On Rivers
Excerpted from Liber Simplicis Medicinae 6
On the River, Rhine (5.1, 6 De rheno)
Nevertheless, if the same water is consumes in foods or drinks, or if it is poured over a person’s flesh in a bath or in face-washing, it puffs up the flesh, making it swollen, making it dark and distorted. It even darkens and swells up meats cooked in it. Because of its harshness it quickly passes into the flesh of a human. When fish from this river are freshly caught they are healthful to eat, but when they stand long they quickly rot, because they are bruised by the harshness of the water.
On the River, Nahe (9.1, 10 De nahe )
Na oritur de sordidis aquis quae de mari effluunt, de quibus quidam lucidi rivuli interdum fluunt. Et ideo omnis in cursu suo instabilis est, ita quod aliquando in impetu, aliquando in torpore fluit. Et quia interdum velociter currit, cito impeditur et cito cessat, et arenam et littus non multum in profunditate edit; et cutem hominis albam et spissam, sed rugosam parat, et viscera dolere non facit, quia impetus et torpor cursus eius nocivi non sunt, quamvis instabiles sint. Pisces eius pingues et sani sunt, nec cito putrescunt.
On the River, Glan (10.1, 11 De glan )
Glan de aliis fluminibus ortum habet, idcirco et aqua eius aliquantum aspera et sana est, atque ad cibos et ad potus et ad balnea et ad faciem lavandam valet. Pisces quoque eius sani sunt, sed diu durare non possunt, propter asperitatem eiusdem aquae.