him, it will make him often avoid, and very feldom propofe Midnight-Revels. But if it fhould not reach fo far, but Fashion and Company fhould prevail, and make him live as others do above twenty, 'tis 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 Sleep, even as much as they will take, fhould be made to Children when they are little, yet I do not mean, that it fhould always be continu'd to them in fo large a Proportion, and they fuffer'd to indulge a drowzy Lazinefs in their Beds, as they grow up bigger. But whether they fhould begin to be reftrain'd at Seven, or Ten Years old, or any other Time, is impoffible to be precifely determin'd. Their Tempers, Strength, and Conftitutions, muft be confider'd. But fome Time between Seven and Fourteen, if they are too great Lovers of their Beds, I think it may be feafonable to begin to reduce them by Degrees to about eight Hours, which is generally Reft enough for healthy grown People. If you have accuftom'd him, as you fhould do, to rife conftantly very early in the Morning, this Fault of being too long in Bed, will eafily be reform'd, and moft Children will be forward enough to fhorten that Time themfelves, by coveting to fit up with the Company at Night, tho'

if they be not look'd after, they will be apt to take it out in the Morning, which fhould by no Means be permitted. They fhould conftantly be call'd up, and made to rife at their early Hour; but great Care fhould be taken in waking them, that it be not done haftily, nor with a loud or fhrill Voice, or any other fudden violent Noife. This often affrights Children, and does them great Harm; and found Sleep thus broke off, with fudden Alarms, is apt enough to difcompofe any one. When Children are to be waken'd out of their Sleep, 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 themselves, and being quite drefs'd, you are fure they are throughly awake. The being forc'd from their Sleep, how gently foever you do it, is Pain enough to them; and Care fhould be taken not to add any other Uneafinefs to it, efpecially fuch that may terrify them.

Bed.

. 22. Let his Bed be hard, and rather Quilts,than Feathers. Hard Lodging ftrengthens the Parts; whereas being bury'd every Night in Feathers, melts and diffolves the body, is of -ten the Caufe of Weakness, and the Forerunner of an early Grave. And, befides the Stone, which has often its Rife from this warm Wrapping of the Reins, feveral other Indifpofitions, and that which is the

Root

Root of them all, a tender weakly Conftitution, is very much owing to Down-Beds. Befides, he that is us'd to hard Lodging at Home, will not mifs his Sleep (where he has most need of it) in his Travels Abroad, for Want of his foft Bed, and his Pillows lay'd 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 muft be fure to meet with, who is not defign'd 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 Sleep. He that miffes that, will fuffer by it; and he is very unfortunate, who can take his Cordial only in his Mother's fine gilt Cup, and not in a wooden Difh. He that can fleep foundly, takes the Cordial, and it matters not, whether it be on a foft Bed, or the hard Boards. 'Tis Sleep only that is the Thing neceffary.

Cotive

nefs.

§. 23. One Thing more there is, which has a great Influence upon the Health, and that is, going to Stool regularly; People that are very loofe, have feldon ftrong Thoughts, or strong Bodies. But the Cure of this, both by Dyet 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

B S

foon enough, and fometimes too foon, makea Phyfician be fent for; and if it be moderate or fhort, it is commonly beft to leave it to Nature. On the other Side, Cofliveness 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.

5. 24. It 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 Course, and proceeded by rational Steps.

1. Then I confider'd, that Going to Stool, was the Effect of certain Motions of the Body; efpecially of the peristaltick Motion of the Guts.

2. I confider'd, that feveral Motions that were not perfectly voluntary, might yet, by Ufe and conftant Application, be brought to be habitual, if, by an unintermitted Cuftom, they were at certain Seafons endeavour'd to be constantly produc'd.

3. I had obferv'd fome Men, who, by taking after Supper a Pipe of Tobacco, never fail'd of a Stool, and began to doubt with iny felf, whether it were not more Cuftoin, than the Tobacco, that gave them the Benefit of Nature; or at leaft, if the Tobacco did it, it was rather by exciting a vigorous Motion in the Guts, than by any purging.

Quality; for then it would have had other Effects.

Having thus once got the Opinion, that it was pofiible to make it habitual, the next Thing was to confider, what Way and Means was the likelieft to obtain it.

4. Then I guefs'd, that if a Man, after his firft eating in the Morning, would prefently follicite Nature, and try, whether he could ftrain himfelf fo as to obtain a Stool, he night in Time, by a conftant Application, bring it to be habitual.

. 25. The Reafons that made me chuse this Time, were,

1. Because the Stomach being then empty, if it receiv'd any Thing grateful to it, (for I would never, but in Cafe of Neceflity, have any one eat, but what he likes, and when he has an Appetite) it was apt to embrace it close by a ftrong Conftriction of its Fibres; which Conftriction, I fuppos'd, might probably be continu'd on in the Guts, and fo increafe their peristaltick Motion, as we fee in the Ileus, that an inverted Motion, being begun any where below, continues it felf all the whole Length, and makes even the Stomach obey that irregular Motion.

2. Becaufe when Men eat, they ufually relax their Thoughts, and the Spirits then, free from other Employments, are more vigorously diftributed into the lower Belly, which thereby contrbute to the fame Effect.