the Fifth, who refigned the government of Spain to his fon Philip.* All perfons, after a certain period, *The refignation of Charles the Fifth filled all Europe with aftonishment; and gave rife, both among his contemporaries, and among the historians of that period, to various conjectures, concerning the motives which determined a prince, whose ruling paffion had been uniformly the love of power, at the age of fifty-fix, when objects of ambition continue to operate with full force upon the mind, and are pursued with the greatest ardour, to take a refolution fo fingular and unexpected. But while many authors have imputed it to motives fo frivolous and fantastical as can hardly be supposed to influence any reasonable mind; while others have imagined it to be the refult of some profound scheme of policy, hiftorians more intelligent, and better informed, neither afcribe it to caprice, nor fearch for myfterious fecrets of ftate, when fimple and obvious caufes will fully account for the Emperor's conduct. Charles had been attacked early in life with the gout, and, notwithstanding all the precautions of the moft skilful phyficians, the violence of the distemper increased as he advanced in age; and the fits became every year more frequent, as well as more fevere. Not only was the vigour of his conftitution broken, but the faculties of his mind were impaired by the excruciating torments which he endured. During the continuance of the fits, he was altogether incapable of applying to bufinefs; and even when they began to abate, as it was only at intervals that he could attend to what was serious, he gave up a great part of his time to trifling and even childish occupations, which ferved to amuse or relieve his mind, enfeebled and worn out with excess of pain. Under these circumstances of a premáture old age, the functions of government far exceeded his ftrength; and having thus grown old before his time, he wifely judged it to be more decent to conceal his infirmities in fome folitude, than to expose them any ionger to the public eye. But he had no relish for attainments of any kind, and he funk by degrees into the deepest melancholy. EATING and DRINKING.-Diet, the firft of the fix non-naturals before-mentioned, confifts in meat and drink, and caufes melancholy in proportion as it offends in quantity, quality, or the like. Food improperly taken, not only produces original diseases, but affords those that are already engendered both matter and sustenance; for neither unwholesome air, nor the moft violent perturbation, or any other caufe, can work its effect, except its operation be affifted by a pre-difpofition of the humours; fo that, let the father of disease be what it may, INTEMPERANCE is certainly its mother; and from this fource not only. melancholy, but most other distempers, generally arife. Galen, Ifaac the Jew, Halyabbas, Avecinna, four Arabian, and many other phyficians, both English and foreign, have written copious treatises on this particular subject; and as their works are not generally found in modern libraries, I will briefly defcribe what kinds of food are in the opinions of these writers most "Thy youth, thy ftrength, thy beauty, which will change "To wither'd, weak, and grey; thy fenfes then "Obtufe, all taste of pleasure must forego, OF THE CAUSES. 8 40 likely to effect an alteration of the system, and to engender this melancholy humour. Beef is a ftrong and hearty meat, good for fuch as arè found and healthy, but very unfit for fuch as lead a refty life, and are any ways dejected, or of a dry complexion. Pork is in its nature more nutritive than any other species of animal food; but it is noxia delicatis to fuch as have full habits, or queasey ftomachs; and its too frequent ufe is likely to generate not only a melancholy difpofition, but a quartan ague. Goats' flesh is bad; for the goat is a filthy beast, and ramish; and therefore will breed rank and filthy humours; but the kid, when young and tender, is light and excellent eating. The flesh of the hart and red deer has an evil name, as a strong, coarsegrained meat, yielding a grofs and heavy nutriment, like that of horse flesh; and, though the Tartars and Chinese eat of it, as in Spain they do of young foals, as a choice and dainty difh, it is in general condemned; forall venifon, however highly it may be esteemed with us, efpecially in our folemn feafts, (for there are more parks in England than in all Europe befides,) certainly begets bad blood, and ought to be sparingly used. The flesh of hare, alfo, is a melancholy meat; for it is hard of digeftion, breeds the incubus, and causes fearful dreams. It is, like venifon, condemned by the physicians' jury; and and although Mizaldus, and fome others fay, these are merry meats, this is only per accidens; and on account of the excellent sport the animals afford in hunting, and of the mirth and good company they promote while eaten, as Martial teftifies in his Epigram to Gallia. But young rabbits are by all approved. Milk, and all that milk produces, as butter, cheese, curds, with the exception only of affes milk and whey, increase melancholy. Of fowl, peacock, pigeon, and all the fenny tribe, as ducks, geese, swans, hearnes, cranes, coots, didappers, water-hens, teal, curleus, and fheldrakes, are forbidden; for though they are fine in feathers, and pleasant to the palate, although, like hypocrites, they have gay outfides, and feducing tastes, they are trea cherous to the health, and deceitfully dangerous. Of fishes, the whole species are condemned, efpecially tench, lamprey, craw-fish, and fuch as breed in muddy waters. The Carthufian friars, therefore, who live moftly upon fifh, are more subject to melancholy than any other religious order; and Forrestus exemplifies it with an inftance of one Bufcodnefe, a Carthufian friar, in high health, and of a ruddy complexion, who, by eating chiefly, and perhaps enormously, of this aquatic food, foon loft the roses from his cheeks, and became at length fallow, lean, and melancholy. Of herbs, gourds, cucumbers, cole worts, |