The fame diftemper, in different conftitutions, may poffibly be attended with fuch different fymptoms, that to find an infallible noftrum for the curing any one diftemper in every patient, may be almost as difficult as to find a panacea for the cure of all.

BUT even fuch a panacea one of the greatest scholars and beft 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 skill 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 phy fical fkill ufeful to the public; at least, that none hath undergone the pains of communicating this difcovery in writing to the world. The reader, I think, will fcarce need to be informed that the writer L mean is the late bifhop of Cloyne in Ireland, and the difcovery, that of the vir tues of tar-water.

I THEN happened to recollect, upon a hint given me by the inimitable and fhamefully diftrefs'd author of the FemaleQuixote, C4

that

that I had many years before, from curiofity only, taken a curfory view of bishop Berkley's treatife on the virtues of tarwater, which I had formerly obferved he ftrongly contends to be that real panacea which Sydenham fuppofes to have an existence in nature, tho' it yet remains. undifcovered, 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 ftubborn 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 myself to the bishop's prescription, and dosed myfelf every morning and evening with half a pint of tar-water.

Ir was no more than three weeks fince my last tapping, and my belly and limbs were diftended with water. This did not

give

give me the worfe opinion of tar-water : for I never fuppofed there could be any fuch virtue in tar-water, as immediately 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 undermining; and not by a fudden attack and ftorm.

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 very firft, leffened my illness, increased my appetite; and added, though in a very flow proportion, to my bodily ftrength.

BUT if my ftrength had encreased a little, my water daily encreased 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 last time; and I bore

C 5

bore the relaxation with much less (indeed with fcarce any) faintnefs.

But this chance

THOSE of my phyfical friends, on whofe judgment 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 gather fufficient ftrength to encounter the inclemencies of the enfuing winter. began daily to leffen. I faw the fummer 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 fruits came to the fulness of their growth, and to fome appearance of ripenefs, without acquiring 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 still shorter between the tappings.. I faw the afthma. 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 steal off in the fame manner, as it was, in my opinion, very much to be

appre

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 recall an intention, which from the first dawnings of my recovery I had conceiv'd, of removing to a warmer climate; and finding this to be approv'd of by a very eminent physician, 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 fatiguing; and I could hear of no fhip that was likely to fet out from London, within any reafonable time for Marseilles, or any other port in that part of the Mediterranean.

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