378 ' HisroKY OF 



stretched by my side ! New ideas now began to arise ; new 

 passions, as yet unperceived, with fears and pleasures, all took 

 possession of my mind, and prompted my curiosity : love served 

 to complete that happiness which was begun in the individual ; 

 and every sense was gratified in all its varieties. 



CHAP. X. 



Every thing in nature has its improvement and decay. The 

 human form is no sooner arrived at its state of perfection, than 

 it begins to decline. The alteration is at first insensible ; and 

 often several years are elapsed before we find ourselves grown 

 old. The news of this disagreeable change too generally comes 

 from without ; and we learn from others that we grow old, be- 

 fore we are willing to believe the report. 



When the body has come to its full height and is extended 

 into its just dimensions, it then also begins to receive an addi- 

 tional bulk which rather loads than assists it- This is formed 

 from fat ; which generally at the age of thirty-five, or forty, covers 

 all the muscles, and interrupts their activity. Every action is 

 then performed with greater labour, and the increase of size only 

 serves as a fore-runner of decay. 



The bones also become every day more solid. In the embryo 

 they are as soft almost as the muscles of the flesh ; but by de- 

 grees they harden, and acquire their natural vigour ; but still, 

 howes'ever, the circulation is carried on through them, and how 

 hard soever the bones may seem, yet the blood holds its current 

 through them, as through all other parts of the body. Of this 

 we may be convinced by an experiment, which was first acci- 

 dentally discovered by our ingenious countryman, Mr Belcher. 

 Perceiving at a friend's house, that the bones of hogs, which 

 were fed upon madder, were red, he tried it upon various ani- 

 mals by mixing this root with their usual food ; and he found 



1 This chapter is taken from Mr BiiBbn, except where it is marked by in- 

 verted commas. 



