For the Why he has fo rallied Phyfic. reft, Madam, I fhould not have dared to make fo bold with the Myfteries of Phy• fic, confidering the Efteem that your La dyfhip, and fo many others have of it, had I not had Encouragement from their own Authors. I think they have, among the Ancients, only two Latinists, Pliny and Celfus. If these ever fall into your Hands, you will find, that they speak much more rudely of their Art than I do; I but pinch it, they cut the Throat of it.' Pliny, amongst other Things, twits them with this, That when they are at the End of the Rope, that is, when they have done the utmost of what they are able to do, they have a pretty Device to fave themselves, of recommending their Patients, after they have teafed and tormented them with their Drugs and Diets to no Purpose, fome to Vows and Miracles, and others to hot Baths. (Be not angry, Madam, he speaks not of thofe in our Parts, who are under the Protection of your House, and all Gramontins.) They have a third Way to fave their own Credit, by ridding their Hands of us, ⚫ and fecuring themselves from the Reproaches we might caft in their Teeth, of the little Amendment we find, when they have had us fo long in their Hands, that they have but one more Invention left wherewith to • amuse us; which is, To fend us to the better Air of some other Country. This, Madam, is enough; I hope you will give me leave to return to my former Discourse, ⚫ from which I have fo far digreffed, the better to divert • you.' It was, I think, Pericles, who being afked, In what a Condition be Shall be, if ever he puts himself into the Hands of the Phyficians. How 'he did? You may judge, fays he, by thefe,' fhewing fome little Labels he had tied about his Neck and Arms. By this he would infer, that he muft needs be very sick, when he was reduced to a Neceffity of having Recourse to such idle Things, and of suffering himself to be thus equipped. Plutarch in the Life of Pericles, c. 24. I don't fay, Glory was his Motive for writing against Phyfic. fay, but, fome Day or other, I may be fuch a Fool as to commit my Life and Health to the Mercy and Government of Phyficians. I may fall into fuch Frenzy: I dare not be refponfible for my future Conftancy: But then, if any one ask me, How I do?' I may alfo answer, as Pericles did, You may judge by this,' fhewing my Hand clutched up with fix Drachms of Opium: It will be a very evident Sign of a violent Sickness; and my Judgment will be very much unhinged. If once Fear and Impatience get fuch an Advantage over me, it may very well be concluded, that there is a dreadful Fever in my Mind. I have taken the Pains to plead The Defire of this Caufe, which I don't very much understand, a little to back and support the natural Averfion to Drugs, and the Practice of Phyfic, which I have derived from my Ancestors, to the End it may not be a mere stupid and temerarious Averfion, but have a little more Form; and alfo, that they who fhall fee me fo firm against the Exhortations and Menaces that fhall be given me, when my Infirmities are at the worft, may not think 'tis mere Obftinacy in me; or left any one be fo ill-natured, as to judge it to be from a View to Glory: For it would be a ftrange fort of Ambition to feek to gain Honour by an Action that my Gardener, or my Groom, can perform as well as I. Certainly, I have not a Heart fo puffed up, and fo windy, that I fhould exchange fo folid a Pleasure as florid Health, and a good Plight, for an airy, fpiritual, and imaginary Pleasure. Glory, even that of the four Sons of lymon, is too dear bought by a Man of my Humour, if it coft him three fmart Fits of the Stone. Give me Health, in God's Name! Such as love our Phyfic, may also have good, great, and convincing Confiderations; I do not hate Whimfies contrary to my own. I am fo far from being angry to fee a Difference betwixt mine and other Men's Judgments, and fo far from rendering myself unfociable with Men, for being of another Senfe and Party than mine, that, on the contrary, (the most general Courfe, that Nature has followed, being Variety, L Variety, and more in Souls than Bodies, forafmuch as they are of a more fupple Substance, and more susceptible of Forms) I find it much more rare to see our Humours and Designs agree: And there never were, in the World, two Opinions any more alike, than two Hairs, or two Grains: Their most univerfal Quality is Diversity. The End of the SECOND BOOK. INDE X. 554 555 249 76 334 273 of Wives, towards their Husbands, till they have lost them loyal and vehement, of a Wife towards ber Husband Affinities of the Sun with the Divinity Age fit for Marriage Ages of the World Agefilaus canonized by the Tracians People mulated by the Ephori, for infinuating himself into the Hearts of the Agis, King of Sparta's Answer to an Ambassador from Abdera Inconftancy Agrippian's living without offenfive Arms Albucella's Suicide Rr 531 160 136 395 383 Alcibiades Sacrifice to Thetis 259 excellent above all the other Kings and Emperors Actions that may fall under Cenfure Alexander the Tyrant, of Pheres, why he would not fee Tragedies Alexia, two extraordinary Events at the Siege of it Almanacks Lyars Alva, Duke, compared to the Conftable of Montmorency Amadis des Gaules defpifed Ambition, its Power 566 to 569 567 490 549 more untameable than Love Daughter to Prefumption 446 453 102 9 535 the only Ruin of Cæfar's Actions of Cæfar full of Mischiefs Ambraciota's Suicide out of Impatience to enjoy the Life to come Ameftris, Wife of Xerxes, cruelly pious Amiot's Language commended Anaxagoras, the firft Philofopher who owned an infinite Creator Anaxarchus pounded in a Stone Mortar Ancients good Fellows ufed to go open breafted Andrew, St's Cross Anguian, M. de, makes two Attempts on his own Life Animals Free Agents taken Care of by Men fronger than Men capable of Difcipline more temperate than Mankind choice in their Amours Anti-Cato's of Cæfar Antinous's Advice, to the Befieged in Paffaro, to kill themselves Antiochus flopped in his Conquefts by a Letter from the Roman Senate Antipater's Menace of the Lacedæmonians Antifthenes's Anfer to the Question, What was the best Thing to learn? |