Feet.

and ten-times as much more. And he
that confiders how Mifchievous and
Mortal a thing, taking Wet in the
Feet is to thofe, who have been bred
nicely, will wifh he had, with the
poor People's Children,gone Bare-foot;
who, by that means, come to be fo re-
conciled, by Cuftom, to wet in their
Feet, that they take no more Cold
or Harm by it, than if they were
wet in their Hands. And what is it,
I pray, that makes this great difference
between the Hands, and the Feet in
others, but only Cuftom? I doubt
not, but if a Man from his Cradle had
been always used to go bare-foot,
whilft his hands were constantly
wrapped up in warm Mittins, and co-
vered with Hand-fboves, as the Dutch
call Gloves; I doubt not, I fay, but
fuch a Cuftom, would make taking
Wet in his Hands, as dangerous to him,
as now taking Wet in their Feet is to
a great many others. The way to pre-
vent this, is, to have his Shooes made
fo, as to leak Water; and his Feet wash-
ed every Night in cold Water, both
for Health and Cleanliness fake. But
begin firft in the Spring, with luke-

warm,

warm, and fo colder and colder every 2 Night, till, in a few days, you come to perfectly cold Water, and then conti

bre nue it fo. For it is to be obferved in

1

this, as in all other Alterations from Alterations. our ordinary way of Living, the Chan

01 ges must be made by gentle and insenfible Degrees; and fo we may bring our Bodies to any thing, without pain and without danger.

ve

S

Ter

12

§.8. I fhall not need here to mention Swiming. his learning to Swim, when he is of Age able to learn, and has any one to teach him. The advantages (befides that of Swiming) to health, by often bathing in the fummer in cold Water, are so many, that I think nothing need to be faid to encourage it, provided this one caution be used, That he never go into the Water, when Exercife has at all warm'd him, or left any Emotion in his Blood or Pulfe..

§. 9. Another Thing that is of great Advantage to every One's Health, but especially Children's, is, to be much in the open Air,and very little as may be by the Fire, even in Winter. By this he will accuftom himself also to Heat and Cold, Shine and Rain; all which

B 4

Air.

Air.

beft and fureft, and therefore most to be taken care of: For from repeated Cautions and Rules, never so often inculcated, you are not to expect any thing farther than Practice has established them into Habits.

Cloths. §. 11. One thing the Mention of the Girls brings into my Mind, which must not be forgot; and that is, that your Son's Cloths be never made strait, especially about the Breast. Let Nature have scope to fashion the Body as she thinks best; she works of her self a great deal better, and exacter, than we can direct her: And if Women were themselves to frame the Bodies of their Children in their Wombs, as they often endeavour to mend their Shapes when they are out, we should as certainly have no perfect children born, as we have few well-shaped that are strait-laced or much tamper'd with. This Consideration should, me-thinks, keep busie People (I will not say ignorant Nurses and Bodice-makers) from medling in a Matter they understand not; and they should be afraid to put Nature out of her Way in fashioning the Parts, when they know not how

the

the least and meanest is made, and yet cloths
I have seen so many Instances of Chil-
dren receiving great harm from trait-
lacing, that I cannot but conclude,
there are other Creatures as well as
Monkeys, who little wiser than they
destroy their young Ones by sensless
fondness, and too much embracing.

§. 12.Narrow Breasts,fhort and stink-
ing Breath,ill Lungs, and Crookedness,
are the Natural and almost constant
Effects of hard Bodice, and Cloths that
pinch. That way of making slender
Wastes and fine Shapes, serves but the
more effectually to spoil them. Nor
can there indeed but be disproportion
in the Parts, when the nourishment
prepared in the several Offices of the
Body, cannot be distributed as Nature
designs; and therefore what wonder is
it, if it being laid where it can on some
part not so braced,it often makes a Shoul-
der or a Hip higher or bigger than its
just proportion. 'Tis generally known,
that the women of China (imagining
I know not what kind of beauty in it)
by bracing and binding them hard
from their infancy, have very little
Feet, I saw a pair of China Shooes

lately

Cloths lately, exceedingly disproportioned to the Feet of one of the same Age amongst us; their Womens Shooes would scarce be big enough for one of our little Girls. ferved, That their

Diet.

Befides this, 'tis obwomen are also very little and short lived, whereas the Men are of the ordinary Stature of other Men, and live to a proportionable Age. These Defects in the Female Sex in that Country, are by some, imputed to the unreasonable binding of their Feet, whereby the free Circulation of the Blood is hindred, and the Growth and Health of the whole Body suffers. And how often do we see, that some finall part of the Foot being injured by a Wrench or a Blow, the whole Leg and thigh thereby lose their Strength and Nourishment, and dwindle away? How much greater Inconveniences may we expect, when the Thorax, wherein is placed the Heart and Seat of Life, is unnaturally compressed, and hindred from its due Expansion?

§. 13. As for his Diet, it ought to be very plain and simple. Flesh once a Day, and of one Sort at a Meal, is enough.

Beef,