The Art of Invigorating and Prolonging Life Part 2

|_______________________|--Orations published.

35 |_______________________|--Exertions in State and Parliament.

|_______________________|--Civil Knowledge mature.

|_______________________|--Eloquence perfect.

|_______________________|--National Rights defended.

|_______________________|--The Learned protected.

40 |_______________________|--The Virtuous a.s.sisted.

|_______________________|--Compositions published.

|_______________________|--Science improved.

|_______________________|--Parliamentary Affairs.

|_______________________|--Laws enacted, and supported.

45 |_______________________|--Fine Arts patronized.

|_______________________|--Government of his Family.

|_______________________|--Education of his Children.

|_______________________|--Vigilance as a Magistrate.

|_______________________|--Firmness as a Patriot.

50 |_______________________|--Virtue as a Citizen.

|_______________________|--Historical Works.

|_______________________|--Oratorical Works.

|_______________________|--Philosophical Works.

|_______________________|--Political Works.

55 |_______________________|--Mathematical Works.

|_______________________| } |_______________________| } |_______________________| }Continuation of former Pursuits.

|_______________________| } 60 |_______________________| } |_______________________|--Fruits of his Labour enjoyed.

|_______________________|--A glorious Retirement.

|_______________________|--An amiable Family.

|_______________________|--Universal Respect.

65 |_______________________|--Consciousness of a Virtuous Life.

|_______________________| } |_______________________| } |_______________________| }_Perfection of Earthly Happiness_.

|_______________________| } 70 |_______________________|--Preparation for ETERNITY.

_The most common cause of Dyspeptic Disorders_, which are so prevalent at the commencement of the Third Period of Life--is an increasing indolence, inducing us to diminish the degree of the active Exercise we have been in the habit of taking--without in a corresponding degree diminis.h.i.+ng the quant.i.ty of our Food--on the contrary, people seem to expect the Stomach to grow stronger and to work harder as it gets Older, and to almost entirely support the Circulation without the help of Exercise.--

As the activity of our existence--and the accommodating powers of the Stomach, &c. diminish--in like degree--must we lessen the quant.i.ty--and be careful of the quality of our Food, eat oftener and less at a time--or Indigestion--and the mult.i.tude of Disorders of which it is the fruitful parent, will soon destroy us.

The System of CORNARO has been oftener quoted, than understood--most people imagine, it was one of rigid Abstinence and comfortless Self-denial--but this was not the case:--his Code of Longevity consisted in steadily obeying the suggestions of Instinct--and Economizing his Vitality, and living under his income of Health,--carefully regulating his temper--and cultivating cheerful habits.

THE FOLLOWING IS A COMPENDIUM OF HIS PLAN--_in his own words_.

He tells us that _when Fourscore_

"I am used to take in all twelve ounces of solid nourishment, such as Meat, and the yolk of an Egg, &c. and fourteen ounces of drink:--I eat Bread, Soup, New-laid Eggs, Veal, Kid, Mutton, Partridge, Pullets, Pigeons, &c. and some Sea and River Fish.

"I made choice of such Wines and Meats as agreed with my Const.i.tution, and declined all other diet--and proportioned the quant.i.ty thereof to the strength of my Stomach, and abridged my Food--as my years increased.

"Every one is the best judge of the food which is most agreeable to his own Stomach,--it is next to impossible, to judge what is best for another;--the Const.i.tutions of men are as different from each other as their complexions."--p. 36.

"1st. Take care of the quality.

"2dly. Of the quant.i.ty--so as to eat and drink nothing that offends the Stomach, nor any more than you can easily digest: your experience ought to be your guide in these two principles when you arrive at _Forty_: by that time you ought to know that you are in the midst of your life; thanks to the goodness of your Const.i.tution which has carried you so far: but that when you are arrived to this period, you go down the hill apace--and it is necessary for you to change your course of life, especially with regard to the quant.i.ty and quality of your diet--because it is on that, the health and length of our days do radically depend.

Lastly; if the former part of our lives has been altogether sensual--the latter ought to be rational and regular; order being necessary for the preservation of all things, especially the life of man.--Longevity cannot be attained without continence and sobriety[18]."

"At _thirty_ Man suspects himself a Fool, Knows it at _forty_, and reforms his plan."

By the small quant.i.ty of Food, and great proportion of his Meat to his Drink, this n.o.ble Venetian, at the age of _forty_, freed himself, by the advice of his Physicians, from several grievous disorders contracted by intemperance, and lived in health of body, and great cheerfulness of mind, to above an hundred.--Briefly, the secret of his Longevity seems to have been, a gradually increasing Temperance "in omnibus"--and probably, after a certain time of Life, abstinence from the "opus magnum."

The source of physical and moral Health, Happiness, and Longevity,--

"Reason's whole pleasure, all the Joys of Sense Lie in three words, Health, peace, and competence.

But Health consists in temperance alone; And Peace, oh Virtue! Peace is all thy own."

POPE.

_Intensive Life_, can only be purchased at the price of _Extensive_.

If you force the Heart to gallop as fast during the second, as it does during the first stage of life--and make the steady fire of 42, to blaze as brightly as the flame of 21,--it will very soon be burnt out.

Those who cannot be content to submit to that diminution of action ordained by nature, against which there is no appeal,--as it is the absolute covenant, by the most attentive and implicit observance of which we can only hope to hold our lease of life comfortably,--will soon bring to the diminished energy of the Second Stage of Life--the Paralysis of the Third.

From 40 to 60, a witty French author tells us, is "_La belle saison[19]

pour la Gourmandise_;"--for the artificial pleasures of the Palate, it may be, and the _Bon Vivant_ cultivates them as the means of prolonging the vigour of Youth--and procrastinating the approach of Age.

Restoration may certainly be considerably facilitated, by preparing and dressing food so as to render it easily soluble--if the secret of Rejuvenization be ever discovered; it will be found in the Kitchen.

Very soon after we pa.s.s the _Meridian of Life_, (which, according to those who train men for athletic exercises, and to Dr. Jameson,[20] is our 28th, and to Dr. Cheyne, about our 35th year,) the elasticity of the Animal System imperceptibly diminishes,--our Senses become less susceptible, and are every hour getting the worse for wear, however Self-Love, a.s.sisted by your Hair-dresser, and Tailor, &c. may endeavour to persuade you to the contrary.

Digestion and Sleep are less perfect--the restorative process more and more fails to keep pace with the consuming process--the body is insufficiently repaired, more easily deranged, and with more difficulty brought into adjustment again; till at length the vital power being diminished, and the organs deteriorated,--Nourishment can neither be received, or prepared and diffused through the const.i.tution--and Consumption so much exceeds Renovation, that decay rapidly closes the scene of Life.

One may form some Idea of _the Self-consumption of the human body_, by reflecting that the pulsation of the Heart, and the motion of the Blood connected with it, takes place 100,000 times every day; _i. e._ on an average

the pulse[21] beats 70 times in a minute, multiplied by 60 minutes in an hour, ---- 4200 24 hours in a day, ----- 16800 8400 ------ 100800 pulsations in a day.

What Machine, of the most adamantine material, will not soon be the worse for wear, from such incessant vibration--especially if the Mainsprings of it are not preserved in a state of due regulation?

The generative faculties, which are the last that Nature finishes--are the first that fail.--Economy in the exercise of them--especially before and after the second period of Life--is the grand precept for the restoration and acc.u.mulation of Strength, the preservation of Health, and the prolongation of Life;--we are vigorous, in proportion to the perfection of the performance of the Restorative process, _i. e._ as we Eat hearty, and Sleep soundly--as our Body loses the power of renovating itself, in like ratio, fails its faculty of creating--what may be a salutary subduction of the superfluous health of the Second--during the Third period of life, will be a destructive sacrifice of the strength of both the Mind and the Body.--See also the 9th chapter of the _First_ Edition of WILLICH _on Diet_. 8vo. 1799.

The next organical defect, (we perceive too plainly for our self-love to mistake it,) is manifested by THE EYE[22]. To read a small print--you must remove it from the Eye further than you have been accustomed to do--and place it in a better light.

The FALSETTO Voice now begins to fail, and THE EAR loses some of its quickness--several extraordinary Musicians have been able till then, if a handful of the keys of a Harpsichord were put down so as to produce the most irrelative combinations--to name each half note without a mistake.--When I mentioned this to that excellent Organ Player, Mr.

Charles Wesley, he said, "At the age of twenty, I could do it myself--but I can't now." He was then in his 55th year.

About the same time, the Palate is no longer contented with being employed as a mere shovel to the Stomach,--and as it finds its master becomes every day more difficult to please--learns to be a more watchful Purveyor.

After 40,--the strongest People begin to talk about being _Bilious_, or _Nervous_, &c. &c. and the Stomach will no longer do its duty properly--unless the Food offered to it is perfectly agreeable to it--when offended, _Indigestion_ brings with it, all that melancholy depression of the Animal Spirits, which disables a Man from either thinking with precision, or acting with vigour--during the distressing suspension of the restorative process--arise all those miseries of Mind and Body, which drive Fools to get drunk, and make Madmen commit suicide:--without due attention to Diet, &c. the Third period of Life is little better than a Chronic Disease.

As our a.s.similating powers become enfeebled, we must endeavour to entertain them with food so prepared, as to give them the least trouble, and the most nourishment[23].

In the proportion that our Food is restorative, and properly digested--our bodies are preserved in Health and Strength--and all our faculties continue vigorous and perfect.

If it is unwholesome, ill-prepared, and indigestible--the Body languishes, and is exhausted even in its youth--its strength and faculties daily decrease, and it sinks beneath the weight of the painful sensations attendant on a state of Decay.