forts of grapes in England, I think children. fhould be wholly kept from, as having a very tempting tafte, in a very unwholfome juice: fo that if it were poffible, they should never fo much as fee them, or know there were any fuch things. But ftrawberries, cherries, goofeberries or currants, when thorough ripe, I think may be pretty fafely allowed them, and that with a very liberal hand, if they be eaten with thefe cautions: 1. Not after meals, as we ufually do, when the ftomach is already full of other food: But I think they should be eaten rather before or between meals, and children fhould have them for their breakfast. 2. Bread eaten with them. 3. Perfectly ripe. If they are thus eaten, I imagine them rather conducing, than hurtful to our health. Summer fruits being fuited to the hot feason of the year they come in, refresh our ftomachs, languishing and fainting under it; and therefore I fhould not be altogether fo ftrict in this point, as fome are to their children, who being kept fo very fhort, instead of a moderate quantity of well chofen fruit, which being allowed them would content them, whenever they can get loofe, or bribe a fervant to fupply them, fatisfy their longing with any trash they can get, and eat to a furfeit.

Apples and pears too, which are thorough ripe, and have been gathered fome time, I think may be fafely eaten at any time, and in pretty

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pretty large quantities; especially apples, which never did any body hurt that I have heard, after October.

Fruits alfo, dry'd without fugar, I think very wholfome. But fweet-meats of all kinds are to be avoided; which, whether they do more harm to the maker or eater, is not eafy to tell. This I am fure, it is one of the moft inconvenient ways of expence that vanity hath yet found out; and fo I leave them to the ladies.

Sleep.

21. Of all that looks foft and effeminate, nothing is more to be indulged children, than fleep.

In

this alone they are to be permitted to have their full fatisfaction; nothing contributing more to the growth and health of children, than fleep. All that is to be regulated in it is, in what part of the twenty-four hours they fhould take it; which will easily be refolved, by only faying, that it is of great ufe to accuf-, tom 'em to rife early in the morning. It is beft fo to do, for health; and he that, from his childhood, has, by a fettled cuftom, made ifing betimes eafy and familiar to him, will not, when he is a man, waste the best and most useful part of his life in drowsiness, and lying a-bed. If children therefore are to be called up early in the morning, it will fol low of course, that they must go to bed betimes; whereby they will be accustomed to a

void the unhealthy and unfafe hours of debauchery, which are thofe of the evenings; and they who keep good hours, seldom are guilty of any great disorders. I do not fay this, as if your fon, when grown up, fhould never be in company paft eight, nor ever chat over a glass of wine 'till midnight. You are now, by the accuftoming of his tender years, to indifpofe him to thofe inconveniences as much as you can; and it will be no small advantage, that contrary practice having made fitting up uneafy to him it will make him of ten avoid, and very feldom propose midnight revels. But if it fhould not reach fo far, but fashion and company fhould prevail, and make him live as others do above twenty, 'tis worth the while to accuftom him to early rifing and early going to bed, between this and that, for the prefent improvement of his health and other advantages..

Though I have faid a large allowance of fleep, even as much as they will take, fhould be made to children when they are little; yet I do not mean, that it should always be continued to them in fo large a proportion, and they fuffered to indulge a drowsy laziness in their bed, as they grow up bigger. But whether they should begin to be reftrained at seven or ten years old, or any other time, is impoffible to be precifely determined. Their tempers, ftrength, and conftitutions mut

be confidered. But fome time between fe ven and fourteen, if they are too great lovers of their beds, I think it may be feasonable to begin to reduce them by degrees to about eight hours, which is generally reft enough. for healthy grown people. If you have accuftomed him, as you fhould do, to rife conftantly very early in the morning, this fault of being too long in bed will eafily be reformed; and moft children will be forward enough to shorten that time themfelves, by coveting to fit up. with the company at night; tho' if they be not looked after, they will be apt to take it out in the morning, which fhould by no means be permitted. They should conftantly be called up, and made to rife at their early hour. But great care fhould be taken in waking them, that it be not done haflily, nor with a loud or fhrill voice, or any other fudden violent noife. This often affrights children, and does them great harm; and found fleep thus broke off with fudden alarms, is apt enough to difcompofe any one. When children are to be wakened out of their fleep, be fure to begin with a low call, and fome gentle motion, and fo draw them out of it by degrees, and give them none but kind words and ufage, 'till they are come perfectly to themfilves, and being quite dreffed, you are fure they are thoroughly awake, the being forced from their fleep, how gently foever you do it,

is pain enough to them; and care fhould be taken not to add any other uneasiness to it, especially fuch that may terrify them.

22. Let his bed be hard, and rather quilts than feathers. Hard Bed. lodging ftrengthens the Parts;

whereas being buried every night in feathers. melts and diffolves the body, is often the cause of weaknefs, and the forerunner of an early grave. And, befides the ftone, which has often its rife from this warm wrapping of the reins, feveral other indifpofitions, and that which is the root of them all, a tender weak. ly conftitution, is very much owing to down beds. Befides, he that is ufed to hard lodging at home, will not mifs his fleep (where he has moft need of it) in his travels abroad, for want of his foft bed, and his pillows laid in order. And therefore I think it would not be amifs, to make his bed after different fafhions: fometimes lay his head higher, sometimes lower; that he may not feel every little change he must be fure to meet with, who is not defigned to ly always in my young maf ter's bed at home, and to have his maid lay all things in print, and tuck him in warm. The great cordial of nature is fleep. that miffes that, will fuffer by it; and he is very unfortunate, who can take his cordial only in his mother's fine gilt cup, and not in a wooden dish. He that can fleep foundly, takes B. 6

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