whole kingdom, and far fuperior to that of Ken fington Gravel-Pits; for the gravel is here much wider and deeper, the place higher and more open towards the fouth, whilft it is guarded from the north wind by a ridge of hills, and from the fmells and fmoke of London by its distance; which laft is not the fate of Kensington, when the wind blows from any corner of the east.

Obligations to Mr. Ward I shall always confefs; for I am convinced that he omitted no care in endeavouring to ferve me, without any expectation or defire of fee or reward.

The powers of Mr. Ward's remedies want indeed no unfair puffs of mine to give them credit; and though this diftemper of the dropfy ftands, I believe, firit in the lift of thofe over which he is always certain of triumphing; yet, poffibly, there might be fomething particular in iny cafe, capable of eluding that radical force which had healed fo many thoufands. The fame diftemper, in different conftitutions, may poffibly be attended with fuch different fymptons, that to find an infallible noftrum for the curing any one diftemper in every patient, may be almoft as difficult as to find a panacea for the cure of all.

But even fuch a panacea one of the greatest scholars and best of men did lately apprehend he had difcovered. It is true, indeed, he was no phyfician; that is, he had not by the forms of his education acquired a right of applying his fkill in the art of phyfic to his own private advantage; and yet, perhaps, it may be truly afferted, that no other modern hath contributed fo much to make his phyfical skill useful to the public; at least, that none hath undergone the

pains of communicating this difcovery in writ ding to the world. The reader, I think, will fcarce need to be informed that the writer I mean is the late bifhop of Cloyne, in Ireland, and the difcovery, that of the virtues of tar-water.

I then happened to recollect, upon a hint given me by the inimitable author of the Female Quixote, that I had many years before, from curiofity only, taken a curfory view of bifhop Berkley's treatife on the virtues of tar-water, which I had formerly observed he strongly contends to be that real panacea which Sydenham fuppofes to have an existence in nature, though it yet remains undiscovered, and, perhaps, will always remain fo

Upon the re-perufal of this book I found the bishop only afferting his opinion, that tar-water might be useful in the dropfy, fince he had known it to have a furprizing fuccefs in the cure of a most stubborn anafarca, which is indeed no other than, as the word implies, the dropfy of the flesh ; and this was, at that time, a large part of my complaint.

After a fhort trial, therefore, of a milk-diet, which I prefently found did not fuit with my cafe, I betook myfelf to the bishop's prefcrip tion, and dofed myself every morning and evening with half a pint of tar-water.

Taft

It was no more than three weeks fince my tapping, and my belly and limbs were dittended with water. This did not give me the worse opinion of tar-water: for I never fuppofed there could be any fuch virtue in tar-water, as immcdiately to carry off a quantity of water already collected. For my delivery from this, I well

knew I must be again obliged to the trochar; and that if the tar-water did me any good at all, it must be only by the floweft degrees; and that if it fhould ever get the better of my diftemper, it must be by the tedious operation of undermin ing, and not by a fudden attack and form.

very

Some vifible effects, however, and far beyond what my moft fanguine hopes could with any modefty expect, I very foon experienced; the tar-water having, from the firft, leffened my illness, increased my appetite, and added, though in a very Ποιν proportion, to my bodily ftrength. But if my firength had increafed a little, my water daily increafed much more. So that, by the end of May, my belly became again ripe for the trochar, and I was a third time tapped; upon which two very favourable fymptoms appeared. I had three quarts of water taken from me lefs than had been taken the laft time; and I bore the relaxation with much less (indeed with searce any) faintness.

Thofe of my physical friends, on whofe judg ment I chiefly depended, feemed to think my only chance of life confifted in having the whole fummer before me; in which I might hope to ga ther fufficient ftrength to encounter the incle mencies of the enfuing winter. But this chance began daily to leffen. I faw the fuminer mouldering away, or rather, indeed, the year paffing away without intending to bring on any fummer at all. In the whole month of May the fun fcarce appeared three times, So that the early fruit came to the fullness of their growth, and to fome appearance of ripenefs, without acquir ing any real maturity; having wanted the heat of the fun to foften and meliorate their juices. I

faw the dropfy gaining rather than lofing ground; the distance growing ftill thorter between the tappings. I faw the atthma likewife beginning again to become more troublefome. I faw the Midfummer quarter drawing towards a clofe So that I conceived, if the Michaelmas quarter fhould fleal off in the fame manner, as it was, in my opinion, very much to be apprehended it would, I fhould be delivered up to the attacks of winter, before I recruited my forces, fo as to be any wife able to withstand them.

I now began to recal an intention, which from the firft dawnings of my recovery I had conceived, of removing to a warmer climate; and finding this to be approved of by a very eminent - phyfician, I refolved to put it into immediate execution.

Aix in Provence was the place first thought on; but the difficulties of getting thither were infuperable. The journey by land, befide the expence of it, was infinitely too long and faiguing; and I could hear of no fhip that was ikely to fet out from London, within any rea➡ onable time for Marseilles, or any other port in hat part of the Mediterranean.

Lisbon was préfently fixed on in its room. The air here, as it was near four degrees to the fouth of Aix, muft be more mild and warm, and the winter fhorter and lefs piercing.

It was not difficult to find a fhip bound to a place with which we carry on fo immenfe a trade. Accordingly, my brother foon informed me of the excellent accommodations for paffengers, which were to be found on board a fhip that was obliged to fail for Lisbon in three days.

I eagerly embraced the offer, notwithstanding the fhortness of the time; and having given my, brother full power to contract for our paffage, I began to prepare my family for the voyage with the utmolt expedition.

But our great hafte was needlefs; for the captain having twice put off his failing, I at length invited him to dinner with me at Fordhook, a full week after the time on which he had declared, and that with many affeverations, he muft, and would, weigh anchor.

He dined with me, according to his appointment; and when all matters were fettled between us, left me with pofitive orders to be cn board the Wednesday following; when he declared he would fall down the river to Graves end and would not stay a moment for the greatest man in the world.

He advifed me to go to Gravefend by land and there wait the arrival of his hip; affigning, many reasons for this, every one of which was, as I well remember, among thofe that had before determined me to go on board near the Tower.

THE