it fo neceffary, that they rank'd it with Letters; and it was the common Phrafe to mark one ill-educated, and good for nothing, that he had neither learnt to read. nor to swim. Nec literas didicit nec natare. But befides the gaining a Skill which may ferve him at need, the Advantages to Health, by often bathing in cold. Water, during the Heat of Summer, are fo many, that I think nothing need to be faid to encourage it, provided this one Caution be us'd, 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 efpecially Childrens, is, to be much in

Air,

the open Air, and very little as

may be by the Fire, even in Winter. By this he will accuftom himself alfo to Heat and Cold, Shine and Rain; all which, if a Man's Body will not endure, it will ferve him to very little Purpose in this World; and when he is grown up, it is too late to begin to ufe him to it. It muft be got early, and by Degrees. Thus the Body may be brought to bear almost any Thing. If I fhould advise him to play in the Wind and the Sun without a Hat, I doubt whether it could be born. There would. a thoufand Objections be made against it, which at laft would amount to no more in Truth, than being Sun-burnt. And if my

young

young Mafter be to be kept always in the Shade, and never expos'd to the Sun and Wind, for fear of his Complexion, it may be a good Way to make him a Beau, but not a Man of Bufinefs. And altho' greater Regard be to be had to Beauty in the Daughters, yet I will take the Liberty to fay, that the more they are in the Air, without Prejudice to their Faces, the ftronger and healthier they will be; and the nearer they come to the Hardships of their Brothers in their Education, the greater Advantage will they receive from it all the remaining Part of their Lives.

§. 10. Playing in the open Air, has but this one Danger in it, that I know; and that is, that when he is hot with running up and down, he should fit or lie down on the cold or moift Earth. This I grant, and drinking cold Drink, when they are hot with Labour or Exercife, brings more People to the Grave, or to the Brink of it, by Fevers, and other Difeafes, than any Thing I know. Thefe Mischiefs are eafily enough prevented whilft he is little, being then feldom out of Sight. And if, during his Child-hood, he be conftantly and rigoroufly kept from fitting on the Ground, or drinking any cold Liquour, whilft he is hot, the Custom of forbearing grown into Habit, will

help much to preferve him, when Habits.' he is no longer under his Maid's

or Tutor's Eye. This is all I think can be

done

done in the Cafe: For, as Years increafe, Liberty must come with them; and in a great many Things he must be trufted to his. own Conduct, fince they cannot always be a Guard upon him, except what you have put into his own Mind by good Principles, and establish'd Habits, which is the best and fureft, and therefore moft to be taken Care of. For, from repeated Cautions and Rules, never fo often inculcated, you are not to expect any Thing either in this, or any other Cafe, farther than Practice has establish'd them into Habits.

S. 11. One Thing the Mention of the Girls brings into my Mind, which must not be forgot, and that is, that your

Cloths.

Son's Cloths be never made frait, efpecially about the Breaft. Let Nature have Scope to fashion the Body as The thinks beft. She works of her felf a great deal better and exacter, than we can direct her. And if Women were themfelves to frame the Bodies of their Children in their Wombs, as they often endeavour to mend their Shapes when they are out, we fhould as certainly have no perfect Children born, as we have few well-thap'd that are ftrait-lac'd, or much tamper'd with. This Confideration fhould methinks keep bufy People (I will not fay ignorant Nurfes and Bodice-makers) from medling in a Matter they understand not ; and they fhould be afraid to put Nature out of her Way in fashioning the Parts, when

they

they know not how the leaft and meaneft is. made. And yet I have feen fo many Inftances of Children receiving great Harm from frait-lacing, that I cannot but conclude there are other Creatures, as well as Monkeys, who little wifer than they, destroy their young Ones by fenfelefs Fondness, and too much embracing.

S. 12. Narrow Breafts, fhort and ftinking Breath, ill Lungs, and Crookedness, are the natural and almoft conftant Effects of bard Bodice, and Cloths that pinch. That way of making flender Waftes and fine Shapes, ferves but the more effectually to spoil them. Nor can there indeed but be Difproportion in the Parts, when the Nourishment prepar'd in the feveral Offices of the Body, cannot be diftributed as Nature defigns. And therefore, what Wonder is it, if it being laid where it can, on fome p not fo brac'd,

it often makes a Shoulder 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 faw lately a Pair of China Shoes, which I was told were for a grown Woman: They were fo exceedingly difproportion'd to the Feet of one of the fame Age amongst us, that they would fcarce have been big enough for one of our little Girls. Befides this, 'tis obferv'd, that their Women are alfo very

little,

little, and fhort-liv'd; 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 fome imputed to the unreafonable binding of their Feet, whereby the free Circulation of the Blood is hinder'd, and the Growth and Health of the whole Body fuffers. And how often do we fee, that fome small Part of the Foot being injur'd by a Wrench or a Blow, the whole Leg or Thigh thereby lofe their Strength and Nourishment, and dwindle away? How much greater Inconveniencies may we expect, when the Thorax, wherein is plac'd the Heart and Seat of Life, is unnaturally comprefs'd, and hinder'd from its due Expanfion?

§. 13. As for his Diet, it ought Diet to be very plain and fimple; and if I might advise, Flefh fhould be forborn as long as he is in Coats, or at least 'till he is two or three Years old. But whatever Advantage this may be to his prefent and future Health and Strength, I fear it will hardly be confented to by Parents, miflead by the Cuftom of eating too much Flesh themselves, who will be apt to think their Children, as they do themselves, in Danger to be ftarv'd, if they have not Flesh at least twice a Day. This I am fure, Children would breed their Teeth with much lefs Danger, be freer from Diseases whilft they were little, and lay the Foundations

of