Diet.

Meals.

mands and gluttons by cuftom, that were not fo by nature and I fee,
in fome countries, men as lufty and ftrong, that eat but two meals a day,
as others that have fet their ftomachs by a conftant ufage, like larums,
to call on them for four or five. The Romans ufually fafted till fupper;
the only fet meal, even of those who ate more than once a day: and those
who ufed breakfafts, as fome did at eight, fome at ten, others at twelve
of the clock, and fome later, neither ate flesh, nor had any thing made
ready for them. Auguftus, when the greatest monarch on the earth,
tells us, he took a bit of dry bread in his chariot. And Seneca in his
83d epiftle, giving an account how he managed himself, even when he
was old, and his age permitted indulgence, fays, that he used to eat a
piece of dry bread for his dinner, without the formality of fitting to it:
though his eftate would have as well paid for a better meal (had health
required it) as any fubject's in England, were it doubled. The masters
of the world were bred up with this fpare diet: and the young gentlemen
of Rome felt no want of ftrength or fpirit, because they ate but once a
day. Or if it happened by chance, that any one could not faft fo long,
as till fupper, their only fet meal; he took nothing but a bit of dry bread,
or at most a few raifins, or fome fuch flight thing with it, to ftay his fto-
mach. This part of temperance was found fo neceffary, both for health
and business, that the custom of only one meal a day held out against
that prevailing luxury, which their eaftern conquefts and fpoils had
brought in amongst them: and thofe, who had given up their old frugal
eating, and made feafts, yet began them not till the evening. And more
than one fet meal a day, was thought fo monftrous, that it was a re-
proach, as low down as Cæfar's time, to make an entertainment, or fit
down to a full table, till towards, fun-fet. And therefore, if it would
not be thought too fevere, I fhould judge it most convenient, that my
young mafter fhould have nothing, but bread too for breakfast.
cannot imagine of what force cuftom is: and I impute a great part of our
difeafes in England to our eating too much flesh, and too little bread.

You

15. As to his meals, I fhould think it beft, that, as much as it can be conveniently avoided, they fhould not be kept conftantly to an hour. For, when custom hath fixed his eating to certain ftated periods, his ftomach will expect victuals at the ufual hour, and grow peevish if he paffes it; either fretting itself into a troublesome excefs, or flagging into a downright want of appetite. Therefore I would have no time kept conftantly to, for his breakfast, dinner, and fupper, but rather varied, almost every day. And if, betwixt thefe, which I call meals, he will eat, let him have, as often as he calls for it, good dry bread. If any one think this too hard and fparing a diet for a child, let them know, that a child will never starve, nor dwindle for want of nourishment, who, befides flesh at dinner, and spoon-meat, or fome fuch other thing at fupper, may have good bread and beer, as often as he has a ftomach: for thus, upon fecond thoughts, I fhould judge it beft for children to be ordered. morning is generally defigned for ftudy, to which a full ftomach is but an

The

ill preparation. Dry bread, though the best nourishment, has the leaft Meals, temptation: and no-body would have a child crammed at breakfast, who has any regard to his mind or body, and would not have him dull and unhealthy. Nor let any one think this unfuitable to one of estate and condition. A gentleman, in any age, ought to be fo bred, as to be fitted to hear arms, and be a foldier. But he that in this, breeds his fon fo, as if he designed him to fleep over his life, in the plenty and ease of a full fortune he intends to leave him, little confiders the examples he has seen, or the age he lives in.

§ 16. Hrs drink (hould be only fmall beer; and that too he should Drink. never be suffered to have, between meals, but after he had eat a piece of bread. The reasons why I fay this are thefe :

§ 17. 1. MORE fevers and furfeits are got by people's drinking when they are hot, than by any one thing I know. Therefore, if by play he be hot and dry, bread will ill go down; and fo, if he cannot have drink, but upon that condition, he will be forced to forbear. For, if he be very hot, he should by no means drink. At least, a good piece of bread first to be eaten, will gain time to warm the beer blood-hot, which then may drink fafely. If he be very dry, it will go down fo warmed, and quench his thirst better: And, if he will not drink it fo warmed, abstaining will not hurt him. Befides, this will teach him to forbear, which is an habit of greateft ufe for health of body and mind too.

he

18. 2. Nor being permitted to drink without eating, will prevent the custom of having the cup often at his nofe; a dangerous beginning and preparation to good fellowship. Men often bring habitual hunger and thirft on themselves by cuftom. And, if you please to try, you may, though he be weaned from it, bring him by ufe to fuch a neceffity of drinking in the night, that he will not be able to fleep without it. It being the lullaby, used by nurses, to still crying children; I believe mothers generally find fome difficulty to wean their children from drinking in the night, when they firft take them home. Believe it, custom prevails, as much by day as by night; and you may, if you please, bring any one to be thirsty every hour.

I ONCE lived in a houfe, where, to appeafe a froward child, they gave him drink, as often as he cried; fo that he was conftantly bibbing: And though he could not speak, yet he drank more in twenty-four hours than I did. Try it when you pleafe, you may with small, as well as with ftrong beer, drink yourself into a drought. The great thing to be minded in education is, what habits you fettle: and therefore in this, as all Habits. other things, do not begin to make any thing cuftomary, the practice whereof you would not have continue and increase. It is convenient for health and fobriety, to drink no more than natural thirft requires: and he that eats not falt meats, nor drinks ftrong drink, will seldom thirst between meals, unless he has been accustomed to fuch unfeasonable drinking. 19. ABOVE all, take great care that he feldom, if ever, tafte any Strong drink. wine, or strong drink. There is nothing fo ordinarily given children in C

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VOL. IV.

England,

drink.

Strong England, and nothing fo deftructive to them. They ought never to drink
any strong liquor, but when they need it as a cordial, and the doctor pre-
fcribes it. And in this cafe it is, that fervants are most narrowly to be
watched, and most severely to be reprehended, when they tranfgrefs. Thofe
mean fort of people, placing a great part of their happiness in strong
drink, are always forward to make court to my young mafter, by offer-
ing him that which they love beft themselves: and, finding themselves
made merry by it, they foolishly think it will do the child no harm. This
you are carefully to have your eye upon, and restrain with all the skill
and induftry you can; there being nothing, that lays a furer foundation
of mischief, both to body and mind, than children's being used to strong
drink; efpecially to drink in private with the fervants.

Fruit.. § 20. FRUIT makes one of the most difficult chapters in the govern-
ment of health, especially that of children. Our first parents ventured
paradife for it and it is no wonder our children cannot ftand the tempta-
tion, though it coft them their health. The regulation of this cannot
come under any one general rule: for I am by no means of their mind,
who would keep children almoft wholly from fruit, as a thing totally
unwholesome for them: by which ftrict way they make them but the
more ravenous after it; and to eat good and bad, ripe or unripe, all that
they can get, whenever they come at it. Melons, peaches, most forts of
plums, and all forts of grapes in England, I think children should be
wholly kept from, as having a very tempting tafte, in a very unwhole-
fome juice; fo that, if it were poffible, they fhould never so much as fee
them, or know there were any fuch thing. But ftrawberries, cherries,
goofe-berries, or currans, when thorough ripe, I think may be very fafe-
ly allowed them, and that with a pretty liberal hand, if they be eaten
with thefe cautions. 1. Not after meals, as we ufually do, when the fto-
mach is already full of other food. But I think they fhould be eaten ra--
ther before, or between meals, and children fhould have them for their
breakfafts. 2. Bread eaten with them. 3. Perfectly ripe.
3. Perfectly ripe. If they are
thus eaten, I imagine them rather conducing, than hurtful, to our health.
Summer-fruits, being fuitable to the hot feafon of the year they come in,
refresh our ftomachs, languishing and fainting under it: and therefore I
fhould not be altogether fo ftrict in this point, as fome are to their chil-
dren; who being kept fo very fhort, inftead of a moderate quantity of
well-chofen fruit, which being allowed them, would content them, when-
ever they can get loose, or bribe a fervant to fupply them, fatisfy their
longing with any trash they can get, and eat to a furfeit.

APPLES and pears too, which are thorough ripe, and have been gathered
fome time, I think may be fafely eaten at any time, and in pretty large quan-
tities; especially apples, which never did any body hurt,, that I have heard,
after October..

FRUITS alfo dried without fugar I think very wholefome. But sweetmeats of all kinds are to be avoided; which, whether they do more harm to the maker or eater, is not easy to tell. This I am fure, it is one of the

1

the most inconvenient ways of expence, that vanity hath yet found out; Fruit. and fo I leave them to the ladies.

§ 21. Or all that looks foft and effeminate, nothing is more to be in- Sleep. dulged children than fleep. In this alone they are to be permitted to have their full fatisfaction; nothing contributing more to the growth and health of children, than fleep. All that is to be regulated in it is, in what part of the twenty-four hours they fhould take it: which will eafily be refolved, by only faying, thas it is of great ufe to accuftom them to rife early in the morning. It is beft fo to do, for health and he that, from his childhood, has by a fettled custom made rifing betimes eafy and familiar to him, will not, when he is a man, waste the best and most ufeful part of his life in drowzinefs and lying a-bed. If children therefore are to be called up early in the morning, it will follow of course, that they must go to bed betimes; whereby they will be accustomed to avoid the unhealthy and unfafe hours of debauchery, which are thofe of the evenings and they who keep good hours, feldom are guilty of any great diforders. I do not fay this, as if your fon, when grown up, fhould never be in company paft eight, nor ever chat over a glafs of wine till midnight. You are now, by the accuftoming of his tender years, to indifpofe him to those inconveniencies as much as you can: and it will be no small advantage, that contrary practice having made fitting-up uneafy to him, it will make him often avoid, and very feldom propofe midnightrevels. But if it should not reach fo far, but fashion and company fhould prevail, and make him live, as others do, above twenty, it is worth the while to accuftom him to early rifing and early going to bed, between this and that; for the prefent improvement of his health, and other advantages.

THOUGH I have faid, a large allowance of fleep, even as much as they will take, fhould be made to children when they are little; yet I do not mean, that it should always be continued to them, in fo large a proportion, and they fuffered to indulge a drowzy lazinefs in their beds, as they grow up bigger. But whether they should begin to be restrained at seven, or ten years old, or any other time, is impoffible to be precifely determined. Their tempers, ftrength, and conftitutions must be confidered: But fome time between seven and fourteen, if they are too great lovers of their beds, I think it may be seasonable to begin to reduce them, by degrees, to about eight hours, which is generally reft enough for healthy grown people. If you have accustomed him, as you should do, to rife conftantly very early in the morning, this fault of being too long in bed will eafily be reformed, and moft children will be forward enough to fhorten that time themselves, by coveting to fit up with the company at night: though, if they be not looked after, they will be apt to take it out in the morning, which fhould by no means be permitted. They should conftantly be called up, and made to rife at their early hour; but great care should be taken in waking them, that it be not done haftily, nor with a loud or thrill voice, or any other fudden violent noife. This often affrights children,

C 2

and

Sleep.

Bed.

Coftiveness.

and does them great harm.
harm. And found fleep, thus broke off with fudden
alarms, is apt enough to difcompose any one: When children are to be
wakened out of their fleep, be fure to begin with a low call, and fome
gentle motion; and fo draw them out of it by degrees, and give them
none but kind words and ufage, till they are come perfectly to themfelves,
and being quite dreffed, you are fure they are thoroughly awake. The
being forced from their fleep, how gently foever you do it, is pain enough
to them and care fhould be taken not to add any other uneafinefs to it, ef-
pecially fuch as may terrify them.

22. LET his bed be hard, and rather quilts than feathers. Hard lodging ftrengthens the parts; whereas being buried every night in feathers, melts and diffolves the body, is often the caufe of weakness, and the forerunner of an early grave. And, befides the ftone, which has often its rife from this warm wrapping of the reins, feveral other indifpofitions, and that which is the root of them all, a tender weakly conftitution, is very much owing to down-beds. Befides, he that is used to hard lodging. at home, will not mifs his fleep (where he has moft need of it) in his travels abroad, for want of his foft bed and his pillows laid in order. And therefore I think it would not be amifs, to make his bed after different fashions; fometimes lay his head higher, fometimes lower, that he may not feel every little change he must be fure to meet with, who is not defigned to lie always in my young mafter's bed at home, and to have his maid lay all things in print, and tuck him in warm. The great cordial of nature is fleep. He that miffes that, will fuffer by it: and he is unfortunate, who can take his cordial only in his mother's fine gilt cup, and not in a wooden dish. He that can fleep foundly, takes the cordial : and it matters not, whether it be on a foft bed, or the hard boards. It is fleep only that is the thing neceffary.

very

23. ONE thing more there is, which hath a great influence upon the health, and that is going to ftool regularly; people that are very loose, have feldom ftrong thoughts, or ftrong bodies. But the cure of this, both by diet and medicine, being much more eafy than the contrary evil, there needs not much to be faid about it: for if it come to threaten, either by its violence, or duration, it will foon enough, and fometimes too foon, make a phyfician be fent for: and if it be moderate or fhort, it is commonly beft to leave it to nature. On the other fide, coftiveness has too its ill effects, and is much harder to be dealt with by phyfick; purging medicines, which feem to give relief, rather increafing than removing the evil.

§ 24. Ir being an indifpofition I had a particular reafon to enquire into, and not finding the cure of it in books, I fet my thoughts on work, believing that greater changes than that, might be made in our bodies, if we took the right courfe, and proceeded by rational steps.

1. THEN I confidered, that going to ftool was the effect of certain motions of the body, especially of the peristaltick motion of the guts.

2. I CONSIDERED, that feveral motions that were not perfectly volun

tary,.