iii THE PREFACE. I Perfuade my self that there will be but little need of an Apology for the following Performance, with regard to the Design of it. The Aphorifms of Sanctorius have long been in the best Esteem with all good Judges, who have had the luck to be acquainted with them; and hereby I have endeavoured only to bring them into a larger Acquaintance, both by rendering them in our own Language, and giving fuch Explanations of some of the most difficult, as may make them cafy and intelligible, almoft to any Person who has given himself the Leisure to reflect at all, upon the Nature of his Constitution, and the Changes it is moft apt to undergo by the Influence of external Caufes. This Collection of Aphorifms has not only been a particular Favourite with the Faculty, but also has had a great share in the good Efteem of all other Perfons of Understanding; than which there cannot be a more convincing Proof of its worth; Truth never fails of Entertainment when it appears in its natural Drefs; as it may generalA 2 ly ly be obferved in any Science whatsoever, that when any thing is advanced and maintained by that natural and peculiar way of Thinking, which the Mind is fitted to, it will make its way with every Man of Senfe, as well as with thofe who have been trained up in the Myfteries of that Science. Knowledge indeed is branched out into feveral Chanels, all of which have by the Subtilty of fome Enquirers been pursued into fuch Intricacies, as make it very difficult to follow them, and by fome have been fo much disguised, as to make it even impoffible to do it; but when an unprejudiced Perfon is refolved to venture himfelf, upon the Strength only of those Capacities his Maker has thought fit to bestow upon him, and purfues his Enquiries with that Simplicity, and upon fuch Evidences as the Nature of his Subject will admit of, so far as he advances will be attended with Plainnefs and Conviction, and be as eafily made appear to any other Perfon of tolerable Sense, as to the common Stagers of that Subject. To this natural and free way of Enquiry, it is; that Sanctorius has been able to oblige the World with this excellent Collection of Aphorifms. Sometimes indeed he is very apt to lay hold of his Syftematical Helps; but it is very remarkable, that he is never more obfcure than at fuch times. He lays down his Matters of Fact upon fuch Evidences as cannot deceive; but when fometimes he goes farther, and gives Reasons, why it is fo, he is hardly to be understood. As when he tells us, that Cold ftrengthens robuft Conftitutions, but weakens those who are infirm, there is no body can doubt of the Truth of it; but when he gives his his Reafon, that Cold drives the natural Heat to the Center, in the former, and exhales it in the latter, I believe there are very few e'er the wifer. Thefe Aphorifms have formerly appeared in English,under the Title of Rules of Health; but the Tranflator has retained fo many Terms and Latin Phrases, that the Original I fhould think as eafy to an Englishman as the other, had it not gone off fo much, that at this time it is hardly to be met with. Dr. Lifter has alfo given an Edition in Latin, with his Notes upon each Aphorifm; but hardly with any other Advantage to the World, than making Sanctorius, who was before scarce, more common to be met with. Indeed I cannot make any large Acknowledgment for his Affiftances in what I have done, although I hardly omitted confulting him upon every Aphorifm, for in most I found my Author more intelligible than his Commentator; but in his Notes upon cne Place, where he speaks of Specificks working by infenfible Perfpiration, and with the Bark mentions the Ipecacuanha, as one of the fame Tribe, he seems to have gone into a Mistake of a very uncommon Nature. As to the Aphorifms, I have tranflated them as close as I am able, I mean as to the Author's Senfe, and taken, as much care as poffible therein not to transplant any hard Physical Terms; and where that could not be avoided, I have been particularly careful to make them intelligible in the Explanations. The fixth Section of Venery, I had fome Thoughts of leaving out; but for fear fome would look upon the Collection maimed thereby, and not be contented without all that Sanctorius Sanctorius himself thought fit to give to the Pub We have a common Saying, that a Man at Forty, is either a Fool or a Physician, from whence may thus much be gathered, that a wife Man by obferving what Effects every thing which turns up in the Course of his Life has upon his Con- ftitution, may come to a tollerable good Under- standing of what will promote or injure his Health. Where then a Man has with the utmost Pains and Fidelity, gone thorough a Course of Obfervations upon fuch unerring Guides, as with Certainty to determine the Effects of all these things upon his own Perfon, a Communication of them to the World with fuch Lights and Af fiftances as may render them easy and intelligi- ble to an indifferent Capacity, can, I hope, be. no unacceptable Prefent. It is already out of Difpute that Sanctorius has done the former Part, and by this I have offered my best Endea- I am not at all unaware how fevere fome will be hereupon, in requiring how often they must weigh themselves, and whether they ought to eat and drink by the Qunce; to whom I have only this to fay, that Sanctorius by the Ballance, has already done enough to convince any serious Perfon of the natural Discharges, and their Pro- portions to one another, the moft confiderable of which, viz. that by infenfible Perfpiration |