Chap. I. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. i'^'^ 



to the diet in that life, it is exceedingly unnatural ; for though, by na- 

 ture, we be not carnivorous animals, we eat flefli, yet not as carnivorous 

 animals eat it, that is raw, but cooked and prepared by fire*, and alfo 

 fifh prepared in the fame way; which I hold to be ftill a more unna- 

 tural food for a land animal, than even flelh isj and, accordingly, the 

 Egyptians did not eat it, nor the Greeks, till they were compelled by 

 neceffity, as Ulyfles and his companions weret. We alfo drink wine 

 and other ftrong liquors; fo that our diet is, as I have obferved in the 

 preceding part of this volume J, altogether unnatural, and confequently 

 deflruclive of our health, but, I believe, not fo dedrudive as the ufe 

 of houfes and clothes, by w'hich we may be faid to ceafe to live in 

 our native element the air; and, in place of it, to live in the filth 

 of our own bodies kept about us by our clothes. My reafon for 

 thinking fo is, that though the diet of the Hindoos is very much 

 more natural than ours, as they abftain from the ufe of fiefh, fifh, and 

 wine, yet they are fhorter lived than we, being old at the age of co 

 and few of them exceeding 60 ; and the fize of their bodies is alfo 

 much diminifhed. Now, as I have already obferved §, this can only 

 proceed from the ufe of houfes, clothes, and fire. And, as they 

 have lived in that unnatural way for very many ages, being the 

 oldeft nation in the world, now that the Egyptians are no more, it 

 is not to be wondered that this unnatural life fhould have afFeded 

 them more than it has done us, (who have not been in the civilifed 

 life the tenth part of the time), though we have joined to it a diet 

 much more unnatural than theirs. 



The neceflary confequence of men living in fo unnatural a way, 



with 



* See p. 176. of vol. 3. where I have fliown that flefh eaten raw and warm with the 

 anuTiai life, as Mr Bruce fays the Abyfliaians eat their beef, is much cafier of digelVion 

 tlian when prepared by fire; and the Wild Girl in France faid the fame thing. 



f Odyfl'. 12, V. 331. and Euflathius's Commentary on the pafiage. 



X Page 27. § Page 29. of this volume* 



