nefs and happiness; and how requifite a trong conftitution, able to endure hardships and fatigue, is to one that will make any figure in the world, is too obvious to need any proof.

§ 4. The confideration 1 fhall here have of health, fhall be, not what a phyfician ought to do with a fick and crazy child; but what the parents without the help of phyfick fhould do for the prefervation and improvement of an healthy, or at least not fickly conftitution in their children. And this perhaps might be all dispatched in this one fhort rule, viz. That gentlemen fhould ufe their children as the honeft farmers and fubftantial yeomen do theirs. But because the mothers poflibly may think this a little too hard, and the fathers too fhort, I fhall explain myself more particularly; only laying down this as a general and certain obfervation for the women to confiler, viz. That most children's conftitu.

tions are either spoiled, or at Tenderness. leaft harmed by cockering and

tendernefs.

5. The first thing to be taken care of, is, that children be not too warmly clad or cover'd, winter or fummer. Warmth. The face when we are born, is no

lefs tender than any other part of the body. 'Tis ufe alone hardens it, and makes it more able to endure the cold. And therefore the Scythian philofopher gave a very fignificant

A 6

anfwe

anfwer to the Athenian, who, wondered how he could go naked in froft and fnow. How,' faid the Scythian, can you endure your face 'expos'd to the sharp winter air?' My face is ៩ us'd to it,' faid the Athenian. Think me all 'face,' reply'd the Scythian. Our bodies will endure any thing, that from the beginning they are accuftomed to.

+ Nouveau Voyage du

Levant

An eminent inftance of this, though in the contrary excess of heat, being to our present purpofe, to fhew what ufe can do, I fhall fet down in the authors word's, as I meet with it in a late ingenious voyage t. "The heats, fays he are more vi“olent in Malta, than in any part "of Europe: They exceed those "of Rome itfelf, and are perfectly "flifling; and fo much the more, because there "are feldom any cooling breezes here. This "makes the common people as black as Gyp "fies: But yet the peafants defy the fun; they work on in the hottest part of the day, "without intermiffion, or fheltering themselves " from his fcorching rays. This has convinc'd "me that nature can bring itself to many

''

things which feem impoffible, provided we "accufiom ourselves from our infancy. The Maltefes do fo, who harden the bodies of heir children, and reconcile them to the "heat, by making them go ftark naked, with"cut fhirt, drawers, or any thing on their.

" heads,

"heads, from their cradles, till they are ten 66 years old."

Give me leave therefore to advise you, not to fence too carefully against the cold of this our climate. There are thofe in England, who wear the fame clothes winter and fummer, and that without any inconvenience, or more fenfe of cold than others find. But if the mother will needs have an allowance for froft and fnow, for fear of harm, and the father for fear of cenfure, be fure let not his winter-clothing be too warm: And amongst other things, remember, that when nature has fo well covered his head with hair, and ftrengthened it with a year or two's age, that he can run about by day without a cap, it is best that by night a child should also ly without one; there being nothing that more expofes to head-achs, colds, catarrhs, coughs, and feveral other diseases, than keeping the head warm.

§ 6. I have faid he here, because the principal aim of my difcourfe, is, how a young gentleman fhould be brought up from his infancy, which, in all things will not fo perfectly fuit the education of Daughters; though where the difference of fex requires different treatment, 'twill be no hard matter to diftinguish.

Feet.

And he

§ 7. I will alfo advise his feet to be washed every day in cold water, and to have his fhoes fo thin, that they might leak and let in water, whenever he comes near it. Here, I fear, I fhall have the mistress and maids too against me. One will think it too filthy, and the other perhaps too much pains to make clean his flockings. But yet truth will have it, that his health is much more worth, than all fuch confiderations, and ten times as much more. that confiders how mifchevious and mortal a thing taking wet in the feet is, to thofe who have been bred nicely, will wifh he had, with the poor people's children, gone bare-foot, who, by that means, come to be fo reconciled by cuftom to wet in their feet, that they take no more cold or harm by it, than if they were wet in their hands. And what is it, I pray, that makes this great difference between the hands and the feet in others, but only cu ftom? I doubt not but if a man from his cradle had been always used to go bare foot, whilst his hands were conftantly wrapt up in warm mittins, and covered with hand-shoes, as the Dutch call gloves; I doubt not, I fay, but fuch a custom would make taking wet in his hands as dangerous to him, as now taking wet in their feet is to a great many others. The way to prevent this, is to have his fhoes made fo as to leak water, and his feet washed conftantly

conftantly every day in cold water. commendable for its cleanlinefs:

It is re

but that

which I aim at in it, is health; and therefore I limit it not precifely to any time of the day. I have known it used every night with very good fuccefs, and that all the winter, without the omitting it fo much as one night in extreme cold weather; when thick ice covered the water, the child bathed his legs and feet in it, though he was of an age not big enough to rub and wipe them himfelf; and when he began this cuftom was puling and very tender. But the great end being to harden thofe parts, by a frequent and fami liar ufe of cold water, and thereby to prevent the mifchiefs that ufually attend accidental taking wet in the feet in thofe who are bred otherwife, I think it may be left to the prudence and convenience of the parents, to chufe either night or morning. The time I deem indifferent, fo the thing be effectually done. The health and hardinefs procured by it, would be a good purchafe at a much dearer rate. To which, if I add, the preventing of corns, that to fome men would be a very valuable confideration. But begin firit in the fpring with luke-warm, and fo colder and colder every time, till in a few days you come to perfectly cold water, and then continue it fo winter and fummer. For it is to be obferved