ON A TEMPERATE AND
HEALTHFUL LIFE
Luigi Cornaro
Page 5
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ON A TEMPERATE AND
HEALTHFUL LIFE |
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In consequence, therefore, of my taking
such methods, I have always enjoyed, and. God be praised, still enjoy,
the best of health. It is true, that, besides the two most important
rules relative to eating and drinking, which I have ever been very
scrupulous to observe (that is, not to take of either, more than my
stomach could easily digest, "and to use only those things which agree
with me), I have carefully avoided, as far as possible, all extreme
heat, cold, extraordinary fatigue, interruption of my usual hours of
rest, or staying long in bad air. I likewise did all that lay in my
power, to avoid those evils, which we do not find it so easy to remove:
melancholy, hatred, and other violent passions, which appear to have
the greatest influence on our bodies. I have not, however, been able to
guard so well against these disorders, as not to suffer myself now and
then to be hurried away by them. But I have discovered this fact, that these passions, have, in the main, no great influence over bodies
governed by the two foregoing rules of eating" and drinking. Galen, who
was an eminent physician, has said, that, so long as he followed these
two rules, he suffered but little from such disorders, so little, that
they never gave him above a day's uneasiness. That what he says is
true, I am a living witness, and so are many others who know me, and
have seen me, how often I have been exposed to heats and colds, and
disagreeable changes of weather, without taking harm, and have likewise
seen me (owing to
various misfortunes which have more
than once befallen me) greatly disturbed in mind;
these things, however, did me but little harm, whereas,
other members of my family, who followed not my
way of living, were greatly disturbed; such in a
word, was their grief and dejection at seeing me involved in expensive
law suits, commenced against me
by great and powerful men, that, fearing I should be
ruined, they were seized with great melancholy humour, with which
intemperate bodies always abound,
and such influence had it over their bodies, that they
were carried 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 permitted 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 exceedingly favourable
to my fortune and character. Page 5 |
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