man, a Neighbour of mine, takes it for a moft wholefome Medicine in his Fever, because that naturally he mortally hates the Taste of it.

my

Humour,

Many Phyficians feldom use Medicinal Drugs themSelves.

How many do we fee, amongst them, of that defpife taking Phyfic themselves, are Men of liberal Diet, and live a quite contrary fort of Life to what they prefcribe to others? What is this but flatly to abuse our Simplicity? For their own Lives and Healths are no lefs dear to them than ours are to us, and they would accommodate their Effects to their own Rules, if they did not themselves know how false they are.

How it happens that Men are fo refigned to the Phyf

cians.

'Tis the Fear of Death, and of Pain, an Impatience of the Disease, and a violent and indiscreet Defire of a prefent Cure that fo blind us: And 'tis pure Cowardice that makes our Belief fu pliable and eafy; and yet moft Men do not fo much believe as they acquiefce and permit, for I hear them find Fault, and complain, as well as we: But they refolve at laft; What shall I do then? As if Impatience were, of itself, a better Remedy than Patience. Is there any one of those who have fuffered themfelves to be captivated by this miferable Subjection, that does not equally surrender himself to all forts of Impof-. tures? Who does not give up himself alike to the Mercy of whoever has the Impudence to promise him a Cure? The Babylonians carried their Sick into the The fick Perpublic Square, the Physician was the People, fons of Babywhere every one that paffed by, being in Hu- lon expofed in manity and Civility obliged to inquire of the Markettheir Condition, gave fome Advice accord- place. ing to his own Experience. We do little better, there being not fo filly a Woman, whofe Spells and Drenches we do not make ufe of; and, according to my Humour, if I were to take Phyfic, I would fooner chufe to take theirs than any other, becaufe, at least, it will do no Harm. What Homer and Plato faid of the Egyptians, that they were all Phyficians, may be faid of all People; there is no one that does not boast of some rare Receipt, and who will

f

"Twas a Law wifely established, fays Herodotus, lib. i. p. 91.

will not venture it upon his Neighbour, if he will trust him. I was, the other Day, in Company where Somebody of my Fraternity told us of a fort of Pill made up of a hundred and odd Ingredients: It made us very merry, and was a fingular Confolation, for what Rock could withstand fo great a Battery? And yet I hear, by those who made trial of it, that the leaft Atom of Gravel would not ftir for it.

1

I cannot take my Hand from this Paper, before I have added a Word or two more, concerning the Affurance they give us of the Certainty of their Drugs, from the Experiments they have made. The greatest Part, and, I think, above two thirds of the medicinal Virtues confift in the Quinteffence, or occult Property

Upon what the Phyficians found their pretended "Knowledge of the Virtue of their Drugs.

of the Simples, of which we can have no other Information than the Ufe: For Quinteffence is no other than a Quality, of which we cannot, by our Reafon, find out the Caufe: In fuch Proofs, thofe, which they pretend to have acquired by the Infpiration of fome Dæmon, I am content to receive (for I meddle not with Miracles) as alfo the Proofs which are drawn from Things, that, upon fome other Account, oft fall into Ufe amongst us; as if in Wool, wherewith we are wont to cloath ourselves, there has accidentally fome occult deficcative Property been found out of curing kibed Heels, or as if, in the Radish we eat for Food, there has been found out fome aperitive Operation. Galen reports, That a Man happened to be cured of a Leprofy by drinking • Wine out of a Veffel into which a Viper had crept by • Chance.' In which Example, we find the Means, and a very likely Guide to this Experience; as we also do in thofe which Physicians pretend to have been directed to by the Example of fome Beafts: But in most of their other Experiments, wherein they declare to have been conducted by Fortune, and to have had no other Guide than Chance, I find the Progrefs of this Information incredible. Suppose a Man looking round about him upon the infinite Number of Things, Plants, Animals,

Meaning, that was troubled with the Stone.

6

and

and Metals, I do not know where he would begin his Trial; and though his first Fancy fhould fix him upon an Elk's Horn, wherein there must be a very gentle and and eafy Belief, he will yet find himself perplexed in his fecond Operation. There are fo many Maladies, and fo many Circumftances laid before him, that, before he can arrive at the Certainty of the Point, to which the Perfection of his Experience fhould arrive, human Senfe will be, nonpluffed And before he can, amongst this Infinity of Things, find out what this Horn is; amongst so many Difeafes, what the Epilepfy; amongst the many Conftitutions, the melancholic; the many Seafons in Winter, the many Nations in the French, the many Ages in Age, the many celestial Mutations in the Conjunction of Venus and Saturn, and the many Parts in Man's Body, to a Finger: And being, in all this, directed neither by Argument, Conjectures, Example, nor divine Inspiration, but, by the fole Motion of Fortune, it must be by a Fortune perfectly artificial, regular, and methodical And, after the Cure is performed, how can he affure himfelf, that it was not because the Disease was arrived at its Period, or an Effect of Chance? or the Operation • of fomething else that he had eaten, drank, or touched that Day? or by Virtue of his Grandmother's Prayers?' And, moreover, had this Experiment been perfect, how many times was it reiterated, and this long Beadroll of Fortunes and Encounters ftrung anew from Chance to. conclude a certain Rule? And, when the Rule is concluded, by whom I pray you? Of fo many Millions, there are but three Men who take upon them to record their Experiments: And muft Chance needs juft meet one of thefe? What if another, and a hundred others have made contrary Experiments? We might, peradventure, have fome Light in this, were all the Judgments and Arguments of Men known to us. But that three Witneffes,. three Doctors, fhould lord it over all Mankind, is against all Reafon. It were fit that human Nature fhould have. deputed and culled them out, and that they were declared our Comptrollers by exprefs Letters of Attorney.

MADAM,

TH

To Madam DE DURA S.

HE laft Time you came to see me, you found me at work upon this Chapter, and as it may happen, that thefe Trifles may, one Day, fall into your Ladyship's Hands, I defire also, that they teftify, how much the Author will think himself honoured by any Favour you shall pleafe to fhew them. You will there find the fame Air and Behaviour you have obferved • in his Conversation, and, though I might have affumed • fome better and more honourable Garb than my own, I would not chufe it; for I require nothing more of thefe Writings, but to prefent me to your Memory, • fuch as I naturally am. The fame Conditions and Faculties, your Ladyfhip has been pleased to receive and entertain with much more Honour and Courtesy than they deferve, I will put together (but without Alteration) in one folid Body, that may, peradventure, continue fome Years, or fome Days, after I am gone; ⚫ where you may find them again, when your Ladyship fhall please to refresh your Memory, without putting you to any greater Trouble, neither are they worth it. • I Í defire you should continue the Favour of your Friendship to me, by the fame Qualities by which it was ac<quired.

Montaigne prefers prefent Efteem to that which is pofthumous.

I am not at all ambitious, that any one fhould love and esteem me more Dead than Living, The Humour of Tiberius is ridiculous, but yet common, who was more follicitous to extend his Renown to Pofterity, than to • render himself Valuable and Acceptable to Men of his own Time. If I was one of thofe to whom the World could owe Commendation, I would acquit the one half to have the other in Hand, that their Praises might come quick and crouding about me, • more thick than long, more full than durable; and let them cease, in God's Name, with my Knowledge, and

when

when the sweet Sound can no longer ring in my Ears. It were an idle Humour to go about, now that I am going to forfake the Commerce of Men, to offer myself to them by a new Recommendation.

What Goods he

valued moft.

I make no Account of the Goods I could not imploy in the Service of my Life: And fuch as I am, I will be elsewhere than in Paper: My Art and Industry have been ever directed to fet a Value upon myfelf; and my Studies, to • teach me to do, and not to write. I have made it my • whole Business to frame my Life. This has been my • Profeffion and Imployment. I am lefs a Book-maker than any Thing else. I have coveted fo much Understanding for the Service of my prefent and real Conveniencies, and not to lay up a Stock for my Heirs. • Whoever has any Merit, let him make it appear in his ordinary Difcourfes, in his Courtships, and his Quarrels; in Play, in Bed, at Table, in the Management of his Affairs, in his Economy. I fee fome that make good Books in ragged Breeches, who, if they would • have been ruled by me, fhould first have mended their • Breeches. Afk a Spartan, whether he had rather be a good Orator, or a good Soldier? And, if I was asked the fame Question, I would rather chufe to be a good • Cook, had I not one already to serve me. Good God! Madam, how should I hate the Reputation of being a good Writer, and an Afs and a Sot in every Thing else: • Yet I had rather be a Fool in any Thing, than to have made fo ill a Choice wherein to imploy my Talent: And I am fo far from expecting to gain any new Reputation by thefe Follies, that I fhall come off pretty well, if I lofe nothing by them of that little I had before: For, befides that this dead Painting will take from my natural Being, it has no Refemblance to my better Condition, which is alfo much lapfed from my former Vigour and Chearfulness, and looks faded and withered: I am funk towards the Bottom of the Barrel, which begins to tafte of the Lees.

• For