fo much of a philofopher and Christian, as entirely to avoid these disorders: but I have reaped the benefit of knowing by my own repeated experience, that these malignant paffions have in general a far lefs pernicious effect on bodies that are rendered firm and vigorous by temperance, than on those that are corrupted and weakened by gluttony and excefs.

Ir was hard for me to avoid every extreme of heat and cold, and to live above all the occafions of trouble which attend the life of man; but yet these things made no great impreffion on the state of my health, though I met with many instances of perfons who funk under lefs weight both of body and mind.

THERE was in our family a confiderable law-fuit depending against fome perfons, whofe might overcame our right. One of my brothers, and fome of my relations, were fo mortified and grieved on account of the lofs of this fuit, that

they actually died of broken hearts. I. was as fenfible as they could be, of the great injuftice done us, but thank GOD, fo far from breaking my heart, it scarcely broke my repose. And I ascribe their fufferings and my fafety, to the difference of our living. Intemperance and floth had fo weakened their nerves, and broken their spirits, that they eafily funk under the weight of misfortune. While temperance and active life had fo invigorated my constitution, as to make me happily fuperior to the evils of this momentary life.

AT feventy years of age, I had another experiment of the usefulness of my regimen. Some bufinefs of confequence calling me into the country, my coachhorfes ran away with me; I was overfet and dragged a long way before they could ftop the horses. They took me out of the coach with my head battered, a leg and an arm out of joint, and

truly

truly in a very lamentable condition. As foon as they had brought me home, they fent for the phyficians, who did not expect I could live three days: however, I was foon cured, to the great aftonishment of the phyficians, and of all thofe who know me.

I BEG leave to relate one more anecdote, as an additional proof what an impenetrable shield temperance prefents against the evils of life.

ABOUT five years ago, I was over-perfuaded to a thing, which had like to have coft me dear. My relations, whom I love, and who have a real tenderness for me; my friends, with whom I was willing to comply in any thing that was reasonable; laftly, my physicians, who were looked upon as the oracles of health, did all agree that I eat too little; that the nourishment I took was not fufficient for one of my years; that I ought not only to fupport nature, but likewife to increase

the

the vigour of it, by eating a little more than I did. It was in vain for me to represent to them, that nature is content with a little; that with this little I had enjoyed excellent health fo many years; that to me the habit of it was become a fecond nature; and that it was more agreeable to reafon, that as I advanced in years and loft my ftrength, I should rather leffen than increase the quantity of my food, especially as the powers of the ftomach must grow weaker from year to year. To ftrengthen my arguments, I urged thofe, two natural and true proverbs; one, that he who would eat a great deal must eat but little; that is eating little makes a man live long, he must eat a great deal. The other proverb was, that what we leave, after making a hear ty meal, does us more good than what we have eaten. But neither my proverbs nor arguments could filence their affectionate intreaties. Wherefore to please perfons

perfons who where fo dear to me, I confented to increase the quantity of food,

This

but with too ounces only. So that, as before I had always taken but twelve ounces of folid food in the day, I now increased it to fourteen, and as before I drank but fourteen ounces of wine in the day, I now increased it to fixteen. increase had in eight days time fuch an effect on me, that from being remarkably chearful and brisk, I began to be peevish and melancholy, and was constantly so strangely difpofed, that I neither knew what to fay to others, nor what to do with myself. On the twelfth day I was attacked with a moft violent pain in my fide, which held me twentytwo hours, and was followed by a violent fever which continued thirty-five days, without giving me a moment's refpite. However GoD be praised, I recovered, though in my seventy-eighth year, and in the coldest season of a very cold winter,