t66 An BJfay on Longevity. 



active, by which the animal fun&ions are retained in £ ftate 

 of much greater perfection. The only difadvantage attending 

 a fhort ftature is, that it is frequently accompanied with cor- 

 pulence, which is rather unfavourable to long life. 



3. Parentage. — Being born of healthy parents, and ex- 

 empted from hereditary difeafe, are circumstances evidently 

 favourable to longevity. A puny frame, like Cornaro's, may, 

 by the greatelt care and anxiety, be preferved in exiftence; 

 but thole who inherit health and nrength, and are born with 

 robuft conftitutiens, can alone expect not only to live long, 

 but to enjoy the pleafures and comforts of life, whilft they 

 continue to poflefs it. 



4. Natural difpofition. — Longevity alfo feems to depend 

 much upon good temper, mixed at the fame time with a 

 cheerfulnefs of difpofition or good fpirits *. Neither the 

 irafcible, nor thofe who, from defpondency, link under the 

 croftes of life, can expect to live long. Even thofe who fufTer 

 their ftrength and fpirits to be exhaufted by fevere ftudy, or 

 other mental exertions, feldom reach great age. In the long 

 lift of 171a perfons who lived about a century, Fontenelle 

 (who did not quite reach 100 years,) is the only author of 

 any note ; and his great age is afcribed to the tranquil eafe 

 of his temper, and that livelinefs of fpirits for which he was 

 much ditlinguifhed ; for he retained to the laft the youth of 

 old age, as the French happily exprefs it. 



$. Situation in life. — It is commonly obferved, ce that it 

 is not the rich and great, not thofe who depend on medi- 

 cines, who become old, but fueh as ufe much exercife, are 

 expofed to the frefh air, and whofe food is plain and mode- 

 rate f." And it is certain that perfons of that defcription, 

 in general, ftand the belt chance of living long. At the 

 fame time, though inftances of old age in great and noble 

 perfonages are not often to be met with, yet they may be as 

 many, in propoi'tion to the ftn alter number of fuch perfons, a3 

 thofe in the lower but more numerous clafles of fociety. Nor 

 is there any thing inconliftent in power, rank, or wealth, 

 being accompanied with a long period of exiftence, provided 

 other circumftances are favourable to longevity. 



6. Profefjions. — In the next place, it is evident that long 

 life mull depend much on the manner in which the indivi- 

 dual is employed. Unhealthy occupations generally become 

 fatal. Yet Peter Prin, a glafs-blower, is faid to have attained 

 the great age of 101 ; and John Tyler, a miner at Leadhills, 



ITcnce the great age to which many of the French nobility Iived r 

 particularly before the regency of Orleans. 



f Sec Eafton on Human Longevity, Introduction, p. xi,- 



in 



