3 82 DISEASES Class IV. i. 2. 15. 



the bottle circulated without limit. This mode of living, 

 though by no means confidered as excefs for men, was certainly 

 too great for a youth of my age. This ftyle of living I contin- 

 ued, when with the regiment, till the latter end of the year 

 1769, when I had the misfortune to fleep in a damp bed at 

 Sheffield on a journey to York, but arrived there before I felt 

 the ill effects of it. I was then feized with a violent inflamma- 

 tory rheumatifm with great inflammation of my eyes, and was 

 attended by Dr. Dealtry ; fo violent was the diforder, that I was 

 bled for it eight times in lefs than a fortnight ; and was three 

 months, before I could confider my health perfectly reeftablifh- 

 ed. Dr. Dealtry told me, that I mould be fubject to fnnilar at- 

 tacks for many years ; and that he had no doubt, from the ten- 

 dency he found in my habit to inflammation, that, when I was 

 farther advanced in life, I mould change that complaint for the 

 gout. He predicted truly ; for the three fucceeding winters I 

 had the fame complaint, but not fo violently \ the fourth winter 

 I efcaped, and imputed my efcape to the continuance of cold 

 bathing during the whole of that winter ; after that I never 

 efcaped it, till I had a regular and fevere fit of the gout : after 

 the firft attack of rheumatic fever I was more abftemious in my 

 manner of living, though when in company I never fubjected 

 myfelf to any great reftraint. In the year 1774 I had quitted 

 the army, and being in a more retired fituation, was feldom led 

 into any excefs •, in 1776 and 1777 I was in the habit of drink- 

 ing a good deal of wine very frequently, though not conftantly. 

 After that period till the year 1781, 1 drank a larger quantity of 

 wine regularly, but very feldom to any degree of intoxication. 

 I lived much at that time in the fociety of fome gentlemen, who 

 ufually drank nearly a bottle of wine daily after dinner. I mud 

 here however obferve, that at no part of my life was I accuftom- 

 ed to drink wine in an evening, and very feldom drank any 

 thing more than a [ingle half-pint glafs of fome fort of fpirits 

 diluted with much water. Till the year 1781 I had always 

 been accuftomed to ufe very violent and continued exercife on 

 horfe-baek \ m the winter months I purfued all field diverfions, 

 and in the fummer months I rode frequent and long journeys •, 

 and with this exercife was liable to perfpire to great excefs ; be- 

 fides which I was fubject. to very profufe night-fweats, and had 

 frequently boils break out ail over me, efpecially in the fpring 

 and autumn ; for which I took no medicine, except a little of 

 the flowers cf fulphur with cream of tartar in honey. 



" You will obferve I bring every thing down to the date of 

 1781. In the month of October in that year, when I was juft 

 entered into the thirty-feeond year of my age, I had the firft at- 

 tack 



