the first which he wrote at the age of eighty-three, is entitled, A Treatife on a Sober Life, in which he declares war against every kind of intemperance; and his vigorous old age speaks in favour of his precepts. The fecond treatise he composed at the age of eighty-fix: it contains farther encomiums on fobriety, and points out the means of mending a bad conftitution. He fays that he came into the world with a choleric difpofition, but that his temperate way of life had enabled him to fubdue it. The third, which he wrote at the age of ninety-one, is entitled, An Earnest Exhortation to a Sober Life; here he uses the strongest arguments to perfuade mankind to embrace a temperate life as the means of attaining a healthy and vigorous old age. The fourth and laft, is a letter to Barbaro, patriarch of Aquileia, written at the age of ninety-five; it contains a lively description of the health, vigour, and perfect use of all his faculties, which he had the happiness of enjoying at that advanced period of life.

This useful work was tranflated fome years ago into Englifh, under the title of Sure and certain methods of attaining a long and healthy life. The tranflator feems rather to have made ufe of a French verfion than of the Italian original; he has likewife omitted feveral paffages of the Italian; and the whole is rather a paraphrafe than a tranflation. This has induced us to give the public an exact and faithful verfion of that excellent performance, from the Venice edition in 8vo. in the year 1620 ;* and as a proof of the merit and authenticity of the work, we beg leave to quote Mr. Addison's recommendation of it, Spectator, vol. iii. No. 195.

* The first edition was published by the author at Padua, in 4to. A. D. 1558.

<< The

"The most remarkable instance of the efficacy of tems perance, towards the procuring long life, is what we "meet with in a little book published by Lewis Cornaro "the Venetian; which I rather mention, because it is of ❝ undoubted credit, as the late Venetian ambaffador, who

of the fame family, attefted more than once in con❝versation, when he refided in England. Cornaro, whơ "was the author of the little treatife I am mentioning, "was of an infirm conftitution, till about forty, when, by "obftinately perfifting in an exact courfe of temperance, "he recovered a perfect state of health; infomuch, that at "fourscore he published his book, which has been trans "lated into English under the title of, Sure and certain mes "thods of attaining a long and healthy life. He lived to give

a third or fourth edition of it, and after having paffed "his hundredth year, died without pain or agony, and like "one who falls afleep. The treatise I mention has been "taken notice of by several eminent authors, and is writ"ten with fuch a fpirit of cheerfulness, religion and good «fenfe, as are the natural concomitants of temperance "and fobriety. The mixture of the old man in it, is ra"ther a recommendation than a difcredit to it."

The following remarkable paffage, we quote from this fingular man's Treatise on a sober life, written at the age of eighty-three years.-Speaking of death he fays, " Befides, though I am fenfible that I muft, like others, reach that term, it is yet at fo great a distance that I cannot difcern it, because I know I fhall not die except by mere diffolution, having already, by my regular courfe of life, fhut up alf the other avenues of death, and thereby prevented the humours of my body from making any other war upon me than that which I muft expect from the elements employed in the compofition of this mortal frame. am not so fimple as not to know, that, as I was born, fo I muft die. But

that

that is a defirable death which nature brings on us by way of diffolution. For nature, having herself formed the union between our body and foul, knows beft in what manner it may be most easily diffolved, and grants us a longer day to do it than we could expect from fickness, which is violent. This is the death, which, without speaking like a poet, I may call not death but life. Nor can it be otherwife. Such a death does not overtake one till after a very long course of years, and in confequence of an extreme weaknefs; it being only by flow degrees that men grow too feeble to walk, and unable to reafon, becoming blind, and deaf, decrepid, and full of every other kind of infirmity. Now I, by God's bleffing, may be quite fure that I am at a very great diftance from fuch a period. Nay, I have -reason to think, that my soul, having so agreeable a dwelling in my body, as not to meet with any thing in it but peace, love, and harmony, not only between its humours, but between my reason and the fenfes, is exceedingly content and well pleased with her present fituation: and of course, that a great length of time and many years must be requifite to diflodge her. Whence it must be concluded for certain, that I have ftill a series of years to live in health and fpirits, and enjoy this beautiful world, which is indeed beautiful to those who know how to make it so, as I have done, and likewife expect to be able to do, with God's affiftance, in the next; and all by the means of virtue, and that divine regularity of life, which I have adopted, concluding an alliance with my reason, and declaring war against my sensual appetites; a thing which every man may do who defires to live as he ought.

Now, if this fober life be fo happy; if its name be fo defirable and delightful; if the poffeffion of the bleffings -which attend it be fo ftable and permanet, all I have ftill left to do is to befeech (fince I cannot compafs my defires VOL. VI. No. 61. 15 S

by

In the reign of James I. (about this period) a morrisa dance was exhibited in Herefordshire, confifting of twelve perfons, whofe age each, on an average, amounted to one hundred years.

Thomas Parr, died A. D. 1635, aged 152 years. For the Curious Hiftory of this wonderful old man, with a Portrait, fee Vol. 1 page 79.

Thomas Damme, died A. D. 1648, aged 154 years. He was a native of Leighton, near Minfhul, in the palatinate of Chester, as may be seen by his grave-stone, on which his age is cut (to prevent mistakes) in words at length. The church register is figned by the Rev. T. Holdford, vicar and T. Kennerly and J. Warburton, church-wardens.

Mr. Haflings, died A. D. 1650, aged 100 years. He was fon, brother, and uncle to the earl of Huntingdon, and was an original character. In the year 1638, he refided at Woodlands in the county of Dorfet. The manfion-house ftood in the middle of the park furrounded with deer, fishponds, and plenty of hares and rabbits. Mr. H. kept all forts of hounds for buck, fox, otter, hare, and badger; long and short winged hawks. The great hall was filled with all kinds of dogs and cats in great plenty; game-keepers' and hunters' poles; with a vast number of hawks, perchers, terriers, hounds, fpaniels, and marrow-bones. The walls of the house were covered with the skins of foxes and polecats. The great parlour windows were filled with cross-bows, ftone-bows, and arrows. His old green hats were full of pheasants' eggs, and litters of young cats. Tables, dice, cards, and books were not wanting. The pulpit in the chapel was well stored with gammons of bacon, roaft beef, venison-pafties, and large apple-pies. His eel

Jar,

lar, in which was plenty of excellent ftrong beer, was al ways open to his neighbours. He dived into the fecrets of a great majority of the maids, wives, and widows in his neighbourhood. His pulpit door was always open, which made him much careffed. He was very temperate at meals, when he only drank one pint of small beer ftirred with rosemary, and one or two glaffes of wine with fyrup of gilliflowers. His dress was always green cloth, with a green hat. He eat oysters twice a day throughout the year; and rode to the death of a ftag when near ninety years of age.

Dr. William Mead, died A. D. 1652, aged 148 years. This gentleman was buried in the church yard of Ware in Hertfordshire, where there is the following infcription on à tomb ftone: In memory of William Mead, M. D. who departed this life the 28th of October, 1652. Aged 148 years and and 9 months.

Frances Woodworth, died A. D. 1662, aged 102 years. She was of Carlton, in Craven. She left a fon aged fixtynine years.

Mary Allifon, died A. D. 1668, aged 108 years. She was of Thorlby, in the parish of Skipton. She was able to fpin two years before her death.

John Sagar, of Burnley, Lancashire, died A. D. 1668, aged 112 years.

Henry Jenkins, died A. D. 1670, aged 169 years.-For the Extraordinary Life of this wonderful man, we refer our readers to page 1715, Vol. 4 of this Work, where there is a Portrait of this venerable character.

Thomas