
and subtile secretes to extrude theyr conceptions, that the swelling of
their body might not irrigate and wrinckle their faces, and that their
paineful labours and great burdens, do not make them looke olde in their
youthly dayes. And like as it is generally to be abhorred, that man in
his first beginnings, (when he is fashioned and inspired with life, and
in the handes of the cunning and wise woman, dame Nature,) should be
killed and slaine: euen so with not much lesse detestation it is to be
had and compted, when he is perfecte and borne and the childe of thine
owne bloude, to be depriued from his due sustenance. But it is no matter
(wil som say) with whose milke hee be nourced, so hee receiue milke and
liue. The like may be said to that man which is so dull in perceyuing
the prouidence of nature, that what matter had it been in whose bodye,
and with whose bloud, he himselfe had been formed and brought into
light. Hath not she which nowe respireth, and with beauty waxeth white
and fayre, the same bloud now in her breastes, which was before
remayninge in her wombe? Is not the wysedome of nature manifest in this,
that after the cunning workman the bloud, hath framed in the inward
parts euery body of man, straight way when the time of byrthe
approcheth, the same bloude infudeth himselfe into the vpper partes, and
is readie to nourishe the rudimentes of lyfe and lighte, offeringe
acquaintaunce and familiar sustinance to the new borne? Wherefore in
vaine is not that report and beliefe, that like as the force and nature
of the generation seede is able to shape the similitudes of the mind and
body, euen so the qualities and properties of the Milke, do auayle to
like effect. Which thinge is not onelye marked in men, but also in brute
beastes. For if Kiddes be sockled vp wyth Ewes Milke, and Lambes wyth
Goates, the woll of thone will grow more rough and hard, and the heare
of the other more tender and soft. In trees also and fruites, there is
for the most part, a greater force and power in the nature of the soile
and water where they grow, eyther for the pruning and planting, then
there is if straunge impes and seedes be grifted and sowen there. And
many times you see, that a fruitfull tree, caried and set in an other
place, decayeth, throughe the nature of the ground more barren. What
reason is this then, to corrupt the noble nature of this borne childe,
whose body and minde, is well begunne wyth naturall beginninges to
infect the the same wyth the degenerate food of straung Milke. Specially
if she to whom you shall put forth this childe to giue sucke, be eyther
a bonde and seruile woman, and (as commonly it chauncheth) of a forren
and barbarous nation, be she wicked, ill fauoured, whorish or drunken.
For diuers times without difference, children be put foorth to suche
Noursses, whose honestie and conditions, in the tyme of the putting
foorth, be vtterly vnknowen. Shall we suffer therefore, this our infant
to be corrupted with pestiferous milke? Shall we abyde a newe nature and
spirite, to bee renued in his mynde and bodye, deriued from that whiche
is moste vile and wicked? Muche like to the same, whiche many tymes wee
see and wonder, howe diuers chyldren borne of chaste and honest women,
haue bodies and qualities farre discrepant from their honest parentes.
Wherefore very trimlie and cunningly Maro folowing Homeres verses, doth
say, speaking of the cruel nature of Achilles:
_Sir Peleus that gentle knight,
was not thy father sure,
Nor yet thy dame faire Thetis was
whose grace the Goddes did lure:
The raging Sea, and stonie rockes,
did bring thee forth to light:
Thy nature is so bloudie bent,
so fierce in cruell fight._
He did not herein reprehende the birth of Achilles, but the nature of
the cruell and sauage beaste that broughte him vp; for he added this of
his owne.
_And the Hircan Tigres did giue him sucke._
And truely the condicion of the Noursse, and nature of the milke,
disposeth almost the greater part of the childes condition, whiche
(notwithstanding the fathers seede, and creation of the bodie and mynde,
within the mothers wombe) doth nowe in the beginning of his nouriture,
configurate and frame a newe disposition in him. Moreouer who can saye
the contrarie, but that such women as put their children from them,
deliuering them to bee nourced of other, doe cut of, naye, rather doe
wype awaye and extinguyshe, that bande and increase of mynde and
affection, that doeth consociate and ioyne in nature, the parentes
towarde their children. For when the childe is put forth to an other
place and remoued from the mothers sighte, the vigor and tendernesse of
her affection, is by litle and little forgotten, and out of memorie, and
the derest care of her tender babe, groweth to vtter silence. The
sending awaye of the chylde to an other Nourice is not muche inferiour
to the forgetfulnesse that chaunceth when death dothe take it awaye.
Agayne, the affection, the loue, and familiaritie of the chylde, is
prone to her that giueth it sucke. And so as it is euidently seene in
them that be put foorth, the chylde taketh no knoweledge, or desire of
the owne mother, that brought it forth. Therefore, when the elementes
and beginnings of natural pietie and loue be ones abandoned and defaced,
howe soeuer suche children, in that sorte brought vp, shall seeme to
loue the parentes, yet for the moste part, it is no pure and naturall
affection, but rather a suposed and Ciuile loue.” Thus this noble
Philosopher giueth counsayle to euery good mother, not to be ashamed or
grieued, to bringe vp her childe with her own Milke, after her greatest
payne past, whom before with her owne bloud, she disdained not to feede
in her owne bodie.