m

V%<uJlT
UHKUL
 ED W. "ARKER.
_;LiCU»JSock, Ark. ,. .

Hermtppus Kedtvtvus:
J^J^fO^ OR, THE ./if/C^^^^f^'^

SAGE^ TRIUMPH
OVER
Old Age and the Grave.
WHEREIN, A

METHOD I s

Laid down for Prolong i ng

THE
Life and Vigour of MAN.
INCLUDING,
A Commentary upon an Antient Inscription^,
in which this great SECRET is revealed j

fupported by numerous Authorities.

The Whole Interfperfed

With a great Variety of remarkable, and well attefted

, Relations.
v) ^.X$^i^S^.. 3?K. 3-^,Kvx ^^1^^^^ Cok^ p s e V,
LONDON:
Printed for J. N OU R S E, nt the Latnb, without
Tmpie Bar. M,DCC^XLIV.
[Piice Two SiuLLiNGb]
 THE
PREFACE.
M^^BI ^ Cufiom had not eftabUfied a
"^'^^^""^
Sort of KeceJJity of prefix ing
fome Thing of this Kind to
whate'ver is fent Abroad^ the
following Sheets might ha've been fafely
trtified 'without a 'Preface. For^ in the
firfi Tlace^ this Book is fublifhed not to
excite^ hut to gratify the Curiofity of the
lo'vers of Learnings who have enquired
after it very diligently^ and exprefs'd a
great Defire to fee by what Arguments
Dr. Cohaufen endeavoured to fufport
fo extraordinary a Syfiem. And on the
other Hand, again^ the Book itfelf is fo

Methodical^ and every Thing therein fol-

lows fo naturally y that the Reader is led
a 2 in
 The PREFACE.
/;/a d'lreB Road from the Beginning to the
End\ and as he is in no Danger of mifta-
king his Way^ there is the lefs Occafion for
affording him fnpernumary Lights in an
IntrodnBion like this.

BUT^fince ijue have undertaken to 'write

a Treface^ it may not be amifs to obferve

therein^ that very few Books contain fo
great a Variety in fo narrow a Compajs,
Jhe Author af^ears to be a Man of great
Beading^ and deep ReJIe^ion, for moft of
the Books he citeSy are equally fcarce and
curious \ but then he does not^ like many
of the German Authors^ content himfelf
with barely embroidering his Margins^
which may be for/ietimes done by tranfcrib-
ing thofe of other Writers^ but generally
gives you the Taffages that make for his
Tuffofe^ and very often CharaBers of the
Authors themfelvesy and this alone renders
his Work of great Utility to fuch as defire
^

acquainted with the Merit of Books

to be

feldom to be met withy and which on that ^

very Account^ are fwelled to a high Trice.

ANOT HER remarkable thing in this
Treatife is^ the Choice the Author has
made
 The PREFACE.
viade of his flotations ^ which are as En^
tertaining^ as they are InJtnUfive ; mr is it
eajy to conceive without reading his Book^
how it is fojjible for a Man to enliven fo
dry a Sub)eci. as his feenis to be in the
Manner he has done. The Extra6fs he
has given from Bacon the Monk^ plainly
Jhew^ the frodigious Knowlege of that ex-
traordinary Terfon, who, when all Europe
was involved in the thickest Mijl vf Igno"
ranee, feems to have fojfejfed alone ftich a
Treafure of Science, as would have rendered
him a very Man, even in the
confiderable
moB enlightened Ages, and may foffibly en-
gage fome able Writer to give tts fuch an
Abridgement of his Works, as the ingenious
and learned DoBor Shaw has done, of thofe
of Chancellor Bacon, and the famous Boyle,
which if judiciouJlyperfor??ied, and illuflra'
ted as they are, with p'ofer Notes, would
do equal Service to the Republic of Let-
t ers, and Honour to our Country,
7 HE Stories he inferts of Eugcnius
Philakthcs, Signer Gualdi, and the celebra-
ted Flamel, are not only extrea'raly divert-
ing, but mdy contribute alfo to the p'ocur-
ing
 The P R E F A C E.
ing us jome well- written Hiftory of the
Tretcnders to the Th/lofopher's Stone '-,

whkh, as it would be a very curious and

entertaining Tiece, fo if written from good
AuthoritieSy and handled in a profer Man"
ner it rnight be of confiderable Ufe^ Jince

the Number of Operators in that Way^ has

of late Tears mightily encreafed, ejfecially
in this Country^ where there are many who
have given themfelves uf to that delufivc

Study^ though they endeavour to conceal

themjelveSy and their Labours^ with the
utmofi Secrecy J in order to avoid that Re^
dicuUy which generally attends the TrO"
of the Occult Sciences. In Germany,
feffors
however^ this kind of Learning is flill in
Vogue and Credit^ and it is fcarce fojfible
for any one to obtain a confiderable Refu^
tali on as a Man of Letters^ who has not
a touch at leafl of Chemifiry.
WITH Reffe^ to the capital View of
our Author^ in recommending that DoC"
trine which he deduces from the Jnfcrip-
tion in the Front of his Book^ it is certain-

ly managed with great Skill and Ingenuity

fo that if the Reader fhonld at lafi reje6i
its
 The PREFACE.
its Probability^ he muji he obliged^ not-
withftanding^ to confefs, that the Writer
has not employed his Tains to little or no

Ttirpofej but has many cu-

introduced fo
rious Enquiries and thrown out fo many
y

'valuable hints ^ that hisBook mufl be al-

lowed a Performance of great Merit
whatever becomes of Ht-rniippus and his
Secret. Of this^ the Author himjelf fcems to

be very well aware^and therefore^ while he

ptfjjes his Arguments with the greateji

Vigour^ and appears evidently to have Ins

Dejign much at Heart he notwithftanding^
^

takes all along fuch'T rec autions y as arene-

ceffary to defend him from the Imputation of
being a whifnjical^ conceit ed^ or pedantic
Writer^ as almoft any other Man would
have been thought ^ who had undertaken fuch
a Task. Upon the whole^ there is in this
Differtation, fuch a Mixture of ferious
Irony as cannot but afford a very agreeable
y

Entertainment to thofe who are proper

fudges of cubjeBs of this Kind^ and who
are inclined to fee how far the Strength
of human Underjl audi ng can fipporr phi'
lofophical
 ~
The P R E F A C E.
lofofhical 'Truths agaiufi common Notions^
and vulgar Prejudices,
Having thus taken the fame Liberty 'with
our Author,, which he has done with other
learned Men^ the whole is fubniitted to the
'judgment of the candid Reader,, who
will,, doubtlefs,, retain fome Tendernefs for
the Tains that have been taken jor his A-
and not fafs a harjh Cenfiire on
rrtufement^

a Tiece which we may boldly Jay,, has no-

thing in it dogmatical J tedious^ or offenfive*

f^^^
"^W^
 Hermippus Redivivus:
OR, THE
Art of Preferving Youth.

T was the laudable Cuftom of the

Antients, to perpetuate the Memory
of all fingular Events, and efpecially
fuch as in any Degree might be ufe-
ful to Pofterity by Infcriptions.

Thefe had a peculiar Stile, in which three Things

were principally regarded ; Succindnefs, Elegancy
and Clearnefs. It would have been inconvenient,
and indeed prepoflerous, to have drawn fuch
Pieces into a great Length, confidering the Places
in which they were Ere6led ; that is to fay, Mar-
kets, Temples, or public Roads ; or, the Matter
whereon they were infcribed, which was Marble,
or fome other kind of hard or curious Stone.
But, if Brevity wasneceflary. Beauty was likewife
convenient. Where there is nothing ftriking,
A the
 [ 1 ]
the Memory foon lofes a Thought. To retain

what we are told, we muft receive at once both

Pleafure and Inftruflion. This neatnefs of Stile,

was peculiarly cultivated by the Antients. It

came originally from the Eaji, where all Science

was taught in Parables and Proverbs. In Greece^
they refined upon this, down the Rudi-
and laid

ments of Knowlege in Amongft the

Aphorifms.
Romans^ this manner of teaching was much efteem-
ed, and nothing more admired, even in the po-

litefl: Ages, than Sentences. If they were after-

wards abufed, and improperly applied, this ought

not to difcredit them, fince without Queftion
they ever did, and always will, appear with the
utmoft Propriety in that kind of Writing of
which I am fpeaking. Laftly, as to Perfpicuity,

the Antients were exceedingly careful, and the

Difficulties that now arife about the true meaning
of fuch Monuments of their Learning as have
reached our Times, are rather owing to the Mif-
fortune of lofing fuch Accounts of their Cuftoms

and Manners, as might have made them eafy and

familiar to us, than to any want of Clearnei's in

the Stile of their Infcriptions.

M E N of different Profefllons have employed
themfelves with different Views, in the Study of
thole large and curious Colledions, which learned
and induilrious Perlons have made of fuch remains
of
 [ 3 ]
oF antient Wlfdom, as having efcaped Oblivion,
are now fafely repofited in the Cabinets of the

Curious. Amongft thefe, we are chiefly obliged

to the celebrated '•Thomas Reinefius, who undertook

to make a Supplement to the laborious Work of
Gruter, and has therein prefervedan infinite Num-

ber of valuable Infcriptions J and amongft the reft,

this, which hath given Occafion to my Treatife.

JESCULAPIO ET SANITATI
L. CLODIUS. HERMIPPUS
QUI VIXIT ANNOS CXV. DIES V.
PUELLARUM ANHELITU
QUOD ETIAM POST MORTEM
EJUS
NON PARUM MIRANTUR PHYSICI
JAM POSTER! SIC VITAM DUCITE.

The learned Bdechamp has given us a different

Account of this Infcription j according to him ic

jhould be read thus.

L. Clodius Jiirpanus^
Vixit annos CLV. dies V.

Puerorum halitu refocillatus

Et educatus ^.

A 2 The

» In Notis ad. L. vii; c. 48. Plinii Natural. Hift.

 [4]
The famous Cujas, gives it us in the follow-
ing Manner.

L. Clodius Hirpanus,
Vixit amws CXV. dies V.

Alitus puerorum anhelitu ^.

These various Readings, though it cannot be

denied that they affefl the S^nfe ftrongjy, do not
however, much concern the Subjed. The firft

tells us, that L, Clodius Hrmippus Jived one hun-

dred and fifteen Years, and five Days, by the
Breath of young Women, which is worthy the
Confideration of Phyficians and of Pofterity. Ac-
cording to the Commentator upon Pliny, the
Name of this Long-liver was not Hermippus, but
liirpanus, and the Date of his Life one hundred
and fifty-five Years and five Days, with this addi-
tional Circumftance •, that he did not live by the
Breath of young Women, but of young Men. The
Lawyer again reduces the Life to the fame Stan-

dard, and contends only, that his Name was Hir-

panus, and that he received this extraordinary

Nourifliment from the Breath of Youths.

If therefore we take this Infcription as it fiends

by the Confent of all thefe Writers, it informs us

of a Fadl equally Curious and Important, viz.

That

•» Ad Juftiniani Novel, 5.
 [ 5]
That a certain Pcrfon, no Matter whether his

Name was Hermippus^ or Hirpanus, reached a very

advanced Age, by the Ufe of the Breath of young
Women, or of young Men. Now, whether this

were a real Fadl which aflually happened, or

whether it be the Invention of fome malicious Wit
amongft the Antients, in order to exercife the
Talents of Pofterity, I concern not myfelf : It ap-
pears to me, in the Light of a Phyfical Problem,
which may be expre^jfed in very few Words, viz.
Whether the Breath of young Women may
probably contribute to the maintaining long Life,
and keeping off old Age ? This is what I pro-
pofe to examine •, this is to be the Subjeft of my
Difcourfe, in which, if what I deliver be Enter-
taining and Ufeful, the Reader need not trouble
himfelf much about the Truth or Falfehood of the
Infcription.

BuT it will be neceffary, before we come to

the llri6b Examination of this Propofition, to
remove fome previous Difficulties out of the
Way. In thefirft place, therefore let us enquire,
whether the Term of Life be a fixed or moveable
Thing. Some of the moft learned amongft the

^eivSy have thought it abfolutely determined by

the Decree of God, and have alleged various
Scriptures for the Proof of this. "=
The moft
Antient

= Manaf. ben Ifrael determ. vkx.

 [6]
Antient Philofophers, both in Chaldea and Egypt,
thought the Life of Man depended upon the Stars,

and by pretending to predid its duration, plainly

fhewed, that they thought it abfolutely under the

Influence of the Heavenly Bodies ^. The Stoicks,

if they meant the Power of the Stars, by what

they ftiled Fate, were alfo of this Opinion; but
whatever they meant by Fate, mod evident it is,

that ihey thought the Life of Man, as well as every

other Thing, depended thereupon^ ; and that con-

lequcntly it was unalterable by any means, within
the Compafs of human Power. Now, if there be
ary Truth in thefe Opinions, if there be the leaft

Foundation for any one of them, the Cafe is clear,

that all further Enquiries are Vain; for to what

end fhould we fearch out the moft probable
Means of extending Life, when we are certain, that

this is a Thing beyond our Capacity? or at leaft,

incertain v/hethcr it be or not ?

I N order to open the Way to further Specu-

lations upon this curious and important S jbje(fl,

I will begin with the Solution of this Difficulty,

and take upon me to prove, that contrary to the

Notions of thefe Divines and Philofophers, there

is no fuch Thirg, as a fcitled Term of Life by
the Law of Nature ; or wliich is the fame thing in

other Words, by the exprefs Will of Divine Pro-

vidence.

<*
Diod : Sicul: Hid: lib: i Diogen. Laert. f
Plut. de
placit. Philofoph. Diogen ; Laert; Senec.
 [ 7 ]

vidence. In the firft place, I lay it down as an

abfolute Certainty, that Contingency, is elTential

to that mode of Rule purfued by the Divine Power,

in the management of fublunary Things. Caufes

indeed necefiarily draw after them their Effe6ls;
but then I deny, that there is any Chain of necef-
fary Caufes, and becaufe it would require much
Time and Space to eftablifh this Dodtrine gene-
rally, I will keep clofe to my Subjedl, and content

myfiilf with proving it, as to this particular Point,

It is a thing agreed on all Hands, that the Law

of Mofes, propounded chiefly Temporal BlefTings,

andamongit thefe, long Life; now this is abfolutely

incompatible with the Doftrine of a fix'd Term,
and therefore if there be any Paflages in the Scrip-
ture which look this way, we muft interpret them
in fome other Senfe, for the part muft accord with
the whole, and it is idle to allege a few detached
Paflages againft the Scheme of the whole Book.

Again we are told, that God commended Solomon

for praying to him for Wifdom, rather than long

Life, or lor Riches, which plainly fliews, that he

might as well have sSkzd for either, as for it ; but if

this Inference difpleafes, take the exprels D-ciffion

of God thereppon ; who, in the fame Place, fays,

that ii Solomon, walked in the ways of David his

Father, he would lengthen his Days ^. Add to

thcfe

^ 1. Kings, iii. ii, 14,

 [8]
thcfe Arguments, that it was theconftant Pradice
of the bvjfl: Men, and fuch as moft intimately knew
the Will of God, to pray in Terms irrecon-

cilcable to fuch an abfolute Decree. Thus Hezekiah

defired that his Life might be fpared s. Elias ^ and

Jonah, that their's m;ght be fhortned '\

But, to put the matter out of Doubt, one

need only conHder, the Choice given to David, by
the Prophet Nathan ^, of War, Peftilence, or
Famine, in confequence of which, he chofe Pefti-

lence i now, if there had been a fixed Time of Life,

how could this Choice, have polTibly taken Place ?

All the Perfons who died of the Peftilence, muft,

according to the Do6lrine I am refuting, have died
if there had been no Peftilence, becaufe the de-
creed Term of their Lives was expired. On the

whole, therefore it is apparent, that a fixt Term

of Life, is inconfiftent with the reafon of Things,
which is what we call the Law of Nature, wherein,
if I may be allowed the Expreflion, there is a fet-

tled Contingency. It is contrary to the Principles

of Religion, as deducible from the natural Light

of our Underftandings, and it is dire6lly contrary

to Revelation, fo that I take it for granted, that

the moft pious Man in the World, that will fe-

rioufly confider thefe Arguments, muft remain

fatisfied,

s Ifaiah, xxxviii. 3. i. Kings, xix,

^^
4. '
Jonah
iv, 3, *= II. Samuel xxiv, 13.
 [p]
fatlsfied, that the Order of Providence, the Will
of Heaven, or God's Decree, which are the Terms
ufed by the Divines on this Subjed, hath Deter-
mined nothing abfolutely, concerning the Term of
Life.

I am next to fpeak of the Opinions of the Af-

trologers, which of Old, were afcribed to Mfcula-

pus, who, it is faid, laid down this Maxim, That

all Things below, were governed by the Motions
and Afpeds of the Stars. Againfl this Notion, I
have two Things to offer 5 the firft is, that they
could not poffibly know this fo to be, even grant-
ing it (hould be true, becaufe they were abfolutely
ignorant of the true Syftem of the Heavens, and
of the motions of thofe Bodies, whence they would
derive fo great a Power. This puts their Autho-
rity out of the Cafe, for if we cannot depend upon
them as Aftronomers, nothing in Nature can be
more Rediculous, than to pretend to lay any flrefs

on their Judgment in Aftrology. To be convin-

ced of this, we need only cohfult the authentic

Accounts we have in antient Authors of the

Chaldaic Syftcm ^
i from whence it appears to be
equally falfe and abfurd; falfe, as it is repugnant to
the Experience and Obfervation of fucceeding
Times-, and abfurd, as it is contrary to the un-
alterable Principles of Reafon and true Science.
B The
I I .

I
— »-

1 Diod. Sicul. lib. I Stanley's Chsldaick Philofophy,

 [ 10 3
The other Argument I allege, is this-. That
fince the Authority of the Antients is out of the
"Cafe, if there be any modern Sioicks, who are ftill

of this Opinion, they muft Hiew us the Grounds

of it, and this, not from fuch Chimerical Notions

as are laid down by the pretended Sages in judici-

ary Aftrology, but from the fettled and unquef-

tioned Principles of true Philofophy. When they
do this, or at leaft, when they attempt to do it, it

will be Time enough to examine how far this new

Syftem of theirs is rational. In the mean Time,
I will conclude this Point with that fettled and
mod reafonable Maxim of the Civil Law, T^i^/ a-

hout things which are not^ and about ^Things which

cannot be made appear, there is the fame Reafon ;

that is, there can be no reafoning about them,

they mufl: be confidered in the fame Light, fince
nothing can be more idle, than to difpute about

the Confequences of a Thing, before the Thing

is made manifcil, or we have any real ground for

a Difpute.
W E have now done fomewhat towards e-

ftablifhing the Foundation of our Doflrine ; but

there is ftill another vulgar Notion in our Way,
which mud be removed -, or to fpeak more pro-
perly, explained. By this, I mean the prevail-
ing Opinion that the Life of Man is limited
to a certain T(.rm, and becaufe we fee People
grow Old at a certain Age, by which I mean, grow
Infirm
 [ M ]

Infirm and Decripcd ; for Oldnefs has not fb

much Reference to Time, as to Condition ; and

I account him Old, who has loft his Strength, ra-

ther than one who is advanced in Years. But, be-

caufe I fay the Maladies that attend old Age, come

on in moft People at a certain Period, they are

held to be neceflary, and if there were any Truth

in this, we (hould be ftop'd again, here v/ould be

a new Barrier through which we fnould be able

to find no PaiTage, and when we talk'd of re-
tarding old Age, People would expeft we fhould
make them Young again. It is rcquifite, there-

fore, that this Matter be explained, and fet right,

and that the Reader be fatisfied how far the in-

commodities of Old Age are of NxefTity, and how

far the Produd may be
of natural Caufes, which
afFedled by the Skill and Art of Man.

Th e human Body is a Machine, acftuated by

an immortal Spirit, and which is more to my
Purpofe, fabricated by an Almighty Hand. It

cannot be fuppofed, that this Dwelling fhould be

fo flighdy, or lb injudicioufly contrived, as that

it fliould wear out in a very fhort Space of Time.

This does not feem very agreeable, either to the
Nature of Man, confidered as a rational Creature,

or with that infinite Skill and Wifdom which is

evident in the Compofition of the human Frame.

When therefore the Divines fay, that Sin intro-

duced Deaths they feem to fpeak Philofophically

B 2 and
 [ 12 ]

and if r may be allowed to explain their meaning,

I fhould be inclined to fay, that Difeafes and
D«;ath are not incident to the human Body by the

Will of God, or which is the fame Thing, by

the Law of Nature, but were Superinduced by
the Follies and Vices of Men, which carry in

them naturally the Seeds of Death ; and therefore,

if it be an Evil, we ought not toaccufe Providence,

but our felves. Yet I will readily acknowlege,

that taking Things as they now fland, and have

flood for many Ages pad,' there is no Hope left

of Immortality in this Body, or even of pro-

longing our Lives to three or five hundred Years ;

but ft ill I affirm, that there are no fettled Periods

in Nature, no inevitable Laws which conjoin
Weaknefs and Infirmity with a certain Number of
Years ; but that it is very poflible, nay, and very
pradicable too, for a Man to extend the length of

his Life, much beyond the common Date, and

that without feeling the incommodities of Age,
for otherwife, this would be rather avoiding Death,
than preferving Life.
To prove this, I fhall firft make ufe of Rea-
fon, and next of Experience ; I fhall make it evi-

dent by Arguments, that it may be fo, and by

Inftances, that it has been fo ; and then if any
Sceptic has a Mind to doubt the Truth of my
Podrine, I fhall leave him in his own Road,
^vhere his Ignorance will infallibly bring upon
him
 [ 13 3
him the juft Punifliment of his Obftinacy, an
haflier Extindion of Life than he need otherwife
have fuffered.

All wife Men have agreed, that Nature, by

which I mean the Wifdom of God, manifcfted in
the Order of all Things, a6ls uniformly in every
Refpefb, and affigns proper Periods to all Things.
Solomon fays, There is a Time to be horn^ and a

Time to die ^ ; a fliort Maxim, which may admit

of a long Commentary. The Life of Man does
not certainly confift in Eating and Drinking, in
Waking or Sleeping, or in the indulging by
turns the Gratification of his many Appetites ; for
if this was fo, the ufual Term of Life would cer-
tainly be long enough, and there have been aflu-
ally Inftances of People who have beea fo fati-

ated with the round of thefe trivial Adlions, as to

be weary of Life, before Death was at Hand, and
in Confequence of this wearinefs, have haftned it.

But as the Divine Old Man juflly obferves. Art is

long^ and Life is jhort " ; that is, there feems to be

no juft Proportion between the Powers of the ,

Mind, and the Force of the Body. We hurry

on from Infancy to Childhood ; from Childhood
to the Age of Man j from thence, to what is ftiled

middle

°* Ecclef. iii. 2. " Vita brevis, ars longa, occafio

celeris, experimentum perlculofum, judicitm difficile, Hippo-
iciat. Aphorifm. I.
 '4 ] [
middle Aged, and then we decline a-pace into
Fccblenefs, Mifery and Dotage. Can any Man
think that this is the true order of Nature ? Has
Nature given fo many Years to Pikes, to Eagles,
and to Stags, nay, and to Serpents, at the fame
Time that Ihe denies it to Man ? Be it far from
us to believe this ; let us rather llifle our Pride and
Conceitednefs, and believe that the fhortnefs of
Life, flows from the Wcaknefs and Wickedneis
of Man.
Bu T it will be faid, that Death is not only the
End of Difeafes, but that Old Age is as much, a
Difcafe as any other, and certainly brings it on.
That the human Frame is fo Conftituted as not
only to encreafe and arrive at Perfeflion, but to
decay alfo, and wear out. That the Flame of
Life grows after a certain Time weaker and wea-
ker*, that the Solids lofe their Tone by Degrees,

and that the Vcflels grow cartelaginous, and be-

come at laft Boney ; fo that Death, by Old Age,
is a natural Thing °. Be it fo, I am not contend-
ing that Men may Live for ever, or that they may
Live as I faid before, three or five hundred Years
but this I fay, that Old Age is the only Difeafe to
which we are fubjed by Nature ; and that from
this, it is very pofTible Men may be much longer
defended than they ufually are by the help of Art.
This

• Boerhaave Medic,
Inftitut. §. 474, 475, 1053) 1054-
 [ li ]
This I fay, principally on the Grounds I have be-
fore laid down, viz. That the human Body is a
Machine admirably contrived -, from whence,
I infer that it may, with due Care, be kept in

"good Order, and that the true ends of Life, being

fuch as require a much greater Extent of Time,
than the ordinary Period of Life allows ; therefore

it is more likely, that this unreafonable Brevity

ihould be the Effc6l of our want of Skill, of Care,

or of Attention, than owing to any Law laid

down by the Omnifcient Author of all Thrngs.

Thefe are my Principles, which I fubmit to the
flridleft Examination, if they can be demonflra-
ted to be either falfe or precarious, I fliall be forry
for myfelf, and for Mankind ; fince undoubtedly
they carry in them a flrong appearance of Truth,
and of the moft pleafmg kind of Truth, that which
attributes Glory to God, by difplaying his good
Will to Man. But kaft any one fhould fay, that

many Things look fair in Speculation, v/hich de-

ceive us in the Pradlice, I will_, after thus expofmg

my Do6lrines to the Rays of Reafon, examine it

next by the refledled Light of Experience, and

furely, if this fhews us no Flaws in it, the Reader

and I Aall proceed chearfully on our Journey,

and he will no longer confider me as one amufing
him with a learned Paradox, but as the Unfolder

of a Great and ufeful Truth. ^

Against
 [ 1^5 ]

Against the common Opinion, the mofl aia*

thentic Records of Hiftory enable me to allege,

that though vulgar Experience be oppofite to my

Notions, yet that fhortnefs of human Life, which is

now become common, was not fo always, nor is yet

fo in all Places. I Ihall not dwell long on what is

faid of the great Age of the Antidiluvian Patriarchs,

I fhall content myfclf only with a few Obferva-
tions that are neceffary to my Purpofe, the Truth
of which cannot be drawn into Difpute. In the
firft Place, let it be noted, that though Men lived
to be then very Old, yet the Species was new. The
human Body had been but lately taken out of the
Earth by its Creator, and retained therefore a great
deal of its primitive Strength. We fay common-
ly in our Days, that a Man who lives Faft, takes

Pains to deflroy his Conflitution j and on the

Principles of Mofes, we cannot but allow, that

the Fabric oi Adam^s Body muft have been much

Itronger, and better compadled than ours •, and
this it was, that preferved him fo long, after he
had loft that Tree of Life, or Rule of Living
which was fuited to his primitive State. My fe-

cond Obfervation is, that thefe Patriarchs lived

in another World ; I mean a World otherwife
conftituted than ours, and after another Manner ;

and therefore, what we are told of their Age, is not

more incredible, than a Multitude of Fadts which
Experience and Evidence oblige us to believe
true.
 [ 17 ]

true P. I thirdly obferve, that, if with ftronger

Conftitutions, and in a better difpofed World,

Men lived to various Ages, but mofl of them
nine or ten Times as long as we ; there feems to be

no repugnancy in admitting, that by great care of

our Conftitutions, and our helping by Art the noxi-
ous Qualities of the feveral Elements as rhey are
now difpofed. Men may maintain a^ great a Dif-
tindlion in the Periods of their Lives or Deaths.

I T is very remarkable, that not only the Sa-

cred Writers, but all the antient Chaldean, Egyp-

tian, and Chinefe Authors, fpeak of the great

Ages of fuch as lived in early Times, and this with
fuch Confidence, that Xenophon, Winy, and other
judicious Perfons, receive their Teftimony without
Scruple. But to come down to later Times; Attila^

King of the Huns, who reigned in the fifth Cen-

tury, lived to 124, and then died of Excels the
firft Night of his fecond Nuptials, with one of
the moft beautiful Princefles of that Age ^. Piajius,
King of Poland, who, from the Rank of a Pca-
fant, was raifed to that of a Prince, in the Year
824, lived to be 120, and governed his Subjeds
with fuch Ability to the very laft, that his Name
is ftill in the higheft Veneration amongft his Coun-
C trymen.

P
Burnet Theor. Tdlur. Cudworth Syftem. Intelka.
'^ apud Jornandes. Bonfinius Hiftoire de Hongrie, Decade
Prifcus
premiere 1. ii. p. 75.
 .[ i8 ]
trymen''. Marcus Valerius Corvinus, a Roman
Conful, was celebrated as a true Patriot, and a
mod excellent Perfon in private Life, by the elder
CalOf and yet Corvinus was then upwards of an
hundred ^ Hippocrates, the befl of Phyf.cians, lived

to an hundred and four' : but Afclcpiades, a Perjian

Phyfician, reached 150". Galen lived in undif-
turbed Health to 104"^. Thefe Men do Honour
to their Profeflion. Sophocles, the Tragick Poet,
lived to 1 30 ". Democriius, the Philofopher, lived
to 04 y ; and Euphranor taught his Scholars at
1

upwards of 100^: and yet, what are thefe to

Epimenides of Crete ? who, according to 'Jheopom-.
pus, an unblemifhed Hiftorian, lived to upwards
of 157 \ I mention thefe, becaufc if there be
any Truth or Security in Hiflory, we may rely as
firmly on the Fa6ls recorded of them, as on any
Fads whatever-, and confequently, we have the
flrongcfc Affurance, that even an hundred, or an

hundred and twenty is not the utmoft limit of

human Life.

But

' Guagnini Rerum Polon. p. 64. Herbert de Fulftin, lib. i*.

p. 15, & Harchnoch, lib. i. cap. 2- p. 68, &c. = Cato

de Re Ruftica, Ciccr. de Seneftut. Plin. Hillor. Natural, lib.
vii. ' Eufeb. Chronic. Petav. Rationar. Tempor. Tom.
i. p. 96. " Plin. Hiftor. Natural, lib. vii. c. 14.
" Fulgos. lib. viii. c. 14. p. 1096. "Eufeb. Chronic.
y Pecav. Rationar. Tempor. Tom. i. p. 96. ^ Plin.

Hiftor. Natural, lib. vii. c. 14. ' Diogen. Laert. in

vie £pimen.
 But what is ftilJ more to our Purpofe, it is

not this, or that Country, in which luch aged Per-

fons are to be found ; we meet with them in many,

I was going to fay, in moft Climates. We have it

on good Authority, that in Bengal^ there lived a

certain Peaiant, who reached the Age of 335 ;

and having received Alms of many Infidel Princes,

had his Penfion continued to him by the Poriu-

gueze^ In Cambaja. Pliny gives us an Account, that
in the City of Parma, there were two of 130
Years of Age, three of 120, at a certain Taxation,
or rather Vifitation, and in many Cities of Italy,

People much older, particularly at Ariminium, one

Marcus Appcnius, who was 150*^. Vincent Co-

quelin, a Clergyman, died at Paris in 1664, at

1 12 '^. Lawrence Hutland, lived in the Orkneys to

170'. James Sands, an Englijhman, towards the

latter End of the lafl Century, died at 140, and
his Wife at 120 ^ In Sweden, it is a common
Thing to meet with People of above an hundred,
and Ruahekius afHrms, from Bills of Mortality,
figned by his Brother, who was a Bifhop, that in
the fmall Extent of twelve Parifhes, there died in

the Space of thirty-feven Years, 232 Men, between

100 and 140 Years of Age s; which is the more
C 2 Credible,

b Barthol. Hift.
Annat. Cent. v. Hift. 28. p. 46. <=Plin.
Hiltor. iMatural. lib. vii 29.
c. <*
Memoir, de Paris,
p. 197. ^ Buchan. Hift. Scot. ^ Hakewill's
-Apol, lib. iii. c. i. p. 166. s 01. Rudbek. Atlantic.
p. 396.
 [ io ]
Credible, fince in the Diet, afiembled by the late

Queen of Sweden, in 17139 the boldeft and bed

Speaker among the Deputies, from the Order of
Pealants, was confiderably above an hunJred ''.

Thefe Accounts, however, are far fhort of what

might be produced from Africa, and I^orth Ame-
rica. But I confine myfelf to fuch Accounts, as

are truly Authentic, and I afifemble thefe Inftances,

«ot to (hew my own Learning, or to gratify my

Reader's Curiofity, but with a view to fatisfy him,
that as the Fad is certain. Men may far tranfcend
what are efteemed the common Bounds of Life, fo
this blefling of Longevity is not confined to one
Climate or Region, and therefore we need not
difpair of finding out the Art of prolonging Life,
and keeping off the Decays of old Age in any
Country.
It may be perhaps, notwithflanding all I have
faid, fuggefled, that in fuch a Cafe as this, which
concerned Mankind in general fo much, and in

which every Man would naturally think himfelf

fo much interefled, if the Thing were at all pofTi-

ble, this Art muft have been long ago found out,

efpecially, fince in all Ages there have been a Race

of Men, viz. Phyficians, whofe bufinefs it particu-

larly was, to ftudy fuch Difcoverics. To this I

anfwer, that fuch Prejudices as thefe, are the

greatefh

* Memoir, Hiftor. 1713. Tom. ii. p. 336.

 [ 21 ]

greateff Bars to Science, that many ufeful Arts are

but of very late Invention ; and that if this was
difcovered heretofore, it might be concealed from
Pofterity for very many Reafons. But befides, the

Faft is quite the contrary ; this Art was avowedly

ftudioufly fought by the Antiens, and fome of them
are faid to have difcovered it. Afdepiades the Per-

fian, whom I have mentioned already, was wont

to declare, he accounted a Phyfician ignorant of

his Profeflion, who could not defend himfelf from

Difeafes; and this Notion he fupported by his

own Example, having lived in the full enjoyment

of Health 150 Years, and was then unfortunately
killed by a fall down Stairs \ Mithridates^ King
of PontuSj pretended alfo to this Secret, and fo did
many others. But the beft Anfwer that can be given

to all may be found in the

Scruples of this kind,
following Paflage from Bacon, a famous Englijh
Monk, who lived in the 13'^ Century, who thus
difcourfes on the Subje6l.

"That it is poffible to prolong Life, fays

•' he^ may thus be made Evident. By Nature
** Man is immortal, that is to fay, was fo formed
" originally, as that he might have efcaped Dying
" and, even after he had fmn'd, he could live a
" thoufand Years •, in procefs of time, by little and
" little, the Length of his Life was abbreviated.
" Therefore

» Sab. bel. lib. x. c. 8. p. (x^.

 [ " ]
** Therefore it mufl needs be, that this Abbre-
*' viation is accidental, and may confequently be
** either wholly repair'd or at leaft in part. But if

" we would but make Enquiry into the accidental

" Caufe of this Corruption, we fhould find, it nei-
" ther from Heaven, nor from ought but want of
*' a Regimen of Health. For in as much, as the
*' Fathers are Corrupt, they beget Children of a
** corrupt Complexion and Compofition ; and
" their Children, from the fame Caufe, are cor-
*' rupt themfelves, and fo Corruption is derived
*' from Father to Son, till abbreviation of Life
** prevails by SuccefTion. Yet for all this, it does
*' not follow, that it fhall always be cut fhorter
" and fhorter, becaufe a Term is fet in human
" Kind, that Men fhould at the mofl of their
*' Years, arrive at fourfcore ; but more is their
" Regimen, which confifts in thefe Things, Meat
**
and Drink, Sleep and Waking, Motion and
** Refl, Evacuation and Retention, Air, and the
*' PafTions of the Mind. For if a Man would
*' obferve this Regimen from his Nativity, he
" might live as long as his Nature afTumed from
*' his Parents would permit, and might be led to
" the utmoft Term of Nature, lapfed from original
" Righteoufnefs j which Term neverthelefs he
" could not pafs •, becaufe this Regimen does not
" avail in the leaft againft the old Corruption of
" our Parents. But it being in a manner impof-
" fible,
 [ ^3 ]
'' fible, that a Man fhould be (o governed in the
** Mediocrity of thefe Things, as this Regimen of
** Health requires, it mufl of necefllty be, that
*'
Abbreviation of Life come from this Caufe,
" and not only from the Corruption of our
" Parents.
"Now the Art of Phyfic determines this
'* Regimen fufficiently. But neither Rich nor
*' Poor, neither Wife Men nor Fools, nor Phy-
" ficians themfelves, how Ikillful foever, are able
" to perfecfl this Regimen, either in themfelves,
" or others, as is clear to every Man. But Na-
" ture is not deficient in Neceflaries, nor is Art
" compleat; yea, it is able to refift and break
'* through all accidental Paflions, fo as they may
" be deftroyed, either altogether, or in part. And
*' in the Beginning, when Men's Age began to
" decline, the Remedy had been eafy ; but now,
" after more than five thoufand Years, it is diffi-

*'
cult to appoint a Remedy.
" Nevertheless, wife Men being moved
" with the afordaid Confiderations, have endea-
" voured to think of Ibme Ways, not only a-
" gainft the Defed of every Man's proper Regi-
" men, but againltthe Corruption of our Parents.
" Not that a Man can be preferved to the Life of
" y^danij or Artephius, becaufe of prevailing Cor-
" ruption : But, that Life may be prolonged a
** Century of Years, or more, beyond the common
" Age
 [ 24 ]
" Age of Men now living, in that the Infirmities
*' of old Age might be retarded ; and if they
" could not altogether be hindred, they might be
" mitigated, that Life might nfefully be pro-
'* longed, yet always on this Side, the utmoft
•' Term of Nature. For the utmoft Term of
" Nature is, that which was placed in the firft

" Man after Sin, and there is another Term from

*' the Corruption of every ones own Parents.
" It is no Man*s Lot to pafs beyond both thefe
*' Terms, but one may very poflibly overcome
*'
the Term of his proper Corruption. Nor y&c
*' do I believe that any Man, how wife ibever,
*'can attain the firft Term, though there be the
" fame pofTibility and aptitude of human Nature,
" to that Term which was in the firft Man. Nor
" is it a Wonder, fince this Aptitude extends it-
*' felf to Immortality, as it was before Sin, and
'* will be after the Refurreftion. But if you fay,
" that neither Arijlotle, nor Plato, nor Hippocrates^
*' nor Galen, arrived at fuch Prolongation : I an-
*' fwer you, nor at many mean Truths, which
*' were after known to other Students ; and there-
" fore they might be ignorant of thefe great
*' Things, although they made their Attempt.
" But they bufied themfelvcs too much in other
" Things, and they were quickly brought to old
" Age, while they fpent their Lives in worfe and
" common Thing?, before they perceived the
*' ways
 [ li ]
'' ways to the greateft of Secrets. For we know
*' that Arijiotle faith in his Predicaments, that the
** Quadrature of the Circle is poflible, but not
'* then known. And he confefles, that all Men
" were ignorant of it even to his Time. But
*' we know, that in thefe, our Days, this Truth
is known
*'
; and therefore, well might Arijiotle
*' be ignorant of far deeper Secrets of Nature.
** Now alfo, wife Men are ignorant of many
*' Things, which in Time to come, every com-
'*
mon Student fhall know. Therefore, this Ob-
''."
*' je(5lion is every way Vain
Such were the Sentiments of this very great
and very knowing Man, in Times of the deepeft
Ignorance and darkeft Obfcurity ; and fo through-
ly was he fixed in thefe Notions, and had attain-
ed fo many Lights from the Study of the Arabian

Writers, or rather of the Greek Phyficians La-

bours, digefted into the Language of that Nation,
that he afterwards wrote an exprefs Treatife on
this Subjeft ^, of which I fhall have frequent Oc-
cafion to fpeak, and therein fuggeftedmany admi-
rable Precautions for the Prefervation of Life, and
avoiding the Infirmities of old Age. It is then
certain, at leaft, that we are not purfuing a Shadow,
or engaged in a clofe Search after an empty Chi-
mera 5 there may be fuch a Thing as the Art we
D would

^ Roger. Bacon. De vigore Artis & Naturaj. * De

Prolongatione Vitae &c.
 [45]
would reach, and it is not impofTible, that the

Methods fuggefted to us by the Roman Infcription,

may be the great Secret. In order to difcern the

Truth of this, or to fpeak more corredtly, in or-

der to difcover how much of Truth there is in it,

we ought firfl of all to examine carefully the Na-

ture of human Breath, what Force it has, and

what mighty Feats may be expedled from it, fince

the Infcription tells us, the long-lived Hermippus

owed his Vivacity to the Nourifhment he receiv-

ed from the Breath of Girls, or if we take in the

various Readings of the Infcription to the Breath

of young People of both Sexes.

In order to come to a thorough Knowlege of
this Matter, we mull confider firfl what the
Breath is, and we fliall foon learn, that as Man
lives by Breath, fo that Breath is nothing more
than Air drawn in, and after pafling through the
Lungs, thrown off again, that we may draw in

frefli. I do not tye my fclf here to Phyfical

Terms, or affed a technical Manner of fpeaking ;

the Subjed on which I write, is of general Con-

cern, and I would therefore exprefs my felf in a
Language that may be generally underftood. This

Air, when received into our Bodies, according to

fome Phyficians, nourifhes the Lamp of Life -, but

according to all, caufes the circulation of the
Blood, and other Juices upon which Health and
Life depend. On the other Side, the Air that
we refpirc, and which we commonly call the

Breath
 [ 27 ]

Breath, mufl:, by pafTing through the Lungs, be

ftrongly tindured with the Particles of that Body,
through which it has paflfed, and when it mixes
again with the Atmolphere, mufl communicate
certain Qualities which the Air had ruot before.

This is fo reafonable, and at the fame Time fo

felf evident, that I think it cannot be denied.

From hence it follows, that were there are many
People in one Room, the Air that is common to

them all, muft be ftrongly impregnated with their

Breaths. If therefore an old Man be for many

Hours furrounded with young People, we cannot
help perceiving, that he muft take in a great

Quantity of that Air which they have refpired,

and which confequently muft be loaded with thofe
Particles which it carried off in pafting through

their Lungs.
To judge the better of this Matter, let us con-
fider firft the Aflion of Odours in general upon
the human Body, and with regard to this, a very
cautious Writer, the Hippocrates of our Age, and
who will be efteemed the Father of modern Phy-
fic by Pofterity, after having explained wherein
the Odour of Plants confifts, and how exhaled,
he then difcourfes thus. " Hence we may un-
" derftand, that the various, peculiar, and often
" furprizing Virtue of Plants, may be widely dif-
*' fufed through the Air, and carried to a vaft
" Diftance by the Winds, fo that we muft not
** prefendy account as Fables, v/hat we find re-

D 2 lated
 1 28]
" lated In the Hiftory of Plants, concerning the
" furprizing EfFd6ls of Effluvia. The Shade of
" the Walnut gives the Head-ach, and makes the
" Body Coftivc. The Effluvia of the Poppy
" procure Sleep. The Vapour of the Yew is
'*
reputed Mortal to thofe who Sleep under it; and
*'
the Smell of Bean Bloflbms, if long continued,
" diforders the Senfes. The ftrong Adlion of the
*'Sun upon Plants, certainly raifes Atmofpheres
" of great Efficacy, by means of the Spirits it
" diiFufcs ; and the Motions of the Winds carry
** them to a great Diftance. The dark Shades of
*'
thick Woods, where Vapours are contradled,
" occafion various Difeafes, and often Death to
*'thofe who refide among them, as appears by
" melancholly Examples in America^ which a-
" bounds with poifonous Trees. For this Spirit
'* of Plants, is a Thing peculiar to each Species*
" abfolutely inimitable, not producible by Art. It
" has, therefore, Virtues peculiar to itfelf, but
" fuch as are ftrangely agreeable to the human
" Spirits'"".
I F the Smell of Vegitables have fuch high
Effefts, much ftronger furely may be expefled from

Animal Odours ; and as to the Etfeds of human

Breath, we know from Experience that they are

very extraordinary. It is generally thought, that

in

1 '
. .
" '
^—»^—
— . I

<" Boerhaave Elenienta Cheroix.

in the Cafe of Epidemic Difeafes, the infedlion is

propagated by the Breath ", and it is faid to have

been the Pradlice of wicked Nurfes in the Time of
the Plague, to catch the dying Breath of their

departing Patients in Lawn Handkerchiefs, for the

very worfl; of PracSiices ; and if human Breath when
fetid and corrupt, is fo potent, why fhould we
conceive it void of Efficacy, when Perfons are in
the freeft State of Health? Every body knows
how grateful and refrefhing we difcern the Breath
of Cows to be, which is thence fuppofed, exceed-

ingly wholefome ; and as the Fragrancy of young

Peoples Breath, who are brought up under a pro-
per Regimen, falls little ihort of this, one may
very reafonably fuppofe, that it partakes of the
fame Virtues.
Now to apply thefe Principles to the Mat-
ter at prefent under our Examination. It is,

I think, allowed by fuch as are befl acquainted

with the Secrets of Nature, that there is a very

brilk and lively Motion in the Blood of young

People y to which, according to the Laws of Animal
Oeconomy, Health, Vigour, and Growth, are
attributed. On the other Hand, a Decay of this

lively Motion, and in confequence thereof, a

fluggifh Circulation, which by Degrees ceafes al-

together in the fined and fmalleft VelTels, is held

to

* Hodges de Pefte. Profper Alpin. Hiflor. Natural i^gypt.

 1 30]
to be the principal Caufe of the ftiffnefs in the

Mufcles, which creates that wearinefs and want of

Force, that is the great Incommodity of old Age.
There feems therefore, to be nothing forced or
abfurd, in conceiving that the Warm, Aflive,
and Balfamic Particles thrown off by the Lungs
of young People into the Air, which they Refpire,
may give it fuch a Quality, as when fucked in

again by a Perfon in Years, fhall communicate

an extraordinary Force to the circulating Humours
in his Body, and fo quicken and enliven them,
as to beftow a kind of refledlive Youthfulnefs,
which may for many Years keep off and delay
thofe Infirmities, to which People of the fame Age
are generally Subjed. The more we confider this
Doctrine, the greater Care we take in comparing
Caufes and Effeds of the like Nature, and the clo-

fer we attend to fuch Experiments as feem fitteft

for the clearing up of this Matter, the more we

fhall be fatisfied of the Truth of this Conjedlure,

and the more credible this Invention of Hermippus

will appear.

I am very fenfible, that there are many vain,

ill grounded, and fantaftic Notions that prevail

among idle People, in relation to the Breath j feme
have fancied that Socerers have a Power of fafcina-

ting therewith, fuch as they breath upon, and

therefore, in many of the Books which treat of
Witchcraft, this is ufually thrown in as a Circum-
ftance ;
 [ 3« ]
fiance ; neither is it a new, but an ° old Piece of
Superftition, which has fubfiftcd in the World
many hundred Years before the late Affair in

France, where Mifs Cadiere attributes her Poflcf-

fion, to the Breath of the Prieft p. We are hke-

wife told of Nations in the Indies, who cure all
Difeafes by breathing on fuch as are affedlcd with
them ; but this ought to be no more regarded than
what we meet with in Pliny, of another Indian
Nation, who lived towards the Sources of the
Ganges, who have no Mouths, and who are nou-
rilhed by fweet Savours 'i.
Thefe are either abfo-
lute Fidions, or allegorical Accounts, which at
this diltance of Time, and perhaps, when Plirr^

himfelf wrote them, were not underflood. He

gathered moft of his Fafts from the Greek Writers,
and they frequently difguifed, as they Ibmetimes i:i.\'

fified their Narrations. But theie Fidlions, which

every body can difcern, ought not to prejudice
Matters of Fad, of the Truth of which, any
Enquirer may be fatisfied.

There are in Spain, a Race of People, or as

fome Writers fay, an Order of Knighthood, ftiled

Salutadores, who pretend to cure Wounds by

breathing on the Patient, and repeating certain
Prayers,

o Pfellus de daemon.
P See the feveral Faftums in that famous Caufe, in which
this Bufinefs of Fafcinating by the Breath is largely treat«i.
"i Plin. Hiftor. Natural, lib. vii. c. 2. Gael. Rhod. Antiq. Left,
lib. xiv. c. 21. The Name given to this Nation by thefe Au-
thors, is the AHomes.
 [3^
Prayers, which they affirm were taught by St.

Elmo *. The Church of Rome has condemned this;

Fanatical Praftice, and fo do I j but there is another

fomewhat related to this, which, whether Nature,
or Chance firft introduced into the "World, is uncer-

tain but which is not like ever to wear out ; and that
is, breathing on People in a Swoon, in order to

bring them to themfelves, which is found to be

very effeflual, as from natural Caufes might well

be expefted. Let us then in all Cafes of this

Nature, diftinguifli between Reafon, and report

vulgar Opinion, and the Senfe of capable Judges,
the Pradices of Mountebanks and Deceivers, and
Dedudions from Phyfical Principles, by Men of
Learning and found Senfe. I do not however,
deny, that popular Remedies have found Admit-
tance into Phyfic, and ought there to be retained
for, in Phyfic as well as in Chemiftry, the Ef-

fects of Medicines are confidered as Experiments,

upon which wife Men Reafon, and affign the Ufes,
though there might be another Sort of People
who firft found them out; it is one Thing to pre-
Icribe rationally, and another to be lucky in Cures.

Hoffman and Boerhaave, are the moft different

People in the World from Paracelfus and Van Hel-
mont^ who yet, were very extraordinary Men in

their Way.
I

^ Delrio Magic. Difquifit. v, ii, p. x\i^

 [ 33 i

1 do not Imagine that Hermippus, by reafoning.

Found out this Remedy againft old Age; lam in-

clined rather to think, it found out him, that is to

fay, by vigorous EfFefts, he was led to the Caufe,

and by feehng himfelf, revived by this Medicine,
taught the Knowlege and EfEcacy of it. If one
was difpofed to purfue the Method of the Antients,
and to drefs up this Story in the Garb which Plaio
would have given it, one might relate it thus.

When the blooming T'/tv/Z'^, whom the Graces

adorn, and the Mufes inftruft, converfes with the

good old Hermippus, her Youth invigorates his

Age, and the brifk Flame that warms her Heart,

communicates its heat to his, fo often as the love-
ly Virgin breaths, the kindly Vapours fly off full

of the lively Spirits that fwim in her Purple Veins;

thefe old Hermippus greedily drinks in, and as
Spirits quickly attrad Spirits, fo they are prefent-

ly mingled with the Blood of the old Man. Thus

the Vapour, which but a Moment before was ex-

pelled by the brifk beating of the Heart of T'hyjbe,

is communicated by the iEther to Hermippus, and
pafTing through his Heart, ferves to invigorate his
Blood, fo that almoft- without a Metaphor, we
may fay, the Spirits of 'Thyjhe give Life to Her-
mippus. For, what is there more eafy to ap-

prehend, than that the aftive Spirits of this brifk

and blooming Maid, fhould, when received from

the Air, thaw the frozen Juices of her aged
E Friend,
 [34]
Friend, and thereby give them a new Force, and a
freer PafTage ; and thus Hermippus poflefTing at once
the Strength his Nature retains, and borrowing
frefli Spirits from the lovely 'Thyjhe, what Won-
der that he, who enjoys two Sorts of Life, (hould

live twice as long as another Man ?

Such had been its Appearance, if we had de-

rived this Fad from a Grecian Sage, and then
perhaps, it had been honoured with numerous
Commentaries, and laboured Explications. But
the Romans were a graver People, they contented
themfelves with delivering Truth in the Language
of Truth, and thought, that like all great Beauties,

fhe looked beft in a plain Drefs.

History informs us, that very many who
fpend their Time in the Infl:ru6lion, and of confe-
quence in the Company of Youth, have lived to

great Ages ; thus Gorgias^ the Mafter of TfocrateSy

and many other eminent Perfons, lived to be io8

the year before his Death fomebody demanded in
his School, how he had been able to fupport fo
long the tedious Burthen of old Age ; the Sophift

replied, that he regretted nothing he had done,

and felt nothing of which he could reafonably

complain -, my Youth, faid he, cannot accufe me,
nor can I accufe my old Age ^ His Scholar 7/^)-

craieTy

*Plin. Hiftor. Natural, lib. vii. c. 48. Valer. Max. lib. viii.
c. 13,
 [ 3J ]

crates^ in the 94th Year of his Age, publiflied a

Book, and furvived that Pubhcation four Years, in

all which Time he be tray 'd not the lead Failure,

either in Memory or in Judgment ; but as he had

long lived, fo he died with the Reputation of being
the moft Eloquent Man in Greece ^ Xenophilus,
an eminent Pythagorean Philofopher, taught a
numerous Train of Students, till he arrived at the
Age of 105, and even then enjoyed a very per-
fed Health, and yet he left this World before his
Abilities left him ". Nicholas Leonicenus read the

Phyfic Le6lures at Ferrara, in the laft Age, up-

wards of 70 Years, and Languis tells us, that when
he heard him, he was fomewhat above 96, and
to a Perfon who afked him, by what Rule he had
acquired this green old Age, he anfwered, by de-
livering up my Youth chaft to my Man's Eftate ^.
Platerus tells us, that his Grandfather who exer-
cifed the Office of a Prasceptor to fome youno-
Noblemen, married a Woman of thirty, when he
was in the 100 Year of his Age. His Son by this

Marriage, did not flay like his Father, but took

him a Wife when he was twenty ; the old Man
was in full Health and Spirits at the Wedding,
and lived fix Years afterwards ". Thefe are inflan*

E 2 ces

' Plutarch in vit. Ifocrat. " Plin, Hiftor. Natural, lib.

vii. c. Max. ubi fupra.
50. Valer. '^ Melch. Adam,
in vit. Germ. Med. p. 141. ''Plateri Obferyat. lib i.

p. 333, 234.
 [ 3^ ]
ces very furprlzing, and feem to argue, that the
Company of young People is a great Prefervatlve

againfl old Age.

Th e celebrated Leivis Cornaro^ fo well known
to the World by his elaborate Treatifes on the
Benefits of a fober Life, amongft other Things that
he relates of himfelf, tells us this; that when he
firfl began his Regimen, he took home eleven litr-

tie Nephews, all Sons of the fame Father, and

Mother, all fine healthy Children, whom he took
the Pains to Educate himfelf ; adding, that when-
ever he came from the Senate, he diverted himfelf
with the innocent Mirth, harmlefs Sports, and
inofi'enfive Tade of the Youngfters. Some of the
Elder of them, fays he, entertained me more agree-
ably. They underfland Mufic, often play upon
the Lute, accompany it with their Voices, and I
too, adds he, frequently join my own, which is

as clear, as flrong, and as fweet as ever it was.

I have likewife, fays he, compofed a very diverting
Comedy, the Scenes of which are diverfified with

an inofFenfive variety of Wit and Humour, that

has in it an agreeable Turn of Thought, and
quaintnefs of ExprefTion. Comedy, you know,
is generally the Child of Youth, as Tragedy is the

Produd of old Age. The latter on account of its

Gravity and Serioufnefs, befitting more mature

Years -, whilft the former, by its Gaity of Wit and
Humour, is more agreeable to Youth. Now, if
an
 [ 37]
an though he was ten Years
ancient Greek Poet,

younger than myfelf, was admired and celebrated

for his having wrote a Tragedy, why fhould I be
efteemed lefs Happy, or lefs myfelf, who have
compofed and Pubhfhed a Comedy ? When I am
confident, the fame Poet, though he was ten years

Younger than I am, yet had not a better Share of

Health, or a livelier Imagination y. I make ufe of
the Authors own Words, becaufe Cornaro muft of
all others, have beft known himfelf, and the very
Spirit he Ihews in reciting thefe Things, is a moil
evident Proof of the flrength, vigour, and youth-
fulnefs of his Conftitution. I will, however, men-
tion another more modern Inftance.

Francis Secardi Hongo^ ufually diftingulfhed by

the Name of Huppazoli, was Conful for the flate

Q^ Venice, in the Ifland of Scio, where he died,

in the beginning of 1702, when he was very
near 1 1 5. This Man was a Native of Cafal, in
the Montferrat. He married in Scio, when he
was young, and being much addidled to the
Fair-Sex, he had in all five Wives, and fifteen

or twenty Concubines, all of them young,

beautiful Women, by whom he had forty nine
Sons and Daughters, whom he educated with the
utmoft Tendernefs, and was conflantly with them,
^ much as his Bufinefs would permit. He was
never

T See Cornaro's Benefits of a fober Life, p. 33.

 [ 38 ]
never Sick, his Sight, Hearing, Memory, and
Activity, were amazing ; he walked every Day
about eight Miles, his Hair, which was long, and
graceful, became White by that Time he was
Fourfcore, but turned Black at an Hundred, as
did his Eyebrows and Beard at 112. At no,
he loft all his Teeth, but the Year before he died,
he cut two large ones with great Pain. His Food
was generally a few Spoonfuls of Broth, after
which he eat fome little Thing roafted ; his

Breakfaft and Supper, Bread and Fruit, his con-

ftant drink, diftilled Water, without any addition
of Wine, or other ftrong Liquor, to the very laft.

He was a Man of ftrid Honour, of great Abilities,

of a free, pleafant, and fprighdy Temper, as we
are told by many who were all ftruck
Travellers

with the good Senfe, and good Humour of this

polite old Man ^. The Reader will eafily difcern,

that the Point upon which I chiefly infift, is his

having continually young Company about him,

efpecially young Women; for though neither him-
felf, nor for ought I know any body elfe, ever
remarked that this might contribute to the length-

ening his Life, yet fo the Fa6l might be, though

unnoticed. It is Indeed more for my Purpofe to
collect Accounts like thefe, where there is clear

evidence of the Fad, I would eftablifli before the

Principle,

y Voyages de Tournefort, &c.

 [ 39 3
Principle, to which, I refer, it was ever thought
oi^ than to quote Inftances of a frefher Date, fince
the Thing might have been in my Head. Thefe
are Inftances that cannot be warp*d, I have cau-

tioufly cited my Authors, and fometimes the

Words of the People themfelves, fo that I need
not afk, where I can force Belief.

I will fuppofe then of our Hermippus^ that he

was a Tutor or Diredor of a College of Virgins,

for fince the Infcription tells us, not what he was,
we may be allowed all the Freedom of a rational

Conjedure. This College of Virgins, I conceive

to be founded purely for the Sake of Education,
and thereby affording a quick and conftant Succefli-

on of little Maids, from the Age of between five

and fix, to thirteen and fourteen. I imagine it might

be requifite for the Health, as well as proper In-
llru6lion of thefe young Ladies, that they rofe pretty
*
early in the Morning, and this in all Seafons of

the Year. In the Spring and Summer they might

be allowed to walk and enjoy the refrefhing Plea-

fure of rural Prolpe6ls, but always in the Com-
pany of their Director, v/ho fhouid be obliged to

entertain them during the Walk, with feafonable

and lively Stories. If this feeming extraordinary

Mode of Education difguft Perfons of a nice and

prudirti Tafte, give me leave to obferve, that the
Greeks ufed it of old, and that it is ftill pra6tifed

by all the Eaftern Nations. Milefian, or Arabian

Tales,
 [ 40 ]
TaleS) in which a Vivacity of Imagination ap-
pears, with here and there a Ray of found Judg-
ment, fuit bed with tender Minds, and efpecially

with feminine Underllandings. Women are re-

markably governed by Example, or to make Ufe

of a modern Phrafe, by the Fafhion. Why,
therefore, fhould they not be inftrudled by Ex-
ample ? There is lefs Difference than moft People
imagine between real and feigned Stories. They
differ but as Morning and Evening Shadows, the
one is the faint Pidlure of what has paffed, the
other as lively a Reprefentation of what may
poffibly come. In all other Refpedls they are alike
the Story of Alexander and Roxana, now as
is

much a Dream as any in the Perfian Tales. One

Advantage that Ideal relations have over Stories

grounded upon Fads, is, that we may contrive

them fo as to avoid improper Circumftances, which
cannot frequendy be done with refpedl to the
latter, but at the Expence of Truth. With
fuch Difcourfes, after their early Devotions were
over, the fair Pupils might be entertained in Win-
ter Mornings, and the Day be thus opened with
a free, chearful, and kindly Spirit, alike agreeable

to his lovely Wards, and grateful to the good

old Man.
After this Morning Exercife, I fuppofe that

HermippuSy and his Female Pupils, retire in order

to bathe, to drefs, and to adorn themfelves, all

which
 [ 41 1
\vhich I look upon as no lels neceflary for the old

M^, than fit and convenient for the young Wo-

men. Every body knows, that the Antients
were remarkably fond of Baths, and of Undions,
efpecially for old Men ; and the Arabian Phyfi-
cians prefcribe them once in a Week or ten Days,
and order fome hot and well fpiced Meat to be
eaten after ufing them ; but to be fure wafhing,
cleanfing, and keeping the Body neat, as they
tend to make old Men pleafant and agreeable to

fuch as converfe with them, fo they contribute not

a litde to their own Eafe, and to the preferving

that Supplenefs in the Limbs, which is frequendy

attacked by old Age. On the other Hand, ele-

gance in Drefs, and great Nicenefs about their

Bodies, is of very great Gonfequence to the Pre-

fervation of fuch a Tem.per in thefe young Maids,
as is fit tomake them ufeful in that W^ay of which
we are fpeaking. About Noon, after all this Ex-
ercife is quite over, I fappofe Hermippus meets
his Maidens with as much Chearfulnefsj as his Con-
ftitution will admit, while they receive him with
that fprighdinefs that is natural to theirs. A fhort
Converfation fhould precede a light, well-chofen
and wholeibme Entertainment, of which all feed-
ing freely, but not to fulnefs, feafon the necef-
fary Bufinefs of recruiting the Body with fuch in-
genious and diverdng Stories, as may amufe and
recreate die Mind. After the Repafr, Mufic,
F Vocal
 [ 4^ ]

Vocal and Inftru mental, and then a Walk, or if

the Weather will not permit it, fome breathing

Exercife within Doors, to fuch a Degree as may
excite Colour, but without forcing a Sweat.

The Evening Ihou Id among fuch Company,

be chiefly dedicated to Diverfion, the Ladies, and
efpecially the youngeft, fhould be indulged in all

the little innocent Paftimes that contribute either

to the Exercife of their Limbs, or the Improve-
ments of their Wits, and thefe ought to take

their Turns, according to the Rule prefcribed by

their Direftor. For Inflance, after Blindman's-

BufF, Hoop and Hide, or hunting the Hare, there

Ihould fucceed Queftions and Commands, Pidlures

and Motto's, Riddles, or fomething of the like

Sort ; and laft of all, two or three of the Eldeft

might gently lead them by a few grave Stories into

a fit Difpofition for their Evening Devotions

after which> they might retire to their Dormitory,
each having her proper Cell, but all open at the

Top, as alio the Direftor's Apartment, at the

upper End. In a College like this, with fuch

Company, and under fuch Regulations, where all

the Pupils are Chafte as Diana's Nymphs, frefh

as the Spring, fA^cet as the Summer, and harmlefs

as the Winter, ever full of Life and Spirits, free

from Difeafes, Cares or Diftra6lions of Mind, eafy

in their Tempers, affable in their Manners, fond
of obliging, grateful when obliged j I can fcarce
 [ 43 1

imagine that any Man could fpend his Time more

ao-reeably than Hermippus, live freer from a Senfe
of Sorrow, or more remote from the Shadow of
Death. By this Regimen, he might be provided
with an ahnoft continual Refreshment of their O-
doriferous Breaths, and never lofe their Company,
but at Scrafons proper for them and for him. His
Blood would not only receive conllant Supplies of
Spirits from the artificial Atmofphere, conilituted
by this Contrivance, but his Genius alfo would be
kept brifk and lively, by a perpetual Intercourfe
with Perfons in the moft aftive Period of Life.
Secluded in fuch a Retreat, from all the hurry,
all the Diforder, all the Accidents that attend a

Life of Bufinefs, he would eafily efcape Difquiet

and Fatigue, removed from all the Views of Profit,

Pomp and Pleafure ; he would never feel the cruel

Difturbance of any refllefs Paflion, the defire of

getting would never torment him, he would never
be perplexed with the Fears of lofing, if his Heart
was at any Time touched with Pain, it mud be
at the parting with a Scholar, and even this would
admit of fome Relief, from the Pleafure afforded
him by receiving a new Difciple. At leall, thefe

are the Comforts I have figured to myfelf, and

fuch of my Readers as are blefTed with more
vigorous Fancies, may conceive him in PofTefTion

cf ft ill higher and more exquifite Blefllngs.

F 2 i am
 [ 44 ]
I am fenfible it may be objected, that the whok
of this Suppofition is abfolutely Arbitrary, that
amongft the Romans^ there never was any fuch
College ^ as this under the Dire6bion of any Man,
nor for ought appears, in any other Nation. But
then it is to be confidered, that I have fo ftated

it. If Hermippus was really nourifhed by the

Breath of Women, as I have already Ihewn,
it is very reafonable to believe he might, then
we muft conceive to ourfclves fome Occupation,
fome Way of Life in which he might eafily,

and conftantly receive this comfortable Medicine

and if the Account I have given be fo far pro-

bable in itfelf, and free from Abfurdity, as to con-

vey clearly to the Reader's Mind fuch an Idea

as I would willingly have it, it is not at all

material, whether there ever was fuch a College,

for that comes not at all within my Aflertion, it

is fufficient for my Purpofe, if fuch a College

there might have been. Another Reader may,

perhaps, devife fome eafier, clearer, and more
probable Method of Interpreting this Infcription,

if he does, 1 fhall not difpute with, or envy him

the Fertility of his Invention. My Account of
the Matter ferves to help the Notion I have form-
ed of the PoiTibility of the Thing, and therefore
as

a Except it may be the Puellae Fauftinianae, of whom we find

fome mention made in (he antient Infcriptions.

 [4i1
as a Mathematician draws his Figures In order to

explain the Propofitions he lays down, fo I have

exhibited this Example, to illuftrate the Dodrine,
that I would recommend.
One may likewife fuggefl, that moil of the
Examples hitherto alledged of the long Life of
fuch as have taught young People, do not reach
the Point I have advanced, much as they all
in as

confefTedly belong to young Men. Yet, if this

Objedtion affefts what I have delivered, the Credit
of the Infcription remains ftill untouch'd, fince
fome underftand it of Boys, though I incline to
interpret it of Girls, for Reafons that will hereafter
occur. But, whoever makes this Objedlion, muft ad-
mit, at the Time of making it, that there is an ex-
traordinary Efficacy in the Breath of young Men,
which duly confidered, will be found a very great
concefTion in my Favour ; fince, if there be any fuch
Efficacy in the Breath of young Men, no Reafon
can be affigned why my Suppofition fhould be held
lefs reafonable. All Things, therefore, that make
in general in Favour of human Breath, or in Fa-
vour of the Breath of young People, tend to
ftrengthen and fupport what I have laid down.
As to thofe particular Circumftances which render
female Breath preferable, it lies upon mt; to axTiga
them, and this I fhall do in ks proper Placv-^ ; in
the mean Time give me leave to r -nark one
Thing more in Favour of my fiditious Hiilory
of
 [ 4^]
of the College of Virgins, viz. That the great-
eft Men have thought it allowable to introduce
fuch Defcriptions wherever they have judged
them requifite, or agreeable to the Subjed of
which they were treating. The learned Sir Thomas
More, laid down a Syftcm of Politics in his
Utopia^. Barclay has written an ingenious Hiftory
in his Argenis, and the great Chancellor Bacon has
exhibited the moft beautiful of all Fidions in his
Hiftory of the New Atlantis % which Hiftory,
if I miftake not, gave Birth to the Royal Society
in England.

Bu T I muft not conceal two other Objeftions

of far greater Weight, that have been made to
this Dodrine of mine, by the ingenious Mr.
Nutining,

^ There are fome Difputes about the firft Edition of this

Eook The famous Mr. Maittairc fancies, there was one in
;

the Year 1516; but he is miftaken, the firft Edition of it

bore the following Title. De Optimo Republics ftatu, de
que nova infula Utopia Thomse Mori libri duo, quibus prefi-
guntur Epiftola: Defiderii Erafmi, Gul. Budsei, Petri TEgidii, ac
in Hne adjundla Hieron. Buflidii Epiltola. Bafileas. Joan.
Froben. 15 18. in 4°. and has been printed very often fince.
It was tranflated into Englifh by Ralph Robinfon, in 1557,
which Tranflation Bifhop Burnet millook for the Author's
own ; however, he ventured to make another Tranflation in
1683, and a very good one it is. It was tranflated into Italian
in 1548, but the Author of that Verfion is not known.
There have been three Tranflations in French, of which that
by Sorbire is elteemed the bell.
The Author is right enough in his Obfervation, Abraham
*^

Cowley borrowed his Notion of a Philofophic College from

Ijord Bacon's Atlantis, and from Mr. Cowley's Notion of
fjch a College, the Royal Society had its beginning.
 [ 47 ]

Nunning ^. If, fays that learned Perfon, your Sy-

ftem be founded in Truth, if there be really any
fuch Vigour and Efficacy in the Breath of Women,
or even of young Women, how comes it to pals,

that thofe Men have not attained to any extraor-

dinary Age, who are known to have had the
greateft Advantages pofTible in this Way Upon ?

this, he puts two Queflions, Why, fays he, did

not Solomon, whofe Wives and Concubines were

fo numerous, and who undoubtedly were young,
beautiful, and kept entirely from other Men ;

Why did not this Solomon, continues he, live be-

yond the ordinary Age of Man -, whereas, the

Scripture tells us, that he did not reach that whidh
is common in our Times ? This is the firll Ob-
jeftion, and it muft be owned, that Mr. Nunning
has put it very modeftly, for Solomon had befide
this, many-other Advantages. He was undoubt-
edly, a great Philofopher, an excellent Naturalift,
and underflood perfectly the Art of conducing
Life, to which we may add, that fome have be-

lieved him an exquifite Anatomift, Phyfician and

Chymift ; fo that if he died before Seventy, who
was pofTefled of fuch extenfive Power, fuch im-
menfe Riches, and fuch Wifdom as never centred

in.

•*
Cannon of Vreden, and is now pub-
This Gentleman is

lifhing in Germany,Quarto, a Work, Entituled Monumenti

in
Monallerienfia, which is to contain, the Elogies of all the
great Men who have been Natives of the Bilhoprick of
Munfter.
 1 48 i
in another Man, what Reafon is there to fuppofe
that fuch as are infinitely below him in all Re-
fpeds, fhould acquire the Knowledge of that
which was indubitably hid from him ? This is the
Cafe ftated fairly, freely, and fully, for we mean
not to cheat or deceive our Readers, but to inform
and fatisfy them ; our endeavour is not to give
an Air of veracity to our own Opinion, but to
redlify our own Notions by the Standard of
Truth.
Mr. Nunning*^ fecond Objeftion, is fetched
from the Seraglio's of the ^urkifh Monarchs. Why,
fays he, do not the great Lords of the Ottoman
Empire, who have fuch Numbers of young and
fine Women, always in their Power, live to a

great Age? or rather, why fince they have this

Balfam of Life continually in their PoflefTion, are

they fhorter lived than other Men ? and that too,

in a Country where there are more long lived

People than in many others ? This excellent
Perfon might have fortified alfo this Objedion,
by extending it to the Shahs of Ferfia^ the HMs
of Tartary, the gseat Moguls, and all the other

Eajlern Princes, who in this refpedl, enjoy to the

full the fame advantages with the 'Turkijh Sultans.

I am not afraid of giving the utmoft Weight to

thefe Suggeftions, becaufe if I can fairly and clear-

ly refute them, my Do6trine mult appear, if not

abfolutely certain, much more probable, at lead,
and
 149 1
and much more agreeable to Truth, than if thefe

Objedions had never been mentioned. I do indeed

admit, that both are very plaufible, both leem
direftly diilruftlve of my Syftem ; but if notwith-
Handing all this, I am as I think, I am in a
capacity of Ihewing that they do not at all affect

what I have advanced, but that on the contrary

when duly confidered, they fortify it extreamly,
then I hope the Reader will attend with the greater
Satisfadtion, to fome additional Arguments that I

fhall offer in Ibpport of this Notion. It is the great

Beauty of Truth, that the more v/e examine it,

the more different Lights in which we place it,

the more Pains we take in turning and twilling it,

the more we perceive its Excellency, and the better

the Mind is fatisfied about it •, whereas Falfhood,
however fair it may appear when drefs'd out to

advantage, or fet in a falfe light, yet it never can

(land the Teft of a ftrifl and unbiafed Enquiry.
The Hiftory of Solomon is very largely record-
ed in the Sacred Writings, and the Circumftances
therein laid down, enable us to give fuch an Ac-
count of the Manner of that Prince's Life, that

we need be under no Sort of Surprize at the earli-

nefs of his Death. He was, it is true, the wifeft

Man that ever lived, of which he has left us very

noble Teftimonies in his Writings. He was a
great Politician, excellently fkillcd in the Arts,

and a perfect Mafter of the polite Literature of

thofe Times; but with all this, we fee that he

G was
 [ so 1

was a very voluptuous Man. Science and Pleafure

engrofled him by turns, he would have pufhed his
Reff arches beyond the Bounds of human Nature
and when he found himfdf checked, then he be-
gan to complain of the burthen of Knowlege, and
the tirefomenefs of fuch Enquiries. To deliver
himfclf from thefe Anxieties, to calm his Cares,
to drown his Doubts, and bury his Apprehenfions
in Oblivion, he had recourle to fenfual Delights,
having conftantly in his Seraglio a Multitude of fine
Women, amounting, as the Author of the Book of
Kings tells us, to feven hundred Wives, who were
PrincefTes, and three hundred Concubines ^. With
thefe, he led an effeminate, lafcivious, and profligate
Life. Thefe Women were of all Nations, Egypti-
ans^ Moahites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and
Hittites, and each endeavoured to recommend her-
felf to his Favour, by all the fludied Arts of
Luxury ^. Amongfl fuch a Heterogenous Mafs of

Females, all corrupt in their Morals, all different

in their Cufloms, all filled with Jealoufy and E-

mulation of each other : What reafon was there

to hope either for Quiet, or for Health .?

In the Defcription we have given of the Life

of Herjnippiis, we have ufed our utmofl Endeav-
our, to Qiew the means by which this Sovereign

Medicine we are difcourfing of, operates, and how

it

' I Kings, xi. 3. [ Ibid v. i.

it is to be employed. We fuppofe our old Man
to be of a gentle uniform, and pleafant Difpofition,

always eafy, always content, and furrounded by

Numbers of blooming Virgins, too young to have
either their Bodies, or their Thoughts tainted •, and
we fuppofe thefe Perfons fpending their Time to-

gether, in chafte and innocent Amufements. But

the Life of Solomon was the very reverfe of this,

his Thoughts were in a perpetual Hurry, his Mind

in conftant Adgitation -, one Day deeply plunged
in Philofophical and Metapbyfical Contemplations j
the next funk in fceptical Doubts, and gloomy
Reflexions -, the third giving a loofe to his Plea-
fures, and abandoning himfelf without Reftraint,
not only to the Lewdnefs of his own Defires, but

to the wilder Extravagancies of a Multitude of

vicious Women. All this we learn, not only from
Hiftories of indubitable Authority, but from his

own Writings, there we fee the Struggles of his

Heart; there we fee his reftlefs love of Pleafure;

his intemperate Thirft after Knowlege, and in

confequence thereof his Agonies and Difquiet. Is

there any likenefs between thefe two Characters ?

Can one imagine, that the Converfation of Wo-

men in fuch a Diverfity of Circumftances, (hould
have the fame Effeft on Solomon and Hermipptis ?
Or can it enter into the Head of any Man, blef-

fed with a found Underftanding, that this, or any

other Medicine, could defend Solomon from old

G 2 Age,
 [ 5^ ]
Age, confidcring the Courfe he held ? Was there
ever a Man that ftudied the Prolongation of Life,

with more afllduity than Solomon laboured to fhort-

en it ? Did he not harrafs his Spirits with intricate

and perplexed Enquiries? Did he not vex himfelf

with perpetual Queftions about prefent and future
Felicity, which rendered it impoflible for hina to
enjoy it ? Did he not, by indulging his Paffions,

fcatter the Seeds of Deftruftion ? and did he not,

by his Luxury and Intemperance, cherifh and cul-
iivace them, till they at laft, as they always do, dif-
turbed the Frame of his Mind, as well as ruined
his Conftitution ? What wonder then that Solomon
was no Long-liver ?

What I have faid, will, I dare fay, fatisfy

the worthy Gentleman who propofed this Doubt,

and every Reader who fcrioufly confiders it. The
Objetlion takes Solomon for a Perfon in that very
Situation wherein I would place Hermippus ; but I
have Ihewn this to be altogether groundlefs. The
Objedlion takes it for granted, that I look upon the
Breath of young Women to be a univerfal Medi-
cine •, whereas, I aflfert only, that the Breath of

young Virgins in a particular Way, may defend

a Perfon againfb old Age, who, by Temperance
and Moderation defends himfelf againfl Difeafes,

But, befides what I have mentioned, I have yet

fomething more to fay as to Solomon, which I might
have offered before, and which would have ex-
cufed
 [ 53 ]

cufed me from examining his Cafe at all, if I had

inclined to have fheltered myfelf under any fuch

Subterfuge.
All the Accounts we have of Solomon, fuppofe'

him to be under a particular Difpenfation, and that

he had recourfe immediately to God himfelf, at leafl:

twice in his Life, fo that this Man was not in the

fime Situation with others, and therefore, not fit

to be confidered as an Example. I might pufh

this further ftill, by obferving, that God waspleaf-
ed to promife him length of Days, if he imitated
the Righteoufnefs of his Father David-, fo that he
had a much better Medicine in his Power, than
human Wifdom could fupply him with, and yet

he knew not how to ufe it. The Scriptures fay.

That when Solomon was old, his Wives turned

away his Heart after other Gods s. Oldnefs is

here ufed in the Senfe in which I underfland it,

that is, with refped to the Condition, and not to

the Years of Life, for in that Senfe, Solomon was
not Old when he died, fince he exceeded not Sixty-
feven. The plain meaning, therefore, of this

Text muft be, that when his Vices had broken

his Conflitution, and weakened his Faculties, then,

thefe Women to whom he gave himfelf up, drew

him to' Idolatry, and thefe Nurfes of his fecond

Childhood, induflrioufly taught him to fall.

Drawn

8 Ibid. V. 4.
 [54]
Drawn by their Delufions, he facrlficed both
Titles to long Life, viz. That which Temperance
gave him by the Law of Nature, and that which
by an extraordinary Revelation he received from
God himfelf For this, no doubt included that,

fince we cannot fuppofe that God promifed long

Life to Solomon without an implied Condition, that
he attended to the natural Means for attaining it,

the Laws and Promifes of God mull be always

rational, becaufe they are made and propounded to

reafonable Creatures.

After, examiniog this Objeflion fo fully, it

will caufe me much lefs Trouble to clear up the

other. For what can there be more contrary to,

or irreconcileable with the Doflrine I have laid

down, than the Lives led by Eajlern Monarchs
all Writers agree, that to give Strength and Firm-
nefs to the Body, there is nothing fo neceflary as
Chaftity in green Years. The Germans, as Tacitus
tells us, were won't to preferve themfelves
from Women, till they were thirty at leaft, and
this he afiigns as the Principal Caufe of their Ro-
buftnefs, Courage and long Life ^. Long before

his Time, the Spartans had formed the fame No-

tions led thereto by reafon and experience ', but
with regard to the Afiatic Princes, they never

know what Purity of Manners, and Chaftity of

Mind

^ De Morib. German. '

Plutarch, ia Lacon.
Mind mean, they are corrupted in their Mother's

Nurferies, and the dilTolute Temper of the Father,

prevents the Virtuous Education of the Son.

While they are yet Striplings, they are permitted

the ufe of Women, in order to enervate their

Minds, and when they grow up, an effeminate

Luxufry, becomes the prime Bufinefs of their Lives.-
Amongft fuch Men as thefe, fhall we look for
Health or long Life ? Is this agreeable to the Rules
of Wifdom or Science, I mean to the natural
Dilates of good Senfe, or to the Maxims of Phy-
fic ? If not, where lies the Strength of the Ob-
jection ?

But befides all this, what if there be ftill a

ihorter, plainer, or more deciffive Anfwer, which
is, that we can never properly judge in this Cafe,
becaufe Experience teaches us that thefe Princes
feldom or never die a natural Death. In the
Field they are expofed to the common Chances of
War, and if we look into the 'Turkijhy Perfmn, or
Indian Stories, we fhall find at lead a third part

of their Monarchs have fallen in Battle. Again,

confider them in their civil Capacity, and from
the very Nature of an Arbitrary defpotic Govern-
ment, you muft be fenfible that they are conti-

nually liable to popular Infurredlions, in which

many of their Princes have likewife fallen. But if

you purfue them further, and follow them into the

RecelTes of their private Life, as you will perceive
them
them to be no way happier, fo you will find them
much Itjfs fafe than any of their Subjefts. The In-
trigues and Jealoufies of their many Wives, muft
always expofe fuch Princes to a multitude of Dan-
gers, efpecially in Countries where Poifons are very
common, and where the mofl dexterous life of
them is common too.
But what if the Sacred Hiftory, which flir-

nifhed the firft and ftrongeft Objedion, contains

another Hiftory, which is the fulleft, cleareft and
mofl fatisfaftory Proof that can be offered in Fa-
vour of the Opinion I efpoufe ? The Cafe I mean is,

that of King David in his old Age, which I fhall

State fully and fairly. It is faid, that King David

grew Old and flricken in Years, his natural Heat
decaying to fuch a degree, that no Addition of
Cloaths could give him Heat •, in this Diftrefs, the

Phyficians advifed him, to the very Remedy which

I recommend. Let there be fought, faid they,

for my Lord the King, a young Virgin, and let

her fland before the King, and let her Cherilh

him, and let her lie in his Bofom, that my Lord
the King may get heat. Accordingly Abijhag
the Sbunamite, was brought to the King, and of
her we read, that fhe was a Damfel very fair, that

Ihe cherilhed the King, and miniftred to him

but the King knezo her not^. This is the Story,

as

''
I. King?, i. I. See alfo the Commentaries of Munfter,
Grotius, &c. among the Lrger Critics, who all interpret
thefe Paffigcs of Scripture in this way.
 [ 57 ]

as It lies in the Book, and from hence I think it

plainly appears, that the Phyfician's of thofe

Times, who were well acquainted with the Efficacy
of this Remedy, and undcrflood how Age might
be benefited by Youth.
The famous Monk Roger Bacon, whom I have
cited before, in his Treatife of the Cure of old
Age, has a large Chapter upon this Subjeft •,

though, as he wrote to a Pope, and in an Age

no ways favourable to him or his Difcoveries, he
thought proper to conceal what he admits to be
the moft Efficacious Medicine, it was in his Power
to prefer i be, under fuch dark and obfcure Terms,
that few I believe have reached his true Mean-
ing. It may perhaps, be fufpeded that I have
deceived myfelf, and that having this Notion in
my Head, I have found in Bacon's^ Worlds, Things
that were never there ; for which Reafon, as well

as becaufe I can offer nothing more curious, or

more pertinent of my own, I will cite as much of
his Book, as relates to this Subjed, and leave it to

my Reader to decide how far I do, or do not, do

him Juftice by my Comment.
" I have read many Volumes of the Wife, I
" find few Things in Phyfic which reftore the
" natural Heat, weakned by Diffolution of the in-
" nate Moifture, or increafe of a foreign One.

H But

^ R. Bacon. De Prolcrgatione Vitse. c. xii.

 [58]
*'
But certain, wife Men have tacitly made men-
" tion of fome Medicines, which is likened to
**
that which soes out of the Mine of the noble
•' Force
Animal, they affirm, that in it there is a
*' and Virtue, which reftores and encreafcs the
" natural Heat. As to its Difpofition, they fay,
*'its Hke Youth itfelf, and contains an equal and

" temperate Complexion ; and the Signs of a

" temperate Complexion in Men, are, when their
*'
Colour is made up of White and Red, when
*' the Hair is yellow inclining to Rednefs and
*' Curling. According to Pliny, when the Flefh
" is moderate, both in Quality and Quantity
" when a Man's Dreams are delightful ; his Coun-
*'
tenance chearful and pleafant, and when in his

" Appetite of Eating and Drinking he is mode-

*' rate. This Medicine indeed, is like to fuch a
" Complexion ; for its of a moderate heat, its

" Fume is temperate and fwect, and grateful to

" the Smell ; when it departs from this Tem-
" perarure, it departs fo far from its Virtue and
" Goodnels. This Medicine doth therefore tem-
" perately heat, becaufe it is temperately hot ; it
" therefore heals, becaufe it is whole. When it

*' is Sick, it makes a Man Sick. When it is

*' Diftempered, it breeds Diflempers, and chan-

" geth the Body to its own Difpofition, becaufe
" of the fimilinide it hath with the Body.
" For
 '*
For the Infirmity of a brute Animal, rarely
*' pafTeth into Man, but into another Animal of
" the fame Kind. Bat the Infirmity of a Man,
'*
pafTeth into Man, and fo doth Health, becaufe
*'
of likenefs. Know moft Gracious Prince! that
*'
in this, there is a great Secret. For Galen faith,
" that whatever is difToIved from any Thing, it
" mufl of necefHty be afTimilated to that Thing,
" as is manifeft in Difeafes palilng from one to
" another fuch as Weaknefs of the Eyes, and
;

" Pefbilential Difeafes. This Thing hath an ad-

" mirable Property, for it doth not only render
*'
human Bodies £ife from Corruption, but it

" defends alfo the Bodies of Plants from Putre-

" faflion. This Thing is feldom found, and
" although fometimes it be found, yet it cannot
" commodioufly be had of all Men. And inflead
" of it, the Wife do ufe that Medicine which is
" in the Bowels of the Earth, complete and pre-
" pared, and that which fwims in the Sea, and
" that which is the fquare Stone of the noble Ani-
" mal j fo that every Part may be free from die
" Infection of another. But if that Stone cannot
" be acquired, let other Elements feperated, di-
*'
vided, and purified be made ufe of.
*' Now when this Thing is like to Youth that
" is of temperate Complexion, it hath good Ope-
" rations ; if its Temperature be better, it pro-
" duceth better Eifedts ; fometimes it is even in
H 2 '* the
** the highefl Degree of its Perfedlion, and then
" it operates beft, and then there is that Property
*'
whereof we have fpoken of before. This differs
" from other Medicines and Nutriments, which
" Heat and Moiften after a certain temperate
" Manner, and are good for old Men. For other
*' Medicines principally Heat and Moiften the
" Body ; and Secondairly, they ftrengthen the
" native Heat ; but this doth principally ftrength-
" en the native Heat, and after that, refrefhes the
" Body by moiftning and heating it. For it re-
" duces this heat in old Men, who have it but
" weakly and deficient, to a certain ftronger and
''
more vehement Power. If a Plaifter be made
**
hereof, and applied to the Stomach, it will help
" very much, for it will refrefh the Stomach
" itfelf, and excite an Appetite-, it will very highly

" recreate an old Man, and change him to a kind

" of Youth, and will make Complexions by what
" means foever depraved or corrupted better.
" Many wife Men have fpoken but little of
" this Thing, they have indeed laid down another
''
Thing like it, as Galen in his fifth Book of
" fimple Medicines, and Johannes Damafcenus^
" in his Aphorifms. But it is to be obferved,

" that Venus doth weaken and demolilh the Power

" and Virtue of this Thing-, and it is very likely
<* that the Son of the Prince, in his fecond Canon
" of Simple Medicines, fpoke of the Thing,
" where
 [5i ]
** where he fiith, that there is a certain Medicine
" concealed by wife Men, Jeafl the incontinent
" Ihould offend their Creator. There is fuch a
" Heat in this Thing, as in young Men of a
*'
found Complexion, and if I durft declare the
" Properties of this Heat, this moft hidden Se-
" cret fhould prefently be revealed. For this
" Heat doth help the Palfical, it reftores and
" preferves the wafl-ed Strength of the Native
" Heat, caufeth it to flourifh in all the Members,
" and gently revives the Aged." Thefe are pre-
cifely the Words of Fryar Bacon ; the Thing now
to be confidered is, whether we have rightly in-

terpreted them, or whether they are capable of

any jufter, and more natural Senfe, which after a

few Refledlions on the Motives which have de-
termined us, (hall be left to the Reader's Judg-
ment.
Some have entertained an Opinion, that this

myfterious Preparation was no other than the

Quintefience of human Blood •, but whoever con-
fiders the Defcription of it in all its Parts, will

eafily difcern, that it can be no fuch Thing, fince

the Odour or Scent of it is recommended on Ac-
count of its grateful Sweetnels; befides, Qiiinteffen-

ces are taken inwardly, whereas, he diredls the Me-

dicine to be applied as a Plaifter to the Stomach,

and indeed the other Marks agree with fuch a

Quinteffence as ill as this. Others have believed,
that
 [62 ]
that our Author intended here to defcribe a kind
of precious Stone, but fuch mud be abfolutely un-
acquainted with his manner of Writing ; for he is

no affefler of Mifteries, in order to flrike his

Reader with Amazement, or to raife his own Re-
putation, both of thefe Things he juftly contemn-
ed. His Obfcurity proceeds from this, that at

the Time he wrote, he was in Prifon for writing

againft the Philofophy that was then current, and
he addrefs'd this Book to Pope Nicholas IV. his

Profecutor, in order to obtain his Pardon ; but be-

ing doubtful how far it would operate, he was
very cautious in Writing, that he might not
afford room for a fecond Accufation, of laying
Things fecret in their Nature open to vulgar Ca-
pacities. Now, if be was here defcribing a pre-
cious Stone, why fhould he talk fo darkly ? This

certainly did not require fo much Pains to be ta-

ken to hide it, and fo far would fuch a dark Ac-

count have been from ferving his Purpofe, that
it would have been vifibly contrary to his Defign,

by leaving Room for extraordinary Conjeftures,

where, without the leaft Danger he might have

fpoken out. Whereas, if our Interpretation be
admitted, there was the utmoft Reafon for all

this Caution ; his Apology is perfectly reafonable,

and all the Doubtings and Hefiitations that are

thrown in, appear fo many modeft Excufes, very

artfully and very properly placed.

Let
 [ «53 ]
Let us confider this Defcription of Bacon's^

and compare it with the Pidlure drawn by the

Hand of a Greater, and ftill more knowing Man,
and we Ihall be apt to think that we hear Solcmon
defcribing the lovely Shunamite. Look upon Bacon^s
Words again, and imagine the thin Veil to be

removed ; you will then fee the perfedt Figure of

this Damfel that was very Fair •, you will difcern
the Rofe of Sharon^ and the Lilly of Damafcus ;

her Hair like Purple, in curling Locks ; her two

young Roes that are Twins, feeding among Lillies;

her Head filled with the Dew, and her Locks with

the Drops of the N ight ; her Countenance fair as

the Moon, clear as the Sun ; her Fruit fweet to

the Tafte, as llie fets under the Shadow with great
Delight ; her Spikenard and chief Spices, while
the South Wind blows upon her Garden, that the
Spices thereof may blow ; her Well of living Wa-
ters, and Streams of Lebanon ; and here the faireft

among Women is wounded by the Watchmen,

and then her Beloved departs.
This Commentary fufficiently explains the
Text, but to put it beyond Doubt, and to apply
all this effectually to my Subjed, I fhall touch
gently on two or three remarkable Paflages. In the
firfl Place, our Author fays, that this Medicine is

liken'd to that which goes out of the Mine of the

noble Animal, and what can this Mine be, but
Woman, in whom, as in a Mine, the noble Ani-
mal
 [ 64]
mal is formed. Then again, our Author fays,

the Infirmity of a brute Animal rarely pafTes into

Man, but into another Animal of the fame Kind ;

but the Infirmity of a Man, pafTcs into Man, and

fo does Health becaufe of Likenefs. Here he lays

open a great Secret in Philofophy, viz. That

there is a Sympathy in Health, as well as Con-

tagion in Difeafc, and that as a Morbid Breath

infedts, fo a wholefome one may exhilerate. Ta-
ken in this Senfe, nothing can be eafier, plainer,

or more rational, nor is there any other Senfe,

the Words litterally taken, can bear. The laft

Paflage I fhall remark is, when he obferves, that

Venus weakens and diminifhes the Power and Vir-

tue of this Remedy. How exaftly does this agree

with the pertinent Refleftion of the Author of the

Book of Kings, when repeating the Ufes David

made of Ahijhag -, he fays, with a particular Em-

phafis, but the King knew her not ? A young Vir-
gin taken in this Manner, recalls Heat and Life
into an old Man ; but if forgetting that this is a
temporary and artificial Vigour, he ufes it as if it

were a natural One ; he may indeed give Life to

another, but it will be at the Expence of his own.
When thefe Exploits are related to us as Marks of
old Men's Vigour, we fhould fet them down as

Marks of their Folly too ; for as Solomon fays, that

there is a Time to be born^ and a 'iime to die\

fo
 r «i]
fo Nature and true PhiJofophy teaches, that there
is a Time to beger^ and a Time to abllain from be-
getting.

I will take the Liberty alfo of drawing fome

Advantage even from the lecond Objedlion, fmcc,
with refpedl to Eqjlern Princes, though it be true
that moft of them die early, yet is it no lefs true,

that where they do not die violent Deaths, they

frequently live to a great Age ; as for Inftance,

Shah Abbas, and Aurengzebe. Now, if we confider

the immenfe Fatigues of thefe Monarchs, the

many Battles they fought ; the tedious Marches
they made; the variety of Dangers they run
through, and the vaft Expence of Spirits that a
Life of fuch continued A6tion, fuch intenfe

Thought mud occtfion ; it will not be eafy to find

in a Country, where the Art of Phyfic is far from
being fo perfeft, as it is even in Europe : I fay it

will be hard to find in fuch Places^ any Medicine

capable of producing fo extraordinary Effedl, if
we exclude this of which I am fpeaking. For
though I am very doubtful, and therefore lay no
Strefs on the Wholefomenefs of the Breath of
"Women ; yetj in the Seraglios of fuch Princes,

there are always fo many Virgins, and thefe of

fuch near accefs to the Perfon of the Prince, that
I cannot but apprehend his Vigour and Health, to
be greatly fupported by thefe odoriferous Streams

I of
 [66]
of falutary Air. I cannot help adding what feems
to be ftill a ftronger Argument in Favour of
my Suppofition, and that is, that the Arab Prin-
ces fcattered through the Dominions of the Grand
Signior, who are lefs expofed to foreign Wars,
or domeftic Intrigues, than other oriental Princes,
aftualJy hve beyond the ordinary Age of Man, and
die at laft as every Man ought to die, becaufe their
Blood can run no longer. At leaft, I have a right
to make ufe of a Circumftance fo probable as this

is, in fupport of my Opinion, when it is thought

reafonable to take a Fadt, which has only a fuper-.
ficial refemblance to the Cafe I have flated, as a
fufficient ground for an Objedlion againft the
Pofition I am endeavouring to make good ; Pro-
bability is certainly nearer a-kinpto Evidence, than

a bare Similitude of Circumftances, which vanilhes

upon a ftrift Examination.
After thefe Excurfions, let us return to a

more (lri(5t Examination of our Subjed : I have

already fhewn how the Breath of Virgins may
operate upon old Men, when mix*d with the com-
mon Air, and fo refpired by them. But let us
confider a little, whether thefe numerous and
fubtile Effluvia may not operate fome other Way
than this. All Phyficians agree, fince the Doftrine
of the Circulation of the Blood has been eftablifh-

ed, as well as made known to the World, by the

Skill
 [ ^7 ] ,

Skill and Learning of that incomparable EngJiJh'

man Doflor Harvey ^ -, that a great Part of our

Aliments, after entering the Blood, are thrown

out from thence in fo imperceptible a Manner,
that this kind of Evacuation, is very properly ftiled
infenfible Perfpiration. This was firil carefully

examined by San5lorius^ who found that it was far

more confiderable alone, than all the other ani-

mal Secretions taken together ". If this be fo, and

that it is fo, no Man in his Senfes now doubts,

then it follows, that there muft be prodigious

Quantities of the Matter of this infenfible Per-

fpiration, mixed in the Air, furrounding the per-

fpiring Bodies, and confequently this Air, muft be

impregnated ftrongly with the Qualities inherent

to that Matter.

If we pufli this Enquiry ftill further, and la-

bour to make ourfelves acquainted with the Na-

ture of the Particles that are thus thrown off, a
I 2 little

"" Our Author alludes here to the remarkable Felicity of

Dodlor Harvey, who firft found out, and then fully demon-
ftrated the Doftrine of the Circulation of the Blood, which
was at firft as moft new Inventions are, oppofed with great
Heat and Spleen ; but came at laft to be as generally received
and admired, as it deferves. Dodlor Harvey died in 16^7,
thirty Years after he firft publiftied his Difcovery ; in his Ex-
ercitatio Anatomica de motu cordis. Printed at Francfort,
in 1627.
" See his famous Treatife de Medicina Statica, which the

Englifh Reader may confult in his own Language, Tranflated

by the judicious and indefatigable Dr. Quincy.
 [ 68 3
little Attention will make that Matter plain. For
fince infcnfible Perfpiration is owing to the Circu-

lation of the Blood, it neceffarily follows, that

the Particles thrown off by the Blood, mufb par-

ticipate of the Nature of that Fluid from which

they are thrown off. Now we know the Blood of
young People to be foft, oily, and balfamic, as
well as we can know any Thing, becaufe this ap-
pears to us from its Effeds, which are a brifk and
lively DLfpofition ; perfedl Health, and quick
Growth, to all which, a Blood thus conftituted,
is abfolutely neceffary. Upon thefe Principles, it

is plain, that the Matter perfpired by young

People in fuch Circumftances, as I have fuppofed
the Pupils of Htrmippus to be, muft have all the
Qualities of their Blood, and be a foft, fmooth,
flippery, balfamic Steam, continually flowing from
their Bodies, and as they are conflantly drawing
in the Circumambient Air, and continually throw-
ing off this Matter, they muft, in the compafs of
a few Hours, abfolutely change the whole Mafs of
Air, in a Room where they are taught by their

Preceptor, who in that Cafe, will receive into

himlelf a large Proportion of this perfpirable

Matter, in the fame Manner that it is thrown off
by them.
There are many People, I know, who will

be apt to treat this Part pf my Difcourfe as Whim-

fical
 [ h ]

fical and Chimerical, and for this very Reafon, I

have not infifted upon it fo largely as I might have

done, or in fuch ftrong and dired Terms. I might
have entered nicely into the Computations that
have been made of the Quantity of Matter thrown
Way, and from thence I might have
off in this

deduced many Curious, and to competent Judges,

convincing Proofs; buti aff«j6l not this critical kind
of Writing, which might poflibly deprive me of
a great Number of Readers, and fecare the Affent
only of thofe who are leaft likely to carry this

Doflrine into Pradice. But let me have leave to

obferve, that what I have laid down, is an indif-
putable Fadl, and not among the Number of thofe
about which much has been written, and nothing
fettled. San^orius who firft treated this Matter ju-

dicioufly, and pradtically, had the Honour to per-

fedb his Difcovery, and to carry, the Matter as far

as it could go, and this in the beft Method, I

mean that of Experiments ; for he had a Chair
fixed on a Ballance, and in fuch a Manner accom-
modated with Springs, as to difcover the flighteft

Alteration in his Weight. By the Ufe of this

Chair, and by conftant Obfervation of what he

Eat, Drank, Perfpired, and Evacuated every
other Way ; he came at the certain Knowlege of
what he has delivered, and therefore we may with
the utmolu Confidence, believe, that at leaft, one
Jialf of what we eat or drink, after pafling through
the
 [70]
the Blood, is thrown off in the way I have defcri-
bed°.
A very ingenious Frenchman, to whom the
World is indebted, for as profitable, and at the

fame time as pleafant a Work, as any publifhed of

late Years, has endeavoured to illuftrate this Doc-
trine by a very well contrived Fidtion, which I will

repeat to the Reader, becaufe nothing can ferve

my Purpofe better, as I am perfuaded nothing can
entertain him more p. " The Day after our Ar-
" rival at London, feveral Trade fmen came to our
** Lodgings, in order to fell us the Commodities
*' and Curiofities of their Country. Every one
" of the Company fixed readily his Attention on
*' what pleafed him moft. Some bought Gloves,
** others Ribbans, and others Silk Stockings ; the
" Merchandize which fell to my Share, was feve-
*' ral Perfpe6tive GlafTes and Microfcopes. He
" who fold them, was an excellent Mathemati-
" cian, a Man of great Capacity, and could fpeak
" Frouh tollerable well. I kept him to Dinner,
" and

°We muft confider, in reafoning upon this Subjeft that

Sanftorius wrote in Italy, where the Perfpiration may be
reafonably fuppofed much greater than in Northern Countries,
which our Author was aware of, and has made a proper
Dedudlion.
Melanges d'HiftoIre et de Litterature par M. de Vigneul-
P

Marville. Tom. ii. p. 461. It may rot be amifs to obferve,

that this is not the true Name of the Author of that curious
Book, but one, under which he chofe to hide it, on Account
of feme freeCenfures contained in that diverting Mifcellany.
 [71]
" and as he was mighty well pleafed with the En-
" tertainment, he told me after he nofe from
" Table, that he had a great Curiofity to (hew
'' me. He then took out of a Shagreen Box, an
*' Inftrument in a Tortoifheil Cafe, which proved
*' moft excellent Microfcope.
to be a I may well
*' beftow this Epithet upon it, fince it was fo excel-
" lent, asnot only todifcoveran infinity of Bodies
'' impercitible to the naked Eye, but even the
" Atoms o^ Epicurus, the fubtile Matter ofDefcar-
*' tes, the Vapours of the Earth, thofe which
" flow from our own Bodies, and fuch as derive
*'
to us here the Influence of the Stars.
" The firfl: Experiment I made, was Jookincr
'' on the Perfon from whom I reciev'd it, at the
" Difl:ance of four or five Paces, which gave me
*' an Opportunity of difcerning an infinite Num-
" ber of little Worms, that were feeding molt
*« voracioufly upon his Cloaths, by which I per-
*' ceived, that contrary to the common Opinion,
*' it is not we who wear out our Cloaths, but they
** are fairly eaten off our Backs, by thefe invifible
*' Infedls ; I changed my Situation, and confider-
'' ing my Mathematician in anotlier light, he
" appeared to me inveloped in a dark Cloud. He
'* told me, that this Appearance was owing to
" his Perfpiring fl:rongly after Dinner, and that
[^ this ought to convince me of the Truth of
" what
^' what San5forhis had delivered in refpeft to the
•' Proportions, between this and other Secretions,
" We next went into the Kitchen, where there
*' was a large piece of Beef roafting for the Ser-
" vants, and I had the Pleafureof feeing with the
*' fame Microfcope, how the fire feperates all the
*' Parts of the Wood, upon which it ads and
*' darts them by the Violence of its Motion againfl
*' the Beef that turns before it, wounding it as it
•' were witii an infinite Number of Shafts, and fo
*' tearing fome of which are convert-
it to Pieces,
*' ed into Juice, and others into a delicate kind
" of Smoke or Vapour, which filled the Kitchen,
*' and was very fenfibly diftinguilhed by our
« Noftrils.
*' Going out of the Houfe, we faw four young
" Men playing at Ball. I, at firft Sight, felt a
*' ftrong Inclination in Favour of one, and as
*'
ftrong an Averfion againft another, whence I
*' began earneftly to wifh that this might win, and
!' that might lofe. I examined both with the Mi-
" crofcope, and thereby eafily diftinguifhed the
" Source of thefe Paflions. As the Men were
" extreamly heated with their Exercife, they per-
•' fpired ftrongly, fo that clouds of the Matter flow-
** ing from them, reached us. My Glafs fhewed
*' me diftindlly, that the Matter perfpired by him
*' for whom I had an Inclination, v/as exaflly

" fimilar to what was perfpired by myfelfj where

as^
 [ 73, ]
^ '
as, the Matter flowing from the other Perfon,
" was ablblutely unlike to mine in all relptcls, and
" (o jagged and bearded, that it feemed to wound
" and pierce me like ib many Arrows. Hence I
" difcerned, that the true Caufeof our fudden In-
" clinations and Averfions, confifts in the Figures
" of the Matter perfpiring from us, and from
" others, and in the Union or Contrariety of thefe
" infenfible Vapours.
" W E went out of the City, and at fome
*'
Miles diftance, v/e faw fome Gentlemen di-

" verting themfelves in Courfing a Hare ; as

" the poor Creature palTed almoft clofe by us, I
" had juft Time to catch a Glance of her with
" my Glafs. She appeared to me like a Ball of
" Fire, moving with prodigious Rapidity, and
" leaving a mighty Smoke behind her. This was
" the Matter perfpired by the Animal, and I faw
" that the Dogs followed exadlly the Track of
*'
that Smoke, and were never at all at a Lofs,
" except when the Wind diflipated the Cloud
" that ilTued from the flying Hare.**
In this Ihort Account, our Author very in^

genioufly rallies fuch as expeft to have occular

Demonfl:ration of Things, that do not admit of
any fuch Evidence. His Microlcope is nothing
more than an Invention to cenfure their Folly,

and to expofe the Madnefs of having that verified

to the Senfes, which can only be apprehended by

K Reafon 5
 [ 74 1
Reafon •, yet this kind of Weaknefs ftill prevails
in the World, and I dare fay, there is many a
Reader who wjuld laugh at the Story of the
Hare, as an abfolute Fidtion, and afterwards blufh
to fee the fame Thing gravely laid down by fo

judicious, fo intelligent a Perfon, as the great Boer-

haavc ^. There feems to be nothing more unin-

telligible or abfurd, than to alTert that there are
Things which are continually lofmg part of their

Weight, and yet never grow difcernibly lighter ;

and yet this we fee in the Cafe of the Antimo-

nial Cup, which when five hundred Times made
Ufe of, and after bellowing an Emetic Quality
on five hundred GlafTes of Wine, remains juft as

heavy as it was at firft: We may fay the lame

Thing of the Odoriferous Effluvia of Ambergreale,

and the lefs agreeable Steam of AflafEEtida. None

of thefe Things can be brought under the Cogni-
zance of all our Senfes, it is fufficient to convince
our

^ See his Chymidry, vol. i. p. 151. wherein his Words are

thus tranflated. The moll fubtile Part of the Juices of Ani-

mals is a fine Spirit, which is continually exhaling, wherein
the proper Charafter of the Animal feems to refide, and where-
by it is diAinguifhed from all others. This we may infer from
Hounds, which through a long Traft of Ground, and a
Multitude of crofs Treads, will diftinguifti a particular Animal
out of a whole Flock ; the Effluvia of whofe Footrteps it had
lately fcented, or will f.ud out their
Mafter throus^h an hun-
dred crofs Ways, in the iVIiddlc of a confufeu Concourfe of
People. By this we may infer, how thin and fubtile, yet how
difierent from all other Kinds of Bodies thefe Effluvia muft
be. They feem of an oily Origin, or to refide in a fubtile
Vehicle of an oily Kind, as may appear both from the Analogy
»f Things and other Properties.
 I 7S 1

our Reaibn if they fall under any one of them.

For Inftance, if I plainly difcern the Smell of a

Rofe at a certain Diftance ; my Reafon will tell

me, that I am within the Atmofphere of that

Flower, becaufe it is impoffible that I fhould dif-

cern its Odour by the Smell, if its Effluvia did

not flrike the proper Organ of that Senfe in me.

Hence, with a little Refledlion, I can eafily form

a Notion of this Flower, perfpiring an infinite

Number of Odoriferous Particles, which for a

certain Diftance, fo much overcome all the other

different Sorts of Matter floating in the Air, as to

become many Objeds of my Senfe of fmelling .

fo

But now, if we take this the other Way, and

confidcr a Body continually perfpiring fuch a Mat-

ter as is infenfible to us, that is. Particles fo fubtile

as to efcape the Cognizance of all our Organs of

Senfation, we muft be extreamly dull of Appre-
henfion, if we do not conceive, that this perfpir-

ing Body muft have its Atmofphere, as well as

the Rofe, or any other fragrant Flower. It is,

therefore, I think, a Point fet paft all Difpute,

that if a Number of Virgins are in the Company
of an old Man, he muft derive from them into
himfdf a great Quantity of that fubtile Matter,

the Qualities of which have been before defcribcd,

K 2 and

' See a Multitude of thefe Inftances colle^ed, and properly^

applied in Mr. Boyle's curious Treatife upon Gems.
 [ 7« ]

and efpecially if we confider, that as thefe Effluvia

efcape througli the Pores, the Pores muft confe-

quently be continually open, and if fo, they muft

imbibe from without, as well as give Paflage to
what comes from within.
I doubt this will appear a new Paradox to
many of my Readers, and methinks I fee fome of
them ready to throw my Treatife out of their

Hands, and crying with an Air of Self-fufficiency

and Difdain ; this poor Man is mad himfelf, and
would fain make us fo. But Patience a little, give

me leave but to propofe a few familiar Queftions,

and I will defy you to di(believe what I had laid

down. Is there any Thing more common, than

to find a Stranguary enfue upon the Application of
a Blifter, and yet how can this happen, if the

Particles of the Cantharides did not enter through

the Pores, and thereby create a diverfion of that Salt

watry Fluid, which is ufually fecreted by the Kid-

neys, and compofes what we call Urine. On the o-

thcr Hand, it is a thing certain, that Opium ufed in

a Plaifter, will procure Sleep, which it could not

pofTibly do, if in like manner it did not find a Paf-
fage through the Pores into the Blood: I might like-

wife take Notice of an Effedt that frequently, if not

conftantly, refults from the Application of a Catap-
lafm of Camomile to the Stomach, the bitter tafle

of which Herb, in the Space of two Hours, is dil-

cerned on the Palate. I will mention one Inftance

'
morcj
 t 77 1
more, which is at once fo ftrong, and fo common,
as to put the matter quite out of Difpute; I mean
the ordinary Method of raifing S.ilivations by Unc-
tion ; for whoever confiders this attentively, mud
be fenfible, that the Body may be very flrongly

affe61ei by Things that enter only through the

^'
Pores
I cannot help taking Notice of a very fingular
PafTage in a French Hiftorian, whofe Charadler is

perfeclly well eftablifhed, and which PafTage in

my Apprehenfion, may contribute not a little to

render all that I have aflerted equally Credible and

Clear. This Author tells us ^ that in the Year
1346, there broke out of the Earth in Cathay,

which is that part of Great Tartary^ bordering upon

China, a certain Vapour, fo prodigioufly (linking,
as to deftroy all living Creatures. This, like a
fubterraneous Fire, after it once efcaped, rolled
over two hundred Leagues of Country, devour-
ing even the very Trees and Stones, and afFedled
the Air in a wonderful Manner. From Cathay,
it pafied through Jfia and Greece^ from thence it

crolTed over into Africa, and after ravaging that

Country, it entered £«r^^ in 1348, making fuch
Havock

^ The Montpelier way of Salivating is flill a ftronger Proof

of this, fince it argues, that this Method of rainng it, is fafer,
more equal and better adapted to the Ends it is to anfwer,
than that of taking Things by the IMouth.
* Abrcge Chronologique de TKiftoire,
de France par le Sieur
de Mezeray, Tom. iii, p. 32.
 [ 78 !
Havock in France, that not fo much as a City,
Village, or fingle Houfe efcaped, and from thence
it paflfed into other Countries, fo as to reach even

the utmoft Extremities of the North ; the Venom,

lays my Author, was fo Contagious, as to infed
even by the Sight. It was remarked, that it con-
tinued exactly five Months in every Country
through which it pafled. In thofe Places where
it was moil favourable, it left only a third of the
Inhabitants, in moft about a fifteenth, in fome not
above a twentieth Part. Can one concieve that

an Exhalation fiiould pafs quite round the Globe,

and produce fuch terrible Effects wherever it came,
and fhall we believe that Exhalations that are con-

tinually furrounding us, (hall have no Effe<5t at all ?

Or ought we to apprehend, that if fuch dreadful

Feats can be wrought by {linking and noxious Ex-
halations, there is nothing nutritive or Salutary to
be performed by thofe of an oppofite kind ? I mull
confefs, that I fee no ground for fuch a belief.

There is undoubtedly, as the Learned Bacon

lays it down, a healthy Sympathy, as well as a mor-
bid Infedion " ; and as in Spight of all the Care and
Caution we can take, we find it extreamly hard
to

"See p. 64. in the Quotation from Bacon. If this Argu-

ment be not allowed, it will be hard to aflign any Rational
Caufe, why one Place (hould be more Healthy thm another ;
and to underlbnd this Dodrine perfedlly. the Reader ought to
cQnfuIt Mr. Boyle's Treatife of the Wholefomenefs and Un-
wholefomnefs of the Air
 t 7P ]

to guard againfl, and to ward off the latter •, lb

by a Parity of Reafon, it fliould feem, that of all

the Methods contributing to Health, the former

ought to prove the moft efficacious : That is to

fay, we think there is no way hitherto laid down
for preferving the Vigour of the Body, and there-
by fecuring fuch a Supply of animal Spirit^ as

may fupport the Dominion of the Soul, in its full

extent and aftivity, fo feafible as this; which is

fuggefted to be the Source of the Longevity, and

Healthfulnefs of Hermippus. For if infenfible Per-
fpiration be made through the Pores, fo that there
is a continual Steam tranfpiring from every Body,
then it follows, that Man is con-
where an old
flandy attended by many young Women, his
Body muft be furrounded with an infinite Quan-
tity of the perfpirable Matter flowing from them ;

and if on the other Hand, he not only perfpircs

through the Pores, but alfo receives by them as

has been already demonflrated, the lineft and moft

Spirituous Particles of other Bodies into his own,
then it is very evident, that fuch an old Man muft
be, as I obferved before, in fuch a Situation, as

will enable him to draw the greateft pofTible Bene-

fit from this moft comfortable Medicine.

The more ftriftly weconfider the Structure of
the human Body, and the certain Caufes of Health

and Sicknefs, the more Reafon we fliall find to be

fatisfied with, and to acquiefce in the Syftem wc

have
 [ 8o ]
have laid down. Reafon and Experiefice have
convinced us, diat the Body is a Pneumatico-hy-

drauHc Machiiit-, compoled of Fluids and Solids,

and that a good Conftitution, or healthy Difpo-
fition nrifes from the proper Motion of the one,
and a due Circulation of the other. It is alfo, no
lefs certain, that this Motion, and this Circulation

depend reciprocally on each other. For as the Cir-

culation is obilrudted, lefifened, and in fome meafure

flopped from the want of a proper Motion of the
Solids, occafioned by their Lofs of the true Tone
and Texture which they ought to have -, fo this very
Lofs on the other Hand, arifes from their not re-

ceiving a timely and fuitable Supply of Nutrition

from the circulating Juices '\ Hence that drynefs,

ftiffnefs, and rigidity of the Fibres, which pro-

perly caufes the Difeafe, we call old Age, to pre-

vent which, in a natural, rational, and phyfical

Way, the only proper Method is, to provide a

conftant, equal, and effectual Supply of fmooth

Balfamic and Lubricating Particles from the cir-

culating Fluids. If this could once be done, it

is, I think, very apparent, that old Age could no

more attack the human Body, than any other Dif-
eafe, againft which, proper Precautions may be
taken. But, as it is nor to be expefled that hu-
man Wifdom Ihould be able to perfed: fuch a Me-
thod,

'^
Boerhaav. Inftit. Medic. § 1053, 1054.
 [ 8i ]

thod, all that we can reafonably hope for, is, to

arrive at fome Proficiency therein ; Co that though

we are not able to prevent old Age, we may have
it at lead in our Power to retard it. It is in a
Manner incredible, that by Art, a Man fliould be
ible to reach two or three Hundred ; but that he
fhould live and enjoy Life to upwards of an Hun-
dred ; the wifeft of the Antients believed, and the

Methods they prefcribed and pradlifed for this

Purpofe, are all founded upon my Principals, as

appears from their ufe of Friflions, Baths, and

Ointments, all of which had been idle ^:\d im-
proper, it they had not conceived u poffible to

charge the Fluids, by means of them, with fuch

Particles as were fit to repair the Lofles of the

Solids ".

HERMIPPUS undoubtedly made ufe of a far

more rational, as well as efficacious Medicine. For

we have proved by all the Methods, that the
Nature of our Argument will allow the Particles

refpired and perfpired by young Perfons in full

Health, to be the fmootheft, fof'teft, and mofi:

Nutritive that can be conceived. On the other

Hand, Method he took

the in applying thefe, not
only by receiving them in the Air every Time
L he

^ Inftead of citing Phvficians, I ihall refer the Re; '^ r to

Plutarch's learned Treatiie on Health and long Life, where, in
a narrow Compafs, he wjII fee the Senfe of the beft Writers in
Antiquity on this SubJ€»S.
 [ 8i 3
he drew Breath, but drawing them alfo in through
all the Pores of his Body, by that Sort of animal
A<5lion, which is in in a manner Spontaneous, muft
have encreafed their Effe6ls, and taking this alto-

gether, one cannot help confidering him as a Perfon

in a conftant warm Bath, of the moft fpirituous and
undtuous Humours, which were continually per-
vading him, at the fame Time, that by the Va-
pours of the young Peoples Breaths, he drank not
fo much Air as Life. But if we will add one
Circumftance further, and that not at all forced
and improbable, viz. That he caufed fome of thefe

young People to lie with him, as David did

Jbifiag ; we Ihall then carry the Medicine to its

higheft Pitch, and fhall eafily apprehend, that du-

ring that Time of free and copious Perfpiration,
he muft have received fuch a large fupply of Nu-
tritive Spirits, as effedtually refrefhed his Nature,
and reftored in a great meafure that wafte which is

occafioned by performing the ordinary Funflions

of Life >'.

We may add the laft Degree of Force to this

Manner of Reafoning, if we may be permitted to

argue from Contraries. What is more common

than

y Opinions of many learned Phyficians might have been

The
cited in fupportof this Dodtrine, if we had not been afraid of
tiring the Reader too much ; but if he is extreamly Inquid-
tive, he may confult the following Writers. Chriftian. Forman.
de Fafcinat. Magic, p. 1014. Borellus Cent. iii. Obfervat.
z8 Lan. de motu Tranfpirat. lib, ii, cap. ii. prop. iv. p.
56.
 [ 83 ]
than to fee a Woman advanced in Years, grow
not only brifk and lively, but ftrong and healthy,
by marrying a young Hufband. She drinks his

Breath, exhales his Spirits, extradls his Moifture,

and thereby invigorates herfelf, while the poor
Man fuffers from the impure Contagion of her
Breath and Vapours, and from the Malignity of
this ill-chofen Union, finks very quickly into ap-

parent Weaknefs, and falls at laft into what the

common People call a Galloping Confumption,
Strange ! that the Death of a young Man Ihould
refult from his Marriage with an old Woman, and
that the taking of a young Wife fhould repair the

Wafte, and prolong the Life of an old Man ^.

Yet, fo it is, and upon this Subject I will venture

to fet down a remarkable In fiance from the Writ-
ings of an unexceptionable Witnefs, one, whofe
repute for Veracity is as well eflablifhed, as his

Fame, for Learning in general, and for his par-

ticular Skill in Phyfic.

The Perfon I mean is, Peter Lotkhitis, and the

Example he gives us, this. A Man, upwards of
eighty Years old, married, after the Lois of his
firft Wife, a fecqnd, who was but twenty-five j

when they had been married about a Year, he

L 2 fell

* The Author
has very judicioufly omitted any Inftance of
thisKind, probably for two Reafons ; firft, becaufe c^^ery
Man's Memory may fupply him with Examples } and fecondly,
to avoid faying too much on a Subject oifcnfive to the F^ir
Sex.
 [ 84 ]
fell Into a very extraordinary and dangerous Dif-
temper ; he grew at laft (o weak and low, that

his Cafe was judged to be defperate. By Degrees,

however, he grew better, and as his Strength en-

creafed, his grey Hair and white Beard fell off

gradually, and his Skin likewife began to peel ; foon

after, a light, flrong Hair began to peep through
the Skin of his Head, which in time fell down to
his Shoulders, in flrong natural Curls. His Beard
came in the fame Manner, and his Face acquired
a beautiful and florid Complexion ; in a Word, he
became again a found, lufty, and if the Exprcflion

may be allowed, a young Man, which his Wife

was forced to atteft, fmce /he had by him after-

wards feveral fine Boys ^ This is an Inflance

much to my Purpofe, fince it proves the pro-
digious Efficacy of human Breath, and the Matter
perfpired by a juveniel Body. Yet, give me leave

to obiLrve, that this extraordinary Effort of Na-

ture might poffibly contribute to fhorten the old

Man's who without the Enjoyment of this

Life,

young Women, might have preferved his Confti-

tution many Years, and have li-ved in the perfect

Fruition of thofe Pkafures peculiar to the Mind,

and for the Enjoyment of which it feems moft
ational, that Life fhould be prolonged.

There

* Obfervat. Medig. lib. iv. Obferv. 3.

 There is fomething of the fame Kind obferve-"
able in the well known Hiftory of the hmomEngUJh
long liver, Thomas Parre, and thefe particulars are
very curioufly diftinguifhed by the great Anatomifl:
Bartholin^ who fet down his Account of him, not
as a curiofity to pleafe Children, but as a fingular

and memorable Fa6l:, worthy of the Attention and

Confideration of Men. This Parre, was born at

Winnington, in the County of 5'^/i'/', in 1485, and

pafled his Youth in very hard Labour, and which
is as remarkable, in Sobriety and Chaftity. At
fourfcore, he married his firft Wife Jane, by
whom he had two Children, neither of which

were long lived, or (hewed any extraordinary

Signs of Strength ; the firft died at the Age of a
Month, and the feeond lived but a few Years.
At an 102 he became enamoured of Katherine
Milton, whom he got with Child and did Pen-
nance in the Church for it. Some Months before
he died, the Earl of Arundd brought him up to
London, and prefented him to King Charles I.

but through the change of Air, and in Living, he

died foon after ; though it was believed he might
have furvived many Years, if he had remained in
his own Country, and led the fame Life he was
wont to do ''. This Man was over-grown with
Hair,

•^
Bartholin. Hifl. Anatom. cent. v. hift. 28. p. 47, 48.
Some accounts make much older, and place his Death
Parre
in 1 65 1 ; I have confuUed his Monument in Weftminfter-Abby,
and
 [ 85]
Hair, and during the latter Part of his Life, flept
very much. In the fame Country lived the famous
Countefs o^ Defmond, whofe Age was unknown to
herfelf, but extreamly well fupported by the Au-
thority of others ; fince from Deeds, Settlements,
and other indifputable Teftimonies, it appeared
clearly, that (he was upwards of an hundred and
forty, according to the Computation of the great
Lord Bacon, who knew her perfonally, and re-

marks this Particularity about her, that (he thrice

changed her Teeth ^ "We have it on the Credit

of Alexander Benedi^ius, that there was a Lady of
his Acq-iaintance, who at the Age of Fourlcore,

had a complete new Sett of Teeth, and though her

Hair had all fallen off before, yet at the fame

Time Ihe cut her Teeth it grew again, of like

Colour and Strength as at firfl ^. Bartholin, the fa-

mous Anatomift, whom I cited before, furnifhes us

not only with another Example, and informs us, it

was procured by Art, but gives us alfo the Receipt

by which it was done, and which he aflurcs us was
no other than an Extrad of black Hellebore, difolv-

ed

and there I find he died on the 15th of November, 1635, Aged

upwards of 152 ; when his Body was opened, his Bowels ap-
peared very Sound, only the Lungs were fomewhat injured,
which was thoughc to be owing to the Groflhefs of the Town
Air, and that he might have lived much longer, if on his firft
Complaint he had been let Blood.
= Verulam. Hilt, vitae et Mortis. Sir Walter Raleigh's Hif-

tory of the World, lib. I. cap. v. §. 5. ^ Donat.

Hilt. Med. mirab. lib. VI. c. 2. p. 300.

 [87]
cd in an infufion of Wine and Rofes^ If I miftake

not, the illuftrious Boyle hath fomething to the

fame Purpofe about the Quintiffence of Balm ^

If we confider thefe extraordinary Relations

attentively, and refle6l on the Weight of Evidence,

with which fome of them, and efpecially thofe of
Pane, and the Countefs of Befmond are fupported,

we muft be fatisfied, that the human Body is a Ma-

chine capable of very extraordinary Changes. For
we ought to confider, that if we are once brought to

believe, that a Woman thrice changeo her Teeth,

it is as clear a Proof of the pofTibility of the Fad, as
if we had twenty other Examples. Now, if there be
a Poffibility of renovating human Nature, why on
the one fide fhould we not Study it? Or why on the
other, fhould this kind of Study be treated as a
vain and fanciful Thing .? If the Office of a Phy-
fician be Honourable ; if there be fomething No-
ble and God-like in curing Difeafes, in flopping

the progrefs of Pain and Mifery, and warding off

the dart of Death for a few Years ; there is cer-

tainly fomething much more excellent in the Art

of renewing the human Body ; fecuring Health

and Vigour, thro' a long courfe of Years ; keep-

ing not only D>iath, but his younger Brethren
Age and Decripednefs, at a diftance. Let us re-

member

« Anatomic, cent. v. hift. 28.

Hift. p. 51. ^ See
his Treatiie on Specific Remedies. As to the Medicine its felf

'..I was contrived by Paracelfus,

 [ 88 7
member upon this occafion, what I have already
cited from the learned Monk Bacon •, what fays he,

if Arijtotle, Plato, Hippocrates and Galen^ were Ig-

norant of this Siicret ; Is that a Proof that we

jfhall not attain it ? Were they not Ignorant of
many other Secrets that are now commonly known
why then fhould we imagine the barrier of Sci-

ence fixed here, rather than any where elfe ? Why

fhould we not find out the means of prolonging
Life, as well as a Method for fquaring the Circle?

Is not the former, of as great Confequence to us

as Men ? Or is the latter, a more ufeful Proof of
the llrength of human Underftanding ? Let us
proceed then ; let us colled and compare (fince

the nature of the thing forbids other Experiments)

fuch Examples as we meet with in authentic Hif-
tories -, and let us in this, as in other Cafes, endea-
vour to convert Hi Pcory into Science, by obferving
nicely the particulars in every Relation, and en-
deavour thereby to trace out the manner of Na-
tures working -, for if this can be once done, we
fhall be foon able to follow her Steps. If Nature at
any time vouchfafes this favour to Men, it follows,

that their Bodies have no incapacity of receiving

it ; that is to fay, if every Man's Body was not fp

conftituted, as to exceed by far the ordinary limits

of Life, it could not pcfilbly happen that any
Man's Life fhould be fo extended.

Father
 Father Maffeus^ who wrote a celebrated
Hiftory of the Indies, which has been always ef-

teem'd a perfedl Model in point of Veracity, as

well as the elegance of its Compofition, giv^s us

the following Account, after having related the

Death of the Sultan of Cambaya, and the conqueft

of his Kingdom by the Poriugutze. " They pre-

'* fented, fays he, at this time to the General, a

" Man born amongft the ancient Gangardsj who

" are now called Bengalar, who was o^ic^ Y. ars of
*'
Age. There were various Circumftances which
•* took from this Accouni all S.ifpicion of Falf-
** hood. In the firft Place^ his Age was coi iir.ncd
•' by a kind of univerlal Tradition^ all the People
*• averring that the oldeft Men in their Intancy
" fpoke of this Man's Age with Aflonifliments
*' and this old Man had then living in his own
" Houfe, a Son of ninety Years old. In the next
*' Place his Ignorance was fo Great, and he was
>* {q abfolutely void of Learning, that this re-

•* moved all ground of Doubt, for by the ftrength

*' of his Memory he was a kind of living Chroni-
" cle, relating diftindlly, and exa6lly, whatever
*' had happened within the Compafs of his Life,
" together with all the Circumftances relating to
*' it. He had often loft and renewed his Tecthy
" his Hair, both on his Head, and Beard, grew
" infenfibly Grey, and then as infenfibly turned
" Black again. The firft Age of his Life he"

M ** paffed
 [ 90 ]
" pafled in Idolatry •, but for the two lafl: Centu-
*'
ries of his Life, had been a Mohammedan. The
" Sultan had allowed him a Penfion for his Sub-
" fiftance, the continuance of which he begged
" from the General ; the fame Motive remaining,
" which had firft induced the King of Cambaya
" to grant him a Subfiftance, that is to fay,
" his great Age, and the extraordinary Circum-
*' ftances that had attended thefe pre-
his Life,
" vailed on the General to grant his Requeft 2."
Thus far Maffeus.

But, as it may be very eafily conceived, that

fo ftrange a Story as this mud have created many-
Enquiries, and have either funk in the World, or
in confequence of thofe Enquiries, received abun-

dance of concurrent Teftimonies. I fhall therefore

beg leave to add fome very remarkable Particulars

in relation to this celebrated Long-liver, from the
Fortugue'zeW^i'^k.Qxw^^ Ferdinand Lopez de Cajiegneda,

who was Hifloriographer Royal. He tells us,

that in the Year 1536, there was a Man prefented
to the Vice-Roy of the Indies, Nunio de Cugna,
who was near 340 Years old. He remembered,
that he had feen the City in which he dwelt, and
which was then one of the mod Populous in the In-
dies^ a very inconfiderable Place. He had changed

his Hair, and recovered his Teeth four Times, and

when

« Hiftoriarum indicarura lib. xi, c. 4.

when the Vice- Roy faw him, his Head and Beard
were black, but the Hair weak and thin. He afier-
ted, that in the Courfe of his Life he had feven hun-
dred Wives, fome of which died, and the reft he
had put away. The King of Portugal caufed a ftrid

Enquire to be made into this matter, and an an-

nual Account of the State of the old Man's Health,
brought him by the returns of the B'leet from India.

This long lived Perfon, was a Native of the King-

dom of Bengala^ and died at the Age of 370^
This Hiftory is in itfelf very curious, founded up-
on good Authority, and therefore tranfcribed from
the Authors I have mentioned, by many curious
and inquifitive Perfons, who were alfo proper

Judges of Cafes of this Nature, and who have

none of them intimated any doubt or fufpicion as

to the matters of Fa6l'. I therefore fubmit it to the

Reader's confideration, whether it be not a mat-

ter worthy of Reflcflion ; that there is a certain

Strength in the human Body, which aflifted by

fome lucky Circumftances, enables it to renovate

its felffometimes Once, as in the cafe mentioned

by Loikbius, fometimes oftner; as in that of the
Countefs of Defmond, who bred all her Teeth

thrice ; and this Native of Bengala^ who changed

his Hair and Teeth four times ; and there is ano-
M 2 ther

^ Hift. Lufitam. lib vili. ' Bartholin. Hift. Ana-

tom. cent. v. hift. 28. p. 46. Camer. hor. Subfis. cent. U. c,
8. p, 278. HakewiU's Apol. p. 168.
 [pi 3
ther Circumftance of which I cannot but take no-
tice, as it favours my Do6trine very much ; that

this Man who lived to an Age much greater than-

^ny, which we have as good Authority, had

fo many Wives, to the Efficacy of whole Breaths,
and the infcnfible Effluvia oi their wholefome
Bodies, I fliould not fcruple to attribute in a great
Mcafurc, his extraordinary Longivity. Thefe !•

fay, are Points which defervc to be conrider*d,

fince if fuch a Power there be in the human Con-
Ititution, we ought not to defpair of finding out
Methods, which may contribute to its manifefting

its fclf more frequently ; which would be certainly

a far greater benefit to Mankind, than the bare

Study of the proper Remedies for ufual and com-

mon Diftempers, Let me add, that perhaps if

fuch a M.thod could be found, it muil alfo de-

Fend from almoft all D^f^-afes, by procuring fuch

a Vigour, as Iliould not permit the Entrance of
them.
I have hitherto declined fpeaking of long-lived
Animals, upon which, however, the great Lord
Bacon has infilled much. Appollonius^ if we may
believe the Writer of his Life, difcovered in

Mount Caucafus, an extraordinary Secret in Na-

tural Hiftory. There are Apes there, it fecms,

which feed upon a kind of Pepper, and thefe

Apes are eaten by old Lyons, to renew their

Strength
 [ n ]
Strength and make theiri young '', I muft confefs,

I fufpeft this to be rather an Allegory, than a

Eable, and I fhould incline to interpret it thus ;.

that lofty and ambitious Spirits over-aft the Bodies,

in which they inhabit, and induce a premature old

Age J if this Effed be not prevented by frequent-
ly unbending their Spirits in the Company of hu-

morous and diverting People, who are well enough

marked out by Apes well feafoned. Thus Agefilaus

the famous King of Sparta, when he was extream-

ly old, amufed himfelf by playing with young
Children. The great Scipio diverted himfelf in
the Company of Terence , and Auguftus had always

about him the moft fprightly Wits of Rome,

Cardinal Richlieu had funk under the Fatigues of
his Miniftry, if from Time to Time he had not
been relieved by the humorouus Buffoonry of
Boifrobert, Lewis XIV. was as delicate in his

Amufements, as great in his Councils, and fhewed

as true Judgment in approving a Play of Moliere'sy
as a Projedl of Louvois. We are not therefore to
underfland the Antients litterally, when they de-
liver to us thofe Stories which appear to us in-

credible. But to return to long-lived Animals.

It is certain, that Eagles arrive at a great Age,
and that they prefer ve almoft as long as th.y live,

that prodigious Strength which diftinguiflies them

from

^ Philoftrat. in Vit, Appoloo, Tyan. lib. iy. c. i.

 [5>4]
from other Birds. We know too, that the Eagle
renews his Plumage annually, and it is not
eafy to conceive how this fhould be done with-

out a total Change of its Juices. The Stagg is

another long-lived Animal, though I cannot be-

lieve many of the Stories that are told about it.

I nr^ntion it only that I may obferve, that annually

it cafts its Horns, which is another Proof of the

renewal of animal Juices. But this is flill more
confpicuous in the Viper, which in the Spring

cafts its Coat, and comes abroad Youthful as the

Year. If the Eagle, the Stagg, and the Viper

were not common to every Climate, I make no
doubt that the Fads related of them would be
treated as Fables ; but as they happen every Day,

and under our Eyes, we are obliged to own them

for Truths. Yet, what ufe have we made of thefe
Truths ? Who can afTign the Caules why thefe
Animals live longer than others •, or, how it comes
lo pafs, that Nature grants them this Privilege of
Rejuvenefcency ? Yet fuch an Enquiry might re-

pay our Induftry abundantly'. It is faid, that we

learned Phyfic from Animals, that Dogs taught us
the Ufe of Emetics, and that Birds put us in

the Head of Glifters. If they were our Tutors

in the lower Parts of Phyfic, why fhould we dif-

dain

'
Aldrovand. Ornitholog. Gcfner de Avibus lib. iii. AriHot.
de Animalibus.
 [p5]
dain their Infl:ru<ElIon in this fublimer Part of that
Science ?

It is not only the Inhabitants of the Land and

Air that attain to fuch vaft Ages, fuch as dwell

in the Waters feem to have yet a larger Share of

Life, of which I will give one well attefted In-
ftance out of many. In the Year 1497, ^^ ^ Fiflj-
pond in Suahia^ near Huilprin in Germany, they
took a Carp of a prodigious Size, which had in
his Ear, a Ring of Copper, with thefe Words in
Latin. I am the firft Fifli that was put into ihis
Pond, by the Hands of Frederick II. Governor
of the World, the 5th of Ocfober, 1230. This
Carp appeared to have lived 259 Years, and pro-
bably might have lived much longer, had he not
been taken out. I cannot apprehend, that much
ufe will ever be made of Examples of this Sort,

becaufe Filhes live in another Medium, and leem

to have their Lives regulated by Laws different

from thofe of other Animals *". We may fay of

them, that if they do not, like the Eagle, renew

their Vigour, yet they feem never to grow old,

or to exprefs myfelf more clearly. Age with them
feems exempt from Infirmities. The broken Claw
of a Lobfter grows again, which if ferioufly con-
fidered, is very wonderful, and it is generally
believed,

^ Johnilon. Hiftor. Natur.

 i9n
believed, that moft Filhes grow as long as they
Jive, which if true, is not eafily accounted for.

What I would infer from all thefe Hints, is

no more than this, that Nature has furnilhed U3

with numerous Examples of what we feek long Life
with the Prefervation of Youth. We fee this daily
in Birds, and in Beafts, in Fifh and in Reptiles,
and yet we fet down fatisfied, that fpeedy old Age,
and premature Death, belong to us by the Law
of Nature. Where is the Juftice, where is the
Confiftency of this ; efpecially, if we confider,

that the Flefh of many long-lived Animals has a

Quality wonderfully reftorative ? We know that

mighty Things have been done by feeding upon

Vipers, and not much lefs by living upon Shell-

Fifh ; the Bone of a Stag's Heart is held to be a

very high Cordial, the Reafon of which is fome-

thing Singular, and therefore I will take Notice

of it ". This Bone is the ftrongeft Proof of the

Stag's Longevity, for it is nothing elfe but the

Root of the Aorta, grown bony through a long

Series of Years. We are therefore in the wrong

to take it for granted, that Nature has pafifed fuch

a Sentence upon us, when the Record of Expe-

rience proves diredly the contrary, and when we
fo

" This Bone of a Stag's Heart enters into all the Receipts

of Bacon the Monk, as well as into I' thcfe that are men-
tioned by the Arabian Fhyficians ; and as they tranfcribe Greek
Authors, it is eaiy to fee, that this Medicine was of great
Antiquity.
 [97 1
fo plainly fee that the Seeds of long Life are in

long-lived Creatures. But we pafs this Sentence

and execute it upon ourfeives. We fit down not
patient, but dejeded, under what we eiteem a
common Calamity, and defire rather to make the

moft of a Ihort Life, than to fatigue ourfeives

with the Study of the means by which it may be

prolonged.
I had almoft forgot an Objedion which has
been darted from a llippofed Law of Nature, with
refpe(5b to Animals, viiz. That thofe have their

appointed Times, and that moft of them are but

of very fhort Periods; the great Lord Bacon hath
taken much Pains to make this out, though with a
better View than the fupporting fuch an Objedion,
but after all, I very much doubt the Matter of Faft,

'viz. That there are any fuch immutable Laws, that

Animals cannot tranfgrefs. For inftance, it is faid,

that the Age of a Horfe, I mean his extream Age,

is twenty or twenty-four; Hiftory furnirties us
with Inftances that contradicts this. I will men-
tion but one, Mezeray tells us, that a certain

Duke of Gafcogny paid his Homage to the King

of Burgundy on a Horie that was an hundred Years
old, and which was ftill vigorous and full of
Mettle °. But admitting the Matter of Fa6t, where
lies the Force of the Objedtion ? Some Animals
N reach

f Hiftoire Abrege, de France, Tom. i. p. 401.

 [ 98 ]
reach ten, and others it is confefled, live much
beyond a hundred ; what has this to do with the
Life of Man ? why fhould it prove, that we are

flinted to Fourfcore, more than that we have it in

our Power to live as long as Stags and Eagles. It

may be faid, that there is a certain Gradation in

thefe Periods, and that as each Animal has its af-

figned Term, fb likewife has Man. But we prov-

ed the contrary of this, by all the Methods of
Argumentation yet invented ; we fhewed it from
Scripture, from Reafon, from Experience ; and if

all this is not fufficient to baffle a Notion founded

only on Fancy, why, let thofe who are fond of it,

enjoy it. I do not think that Life ought to be

forced upon People, my Creed goes no further
than this, 'That if we feek we may find^ if we
knock it will be opened ; and this I am led to fay,
becaufe I find it fo in other Purfuits, where Men
follow Nature, and not their own Notions. What
mighty Difcoveries has the Newtonian Philofophy
afforded, which had been for ever hid from Men,
if they had continued to follow the Vifions of
Defcartes? How much more certain the Aflronom'y
of our Times, than that of our Anceftors.? Yet
fome fay, that all thefe Difcoveries are only loft
Truths revived. Be it fo, and let us return to the
Search of that Truth which was Icnown to Her-
mippuSi ^nd which has been fo long loft to us.

Ip
 I S9l
If, therefore, after all that has been faid, there

remain yet any Doubts upon the Mind of the

Reader, we fhall endeavour by all means to re-

move thefe, as well for the Sake of his Satisfadion,

as that, after fo much Pains already taken, we

may not fail in our Attempt, and have this Dif-

fertation confidered only as a litterary Amufe-

ment; whereas, we intend it as a ferious and ufe-
flil Difcourfe. The Antients, who feem to have
ftudied this Matter with the greateft Affiduity,
and whofe Opinions generally fpeaking, on mature
Examination, appear not altogether unreafonable
to the Moderns ; obferve with Refped to the Caufes

of old Age, that they are chiefly three. Firft,

the Circumambient Air, which drys up the natu-

ral Moiflure in Man, at the fame Time, that the

innate Heat of the Body confumes it, as the ne-

ceflary Subftance on which the Flame of Life muft
feed.': The fecond is the Toil and Motion of the
Body* which likewife waftes that aerial Humidity
which is fo neceffary to Health and Life ; the Jaft
is the Paflions of the Mind, which according to
the Sentiments of the learned Avicennay have
greater Influence than both the other Caufes taken

together, which will feem extreamly reafonable,

if we confider how clofe a Conneflion there is be-
tween the Paflions of the Mind, and the Motion
of the animal Spirits, which particularly appears

in Madnefs, when we compare the Circumfl:ances

N 2 attending
 [ too 1
attending it, as aDifeafe of the Mind, with thofe
by which it alfo appears to be a bodily Diftem-
per.
Such as are acquainted with that myfterious
kind of Philofophy, which was in the higheft

Credit with the learned Vulgar of the laft Age,

and which is now as unreafonably difcredited a-
mongft the fame People, and regarded only by
fuch as enquire after Truths, and not received
Opinions ; this Philofophy I fay, teaches us, that

there is a great Correfpondence between the Body

of the Earth, and the Body of Man, whence the
Patrons of this Do6lrine were wont to call the
latter the little World, and the former the great
one. Now, though there is fomething very fanci-
ful in their way of treating this Matter, yet the

Notion in its felf is very juft, and whoever ex-

amines it carefully, will find, that the general
Laws of the Univerfe, are alfo the particular Laws
of all the different kind of Bodies in it; and
hence it comes to pafs, that as Man fuffers and is

deftroyed for want of Moifture, fo this is like to

be the cafe of the World too, or at leaft would be

the Cafe, if it did not receive foreign Supplies
which the judicious Sir Ifaac Newton fuppofes it

does from the Tails of Comets, the Watery Va-

pours of which, he imagines communicate with
our Atmofphere for that purpofe p.

This

f Philofopb. Natural. Princip. Matheni. lib. iii*

 tioi]
This we muft allow to be a rational, and pro-
bable Account of what for many Ages puzzled
the Underftanding of all Mankind and if fo
;

wonderful a Method as this is, be neceflary to

fupply the Earth with Moifture, why fhould we
think it ftrange, that a new, and in fome Meafurc
unaccuftomed way, fhould be the fitteft for re-

pairing that Humidity, which is fo neceflary to the

well being of the human Body. The Univerfe

is under the fpecial Care and Diredion of its in-

finitely wife Creator, who at certain Seafons there-

fore has provided it with fuch requifite Supplies

but the Bodies of Men are in this refped left to

theirown Care, and if the Materials be within

our own Reach, and our Faculties are flrong e-
nough to difcover them, we have no more a right
to complain that the Secret of preferving long
Life is not difcovered to us, than that the Art of
baking Bread, of melting Ores, and refining
Metals, or indeed any other Art was not revealed
to our Anceftors in the earlieft Ag^s of the World,
but left to be the Reward of their Induflry and
Segacity. The Furniture of Man's Mind, and
the Strufture of his Body, are both of them fuch,
that if he has any Reafon to complain, it muft
be of himfelf ; and his Refledions upon Providence
are nor only impious, but ridiculous. He has it

abfolutely in his Power to be eafy, and happy if

he pleafes. Health will always attend on Tem-

perance
 [-102]
perance fteadily purfued, as Galen aflerts in his

Works, and manifefted in himfelf by living to

upwards of a hundred, without being attacked
either by acute or chronic Difeafes. Riches are not

indeed within every Man's Reach, but there is

fomething always at hand infinitely more valuable

than Wealth, I mean Content. If to thefe Blef-

fings we would add length of Days, why that ac-

cording to this Hypothefis is in our Power, and

depends on our finding out a proper Supply of
the aerial Humidity before-mentioned.
We have now the Clue in our Hand, and no-
thing can hinder us from extricating our felveS
from this Labyrinth of Doubts, about the proper
Method of obtaining this Supply, but our own
Negligence and want of Attention. We ought
to remember that Heat and Moifture are from
the very beginning the Principles of human Lifei
Let us refled then, and fee if we cannot dif-
cover whence thefe Principles arife. There is, I

think, very litde Difficulty in this Cafe, that of

Heat is derived from the Male, that of Moifture
from the Female. It is equally unneceflary and
unbecoming me to introduce a Treatife of Gene-
ration in a Work like this ; it is fufficient that I

put my Readers in mind, that the enlargement

of the Foetus in the Womb, requires a very ex-

traordinary Degree of Moifture in all Refpefls,

and that this is entirely derived to it from its Mo-

ther»
 [ I03 'J

ther. The Growth of an Infant is furprizingly

quick, and this is owing to the Strength of the

Vital Flame, the conftant Supply of a proper Hu-

midity, and the not being expofed to thofe Acci-
dents which have been before-mentioned, I mean
the Aftion of the Circumambient Air, bodily

Motion, and the Paflions of the Mind, from all

which. Children while in the Womb, are in a

great Meafure free. This I think is fo extreamly
clear, and plain, that it is fimply impofTible for a

Man to be in any Perplexity about it, and therefore

I fliall proceed to the next Stage of Life, and en-
quire into the Method which is therein purfucd

by Nature.
In the State of Infancy, there is likewife an ex-

traordinary Provifion neceflary of this humid Ma-

ter, not only fufficient for performing the ordinary
Fun(5tions of animal Life, but alfo to facilitate the

growth of the Child, and this too proceeds from

the Mother. Nature has furnilhed her with
Breads, and with Milk, which is the moft fuitable
Nutriment, that under fuch Circumftances, the
human Body can receive ; and in extream old Age,
when the Body is a fecond Time reduced to the
Feeblenefs of Infancy, Milk, and efpecially Wo-
mens Milk, is found to be of very great Ufe, and
in confumptive Cafes alfo, is allowed to be a moft
admirable Reftorative. Hence I think it plainly
appears, that the radical Moifture, fo neceflary

to
 [ 104 ]
to fupply the Flame of Life, and to keep it not
only alive, but vigorous and clear, is to be fought

inWoman. I forefee one great Objedlion that

may be made to this, viz. That I infift not on
the Breath or Effluvia of Women, but of Virgins.
Yet weigh the Cafes thoroughly, and you will find
all that I have advanced, very confiftent. The
Nourifhment of a Child in the Womb, and an In*
fant at the Breaft, is a Nourifhment no way fit

for Perfons in Years, and therefore I approve what

Bacon delivers from the Arabian Phyficians, *viz.

That Milk is an improper Diet for old Men. This

hinders not its being ufeful when People are quite
worn out, for that may furnilh Strength to a dy-

ing Flame, that would not advantage a Lamp in

its ordinary Situation. Perfons in the laft Stage

of Life, are frequently emaciated, and in this

Cafe, Milk may help ; but ftill there is a wide dif-

ference between the natural and gradual Decay of the

human Body, and what the Phyficians call a Con-

fumption, there muft be confequendy a Difference
in their Cure. Thus from certain and almoft felf-

evident Principles, I have eftablifhed the Reafon-

ablenefs of this Propofition, that the Breath and
infenfible Perfpiration of Virgins in a young and
healthy State, mult be very falutary for old Men,
and may very probably be a means of protedling
them from thofe Infirmities, which ufuaJly attend

an advanced Age. Now, in relpedx to this, it

matters
 [ 105 ]
matters not at all, whether the Infcription I fet

out with be founded in Truth or not, neither is

it requifite to beheve that I have hit exadly on the

Method ufed by Hermippus^ The fingle Point in

Queftion is, whether I have fhewn that Senfe in

which I take this Infcription, to be agreeable, to
the Dictates of Reafon, and the Laws of Nature ;

atid as to this, every Reader muft decide for him-

lelf. Before he does this, there is another Sort
of Evidence that he ought to hear, and which
for the Sake of Truth I Ihall readily produce.
There are two Sorts of People whofe Inter-
eft it is particularly to decry this Doflrine on a
Suppofition that it is deftrudive of their own, to
which they are prodigioufly, and perhaps unrea-
fonably addifted : I mean the Aftrologers and
Hermetic Philofophers. I fhall examine what
both may objeft, rather for the Entertainment and
Satisfadlion, than for the Convidion of the wifer

Part of the World, who are already well enough

apprized of the Credit due to thefe Virtuofi ; and
when I have done this, I fhall draw to a fpeedy

Conclufion, from an Alfurance that nothing more

can be necelliiry to eftablilh the Probability of this

Method for prefcrving Health and Life, and for

defending our Bodies from the Infirmities of old
Age as long as their Conftitutions will permit.

The modern Patrons of Aflrology, for fuch it

feems there are, will probably pretend, that this

O Notion
 [ io6 3
Notion of Uermippus was a mere Fancy, and th;sc

if he really reached to an Age fo advanced, it

was not through the AlTiftance derived from the

Breath of Virgins, bat from the happy Pofition
of the heavenly Bodies at the Time of his Birth.

It is, however, lucky for me, that they can never

make good this Objedion, becaufe I prefume their
Art will not furnidi them with the means of Con-
ftrucling any Scheme of his Nativity. I know
they may plead the Authority of "Thomas Aquinas "J,

and other great Men who have given into thefe

Opinions. I know too, that they may produce
fome extraordinary Inftances of the Verification of

Aftrological Predidlions ; particularly thofe of

Bcfi]^ who was fo famous at Florence^ and of ha
Brcjfe, at Paris, who were particularly happy in

giiefling at future Events, and in having their

Predidions recorded by Hiftorians of Credit.
The former of thefe foretold to Cofmo de Me-
dici, then a private Citizen at Florence, that he
would attain fome very high Dignity, in as much
as the Afcendant of his Nativity was adorned with
the fame propitious Alpeds, as thofe of the Em-
perors Augiifius, and Charles V. had been ; and he
was accordingly raifed to the Dukedom of Tufcany,
in

•i One ftrong Paflage among many in his Writings, runs

thus. Qui Sciret virtutes Caslorum & Steliarum dum res
aliqaa nalcitur poflet judicare de natua rei, licet hoc necefTi-
tatem non imponat, & pofcet impediri per Accidens. D. ThOj
Sccuodo de Gencratione.
 [ 107 ]

in the Month q>\ January 1434 ^ The fame Greek

AftroJoger, did, with equal Capacity, foretell the
Death of Prince Alexander de Medici, and this

with fuch Coriidcnce, as to paint out the Perlbn

by whofe Hand he (hould die, and whom he af-

firmed to be that Prince's intimate and familiar

Friend ; of a (lender habit of Body, a fmall Face,
and fwarthy Complexion, and who, with a referv-

ed Silence, was almofl infociable to all Perfons in

the Court ; by which Defcription he did almofl
point out with the Finger Laurence de Medici, who
murdered Prince Alexander in his Bed-chamber,
contrary to all the Laws of Confanguinity and
Hofpitality, in the Year 1537'. But the great
Misfortune is, that in thofe Days it was fhrewdly
fufpeded, that thefe pretended Sages had better,
and more certain Methods of penetrating into

Confpiracies, than are afforded by Aflrological

Means, and I m.ufl confefs myfelf inclined to fuf-

ped: from the very manner in which this Predic-

tion was delivered, that Bqftl was employed to
caution Prince Alexander zgd\n^ his Coufin Law-
rence, and that for want of Penetration, he fell

into that Snare which he might otherwife have

avoided.
The Inflance o^ La Brojfe, is more to the Pur-

pofe, becaufe better fupported ; indeed, I think

O 2 it

' Dinoth. Meraorab. lib. vi, p. 390, * Jovii. Elog,

p. 320.
 [io8]
that it is the be ft attefted Story of its kind.
The Baron de Biron, afterwards the famous Mar-
Ihal of that Name, being under fome Difficulty
about a Duel, went to La Brojfe, and carried him
a Scheme of his Nativity, but told him it was that
of a Friend of his ; the Aftrologer having confider-

ed the Scheme, afllired him, that the Perfon whofe

Nativity it was, would infallibly be a great Man ;

nay, that he might even come to be a King, but

for the Caput yf/^d?/ pointing to the Figure of the
Dragon's Head in the Scheme. M. de Biron,

who did not und^rftand the Term, infilled on a

clearer Account ; why then, replied La Brojfe,

through a Dcfire of being a King, this Man will

do fomething that will coft him his Head. Pro-

voked at which Anfwer, the Baron beat him un-
mercifully i but he lived to fulfill his Prediftion,

having his Head cut oflF, as all the World knows,

for a Confpiracy againft Henry IV. ^
HovvMucH foever thefe Sort of Notions have

been difcountenanced by the prevailing of Expe-

rimental Philofophy, and true Science ; yet, where
a Prince gives Ear to his own Praifes, there will

never be wanting fuch as will adopt Aftrological

Schemes, as well as other Things to flatter his

Vanity. Nothing is eafier than to give fuch a turn

to a Piece of this Nature ; Men of fprightly Parts

know

* Invent. Gen. de France, par M. de Serres. p, icji.

know how to drefs up the Face of Heaven upon
fuch an Occafion, and to difpofe properly of all

the Signs and Planets, fo as to raife mighty Ex-

peftations in the World, as well as the highelt

Pleafure In the Mind of the Prince they flatter.

Such were the favourable Influences of the

Celeftial Orbs, at the Birth of the late Lewis
XIV. King of France. The Genethliac Syftem may
be feen in one of the Medals that compofe the Hif*
tory of that Reign. The Gentlemen of the Royal

Academy of Infcriptions, have obferved the precife

Pofition of the Planets, at the Moment of the Birth

of that Prince ; round about this curious Medal,

one fees the twelve Signs of the Zodiac^ forming
the twelve Houfes, of this Syfl:em the feven Planets
appear in the fame Degrees they occupied at that
Time, the Sun which gives Perfe<5lion to the other

Planets, is in the mid Heaven ; Mars^ the Lord

of the Afcendant, in reception with Jupiter, the
Proteftor of Life, and this is what they call the
greater Fortune ; Saturn, the Enemy of Nature, is

in his Dignities, which makes him lefs malevolent

the Moon is in conjunftion with Venus and Mer-
cwj, in his little Houfe of Prediledtion, to ten
Degrees of the Sun out of Combuflrion, and en-
lightened by his Rays, gives a Superiority of Ge-
nius in the moft difficult and mod important En-
terprizes, which his being in Quartile with Mars,

is not capable to abate. The Nativity of Lewis

XIV.
 [ no]
XIV. was figured in the Middle of the Medal, by
a rifing Sun, the King is placed in the Chariot
of that glorious Planet of which Ovid has given
us the Defcription. This Chariot is drawn by four
Horfes, guided by Vi^cry^ the Infcription is in
thefe Words. Ortus Solis Gallici, The Rifing of
the Gallic Sun ; and the Exergue contains thefe
othtr Latin Words. Septembris quinto minutis ^S
ante Meridiem, 1638. The ^th of September^
38 Minutes before Noon, 1638.
I mud confefs, that this is a pretty Contrivance,

and ingenioufly put together ; yet I dare fay, that

none of the learned Gentlemen concerned in fram-
ing this Medal, ventured to predid any of the
Clouds that obfcured their Sun. No, they were
too great Courtiers for that. But if this famous
Medal give any Reputation to Aftrology, I fhall

venture to lay down a few Obfervations which

will free my Dodrine from all Inconveniencies.

I obferve then, that as the happieft Nativities ad-

mit of natural Caufes to Co-operate in bringing

about what they portend, fo it is not at all impro-
bable, that if by fome happy Accident we could
gain a Sight of the Horofcope oi Hermippus, it

would fhew us, that Mercury well pofited at the

Time of his Birth, and beheld by Luna with a fa-

vourable Afpeft, caufed his difcovery of this migh-

ty Secret, and enabled him to make fuch a Ufe
of the Breath of Virgins, that no Man ever

thought
 [ "I ]
thought off before. If the Aftrologers are content

to grant me this, I am wilhng to compromife the

Matter, and which, I think is as much as they can
expefl, to allow this Doflrine to be derived from
the Stars. But, if they are fo tenacious of their

own Notions, as not to accept of fo fair an Offer,

I fliall rccurr to my firft Principles, and deny
.abfolutely the Certainty of their Art, and demand
as good Reafons for the Credit of Aftrology, as I

have produced in favour of my own Syflem, be-

fore I enter the Lifts with them. Affirmation is

nothing in this Age, wherein Men exped: Proofs

for every Thing. Let them fliew us then, that

they can predi<5t an Earthquake, Whirlwind, or

fo much as an Irruption of Mount Etna -, nay, let

chem but mark the Rainy, and fair Days for a

whole Year in any Climate in Europe^ and I will

be content, that their Affertions weigh down my

Evidence, and that the long Life of Hermippus
fliall be afcribed to a happy Conjunction of humid
Stars, in the Sign Virgo^ which was the Interpre-
tation once offered me by a learned Aftrologer of
this Infcription, and which, together with my
owh Sentiments, I freely fubmit to the Judgment
of the Impartial Reader.
SacH as feek after Truth, difguife nothing, and
are fo far from being afraid of feeing their Opinion
canvaffed, and even refuted, that on the contrary,

nothing pleafes them better, becaufe they are ftill

gainers
 [ III ]
gainers by the Difpute j fince, when Truth is once
difcovcred, they have as much right to it, as he

who found it. In the prefent Cafe, if this Trea-

tife of mine (hould ftir up any wiler Man to look

for a better Solution of the Problem I have flated,

and he flx)uld luckily fall on the genuine Method
of Hermippus, he could not rejoice at it more than
I, nor would he find any one more willing to
own, or to applaud his Ingenuity. Let us read,
let us meditate, let us difpute, but all for the fake
of Truth, which is the great Property of Man-
kind, conftitutes all our Happinefs, and which it is

therefore common Intereft to purfue. The

our
Point I have now in view, is to difcover the means
of prolonging Life, without feeling the Infirmities
of Age •, to the Difcovery of which, if the Pub-
lication of this Treatife any way contribute, not
my end only, but the end of Mankind is anf-

wered, and a mod noble Point of Science will

be illuftrated, from what many might at firft

efteem an idle Difpute.

I fhall not treat the Hermetic Philofophers al-

together fo brifl<:]y as I have done the Aftrologers

becaufe, without doubt, there have been amongft
them, many very excellent Perfons. I cannot take
upon me to fay, when they began to lay claim to
the Univerfal Medicine, by which they pretend to

preferve Life for many Centuries, at leaft, of which

they fay Artephius was an Inllancc, who lived by the
Ufe
 t "3]
Ufeofit, to the Age of 300, orasfomefay, neat
1000. This is certain, that the Society of the Ro-
ftcructans openly claimed it as one of the Privileges
of their illuftrious Body. Feter Mormius^ who for

ought I know, was one of the laft of them that ap-

. peared in Public, reduced their high Pretenfions,
which at firft were very extenfive, to the PofTefTiorl

of three Secrets. Of thefe, the firft was the Per-

petual Motion ; the fecond, the Art of tranfmu-

ting Metals •, and the third, the Univerfal Medi-

cine. In the Book publifhed by this Mormius^

there are abundance of curious Things, though he

does not fufficiendy explain himfelf, efpecially up-»

on the laft Subjedt ". It is, however, well enough

known, that thefe Illuminati afiferted, that they
had a Power of prolonging their Lives for many
Ages, nor is it very clear from their Writings,
whether, what they are pleafed to call the Philofo-

pher's Stone, be not at once the great Secret of

Tranfmutation, and of the Univerfal Medicine.
The cleareft Account of this Matter that I

have ever met with, is in the Anfwer of a French

P Adcfpr,

" This Mormius went into Holland in the Year 1630, were

he demanded an Audience of the States-General, in crder to

tender them certain Propofitions from the Fraternity of Rofi-
crufians, which they refufed to hear ; this did not, however,
hinder Mormius from publiihing a Treatife under the follow-
ing Title, which is now become a fcarce and valuable Book,
Arcana totius naturae Secretiffima, nee hadenus unquam de-
tefta, a Collegio Rofiano in Luccm produntur, Opera Petri
Mormii, in 24 Lugduni Batavorum, 1630,
 [114]
Adept, to Dcxflor Edmund Dickenfon^ Phyfician to

King Charles II. and a profeft Admirer of the

Hermetic Philofophy. The Doflor's Letter is

very plain and clear. He wrote to this Friend of

his, in order to be thoroughly informed as to thofe
Contrarieties, which he thought he had difcerned in
the Difcourfes of fome of the Hermetic Sages.*

His Friend gives him a very plaufible Anfwer to

all his Obje(5lions, and to enforce the Belief of

what he lays down, he puts the Dodlor in mind
of his having made Projeflion, that is, his having
tranfmuted bafe Metals into Gold, more than once,
before the Dodor in the King's Laboratory in

Whitehall ; as to the Univerfal Medicine, and its

Capacity of extending the Life of Man for many

Ages, he pofitively aflferts, that it is the Hands
of the illuminated Brethren^ and gives many Rea-
fons why they ftiould be fo extreamly careful in
concealing it. He goes fo far as to infinuate, that

it was in his own Poflfeflion ^. I muft own, I am

aftoniflied at fuch Sort of Affertions, and more
ib.

^ The Title of Dr. Dickinfon's Book, referred to by our

Author, is, De
quinta eflentia Philc/fophorum. It was printed
at Oxford, in 1686, and a fecond Time in 1705. There is a
third Edition of it printed in Germany, in 1721. The Au-
thor was one of tliofe very great Men, whofe Merits are better
known abroad than at home ; he is mentioned by the learned
Olaus Eorrichius, and many other foreign Writers, with much
Refpeft, and juft Teflimonies of Efteem for his extenfivc
Knowlege.
 [Hi ]

£o, at Tome Relations well attefted, that feem to

jarour the Truth of it.

There happened in the Year 1687, an odd

Accident at Venice, that made very much ftir then,

and which I think deferves to be fecured from

Oblivion. The great Freedom and eafe with
which all Perfons, who make a good Appearance,
live in that City, is known fufficiently to all who

are acquainted with it; they will not therefore be

furprized, chat a Stranger, who went by the Name
of Signor Gualdi, and \vh^ made a confiderable Fi-
gure there, was admitted into the beft Company,
though no body knew who, or v/hat he was. He
remained at Venice fome Months, and three Things
were remarked in his Condudl. The firft was,
that he had a fmall Colledion of fine Pidlures,

which he readily fhewed to any Body that defired

it 5 the next, that he was perfedlly verfed in all

Arts and Sciences, and fpoke on all Subjeds with

fuch Readinefs and Sagacity, as aflonifhed all who
heard him ; and it was in the third Place obfervcd,

that he never wrote or received any Letters; never

defired any Credit, or made ufe of Bills of Ex-

change, but paid for every Thing in ready Mo-
ney, and lived decently, though not in Splendor.
This Gentleman met one Day at the Cofi^ee-Houfe

with a Venetian Nobleman, who was an extraor-

dinary good judge of Pidures : He had heard of
Signor Gualdi*2> Colledion, and in a very polite
P 2 Manner
 [ "<5]
Manner defired to fee them, to which the other
very readily confented. After the Venetian had
viewed Signor Gualdi*s Colle(5lion, and exprefled
his Satisfad:ion, by telling him, that he had never
fecn a finer, confidering the Number of Pieces of
which it Eye by chance over
confifted; he call his

the Chamber Door, where hung a Pidture of this

Stranger. The Venetian look'd upon it, and then
upon him. This Piflure was drawn for you, Sir,

fays he to Signor Gualdi, to which the other made

no Anfvver, but by a low bow. You look, con-
tinued the Venetian, like a Man of Fifty, and yet
I know this Pidure to be of the Hand of Titian^
who has been dead one hundred and thirty Years,
how is this ppflible ? It is not eafy, faid Signor
Gualdi, gravely, to know all Things that are

pofTible ; but there is certainly no Crime in my

being like a Pidure drawn by Titian, The Ve-
netian eafily perceived by his manner of fpeaking,
that he had given the Stranger Offence, and there-

fore took his leave. He could not forbear fpeaking

of this in the Evening to fome of his Friends, who
refolved to fatisfy themfelves by looking upon the
Pifture the next Day. In order to have an Op-
portunity of doing fo, they went to the Coffee-
Houfe about the Time that Signor Gualdi was wont
to come thither, and not meeting with him; one
pf them who had often converfed with him, went
10 |]i3 Lodgings to enquire after him, where he
 [ "7 ]

heard, that he fet out an Hour before for Vienna,

This Affair made a great Noife, and found a Place

in all the News-Papers of that Time ^

This Story agrees very well with what is faid

by Doftor Dickenfon's Correfpondent, who obferves,

that the Adepts are obliged to conceal themfelves

For the fake of Safety, and that having a Power

not only of prolonging their Lives, but alfo of
renovating themfelves, they take Care to ufe it

with the utmoft Difcretion, and inftead of making

a Difplay of this wonderful Prerogative, they
manage it with the utmofl Secrecy, which he lays
down as the true Caufe of the World's being in
fo much Doubt about the Matter. Hence it comes

to pafs, that though an Adept is polTefTed of great-

er Wealth than is contained in the Mines of Peru^
yet he always lives in fo moderate a Manner, as
to avoid all Sufpicion, and fo as never to be dif-

covered, unlefs by fome unforefeen Accident, like

that which happened to a famous Englijh Artifl,
who difguifed himfelf under the Name of Eugenius
Pbilalethes, and whofe true Name is faid to be
fthomas Vaughan, the clearefl and mofl candid
Writer of all the Hermetic Philofophers y. He tells

us

" Hiftoriques, 1687, Tom i. p. 365,

Memoires
y The
moll famous of his Pieces is intitled, Introitus Aper-
tus ad Occlufum Regis Palatium. This was written originally
in Englilh, has been tranflated into almoft all the European
J^anguages, and is unqueftionably the beft and clearell Book
vpoQ the Subject that is extant in any Tongue.
 [ii8]
US of hi'mfel^ that going to a GoU/mitb, in or-

der to fell twelve hundred Marks of fine Silver,

the Man told him at firft Sight, that it never

came out of the Mines, but was the Produd of
Art, as not being of the Standard of any Nation
whatever ; which furprized Philalethes fo much,
that he withdrew immediately, and left the Gold-

fmitb in PofTeflion of his Treafure. This famous

Man, who certainly was an Adept, if ever there

was one, led a wandering kind of Life, and fell

often into great Dangers, merely from his poffefling

this great Secret. He was born, as we learn from

his Writings, about the Year 1612, and what is

the ftrangeft part of his Hiftory, he is believed

by thofe of his Fraternity, to be yet living, and

a Perfon of great Credit at Nurenherg, affirms, that
he converfed with him but a few Years ago; Nay,
it is fiirther aflerted by all the Lovers of Hermetic
Philofophy, that this very Philalethes, is the Pre-

fident of the Illuminated in Europe, and that he

conftantly fits as fuch in all their Annual Meetings.
It is on the one hand true, that there is fomething
wild and incredible in thefe Relations, and yet it

is as certain on the other, that feveral who atteft

them, are Perfons of irreproachable Charader,

and even with Refpedl to this Philalethes , he was,

according to the Report of the great Boyle, and

others who knew him, a Man of remarkable Piety,
and of unftained Morals. In the Englijh Planta-
tions,
 i"9l
tlons, he became acquainted with one Starkey, a

Chymift, before whom he made Projeftion, but

finding that Starkey was a vicious and extravagant
Man, he broke off his Acquaintance with him,

without communicating any part of his Secrets ^.

But it may be faid by fuch as look upon this

whole Affair, as an idle and rediculous Thing,
and who confider all thefe Relations, however
attefted, or fupported, as mere Dreams, or Vifions.
I fay it may be alleged by thefe angry Critics,

that it is a direct Proof of the Falfliood of their

Pretentions to long Life ; that we have diftind:

Accounts of the Time when their moft celebrated

Patriarchs, fuch as Roger Bacon, Raymond Lully^

and Bafil Valentine died, and were buried. If there-

fore, thefe Men could not preferve their own Lives,
or even protra£l them beyond the ordinary Extent,
what probability is there, will thefe People fay,

that any of the Fraternity Ihould prolong their

Lives in the Manner they relate ? In Anfwer to
this, the Adepts always infinuate, that if thefe

great Men died, it was by their own Choice, and

that many of their Fraternity ftill decline that
length

* Thi; George Starkey, was originally an Apothecary, had

a Head i:urned to Cnemiftry, but managed his Affairs fo ill,
that he \vaS obliged to Tranfport himfeif to th Piantations,
where he became acquainted with Philakihes, ot waich Ac-
quaintrvice he boafts much in his Writing?. In 1658 ot pub-
lifhed Book of Chemiitry at London, which Was ti nil-icd
•

into French in 1706, and into High Dutcii in 1712.

 C ^^o ]
length oF Life their Art would enable them to
Enjoy. This I muft confefs, is an unfatisfadlory
Anfwer, efpecially to fuch as make the Objeflion,
but then, fay the Adepts, it is the only Anfwer
that becomes us to give ; we do not aim at the
Conviflion of thefe Sort of People, we are not de-

firous of making a Noife in the World, we do

not even regard the pofTeflion of Riches, and long
Life as bleffings in themfelves ; further than that,

they enable us to do good, and the fole Reafon of

our ever mentioning fuch Secrets, being in our
pofTeflion, is in Order to lead to our Society fuch

worthy Perfons as deferve to be aflbciated. Now,

however Weak, however Sophiftical, this Rea-
foning may appear to the generality of Mankind,
yet upon the Principles of the Hermetic Philofo-
|)hy, it muft be allowed to be extreamly Plaufible,

and in all fuch Cafes, we muft admit Men to

argue from their own Principles, and not from

thofe we lay down.
As I do not profels myfelf either an Adept, or
lb much as a ftudent in this Sort of Philofophy,

I fhall take the Liberty, as the matter of Fad

nearly concerns the Subje6l of which I am treat-

ing, to Ihape out another Anfwer to this Objedlion,

and it is this, that perhaps we are not always lb

fecure as to the Deaths of thefe Virtuofi, as we

imagine. The continuance of their Lives is a
Thing, that though they boaft of in one Senfe,
yet
 fill J
yet In another they ftudloufly affed to conceal.
Of this, I fhall give an extraordinary Inftance,
which will be fo much the more entertaining to

the Reader, as for any thing I know j it has not

yet been taken Notice of by any Writer upon this

Subjed:, not even by the profcflkrd HiHorian of this

Fraternity, notwithftanding he has made larger

Collections concerning them, and their Fhilofo-

phy, than any Man that ever fet Pen to Paper.

This Inftance will be alfo found the more ex-
traordinary, fince I take it from one who never
pretended to be an Adept, and who, therefore,
ought to be confidered as an unprejudiced Witnefs.
But before I enter upon this Story, I muft defire
my Readers to obferve, that I lay down barely
Fads as I find them, and do not pretend to in-
tereft myfelf in the leaft, as to the credit they may
meet with.
Amongst the Hermetic Philofophers, who
are allowed to have attained the higheft Secrets of

Science, Nicholas Flameloi Paris ^ has been al-

ways reckoned one of the moft confiderable, and
his right to this Reputation, the leaft to be con-

tefted. The Hiftory of this i7(2,W, whofiouriih-

ed in the XIV. Century is very curious He was :

a Perfbnof a good Family, though much reduced

in point of Fortune ; had quick Parts ; a lively Wit,
and with the advantage of no more than an ordi-
nary Education *, was fent to Paris to get a living

Q^ as
 [ 122 ]
as he could. Flamel wrote an extraordinary good
Hand, had fome notion of Poetry, and Painted
very prettily ; yet all thefs Accompli (hments raifed

him no higher than a hackney Clerk, in which

Condition he work'd very hard, and had mucha-
do to pick up a Subfiftance. In 1357, chance
threw in his way a Book of Hermetic Philofophy,
written by one Abraham a Je'w, or rather Engra-
ven on Leaves made of the Bark of Trees, and
illuftrated with very curious Pidhires, in which
the whole Secret was laid down in the cleareft

Manner pofTibie, to fuch as were acquainted with

Hermetic Philofophy. This Treafure coft Flamel

no more than two Florins, for the Perfon who fold

him the Book, knew nothing of what it contain-
ed, and Flamel himfelf though he made it his

whole Study for twenty Years, and though he took

the precaution of Copying the Piflures, and hang-
ing them up in his Houfe, and asking the Learn-
ed their Opinion about them, was able to make
very little of them*.
Tired at length with fo vain, and fo Ia«

borious a Study, he in 1378, took a Refolution

to

^ The bed Part of this Account of Nicholas Flamel, is ta-.

ken from his Article in a very curious Book, which, as it dc-
ferves to be more known than it is, encourages me to fet down
the Title thereof at large, which runs thus. Trcfor des
Recherches &
Antiquitez, Gauloifes reJuites en ordre alpha-
becique Sc enriches de beaucoup d'origines epitaphes & autres
chofes rarcs & curieufes, comme aufli de beaucoup de mots dc
la laxigue Thyoife, ou Theuthfranque. Paris. 1655.10410.
 [123 3

to Travel into Spaifi, in hopes of meeting there

with fome learned Jew, who might give him the
Key to the Grand Secret ; that this Journey might
not appear to be undertaken on quite (o Chime-
rical a Motive, he made a Vow to go in Pilgri-
mage to St. Jaffies of Campjella, a Pradice fre-

quent in thofe Times, After much Search to little

purnofe, he met at k:'!; with a Jew Phyfician at

LeoHy who had been lately converted to the Crif-
tian Religion, and who was well verfed in this

kind of Science ; this Man, at the Perfuafion of

Flamel, confented to go with him to Paris ; but
when they were got as far as Orleans, the Phyfi-
cian who was far in Years, and little accu domed
to the fatigue of Travel, fell fick of a Fever,
which carried him off in a few Days ''. Flamel
having rendered the laft kind Offices to his dying
Friend, returned very difconfolate to Paris,
where he lludied three Years more, according to
the Inflruflions he had received from the Phyfi-
cian, with fuch Succefs, that on the 1 7th of Ja-
nuary, 1382, he made Projeflion on a large Quan-
0^2 tity

'^ As the Hiftory of Flamel was colleded long after his

Death, it is very poffible that there might be fome Miftakes
committed in Relation to the Circumftances attending his Ad-
ventures ; but there is one Thing which I think proves the
Reality of the Story beyond Difpute, which is, that this very
Book of Abraham the Jew, with the Annotations of Flamel,
who wrote from the Inftrutftions he received from this Phy-
fician, was aftually in the Hands of Cardinal Richlieu, as
Borel was told by the Count de Cabrines, who faw and ex-
amined it.
 [ 124 ]
tity of Mercury, which he changed into fine Sil-

ver, and on the 25th of y^nV following, he tranf-

muted a vaft Quantity of Mercury into Gold.

He afterwards repeated frequently the Experiment,

and acquired thereby immenfe Wealth. He and

his Wife Perrenella, in the midft of all thefe Riches,

Jived ftill in their old fbber way, and eat and drank
as ufual, out of Earthen Veflels. They maintain-
ed however a vaft Number of Poor, founded four-
teen Hofpitals, built three Chapels, and repaired
and endowed feven Churches. In fhort, the A6ts
of Cfiarity they did, were fo aftonifhing, that

Charles the VI. who was then upon the Throne,

refolved to enquire how they came by their Wealth,

and fcnt for that purpofe M. de Cramoijl, Mafter

of Requefts, and a Magiftrate of the higheft Re-

putation for Probity, and Honour, to examine
into their Circumftances •, to whom Flamelgzwt fo
fatisfadory an Anfwer, that no further Enquiry
was made about them ; but the honeft old People
were left in PofTeflion of the only Privilege they de-
fired, which was no greater, than that of doing all

the good that lay in their Power ^

The

This too. is a Fafl out of Difpute, and as a Proof that

"^

Flamel drew his Riches from his Acquaintance with the Her-
metic Phiiofophy, the Hierogliphic Pidlures upon his Tomb,
are ufually, and I think very juftly cited, as well as the
Treatifes he wrote upon this Subjeft, particularly the following
Work of his, La ^ rand Ecclairciflment de la Pierre Philofophale,
pour la tranfmutation de ecus Metaux, par Nicholas Flamel,
m Svo. Paris, 1628.
 C 1^5 ]
The Circumflances of this Story, the immenfe
Wealth of Flamel, and his Wife, their many-
Foundations, their vaft Endowments, and the pro-
digious Ellate they left behind them, are all Fadls,

fo well attefted, that no Difpute can be raifed

about them ; or if there were, the lad Will of

Nicholas Flamel^ which, with forty Authentic
Afls, of as many charitable Foundations, that

are laid up in the Archives of the Parifh Church

of St. James^ in the Butchery at Taris^ are Proofs
capable of convincing the greateft Infidel. This
Flamel, wrote feveral Treatifes on the Art of Chy-
miftry ; but they are extreamly Obfcure, becaufe
they are all delivered in an Allegorical Way, and
confequently one may hit upon various Interpre-
tations, without coming at the true one ; which it

is faid, he gave to a Nephew of his, and that the

Secret remained long in the Family, nay it is owing
to Indifcretion, if it does not fo ftill ^. I mufl
not however, conceal an Attempt that has been
made to overturn the whole of this Hiftory, not
by denying the Fafts, for that would have been
rediculous, fince there are hundreds of Poor that
yet

^ Flamel left his Secret to the Family of Du Perrier, the

laft of which was a Phyfician of that Name, amongfl. whofe
Papers it was found ; I mean only part of the Powder, by one
Du Bois ; who having adled very imprudently in making Pro
jeftion before feveral Ferfons, and pretending to much greater
Knowlege than he really had, brought upon himfelf an un-
fortunate End, being hang'd by order of Cardinal Richelieu,
 [ ii6 ]
yet fubfift on FlamePs, and his Wives Foun-
dations, and are confequently fo many living Wit-
nefles of the Veracity of that Part of the Relation.
But the Thing attempted is, to give another Ac-
count of Flamel's acquiring his Wealth, and in or-

der to this, they tell you, that he was a Notary Pub-

lic, at the Time the Jews were expelled France^ that
they depofited with him in Truft, a great Part of
their Wealth, and that he kept it for his own
Ufe ^. Such as treat all that is faid of the Philo-
fophers Stone, and of Hermetic Philofophy, as a
Fable, have run away with this Explication, as if
it had been a clear and fatisfadtory Account of the
Matter, without confidering that it is in Truth
attended with greater Difficulties, than the Tale of
the Tranfmutation. For what probability is there,

that Perfons of fo much Worth and Piety as

Flamel and his Wife are allowed to have been,

ihould be guilty of fuch a flagrant Act of Injuftice,
as to betray the Truft repofed in them, and this

purely to do Ads of Charity? If, indeed, thty

had lived in luxurious Plenty, and had rioted in

all the Plcafures which their immenfe Wealth
might

This Story, as flir as I am able to learn, was firft uQiered

*

into the World by Gabriel Naude, a warm and angry Writer,

and one far from being exaft ; from him it is copied by George
Hornius, in his Preface to the Works of Geber, and by many
other Writers. But as to the Notoriety of the Fadl, with re-
fpcdl to the Baniflimcnt of the Jews, as all the French Hif-
torians agree in it, and in the Dates relating to it, one may
fafely conclude, that it is fully anfwered.
 [ 1^7 ]
might have enabled them to have indulged, the

Story might have deferved feme Credit; but to

imagine that two fober People, leading a Life of
the utmoft frugality, and expending all their Re-
venues for Pious and Charitable Purpofes, fhould
contrive to get the Money fo fpent, by bafe and
fraudulent Means, is utterly incredible. Befides,
if this had been the Cafe, it is impolTible to account

for two Circumftances ; the firft is, that the King

o^ France fhould be fatisfied with the Account that
Flamel thought fit to give to Cramoiji; the other,

that this Story fhould never break out during the

Life oi Flamel, nor within an Age after his Death;

But as I know there are People , who, to avoid
being fufpe6ted of Credulity, will fwallow any
Thing oppofite to what they think, it would be
a fhame to believe ; I fhall deftroy this Critical

Hiftory of Flamel*s Riches, by an Argument,

even that thefe People dare not difcredit. In
Ihort, the Jews have been twice expelled France,

iirft in 1 1 80, long before Flamel was born, and

again in 1406, feveral Years after all his Endow-
ments were made, and but fcven Years before the
Death of him and his Wife Perrenella ^,

But

^ If the Reader has a Mind to be better acquainted with

the Adventures of this Adtjpc, he may confuit the Hillory of
Hermetic Philofophy, publiihed lately by the AbDe Lenglet
du Frefnoy.
 [ 1^8]
But methinks I hear fome Captious Reader
cry out, what did Flamcl and Perrenella die ? to

what end then all this tedious Scory ? what is

there in Flamefs Life, that Correfponds with that

o^Homippus? or what has Alchymy to do with
the Breath of Virgins, or the Prolongation of hu-
man Life ? Peace a little -, I promifed you fome
Account of Flamel^ that has not been hitherto re-

garded, that has efcaped the Notice of all who

have written the Hiflory of Hermetic Philofo-
phers, from the noble Olaus Borricbius, down to

Abbe du Frenfoy, and this I am going to give you.

But, permit me, to obferve, firft, that my Ac-
count is taken from the Travels of the Sieur Paul
Lticas, who by order of Lewis XIV. pafled

through Greece, Ajia Minor, Macedonia, and Afri-

ca, in fearch of Antiquities, who dedicated this
Book of his, to that Prince, and who muft be
therefore prefumed to relate what was true, or

what he took to be true •, for no body, who knew

the Charadter of Lewis XIV. can imagine, that
he would fuffer a Fellow to Ufher his Fal (hoods
into the World, under the Sandtion of his Name ;

much lefs, that after being guilty of fuch a Piece

of Infolence, he fhould encourage, protefl, and

employ fiich a Man, as in fad he did, to the very
end of his Reign •, and this, in confequence of the
Reputation he acquired from the Publication of
the
 [ 1^9 ]

the Voyi^ges, the Authority of which I am going

to ufe s.

It may not be amifs, to put my Reader in

mind, that I have ftriflly kept my Word. The
Sieur Lucas was no Hermetic Philofopher, no
Chymift, no deep Student in the Sciences ; and if

we guefs from his Writings, no Man of Art, or

Addrefs ; but a bold, rough, free-fpoken Tra- •

veller, who had.feen much, and was willing to

tell the World all he had feen. If from hence^,

any fhould be led into an Opinion that he was a

Credulous Man, and might be eafily impofed on,
-I have nothing to fay to that ; I do not intend to

turn Advocate for the Solidity of a Traveller's

Underftanding, any more than for the Truth of
Hermetic Phflofophy. I only lay down Things
as they are, or at leaft as they appear to be, and
leave all the reft to the Readers Decifion. All
I infift upon, as to the Sieur Lucas*^ Relation, is

this, that he could not be deceived as to the Mat-

ter of Fad ; he could not dream the Story he has
told us ; he could not fee it in a Vifion, and as to

the reft, I do not concern my felf about it; he

might poffibly be cheated by the Mohammedan
Monks, for I can readily conceive, that Monks
R of

g See the Preface to the Book from which this Story is taken,
which is entitled Voyage de Sieur Paul Lucas fait par Ordre
Du Roi dans La Grece, &c, Amiterdam, 17 14. in 12 mo. two
Volumes.
 [ 130 ]
of all Religions, are the fame; and yet, if as great

Abfurdities, and much greater Difficulties attend

the Story in this Light, than in any other ; I pre-

fume it may juftify a Hint, that it is not impoffi-

ble it might be, otherwife than fuch fevere Critics

may incline to believe. But it is now time to

come to the Story, and therefore I fhall put an end

to my Refledions.
He informs us, that being at Broujfa, in Natalia,
and going to take the Air towards a little Village
called Bournous Bacby, at a fmall Diflance from
thence, in Company with a Perfon of Diftindlion
he met with the following Adventure, which I
fhall relate to you exaflly in his own Words. We
went together to a little Mofque, fays he, where,
one of their moil eminent Dervifes was interred.
It is always a Dervife that has the Cuftody of fuch
Places, which are, generally fpeaking, pleafantly

fituated, adorned with Gardens and Fountains,

and on that Account, fet a-part for public Walks,
and Places for Recreation. We were quickly in-

troduced into a little Cloifler, where we found

four Dervifes, who received us with all imaginable
Civility, and defired us to partake of what they
were eating -, we were told, what we foon found
to be very true, that they were all Perfons of the
greateft Worth and Learning. One of them,
who faid he was of the Country of the Usbecks,
(a Tribe of Tartars) appeared to me more learned
tharj
 i -5^ J
than the reft, and I believe vesily he fpoke all the

Languages in the World. As he did not know

me to be a Frenchman^ after we had converfed
fometime in the I'urkijh Languages, he afked me,
if I could fpeak Latin, Spanijh, or Italian. I told

him, that if he pleafed, he might talk to me in

Italian -, but as he foon difcovered by my Accent,
that it was not my Mother Tongue, he afked me
frankly, what Country I came from. As foon as
he knew that I was a Native of France, he fpoke
to me in as good French as if he had been brought
up at Paris. How long Sir, faid I, did you ftay
in France ? He anfwered me, that he had never
been there, but that he had a great Inclination to
undertake the Journey.
I did all that lay in my Power to ftrengthen

that Refolution, and perfuade him to it, in order

to which, I told him, that there was no Kingdom

in the World more polifhed *, that Strangers ef-
pecially were extreamly well received there, and
that without Queftion, he would receive the great-
eft Satisfadlion from this Journey. No, no, re-
turned he, I am not in fuch a hurry to make it,

I fhould be a Fool to flatter myfelf with any fuch

Hopes i I am one of the Sages, and I know that
it is enough to hinder me from enjoying Quiet
there, fo that I am not like to think any more of
the Matter. 1 took a great deal of Pains to con-
vince him, that he was deceived, that fome bad
R 2 People
 - .
[132]
People had given him ill Impreflions of my Coun-
try j that France on the contrary, was the very Nur-
fcry of the Learned, and that the King, whofe Sub-
ject I had the Honour to be, was the greateft Pa-
tron of the Sciences. I went further ftill, I told

him, that though I had not the Honour to be of

any learned Profcffion myfelf, yet his Majefty was
pkafcd to defray the Expences of the Travels in

which he faw me engaged, and this with no other

View than to procure Notices of thofe Things,
the Knowlcge of which, remained yet neceflary

for perfefling the Sciences; fuch as of Herbs that

might be ufefuj in Phyfic, antient Monuments,
that might contribute to the Illuftration of re-

markable Events, and confequently ferve to render

Hiftory more compleat ; the View of the Coun-
tries themfelves, in order to the reftifying Geo-
graphical Charts ; in fine, I run through all the
Proofs I could think of, in order to convince him
of the Inclination that prevailed in France^ in Fa-
vour of the Sciences, and of Learning, all which
he attributed to the Climate, and feemed to ap-
prove what I faid, out of pure Civility. At laft,

however, he feemed to be ravifhed with the fine

Things I told him, and went fo far as to alTure

me, that fome Time or other he would certainly

go thither* Our Converfation being ended, the
Dervifes carried us to their Houfe, which was at
the Bottom of the Mountain, very near Bourncus
Bacbjy
Bach\\ wh^fe having di. . •ee, I took my
leave of them, but with a Promilc, however, that

I would come and fee them again.

On the lo^^, the Dervife whom I took for an

UJbeck, came to pay me a Vifit. I received him
in the bell Manner pofllble, and as he appeared
to me a very Learned, as well as curious Man, I

Ihewed him all the Manufcripts I had bought,

and he afTured me, they were very valuable, and
written by great Authors : I mufl iliy, in Favour
of this Dervife, that he was a Perfon every way
extraordinary, even to his outward Appearance.
He (hewed me abundance of curious Things in
Phyfic, and promifed me more j but at the fame
Time he could not help faying, that it was ne-
cefTary, that I fhould make fom.e extraordinary
Preparations on my Side, in order to put myfelf

into a Condition of profiting by the Lights he was

able to give me. To judge according to his Ap-
pearance, he Ihould have been a Man about thirty,
but by his Difcourfe, he feemed to have lived at
leaft a Century, and of this, I was the more per-
fuaded from the Accounts he gave me of fome
long Voyages he had made.
He told me, that he was one of feven Friends,
who all wander'd up and down the World, with
the fame View of perfefting themfelves in their

Studies, and that at parting, they always appoint-

ed another Meeting at the End of twenty Years,

in
 [ 134]
in a certain City which was mentioned, and thaf
the firft who came, waited for the reft. I per-

ceived, without his telling me, that Broujfa was

the City appointed for their prefent Meeting.

There were four of them there already, and they

appeared to converfe with each other, with a Free-
dom that fpoke rather an old Acquaintance, than

an accidental Meeting. In a long Converfation,

with a Man of great Parts, it is natural to run

over abundance of curious Topics. Religion and

natural Philofophy took up our Thoughts by
Turns, and at laft, we tell upon Chemiftry, AI-
chymy, and the Cabala -, I told him, that all thefe,

and efpecially the Notion of the Philofophers

Stone, were now regarded by moft Men of Senfe,

as mere Fictions and Chimeras. That, returned

he, ought not to furprize you, for in the firft Place

we ought to fuffer nothing to aftonifli us in this

Life *, the true Sage hears all Things without be-

ing fcandalized at them ; but though he may have
fo much Complaifance, as not to fhock an ignorant
Perfon when he talks of thefe Things, yet is he
obliged, do you think, to fink his Underftanding
to a Level with vulgar Minds, becaufe they are
not able to raife their Thoughts to an Equality

with his ? When I fpeak of a Sage, faid he, I

mean that kind of Man to whom alone the Title

of Philofopher properly belongs. He has no fort

of tie to the World, he fees all Things die and

revive
 [ 13? ]
revive without Concern ; he has more Riches in
his Power, than the greateft of Kings, but he
tramples them under his Feet, and this generous
Contempt, fets him even in the midft of Indi-
gence, above the Power of Events.
Here I ftop'd him. With all thefe fine

Maxims faid I, the Sage dies, as well as other

People. What imports it therefore to me, to
have been either a Fool, or a Philofopher, if

Wifdom hath no prerogative over Folly, and one

is no more a Shield againfl Death than the other?
Alas ! faid he, I perceive you are abfolutely unac-

quainted with fublime Science, and have never

known true Philofophy. Learn from me my
Friend, fuch a one as I have defcribed dies indeed,
for Death is a Debt which Nature exa6ls, and
from which therefore no Man can be exempt ; but
then he dies not before the Time fix'd by his great

Creator. But then you muft obferve, that this Pe-

riod approaches near a thoufand Years, and to the
Extent of that Time a Sage may live. He arrives

at this, through the knowlege he has of the true

Medicine. By this means, he is able to ward off
whatever may impeach, or hinder the Animal
Fundions, or deftroy the Temperature of his

Nature. By that, he is enabled to acquire the

Knowlege of whatever God has left within the
Cognizance of Man. The firft Man knew thetn

by his Reafon ; but it was this fame Reafon that

blotted
 [ 13^ ]

blotted them again from his Mind -, for having

attained to this kind of natural Knowlege, he
began to mingle therewith his own Notions and
Ideas. By this Confufion, ,which was the Effe6ts
of a foohfh Curiofity, he rendered imperfe6l even
the Work of his Creator, and this Error it is, that

the Sage labours to redrefs. The reft of Animals

ad only by their Inftindt, by which they preferve
themfelves, as at their firft Inftitution, and live as

long now, as when the World firft began. Man

is yet a great deal more perfedl j but, has he ftill

preferved that Prerogative we mentioned, or

has he not loft long ago the glorious Privilege of.
living a thoufand Years, which with fo much Care
he Ihould have ftudied to preferve ^ This then
it is, that the true Sages have retrieved, and that
you may no more be led into miftakes ; let me
afTure you, that this is what they call the Philo-
fophers Stone, which is not a Chimerical Science,
as fome half read People fancy, but a thing Solid
and Sound. On the other Hand, it is certainly

known, but to a few, and indeed it is impoflible

it fhould be made known to moft part of Man^

kind, whom Avarice or Debauch deftroy, or
whom an impetuous defire of Life kills.

Surprized at all I heard, and would you

then perfuade me, faid I, that all who have pof-

feffed the Philofophers Stone, have likewife lived

a thoufand Years? Without doubt, returned he
gravely.
 C 137]
gravely, for whenever God has been pleafed to
favour any Mortal with that Blefling, it depends
entirely on himfelf to reach the Age of a thoufand
Years, as in his State of Innocence the firft Man
might have done. I told him, that there had JDcen in

our Country, fome of thofe happy Mortals that were

laid to have poflciTed this Life-giving Stone, and yet
had never extended their Days to fuch a Length as
to go with a decripidnefs, that muft attend fuch an
excefTive an Age, into another State. But, con-
tinued he, don't you know that the Appellation
of a Philofopher, is much proflituted ; let me tell

you once again, there is none properly fuch, but

thofe who live to the Age I have mentioned. At
lafV, I took the Liberty to mention the illuftrious

Flamel, who, I faid, had poffefled the Philofopher*s

Stone, but was dead to all Intents and Purpofes

for all that. At the mention of his Name, he

fmiled at my Simplicity. As I had by this Time

begun to yeild fome degree of Credit to his Dif^

courfe, I was furprized he (liould make a Doubt of

what I advanced, upon this Head ; the Dervife
obferved this, and could not help faying with an
Air of Mirth, and do you really think the Thing
{o ? do you adlually believe Flamel is dead .? No,
no, my Friend, continued he, don't deceive your-
felf, Flamel is living ftill, neither he nor his Wife
are yet at all acquainted with the dead. It is not

above three Years ago fince I left both the one and
S the
 [ 138 ]
the other in the Indies^ and he is, faid he, one of
my beft Friends ; upon which, he was going to
tell me, how their Acquaintance grew, but (lop-
ping himfelf (hort of a fudden, that, faid he, is

little to the purpofe, I will rather give you his

true Hiftory, with refped to which, in your

Country, I dare fay, you are not very well ac-
quainted.

W E Sages, continued he, though rare in the

World, yet are we equally of all Seds and Pro-
feflions, neither is there any great inequality a-

mongft us on that Account. A litde before the

Time of Flamel^ there was a Jew of our Fra-

ternity ; but as through his whole Life he had a
moll ardent AfFedion for his Family, he could not
help defiring to fee them after he once came to
the Knowlege of their being fettled in France.
We forefaw the Danger of the Thing, and did
all that in us lay, to divert him from this Journey,
in which we often fucceeded. At lall, however,
the PafTion of feeing his Family grew fo flrong
upon him, that go he would ; but at the Time
of his Departure, he made us a folemn Promife to
return to us as foon as it was pofllble. In a Word,
he arrived at Paris, which was, as it is now, the
Capital of the Kingdom, and found there, his Fa-
ther's Defcendants were in the highefl Efteem a-
mong the Jews. Amongfl others, there was a
Rahbi, who had a Genius for the true Philofophy,

and
 [ ^39 3
and who had been long in Search of the great
Secret. Our Friend did not hefitate at making
himfelf known to his Relation, on the contrary,

he entered into a ftrid Friendfhip with hitT), and

gave him abundance of Lights. But as the firfl

Matter is a long Time preparing, he contented

himfelf with putting into Writing, the whole Se-

ries of the Procefs, and to convince Nephew thathis

he had not amufed him with Falfhoods, he made

Projection in his Prefence on thirty Ocques {an Oc-
que is three Pounds) of bafe Metal, and turned it into

pure Gold. The Rabbi full of Admiration, did all

he could to perfuade our Brother to remain with

him, but in vain ; becaufe he, on the other Hand,
was refolved not to break his Word with us. The
Jew when he found this, changed his AfFeftion in-

to mortal Hatred, and his Avarice ftiflingall Prin-

ciples of Nature and Religion, he refolved to ex-
tinguifh one of the Lights of the Univerfe. Di{^
fembling, however, his black Defigns, he befought
the Sage in the tendereft Manner, to remain with
him only for a few Days. During this Space, he
plotted and executed his execrable Purpofe, mur-
thered our Brother, and made himfelf Mafter of
his Medicine. Such horrible A6lions never re-

main long unpunifhed. Some other black Things

he had done, came to light, for which the Jew was
thrown into Prifon, convided, and burnt alive.

S 2 The;
 [ 140 ]
The Jews fell foon after under a Perfecution
at Paris, as without Doubt you have heard.
Flamel, more reafonable than the reft of his Coun-
trymen, entered into a ftri<5t Friendfhip with fome
of them ; and as his great Honefty, and unble-
mifhed Probity were well known, a Jew Merchant
entrufted him with all his Books and Papers, a-

mong which were thofe of the Jew which had'

been burnt, and the Book that our Brother had left
with him. The Merchant taken up no doubt with
his own Affairs, and with the Care of his Trade,
had never confidered this valuable Piece with any
Attention ; but Flamel, whofe Curiofity led him
to examine it more clofely, perceiving feveral Pic-

tures of Furnaces and Alembicks, and other Vef-

fels, he began immediately to apprehend, that in
this Book was contained the grand Secret. He
got the firft Leaf of the Book, which was in He-
brew, tranflated, and with the little he met with
therein, was confirmed in his Opinion -, but know-
ing that the Affair required Prudence and Circum-
rpsdion, he took, in order to avoid all Difcovery,
the following Steps. He went into Spain, and as

Jews were every where fettled throughout that

Country, in every Place that he came to, he ap-
plied himfelf to the moft learned, engaging each of

them to tranflate a Page of his Book j having thus

obtained an entire Verfion, he fet out again for Pa-

ris. He brought back with him a faithful Friend

of
 [ 141 ]

of his, to labor r '-'th hiitifia the Work, and with.

whom he intended to (hare the S: '-.it a ra-

ging Fever carried him oft, r.^r" '^'-izel

of his Aflbciate^ When therefore he caui^ : re^

he and his Wife entered together upon the W- -i:^

and arriving in procefs of Time ac the Secret, ac-

quired immenfe Riches, which they employed in

building public Edifices, and doing good to a

Multitude of People.
Fame is frequently a very dangerous Evil;

but a true Sage knows how to extricate himfelf

from all kinds of Peril. Flamel faw plainly, that

the prevailing Notion of his having the Philofo-
phers Stone might be fatal, both to his Liberty
and Life ; he therefore bent all his Thoughts to
the contriving fome Method for extricating himfelf
out of this Danger, and having at laft ftruck out

one, he took Care to execute it immediately, and

found means to fecure their Flight, by fpreading
a

^ The Reader will eafily perceive, that there are fome

Variations in this Hiftory from that which we have before

given of Flamel; but this only (hews, that we have not done
any Thing to countenance this Tale, or to give it that Air of
Probability, which in Truth it wants, and after all the Dif-
ference between thefe Accounts, is very far from being fo
great, as to deftroy the Credit of either of them. For it is
very probable, that Lucas's Memory might betray him, and
that he might refrefh it on his return into France, from the
common Story of Flamel, with which his agrees The prin-
cipal Reafon ofmy citing it, was, his Conclufion, which I
particularly recommend to the Reader's Confideration ; fince,
if Flamel's Story be known in thofe Parts of the World, with
fuch a Degree of exadlnefs, it is little lefs wonderful than tne
reft of the Story in all its Circumftances.
 I4i I
[
a Report of his Wives Death, and his own. By
his Advice, fhe fained herfelf fick of a Diflemper,
which had its ufual Courfe, fo that by the Time
fhe was faid to Die, Ihe had reached the Frontiers

of Swijferland, where he had diredled her to wait

for him. They buried in her ftead a Wooden

Image, drefs'd up, and that nothing might be
wanting to the Ceremonial, it was interred in one
of the Churches that they had founded. Some
time after, he had recourfe to the like Stratagem
for his own Security, and having buried another
Wooden Statue, he by that time the Funeral was
over, joined his Wife. You will eafily perceive,

that there was no great Difficulty in all this, fince

in every Country if a Man has Money, Phyficians

and Priefts are always at his Service, ready to fay,

or do whatever he direfts them. To give the

Thing ftiJl the better Grace, and to prevent the
leaft Sufpicion of the Cheat, Flamel made his laft

Will and Teftament in Form, wherein he parti-

cularly dcfired that his Corps might be interred

near that of his dear Wife, and that a Pyramid
fhould be ereded to their Memories. Since that
Time, both of them have led a Philofophic Life,

fometimes in one Country, fometimes in another.

This, depend upon it, is the true Hiftory of Fla-

mel and his Wife, and not that which you have
heard at Paris, where there are very few who
have ever had the Icaft Glympfe of true Wifdom.
*
This
 [ 143 ]

This Story appeared to me what I think it

muft appear to every one, equally fingular and

ftrange, and the more fo, as it was told me by a
Mohammedan^ who I have all the reafon in the

World to believe never fat one Foot in France.

As to the reft, I report this Matter purely as an

Hiftorian, and I have even pafled by abundance

of Circumftances more remarkable than any I have

related ; the Truth of which however, he affirmed.
I fhall content myfelf therefore, with faying, that

we are apt to entertain too mean Notions of the

Learning of the Mohammedans, for certainly this

Man wasa Perfon in all refpedlsof extenfive Know-

'\
lege, and a fuperior Genius
We have now done with the Fliftory of FlameU
and if the Reader has a mind to knov/ how I bring
it to have any Connedlion with my SubjecSt, I

Ihall inform him, in v6ry few Words. According

to my Sentiments, which are in part founded upon
the Writings of Flamel himfelf, the firft Matter of
the Univerfal Medicine, the Philofophers Stone,
or the grand Secret of the Hermetic Philofophers,

is taken from the Air; and from fome of their

Writings I have gathered, that they were not
altogether unacquainted with the Secret of Hermip-

•pus ; fb that if this Infcription had failed into their

Hands, I make no queftion but they would have

pronounced

* Voyage du Lucas, Tom. i. p. 79 — 90.

 [ ] M4
pronounced him an Adept, and have fupported
this Decifion of cheir's, by giving us an Account
in their Manner, of his Method of performing
it^. This Account fo far as I have been able to
CoUefl it, the Reader fhal] receive in the cleareft

Terms, for I pretend not to adopt their Manner

of Writing, or to hide in ambiguous Allegories,
fo ufeful a Truth.

In fome Books, written by thefe Sort of Phi-

lofophers, I have met with various Experiments

for applying the Salubrious Particles of the human

Breath to Medicinal Purpofes ; and amongft thefe,

the following feems to be that which bed deferves

Notice, as it fliews a wonderful Ingenuity, and is

I believe, the fingle Attempt that was ever made

to extradt the Tinflures of living Animals, in
order to make them enter like other Tindures, in-

to all the Ufcs of Phyfic. " Let there be, fays

*' my Author, a fmall clofe Room prepared, and
*' each
let there be fet up in it, five little Beds,

" for a fingle Perfon. In thefe Beds, let there

*' lie five Virgins under the Age of thirteen, and
*' of wholefome Conftitutions. Then in the
Spring

'' This Difcovery any Reader who

will be pretty evident to
confults the fourth, ninth,and twelfth Pages of a Treatife
at the End of Mangctus's Bibliotheca Chemica, which Piece is
entitled, Mutus Liber, in quo 'I amen tota Piiilolbphia Her-
inetica, figuris hicroglyphicis depingitur ter cptimo maximo»
Deo mifencordi confecratus, folilque filiis artis dedicatus, Au-
thore cuius nomen eit <'ilcus.
 [ HS J
*' Spring of the Year, about the Beginning of the
" Month of May, let there be a Hole pierced
*' through the Wall of the Chamber, through
*' which, let there be inferted the Neck of a
" Matrafs, the Body of the Glafs being expofed
*' to the cold Air without. It is eafy to appre-
•* hend, that when the Room is filled with the
" Breath and Matter perfpired by thefe Virgins,
" the Vapours will continually pafs through the
" Neck of the Matrafs into the Body of the
** Veflfel, where, through the Coldnefs of the Cir-
'* cumambient Air they will be condenfed into a
" clear Water, which is a Tinfture of admirable
*' Efficacy, and may be juft ly ftiled an Elixir
*' Fii^, fince a few Drops of it, given in the
" Beginning of any acute Diftemper, refolves and
" difperfes the morbific Matter, lb as to enable
*' the animal Force to throw it off by inlenfible
" Perfpiration ^."

I could mention another Preparation from the

Vital Part of the Air itfelf, which is a great Se-

cret amongft thefe Philofophers, and is, perhaps

the PFbile Dove, often mentioned in the Writings
of Philakthes, of which, thus much is certain,

that when the Air is once fpoiled of this Principle,

it is no longer fit for Animal Refpiration, and it

T was

'Secret! di diverfi excellentiffimi Huomini. in 8vo. in

Milano. 1
1J58. See alfo Lana : de mot. tranfpirat. lib. ii. cap.
3. artific. Ji. p. 73. 74.
 [ 14^ ]
was by a Contrivance of this Kind, that the fa-

mous Cornelius Drebell made that Liquor, which

fupphed the Place of Air in the Machine he con-
trived for carrying on a Kind of fubmarine Navi-
gation. This Medicine, which is, as I have faid,

extratfted from the Air, is whiter than Snow, cold-

er than Ice, and fo volatile, that if the Quantity of a

Nutmeg be expofed to the Air, it is afcrib'd there-

by in the Space of a few Seconds. This Secret,

which is ufed for the fame Purpofesas the former,

is ftiled Aura Pueliarum ^. We may gather from
all this, that if the Hermetic Philofophers have in
reality any fuch Secret as they boaft off, for the

prefervation of human Life, it is built upon the

fame Principles with thofe which I have already
laid down, and confequently no true Adept can
confiflently with his own Notion of Things, op-
pofe my Dodrine, efpecially when he confiders,

with what Reflri6lions it is offered, fince I do not

propofe, as the Sages do, the prolonging Man's
Life to the Term of a thoufand Years, neither
do I promife the Renovation of Life, as fome
meaner

"> Whoever confults the Liber Mutus, will plainly perceive,

that the Matter is taken from the Air ; but by a Method
firft

very different from that which I here fuggeft, though poffibly

they may both contribute to the fame End, fmce it is eafy to
conceive, that the firft Matter of the Philofophers may refide
in feveral Places ; nay, fome of them have affirmed, that it
h to be found every where the famous Jacob Boehmen affert-
;

«d, that it was to be met with in the Dirt of the Streets.

 f '47 ]
meaner Artlfls have done ; all I contend for is, the

poflibihty of making fuch Ufe of youthful Spirits^

as for a Time to keep of the Inconveniencies of

Age, which though far inferior to what others af-

fert they are able to perform, would ftill be of the

utmoft Benefit to Mankind, if with Facility it

could be carried into Pradlice.

I know very well it may, and I doubt not but
it will be objeded, if Hermippus was fo wife a
Man, why inftead of drawing old Age to fuch a
Length, did he not prefferve the Vigour of his

Youth? this furely would have been by far a nobler

Difcovery, and to which the young Ladies would

with the greatefl Readinefs have contributed. But
I muft put fuch People as thefe in mind, that as
in this Treatife I have inferted nothing which
may not be fome way or other ferviceable, either
to the Inflruflion or Entertainment of Mankind,
fo I fliall not think myfelf at all obliged to take
Notice of any ludicrous Refiedions. The Pre-
fervation of Life, the defending the human Body
from decay, and of rendering it a fitTenement
for the Soul to inhabit, in that Seafon in which
ihe is moft capable of exerting her noblefl Fa-
culties, are grave and ferious Subjedls ; with which
no trivial Matters ought to mingle. Befides, to

fpeak my Opinion freely, though I think the Me-

thod of Hermippus extreamly proper for repairing
the Waftes of Nature, and preventing the Incom-
T 2 modi ties
 [ 148 ]
modifies which ufually attend on Years; yet I am
far from believing, that this Method would con-
tribute at all to the Extention of Youth, but rather

the contrary ; and for this I think, I am able to

offer fome very probable Reafons.

I N the fir ft Place, it will be neceffary to ob-

ferve, that I do not here mean by Youth, a ftate

of Infancy or Childhood, but rather that robuft

State between twenty-five and forty ; for the Con-
verfation of very young People with each other,

I conceive to be as wholefome for their Bodies, as

it is pleafant and agreeable to their Minds. But

when the human Body is arrived at its full

Strength, and is in that State of Health in which

Temperance and Equanimity will maintain it, a
Surcharge of animal Spirits may not only prove
ufelefs, but dangerous. It is an old, and a very
true Obfervation, that the moft florid State of

Health, is that, in which a Man is in the greateft

Peril, in cafe he receives any Infeflion, and the

Reafon is obvious, viz. becaufe the animal Spirits
adt then with the utmoft Vigour, and confequently
muft do the more Mifchief, if by any means they
are tainted. From the fame Method of Reafon-
ing, we may conclude, that fuch a Manner of Liv-
ing as that which we have fuppofed Hermippus led,
might be attended with inconveniencies to a Man
of a robuft Conftitution, and perhaps, incline him
to Frenzies, or at kaft to Fevers, A pure Air,
light
 [ M^ ]
light Diet, moderate Exercife, and a perfeft Do-
minion over his Paffions, with a, few flight Re-
medies taken on proper Occafions, and according
as Nature direds, may maintain a Man in the

full Pofleflion of Health and Spirits to fixty, and

then it is Time enough for him to think of avoid-

ing the Inconveniencies which ufually attend old

Age. I might alfo obferve, that the Converfation

of many young Women, might, in the Summer

of Life, draw along with it other Inconveniencies ;

but thefe are Subjects on which I do not chufe to

infifl, becaufe it is not eafy to treat them with that

Delicacy, which a Philofophic Difcourfe like this,

requires ; and becaufe the flighted Hint is fufficient

to iuggefl: more to a Man of good Senfe, than is

at all neceflfary to be delivered upon this Subjed.

I take it therefore for granted, that I have af-

figned the proper Bounds to my Remedy, and that

I may fafely define it, the Cordial of advanced

Years, which can never be fafely adminifl:ered, till

from a jufl: Application of Reafon, there has been

produced an abfolute retreat of Appetite".
But if any one fliould be mad enough to pur-

fue this Objeftion further, and cry out, of what

Significancy then is your Remedy ? why in fuch a

Situation would you extend Life at all, or of what

ufe is Years when deprived of Enjoyments? If I

fay

" Cicer. de Senedlute.

 % there are any fo wild as to talk in this Manner,
my Anfwer is, that they miftake my meaning.
I am clearly of Opinion, that the Pleafures of the
Mind are far fuperior to all fenfual Delights, and
that the Cultivating youthful Underftandings,
which is the Bufinefs in which I have fuppofed my
old Man employed, is a plealant and noble under-
taking, every way worthy of the Souls fupream-
eft Faculties, and carrying along with it, its

own Reward, viz. a fecond Youth, more pleafing,

more delightful, than the firft. For as on the
one hand, I cannot allow that fuch a Perfon fliould
gratify, or fo much as feel his Paflions, fo on the
other, I would not have him plunged into deep
and perplexing Studies, but rather amufed and di-

verted by purfuits of another Nature. At parti-

cular Seafons, indeed, he might difcourfe with his

Friends on grave and ferious Topics j but I would

not have fuch Converfations return too frequently,
for fear of their leading him by Degrees into Me-
lancholly, which is nothing elfe but fixing the
Thoughts too intently on a fmgle Objefl. In
order to require and maintain a green old Age,
there is nothing fo requifite as Chearfulnefs of Mind,
which can never be fecured if we meditate much
on abflrufe Subje6ls, I do not fay, that thefe are

always to be neglefted •, but what I fay is, that this

is not the Seafon of Life in which they ought to be

purfued. They require fuch Vigour, fuch Atten-

tion,
 C 15' ]
tion, and fuch a degree of Penetration, as would in-

duce fo great a wafte of Spirits as would defeat the

intention of that Remedy, which I would recom-

mend, and therefore I lay it down as a fupple-

mental Rule, that thefe are to be avoided.

There is, as far as my Forefight will carry

me, but one Objection more, that can be raifed

againft my Syftem ; and this mufl come from the

Quarter of the Politicians, who conceive nothing
to be right or worthy of Encouragement, which
does not fquare with their Notions, which are,

however, generally fpeaking, not; very agreeable

to thofe of other Men. It would not therefore
furprize me, if thefe Gentlemen fhould take it into

their Heads, to treat this as a Whimfical and

trifrling Performance, becaufe know that accord-
I

ing to their Syftem, old Men many Incum-

are fo

brances, of which, the State ought to be difcharg'd.

It is upon this Principle I prelume, that fome

Indian Nations make great Feafts in their Families,
when their Chief becomes decripid, and when
thefe Rejoicings are over, fairly put him out of
the Way °. Our Free-thinkers in Politics there-

fore.

° I remember
to have read in a late French Writer, that
this pradifed by fome of the barbarous Nations, who Jive
is

in the Neighbourhood of Hudfon's Bay ; and he fays further,

that he was prefent at one of thefe Feafls, at the Clofe of
which, the Son cut the Throat ot his Father. I do not re-
colleft, that he bellows any Reiic;£tions upon this Paffage ;
but from the Account he has given us of the Country, I thinlc
it
 r '5^ ]
fore, muft necefiarily have a bad Opinion (at leaft

while they are young) of fuch a Propofition as

this, which intends no more than prolonging the
Lives of thofe, who, in the Account of our
Machiavelijls^ ought to be In their Graves already.

What Benefit, fay they, can refult to Society from

maintaining People pall their Labours, and who,
according to this very Scheme, are declared unfit
for Propagation ? The Public is only benefited by
adive and induflrious Perfons, why then fhould
fo much Care be taken to preferve People fit only
for a fedentary Life ? If the ordinary Laws of Na-
ture can be difpenfed with, let it be in Favour of
the Public Weal, why fliould the extravagant
Defire of Life be gratified, rather than any other
extravagant Defire whatever? Refleftions like

thefe, it is evident, muft induce thefe over-wife

Perfons to treat my Book with Contempt, what-
ever Opinion they may have of the Arguments
contained in it -, and therefore it is neceflary for

me to Ihew, that thefe Maxims, how plaufible,

how refined foever they may appear, are very far

from

it no difficult Matter to diftirguifh the Caufe oF {o inhuman (I

ftould be in the wrong to call it fo brutal) a Cuftom, which I

take to be this, that they find it very difficult in that part of
the World to acquire Subfiftance, and therefore think them-
felves under a kind of Neceffity of maintaining only fuch as
are ufeful. This, I pcrfuade myfelf, was the Original of {o
horrid a Praftice, which cannot, however, be founded on real
Neceffity, becaufe thefe People who murder their Parents,
preferve their Children, though equally helplefs.
 [ 'S3 ]
from being either jult or reafonablc, and which is

flili of great;er Weight in the prefent Cafe, afe

far from being calculated for the Benefit of Man-
kind in general p.

It is, I think, a Fafl fo well eflablifhed, that

I need be at no great Pains to prove it, that

mofl of the Mifchiefs and Miferies brough*: upon
private Families, and even upon whole Nations,
flow from the Warmth of Mens Paffions, and
from their indulging their irregular Inclinations at

the Expence of others, nay and of Society it-

felf I cannot, therefore, help thinking, that it

might be a means of leffening thefe Evils, if

U we

P It may be, perhaps, thought I exaggerate a h'ttle In

fuppofing, that there are People capable ot reasoning in fuch

a Manner ; but, whoever confiders the Principles of the Spar-
tan Government, and the Syllem of Morals, recommended by
Lycurgus, will be of another Opinion. Neither are we to
imagine, that only fevere Politicians are inclined to fuch a
Dodrine ; there have been in all Ages fome polite Writers,
and refined Wits, who have been inclined to treat old Age,
not as a Misfortune only, but as a Crime. For Inltance, Cor-
nelius Gallus, one of the Favourites of Auguftus, and himfelf
the Patron of Virgil, and of Horace, paints old Age thus.

Stat dubius tremulufq; fenex, femperq; malorum

Credulus et Stultus qus facit ipl'e timet.
Laudat pra;teritos, prefentes defpicit annos
Hoc tantum in redum quod facie ipfe putat.

Trembling and Doubtful, flill the Old we find.

And much to Credit all ill News inclin'd ;

Foolifhly fearful of what e're they do,

And when done, they're apprehenfive too.
it's

Pafs'd times their Piaife, the preknt claim their Spighf,

And only what they do themfelves is Right.
 [ «J4l
we could encreafe the Number of thofe who are

free from fuch irregular and depraved Appetites,

and are confequently moft capable of conducing
with Judgment and Integrity, either public or
private Affairs. It is remarkable, that in all

well-governed States, a certain maturity of Age

is required before Men are entrufted, not only

with the Management of public Concerns, but of

their own. Upon what Reafon then is this found-

ed ? Is it not becaufe they are thought to want in

the firft Place, the Lights of Experience, and in
the next, to be too much hurried by their Pafllons ?

If this be right, and if it be not right, the wifeft

Men in all Ages have been in the wrong: If this

I fay be right, why fhould we fancy Men pafs'd

their Labours ; for being in polTeflion of thofe

Qualities which are certainly the firft Ingredients

in the conftituting true Wifdom ? There will be

always People enough in the World full of that
Heat, Vigour, and Strength, which is requifite for

carrying on the adive and laborious Parts of Bu-

finefs J but we fee plainly, that private Families

are brought to Ruin, and by Degrees, great States

decay for want of that Moderation, Experience,
and Forefight, of which, Men far in Years, and
whofe Spirits are not opprefTed with the Infirmities

of Age, are ufually pofTefTcd. If, therefore, we

regard the Eafe and Happinefs of Mankind, rather
than Hurry and Noife, and efleem fuch a Govern-
ment
ment as preferves its Subjefls in the conftant En-
joyment of thefe Bleflings, better than that which
employs them at the Expence of their own Eafe
and Happinels, in difturbing thofe of their Neigh-
bours, then there can be no Weight in this part

of the Objeflion. As to what refpedls Generation,

it is a very flight and idle Surmife ; for if in Po-

pifh Countries Monajieries are found no great In-

convenience, where thofe that fill them make

Vows of Celebacy in the Flower of their Age,
certainly for Men who are turned of Seventy to

forbear getting Children, can never be an Incon-

venience to any State.
Th IS is undoubtedly a fufficient Anfwer as to the

general Reafoning of thofe I would refute ; but

with Refped to the Doflrlne I have endeavoured
to eflablifli, a ftill clearer and more explicit An-
fwer might be given. For without enquiring
whether their Principles be wrong or right, I may
eafily obferve, that nothing I have laid down tends
to burthen Society with a Race of Dotards. What
I propofe, is quite the contrary. If, on the one
Hand, I plead for the Extention of human Life,

I recommend on the other, fuch a Method as muft

preferve the Faculties in the higheft Order. Nor
is it to be at all apprehended, that the Number
of Men who fhall prolong their Lives by this Me-
thod, in cafe it Ihould be ever carried into Pradice,

will be exceilive, or burthenfome to Society, the

U 2 very
 [ ijS ]
very Nature of it provides againft any fuch In-
convenience, by requiring fucli Moderation and
Self-denial, as will not frequently be found. It

is, therefore, an unjuft and unfair Imputation up-

on my Principles, that they tend to burthen the

World with ufelefs People, fince the utmoft to

which they can be drained is, that I am for pre-

ferving as long as polTible, the Lives of fuch as

may be ufeful. As to the Subfiftance again of
fuch People, it is eafy to difcern, that this can be

but a very trifling Expence, when compared even

with what they are able to acquire towards the

Increafe of the common Stock. So, that con-

fidered in this, which is the very worft Light

in which the Thing can be put, a true Politician,

and one who has a proper Regard for the Interefl,

and at the fame Time, a juft refpeft for the Rights

of Mankind, will be far from thinking that I

have offered any Thing which can be prejudicial

to a well-ordered Society, but have rather pro-

vided a very good Method for fecuring a conftant

Supply of fuch Counfellcys, as may preferve it

in the beft Order poffible.

On this Occafion, I beg leave to cite a Pafllige

which 'Tidly hath put into the Mouth of the elder

Cato"^, thatdeferves as much Attention from its

Solidity, and good Senfe, as it does Praife for the

Beauty

• 1 Cicer. de Senedtute. c. ii.

 C 157 ]
Beauty and Accuracy of Stile, In which it is deli-

vered. Colo is there anfwering the very Objec-

tion, which I have been treating. " If, fays he,
" Petulence or Luft be Vices more frequent among
" young Men than Old, yet all young Men are
" not infefted with them, but fuch only as want
" proper Talents, lb it is with that fort of Diftem-
" per which you call Dotage, it is indeed the
" Difeafe ofoldMen; but, however, all old Men
*' are not infefted with it. Appius was for fome
" Years quite dark, and yet he managed a Family
** of four Sons grown up, and five Daughters,
*' with abundance of Relations and Clients, who
** depended upon him. He kept his Mind always
*' in order, and though his Vigour decayed, yet
*' his Senfes never failed him. He preferved to
*'
the laft Moment his Au-
Charader, and his
" thority every body looked up towards him as
*' became their Station -, his Slaves feared, his
*' Children revered, and who were about him, all

" Loved him. In a Word, he kept up the old

" Difcipline, and did Honour to the RomanN3.mQ^
*' by preferving the Manners of his Family un-
" tainted. So that it is plain, old Age may
" maintain a graceful Superiority, if it be jealous of
" its Prerogative ; if on all Occafions it maintains
*' its right, if it never fneaks and gives way, but
" keeps up a Manly Spirit to the laft. For as
" I approve fome Qualities of Age in a young
Man,
 [ 'iS 1
" Man, fo a Youthful Spirit is very commendable
*' in Men of Years, for while they preferve this,
" though the Body may feel the effeds of Age,
" yet the Mind ftands out of its reach. At this
" very Inftant I am employed in writing the .S"^-
" venth Book of my /Antiquities, and am adlually
*' making large Colledlions from fuch old Records,
*' as may ferve my purpofe. I likewife. Review,
*' and fometimes touch a frefli, the Orations I have
*' formerly made in the capital Caufes, wherein I
*' have been concerned : I ftill keep up my Stock of
*' knowlege in the Augurial, Pontifical, and Civil
*' Law, and have time enough to read a great
*' deal of Greek befides. I conftantly ufe the Py-
*' /-&^^^rf^« Method for the Exercife of my Me-
** mory, and every Evening run over in my Mind,
*' whatever heard or done that Day.
I have faid,
*' Thefe are the Exercifes of the Underftanding,
•' and in thefe, as in a Chariot, the Soul takes the
" Air, while I am capable of thefe, I don*t
*'
give myfelf much concern about bodily Decays,
*'
I am always at the Command of my Friends,
*' attend the Service of the Houfe frequently, and
•' diftinguifli myfelf in Debates, wherein a Man
" compafTes more by the flrength of his Facul-
*' ties, than he can do elfewhere, by Force of
" Arms. But Ihould it ever prove my Misfor-
** tune to be confined to my Bed, and be thereby
*' rendered incapable of going through thefe Em-
" ploy men ts.
 [ «i9I
'* ploy men ts, yet the very thoughts of what I
*' would do, if I were able, would confole me.
•* But thanks be to Heaven, I have no reafon to
*' apprehend any fuch Thing, I have been a better
*' Hufband of my Time than fo, for let a Man
" be butconftantly exercifed in Labours like thefe,
•' and he will not fo foon find the Breaches of Age.
•' Years will Ileal upon him infenfibly, he will
" grow old by Degrees and without feeling it;
*' nay, when he comes to break at lad:, the Houfe
*' will crumble gently, and fall down fo flowly,
*' as not to give him any great Pain**. This is

a very fine Pifture, and contains a more finiflied

Apology for that ftate of Life which I am endea-

vouring to extend, than my Abilities would fuffer

me to draw, but the very producing it, ferves my

purpofe better than if I had wrote it. If I follow
the Sentiments of Cicero, d.nd the Example of Cat d
who
the Elder, Ihall queftion either my Senfe, or

my Condud ?
It ought to be further confidered, that for per-

fecting many of the Sciences, a longer Life is

requifite than Men ufually enjoy -, or to fpeak with

greater Propriety, the free Exercife of their Facul-

ties to a more advanced Age. If we examine all the

Improvements that have been made in true Science,

we lliall find, that they have proceeded from Men,

who have exercifed their Thoughts in fuch kind
of Studies for a long Courfe of Years. The laft

Books
 •
[ i(fo
]
Books of Arijlotle, are eftcemcd the mofl perfet!:!:,

fo are thofe of Seneca, which he wrote in an ad-

vanced Age •, and we may fay the Hime Thing.
with rcqueft to modern Philofophers -, fuch as

Gajfenchy Baco??, and Newton. A ferene old Age is

theretbre of the highcft Confeqiience in this Re-

fped:, fince it would contribute to furnilh the

World with new and ufeful Lights, and prevent

the Expedations they conceive from the early
Produdlions of great Men, from being fruftrated

as they frequently are, by their premature Deaths.

I muft likewife obferve, that mechanical Inventi-

ons acquire much Time to Perfedt them, and that

very profitable Difcoverics, and very ufeful Ma-
nufadures have been loft, by the Deaths of thofe

who firft Cultivated them, of which many Inftan*

ces might be given. We may likewife remark,

that fetding any new Plantation ; reforming a So-

ciety i or in fliort, reducing any People who have

been long under an ill form of Government, or
in a great meafure without any, requires length of

Days. Lewis XIV. changed entirely the Face of

Things in France during his Reign, which was
principally owing to the length of it, as it gave
him an opportunity of feeing moil of his Schemes

brought to bear 9 whereas, the unexpected Deadi

of the Great Czar Peter, caufed many of his Pro-
jefts to be buried in Oblivion, and mufthave over-
turned the whole of his Glorious dcfign for re-
forming
forming his Subjeds, and raifing the Credit of his
Grown, with the reft of the European Powers •, if,

which was fcarce to be expedbed, his SuccelTors had

not generally fpeaking, perfifted in the purfuit of
his Plan. We may therefore eafily difcern, that

fuch an extention of Life as this Treatife propo-

i^s^ would be fo far from contributing to burthen

the World with an ufelefs race of old Men, that

it would really furnifh it with fuch People, as are

moft wanted for the Improvement of Knowlege,
the perfeding mechanical Difcoveries, and contri-
buting in other Refpedts, to the Welfare of Man-
kind.
Upon the whole, therefore, I think I may
very juftly conclude, that by examining this

antient Infer iption, I have not only exercifed my

Thoughts in a Manner that may contribute to

the Amufement of the Learned but that I have ;

hinted many Things which may be of public

Utility. In this Refped, indeed, I think, I

have made the proper Ufe of the Infcription

for certainly, it is much better to inform our-

felves as to Things than Words, and the World

would be much more indebted to the Labours of
learned Men, if they would pay that Regard to this
Maxim which it deferves. What Ufe would
it be of to Mankind, fuppofing it pofTible for

me to fix the Reign of the Roman Emperor,

under which Hermippus flourifhed ? or what
X Thanks
 [ i5i ]
Thanks would my Readers owe me, If I had en-
deavoured to difcufs whether he lived to hundred
and fifty-five, or a hundred and fifteen only. Have
I not chofen the better Part, in examining what
may ftill be of fome Ufe, viz. By what Method
he arrived at fo great an Age, and how far it is

pra6licable for us to follow his Method. I think,

Imay go ftill farther, and affirm, that I have
made it at leaft extreamly probable, that the An-
helitus Pueliarm?, is in fome Meafure the Breath
of Life ; in order to which, I hope I have effec-

tually deftroyed fome Prejudices that affeded the

Minds even of People of good Senfe, as to the
fettled Term of human Life, and the Impoffibility
of prolonging it by Art. I have likewife, in the
Courfc of this DilTertation, colleded the Senti-

ments of feveral great Men, who think, or leaft

feem to me, to think in the fame "Way that I do,

and have thereby given an Opportunity to the
curious and inquifitive Reader, of fearching more
llridly into their Opinions, in order to do them
Juftice, in cafe, after mature Confideration, he
thinks that I have failed in fo doing.
If this ftiould contribute little to the Elucida-

tion of the prefent Point, yet it might prove the

Means of bringing many Things of Confequence
to light. We have made it evident, by our Cita-
tions from old Books, that many of the Difcove-
. ries for which the Moderns are famous, were aftu-
ally
 [ i<^3 ]

allyknown to the Learned in former Times;

whence we may probably conjedure, that fome
other Things were knovvii ro them, with which
we are not acquainted, and ihe rather, becaufe
there is frirce any Country where antient Monu-
ments are to be tound, but we may difcern in them
Marks of Skill and Capacity, that tranfcend the
Power of modern "Workmen, and though thefe
may not be agreeable to the prefent Tafte which
feems to be a handfome Expreffion for the reign-
ing Humour of Mankind, that changes too
often to deferve the Name of a Rule, yet they flill

manifeft great quicknefs of Invention, and the pof-

felTion of many Arts, that are now loft. It is fome
Credit to Antiquity, that the oldeft building in
the World, which is the Temple of 1'hefeus at

Athens^ is by far the fineft ; and in literature again.

Homer and Hippocrates, plainly prove, that in

point of Genius, or of Induftry, die firft Ages

are yet unrival'd. There are feveraJ Roads which
lead to true Wifdom, we may fometimes reach it

by going backwards, as well as forwards, and pro-

fit as much be deteding the Prejudices of the

Moderns, as by refuting the Errors of Antiquity.

It is a juft Obfervation of the great Lord Verulam^
that much Learning frees us from thofe Miftakes
into which we are plunged, by having only a lit-
tle. When firft the Moderns began to examine
the Writings of Herodotus^ and Fliny^ they found
X 2 nothing
 [ "'54 ]

nothing but Abfurdities and Improbabllies ; but

now, that we are better acquainted with Experi-
mental Philofophy, we begin to have a better opi-
nion of thefe Authors, and are obliged to confefs,
that in fome Cafes, fagacity may fupply Expe-

rience. I am, however, ready to admit, that in

fome Branches of Science, we have out done the

Antients very much; but what of that, we are
flill far fhort of Perfeflion. Our very Difcoveries
prove it j for example, we difcern the Effedls of
Gravity, we fee the whole Mechanifm of the Uni'
verfe, depend upon it •, but the Caufe has been hi-
therto inexplicable. We are well acquainted with the
many properties of the Needle, which were Secrets

to former Times, but the caufe of its Variation re-

mains a Secret to us. We have, indeed, made fome
bold Gueffes at both, and it is not impoffible, that
Pofterity may be able to demonftrate our Conjec-
tures j as it is on the other Hand, likewife pof-
fible, that they may prove them to be only idle
Conjeftures. If we would avoid being deceived,
we muft decline Bigottry of all Sorts, we muft not
carry our Veneration for the Antients too far, and
at the fame Time, we ought not to be afraid of
Freedom with Moderns
ufing a juft the -, fince it
t
is not our Bufinefs to admire others, but to inftrud
ourfelves.

With the fame View of coming at Truth, by

fetting the Subjefl of which I treat in different

Lights,
Lights, I have flated the Opinions of others fairly,
and have reafoned upon them as freely as I defire

to fee my own Syftem treated. I have given the

Reader the Sentiments of Aftrologers, and of
Hermetic Philofophers on this Infcription, and
have left it to him to decide, whether they are

more in the right than I, or whether we may not

be all miftaken, and this Infcription have at laft

fome other Secret, and yet more probable Senfe than

any of us have reached. To encourage, an ex-
aft DifculTion of this, I have often inculcated the
Ufefulnefs of fuch an Enquiry, and I think, have
fully proved without the PolTibility of a Reply,
that as it is very pra6licable to extend the Thread
of Life, beyond that length to which it ufually
reaches, fo this will be a real Benefit, and not an
idle, or trifling Difcovery. Thefe are the princi-
pal Points that I have laboured, and to avoid that
heavinefs and drynefs which is commonly com-
plained of, in Difcourfes of this kind : I have fre-
quently made Excurfions for the Entertainment of
myfelf and my Readers, and have inferted abun-
dance of curious Paflages from fcarce and valuable
Books, that I hope will make full amends for the

trouble of perufing this Treatife, even to fuch as

may remain unconvinced of the Truth, or pradli-

cability of my Syftem. At leaft, I can fay this

for my Book and for myfelf, that nothing has been

omitted within the Reach of my Power, which
might
 [166 1
might render it at once both profitable and plea-
lanf, and therefore, I hope, that if any one (hall

take the Trouble of Criticifing it, he will at leaft

treat it with that Candour and good Manners

which I have ufcd through the whole, and not
with that furly and pedantic Peevininefs which is

too often vifible in the Works of Minor Critics,

who value themfelves much more on expofing the
Faults of other Men, than on manifefting any

valuable Qualities in themfelves, and are better

pleafed to deftroy an Edifice eredled by another,

than to acquire a jufL Reputation, by raifing a

better Structure of their own.
There is one Thing more I muft remark,
and it is this, that my Syftem is entirely on the
right Side; I have not undertaken to demonflrate
as many have done, a Paradox in the Teeth of
common Senfe, and the common Intereft of the
human Species, of which the famous Encomium
on Folly, and the Panegyric on Drunkennefs, are
glaring Inftances ; but what I have laid down in

this Difcourfe is, with a View to public Utility,

and from a defire of doing Good -, if therefore,

upon throughly fifting this Difpute, the Matter

Ihould come at laft to be in Equilibrio, I hope the

turn of the Scales will be allowed me •, for furely,

if Senfe be preferable to Dotage, Eafe to Pain,

or Life to Death, I have a fair Title to this Fa-

vour. I would not be underftood, to intereft by

this
 [ i67 1
this Means, the Inclinations or Prejudices of my
Readers, on my Side, for that might prove Detri-
mental to Truth ; but I introduce this remark, to

fecure me againft the Effedls of a Petulant Hu-

mour, which reigns but too much in the World, of
di (liking whatever has the appearance of Novelty,
and fuppofiiig, that there is fomething equally Juft
and Wife, in maintaining old Opinions againft New,
and in running down any Syftem upon its firft Ap-
pearance. Againft this unequitable Prepofteflion,

in favour of Antique Notions, I fet up this Claim

to the good Will of Men, founded on the Benefits
refulting from my Syftem, to the human Species,
either confidered as Individuals or in Society. It
was upon the fame Principle, that the late Dr.
Harvey^ eftabliihed his Dodrine of the Circulation
of the Blood, which he juftly obferved, would
Exempt the Art of Phyfic from many Reproaches,
and enable us to give a clearer and more rational

Account of the Animal Oeconomy. On this

Bafis too, ftands the Philofophy of Sir Ifaac New-

ion^ which is perhaps the nobleft Effort of the
human Underftanding. I do not mean by this, to

compare my Invention with theirs, or myfelf to

either of thofe great Men. All I aim at is, to
Ihew, that the greateft Men have had need of In-
dulgence, when they propounded new Syftems
whence I infer, that fuch a defire cannot be thought

either
 C .^8 ]
either unjuft or unrealbnable, in the leaft, as 1 rea*.

dily own myfelf to be.

Here, then, let me reft this AfFair, and after

takino- fo much Pains to render this Work not al-

too-ether unworthy the View of the PubHc, or the

Eye of equal and impartial Judges, I refign it freely

to their Confideration, and depend upon their Can-

dour and Humanity for the kind Acceptance of my
Labours.

^ 1 N 1 s.
•1971XVI -^ 'P.Mpg;

4 .-^