3* 



1 he Hiftory of Life and Death. 



And haften the Defecation thereof; And therefore, the Exc In [ion of it, is effectual to 

 Lengchof Life. 



Another effect , which followeth the Exclufionoi &4ire , is much more fubtil and 

 profound. Namely, that the Body dofed up, and not perfpiring by the Pores, detain- 

 ing the Spirits within , and turneth it upon the Harder parts of the Body ; Whereby 

 the Spirit Mollifies,and Inteneratesthem. 



Of this Thing , theRtafonis explained in the Defecation oi In- animate Bodies; 

 And it is an Axiome almotl infallible ; That the Sprit Difcharged , and Ifluing forth, 

 drieth Bodies, Detained, melteth , and inteneratcthi them : And it is further to be af- 

 fumed ;.. That all Heat doth properly Attenuate and moitten ; And Contra&eth, and 

 Drieth only by Accident. 



Leading the Life in Dens and Caves , where the Aire receives not the Sun-beams, 

 may be effectual to Long Life. For the Aire , ofitfelfe, doth not much towards the 

 Depredation of the Body, unlevfeitbe ftirredupby Heat. Certainly? if a Manfhall 

 recall Things palt to his Memory , it will appear, that the Statures of Men , have been 

 anciently much greater, than thole that lucceeded ; A sin Sicily, and lome other Pla- 

 ces. But this kind of Men led their Lives , for the moft part , in Caves. Now Length 

 of Life , and largenefle of Limbs, haue ibme Affinity. The Cave alio of Epimenides, 

 walkes amonglt the Fables. I iuppofe likewife, that the Life of Columnar Anchorites, 

 was a thing Reiembling the Life in Qaves ; in refped, the Sun-beames could not much 

 pierce thither Nor the Aire receive any great changes, or In-equalities. This is cer- 

 taine ; both the Simeon, Stylitds as well 'Daniel, as Saba ; And other Columnar An- 

 chorites, have been exceeding long-liv'd. Likewife, the Anchorites in our dayes, clofed 

 up and immured,either within Walis,or Pillars, are often found to be long-liv'd. 



Next unto the life in Caves,\s the life on Motintaines : For as the Beames of the Sun, 

 doe not penetrate into Caves ; to on the 1 ops of Mountaines , being deftitute cf Re- 

 flexion, they are of lmall force. But this is to be undcrlfood of Mountaines , where the 

 Aire iscleer, and pure ; Namely, whether, by reafon of the DrienefTe of the Valleycs, 

 Clouds, and Vapours,do not afcend; As it is m the Mouritaines,which encompafle Bar- 

 bary ; Where, even at this day, they live many times, to an Hundred and fifty 

 yeares; As hath been noted before. jsj K . 



And tlus.kind olAire ,O l tC<*ver, and Mountaines, of bisowne proper Nature, 

 is little or nothing Predatory : B\\tAire<> fuch as ours. is which is Predatory through 

 the heat of the Sunne, ought, as much as is potfible, to be excluded from the Body. 



But the Aire, is prohibited»and excluded two wayes ; firlt , by Clofing the Pores ; fe- 

 condly, by them up. 



To the Clofing of the Pores, Help ; Coldneffe of the Aire ; Going naked, whereby 

 the Skin is made Hard ; Wafhing in Cold Water ; Altringents applyed to the skin ; 

 Such as arc Maflick_, Myrrhe-, Myrtle, 



But much more may we fatisfie this Operation , by Baths ? yet thofe rarely ufed , (e- 

 fpecially in Summer; ) which are made of Aftrmgent Mineral waters, fuch as may late- 

 ly be ufed ; As Wateis participating of Steel and Copperas ; For thele do potently con- 

 tract the Skin. 



As for Filling up the Pores, Faintings , and fuch like VnUttous Dawbings j And , 

 (which may molt commodicufly be ufed) OUe,zud Fat Things ; Do no leile confeive 

 the fubltanee of the body, than Oile colours and Varmfh doe prefeive Wood. 



The Ancient Brittains painted their Bodies with Woad , and were exceeding long 

 Liv'd: the Piffs alio ufed Paintings ; And are thought, by forne to have derived their 

 Name from thence. 



The Br aft Hans, and Virginians Paint themfelves , at this day; Who are, (efpecially 

 the former, ) very long Liv'd. In fo much, that five yeares ago, the French 'jefmts had 

 fpeech with ibme, who remembred-the Building of Femamburgh ; which was done an 

 hundred and twenty years fince. And'they were then at Mars eftate. 



Joannes de temporibus , who is reported to have extended his life to three hundred 

 yeares; being asked,How he preferved himfelfe fo long; Is faid to have anfwered by Oile 

 without, and by Honey within. 



The Info, efpecially; the Wild-Irif> y even at this day, live very long. Certainly,, 

 they report, that within thefe few yeares, the Counteffeoi DefmondXwid to an hundred \ 

 and forty yeares of Age > and bred teeth th ree times. No w the Jrifh have a fa (bion, to 

 chafe > and, as it were, to bafte themfelves with old Salt -butter, againft the Fire. 

 '. The . 



