The Frugal Life.
“That a Spare Diet is
better than a splendid
and sumptuous.”
A PARADOX:
By Ortensio Lando, M.D.
1543.
With Introduction
by ....
WILLIAM E. A. AXON.
MANCHESTER.
1899.
THE PARADOX OF A FRUGAL LIFE.
INTRODUCTION.
THE friendship of Nicholas Ferrar, the headof the remarkable household at Little Gidding,and of the saintly George Herbert, is apleasant episode of seventeenth century history.One of its results was the appearance atCambridge in 1634 of a little volume, entitled“Hygiasticon.” This contains a translation,believed to be by Ferrar, of the treatise on dietetics by the learnedJesuit, Leonard Lessius, George Herbert’s version of LuigiCornaro’s book on Long Life, and “A discourse translated out ofItalian that a spare diet is better than a splendid and sumptuous.”This version was made by one whose initials, T.S., have not beendeciphered. The name of the original author was equally unknownto bibliographers. It is, in fact, the twenty-fourth of the“Paradossi” printed at Lyons in 1543. This book, although it hasno author’s name attached, is known to be the production ofOrtensio Lando, sometimes known by his Latin name of HortensiusTranquillus. He was born at Milan about the end of thefifteenth century, and died at Venice about 1553. He was a graduatein medicine of the University of Bologna, and for years led the lifeof a wandering scholar, but finally settled at Venice where he died.He was the author of fifty or more books.[A] This seventeenth centuryversion of Lando’s paradox whilst not slavish, makes an excellentpresentation of the spirit and aim of the original. In the fewplaces where the English writer has amplified the additionalmatter is noteworthy. It has, therefore, been thought sufficient tomodernise the spelling, modify the arrangement and punctuation,and substitute here and there a modern word for one that sounded lesscrude in the seventeenth than in the nineteenth century.
[Pg 3]When a scholar, such as Ortensio Lando was, undertakes todefend paradoxes he is not always to be taken too seriously, butin this praise of frugal life and simple diet there is an accent ofsincerity that carries conviction.
William E. A. Axon.
THAT A SPARE DIET IS BETTER THAN A SPLENDID
AND SUMPTUOUS—A PARADOX.
I verily believe, however I have titled this opinion, yet it will by nomeans be allowed for a Paradox by a number of those, whose judgementought to bear the greatest sway. And, to speak freely, it would seem tome very uncouth, that any man that makes a profession of more understandingthan a beast, should open his mouth to the contrary, or makeany scrupl