138 HUMAN LONGEVITY. 



influence of these actions in maintaining the vigour and 

 equality of the circulation throughout the system, and yery 

 especially in the skin and extremities ; thereby keeping all the 

 organs in healthy balance and relation to each other. Many 

 organs systems of organs they may even be called make 

 up the wonderful fabric of our physical being; the due balance 

 among which (disturbed more or less in every form of disease) 

 is at once the cause and the expression of bodily health. The 

 changes fitting or necessary in the habits of exercise, as old 

 age comes on, cannot be measured by years only. The time 

 and the necessity vary for every individual; and must be 

 determined for each by a just observation of himself. A 

 wise man will find steps and stages in the descent of life on 

 which to repose a while ; without sudden or entire relin- 

 quishment of those bodily habits which, discreetly used, 

 conduce to health and preservation at this period as well as 

 in youth and middle age. The discretion needful is that 

 suggested by experience. Whatever amount of exertion is 

 sensibly felt to exhaust the bodily powers, in any of their 

 functions, is fitly to be avoided. Whatever can be main- 

 tained without such effect is certainly safe and probably 

 beneficial. 



A story is current of Lord Mansfield, who himself lived 

 to 89, that whenever very aged witnesses appeared in 

 the Court over which he so long presided, it was his wont 

 to interrogate them as to their habits of life ; and with the 

 result that in no one habit was there any general concur- 

 rence, except that of early rising. Such anecdotes are for 

 the most part either untrue or exaggerated. Early rising is 

 doubtless in many ways favourable to health ; but it cannot 

 be taken as a guarantee for longevity. Even were the story 

 in question true, it is more probable that the vigorous vitality 

 in these instances maintained the habit, than that the habit 

 alone maintained the vitality. 



