OP THE PROLONGATION OF HUMAN LIFE. 221 



and conducing him to an eternal repofe, where he is 

 fenlible no more to the inconveniences and vexations 

 of his former condition. If life, fay they with David, 

 be much protracted, it is frill but labour and for row. 

 Some go yet farther, and, as Helvetius does, hold 

 mere exigence already for a misfortune, or at lean: 

 affirm, as Cardanus, Erafmus, and La Mothe *, that 

 if it flood in their choice, at the end of their courfe to 

 begin it again, they would without heiitation reject 

 the propofal. To all who think in this manner, a 

 method for prolonging life would be but a very indiffe- 

 rent gift. But the generality of mankind are far from 

 being favourers of this gloomy philofophy ; they rather 

 anxioully endeavour to prolong their exiftence, and to 

 put death, which they account the greatefl of evils, as 

 far away from them as ever they can. For the gene- 

 rality of mankind then, the enquiry, whether it be 

 poffible to prolong life, and by what means it is to be 

 done, is highly important. Confequently, a brief re- 

 prefentation of all that we hitherto know or furmife 

 upon that head, may well be interefling to every 

 man. 



That it is poffible for a man of a found conflitution, 

 by great moderation in living, to extend his life far 

 beyond the natural term, that is, to ninety, a hundred^ 



* La vie toutc feuie me paroit fi indiiTerente, pour ne rien dire de- 

 plus a Con dclavantage, qu 'outre que je n'elirois jamais d'en recom- 

 mencerla carriere, fil etcit a monchoixdele faire, je n'ecbangerois 

 pa trois jours calarniteux, qui me reftent dans un age fi avarice 

 que le mien, contre les longues annee^ que fe promettent tine infi- 

 nite dejeunes gens dorit je eonnois tous les diverriiFements. La Mothe 

 le Vayer, oeuvres, torn. xii. p- 204. iettre 134. 



5 ct 



