LONGEVITY. 



If we look to an early period of the Cliriftian era, wc 

 ftiall find that Italy has been, at leail about lliat time, pecu- 

 liarly propitious to longevity. Lord JJacon obleryes, that 

 the year of our Lord 76, in the reign of Vefpafian, \va3 

 memorable ; for in that year was a taxing, which afforded 

 the mod authentic method of knowing the ages of men. 

 From it, there were found in that p:)rt of Italy, lying be- 

 tween the Apennine mountains and tlie river Po, one hundred 

 and twenty-four perfous wlio either equalled or exceeded one 

 hundred years of age, namely : 



la Parma 



54 

 57 



2 



4 

 4 

 3 

 3 

 2 



Table II. 



Perfous of 100 Years each. 

 1 10 

 - 1 25 

 130 

 136 

 140 

 120 

 iJO 



In Bruffels 

 In Placentia 

 In Favcntia 



In Rii 



12 J Years each. 

 131 



13^ 

 tio 

 120 

 150 



viz. Marcus Aponius 

 Mr. Carcw, in his Survey of Cornwall, affures us, that it 

 is no umifual thing, with the inhabitants of that county, to 

 rrach ninety years of age, and upwards, and even to retain 

 their llrength of body and perfect ule of their fenfes. Be- 

 fides Brown, the CiU'Jiilh beggar, who lived to one hundred 

 and twenty, and one Polezevv to one hundred and thirty 

 years of age ; he remembered the deceafe of four perfons 

 in his own parilh.the funi of whole years, taken collectively, 

 amounted to three hundred and forty. Now, although 

 longevity evidently prevails more in certain dillrifts than in 

 others, yet it is, by no means, conlined to any particular 

 nation or climate ; nor arc there wanting inftanccs of it, 

 in almoll every quarter of the globe, as appears from the 

 pieceding, as well as the fubfequent table. 



Table III. 



If we afcend to the firff ages of the world, and endeavour 

 to Invelligate the caufes of the longevity of the antediluvians, 

 we (hall find that different writers have dated them very 

 varioufly. Some have imputed it to the fobriety of the an- 

 tediluvians, and the fimplicity of their manners ; alleging 

 that they abdained from flefh, and had none of thofe ejccite- 

 tnents to gluttony, which have been devifed in fubfcquent 

 times. Others have afcribed their longevity to the excellency 

 of their fruits, and fome. peculiar virtues in the herbs and 

 plants of thofe days. Others again have thought that the 

 long hves of the inhabitants of the old world proceeded from 

 the drength of their damina, or firft principles of their 

 bodily conditutions ; and this might be a concurrent, though 

 aot the fole and adequate caufe of their longevity : for 



Shem, who was born before the deluge, and had all the 

 virtue of the antediluvian conditution, fell 300 years (hort of 

 the age of his forefathers, becaufe the greatell part of his 

 life was paffed after the flood. It has therefore been more 

 rationally fuppofed, that the chief caufe of their Irngevity 

 was the falubrity of the antediluvian air ; which, after the 

 deluge, became corrupted and unwholefome. But how the 

 flood (hould occafion this change in the air, it is not cafy to 

 comprehend ; and the difficulty mull remain tuifolved, and 

 we mud content ourfelves with aicribing it to the conditu- 

 tion of Providence, operating by unknown caiifes. The 

 examples which are exhibited in ihe above tables are abun- 

 d.intly fufficient to prove, that longevity, in more modern 

 times, docs not depend fo much as fome have fuppofed, 00 



8 any 



