should eat and drink a great deal, to keep up their natural heat,
which is constantly diminishing, as they advance in years; and that
it is, therefore, necessary to eat heartily, and of such things as
please their palate, be they hot, cold, or temperate; and that, were
they to lead a sober life, it would be a short one. To these I
answer, that our kind mother, nature, in order that old men may live
still to a greater age, has contrived matters so, that they should
be able to subsist on little, as I do; for, large quantities of
food cannot be digested by old and feeble stomachs. Nor should
such persons be afraid of shortening their days by eating too
little, since when they happen to be indisposed, they recover by
lessening the quantity of their food; for it is a trifle they eat,
when confined to a regimen, by observing which they get rid of their
disorder. Now, if by reducing themselves to a very small quantity
of food, they recover from the jaws of death, how can they doubt
but that with an increase of diet, still consistent however with
sobriety, they will be able to support nature when in perfect
health?
Others say, that it is better for a man to suffer every year three
or four returns of his usual disorders, such as the gout, pain in
the side, and the like, than be tormented the whole year by not
indulging his appetite, and eating every thing his palate likes
best; since, by a good regimen alone, he is sure to get the better
of such attacks. To this I answer, that our natural heat growing
less and less, as we advance in years, no regimen can retain
virtue sufficient to conquer the malignity, with which disorders
of repletion are ever attended; so that he must die, at last, of
these periodical disorders, because they abridge life, as health
prolongs it.
Others pretend, that it is much better to live ten years less,
than not indulge one's appetite. To this I answer, that
longevity ought to be highly valued by men of parts; as to others,
it is no great matter if it is not duly prized by them, since they
are a disgrace to mankind, so that their death is rather of service
to the public. But it is a great misfortune, that men of bright
parts should be cut off in that manner, since he, who is already a
cardinal, might, perhaps, by living to eighty, attain the papal
crown; and in the state, many, by living some years extraordinary,
may acquire the ducal dignity; and so in regard to letters, by
which a man may rise so as to be considered as a god upon earth;
and the like in every other profession.
There are others, who, though their stomachs become weaker and
weaker with respect to digestion, as they advance in years, cannot,
however, be brought to retrench the quantity of their food, nay
they rather increase it. And, because they find themselves
unable to digest the great quantity of food, with which they must
load their stomachs, by eating twice in the four and twenty hours,
they make a resolution to eat but once, that the long interval
between one meal and the other may enable them to eat at one sitting
as much as they used to do in two: thus they eat till their
stomachs, overburthened with much food, pall, and sicken, and change
the superfluous food into bad humours, which kill a man before his
time. I never knew any person, who led that kind of life, live to
be very old. All these old men I have been speaking of would live
long, if, as they advanced in years, they lessened the quantity of
their food, and eat oftener, but little at a time; for old
stomachs cannot digest large quantities of food; old men changing,
in that respect, to children, who eat several times in the four and
twenty hours.
Others say, that temperance may, indeed, keep a man in health, but
that it cannot prolong his life. To this I answer, that experience
proves the contrary; and that I myself am a living instance of it.
It cannot be said, that sobriety is apt to shorten one's days, as
sickness does; and that the latter abbreviates life, is most
certain. Moreover, a constant succession of good health is
preferable to frequent sickness, as the radical moisture is
thereby preserved. Hence it may be fairly concluded, that holy
sobriety is the true parent of health and longevity.
O thrice holy sobriety, so useful to man, by the services thou
renderest him! thou prolongest his days, by which means he greatly
improves his understanding, and by such improvement he avoids the
bitter fruits of sensuality, which are an enemy to reason, man's
peculiar privilege: those bitter fruits are the passions and
perturbations of the mind. Thou, moreover, freest him from the
dreadful thoughts of death. How greatly is thy faithful disciple
indebted to thee, since by thy assistance he enjoys this beautiful
expanse of the visible world, which is really beautiful to such as
know how to view it with the philosophic eye, as thou has enabled
me to do. Nor could I, at any other time of life, even when I was
young, but altogether debauched by an irregular life, perceive its
beauties, though I spared no pains or expence to enjoy every
season of life. But I found that all the pleasures of that age had
their alloy; so that I never knew, till I grew old, that the world
was beautiful. O truly happy life, which, over and above all these
favours conferred on thine old man, hast so improved and perfected
his stomach, that he has now a better relish for his dry bread, than
he had formerly and in his youth, for the most exquisite dainties:
and all this he has compassed by acting rationally, knowing, that
bread is, above all things, man's proper food, when seasoned by a
good appetite; and, whilst a man leads a sober life, he may be sure
of never wanting that natural sauce; because, by always eating
little, the stomach, not being much burthened, need not wait long
to have an appetite. It is for this reason, that dry bread relishes
so well with me; and I know it from experience, and can with truth
affirm, I find such sweetness in it, that I should be afraid of
sinning against temperance, were it not for my being convinced of
the absolute necessity of eating it, and that we cannot make use of
a more natural food. And thou, kind parent Nature, who actest so
lovingly by thy aged offspring, in order to prolong his days, hast
contrived matters so in his favour, that he can live upon very
little; and, in order to add to the favour, and do him still greater
service, hast made him sensible, that, as in his youth he used to
eat twice a day, when he arrived at old age, he ought to divide
that food, of which he was accustomed before to make but two meals,
into four; because, thus divided, it will be more easily digested;
and, as in his youth he made but two meals in the day, he should,
in his old age, make four, provided however he lessens the quantity,
as his years increase. And this is what I do, agreeably to my own
experience; and, therefore, my spirits, not oppressed by much food,
but barely kept up, are always brisk; especially after eating, so
that I am accustomed then to sing a song, and afterwards to write.
Nor do I ever find myself the worse for writing immediately after
meals; nor is my understanding ever clearer; nor am I apt to be
drowsy; the food I take being too small a quantity to send up any
fumes to the brain. O, how advantageous it is to an old man to
eat but little! Accordingly, I, who know it, eat but just enough
to keep body and soul together; and the things I eat are as follow.
First, bread, panado, some broth with an egg in it, or such other
good kinds of soup or spoon-meat. Of flesh meat, I eat veal, kid,
and mutton. I eat poultry of every kind. I eat partridges, and
other birds, such as thrushes. I likewise eat fish; for instance,
the goldney and the like, amongst sea fish; and the pike, and such
like, amongst the fresh-water fish. All these things are fit for
an old man; and, therefore, he ought to be content with them, and,
considering their number and variety, not hanker after others.
Such old men, as are too poor to allow themselves provisions of
this kind, may do very well with bread, panado, and eggs; things,
which no poor man can want, unless it be common beggars, and, as
we call them, vagabonds, about whom we are not bound to make
ourselves uneasy, since they have brought themselves to that pass
by their indolence; and had better be dead than alive; for they
are a disgrace to human nature. But, though a poor man should eat
nothing but bread, panado, and eggs, there is no necessity for his
eating more than his stomach can digest. And, whoever does not
trespass in point of either quantity or quality, cannot die but by
mere dissolution. O, what a difference there is between a regular
and an irregular life! One gives longevity and health, the other
produces diseases and untimely deaths.
O unhappy, wretched life, my sworn enemy, who art good for nothing
but to murder those, who follow thee! How many of my dearest
relations and friends hast thou robbed me of, in consequence of
their not giving credit to me; relations and friends, whom I should
now enjoy. But thou hast not been able to destroy me, according to
thy wicked intent and purpose. I am still alive in spite of thee,
and have attained to such an age, as to see around me eleven
grandchildren, all of fine understanding, and amiable disposition;
all given to learning and virtue; all beautiful in their persons
and lovely in their manners; whom, had I obeyed thy dictates, I
should never have beheld. Nor should I enjoy those beautiful and
convenient apartments which I have built from the ground, with such
a variety of gardens, as required no small time to attain their
present degree of perfection. No! thy nature is to destroy those
who follow thee, before they can see their houses or gardens so
much as finished; whereas, I, to thy no small confusion, have
already enjoyed mine for a great number of years. But, since thou
art so pestilential a vice, as to poison and destroy the whole
world; and I am determined to use my utmost endeavours to extirpate
thee, at least in part; I have resolved to counteract thee so, that
my eleven grandchildren shall take pattern after me; and thereby
expose thee, for what thou really art, a most wicked, desperate, and
mortal enemy of the children of men.
I, really, cannot help admiring, that men of fine parts, and such
there are, who have attained a superior rank in letters or any
other profession, should not betake themselves to a regular life,
when they are arrived at the age of fifty or sixty; or as soon as
they find themselves attacked by any of the foregoing disorders,
of which they might easily recover; whereas, by being permitted to
get a head, they become incurable. As to young men, I am no way
surprised by them, since, the passions being strong at that age,
they are of course the more easily overpowered by their baleful
influence. But after fifty, our lives should, in every thing, be
governed by reason, which teaches us, that the consequences of
gratifying our palate and our appetite are disease and death.
Were this pleasure of the palate lasting, it would be some excuse;
but it is so momentary, that there is scarce any distinguishing
between the beginning and the end of it; whereas the diseases it
produces are very durable. But it must be a great contentment to a
man of sober life, to be able to reflect that, in the manner he
lives, he is sure, that what he eats, will keep him in good health,
and be productive of no disease or infirmity.
Now I was willing to make this short addition to my treatise,
founded on new reasons; few persons caring to peruse long-winded
discourses; whereas short tracts have a chance of being read by
many; and I wish that many may see this addition, to the end that
its utility may be more extensive.
AN EARNEST EXHORTATION;
WHEREIN
The author uses the strongest arguments to persuade all men to
embrace a regular and sober life, in order to attain old age,
in which they may enjoy all the favours and blessings, that God,
in his goodness, vouchsafes to bestow upon mortals.
Not to be wanting to my duty, that duty incumbent upon every man;
and not to lose at the same time the satisfaction I feel in being
useful to others, I have resolved to take up my pen, and inform
those, who, for want of conversing with me, are strangers to what
those know and see, with whom I have the pleasure of being
acquainted. But, as certain things may appear, to some persons,
scarce credible, nay impossible, though actually fact, I shall not
fail to relate them for the benefit of the public. Wherefore, I
say, being (God be praised) arrived at my ninety-fifth year, and
still finding myself sound and hearty, content and chearful, I
never cease thanking the Divine Majesty for so great a blessing;
considering the usual fate of other old men. These scarce attain
the age of seventy, without losing their health and spirits;
growing melancholy and peevish; and continually haunted by the
thoughts of death; apprehending their last hour from one day to
another, so that it is impossible to drive such thoughts out of
their mind; whereas such things give me not the least uneasiness;
for, indeed, I cannot, at all, make them the object of my
attention, as I shall hereafter more plainly relate. I shall,
besides, demonstrate the certainty I have of living to an hundred.
But, to render this dissertation more methodical, I shall begin by
considering man at his birth; and from thence accompany him through
every stage of life to his grave.
I, therefore, say, that some come into the world with the stamina
of life so weak, that they live but a few days, or months, or
years; and it cannot be clearly known, to what such shortness of
life is owing; whether to some defect in the father or the mother,
in begetting them; or to the revolutions of the heavens; or to the
defect of nature, subject, as she is, to the celestial influence.
For, I could never bring myself to believe, that nature, common
parent of all, should be partial to any of her children.
Therefore, as we cannot assign causes, we must be content with
reasoning from the effects, such as they daily appear to our view.
Others are born sound, indeed, and full of spirits; but,
notwithstanding, with a poor weakly constitution; and of these some
live to the age of ten; others to twenty; others to thirty or
forty; yet they do not live to extreme old age. Others, again,
bring into the world a perfect constitution, and live to old age;
but it is generally, as I have already said, an old age full of
sickness and sorrow; for which they are to thank themselves; because
they most unreasonably presume on the goodness of their
constitution; and cannot by any means be brought to depart, when
brought to depart, when grown old, from the mode of life they
pursued in their younger days; as if they still retained all their
primitive vigour. Nay, they intend to live as irregularly when past
the meridian of life, as they did all the time of their youth;
thinking they shall never grow old, nor their constitution ever be
impaired. Neither do they consider, that their stomach has lost its
natural heat; and that they should, on that account, pay a greater
regard to the quality of what they eat, and what wines they drink;
and likewise to the quantity of each, which they ought to lessen;
whereas, on the contrary, they are for increasing it; saying, that,
as we lose our health and vigour by growing old, we should endeavour
to repair the loss by increasing the quantity of our food, since it
is by sustenance that man is preserved.
In this, nevertheless, they are greatly mistaken, since, as the
natural heat lessens as a man grows in years, he should diminish the
quantity of his meat and drink; nature, especially at that period,
being content with little. Nay, though they have all the reason to
believe this to be the case, they are so obstinate as to think
otherwise, and still follow their usual disorderly life. But
were they to relinquish it in due time, and betake themselves to
a regular and sober course, they would not grow infirm in their
old age, but would continue, as I am, strong and hearty, considering
how good and perfect a constitution it has pleased the Almighty to
bestow upon them; and would live to the age of one hundred and
twenty. This has been the case of others, who, as we read in many
authors, have lived a sober life, and, of course, were born with
this perfect constitution; and had it been my lot to enjoy such
a constitution, I should make no doubt of attaining the same age.
But, as I was born with feeble stamina, I am afraid I shall not
outlive an hundred. Were others, too, who are also born with an
infirm constitution, to betake themselves to a regular life, as I
have done, they would attain the age of one hundred and upwards,
as will be my case.
And this certainty of being able to live a great age is, in my
opinion, a great advantage, and highly to be valued; none being
sure to live even a single hour, except such as adhere to the
rules of temperance. This security of life is built on good and
true natural reasons, which can never fail; it being impossible in
the nature of things, that he, who leads a sober and regular life,
should breed any sickness, or die of an unnatural death, before
the time, at which it is absolutely impossible he should live. But
sooner he cannot die, as a sober life has the virtue to remove all
the usual causes of sickness, and sickness cannot happen without a
cause; which cause being removed, sickness is, likewise, removed; and
sickness being removed, an untimely and violent death must be
prevented.
And there is no doubt, that temperance has the virtue and efficacy
to remove such causes; for since health and sickness, life and
death, depend on the good or bad quality of the humours, temperance
corrects their vicious tendencies, and renders them perfect, being
possessed of the natural power of making them unite and hold
together, so as to render them inseperable, and incapable of
alteration and fermenting; circumstances, which engender cruel
fevers, and end in death. It is true, indeed, and it would be a
folly to deny it, that, let our humours be originally ever so good,
time, which consumes every thing, cannot fail to consume and exhaust
them; and that man, as soon as that happens, must die of a natural
death; but yet without sickness, as will be my case, who shall die
at my appointed time, when these humours shall be consumed, which
they are not at present. Nay, they are still perfect; nor is it
possible they should be otherwise in my present condition, when I
find myself hearty and content, eating with a good appetite, and
sleeping soundly. Moreover, all my faculties are as good as ever,
and in the highest perfection; my understanding clearer and brighter
than ever; my judgment sound; my memory tenacious; my spirits good;
and my voice, the first thing which is apt to fail in others, grown
so strong and sonorous, that I cannot help chanting out loud my
prayers morning and night, instead of whispering and muttering them
to myself, as was formerly my custom.
And these are all so many true and sure signs and tokens, that
my humours are good, and cannot waste but with time, as all those,
who converse with me, conclude. O, how glorious this life of mine
is like to be, replete with all the felicities which man can enjoy
on this side of the grave; and even exempt from that sensual
brutality which age has enabled my better reason to banish; because
where reason resides, there is no room for sensuality, nor for its
bitter fruits, the passions, and perturbations of the mind, with a
train of disagreeable apprehensions. Nor yet can the thoughts of
death find room in my mind, as I have no sensuality to nourish such
thoughts. Neither can the death of grandchildren and other relations
and friends make any impression on me, but for a moment or two; and
then it is over. Sill less am I liable to be cast down by losses in
point of fortune (as many have seen to their no small surprise.)
And this is a happiness not to be expected by any but such as attain
old age by sobriety, and not in consequence of a strong
constitution; and such may moreover expect to spend their days
happily, as I do mine, in a perpetual round of amusement and
pleasure. And how is it possible a man should not enjoy himself,
who meets with no crosses or disappointments in his old age, such
as youth is constantly plagued with, and from which, I shall
presently shew, I have the happiness of being exempt?
The first of these is to do service to my country. O! what a
glorious amusement, in which I find infinite delight, as I
thereby shew her the means of improving her important estuary or
harbour beyond the possibility of its filling for thousands of years
to come; so as to secure to Venice her surprising and miraculous
title of a maiden city, as she really is; and the only one in the
whole world: she will, moreover, thereby, add to the lustre of her
great and excellent surname of queen of the sea: such is my
amusement; and nothing is wanting to make it complete. Another
amusement of mine, is that of shewing this maid and queen, in what
manner she may abound with provisions, by improving large tracts of
land, as well marshes, as barren sands, to great profit. A third
amusement, and an amusement too, without any alloy, is the shewing
how Venice, though already so strong as to be in a manner
impregnable, may be rendered still stronger; and, though extremely
beautiful, may still increase in beauty; though rich, may acquire
more wealth, and may be made to enjoy better air, though her air is
excellent. These three amusements, all arising from the idea of
public utility, I enjoy in the highest degree. And who can say,
that they admit of any alloy, as in fact they do not? Another
comfort I enjoy, is, that having lost a considerable part of my
income, of which my grandchildren had been unfortunately robbed, I
by mere dint of thought, which never sleeps, and without any fatigue
of body, and very little of mind, have found a true and infallable
method of repairing such loss more than double, by the means of that
most commendable of arts, agriculture. Another comfort I still
enjoy is to think, that my treatise on temperance, which I wrote in
order to be useful to others, is really so, as many assure me by
word of mouth, mentioning that it has proved extremely useful to
them, as it in fact appears to have been, whilst others inform me by
letter, that, under God, they are indebted to me for life. Still
another comfort I enjoy, is that of being able to write with my own
hand; for, I write enough to be of service to others, both on
architecture, and agriculture. I, likewise, enjoy another
satisfaction, which is that of conversing with men of bright parts
and superior understanding, from whom, even at this advanced period
of life, I learn something. What a comfort is this, that, old as I
am, I should be able, without the least fatigue, to study the most
important, sublime, and difficult subjects!
I must farther add, though it may appear impossible to some, and may
be so in some measure, that at this age I enjoy, at once, two lives;
one terrestrial, which I possess in fact; the other celestial, which
I possess in thought; and this thought is equal to actual enjoyment,
when founded upon things we are sure to attain, as I ams sure to
attain that celestial life, through the infinite goodness and mercy
of God. Thus, I enjoy this terrestrial life, in consequence of my
sobriety and temperance, virtues so agreeable to the Deity; and I
enjoy, by the grace of the same Divine Majesty, the celestial, which
he makes me anticipate in thought; a thought so lovely, as to fix me
entirely on this object, the enjoyment of which I hold and affirm to
be of the utmost certainty. And I hold that dying, in the manner I
expect, is not really death, but a passage of the soul from this
earthly life to a celestial, immortal, and infinitely perfect
existence. Neither can it be otherwise: and this thought is so
superlatively sublime, that it can no longer stoop to low and worldly
objects, such as the death of this body, being intirely taken up with
the happiness of living a celestial and divine life; whence it is,
that I enjoy two lives. Nor can the terminating of so high a
gratification, which I enjoy in this life, give me any concern; it
rather affords me infinite pleasure, as it will be only to make room
for another, glorious and immortal life.
Now, it is possible, that any one should grow tired of so great a
comfort and blessing, as this which I really enjoy; and which every
on else might enjoy by leading the life I have led? an example which
every one has it in his power to follow; for I am but a mere man,
and no saint; a servant of God, to whom so regular a life is
extremely agreeable.