then humours haue. They be alſo liuing bodies, and haue kindly vertues, the which long to no humor: yet they be called humours: for they haue more ſoftnes & more cleereneſſe then other mēbers of ye body. And they be more obedient to the working of ye ſpirit & vertue of féeling thē other lims of féeling. Theſe three humors be departed a ſunder with ye rumes inner & vtter, for they ſhuld not be medled togethers. Theſe ſeuen curtils be ordeined in this manner. Faſt by ye humor Chriſtalline in the neather ſide is ye curtel that is called Rethina,[1] and ſpringeth and commeth of the vaines and hollowneſſe of the ſkinne that is called ye middle mother, in manner of a web or caul, & beareth feeding with her to the humor Vitreus: & ſendeth feeling by ye ſinewes thereof to the Chriſtalline. Next to this Rethina, immediatly followeth ye ſecond curtel, that is bread and commeth of the middle mother: & feeddeth & defendeth ye curtel Rethina, that it be not by any hap broke or hurt. The third curtel followeth, that is called Sclirotica, yt is ful hard & commeth of the hard mother of the braine, and defendeth all the other from the hardneſſe of the bone, & is as it were the bend of the eie. In the formoſt part next to the Chriſtalline humor, is immediatly the curtel that is called Tela aranea, & is called ſo for the ſubtilneſſe therof, that it may be paſſable to the ſpirit, & is bread & commeth of that moſt ſubtill parts of the curtill that is called Rethina. This curtil is ſet betwéene the Chriſtalline humour, & Albugineus: and kéepeth that they fret not togethers. This curtil Tela aranea ioyned with the inner part Rethina, maketh ye firſt roundnes. For theſe two curtills cloſe the humor Chriſtalline within them. After this followeth the curtill that is called Vuea, Grapie, & hath that name, for it is like in coulour to a blacke grape, & that by wiſe counſaile of kinde. For all the other, that we haue ſpoke of in the compoſition of the eie be white & cléere, and ſheddeth the ſpirit of ſight. And therefore it néedeth to haue therwith the curtill Vuea, grapy, to gather light in ye eie by the blackneſſe thereof. For blackneſſe is a coulour that gathereth ſight. And alſo this rume is full of holes, as a Spunge, and conteineth thrids of ſinewes, as Conſtātine ſaith, to cleanſe & to purge the humour Chriſtalline, frō ſuperfluous moiſture. This curtell Vuea, Grapie, is ioyned in the farther part of the head, with ye curtel Secundina, in the inner part: the which ſo ioyned, maketh ye ſecond roundneſſe, and cloſeth the humor Albugineus, that kinde ſetteth there to make the ſpirit cléere, and to giue kind of moiſture to ye humor Chriſtalline. After this curtell followeth the curtell that is called Cornea, Hornie, and hath that name of the doing therof. For it is ſul like to a bright horne, and is bright and cleere to ye ſpirit of ſight. And by the brightnes & cleerneſſe thereof: and by the reaſon of ſomewhat of thickneſſe therof: it helpeth ſomwhat the ſpirit of ſight, to gather ye ſight, Alſo becauſe of ſtrength therof and fatnes, it defendeth the inner curtells, that be leſſe ſtrong from vtter griefes. And this curtell Cornea, hornie, is ioyned to ye inner curtell, that is called Sclirotica, hard, and maketh another roundneſſe. For theſe two curtells, Cornea, the vtter, and Sclirotica, the inner conteine and cloſe within themſelues all rounde, the humour Vitreus, Glaſſie. At the laſt in the vtter part of the eye without is ſet the curtell Coniunctiua, the commeth downe from the braine panne, and couereth not all the eie, but remaineth in the corners of the eien, and bindeth and holdeth them, that they abide in a due ſtedfaſtneſſe.
The diſpoſition of the eies. cha. 6.
TO the eie ſo diſpoſed & perfectly mēbred, the ſpirit of ſight is brought in this manner. From the formoſt part of ye braine come out two hollowe ſinewes, which be called Optici, which fixe themſelues in ye ſubſtance of the humor Chriſtalline. Theſe two hollow ſinewes bée pight in ye eien, & come either ouerthwart either croſſe wiſe, & be ioined in a point: & that maketh kind wiſely, yt if that one eie be cloſed or let, the ſpirit of ſight may come to that other, & do ther perfectly his
- ↑ A rume.
