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

List of thumbnails

< >
291
291 (13) 		292
292 (14)
293
293 (15) 		294
294 (16)
295
295 (17) 		296
296 (18)
297
297 (19) 		298
298 (20)
299
299 (21) 		300
300 (22)
< >
page |< < (20) 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-s10170" xml:space="preserve">
              <pb o="20" file="0298" n="298" rhead="The Hiſtory of Life and Death."/>
            mind than to be caſt out to Birds and Dogs? </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10171" xml:space="preserve">He ſaid again, Seeing in my life-time I
              <lb/>
            endeavoured to my uttermoſt to benefit Men, what hurt is it if when I am dead I
              <lb/>
            benefit Beaſts? </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10172" xml:space="preserve">Certain Indian People called Pandoræ are exceedingly long liv’d,
              <lb/>
            even to no leſs than two hundred years. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10173" xml:space="preserve">They adde a thing more maryellous, That
              <lb/>
            having, when they are boys, an hair ſomewhat whitiſh, in their old age, before their
              <lb/>
            gray hairs, they grow coal black, though indeed this be every where to be ſeen, that
              <lb/>
            they which have white hair whilſt they are boys, in their man’s eſtate change
              <lb/>
            their hairs into a darker colour. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10174" xml:space="preserve">The Seres, another people of India, with their
              <lb/>
            Wine of Palms are accounted long livers, even to an hundred and thirty years.
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10175" xml:space="preserve">Euphranor the Grammarian grew old in his School, and taught Scholars when
              <lb/>
            he was above an hundred years old. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10176" xml:space="preserve">The elder Ovid, father to the Poet, lived nine-
              <lb/>
            ty years, differing much from the diſpoſition of his ſon, for he contemned the
              <lb/>
            Muſes, and diſſwaded his ſon from Poetry. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10177" xml:space="preserve">Aſinius Pollio, intimate with Au-
              <lb/>
            guſtus, exceeded the age of an hundred years: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10178" xml:space="preserve">a man of an unreaſonable Profuſe-
              <lb/>
            neſs, Eloquent, and a lover of Learning; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10179" xml:space="preserve">but vehement, proud, cruel, and one
              <lb/>
            that made his private ends the centre of his thoughts. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10180" xml:space="preserve">There was an opinion, that
              <lb/>
            Seneca was an extream old man, no leſs than an hundred and fourteen years of
              <lb/>
            age: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10181" xml:space="preserve">which could not poſſibly be, it being as improbable that a decrepit old man
              <lb/>
            ſhould be ſet over Nero’s Youth, as, on the contrary, it was true, that he was
              <lb/>
            able to manage with great dexterity the affairs of State: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10182" xml:space="preserve">beſides, a little before,
              <lb/>
            in the midſt of Claudius his Reign, he was baniſhed Rome for Adulteries com-
              <lb/>
            mitted with ſome Noble Ladies, which was a Crime no way competible with ſo
              <lb/>
            extreme old age. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10183" xml:space="preserve">Johannes de Temporibus, among all the men of our later Ages, out
              <lb/>
            of a common fame and vulgar opinion, was reputed long-liv’d, even to a mira-
              <lb/>
            cle, or rather, even to a fable; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10184" xml:space="preserve">his age hath been counted above three hundred
              <lb/>
            years: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10185" xml:space="preserve">He was by Nation a French man, and followed the Wars under Charls
              <lb/>
            the Great. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10186" xml:space="preserve">Garcius Aretine, Great Grand-father to Petrarch, arrived at the age of
              <lb/>
            an hundred and four years: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10187" xml:space="preserve">he had ever enjoyed the benefit of good health; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10188" xml:space="preserve">be-
              <lb/>
            ſides, at the laſt, he felt rather a decay of his ſtrength, than any ſickneſs or malady,
              <lb/>
            which is the true reſolution by old age. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10189" xml:space="preserve">Amongſt the Venetians there have been
              <lb/>
            found not a few long livers, and thoſe of the more eminent ſort: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10190" xml:space="preserve">Franciſcus Do-
              <lb/>
            natus, Duke; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10191" xml:space="preserve">Thomas Contarenus, Procurator of St. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10192" xml:space="preserve">Mark; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10193" xml:space="preserve">Franciſcus Molinus,
              <lb/>
            Procurator alſo of St. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10194" xml:space="preserve">Mark, and others. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10195" xml:space="preserve">But moſt memorable is that of cornarus
              <lb/>
            the Venetian, who being in his youth of a ſickly body, began firſt to eat and drink by
              <lb/>
            meaſure to a certain weight, thereby to recover his health: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10196" xml:space="preserve">this Cure turned by uſe
              <lb/>
            into a Diet, that Diet to an extraordinary long Life, even of an hundred years and bet-
              <lb/>
            ter, without any decay in his ſenſes, and with a conſtant enjoying of his health. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10197" xml:space="preserve">In
              <lb/>
            our age William Poſtel, a French-man, lived to an hundred and well-nigh twenty years,
              <lb/>
            the top of his beard on the upper-lip being black, and not gray at all: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10198" xml:space="preserve">a man crazed in
              <lb/>
            his brain, and of a fancy not altogether ſound; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10199" xml:space="preserve">a great Traveller, Mathematician, and
              <lb/>
            ſomewhat ſtained with Hereſie.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10200" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10201" xml:space="preserve">I ſuppoſe there is ſcarce a Village with us in England, if it be any whit populous, but
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0298-01" xlink:href="note-0298-01a" xml:space="preserve">20.</note>
            it affords ſome Man or Woman of fourſcore years of age; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10202" xml:space="preserve">nay, a few years ſince there
              <lb/>
            was in the County of Hereforda May-game or Morrice dance, conſiſting of eight men,
              <lb/>
            whoſe age computed together made up eight hundred years, inſomuch that what ſome
              <lb/>
            of them wanted of an hundred, others exceeded as much.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10203" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10204" xml:space="preserve">In the Hoſpital of Bethlehem, corruptly called Bedlam, in the Suburbs of London, there
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0298-02" xlink:href="note-0298-02a" xml:space="preserve">21.</note>
            are found from time to time many mad perſons that live to a great age.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10205" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10206" xml:space="preserve">The ages of Nymphs, Fauns, and Satyrs, whom they make to be indeed mortal,
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0298-03" xlink:href="note-0298-03a" xml:space="preserve">22.</note>
            but yet exceedingly long-liv’d, (a thing which ancient Superſtition and the
              <lb/>
            late Credulity of ſome have admitted) we account but for Fables and Dreams;
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10207" xml:space="preserve">eſpecially being that which hath neither conſent with Philoſophy nor with Divi
              <lb/>
            nity. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10208" xml:space="preserve">And as touching the Hiſtory of Long Life in Man by Individuals, or next
              <lb/>
            unto Individuals, thus much. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10209" xml:space="preserve">Now we will paſs on to Obſervations by certain
              <lb/>
            Heads.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10210" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10211" xml:space="preserve">The Running on of Ages, and Succeſſion of Generations, ſeem to have no whit
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0298-04" xlink:href="note-0298-04a" xml:space="preserve">23.</note>
            abated from the length of Life; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10212" xml:space="preserve">for we ſee that from the time of Moſes unto theſe
              <lb/>
            our dayes, the term of man’s life hath ſtood about fourſcore years of age,
              <lb/>
            neither hath it declined (as a man would have thought) by little and little. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10213" xml:space="preserve">No
              <lb/>
            doubt there are times in every Country wherein men are longer or ſhorter liv’d.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10214" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
        </div>
      </text>
    </echo>
Impressum