50 



shorter time. Henry Axford, son of Henry Axford, 

 in the Devizes, at twenty-eight years of age, perceived 

 a hoarseness^and in about six days became quite speech- 

 less ; not only unable to speak articulately, but to 

 utter the least sound with his tongue. His cold went 

 off, but he remained absolutely speechless ; and the 

 advice of all the neighbouriug physicians did not help 

 him. 



He continued totally dumb for four years, till in 

 July, 1741, being at Stoke, in returning homeward at 

 night, he fell from his horse, and was taken up and 

 put to bed in a house upon the road. He soon fell 

 asleep, and dreamed, he was fallen into a Tessel of 

 boiling wort. Struggling with all his might to call for 

 help, he actually did call aloud, and recovered the use 

 of his tongue from that mornent ; as perfectly as ever he 

 had it in his life. 



Perhaps, therefore,there is truth in that ancient story, 

 concerning the son of king Creesus : namely, having 

 been dumb from his birth, he had never spoke at all, 

 till in the battle, seeing a man ready to kill his father, 

 his tongue was loosed, and he cried out aloud, " Sol* 

 dier, spare the king !" 



The time of cutting the teeth is usually from the 

 seventh to the seventeenth month. It is commonly 

 preceded by an itching of the gums, and by convul- 

 sions, fevers, and looseness : most of which symptoms 

 happen to birds also, upon molting or casting their 

 feathers. The seed of the teeth is a -mucous matter, 

 like the white of an egg, contained in the cells of the 

 jaw-bone, which grows harder and bigger tiliit breaks 

 through the gum. 



That part of the tooth which stands out of the gum, 

 is covered with a peculiar substance called enamel. It 

 is composed of an infinity of little tubes, which grow 

 on the bone by their root. If any part of this be 

 ^broken off, so that the bone is left bare, it grows 

 cari -us ; there being no bone which will bear the 

 air. 



We may farther observe, 1. That the teeth only. 



