Give me Leave therefore to advise you, not to fence too carefully againft the Cold of this our Climate. There are thofe in England, who wear the fame Cloths Winter and Summer, and that without any Inconvenience, or more Senfe of Cold than others find. But if the Mother will needs have an Allowance for Froft and Snow, for fear of Harm, and the Father for fear of Cenfure, be fure let not his Winter-Clothing be too warm: And amongst other Things,remember, that when Nature has fo well cover'd his Head with Hair, and ftrengthen'd it with a Year or two's Age, that he can run about by Day without a Cap, it is beft that by Night a Child fhould alfo lie without one, there being nothing that more expofes to Headach, Colds, Catarrhs, Coughs, and several other Difeafes, than keeping the Head warm.

§. 6. I have faid He here, because the principal Aim of my Difcourfe, is, how a young Gentleman fhould be brought up from his Infancy, which, in all Things, will not fo perfectly fuit the Education of Daughters; though where the Difference of Sex requires different Treatment, 'twill be no hard Matto diftinguish.

§. 7. I would also advife his

Feet to be waf'd every Day in cold Feet.
Water, and to have his Shoes fo

thin, that they might leak and let in Water, whenever he comes near it. Here, I fear, I fhall have the Miftrefs and Maids too a

A 6

gainft

gainst ine. One will think it too filthy, and the other perhaps too much Pains to make clean his Stockings. But yet Truth will have it, that his Health is much more worth,. than all fuch Confiderations, and ten times as much more. And he that confiders how mifchievous and mortal a Thing taking Wet in the Feet is, to those who have been bred nicely, will wish he had, with the poor Peoples Children, gone bare-foot, who, by that Means, come to be fo reconcil'd by Cuftom to Wet in their Feet, that they take no anore 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 Cutom? I doubt not, but if a Man from his Cradle had been always us'd to go barefoot, whilft his Hands were conftantly wrapt up in warm Mittins, and cover'd with Handhoes, 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 prevent this, is, to have his Shoes made fo as to leak Water, and his Feet wafh'd conftantly every Day in cold Water It is recommendable for its Cleanliness; but that which I aim at in it, is Health; and therefore I limit it not precifely to any Time of the Day. I have known it us'd every Night with very good Succefs, and that all the Winter, without

the

the omitting it fo much as one Night in extream cold Weather; when thick Ice cover'd the Water, the Child bath'd his Legs and Feet in it, though he was of an Age not big enough to rub and wipe them himfelf, and when he began, this Cuftom, was puling and very tender. But the great End being to harden thofe Parts by a frequent and familiar Ufe of cold Water, and thereby to prevent the Mischiefs that ufually attend accidental taking Wet in the Feet in those who are bred otherwife, I think it may be left to the Prudence and Convenience of the Parents, to chufe either Night or Morning. The Time I deem indifferent, fo the Thing be effectually done. The Health and Hardiness procur'd by it, would be a good Purchase at a much dearer Rate. To. which, if I add the preventing of Corns, that to fome Men would be a very valuable Confideration. But begin firft in the Spring with luke-warm, and fo colder and colder every Time, 'till in a few Days, you come to perfectly cold Water, and then continue it fo Winter and Summer. For it is to be

obferv'd in this, as in all other Alterations froin our ordinary Way of Living, the Changes muft be

Alterati-..

ons

made by gentle and infenfible Degrees; and fo we may bring our Bodies to any Thing, without Pain, and without Danger.

How fond Mothers are like to receive this Doctrine, is not hard to forefee. What can

it be lefs, than to murder their tender Babes, to use them thus? What! put their Feet in cold Water in Froft and Snow, when all one can do, is little enough to keep them warm? A little to remove their Fears by Examples, without which the plaineft Reafon is feldom hearken'd to. Seneca tells us of himself, Ep. 53 and 83. that he us'd to bathe himself in cold Spring Water in the midft of Winter. This, if he had not thought it not only tolerable, but healthy too, he would fcarce have done, in an exuberant Fortune, that could well have born the Expence of a warm Bath, and in an Age (for he was then old) that would have excus'd greater Indulgence. If we think his ftoical Principles led him to this Severity, let it be fo, that this Sect reconcil'd cold Water to his Sufferance. What made it agreeable to his Health? For that was not impair'd by this hard Ufage. But what shall we fay to Horace, who warm'd not hiinfelf with the Reputation of any Sect, and leaft of all affected ftoical Aufterities? Yet he af fures us, he was wont in the Winter-Season to bathe himself in cold Water. But perhaps Italy will be thought much warmer than England, and the Chillness of their Waters not to come near ours in Winter. If the Rivers of Italy are warmer, thofe of Germany and Poland are much colder, than

any

in this our Country, and yet in thefe, the Jews, both Men and Women, bathe all

over, at all Seafons of the Year, without any Prejudice to their Health. And every one is not apt to believe it is Miracle, or any peculiar Virtue of St. Winifred's Well, that makes the cold Waters of that famous Spring do no Harm to the tender Bodies that bathe in it. Every one is now full of the Miracles done by cold Baths on decay'd and weak Conftitutions, for the Recovery of Health and Strength, and therefore they cannot be impracticable or intollerable for the improving and hardening the Bodies of thofe who are in better Circumftances.

If these Examples of grown Men, be not thought yet to reach the Cafe of Children, but that they may be judg'd ftill to be too tender, and unable to bear fuch Ufage, let them examine what the Germans of old, and the Irish now do to them, and they will find, that Infants too,as tender as they are thought, may, without any Danger, endure Bathing, not only of their Feet, but of their whole Bodies, in cold Water. And there are at this Day, Ladies in the High-lands of Scotland, who use this Difcipline to their Chil dren in the midst of Winter, and find, that cold Water does them no Harm, even when there is Ice in it.

§. 8. I fhall not need here to

mention Swimming, when he is of Swimming. an Age able to learn, and has a

ny one to teach him. 'Tis that faves many a Man's Life; and the Romans thought