19 The physicians decide that they may safely proceed to purge

All this while the physicians themselves have been patients, patiently attending when they should see any land in this sea, any earth, any cloud, any indication of concoction in these waters.

Any disorder of mine, any omission of theirs exalts the disease, accelerates the rages of it.

No diligence accelerates the maturity of the disease. They must wait till the season of the sickness come and till it be ripened of itself. Then they may put to their hand to gather it before it fall off, but they cannot hasten the ripening.

A disease is the disorder, the discord, the irregularity, the commotion and rebellion of the body.

Why should we look for order and obedience in disorder, in a disease, when we cannot have it in nature?

Nature is so regular and so pregnant, so forward to bring her work to perfection and to light.

Yet we cannot awake the July flowers in January nor retard the flowers of the spring to autumn.

We cannot bid the fruits come in May nor the leaves to stick on in December.

A woman that is weak cannot put off her ninth month to a tenth for her delivery and say she will wait till she be stronger. A queen cannot hasten it to a seventh that she may be ready for some other pleasure.

Nature (if we look for durable and vigorous effects) will not admit preventions nor anticipations nor obligations upon her. They are betrothals and she demands her liberty.

Nature would not be spurred nor forced to mend her pace nor power.

The power of man, greatness loves not that kind of violence neither. There are those that will give, that will do justice, that will pardon; they have their own seasons for all these. A man that knows not those seasons shall starve before that gift come, and ruin before the justice, and die before the pardon saves him.

Some tree bears no fruit except much dung be laid about it. Justice comes not from some till they be richly manured.

Some trees require much visiting, much watering, much labour. Some men give not their fruits but upon importunity.

Some trees require incision and pruning and lopping. Some men must be intimidated and censured in the ecclesiastical courts before they will deliver the fruits of justice.

Some trees must be housed and kept within doors. Some men lock up not only their liberality but their justice and their compassion till the solicitation of a wife or a son or a friend or a servant turn the key.

Reward is the season of one man and importunity of another. Fear is the season of one man and favour of another, friendship the season of one man and natural affection of another. He that knows not their seasons or cannot delay them must lose their fruits.

As nature will not, so power and greatness will not be put to change their seasons.

So shall we look for this indulgence in a disease or think to shake it off before it be ripe?

All this while therefore we have been in a defensive war. That is an uncertain state, especially where they who are besieged do know the best of their defences and do not know the worst of their enemies’ power. They cannot mend their works within and the enemy can increase his numbers without.

O how many far more miserable and far more worthy to be less miserable than I are besieged with this sickness? They lack their sentinels, their physicians to watch. They lack munition, their cordials to defend. They perish before the enemies’ weakness might invite them to sally, before the disease show any decline or admit any way of working upon itself?

In me the siege is so far slackened as that we may come to fight and so die in the field, if I die, and not in prison