ftate of fe- 
ven years. 
294. NATURAL HISTORY 
sect.v. The powers of the mind, together with the nervous faculties of 
A torpid the body, are fometimes interrupted and lufpended, and then re- 
ftored : the moft remarkable inftance of which happened lately in 
the town of Penzance to Phillis wife of Thomas Sibley, fifherman, 
who on the third of Auguft 1 744, aged then about forty-one years, 
had a male child, was well in health, nurfed the child, and had 
plenty of milk; but within a few weeks after ( viz. in September 
1744) upon hearing a rumour that her hufband was drowned in 
Gwavas-lake by the then violent ftorm, took fright; this ftruck back 
her milk immediately, fhe grew low-fpirited, gradually weaker, 
defpairedof remedy, loft her memory (but not totally), and fcarcely 
diftinguifhed one perfon or thing from another : On the feventh of 
May, 1747* fhe had a dead child, but was fo weak that fhe was 
not fenfible of her having had a child ; and about fix weeks after 
being brought to-bed, loft her memory quite, knew no one, and loft 
her mouth fpeech. She ufed at times milk, broth ,fifh, and pota- 
toes, as they were adminiftred, but could make no ftir to feed her- 
felf ; and in the whole taking little nourifhment of any kind, was 
altogether emaciated, and continued without motion, fpeech, and 
apprehenfton, till Chriftmas 1753, when, on a Sunday night, fhe 
had feveral ftrong convulftve fits, and the family thought thefe her 
laft ftruggles ; but they were only the efforts of Nature to remove 
obftrudtions, and reftore the fenfibility of the nervous fyftem. The 
fits returned the next day, and when they had ceafed, fhe feemed 
to take a little more notice of things round her than fhe had done 
before ; then perceivably bettered in fenfes and difcernment for about 
half a year, when, a little before Midfummer 1754, after much 
ftruggling, fhe {poke a few words very imperfectly and like a 
child learning to pronounce, found her tongue very ftiff, and was 
fome days before ftie could fpeak diftinctly, after being feven years 
and two weeks utterly fpeechlefs. She has the character of a feri- 
ous, good woman; and when I faw her, July 27, 1757, inclinable 
to be corpulent. 
cuftoms. 
sect. vi. Among ancient cuftoms ftill retained by the Cornifh, may be 
General reckoned that of decking their doors and porches on the firft of 
May with green boughs of fy ca more and hawthorn, and of plant- 
ing trees, or rather flumps of trees, before their houfes. From 
towns they make excurfions on May eve into the country, cut down 
a tall elm, bring it into town with rejoicings, and having fitted a 
ftraight taper pole to the end of it, and painted it, ereCt it in the 
moft publick part, and upon holidays and feftivals drefs it with 
garlands of flowers, or enfigns and ftreamers. Keyfler 1 thinks that 
1 Page 88 of Northern Antiquities. 
“ this 
