[Page 1]
AN ESSAY TO A RULE of HEALTH
The Definition. HEALTH is a free, easy, and perfect Enjoyment of all the Faculties of Mind and Body to due Performance of the Animal Functions, without any Impediment, Pain or Molestation.
Which is thus to be
[...]IF twice Man's Age you [...]
Let Reason guide you, [...]
Let all the Passions of the [...]
Be subject unto her [...]
[Page 2] She checks all Rashness, and gives Time
To think, and re-think each Design:
Those that do thus, before they act,
'Tis rarely seen, repent the Fact:
This makes an easy, quiet Mind,
(The greatest Blessing of Mankind;)
And he that in this Bliss do's share,
Enjoys a Ray of Heaven here.
Fly all Excess, and first take Care
Of Wine and Women to beware.
Sport, dally, and tattle with 'em rarely,
And marry not a Wife too early;
Stay till you're grown, and Joints are knit,
And you have Money got and Wit:
For he that weds before he's wise,
Is shackled by a Fool's Advice:
Alas! then he may see his Fate,
And feel it too, when 'tis too late.
In single Life live pure and chaste,
Lest from your Face your NOSE you cast.
And is it not a great Disgrace,
To lose [...] of your Face?
Tho Tears [...] may attone for th' Sin,
Yet [...] no NOSE again:
So never [...] forbidden Fruit,
But think [...] [...]OSE, when tempted to't.
[Page 3]
Till Hunger pinches, never eat,
And then on plain, not spiced Meat.
Desist before you eat your fill,
Drink to dilute, but not to swill,
So no Ructations you will feel.
Let Supper little be and light;
But none makes always the best Night;
It gives sweet Sleep without a Dream,
Leaves Morning's Mouth sweet, moist, and (clean.
A little Breakfast you may eat,
But not so as to satiate:
But Dinner then you must postpone,
Till farther in the Afternoon;
For never load fresh Food upon
your Stomach, till the former's gone;
For whatsoe'er is swallow'd thus,
Turns putrid and cadaverous:
And taking more than Nature needs,
Of most Distempers are the Seeds.
Accustom early in your Youth
To lay Embargo on your [...]
And let no Rarities invite, [...]
To pall and glut your App [...]e:
But check it always, and giv [...] o'er
With a Desire of eating more.
[Page 4] For where one dies by Inanition,
A thousand perish by Repletion.
To miss a Meal sometimes is good,
It ventilates, and cools the Blood,
Gives Nature time to cleanse her Streets
From Filth and Crudities of Meats.
For too much Meat, the Bowels [...]urr,
And Fasting's Nature's Scavenger.
When as your Stomach nauseates,
And ke [...]ks at Smell or Sight of Meats:
By Vomit fetch away the Load
Of Phlegm and undigested Food,
And do it soon, before it dwells
So as to tinge its Tunicles;
And breed sow'r Ferment, which begets
Unsavoury Belches, and sick Fits,
And Steams, which taint the Mouth and Gums▪
With foeted Smells, like ulcer'd Lungs:
And after Vomits, always use
Emollients soft, to cool and smooth;
For Reaching makes the Stomach sore,
Which Lenitives will best restore.
Bleed only, when you find the Blood
Abound, or Stagnate, then 'tis good;
Which you may very easily guess,
By heavy, stiff, Unyieldiness.
[Page 5] Short Breath, high Pulse, & caetera▪
Then quickly take some Blood away▪
But more especially in Stitches,
Pleuritic Pains, and pungent Twitches;
Then out of Hand without Delay,
Take a good Quantity away.
For Purging I shall give no Rule,
But after Glutt'ny and cramming full,
'Tis good to empty and to cool;
Tho' forc'd Evacuations are,
Such as we ought to use with Care,
Since 'tis not known what we can spare.
For Physick drives off with the Blood,
Some Parts of the substantial Good,
And if you'd keep the Ballance even,
Dame Nature must be led, not driven;
By Methods mild, and by Degrees,
We should relieve her Grievances:
As Fasting, Exercise, and Time,
And Water heals the Wounds of Wi [...] ▪
But where the Fever's peracute,
It won't admit of long Dispute;
When Life's chief Fortress is attach'd,
Quickly consult, and quickly [...]
For many a Life hath slipt away▪
By careless trifling, and delay▪
So when the Case is very [...]
Spare neither vomiting, nor [...] ▪
[Page 6] Provided that your Judgment's tight,
And take the Indication right;
Ev'n then be not the only Agent,
Lest a dead Corps shou'd prove your Patient;
But call in Doctors of more Skill,
Who may you cure, or help you kill,
Then let it happen as it will.
You can't be found Felo de se,
If slain in learned Company.
When struck in Years, strong Drink forbear,
Especially of Wine beware;
Old Men of Moisture want Supplies,
And Wine of all Sorts, heats and dries,
Twitches & Cramps, their Tartars give,
Hence they step short, and straddle stiff;
For vinous Spirits prey upon
Nutricious Juice, and vital Balm;
This makes 'em rabid, lean, and thin,
With loose and flabby, wrinkled Skin.
Water and Whey, of Drinks are first,
They cool, dilute, and quench the Thirst;
And next to those is good small Beer,
Not sow'r, but smart, and brisk, and clear.
Not that in general I condemn
A Glass of gen'rous now and then;
When you are faint, your Spirits low,
Your String relax'd, 'twill bend your Bow,
[Page 7] Brace your Drum Head, and make it tight,
Wind up your Watch, and set you right:
But then again the two much Use
Of all strong Liquors is th' Abuse▪
'Tis Liquid makes the Solids loose,
The Texture and whole Frame destroys,
But Health lies in the Equipoise.
The greatest part o'th' World's content,
With Adam's Ale, pure Element;
And who so strong, and does more Work,
Than doth the Water drinking Turk?
And when the Stomach's out of order,
No Cordial, like a Glass of Water;
This, this has baffled all the Slops,
Of Ladies Closets, and the Shops.
As Water's best, so 'twas the first
Of Liquors made to quench [...] Thirst
Of Men, of Beasts, of Plants, and Trees▪
From whence they all have their Encrease ▪
Its Uses are too manifold,
And marv'lous great e'er to be told;
Its Particles constituent,
Are too minute an Element.
Its Make and Texture, Crasis, [...]
Are too stupendiously fine
For Virtuoso's to descry,
Tho' Glasses come t'assist their Bye
[Page 8] Cease then, vain Search! let that alone,
Hid, with all Essences unknown;
But be content that the Creator,
Has blest the World with so much Water.
It works itself (as being thin)
Int' all the Pores and Parts within;
Helps all Secrations in their Uses,
And sweetens sharp and sowre Juices;
Tempers hot Bile, thins viscid Phlegm,
And moderates in each Extreme;
Damps the fierce AEstus of the Blood,
Abates the Fevers boiling Flood;
Dilutes the Salts, melts off their Points,
And acrid Particles disjoints;
And is the only Liquor that
Never grows eager, sharp or flat:
Give it but Motion, Room and Air,
Its Purity will ne'er impair:
Experience daily shews it true,
That Water only this can do.
All other Liquors made by Art,
Grow rancid, vapid, sowre, and tart.
Chuse Water that is cool, and thin;
Such as feels smooth, and soft to th' Skin,
Looks clear, and bright, and chrystaline:
The lightest Water is the best,
That is, without or Smell or Taste:
[Page 9] Which standing long, yields few Contents,
Of Scum, or Clouds, or Sediments;
Such as will lather cold with Soap,
Tho' ne'er was sainted by the Pope,
(As Bridget, Anne, and Winifred,)
For 'tis the Water does the Feat,
The Saint's the Varnish and the Cheat;
And he that has a Spring like this,
Has with good Air a double Bliss.
Never give way to Sloth and Ease,
For Laz'ness is a great Disease;
And when it has Possession got,
It makes the Man a stupid Sot:
When Sleep does first desert you, rise;
Next, wash the Gum from off your Eyes:
Cold Water pure will clear the Sight,
Comfort the Eyes, and keep them bright.
Indulge not Drowsiness, unless
It does proceed from Weariness.
'Thout some Fatigue, there's no so and Sleep,
'Tis eating without Appetite;
For those that start in Sleep, or shake,
Find small Refreshment when they wake:
And when you rise, approach not near
A Fire, except the Cold's severe:
And then, at distance take the Heat,
Because it does inhebitate;
[Page 10] And Sloth, and sluggishness induce,
And spoil your natural Rest by Use.
This Custom, Students must avoid,
For Memory is by Heat annoy'd
And by hard drinking quite destroy'd.
For Reminiscence is strongest where
The Head [...]s serene, and cool, and clear;
This Truth is seen in Regions cold,
There what they read they always hold.
But 'tis the Nature of a Wit,
Soon to invent, soon to forget;
For from the Brain that's hot and dry,
The slight Impressions quickly fly:
Whereas in moist and phlegmy Brains,
The Stamp's struck deep, and long remains▪
Tho' 'tis allow'd, there are some few,
That have good Wits, and Mem'ry too.
Rise early, with the Summer's Sun,
Especally when you are Young;
For he that early walks the Fields,
Takes all the Sweets that Flora yields;
Just as the Sun unlocks the Blooms
Of all their fragrant, rich Perfumes;
Besides, with Morning Air he's treated,
Not by the Sun Beams over-heated;
Which cools the Lungs, and fans the Blood,
And makes the Spirits brisk and good,
After a bad Good-fellow-Hood
[Page 11] Had left their springy Parts uncurl'd,
Like a loose Sail that is unfurl'd,
Those Air and Action buckle up,
When ruffled by a Midnight's Cup.
After an idle drunken bout,
Walk and take Air, ne'er sleep it out;
By which you will avoid the Harms
Of Head-ach, and sick Stomach Qualms:
For sleeping with a Load of VVine,
Does all its Fumes within confine;
Which are of dang'rous Consequence,
For Apoplexies spring from hence.
Palsies, and Tremors, and the rest,
Which mostly Drunkards do infest,
From Ferments in the Body pent,
Which early rowzing may prevent▪
For Gouts, and Stone, and such Diseases▪
Dwell most where Luxury and Ease is▪
Such a Tormenter never rages
'Mong VVhey-Drinkers in poor Cottages▪
Who live in Health till mighty Ages;
And to the Grave at a hundred Years,
Carry their Mem'ry, Eyes, and Ears.
Who then in Ale, or worse brew'd VVine,
Wou'd drown his Health, and so much Time▪
For whilst Men tipple, prate, and lie,
Life on smooth Skeets slides swiftly by.
[Page 12]
In Walking let your Cloaths be thin,
But not too tight, or strait to th [...] Skin,
That cool fresh Air may close the Pores;
This oftentimes that Health restores,
Which too much Warmth turn'd out of Doors:
For loss of Strength declares what Hurt
Those get that wear a Flannel Shirt:
For thro' a constant Dilatation,
The Spirits spend by Perspiration.
In Bed lie warm, but not too hot,
Nor yet too soft, for that's a Fault;
Soft Feathers have Attraction such,
As draws the natural Heat too much,
The Flesh makes flabby, loose and weak,
The Coun [...]tnance dead, and pale, and bleak.
Of Heats and Colds take special Care,
Windows, and Doors, that let in Air;
A Crack, or Crevice, in the Wall,
Hurts more than doth an open Hall:
And safer 'tis to stand i'th' Street,
Than where two Doors of Entries meet▪
Walk to be warm, but not to sweat,
Or by Degrees take down your Heat;
[Page 13] Drink not until you'r very cool,
And gently move to get a Stool.
Yet sometimes let your Feet be wet,
But in your wet Shoes never sit;
For while you're running in the Dirt,
The Action keeps you from the Hurt:
And often wash your Skin all o'er,
It gives a Spring to every Pore;
Returns the Heat upon the Blood,
Which makes all bad Digestions good.'
Lodge not fine Touth with aged Bones,
Nor much converse with Pains, and Groans;
For Bodies that are old and dry'd,
From juicy Youth will be supply'd;
These suck their Spirits, make 'em pale▪
So vital Vigour needs must fail;
For th' aged, thro' the young one's Pores;
His own decrepid Limbs restores:
For what by Contract, what by Sweats,
What the Touth loses, t'other gets:
This makes 'em pallid, thin and weak;
As if Hag-ridden in their sleep.
And on the other Hand, it's naught
To lie with one that's over fat;
Such sweat and over-heat the Child▪
By which a good cool Habit's spoil'd;
[Page 14] For in a mod'rate Temperature,
The welfare of the Child's secure.
In short, observe, the tender Young
Shou'd be well nurs'd, but laid alone.
But above all, take special Care
How Children you affright and scare [...]
In telling stories of things seen,
Sprite, Daemon, and Hobgoblin;
Hence they'l contract such Cowardice,
As ne'er will leave them all their Lives,
And then th' Idea's of their Fears
Continued unto riper Years,
Can by no Reason be suppress'd,
But of it they'l be so possess'd,
They'l sweat, and quake, and start and stare,
And meet the Devil ev'ry where.
Terrors have changed some Men grey,
Took Limbs, and Speech, and Sense away;
Have topsy-turvy'd Brains and Sculls,
Turn'd some Men mad, and some Men Fools:
Have made a Soul skip like a Sprite,
And leave the Body bolt upright:
Stark staring ghastly, dead, and stiff,
Like Lot's sad monumental Wife.
Anger avoid, and also Grief,
They both are Enemies to Life,
[Page 15] And fatal often in Extremes,
To which side e'er the Passion leans.
In both let Reason mitigate,
She will the Fury soon abate,
If she's consulted not too late.
For I have seen fierce Anger checkt,
By seeming Deafness, and Neglect;
Take off the Fuel, th' Fire will die,
Silence alone will p [...]t it by,
If not blown up by a Reply:
Let it blow o'er, if you can bear,
In at one, out at t'other Ear;
Storms hurt not in a Thoroughfare.
Late Watching does much Injury
To Nature's whole Oeconomy;
Impedes, or wholly doth defeat
The making of her Work complete;
For all Secrations are made best
I'th' quiet state of Sleep and Rest;
When all the Faculties of th' Mind
Are to their (soporal) Cells confin'd;
Then all the vital Functions are
('Cause not disturb'd by mental Care)
Each to his Office to repair,
And mend the Breathes, and Decays,
Made by Disorder any ways
In Life's vast Labyrinth and Maze;
[Page 16] Which thro' unknown Maeander run,
And circulates to where't begun,
And restless in its Course, keeps on.
For th' Heart clacks on, and is a Mill,
That's independent of the Will,
And like an Engine squirts the Blood,
Forcing up Hill the purple Flood;
A constant Fountain that displays
Its Rivulets ten thousand ways;
Mov'd by a secret Power unknown,
And yet that Power is not its own:
Restless from the first Stroke it gives,
To the last Moment that it lives;
Its Office is to mesh and beat,
And make the Chyle consimulate
With balmy Blood and nitrous Air,
(All have i [...]th' Work their proper share)
Which Inspiration does prepare.
That Air again the Lungs explode,
When robbed of its nitrous Load;
This grinds Life's Grist, yet takes small Toll
For carrying of it thro' the Whole,
And lodging at each Office Door,
Sufficient for their daily Store.
And here I'd ask, what human Tongue▪
Can praise enough that wond'rous One,
That made this great Automaton?
[Page 17] Here let the prostrate World adore
His infinite Goodness, Wisdom, Power.
Of Exercises, Swimming's best,
Strengthens the Muscles of the Chest,
And all their fleshy Parts confirms,
Extends, and stretches Legs and Arms;
And with a nimble retro-spring,
Contracts and brings them back again.
As 'tis the best, so 'tis the sum
Of Exercises all in one:
And of all Motions most complete,
Because 'tis vi'lent without Heat.
And next to Swimming, Riding's good,
It shakes the Bowels, stirs the Blood,
And gives a Motion to a Stool,
But bad to ride with Belly full;
For shaking does precipitate,
E'er you've digested half your Meat;
Besides, your Guts, if fat, it squelches
And causes Fumes and sowre Belches:
'Tis also in hard Livers naught,
Or when oppress'd with Wind or Thought,
It stirs up Flatus Hypocon:
If so, desist from riding on:
For't makes it fly into the Head,
Where Dizziness and Fumes are bred;
[Page 18] Then Life's in Danger, if you totter,
Be your Horse Pacer, or a Trotter:
So let the Rider take a Care,
Lest from a stumbling Horse or Mare,
He don't take Earth in taking Air.
But the true benefit in riding,
Is much and long i'th' Air abiding;
Fasting and always jogging on,
And drinking nothing that is strong;
But guzzling on a Journey's wrong:
And then perhaps, you [...]ll gain your Point,
If your Horse keeps your Neck in Joint.
Of dry consumptive Coughs beware,
They always grow much worse in Air;
For Places high, and Air serene,
Are for thin Bodies found too keen:
For all the Air, on Hights, and Hills,
'Cause robb'd of watry Particles,
Holds Nitre naked, and not sheath'd,
And so are naught, for all short breath'd:
As well as Airs too thick with Smoaks,
One pricks and tickles, t'other choaks:
But where it's clear, and not too high,
With Mixture due of moist and dry,
'Tis there the Lungs have Liberty
To play their Fan most pleasantly.
[Page 19] The Air is best on rising Hills,
Also near grav'ly running Rills;
For where the Soil is hard and dry,
The Air is good, whether low or high,
The watry Steams will take off Heats,
And much abate nocturnal Sweats.
In Holland, where 'tis all low Ground,
Habitual Coughs are rarely found;
But when Catarrhs and Rheums infest,
Warm and dry Airs are surely best.
For if Consumptions cur'd can be,
(Which is a mighty Rarity)
Three Things in chief you need prepare,
Milk, Traumatics, and Change of Air.
And if with these, cold Baths you get,
To temper down the hectic Heat,
He may go bare-foot, as a Goose,
Who lives in hope of dead Mens Shoes.
Tho' riding is extremely good,
Yet, Health lies more in choice of Food;
A gen'ral Rule we may go by,
Is eating such things 'specially,
As are least apt to putrefy.
New Milk and Rice, Bread Corn and Roots,
Fresh Sallets, and fresh gather'd Fruits,
Sweet Butter, Oil, and well made Cheese;
For those who mostly feed on these,
[Page 20] Live long, and gently wear away,
Perceiving not their own Decay,
To th' utmost Point o'th' fatal Day.
Then without Pain, like Lamps expire,
With the last Spark of vital Fire.
For Life's a Lamp, its Oil well spent,
Leaves when't goes out, a fragrant Scent:
Thrice happy he, whose virtuous Name,
Is Incense, and perfumed Flame,
On th' Altar of immortal Fame.
So, Reader, if thou art so wise,
To put in Practice this Advice;
The World will wonder to behold
Thou look'st so young, and art so old.
FINIS.