By the small quantity of Food, and great proportion of his Meat to his Drink, this noble Venetian, at the age of forty, freed himself, by the advice of his Physicians, from several grievous disorders contracted by intemperance, and lived in health of body, and great cheerfulness of mind, to above an hundred.—Briefly, the secret of his Longevity seems to have been, a gradually increasing Temperance “in omnibus”—and probably, after a certain time of Life, abstinence from the “opus magnum.”

The source of physical and moral Health, Happiness, and Longevity,—

Intensive Life, can only be purchased at the price of Extensive.

If you force the Heart to gallop as fast during the second, as it does during the first stage of life—and make the steady fire of 42, to blaze as brightly as the flame of 21,—it will very soon be burnt out.

Those who cannot be content to submit to that diminution of action ordained by nature, against which there is no appeal,—as it is the absolute covenant, by the most attentive and implicit observance of which we can only hope to hold our lease of life comfortably,—will soon bring to the diminished energy of the Second Stage of Life—the Paralysis of the Third.

From 40 to 60, a witty French author tells us, is “La belle saison19 pour la Gourmandise;”—for the artificial pleasures of the Palate, it may be, and the Bon Vivant cultivates them as the means of prolonging the vigour of Youth—and procrastinating the approach of Age.

Restoration may certainly be considerably facilitated, by preparing and dressing food so as to render it easily soluble—if the secret of Rejuvenization be ever discovered; it will be found in the Kitchen.

Very soon after we pass the Meridian of Life, (which, according to those who train men for athletic exercises, and to Dr. Jameson,20 is our 28th, and to Dr. Cheyne, about our 35th year,) the elasticity of the Animal System imperceptibly diminishes,—our Senses become less susceptible, and are every hour getting the worse for wear, however Self-Love, assisted by your Hair-dresser, and Tailor, &c. may endeavour to persuade you to the contrary.

Digestion and Sleep are less perfect—the restorative process more and more fails to keep pace with the consuming process—the body is insufficiently repaired, more easily deranged, and with more difficulty brought into adjustment again; till at length the vital power being diminished, and the organs deteriorated,—Nourishment can neither be received, or prepared and diffused through the constitution—and Consumption so much exceeds Renovation, that decay rapidly closes the scene of Life.

One may form some Idea of the Self-consumption of the human body, by reflecting that the pulsation of the Heart, and the motion of the Blood connected with it, takes place 100,000 times every day; i. e. on an average

What Machine, of the most adamantine material, will not soon be the worse for wear, from such incessant vibration—especially if the Mainsprings of it are not preserved in a state of due regulation?

The generative faculties, which are the last that Nature finishes—are the first that fail.—Economy in the exercise of them—especially before and after the second period of Life—is the grand precept for the restoration and accumulation of Strength, the preservation of Health, and the prolongation of Life;—we are vigorous, in proportion to the perfection of the performance of the Restorative process, i. e. as we Eat hearty, and Sleep soundly—as our Body loses the power of renovating itself, in like ratio, fails its faculty of creating—what may be a salutary subduction of the superfluous health of the Second—during the Third period of life, will be a destructive sacrifice of the strength of both the Mind and the Body.—See also the 9th chapter of the First Edition of Willich on Diet. 8vo. 1799.

The next organical defect, (we perceive too plainly for our self-love to mistake it,) is manifested by the Eye22. To read a small print—you must remove it from the Eye further than you have been accustomed to do—and place it in a better light.

The Falsetto Voice now begins to fail, and the Ear loses some of its quickness—several extraordinary Musicians have been able till then, if a handful of the keys of a Harpsichord were put down so as to produce the most irrelative combinations—to name each half note without a mistake.—When I mentioned this to that excellent Organ Player, Mr. Charles Wesley, he said, “At the age of twenty, I could do it myself—but I can’t now.” He was then in his 55th year.

About the same time, the Palate is no longer contented with being employed as a mere shovel to the Stomach,—and as it finds its master becomes every day more difficult to please—learns to be a more watchful Purveyor.

After 40,—the strongest People begin to talk about being Bilious, or Nervous, &c. &c. and the Stomach will no longer do its duty properly—unless the Food offered to it is perfectly agreeable to it—when offended, Indigestion brings with it, all that melancholy depression of the Animal Spirits, which disables a Man from either thinking with precision, or acting with vigour—during the distressing suspension of the restorative process—arise all those miseries of Mind and Body, which drive Fools to get drunk, and make Madmen commit suicide:—without due attention to Diet, &c. the Third period of Life is little better than a Chronic Disease.

As our assimilating powers become enfeebled, we must endeavour to entertain them with food so prepared, as to give them the least trouble, and the most nourishment23.

In the proportion that our Food is restorative, and properly digested—our bodies are preserved in Health and Strength—and all our faculties continue vigorous and perfect.

If it is unwholesome, ill-prepared, and indigestible—the Body languishes, and is exhausted even in its youth—its strength and faculties daily decrease, and it sinks beneath the weight of the painful sensations attendant on a state of Decay.

Would to Heaven that a Cook could help our Stomachs, as much as an Optician can our Eyes: our Existence would be as much more perfect than it now is, as our Sight is superior to our other Senses.

“The vigour of the Mind decays with that of the Body—and not only Humour and Invention, but even Judgment and Resolution, change and languish, with ill constitution of Body and of Health.”—Sir William Temple.

The following account of the successful REDUCTION OF CORPULENCE AND IMPROVEMENT OF HEALTH, the Editor can vouch for being a faithful statement of Facts.

30 January, 1821.

MY DEAR SIR,

In consequence of the Conversation I had with you, upon the advantages I had derived from Exercise and attention to Diet in the reduction of Weight, and your desire that I should communicate as far as I recollect them, the particulars of my Case; I have great pleasure in forwarding to you the following Statement.

I measure in height six Feet and half an Inch,—possess a sound Constitution and considerable activity.—At the age of Thirty I weighed about 18 Stone—two years afterwards I had reached the great weight of nineteen Stone, in perfect Health, always sleeping well and enjoying good Appetite and Spirits—soon after, however, I began to experience the usual attendants on fullness of Habit, a disinclination to rise in the morning from drowsiness, heaviness about the Forehead after I had risen, and a disposition to Giddiness;—I was also attacked by a complaint in one of my Eyes, the Symptoms of which it is unnecessary to describe, but it proved to be occasioned by fullness of blood, as it was removed by cupping in the temple. I lost four ounces of blood from the temple; and thinking that the loss of a little more might be advantageous, I had eight ounces taken from the back; and in order to prevent the necessity, as far as possible, of future bleeding, I resolved to reduce the system—by increasing my Exercise and diminishing my Diet.

I therefore took an early opportunity of seeing Mr. Jackson, (whose respectability and skill as a teacher of sparring is universally acknowledged,) and after some Conversation with him, determined upon acting under his Advice.

I accordingly commenced Sparring, having provided myself with flannel Dresses, which I always used, being extremely careful on changing them to avoid the risk of cold, and I recollect no instance in which I was not successful.

I also had recourse to Riding Schools, riding without stirrups, so as to have the advantage of the most powerful exercise the Horse could give;—these exercises I took in the morning in the proportion probably of sparring twice a week, and riding three or four times.

Frequently at night I resumed my Exercise,—Walking and sometimes Running, generally performing about five miles an hour, till I again produced perspiration; every other Opportunity I could resort to of bodily exercise I also availed myself of.

In respect to diet, I had accustomed myself to Suppers and drinking excellent Table Beer in large quantities, and for probably ten Years, had indulged myself with Brandy and Water after Supper:—this practice I entirely discontinued, substituting Toast and Water with my Dinner, and Tea and a good allowance of Toast for Supper, always avoiding copious Draughts.

I left off drinking malt Liquor as a habit, and indeed, very seldom drank it at all.—I took somewhat less meat at Dinner, avoiding Pies and Puddings as much as possible, but always took three or four Glasses of Port after dinner.

During the time I was under this training, I took the opinion of an eminent Physician upon the subject, who entirely approved of my Plan, and recommended the occasional use of Aperient medicine, but which I seldom resorted to.

The Result of all this, was a reduction of my Weight of upwards of three Stone, or about Forty-five Pounds, in about six or seven months.—I found my activity very much increased, and my wind excellent, but, I think, my Strength not quite so great, though I did not experience any material Reduction of it: my Health was perfect throughout.

I then relaxed my System a little, and have up to the present time, being a period of ten Years, avoided the necessity of bleeding, and have enjoyed an almost uninterrupted continuance of good Health, although my Weight has gradually increased; sometimes, however, fluctuating between 7 or 8 Pounds and a Stone, according to my means of Exercise,—always increasing in Winter, and losing in Summer;—and at this moment (January 29th, 1821,) I am about a Stone more than I ought to be, having ascertained, that my best bodily Strength, is at sixteen Stone and a half.

When the object is to Reduce Weight, rest and moderate Food will always sufficiently restore the exhaustion arising from Exercise;—if an additional quantity of Food and nourishing Liquors be resorted to, the Body will in general be restored to the weight it was before the Exercise.

I have sometimes lost from ten ounces to a Pound in weight by an Hour’s sparring. If the object be not to reduce the weight, the Food may safely be proportioned to the Exercise.

You will readily perceive, that the plan I adopted, ought only to be resorted to by Persons of sound Constitution and of athletic bodily Frame,—it would be absurd to lay down a general rule for the adoption of all fat men.

I think, with all lusty men, the drinking of malt Liquor of any kind is injurious,—Meat taken more than once a day is liable to the same Objection. I still persevere in the disuse of malt Liquors and Spirits, and Suppers, seldom taking more than four Glasses of Wine as a habit,—although I do not now deem it necessary to make myself so far the Slave of habit, as to refuse the Pleasures of the Table when they offer.

I am, dear Sir,

Yours very truly,

The following are the most interesting Facts in Dr. Bryan Robinson’s Essay on the Food and Discharges of the Human Body, 8vo. 1748, which has become scarce.

“I am now, in May 1747, in the 68th year of my age. The length of my Body is 63 Inches: I am of a sanguine but not robust constitution—and am at present neither lean nor fat. In the year 1721 the Morning weight of my body without Clothes, was about 131 Avoirdupois pounds, the daily weight of my food at a medium was about 85 Avoirdupois ounces, and the proportion of my Drink to my Meat, I judge was at that time about 2.5—to 1.

“At the latter end of May 1744, my weight was above 164 pounds, and the proportion of my Drink to my Meat was considerably greater than before, and had been so for some time. I was then seized with a Paralytic disorder, which obliged me to make an alteration in my diet. In order to settle the proportion of my Drink to my Meat, I considered what others have said concerning this proportion.

“According to Sanctorius, though he reckons it a disproportion, the drink to the meat in his time, was about 10 to 3 in temperate bodies.

B. Robinson on Food and Discharges, p. 34.

“At the age of 64, by lessening my food, and increasing the proportion of my meat to my drink, i. e. by lessening my drink about a third part, (i. e. to 20 ounces) and my meat about a sixth, (i. e. 38 ounces) of what they were in 1721, I have freed myself for these two years past from the returns of a Sore throat and Diarrhœa,—Disorders I often had, though they were but slight, and never confined me. I have been much more costive than I was before, when I lived more fully, and took more Exercise, and have greatly, for my age, recovered the paralytic weakness I was seized with three years ago.

“Hence we gather, that good and constant Health consists in a just quantity of food; and a just proportion of the meat to the drink: and that to be freed from chronical disorders contracted by Intemperance—the quantity of food ought to be lessened; and the proportion of the meat to the drink increased—more or less, according to the greatness of the disorders, p. 61.

“I commonly ate four ounces of Bread and Butter, and drank half a pound of a very weak infusion of Green Tea for Breakfast. For Dinner I took two ounces of Bread, and the rest Flesh-meat,—Beef, Mutton, Pork, Veal, Hare, Rabbit, Goose, Turkey, Fowl tame and wild, and Fish. I generally chose the strongest meats as fittest, since they agreed well with my stomach, to keep up the power of my body under this great diminution of my food; I seldom took any Garden stuff—finding that it commonly lessened perspiration and increased my weight.—I drank four ounces of water with my meat and a pound of Claret after I had done eating. At night I ate nothing, but drank 12 ounces of water with a pipe of Tobacco, p. 63.

“There is but one Weight, under which a grown body can enjoy the best and most uninterrupted Health. p. 91. That Weight is such as enables the Heart to supply the several parts of the body with just quantities of Blood. p. 100.

“The weight under which an Animal has the greatest strength and activity—which I shall call its Athletic weight,—is that weight under which the Heart—and the proportion of the weight of the Heart to the weight of the body are greatest: the strength of the Muscles is measured by the strength of the Heart, p. 117.

“If the weight of the body of an Animal be greater than its Athletic Weight, it may be reduced to that weight by evacuations, dry food and exercise. These lessen the weight of the Body, by wasting its fat, and lessening its Liver; and they increase the weight of the Heart, by increasing the quantity and motion of the blood. Thus a game Cock in ten days is reduced to his athletic weight, and prepared for fighting.

“If the Food, which with Evacuations and Exercise, reduced the Cock to his athletic weight in ten days, be continued any longer, the Cock will not have that strength and activity which he had before under his athletic weight; which may be owing to the loss of weight going on after he arrives at his athletic weight.

“It is known by experiment, that a Cock cannot stand above 24 hours at his athletic weight, and that a Cock has changed very much for the worse in 12 hours.

“When a Cock is at the top of his condition, that is, when he is at his athletic weight, his Head is of a glowing red colour, his Neck thick, and his Thigh thick and firm;—the day after his complexion is less glowing, his Neck thinner, and his Thigh softer;—and the third day his Thigh will be very soft and flaccid. p. 119.

“If the increase of weight in a small compass of time, rise to above a certain quantity, it will cause disorders.

“I can bear an increase of above a pound and a half in one day, and an increase of three or four pounds in six or seven days, without being disordered; but think I should suffer from an increase of five or six pounds in that time.

“An increase of weight may be carried off by lessening the Food,—or by increasing the Discharges.—The discharges may be increased either by exercise, or by evacuations procured by art.

“By lessening the daily quantity of my food to 23 ounces, I have lost 26 ounces;—by fasting a whole day, I lost 48 ounces, having gained 27 the day before.

“Mr. Rye was a strong, well set, corpulent man, of a sanguine complexion; by a brisk walk for one hour before breakfast he threw off, by insensible perspiration, one pound of increased weight; by a walk of three hours, he threw off two pounds of increased weight. The best way to take off an increase of weight which threatens a distemper, is either by fasting or exercise. p. 84.

“The mean loss of weight by several grown bodies caused by a purging medicine composed of a drachm of Jalap and ten grains of Calomel, was about 2¾ Avoirdupois pounds; and the mean quantity of Liquor, drank during the time of Purging, was about double the loss of Weight.”—Robinson on the Animal Economy, p. 458.

“I have lost, by a spontaneous Diarrhœa, two pounds in twenty-four hours; and Mr. Rye lost twice that quantity in the same time.”—On the Food and Discharges of Human Bodies, by B. Robinson, p. 84.

“Most Chronic Diseases—arise from too much Food and too little Exercise,—both of which lessen the weight of the Heart and the quantity of Blood;—the first by causing fatness; the second by a diminution of the blood’s motion.

“Hence, when the Liver is grown too large by Intemperance and Inactivity, it may be lessened and brought to a healthful magnitude by Temperance and Exercise.—It may be emptied other ways by art; but nothing can prevent its filling again, and consequently secure good and constant Health—but an exact Diet and Exercise. Purging and Vomiting may lessen the Liver, and reduce it to its just magnitude;—but these evacuations cannot prevent its increasing again, so long as persons live too fully, and use too little exercise—and can only be done by lessening the Food and increasing the Exercise.

“Much sleep, much food, and little exercise, are the principal things which make animals grow fat. If the Body, on account of Age or other Infirmities, cannot use sufficient Exercise, and takes much the same quantity of Sleep, its weight must be lessened by lessening the Food, which may be done by lessening the Drink, without making any change in the Meat; as I have proved myself by experience.”—p. 90.

On this subject, see also—Dr. Stark on Diet, and Sanctorius’ Medecina Statica. Dr. Heming on Corpulency.—Mr. Wadd on Corpulency.—Dr. Arbuthnot on Aliment.

SLEEP.

How important it is, then, to cultivate good and convenient Habits:—Custom will soon render the most rigid rules, not only easy, but agreeable.—

The Debilitated require much more rest than the Robust:—nothing is so restorative to the nerves, as sound, and uninterrupted Sleep, which is the chief source of both Bodily and Mental Strength.

The Studious need a full portion of Sleep, which seems to be as necessary nutriment to the Brain, as Food is to the Stomach.

Our Strength and Spirits are infinitely more exhausted by the exercise of our Mental, than by the labour of our Corporeal faculties—let any person try the effect of Intense Application for a few hours—He will soon find how much his Body is fatigued thereby, although He has not stirred from the Chair He sat on.

Those who are candidates for Health—must be as circumspect in the task they set their mind,—as in the exercise they give to their Body.

Dr. Armstrong, the Poet of Health, observes,

“’Tis the great Art of Life to manage well
The restless Mind.”

The grand secret seems to be, to contrive that the exercise of the Body, and that of the Mind, may serve as relaxations to each other.

Over Exertion, or Anxiety of Mind, disturbs Digestion infinitely more than any fatigue of Body—the Brain demands a much more abundant supply of the Animal Spirits, than is required for the excitement of mere Legs and Arms.

“’Tis the Sword that wears out the Scabbard.”

Of the two ways of fertilizing the Brain—by Sleep, or by Spirituous Stimulus—(for some write best in the Morning, others when wound up with Wine, after Dinner or Supper:) the former is much less expensive—and less injurious to the constitution than either Port, or Brandy, whose aid it is said that some of our best Authors have been indebted to, for their most brilliant productions.

Calling one day on a literary friend, we found him reclining on a Sofa—on expressing our concern to find him indisposed, he said, “No, I was only hatching,—I have been writing till I was quite tired—my paper must go to Press to day—so I was taking my usual restorative—A Nap—which if it only lasts five minutes, so refreshes my Mind—that my Pen goes to work again spontaneously.”

Is it not better Economy of Time, to go to sleep for half an hour,—than to go on noodling all day in a nerveless and semi-superannuated state—if not asleep, certainly not effectively Awake—for any purpose requiring the Energy of either the Body, or the Mind.

“A Forty Winks Nap,” in an horizontal posture, is the best preparative for any extraordinary exertion of either.

Those who possess, and employ the powers of the Mind most—seldom attain the greatest Age25:—see Brunaud de L’Hygiene des Gens de Lettres, Paris, 8vo. 1819:—the Envy their Talent excites,—the Disappointment they often meet with in their expectations of receiving the utmost attention and respect, (which the world has seldom the gratitude to pay them while they live,) keep them in a perpetual state of irritation and disquiet—which frets them prematurely to their Grave26.

To rest a whole Day—under great fatigue of either Body or Mind, is occasionally extremely beneficial—it is impossible to regulate Sleep by the hour;—when the Mind and the Body have received all the refreshment which Sleep can give, people cannot lie in Bed, and till then, they should not Rise27.

Our Philosophical Poet here gives the best practical maxim on the subject for Valetudinarians—who, by following his advice, may render their Existence, instead of a dull unvaried round of joyless, useless self-denial,—a circle of agreeable sensation;—for instance, go not to your Bed till You are tired of sitting up—then remain in an Horizontal posture,—till You long to change it for a Vertical: thus, by a little management, the inevitable business of Life may be converted into a source of continual Enjoyment.

All-healing Sleep soon neutralizes the corroding caustic of Care—and blunts even the barbed arrows of the marble-hearted Fiend, Ingratitude.

When the Pulse is almost paralysed by Anxiety,—half an hour’s repose, will cheer the circulation, restore tranquillity to the perturbed spirit—and dissipate those heavy clouds of Ennui, which sometimes threaten to eclipse the brightest Minds, and best Hearts.—Child of Woe, lay thy Head on thy pillow, (instead of thy Mouth to the bottle,) and bless me for directing Thee to the true source of Lethe—and most sovereign Nepenthé for the Sorrows of Human Life.

The Time requisite to restore the waste occasioned by the action of the Day—depends on the activity of the habits, and on the Health of the Individual,—in general it cannot be less than Seven—and need not be more than Nine hours28.

Invalids will derive much benefit from indulging in the Siesta whenever they feel languid.

A Sailor will tell you, that a Seaman can sleep as much in five hours, as a Landsman can in ten.

Whether rising very early lengthens Life we know not,—but think that sitting up very late shortens it,—and recommend you to rise by eight, and retire to rest by eleven; your feelings will bear out the adage, that “one Hour’s rest before midnight, is worth two after.”

When Old People have been examined with a view to ascertain the causes of their Longevity, they have uniformly agreed in one thing only,—that they ALL went to Bed early, and rose early.

Dr. Franklin published an ingenious Essay on the advantage of early rising—He called it “an Economical Project,” and calculated, that the saving that might be made in the City of Paris, by using Sunshine instead of Candles—at no less than £4,000,000 Sterling.

If the Delicate, and the nervous, the very Young, or the very Old—sit up beyond their usual hour, they feel the want of artificial aid, to raise their spirits to what is no more than the ordinary pitch of those who are in the vigour of their Life—and must fly from the festive board—or purchase a few hours of hilarity at the heavy price of Head-Ach and Dyspepsia for many days after; and a terrible exasperation of any Chronic Complaint they are afflicted with.

When the Body and Mind are both craving repose—to force their action, by the spur of spirituous stimulus, is the most extravagant waste of the “Vis Vitæ,” that Fashion ever invented to consume her foolish Votaries—for Fools they certainly are, who mortgage the comfort of a Week, for the conviviality of an Hour—with the certainty of their term of Life being speedily foreclosed by Gout, Palsy, &c.

Among the most distressing miseries of this “Elysium of Bricks and Mortar,” may be reckoned how rarely we enjoy “the sweets of a Slumber unbroke.”

Sound passes through the thin Party Walls of modern Houses, (which of the first rate, at the Fire Place, are only four inches in thickness;) with most unfortunate facility; this is really an evil of the first magnitude,—if You are so unlucky as to have for next door neighbours—fashionable folks who turn night into day, or such as delight in the sublime Economy of Cindersaving, or Cobweb catching,—it is in vain to seek repose, before the former has indulged in the Evening’s recreation of raking out the Fire, and has played with the Poker till it has made all the red coals black; or, after Molidusta, the Tidy One, has awoke the Morn—with “the Broom, the bonny, bonny Broom.”

A determined Dusthunter, or Cindersaver, murders its neighbour’s sleep—with as little mercy, as Macbeth did Malcolm’s—and bangs doors, and rattles Window shutters, till the “Earth trembles, and Air is aghast!”

All attempts to conciliate a Savage who is in this fancy—will be labour in vain—the arrangement of its fire29 is equally the occupation of the morning, and the amusement of the evening; the preservation of a Cinder and the destruction of a Cobweb, are the main business of its existence:—the best advice we can give you, gentle Reader—is to send it this little Book—and beseech it to place the following pages opposite to its Optic nerves some morning—after you have diverted it from Sleep every half hour during the preceding Night30.

Counsellor Scribblefast, a Special Pleader, who lived on a ground-floor in the Temple—about the time that Sergeant Ponder who dwelt on the first floor, retired to rest, began to practise his Violoncello, “And his loud voice in Thunder spoke.”—The Student above—by way of giving him a gentle hint, struck up “Gently strike the warbling Lyre,” and Will. Harmony’s favourite Hornpipes of “Dont Ye,” and “Pray be Quiet:” however, the dolce and pianissimo of poor Ponder produced no diminution of the prestissimo and fortissimo of the indefatigable Scribblefast.

Ponder, prayed “silence in the Court,” and complained in most pathetic terms—but, alas! his “lowly suit and plaintive ditty” made not the least impression on him who was beneath him.—He at length procured a set of Skettles, and as soon as his musical neighbour had done fiddling, he began con strepito, and bowled away merrily till the morning dawned.—The enraged Musician did not wait long after daylight, to put in his plea against such proceedings, and received in reply, that such exercise had been ordered by a Physician, as the properest Paregoric, after being disturbed by the thorough Bass of the Big Fiddle below—this soon convinced the tormentor of Catgut, who dwelt on the Ground-Floor, that He could not annoy his superior with Impunity, and produced silence on both sides.

People are very unwisely inconsiderate how much it is their own Interest to attend to the comforts of their Neighbours, for which we have a divine command “to love our neighbour as ourself.” “Sic utere tuo, ut alienum non lædas,” is the maxim of our English law. Interrupting one’s Sleep is as prejudicial to Health, as any of the nuisances Blackstone enumerates as actionable.

The majority of the Dogs,—Parrots,—Piano-Fortes, &c. in this Metropolis, are Actionable Nuisances!!!

However inferior in rank and fortune, &c. your next door neighbour may be—there are moments when He may render you the most valuable service.—“A Lion owed his life to the exertions of a Mouse.”

Those who have not the power to please—should have the discretion not to offend;—the most humble may have opportunities to return a Kindness, or resent an Insult.

It is Madness to wantonly annoy any one.

There is plenty of Time for the performance of all offensively noisy operations, between 10 in the Morning and 10 at Night—during which the industrious Housemaid may indulge her Arms in their full swing—and while she polishes her black-leaded grate to the lustre which is so lovely in the eyes of “the Tidy,” the Tat-Too her brush strikes up against its sides may be performed without distressing the irritable ears of her Nervous Neighbours—to whom undisturbed Repose is the most Vital Nourishment.

Little Sweep Soot Ho is another dreadful disturber.—The shrill screaming of these poor boys, “making night hideous,” (indeed at any time) at five or six o’clock in cold dark weather, is a most barbarous custom, and frequently disturbs a whole street before they rouse the drowsy sluggard who sent for him—his Row dy Dow when he reaches the top of the Chimney, and his progress down again, awaken the soundest sleepers, who often wish, that, instead of the Chimney,—he was smiting the skull of the Barbarian who set the poor Child to work at such an unseasonable hour.

The Editor’s feelings are tremblingly alive on this subject.

“Finis coronat opus.”

However soundly he has slept during the early part of the night—if the finishing Nap in the morning is interrupted from continuing to its natural termination—his whole System is shook by it, and all that sleep has before done for him, is undone in an instant;—he gets up distracted and languid, and the only part of his head that is of any use to him, is the hole between his Nose and Chin.

The firm Health of those who live in the Country, arises not merely from breathing a purer Air,—but from quiet and regular habits, especially the enjoyment of plenty of undisturbed Repose,—this enables them to take Exercise, which gives them an Appetite, and by taking their food at less distant and more equally divided intervals—they receive a more regular supply of that salutary nourishment, which is necessary to restore the wear of the system, and support it in an uniform state of excitement,—equally exempt from the languor of inanition, and the fever of repletion.

Thus, the Animal Functions are performed with a perfection and regularity, the tranquillity of which, in the incessantly irregular habits of a Town-life, is continually interrupted,—some ridiculous Anxiety or other consumes the Animal Spirits, and the important process of Restoration is imperfectly performed.

Dyspeptic and Nervous disorders, and an inferior degree of both extensive and intensive Life31 are the inevitable consequence, and are the lowest price for (what are called) the Pleasures of Fashionable Society.

Dr. Cadogan has told us (very truly) that Chronic diseases, (and we may add, most of those equivocal Disorders, which are continually teasing people, but are too insignificant to induce them to institute a medical process to remove them,) are caused by Indolence—Intemperance—and Vexation.

It is the fashion to refer all these Disorders to Debility—but Debility is no more than the effect of Indolence, Intemperance, and Vexation—the two first are under our own immediate control—and Temperance, Industry, and Activity, are the best remedies to prevent, or remove the Debility which reduces our means of resisting the third.

During the Summer of Life32, i. e. the second period of it, (see page 34,) while we hope that every thing may come right, the Heart bounds with vigour, and the Vital flame burns too brightly to be much, or long subdued by vexation.

This originally least cause, soon becomes the greatest, and in the Autumn of our existence, when Experience has dissipated the theatric illusion with which Hope varnished the expectations of our earlier days, we begin to fear that every thing will go wrong.