Zou 
ancient manufcript, of the ufages there 
in the reign of Richard Coeur de Lyon. . 
he law.runs in the following words : 
“© Si feme ef conveincue d’eftre tenfofe’ 
ou medifans, ele ‘fera lige ob une corde 
fos les ayfelles et fera gitée par iij fes en 
Paigue, et fi aucuns lo y reprochet.cils 
paiera x. s. et fi feme lo _y reproche ele 
paiera x. s. ou fera colee iij fes enl’aigue 
et cis x. s.funt au befoig de la cite;”” 
which I thus render in Englifh: “If a 
woman be convicted of fcolding or abufe, 
fhe fhall have a cord faffened under her 
arm-pits, and be caft three times into the 
water; and if any one upbraid her with 
it, fuch perfon fhall pay ten-pence; and 
if it be a-woman that upbraids, the wo- 
man fhall pay ten-pence or be ducked 
three times: and this fum of ten-pence 
fhall be for the ufe of the public.” 
The following very fingular CASE is re- 
lated by DR. CHEYNE, of BATH, mm his 
TREATISE 07 the ENGLISH MALADY.* 
“<< The Cafe of the Hou. Colonel Town- 
fhend.—Colonel Townthend, a gentleman 
of excellent natural parts and of great 
honour and integrity, had for many years’ 
been affizéted with a zephritick complaint, 
attended with conftant vomitings,: which 
had made. his lite painful and miferable. 
During the whole time of his illnefs he 
had cbferved the fri€teft regimen, living 
on the fofteft_ vegetables and lighteft ant- 
mal foods, drinking affe’s-milk daily,, 
even in the camp; and for common 
drink, Briftol-water, which, the fummer 
befere his death, he had drank on the fpot. 
But his illnefs increafing, and his ftrength 
decaying, he came from Briftol to Bath 
in a litter in‘autumn, and lay at the Bell- 
inn. Dr. Baynard, (who is fince dead,) 
and I, were calicd to him, and attended 
him twice a day for about the fpace of 
a week; but his vomiting continuing 
full incefant, and obftinate againft all 
remedies, we defpaired of his recovery. 
While he was in this. condition he fent 
for us early one morning: we waited on 
him, with Mr. Skrize, the apothecary : 
we found his fenfes clear, and his mind 
calm: his nurie, and feveral fervants were 
about him. He had made his will, and 
fettled his affairs. -He told us, he had 
feut for us to give him fome account of 
an odd fenjaticn, he had for fome time 
obferved and felt of himfelf, which was, 
——ihat compojing himfelf, he could die or 
expire when he pleafed; and yet, by an 
effort, or fomehow, he could come to life 
* Page 307. Second Edition. 
From the Part-Folia of a Man of Letters. 
fAug: 1 
again: which it feems he had fometimes 
tried before he fent for us. We heard. 
this with furprife, but as it was not to 
be accounted for upon common prin- 
ciples, we could hardiy believe the fact 
as he related it, much lefS give any ac- 
count of it, unlefs he fhould plezfe to 
make: the experiment before us, which 
we were unwilling he fltould do, left in 
his weak condition he fhould carry it too 
far. He continued to talk very diftinétly 
and fenfibly above an hour about this, (to 
him,) furprifing fenfation, and infifted fo 
much on our feeing the trial made, that 
we wére at laft obliged to comply. We 
all three felt his pulfe fir: it was dif- 
tint, though {mall and thready ; and his 
heart had its ufual beating. 
‘¢He compofed himfelt on his back, and 
lay ina ftill pofture fome time; while F 
held his right-hand, Dr. Baynard laid his 
hand on his heart, and Mr. Skrine held 
a clean looking-glafs to his mouth. I 
found his pulfe fink gradually, till at, 
lafi I could not feel any by the mof 
exact and nice touch. Dr. Baynard 
could not feel the leat motion in his beart, 
nor Mr. Skrine perceive the leaft foil of 
breath on the bright mirror he held to 
his mouth; then each of us, by turns, 
examined his arm, ‘heart, and breath, but 
could not, by the niceft f{crutiny, difcover 
the leaft fymptom of life in him. We 
reafoned a long time about this odd ap- 
pearance as well as we could, and all of 
us judging it inexplicable and unaccount- 
able, and finding he ftill continued in that 
condition, we began to conclude that he - 
had, indeed, carried the experiment too 
far, and at laft were fatisfied that he was 
aéiually dead, and were juft about to 
Jeave him. .This continued about half 
an hour, by nine o’clock in the morning, 
in autumn. As we were going away, 
we obferved fome motion about the body, 
and upon examination found his puife 
and the motion of his heart gradually re- 
turning; he began to breathe gently, and 
{peak fofily : we were all aitonifhed to 
the laft degree at this unexpeéted change, 
and after fome further converfation with 
him, and among ourfelves; went away 
fully fatisfied as to all the particulars of 
this fa&, but confounded, and puzzled, 
and not able, to form any rational icHeme 
that might account for it. 
<¢ He afterwards called for his attorney, 
added a codicil to his will—feitled lega- 
cies on his fervants—received the facra- 
ment—and calmly and compofedly ex- 
pired about five or fix o’clock that even- 
ing.”? a 
; The 
ae ee a 
