PREFACE, 
v 
every thing in his power, always contri- 
buted, in the mod extenftve manner, to 
the promotion of learning, fcience, arts, 
mechanicks, and, in fhort, every thing 
that tended to the public benefit and ho- 
nour of his country, or was of ufe to 
particular members of the community 
he lived in : in fhort, his generofity was 
fo diffuftve, that he may be judly deemed a 
benefador to the whole community; whild, 
indead of hoarding up that great wealth 
his practice gained, to raife a vad edate, 
as he might eafily have done, his publick 
fpirit was unconfined, and he was con- 
tented to leave behind him a moderate 
fortune only. The worthy Dr. Aikew, 
from a laudable veneration for the me- 
mory and publick charader of fo great a 
patron of learning, &c. has caufed a fine 
marble bud of him to be made by one 
of the moft eminent fculptors of the pre- 
fent age, which is placed in the College 
of Phyficians, London. And, on this oc- 
cafton, I cannot help informing fucceed- 
ing generations, that they may fee the 
real features of Dr. Mead in this faid bud; 
for I, who was as well acquainted with 
Dr. Mead’s face as any one living, do 
pronounce this bud of him to be fo like, 
that, as often as I fee it, my mind is filled 
with the dronged idea of the original. 
In Dr. Mead I had a whole family of 
patrons *. his fon, and two of the King’s Phy- 
ftcians in Ordinary, whofe Ladies were 
daughters to Dr. Mead, and Mr. Mead 
his brother, are all my very good friends 
and promoters. 
Martin Folkes, Efq; the lad of my de- 
ceafed principal patrons, was a friend and 
intimate acquaintance of the other three. 
He had made the grand tour of Europe, 
not in the younger part of life, but after 
his marriage. He travelled with part of 
pojfible , par fes firvices per fonels, fin ample 
fortune , fa mat fin, et tout ce qui etoit eii 
fon pouvoir , a I'avancement des arts et des 
fciences , des mecbaniques , et, en un mot , de 
tout ce qui tendoit an bien public et d I'hon- 
neur de fa patrie , ou qui poavoit etre de 
queiqii ufage d des membres particulars du 
peuple parmi lequel il demeuroit : brefi fa 
generofite etoit Ji et endue, quon pent le re - 
garder avec jujlice comrne le bienfazteur de 
toute la ficzete ; puifquau lieu d'accumu - 
ler les grands ricbejfes , que fa pratique lui 
procuroit , ou d'acbetter de vaftes pojjejjions , 
comrne tl aurozt pu le fat re aifcment , fin 
inclination pour le bien public navoit point 
de borne s , et tl s' eft content e de ne laijfer apres 
lui quune fortwie mediocre. Le digne M. 
Ajkew, Medean , par line louable venera- 
tion pour la memoirs et pour le cara'Bere 
public d'un ft grand patron des fciences , &c. 
a fait fatre de lui un magnifque bufte de 
marbre , par un des plus babiles feulpteurs 
de ce Jiecle , et quon a place d Londres, dans 
le College des Medea ns. Je tie puis mem- 
pccber, d cette occafion , d'apprendre aux 
generations futures , que chacun pent voir , 
dans ce bufte , les traits memes de Mr. Mead ; 
car moi-meme, qui connoifiois fonvifage aufji 
bien qu bom me du monde, je declare que ce 
bufte eft ft rejjemblant, que toutes les fois 
que je le conjid re, men imagination eft rem- 
phe d'une forte idee de V original, favois 
dans le feul M. Mead une famille entiere 
de patrons : fin fils, et deux des Medecins 
Ordinances du Rot , qui ont epoufe mes Dames 
Jes files, et M. Mead fin frere, font tons 
de mes meilkurs amis et proteffeurs. 
M. Martin Folkes , le dernier de mes de- 
fun ts et principaux patrons, etoit ami des 
trois a nt res. II avoit fait le grand tour 
de I Europe, non dans J'a jeunejfe, mais apres 
s' etre mane. 11 voyaged t avec une par tie 
de fa famille et de Jes domeftiques , dans un 
