Bacon, Francis, Sylva sylvarum : or, a natural history in ten centuries

Table of contents

< >
< >
page |< < (22) of 389 > >|
    <echo version="1.0RC">
      <text xml:lang="en" type="free">
        <div xml:id="echoid-div1239" type="section" level="1" n="55">
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10254" xml:space="preserve">
              <pb o="22" file="0300" n="300" rhead="The Hiſtory of Life and Death."/>
            increaſed; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10255" xml:space="preserve">another by a piece of fleſh expoſed likewiſe, if it corrupt not over-ſoon;
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10256" xml:space="preserve">another by a Weather-glaſs, if the Water interchange not too ſuddenly. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10257" xml:space="preserve">Of theſe and
              <lb/>
            the like enquire further.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10258" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10259" xml:space="preserve">Not onely the Goodneſs or Pureneſi of the Air, but alſo the Equality of the Air,
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0300-01" xlink:href="note-0300-01a" xml:space="preserve">30.</note>
            is material to long life. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10260" xml:space="preserve">Intermixture of Hills and Dales is pleaſant to the ſight, but
              <lb/>
            ſuſpected for long life. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10261" xml:space="preserve">A Plain, moderately drie, but yet not over-barren or ſan-
              <lb/>
            dy, nor altogether without Trees and Shade, is very convenient for length of
              <lb/>
            life.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10262" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10263" xml:space="preserve">Inequality of Air (as was even now ſaid) in the place of our dwelling is naught;
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10264" xml:space="preserve">
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0300-02" xlink:href="note-0300-02a" xml:space="preserve">31.</note>
            but Change of Air by travelling, after one be uſed unto it, is good; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10265" xml:space="preserve">and therefore
              <lb/>
            great Travellers have been long liv’d. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10266" xml:space="preserve">Alſo thoſe that have lived perpetually in a little
              <lb/>
            Cottage, in the ſame place, have been long-livers: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10267" xml:space="preserve">for air accuſtomed conſumeth leſs;
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10268" xml:space="preserve">but air changed nouriſheth and repaireth more.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10269" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10270" xml:space="preserve">As the continuation and number of Succeſſions (which we ſaid before) makes no-
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0300-03" xlink:href="note-0300-03a" xml:space="preserve">32.</note>
            hing to the Length and Shortneſs of Life; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10271" xml:space="preserve">ſo the immediate condition of the Parents,
              <lb/>
            (as well the Father as the Mother) without doubt availeth much. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10272" xml:space="preserve">For ſome are be
              <lb/>
            gotten of old men, ſome of young men, ſome of men of middle age; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10273" xml:space="preserve">again, ſome
              <lb/>
            are begotten of fathers healthful and well-diſpoſed, others of diſeaſed and languiſh-
              <lb/>
            ing; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10274" xml:space="preserve">again, ſome of fathers immediately after repletion, or when they are
              <lb/>
            drunk, others after ſleeping, or in the morning; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10275" xml:space="preserve">again, ſome after a long inter-
              <lb/>
            miſſion of Venus, others upon the act repeated; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10276" xml:space="preserve">again, ſome in the fervency of the
              <lb/>
            father’s love, (as it is commonly in Baſtards) others after the cooling of it, as in
              <lb/>
            long-married couples. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10277" xml:space="preserve">The ſame things may be conſidered on the part of the Mother:
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10278" xml:space="preserve">unto which muſt be added the condition of the Mother whilſt ſhe is with child,
              <lb/>
            as touching her health, as touching her diet, the time of her bearing in the womb,
              <lb/>
            to the tenth month, or earlier. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10279" xml:space="preserve">To reduce theſe things to a Rule, how far they
              <lb/>
            may concern Long Life, is hard; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10280" xml:space="preserve">and ſo much the harder, for that thoſe things
              <lb/>
            which a man would conceive to be the beſt, will fall out to the contrary: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10281" xml:space="preserve">For that
              <lb/>
            alacrity in the Generation which begets luſty and lively children, will be leſs
              <lb/>
            proſitable to long life, becauſe of the Acrimony and inflaming of the Spirits. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10282" xml:space="preserve">We
              <lb/>
            ſaid before, That to partake more of the mother’s bloud conduceth to long life: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10283" xml:space="preserve">
              <lb/>
            alſo we ſuppoſe all things in moderation to be beſt; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10284" xml:space="preserve">rather Conjugal love than
              <lb/>
            Meretricious; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10285" xml:space="preserve">the hour for Generation to be the morning; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10286" xml:space="preserve">a ſtate of body not too
              <lb/>
            luſty or full, and ſuch like. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10287" xml:space="preserve">It ought to be well obſerved, that a ſtrong Conſtitu-
              <lb/>
            tion in the Parents is rather good for them then for the Child, eſpecially in the Mother: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10288" xml:space="preserve">
              <lb/>
            And therefore Plato thought, ignorantly enough, that the virtue of Generations
              <lb/>
            halted, becauſe the Woman uſed not the ſame exerciſe both of mind and body
              <lb/>
            with the Men. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10289" xml:space="preserve">The contrary is rather true; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10290" xml:space="preserve">for the difference of virtue betwixt
              <lb/>
            the Male and the Female is moſt profitable for the Child; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10291" xml:space="preserve">and the thinner Wo-
              <lb/>
            men yield more towards the nouriſhment of the Child; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10292" xml:space="preserve">which alſo holds in
              <lb/>
            Nutſes. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10293" xml:space="preserve">Neither did the Spartan Women, which married not beforetwenty two, or,
              <lb/>
            as ſome ſay, twenty five, (and therefore were called Man-like women) bring forth a
              <lb/>
            more generous or long-liv’d Progeny than the Roman or Athenian, or Theban
              <lb/>
            women did, which were ripe for Marriage at twelve or fourteen years; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10294" xml:space="preserve">and if there
              <lb/>
            were any thing eminent in the spartans, that was rather to be imputed to the Par-
              <lb/>
            ſimony of their Diet than to the late Marriages of their Women. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10295" xml:space="preserve">But this we are
              <lb/>
            taught by experience, that there are ſome Races which are long-liv’d for a few
              <lb/>
            Deſcents; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10296" xml:space="preserve">ſo that Life is like ſome Diſeaſes, a thing hereditary within certain
              <lb/>
            bounds.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10297" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10298" xml:space="preserve">Fair in Face, or Skin, or Hair, are ſhorter livers; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10299" xml:space="preserve">Black, or Red, or Freckled,
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0300-04" xlink:href="note-0300-04a" xml:space="preserve">33.</note>
            longer. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10300" xml:space="preserve">Alſo too freſh a colour in Youth doth leſs promiſe long life than paleneſs.
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10301" xml:space="preserve">A hard skin is a ſign of long life rather that a ſoft; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10302" xml:space="preserve">but we underſtand not this of a rug-
              <lb/>
            ged skin, ſuch as they call the Gooſe skin, which is as it were ſpongy, but of that which
              <lb/>
            is hard and cloſe. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10303" xml:space="preserve">A Fore-head with deep furrows and wrinkles is a better ſign than a
              <lb/>
            ſmooth and plain Forehead.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10304" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10305" xml:space="preserve">The Hairs of the Head hard and like briſtles, do betoken longer life than thoſe that are
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0300-05" xlink:href="note-0300-05a" xml:space="preserve">34.</note>
            ſoft and delicate. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10306" xml:space="preserve">Curled Hairs betoken the ſame thing, if they be hard withal; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10307" xml:space="preserve">but the
              <lb/>
            contrary if they be ſoft and ſhining: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10308" xml:space="preserve">the like if the curling be rather thick than in large
              <lb/>
            bunches.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10309" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10310" xml:space="preserve">Early or late Baldneſs is an indifferent thing, ſeeing many which have been
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0300-06" xlink:href="note-0300-06a" xml:space="preserve">35.</note>
            </s>
          </p>
        </div>
      </text>
    </echo>
Impressum