In
consequence,
therefore, of my taking such methods, I have always enjoyed, and. God
be
praised, still enjoy, the best of health. It is true, that, besides the
two most
important rules relative to eating and drinking, which I have ever been
very
scrupulous to observe (that is, not to take of either, more than my
stomach
could easily digest, "and to use only those things which agree with
me), I
have carefully avoided, as far as possible, all extreme heat, cold,
extraordinary fatigue, interruption of my usual hours of rest, or
staying long
in bad air. I likewise did all that lay in my power, to avoid those
evils, which
we do not find it so easy to remove: melancholy, hatred, and other
violent
passions, which appear to have the greatest influence on our bodies. I
have not,
however, been able to guard so well against these disorders, as not to
suffer
myself now and then to be hurried away by them. But I have discovered
this fact,
that these passions, have, in the main, no great influence over bodies
governed
by the two foregoing rules of eating" and drinking. Galen, who was an
eminent physician, has said, that, so long as he followed these two
rules, he
suffered but little from such disorders, so little, that they never
gave him
above a day's uneasiness. That what he says is true, I am a living
witness, and
so are many others who know me, and have seen me, how often I have been
exposed
to heats and colds, and disagreeable changes of weather, without taking
harm,
and have likewise seen me (owing to various misfortunes which have more
than once befallen me) greatly disturbed in mind;
these things, however, did me but little harm, whereas, other members
of my
family, who followed not my way of living, were greatly disturbed; such
in a
word, was their grief and dejection at seeing me involved in expensive
law
suits, commenced against me by great and powerful men, that, fearing I
should be
ruined, they were seized with great melancholy humour, with which
intemperate
bodies always abound, and such influence had it over their bodies, that
they
were carried off before their time; whereas, I suffered nothing on the
occasion,
as I had in me no superfluous humours of that kind; nay, in order to
keep up my
spirits, I brought myself to think that God had permitted these suits
against
me, in order to make me more sensible of my strength of body and mind;
and that
I should get the better of them with honour and advantage, as it, in
fact, came
to pass; for, at last, I obtained a decree exceedingly favourable to my
fortune
and character.
But I may go a step
farther, and show how favourable to recovery is a temperate life, in
case of
accident. At the age of seventy years, I happened, as is often the
case, to be
in a coach, which, going at a smart rate, was upset, and in that
condition drawn
a considerable way before the horses could be stopped. I received so
many shocks
and bruises, that I was taken out with my head and body terribly
battered, and a
dislocated leg and arm. When the physicians saw me in so bad a plight,
they
concluded that in three days I should die, but thought they would try
what
bleeding and purging would do, in order to prevent inflammation and
fever. But
I, on the contrary, knowing that, by reason of the sober life I had
lived for so
many years, my blood was in good and pure condition, refused to be
either purged
or bled. I just caused my arm and leg to be set, and suffered myself to
be
rubbed with some oils, which they said were proper on the occasion.
Thus, without using any other kind of remedy, I recovered, as I thought
I should, without
feeling the least alteration in myself, or any bad effects from the
accident; a
thing which appeared no less than miraculous in the eyes of the
physicians.
Hence, we may infer, that he who leads a sober and regular life, and
commits no
excess in his diet, can suffer but little from mental disorders or
external
accidents. On the contrary, I conclude, especially from the late trial
I have
had, that excesses in eating and drinking are often fatal. Four years
ago, I
consented to increase the quantity of my food by two ounces, my friends
and
relations having, for some time past, urged upon me the necessity of
such
increase, that the quantity I took was too little for one so advanced
in years;
against this, I urged that nature was content with little, and that
with this
small quantity I had pre- served myself for many years in health and
activity,
that I believed as a man advanced in years, his stomach grew weaker,
and
therefore the tendency should be to lessen the amount of food rather
than to in-
crease. I further reminded them of the two proverbs, which say: he who
has a.
mind to eat a great deal, must eat but little; eating little makes life
long,
and, living long, he must eat much; and the other proverb was: that,
what we
leave after making a hearty meal, does us more good than what we have
eaten. But
my arguments and proverbs were not able to prevent them teasing me upon
the
subject; therefore, not to appear obstinate, or affecting to know more
than the
physicians themselves, but above all, to please my family, I consented
to the
increase before mentioned; so that, whereas previous, what with bread,
meat, the
yolk of an egg, and soup, I ate as much as twelve ounces, neither more
nor less,
I now increased it to fourteen; and whereas before I drank but fourteen
ounces
of wine, I now increased it to sixteen. This increase, had, in eight
days' time,
such an effect upon me, that, from being cheerful and brisk, I began to
be
peevish and melancholy, so that nothing could please me. On the twelfth
day, I
was attacked with a violent pain in my side, which lasted twenty-two
hours and
was followed by a fever, which continued thirty-five days without any
respite,
insomuch that all looked upon me as a dead man; but, God be praised, I
recovered, and I am positive that it was the great regularity I had
observed for
so many years, and that only, which rescued me from the jaws of death.
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