meats of the easiest digestion, with a glass or two of generous wine at each meal, and all taken in fuch prudent moderation, as not to load but ftrengthen the conftitution. For at this critical juncture, a fingle act of intemperance, which would fcarcely be felt in the wholesome frofts of winter, often turns the scale against nature, and brings on obftinate indigestion, load at ftomach, loss of apetite, a furred tongue, yellowness of eyes, bitter taste in the mouth in the morning, bilious vomitings, agues, fevers, &c. which in spite of the best medicines, often wear a man away to a ghoft. If bleffed with a good conftitution, he may perhaps crawl on to winter, and get braced up again by her friendly frosts; but if old or infirm, it is likely death will overtake him, before he can reach that city of refuge. "THE giddy practice of throwing afide our winter clothes too early in the fpring, fpring, and that of expofing our bodies, when overheated, to fudden cold, has destroyed more people, than famine, peftilence and fword."*-Sydenham. THOSE who, by any accident, have loft a meal, (suppose their dinner) ought not to eat a plentiful fupper; for it will lie heavy on their ftomach, and they will have a more restless night than if they had both dined and supped heartily. He therefore, who has miffed his dinner, fhould *I SAW (fays an American officer) thirteen grcnadiers lying dead by a fpring, in confequence of drinking too freely of the cold water, while dripping with sweat in a hard day's march, in fummer. And many a charming girl, worthy of a tenderer husband, has funk into the icy embraces of death, by fuddenly expofing her delicate frame, warm from the ballroom, to the cold air. And fince "the univerfal caufe acts not by partial, but by general laws," many a good foul, with more piety than prudence, turning out quite warm from a crowded preaching into the cold air without cloak or furtout, has gone off in a galloping confumption to that happy world, where pain and ficknefs are unknowu. What a melancholy thing it is, that people cannot take care of their fouls, without neglecting their bodies, nor feek their falvation without ruining their health! should make a light fupper of fpoon victuals, rather than of any strong folid food." Hippocrates. He who has taken a larger quantity of food than ufual, and feels it heavy and troublesome on his ftomach, will, if he is a wife man, go out and puke it up immediately*. Hippocrates. AND here I cannot omit mentioning a a very ruinous error into which too many are fond of running, I mean, the frequent use of strong vomits and purgatives. A man every now and then feeds too freely on fome favourite difh; by fuch excess the stomach is weakened, the * The wife fon of Sirach confirms this precept, and fays, Ecclef. xxxi. 21. "If thou haft been forced to eat, arife, go forth and puke, and thou fhalt have reft." And most certain it is, (adds an ingenious phyfician) that hundreds and thousands have brought fickness and death on themselves, by their ignorance or neglect of this rule. But at the fame time people fhould carefully avoid a repetition of that excess, `which renders fuch an evacuation neceffary, for frequent vomitings do greatly tend to weaken and destroy the tone of the ftomach. body filled with fuperfluous humours, and he presently finds himself much out of forts. The only medicine in this cafe, is moderate exercife, innocent amufement, and a little abftinence, this is nature's own prescription, as appears by her taking away his appetite. But having long placed his happiness in eating and drinking, he cannot think of relinquifhing a gratification fo dear to him, and fo fets himself to force an appetite by drams, flings, elixir of vitriol, wine and bitters, pickles, fauces, &c. and on the credit of this artificial appetite, feeds again as if he poffeffed the most vigorous health. He now finds himfef entirely difordered, general heaviness and wearinefs of body, flatulent uneafinefs, frequent eructations, lofs of appetite, disturbed flumbers, frightful dreams, bitter taste in the mouth, &c. He now complains of a foul ftomach, or (in his own words) that his ftomach is full of bile; and immediately takes takes a dose of tartar emetic or a strong purgative, to cleanfe out his ftomach, and fo prepare for another course of high living. Of all the Apollyons or destroyers of nerves, health and life, this is the greateft; and I have no fort of doubt on my own mind but it has broken down more conftitutions, brought on more diftempers, and fent more people to an early grave, than all the yices of this bedlam world put together. How much wifer would it be in this cafe to follow the advice of the celebrated Boerhaave, i. e. to use a little abftinence, take moderate exercise, and thereby help nature to carry off her crudities and recover her fprings. I have been often told by a lady of quality, whofe circumftances obliged her to be a good œconomist, and whose prudence and temperance preferved her health and fenfes unimpaired to a great age, that she had kept herself out of the hands of the physicians many years by |