f weather;
and have, likewise, seen me (owing to various misfortunes, which
have more than once befallen me) greatly disturbed my mind. For
they can not only say of me, that such disturbance of mind has done
me very little harm, but they can aver of many others, who did not
lead a sober and regular life, that it proved very prejudicial to
them, amongst whom was a brother of my own, and others of my family,
who trusting to the goodness of their constitution, did not follow
my way of living. The consequence hereof was a great misfortune to
them, the perturbations of the mind having thereby acquired an
extraordinary influence over their bodies. Such, in a word, was
their grief and dejection at seeing me involved in expensive
law-suits, commenced against my by great and powerful men, that,
fearing I should be cast, they were seized with that melancholy
humour, with which intemperate bodies always abound; and these
humours had such an influence over them, and increased to such
a degree, as to carry them off before their time; whereas I
suffered nothing on the occasion, as I had in me no superfluous
humours of that kind. Nay, in order to keep up my spirits, I
brought myself to think, that God had raised up these suits
against me, in order to make me more sensible of my strength of
body and mind; and that I should get the better of them with
honour and advantage, as it, in fact, came to pass: for, at
last, I obtained a decree exceeding favourable to my fortune and
my character, which, though it gave me the highest pleasure, had
not the power to do me any harm in other respects. Thus it is
plain, that neither melancholy nor any other affection of the
mind can hurt bodies governed with temperance and regularity.

But I must go a step further, and say, that even misfortunes
themselves can do but very little mischief, or cause but very
little pain, to such bodies; and that this is true, I have myself
experienced at the age of seventy. I happened, as is often the
case, to be in a coach, which going at a pretty smart rate, was
overset, and in that condition drawn a considerable way by the
horses, before means could be found to stop them; whence I
received so many shocks and bruises, that I was taken out with
my head and all the rest of my body terribly battered, and a
dislocated leg and arm. When I was brought home, the family
immediately sent for the physicians, who, on their arrival, seeing
me in so bad a plight, conclud