L O N 



L O N 



any particular climate, fitiiation, or occupation in life. For 

 we fee that it often prevails in places, where all thcfc are 

 extremely diffimilar ; anil it would, moreover, be very dif- 

 ficult, in the -hillories of the feveral perfons above men- 

 tioned, to find any circiimllance common to them all, ex- 

 cept perhaps that of being born of healthy parents, and of 

 being inured to daily labour, temperance, and hmplicity of 

 diet. Among the inferior ranks of mankind, therefore, ra- 

 ther than amongft the fons of eafe and luxury, (hall we find 

 the moll numerous inllances of lo;igevity ; even frequently, 

 when other external circumftances fcem extremely unfavour- 

 able : as in the cafe of the poor fexton at Peterborough, 

 who, not-Aithllanding his uiipromifing occupation among 

 dead bodies, lived long enough to bury two crowned heads, 

 and to furvive two complete geiierations. The livelihood of 

 Henry .Tenkir.s and old Parr i'* faid to have confined chiefly 

 of the coarfeil fare, as they depended on precarious alms. 

 To which may be added, the remarkable in (lance of Agnes 

 Milhiirne, who, after bringing forth a numerous oflspnng, 

 and being obliged, through extreme indigence, to pafs the 

 latter part of her life in St. Luke's work-houfe, yet reached 

 her hundredth and lixth year, in that fordid, unfriendly fitu- 

 ation. Tile plain diet, and invigorating employments ot a 

 country life, are acknowledged, on all hands, to be highly 

 conducive to health and longevity ; while the luxury and 

 refinements of large cities are allowed to be equally detlruc- 

 tivc to the human fpiries : and this confideratioii alone, per- 

 haps, more than counterbalances all the boalled privileges 

 of fuperior elegance and civilization relulting from a city 

 life. 



From country villages, and not from crowded cities, have 

 the preceding indances of longevity been chiefly fupplied. 

 For an illuftration of this faft we refer to the article Bills of 

 MoRTALiiy. 



Attached as we are to life by the contlitution of our na- 

 ture, and defirous of protrafiing the fnort fpan, it feems to 

 be no lefs our duty than our intereft to examine minutely 

 into the various means that have been confidered as conducive 

 to health and long life ; and to difcriminate between thofe 

 that are collateral and accidental and fuch as are elfential to 

 this great end. In order to obtain fufficient data for rea- 

 foning juilly and fatisfaftorily on this fubjedl, it would be 

 defirable to improve the mode of framing our bills of mor. 

 tality ; and with this view, it would be proper to add a 

 particular account of the diet and regimen of every perfon, 

 who dies at So years of age, or upwards ; and to mention, 

 whether his parents were healthy, long-lived people, &c. &c. 

 All the circumftances, that are mofl eflentially necelfary to 

 life, may be comprifed under the fix following headi : i, air 

 and climate ; 2, meat and drink ; 3, motion and reft ; 4, the 

 fecrctions and excreti'.ins ; 5, deep and watching ; 6, affec- 

 tions of the mind. With regard to the firll head, it mav be 

 obferved that the common atmofphere may be more or lefs 

 healthy, in proportion as it abounds with pure dephlogifti- 

 cated gas, or oxygen ; and as this is copioufiy fupplied by 

 the green leaves of all kinds of vegetables, we may hence in 

 fome meafure account why inftances of longevity are fo 

 much more frequent in the country than in great cities, 

 where the atmofphere is contaminated with noxious animal 

 efHuvia, and with mephitic air or carbonic acid. As to cli- 

 mate, various obfervatioiis confpire ,to prove that thofe 

 regions which lie within the temperate zones are beft adapted 

 to promote long life. Hence perhaps we may be enabled to 

 explain, why Italy has produced fo many perfons whofe 

 hves have been prolonged, and why iflands in general are 

 more falutary than continents. However, the Author of 

 nature lus wifely enabled the inhabitants of hot and cold 



countries to endure great and furprifing changes of tempera- 

 ture with impunity. See an account of experiments in a 

 heated room, under the article Heat. For the effcfts of 

 food and drink, fee thefe articles. It needs no proof, that 

 alternate motion and reft, fleep and watching, are necelfary 

 conditions of health and longevity, and that they ought to 

 be adapted to age, temperament, conilitution, temperature 

 of the climate, &c. Moreover, when the animal funAions 

 are duly performed, the fecrctions go on regularly ; and the 

 different evacuations fo exaftly correfpond to the quantity 

 of aliment taken in, in a given time, that the body is found 

 to return daily to nearly the fame weight. Bcfidcs, the due 

 regulation of the pafiions, perhaps, contributes more to 

 health and longevity than that of any other • " the non- 

 naturals. We may further add, that longevity is, in a great 

 meafure, heredi'ary ; ard that healthy, long-lived parents 

 would commonly tranfmit the fame to their children, if it 

 were not for the frequent errors in the non-naturals, which 

 fo evidently tend to the abbreviation of human life. Ncver- 

 thelels the duties and occupations of life will not indeed 

 permit the generality of mankind to live by rule, and fub- 

 jeCl themfelves to a precife regimen. Fortunately, this is 

 not necelTary : for the divine Architeft has, with infinite 

 wifdom, rendered the human frame fo dudlile, as to admit 

 of a very, confiderable laticude of health ; yet this has its 

 bounds, which none can long tranfgrefs with impunity. 

 For if old Parr, notwithftanding fome exceftes and irregu- 

 larities, arrived at fo allonifliing an age, yet we have reafon 

 to fuppofe that thefe were far from being habitual ; and 

 may alio conclude, that had it not been for thefe abufes, hift 

 life might have been ftill confiderably protratled. 



On the whole, though fome few exceptions may occur to 

 what has been already advanced, yet it will be found, in 

 general, that all extremes are unfriendly to health and longe- 

 vity. Exceflive heat enervates the body ; extreme cold 

 renders it torpid : floth and inatlivity clog the necelfary 

 movements of the machine ; inceffant labour foon wears it 

 out. On the other hand, a temperate climate, moderate 

 exercife, pure country air, and flricl temperance, together 

 with a prudent regulation of the paflions, will prove the 

 moft efficacious means of protracting life to its utmoll limits. 

 Now, if any of thefe require more peculiar attention thaa 

 the reft, it is undoubtedly the laft : for the focial pafiions, 

 like gentle gales, fan the brittle velfel calmly along the 

 ocean of life ; while, on the other hand, rough, turbulent 

 ones dafti it upon rocks and quickfands. Hence, perhaps, 

 it may be explained why the cultivation of philofophv, 

 mufic, and the fine arts, all which manifeftly tend to hu- 

 manize the foul, and to calm the rougher pafiions, are fo 

 highly conducive to longevity. And, finally, why there i» 

 no lure method of fecurmg that habitual calranefs and fe- 

 renity of mind, which conftitute true happineis, and which, 

 are, at the fame time, £0 effential to health and long life, 

 without virtue. 



" jEquanimitas fola, atque unica fe'icitas." 



LONGFORD, in Geography, a county of Ireland, in 

 the north-welteru extremity of the province of Leintler. It 

 has Rofcommon on the weft, Lcitrim and Cavan on the 

 north, and Weftmeath on the eaft and fouth. Its length, 

 from north to fouth is 20 Irilh miles (zj Englifh), a»id its 

 breadth from eaft to weft 19 Irilh, or 24 Enghlh miles. It 

 contains 134,152 Irifh acres (215,522 Englilh), which are 

 divided into 23 parifr.es, all of which, except one, are in 

 the bifliopric of Ard,tgh, united to Taam. Though the 

 northern angle confills of rugged mountains, and the ioutlv. 

 wcllcrn part is chiefly bog to a great extent, yet JLougford 



may 



