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

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        <div xml:id="echoid-div1300" type="section" level="1" n="58">
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10900" xml:space="preserve">
              <pb o="35" file="0313" n="313" rhead="The Hiſtory of Life and Death."/>
            Venus, Labours, Endeavours, Buſineſſes, whereas if they have a regard to long life,
              <lb/>
            (which may ſeem ſtrange) they ſhould rather practiſe the contrary. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10901" xml:space="preserve">For we ought
              <lb/>
            to cheriſh and preſerve good ſpirits, and for the evil-diſpoſed spirits to diſcharge and
              <lb/>
            alter them.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10902" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10903" xml:space="preserve">Ficinus ſaith not unwiſely, That old men, for the comforting of their ſpirits, ought
              <lb/>
              <note position="right" xlink:label="note-0313-01" xlink:href="note-0313-01a" xml:space="preserve">95.</note>
            often to remember and ruminate upon the Acts of their Childhood and routh. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10904" xml:space="preserve">Cer-
              <lb/>
            tainly ſuch a remembrance is a kind of peculiar Recreation to every old man:
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10905" xml:space="preserve">and thet efore it is a delight to men to enjoy the ſociety of them which have been
              <lb/>
            brought up together with them, and to viſit the places of their education. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10906" xml:space="preserve">Veſpaſian
              <lb/>
            did attribute ſo much to this matter, that when he was Emperour he would by no
              <lb/>
            means be perſwaded to leave his Father’s houſe, though but mean, leſt he ſhould
              <lb/>
            loſe the wonted object of his eyes, and the memory of his childhood; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10907" xml:space="preserve">and beſides,
              <lb/>
            he would drink in a wooden Cup, tipped with ſilver, which was his Grandmother’s,
              <lb/>
            upon Feſtival dayes.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10908" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10909" xml:space="preserve">One thing above all is grateful to the Spirits, that there be a continual progreſs to
              <lb/>
              <note position="right" xlink:label="note-0313-02" xlink:href="note-0313-02a" xml:space="preserve">96.</note>
            the more benign; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10910" xml:space="preserve">therefore we ſhould lead ſuch a Youth and manhood, that our
              <lb/>
            Old age ſhould find new Solaces, whereof the chief is moderate eaſe: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10911" xml:space="preserve">And there-
              <lb/>
            fore old men in honourable places lay violent hands upon themſelves, who retire not
              <lb/>
            to their eaſe: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10912" xml:space="preserve">whereof may be found an eminent Example in caſſiodorus, who was
              <lb/>
            of that reputation amongſt the Gothiſh Kings of Italy, that he was as the Soul of their
              <lb/>
            affairs; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10913" xml:space="preserve">afterwards, being near eighty years of age, he betook himſelfto a Monaſtery,
              <lb/>
            where he ended not his dayes before he was an hundred years old. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10914" xml:space="preserve">But this thing doth
              <lb/>
            require two Cautions: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10915" xml:space="preserve">one, that they drive not off till their bodies be utterly
              <lb/>
            worn out and diſeaſed; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10916" xml:space="preserve">for in ſuch bodies all mutation, though to the more benign,
              <lb/>
            haſteneth death: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10917" xml:space="preserve">the other, that they ſurrender not themſelves to a ſluggiſh eaſe, but
              <lb/>
            that they embrace ſomething which may entertain their thoughts and mind with con-
              <lb/>
            tentation; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10918" xml:space="preserve">in which kind the chief delights are Reading and Contemplation; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10919" xml:space="preserve">and
              <lb/>
            then the deſires of Building and Planting.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10920" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10921" xml:space="preserve">Laſtly, the ſame Action, Endeavour and Labour undertaken chearfully and with a good
              <lb/>
              <note position="right" xlink:label="note-0313-03" xlink:href="note-0313-03a" xml:space="preserve">97.</note>
            will doth refreſh the Spirits; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10922" xml:space="preserve">but with an averſation and unwillingneſs, doth fret and
              <lb/>
            deject them. </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10923" xml:space="preserve">And therefore it conferreth to long life, either that a man hath the art
              <lb/>
            to inſtitute his life ſo as it may be free and ſuitable to his own humour; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10924" xml:space="preserve">or elſe to lay
              <lb/>
            ſuch a command upon his mind, that whatſoever is impoſed by Fortune, it may rather
              <lb/>
            lead him than drag him.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10925" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10926" xml:space="preserve">Neither is that to be omitted towards the government of the Affections, that eſpecial
              <lb/>
              <note position="right" xlink:label="note-0313-04" xlink:href="note-0313-04a" xml:space="preserve">98.</note>
            care be taken of the mouth of the Stomach, eſpecially that it be not too much relaxed;
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10927" xml:space="preserve">for r
              <unsure/>
            hat part hath a greater dominion over the affections, eſpecially the daily affections,
              <lb/>
            than either the Heart or Brain; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10928" xml:space="preserve">onely thoſe things excepted which are wrought by po-
              <lb/>
            tent vapours, as in Drunkenneſs and Melancholly.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10929" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10930" xml:space="preserve">Touching the Operation upon the Spirits, that they may remain youthful, and re-
              <lb/>
              <note position="right" xlink:label="note-0313-05" xlink:href="note-0313-05a" xml:space="preserve">99.</note>
            new their vigour, thus much: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10931" xml:space="preserve">which we have done the more accurately, for that
              <lb/>
            there is, for the moſt part, amongſt Phyſicians and other Authors touching theſe Ope-
              <lb/>
            rations a deep ſilence; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10932" xml:space="preserve">but eſpecially, becauſe the Operation upon the Spirits, and their
              <lb/>
            waxing green again, is the moſt ready and compendious way to long life; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10933" xml:space="preserve">and that for a
              <lb/>
            two-fold compendiouſneſs: </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10934" xml:space="preserve">one, becauſe the Spirits work compendiouſly upon the
              <lb/>
            body; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10935" xml:space="preserve">the other, becauſe Vapours and the Affections work compendiouſly upon the
              <lb/>
            Spirits; </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10936" xml:space="preserve">ſo as theſe attain the end, as it were, in a right line, other things rather in
              <lb/>
            lines circular.</s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10937" xml:space="preserve"/>
          </p>
        </div>
        <div xml:id="echoid-div1401" type="section" level="1" n="59">
          <head xml:id="echoid-head86" style="it" xml:space="preserve">The Operation upon the Excluſion of the Air. 2.</head>
          <head xml:id="echoid-head87" style="it" xml:space="preserve">The Hiſtory.</head>
          <p>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10938" xml:space="preserve">THE Excluſion of the Air ambient tendeth to length of life two wayes:
              <lb/>
            </s>
            <s xml:id="echoid-s10939" xml:space="preserve">
              <note position="right" xlink:label="note-0313-06" xlink:href="note-0313-06a" xml:space="preserve">1.</note>
            Firſt for that the External Air, next unto the Native spirit, (how-
              <lb/>
            ſoever the Air may be ſaid to animate the Spirit of Man, and con-
              <lb/>
            ferreth not a little to health) doth moſt of all prey upon the juices of the </s>
          </p>
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