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 P r o l o n g i n g 
 
 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 O U 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 Author s^ 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 
 to be acquainted with the Merit of Books 
 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 confiderable Man, even in the 
 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" 
 feffors of the Occult Sciences. In Germany, 
 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 introduced fo many cu- 
 rious Enquiries y and thrown out fo many 
 'valuable hints ^ that his Book 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 y as cannot but afford a very agreeable 
 Entertainment to thofe who are proper 
 fudges of cubjeBs of this Kind^ and who 
 are inclined to fee how far the Strength 
 of human Under jl 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- 
 rrtufement^ and not fafs a harjh Cenfiire on 
 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, and laid down the Rudi- 
 ments of Knowlege in Aphorifms. Amongft the 
 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. 
 
 B u T 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 of natural Caufes, which may be 
 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 Inftitut. Medic, §. 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. 
 '^ Prifcus apud Jornandes. Bonfinius Hiftoire de Hongrie, Decade 
 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 1 04 y ; and Euphranor taught his Scholars at 
 
 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 c. 29. <* 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 Scruples of this kind, may be found in the 
 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. 
 
 T o 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 
 Salut adores, 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 ^. 
 Plater us 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. 50. Valer. Max. ubi fupra. '^ 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 ancient Greek Poet, though he was ten Years 
 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 Travellers who were all ftruck 
 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, is now as 
 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 to make 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, in as much as they all 
 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. 
 
 •* This Gentleman is Cannon of Vreden, and is now pub- 
 lifhing in Germany, in Quarto, a Work, Entituled Monumenti 
 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 
 •' Animal, they affirm, that in it there is a Force 
 *' 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 
 off in this Way, and from thence I might have 
 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. 
 
 P Melanges d'HiftoIre et de Litterature par M. de Vigneul- 
 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 
 *' to be a moft excellent Microfcope. 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 it to Pieces, fome of which are convert- 
 *' 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 fo many Objeds of my Senfe of fmelling ■■. 
 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 where an old Man is con- 
 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, the Method he took 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 The Opinions of many learned Phyficians might have been 
 cited in fupport of 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 
 this Kind, 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 Life, who without the Enjoyment of this 
 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 Parre much older, and place his Death 
 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 
 
 « Hift. Anatomic, cent. v. hift. 28. 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 his Life, thefe pre- 
 " 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 
 their own 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 
 in Woman. 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 our common Intereft to purfue. The 
 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 confifted; he call his Eye by chance over 
 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 
 
 " Memoires Hiftoriques, 1687, Tom i. p. 365, 
 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 his Nephew that 
 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 of my 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 
 *' let there be fet up in it, five little Beds, each 
 " 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 will be pretty evident to any Reader who 
 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 firft Matter is taken from the Air ; but by a Method 
 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 fit Tenement 
 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 I know that accord- 
 ing to their Syftem, old Men are fo many Incum- 
 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 is pradifed by fome of the barbarous Nations, who Jive 
 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 it's done, they're apprehenfive too. 
 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 Charader, and his Au- 
 " thority every body looked up towards him as 
 *' became their Station -, his Slaves feared, his 
 *' Children revered, and all who were about him, 
 " 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 I have faid, heard or done that Day. 
 *' 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 
 the Elder, who 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, 
 I may 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 ] 
 ally known 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 
 ufing a juft Freedom with the Moderns -, fince it 
 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, 
 
 t 
 
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 ■ .-^