zo 



1 he Htfiory of Life and Deatk 



Mind then to be caft out to Birds, and Dogs? He faid againe, Seeing, in my life time, I 

 cndevonred to my uttermofi , to benefit (JWen, what hurt it, if, rohen I am dead^ 1 

 benefit bexfis ? Certain Indian People , called Pandora, are exceedingly iong-lrv'd; 

 Even to no Idle than two hundred yeares. They adde a fhing more Maivellcus ; That 

 having when they are boyes, an Haire, fomewhat whitifn ; In their old age,before their 

 gray ha ires, they grow coal black: Though indeed this be every where to be leen j that 

 they which have white Haire , whilelt they are Boyes, in their Mans efiate , change 

 their Hanes into a Darker colour. The Seres , another People of India , with their 

 Wine of Palmes , arc accounted Long- Livers ; Even to an hundred and thirty yeares. 

 Enphranor, the Grammarian , grew old in his School ; And taught Scholars, when 

 he was above an hundred yeares old- The Elder Ovid) Father to the Poet , lived Nine- 

 ty yeares : Differing much from thedifpohtion ot his Sonne; For he contemned the 

 Mules and difi waded his Sonne from Poetry. h(jnim Apollio , intimate with A«- 

 guftus, exceeded the Age of an hundred yeares ; A Man of an unreafonable Profule' 

 netie, Eloquent, a Lover of Learning ; But Vehement, Proud, Cruel ; And one that 

 made h;s Pnvacc Ends the Center of his Thoughts. There was an Opinion, that Sene- 

 ca^ was an extrcam Old Man ; No lefle than an Hundred., and fourteen yeares of 

 Ags •• which could not poffibly be ; It being as improbable , that a Decrepit old Man, 

 fhould be let over Neroe's Youth ; As, on the contrary , it was true , that he was able 

 to mannage , with great Dexterky., the affaires of State : Befides , a little before, 

 inthemidil of Claudius his Reigne , he was banifhed Borne , for Adulteries com- 

 mitted with fome Noble Ladies ; which was a Crime, no way competille with fo 

 cxtrtam old Age. Johanr.es de lemperibpts, among all the men of our latter Ages ; out 

 of a common Fame , and Vulgar Opinion, was reputed Long-liv'd , even to a mira- 

 cle ; Or rather , even to a Fable ; His Age hath been counted , above three Hundred 

 yeares : He was by Nation a French Man; And followed the Wanes , under Charles^ 

 theGVtvzr. G artius Aretine , Great Grand-Father to Petrarch , arrived at the Age of 

 an bundled tour yeares. H^ had ever enjoyed the Benefit of good Health ; Behdes, 

 atthelaft, he felt rather a Decay of his Strength, than any Sickneffe, cr Malady; 

 which is the true Refolution , by old Age, Arnongff the Venetians , there have been 

 found, not a few long L'vers ; and thole of the more eminent iort : Fr ana feus Dona- 

 tes, Duke ; Thomas Contarenus , Procurator alio of Saint Marh^; Framifem Moli- 

 nus, Procurator alio of Saint Mari^ ; Others; But moft Memorable, is that of Cor- 

 narus the V °.netian, who being in his youth of a fickly Body ; beganne firft to eat and 

 drink by meafureto a certaine weight ; Thereby to recover his Health; This Cure, 

 turned,by ufe into a Diet; That Diet to an extraordinaiy long Life ; Evenofanico 

 years and better , without any Decay in hisSenfes ; And with a conftant enjoying cf 

 his Health. In our age William Poflel, a French Man , lived to an hundred , andwell 

 nigh twenty yeares : The top of his Beard on the upper lip, being black, and not 

 grey at all: A man crazed in his Brain , and of a Fancy not altogether found j A 

 great Traveller, Mathematician, and fomewhat Hained with Herefie, 



I fuppofe there is Scarce a Village , with us in England , if it be any whit populous, 

 butit aftoidsfbme Manor Woman of touifcore yeares of age; Nay, afew yeares 

 fince, there was in the County of Hereford, a May-game, or Morris-Dance, confifting 

 of Eight Men , whole Age computed together, made up eight hundred yeares ; Infc- 

 much, that what fome of them wanted of an hundred , ochei s exceeded as much. 



In the Hofpital of Bethleem , corruptly called Bedlam ; in the Suburbs of London^ 

 there are found, from time fo time, many Mad Perfons that live to a great Age. 



The Ages of Nymphs, Fawns, and Satyrs, whom they make to be, indeed Mortal, 

 but yet exceedingly Long-liv'd ; ( A Thing, which Ancient SuperGition , and the 

 late Credulity of fome, have admitted;) we account but fax Fables and Dreatnes: 

 Elpecially, being that , which hath neither confent with Philofophy , nor with Divini- 

 ty. And as tot hmg the Htfiory of Long Life in Man , by Individuals, or next un- 

 to Individuals , thus much : Now we will paffe on to Gbfervations , by certainc j 

 Head's.. 



The Running on of -Ages, 2nd Succef ion of Generations , feemto have no whit a- j 

 rated from theurgdicf Life: For we lee , that from the time of Mefes , unco thefc j 

 our Dayes, the term of Mans life hath flood about Fouifcore yeaies of Age; j 

 Neither hat/i it declined (Asa man would have thought ) by little and little. No 1 

 doubt, there aie Times, in every Countrey, wherein men are longer, or fhorrcr liv'd. | 



Longer, I 



