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

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        <div xml:id="echoid-div1239" type="section" level="1" n="55">
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10376" xml:space="preserve">
              <pb o="24" file="0302" n="302" rhead="The Hiſtory of Life and Death."/>
            watching, ſometimes to ſleep; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10377" xml:space="preserve">but to ſleep oftneſt: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10378" xml:space="preserve">again, that he ſhould ſometimes
              <lb/>
            give himſelf to faſting, ſometimes to feaſting; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10379" xml:space="preserve">but to feaſting oftneſt: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10380" xml:space="preserve">that he ſhould
              <lb/>
            ſometimes inure himſelf to great labours of the miud, ſometimes to relaxations of
              <lb/>
            the ſame; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10381" xml:space="preserve">but to relaxations oftmeſt. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10382" xml:space="preserve">Certainly this is withont all queſtion, that Diet
              <lb/>
            well ordered bears the greateſt part in the prolongation of life: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10383" xml:space="preserve">neither did I ever meet
              <lb/>
            an extream long liv’d man, but beingasked of his courſe, he obſerved ſomething pe-
              <lb/>
            culiar; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10384" xml:space="preserve">ſome one thing, ſome another. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10385" xml:space="preserve">I remember an old man, above an hundred
              <lb/>
            years of age, who was produced as witneſs touching an ancient Preſcription. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10386" xml:space="preserve">When
              <lb/>
            he had finiſhed his teſtimony the Jugde familiarly asked him how he came to live ſo long.
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10387" xml:space="preserve">He anſwered, beſide expectation, and not without the laughter of the hearers, By
              <lb/>
            eating before I was hungry, and drinking before I was dry. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10388" xml:space="preserve">But of theſe things we ſhall
              <lb/>
            ſpeak hereafter.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10389" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10390" xml:space="preserve">A Life led in Religion and in Holy Exerciſes ſeemeth to conduce to long life. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10391" xml:space="preserve">There
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0302-01" xlink:href="note-0302-01a" xml:space="preserve">47.</note>
            are in this kind of life theſe things, Leiſure, Admiration and Contemplation of hea-
              <lb/>
            venly things, Joyes not ſenſual, noblehopes, wholſome Fears, ſweet Sorrows; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10392" xml:space="preserve">laſtly,
              <lb/>
            continual Renovations by Obſervances, Penances, Expiations: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10393" xml:space="preserve">all which are very pow-
              <lb/>
            erful to the prolongation of life. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10394" xml:space="preserve">Unto which if you add that auſtere diet which hard-
              <lb/>
            neth the maſs of the Body, and humbleth the Spirits, no marvel if an extraordinary
              <lb/>
            length of life do follow; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10395" xml:space="preserve">ſuch was that of Paul the Hermite, Simeon Stelita the Columnar
              <lb/>
            Anchorite, and of many other Hermites and Anchorites.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10396" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10397" xml:space="preserve">Next unto this is the life led in good Letters, ſuch as was that of Philoſophers, Rhe-
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0302-02" xlink:href="note-0302-02a" xml:space="preserve">48.</note>
            toricians, Grammarians. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10398" xml:space="preserve">This life is alſo led in leiſure, and in thoſe thoughts, which,
              <lb/>
            ſeeing they are ſevered from the affairs of the world, bite not, but rather delight
              <lb/>
            throughtheir Variety and Impertinency: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10399" xml:space="preserve">They live alſo at their pleaſure, ſpending their
              <lb/>
            time in ſuch things as like them beſt, and for the moſt part in the company of young
              <lb/>
            men, which is ever the moſt chearful. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10400" xml:space="preserve">But in Philoſophies there is great difference
              <lb/>
            betwixt the Sects as touching long life: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10401" xml:space="preserve">For thoſe Philoſophies which have in them a
              <lb/>
            touch of Superſtition, and are converſant in high Contemplations, are the beſt; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10402" xml:space="preserve">as the
              <lb/>
            Pytbagorical and Platonick: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10403" xml:space="preserve">alſo thoſe which did inſtitute a perambulation of the
              <lb/>
            world, and conſidered the variety of natural things, and had reachleſs, and high, and
              <lb/>
            magnanimous thoughts, (as of Infinitum, of the Stars, of the Heroical Vertues, and
              <lb/>
            ſuch like) were good for lengthning of life; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10404" xml:space="preserve">ſuch were thoſe of Democritus Philolaus,
              <lb/>
            Xenophanes, the Aſtrologians and stoicks: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10405" xml:space="preserve">alſo thoſe which had no profound Specu-
              <lb/>
            lation in them, but diſcourſed calmly on both fides, out of common Senſe, and there-
              <lb/>
            ceived Opinions, without any ſharp Inquiſitions, were likewiſe good; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10406" xml:space="preserve">ſuch were thoſe
              <lb/>
            of Carneades and the Academicks, alſo of the Rhetoricians and Grammarians. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10407" xml:space="preserve">But
              <lb/>
            contrary, Philoſophies converſant in perplexing Subtilties, and which pronounced pe-
              <lb/>
            remptorily, and which examined and wreſted all things to the Scale of Principles, laſtly,
              <lb/>
            which were thorny and narrow, were evil: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10408" xml:space="preserve">ſuch were thoſe commonly of the Peripa-
              <lb/>
            teticks, and of the school-men.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10409" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10410" xml:space="preserve">The Country life alſo is well fitted for long life: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10411" xml:space="preserve">it is much abroad, and in the open
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0302-03" xlink:href="note-0302-03a" xml:space="preserve">49.</note>
            air, it is not ſlothful, but ever in employment; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10412" xml:space="preserve">it feedeth upon freſh Cates, and un-
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            bought; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10413" xml:space="preserve">it is without Cares and Envy.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10414" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10415" xml:space="preserve">For the Military life, we have a good opinion of that whilſt a man is young. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10416" xml:space="preserve">Certain-
              <lb/>
              <note position="left" xlink:label="note-0302-04" xlink:href="note-0302-04a" xml:space="preserve">50.</note>
            ly many excellent Warriors have been long-liv’d; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10417" xml:space="preserve">Corvinus, camillus, Xenophon, Ageſi-
              <lb/>
            laus, with others both ancient and modern. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10418" xml:space="preserve">No doubt it furthereth long life to have
              <lb/>
            all things from our youth to our elder age mend, and grow to the better, that a Youth
              <lb/>
            full of croſſes may miniſter ſweetneſs to our Old age. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10419" xml:space="preserve">We conceive alſo that Military
              <lb/>
            affections, inflamed with a deſire of Fighting, and hope of Victory, do infuſe ſuch a
              <lb/>
            heat into the Spirits, as may be profitable for long life.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10420" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
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