8^ ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book III. 



of whom, in the city of London, not above a half live to be above 

 two years of age. The difeafe of confumption was known among 

 the antients, but it does not appear from their books of phyfic that 

 k was a common difeafe among them. But, as to that prodigious 

 mortality among children, fuch as that among the children of Lon- 

 don, it appears to have been abfolutely unknown in antient times. 

 And this, I think, fhows, that the antients, in their civilifed life, 

 muft have lived in a more natural manner than we do; as the difeafes 

 of children cannot be contraded by themfelves, but muft, as I have 

 faid, proceed from the difeafes or weakneffes of their parents. 



CHAP. 



