K BENEFITOF 



But it was experience, that fovereign miftrefs 

 without which a phyfician ought to be afliamed 

 to open his lips j it was experience, i fay, that 

 confccrated to immortality fo many of the an- 

 tients, and amongfl the reft that divine old 

 man Hippocrates, whofe writings were pub- 

 lifiied many ages before chriftianity. The 

 writings of this wonderful man alone, among 

 fo many ingenioufly contrived fyftems, remain 

 to this day, and will for ever remain firm, un- 

 moved, unfhaken, untouched by any decay, 

 by any change. It is experience that has 

 adorned with laurels the heads of fo many ce- 

 lebrated phyficians in all times, and even now 

 adorns. And hence it is that the chief and 

 moft honorable title of phyfician is to be called 

 a man of experience. Experience ought to 

 go firft ; reafoning Ihould follow. The former 

 furniflies.the materials of knowledge; the latter 

 holds her confultations on the given phjeno- 

 mena •, and when flie has weighed with judg- 

 ment every circum.ftance, fhe difcovers truth, 

 and concludes, orders, and determines rightly 

 about the point in qucftion. Experience ought 

 to be animated by reafon in all phyfical affairs-, 

 without this fhe is void of order, void of ener- 

 gy, void of life. On the other hand reafon 



with- 



