314 DISEASES CLASS III. 1. 2. 5: 



and in four or five years regained her cheerfulness^ and married 

 ano.her man. The other was affected with long stupor, loss of 

 digestion, and total inability of mind and body, which continued 

 a year or iwo, and from which she also gradually recovered. 



5. Jlmor sui. Vanity consists of an agreeable reverie, and is 

 well ridiculed in the story of Narcissus, who so long contemplated 

 his own beautiful imagt in the water, that he died from neglect of 

 taking sustenance. 1 once saw a handsome young man, who had 

 been so much flattered by his parents, that his vanity rose so near 

 to insanity, that one might discern by his perpetual attention to 

 himself, and the difficulty with which he arranged his conversa- 

 tion, that the idea of himself intruded itself at every comma or 

 pause of his discourse. In this degree vanity must afford great 

 pleasure to the possessor; and when it exists within moderate 

 bounds, may contribute much to the happiness of social life. 



My friend Mr. , once complained to me, that he was much 



troubled with bashfulness in company, and believed that it arose 

 from his want of personal vanity; on this account he determined 

 on a journey to Paris, when Paris was the centre of politeness; 

 he there learnt to dress, to dance, and to move his hands grace- 

 fully in conversation; and returned a most consummate coxcomb. 

 But after a very few years he relapsed into rusticity of dress and 

 manners. 



M. M. The cure of vanity may be attempted by excess of 

 flat ery, which will at length appear ridiculous, or by its famili- 

 arity will cease to be desired. I remember to have heard a s-ory 

 of a nobleman in the court of France, when France had a court, 

 who was so disagreeably vain in conversation, that the king was 

 pleased to direct his cure, which was thus performed. Two 

 gentlemen were directed always to attend him, one was to stand 

 behind his chair, and the other at a respectful distance before 

 him; whenever his lordship began to speak, one of them always 

 pronounced, u Lord Gallimaufre is going to say the best thing in 

 the world." And, as soon as his lordship had done speaking, 

 the other attendant pronounced, " Lord Gallimaufre has spoken 

 the best thing in the world." Till in a few weeks this noble 

 lord was so disgusted with praise, that he ceased to be vain; and 

 his majesty dismissed his keepers. 



6. Nostalgia. Maladie cle Pais. Calenture. An uncon- 

 querable desire of returning to one's native country, frequent in 

 long voyages, in which the patients become so insane as to throw 

 themselves into the sea, mistaking it for green fields or meadows. 

 The Swiss are said to be particularly liable to this disease, and 



