Time to warm the Beer Blood-bot, which then he may drink fafely. If he be very dry, it will go down fo warm'd, and quench his Thirft better; and if he will not drink it fo warm'd, abftaining will not hurt him. Befides, this will teach him to forbear, which is an Habit of greatelt Ufe for Health of Body and Mind too.

§. 18. 2, Not being permitted to drink without eating, will prevent the Custom of having the Cup often at his Nofe; a dangerous Beginning, and Preparation to GoodFellowship. Men often bring habitual Hunger and Thirft on themselves by Cuftom. And if you pleafe to try, you may, thought he be wean'd from it, bring him by Ufe to fuch a Neceffity again of Drinking in the Night, that he will not be able to fleep without it. It being the Lullaby us'd by Nurfes, to ftill 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, Cuftom prevails as much by Day as by Night; and you may, if you pleafe, bring any one to be thirfty every Hour.

I once liv'd in a Houfe, where, to appease a froward Child, they gave him Drink as often as he cry'd; fo that he was conftantly bibbing. And tho' he could not fpeak, yet he drank more in twenty four Hours, than I did. Try it when you pleafe, you may with fmall, as well as with ftrong Beer,

drink your felf into a Drought. The great Thing to be minded in Education, is, what Habits you fettle; Habits. and therefore in this, as all other

Things, do not begin to make any Thing cufomary, the Practice whereof you would not have continue, and increafe. It is convenient, for Health and Sobriety, to drink, no more than natural Thirft requires; and he that eats not falt Meats, nor drinks frong Drink, will feldom thirst between Meals, unless he has been accuftom'd to fuch unfeafonable Drinking.

Drink.

Strong

K. 19. Above all, take great Care that he feldom, if ever, tafte any Wine or frong Drink. There is nothing fo ordinarily given Children in England, and nothing fo deftructive to them They ought never to drink any trong Liquor, but when they need it as a Cordial, and the Doctor prefcribes it. And in this Cafe it is, that Servants are moft narrowly to be watch'd, and most severely to be reprehended, when they tranfgrefs. Thofe mean Sort of People, placing a great Part of their Happiness in trong Drink, are always forward to make court to my young Mafter, by offering him that which they love beft themselves: And finding themselves made merry by it, they foolishly think 'twill do the Child no Harm. This you are carefully to have your Eye upon, and restrain with all the Skill and Industry you can, B 2 there

there being nothing that lays a furer Foundation of Mischief, both to Body and Mind, than Childrens being us'd to frong Drink, especially to drink in private with the Ser

vants.

§. 20. Fruit makes one of the Fruit. moft difficult Chapters in the Government of Health, especially that of Children. Our firft Parents ventur'd Paradife for it; and 'tis no Wonder our Children cannot ftand the Temptation, tho' 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 unwholfome for them: By which strict Way, they make them but the more ravenous after it, and to eat good or bad, ripe or unripe, all that they can get, whenever they come at it. Melons, Peaches, moft Sorts of Plumbs, and all Sort of Grapes in England, I think Children fhould be wholly kept from, as having a very tempting Tafte, in a very unwholfome Juice; fo that, if it were poffible, they fhould never fo much as fee them, or know there were any fuch Thing. But Straw-berries, Cherries, Guofe-berries, or Currans, when through ripe, I think may be pretty fafely allow'd them, and that with a very liberal Hand, if they be eaten with thefe Cautions: 1. Not after Meals, as we ufually do, when the Stomach is already

full

full of other Food: But I think they should be eaten rather before or between Meals, and Children fhould have them for their Breakfafts. 2. Bread eaten with them. 3. Perfectly ripe. If they are thus eaten, I imagine them rather conducing, than hurtful to our Health. Summer Fruits, being fuited to the hot Seafon of the Year they come in, refresh our Stomachs, languifhing and fainting under it; and therefore I should not be altogether fo ftrict in this Point, as fome are to their Children, who being kept · fo very fhort, instead of a moderate Quantity of well-chofen Fruit, which being allow'd them, would content them, whenever they can get loofe, or bribe a Servant to fupply them, fatisfy their Longing with any Trash they can get, and eat to a Surfeit.

Apples and Pears too, which are through ripe, and have been gather'd fome Time, I think may be fafely eaten at any Time, and in pretty large Quantities; efpecially Apples, which never did any Body Hurt, that I have heard, after October.

Fruits alfo dry'd without Sugar, I think very wholefome. But Sweet-meats of all Kinds are to be avoided; which, whether they do more Harm to the Maker or Eater, is not eafy to tell. This I am fure, it is one of the moft inconvenient Ways of Expence, that Vanity hath yet found out; and fo I leave them to the Ladies.

Sleep.

§. 21. Of all that looks foft and effeminate, nothing is more to be indulgd Children, than Sleep. In this alone they are to be permitted to have their full Satisfaction; nothing contributing more to the Growth and Health of Children, than Sleep. 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 refolv'd, by only faying, that it is of great Ufe to accuftom 'em to rife early in the Morning. It is beft fo to do, for Health; and he that, from his Childhood, has, by a fettl'd Custom, made rifing betimes eafy and familiar to him, will not, when he is a Man, wafte the best and moft witful Part of his Life in Drowzinels, and lying a Bed. If Children therefore are to be called up early in the Morning, it wilk follow of Course, that they must go to Bed betimes; whereby they will be accuftom'd to avoid the unhealthy and unsafe Hours of Debauchery, which are thofe of the Evenings, and they who keep good Hours,feldour are guilty of any great Disorders. I do not fay this, as if your Son, 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 thofe Inconveniences, as much as you can; and it will be no fmall Advantage, that contrary Practice having made fitting up uneafy to