NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



JIXY 3. IS4S. 



MISCELLANEOUS 



LONG ABSTINENCE FROM FOOD. 

 The oxhibiiion of Mr Cavaiiagh, the Irishman, 

 who professes to liavc lived for five years upon 

 nothing but nir, or, as Hamlet would say, "on the 

 ciiamelpon's dish," may render the following in- 

 teresting lo the deader London .Mirror. 



In a cnrioiis but instructive work, written by W. 

 de liritaine, and entitled "Humane Prudence, or 

 the Art by which a Man may raise liiniself and 

 ills Fortuni' to Grandeur;" eleventh edition, (Lon- 

 don, 1717,) I find the follnwijig remarkable state- 

 ments, which sccni to contain a mixture of trutli 

 and falsehood, as is too often the case with old 

 books: — '• If nature," says the author, "could be 

 nourished some other way than by ealinf, all dan- 

 ger of diseases would be prevented. Tljere was a 

 person of much honor, who told me that his {jrand- 

 fathor, by reason of his studious habits, had iiis di- 

 gestive faculties so enervated, that whatever he 

 ate turned into crudities and obstructions. He, be- 

 ing a person of great knowledge, tried many expe- 

 riments to repair it, but without any effect; at the 

 last, he applied a piece of raw flesh to his stomach, 

 and fastened it to it; once in twelve hours he ap- 

 plied fresh : in some time he found nature abun- 

 dantly satisfied therewith, and had a rejuvenescen- 

 cy and renovation of all parts, and lived many years 

 after in good strength and vigor, icilhont eating or 

 drinking any Ihing. How this may comport with 

 reason, is worth the inquiry. We have observed 

 in regard to drink, that all the time we sit in the 

 water, wo shall never thirst: for nature, by the 

 pores, doth suck and draw in atjueous particles to 

 satisfy thirst; and why may it not draw from the 

 flesh a 3UCCUS mitritius, which will support and 

 preserve nature.' Upon this reason, the physi- 

 cians prescribe nourishing clysters lo their patients, 

 and baths of milk in hectic fevers, when the body 

 is extremely low. Paracelsus tells us that a man 

 of liis knowledge, by applying of fresh sods to his 

 stomach, lived without hunger half a year together. 

 Nature is able to draw through her pores^inall 

 parts of the body, such food as she desiroth ; oth- 

 erwise how comes it to pass that many persons 

 have lived a long time without eating any meat ? 

 Paracelsus, Licetus, and Cardan (men who made 

 great figures in their days,) assure us that they 

 knew some holy men that lived twenty years to- 

 gether without eating any meat.— [Grahamism, it 

 would seem from this, is not so nctv a thing as 

 some have thought it.] — Hermolaus Berbarus,'and 

 Joubertus have delivered to us, that one in Rome 

 lived foity years, on/^/ by the inspiration of air; 

 hence it was said by the cosmopolite, that there is 

 in the air a hidden food of life. Ficinus, Crollius, 

 and Randeleliiis tell us, that in the East Indies' 

 near the river Ganges, there is a nation called As- 

 tomares, that have no mouths : they live only by 

 the air and smells which they take in their nos- 

 trils, from roots, flowers, and wild apples, which 

 they carry with them in long journeys. The air 

 is full of balsamic, roscid atoms, and is ever sprink- 

 led with a fine foreign fatness, which may perhai.s 

 be sufficient food to nourish the fine parts of our 

 frame, whereon the temper of man and his life 

 standeth. Olympidorus, the platonist, assures us 

 tjiat he knew a person who lived many years, and 



son of his simple course of life, had the honor of 

 this inscriptiim upon his grave-stone : 



' Here Brawn, the common beggar, lies, 



WhocuuMtcd bv lii^ tale, 

 ifoiue six scure winlers and above — 



Such virtue there s in Jlle. 



Me was his meat, his drink, his clolh — 



.He dill his d.'alli re|iricvi'; 

 And could lie ftill liave drank his ale, 



Hit bail been siill alive.' 



"This discourse of temperance," says our author, 

 in his conclusion, " will be looked upon as an ex- 

 travagant phanzy, and I myself have the same 

 opinion of it ; but yet it is agreed by many learned 

 physicians, that men and women have lived many 

 years together without eating any food; but that 

 death did not follow the taking away of the appe- 

 tite, to me is wonderful. Laiiguis thinks the cause 

 to be the relaxation of the nerves iu the orifice of 

 the stomach ; but this cannot satisfy a rational in- 

 quiry. Sennertiis conceives that such beings are 

 almost immortal, and little enhaled from them, be- 

 cause they consist of a tenacious humor, well com- 

 pacted and growing fast together, and will not 

 yield to the action of heat, that feeds on the nour. 

 ishment; and their heat is most mild and gentle, 

 and requires not much nourishment; but, I piav 

 consult the Adepli, those sons of art, and let niu 

 be silent." 



Cross Ansu-crs. — A prisoner being brought be- 

 fore the Police Court, the following dialogue took 

 place between him and the magistrate: "How do 

 you live?" "Pretty well, sir: generally a joint 

 and pudding at dinner." "I mean, sir, how do 

 yon get your 'bread V " Generally at the baker's, 

 your worship." " You may be as witty as you 

 please, sir: but I mean simply to ask you, how do 

 you do .'" " Tolerably well, I thank your worship : 

 I hope your worship is well." The culprit was re- 

 manded to prison London pnp. 



HOWARD'S IMPROVED EASyTraUGHT P^LOUGH 



i^^^^-'zi-^tiirii-i^E™!?'^''-- 

 ^^i^:tyKf^t^^:^?i-j^-°-^"--.;^:i:^;,::j.; 



JOSKPH 13RECK & CO. 



""""inamL-s^'f"' 

 CHEESE PRESSES. 

 SELF-GOVERNING CHEESE PRESSES-two kinds 



.^ ,, ■ .,.....-, a.,u -',=!"' >;,""P'"1<^''''>' V'^Shakei'. Tlicse are so construct. 



neither fed nor slept, but stood only in the sun to and are h 'far^Ihri,'™ """ '™''''''" * 



For sale at the N. 



refresh himself. One Brawn, an 7rw/j man, buta i --.. 



Cornw/t beggar, who lived to a great age bv rea , N-jrili .Market street. 



fa o"-! ".y ica- June 7, 1643. 



presses now in usr;. 

 ' Asncullural Warehouse, 51 and 62 

 JO.'?. BRECK & CO. 



GRINDSTOIVES ON FRICTION ROI.L,ERS. 



Grindstones of ililferent sizes, hung on friction rollers and 

 moved wiili a foot treader, is found to be a great improve- 

 ment on the old mode of hanging grindstones. Stones hung 

 in this manner are hecommgdailj'more in use. and wherever 

 used, give universal satisfaction. The rollers can he attach- 

 ed to stones hung in the common way. For sale by J 

 BRECK & Co., No. 61 North Market street. 



LACTOMETERS — a simple instrument for tpstini» 

 the quality of milk. For sale by J. BRECK & CO. ° 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



A WEEKLY PAPER. 



Terms, $2 per year in advance, or .52 5 J if not paid 

 within sixty days. 



N. B. — Postmasters are permitted by law to frank aH 

 subscriptions and reiriittancts for newspapers, without 

 expense to subscribers. 



TUTTLE AND DElV^tETT, PKINTERSi 



ill School Street. 



