expert in every thing, and dignified with the appellation of wife men: not that they ever affumed this title to themselves, as being more fenfible than any body how little human fcience deferved it, but they could not help what other people called them. At length Pythagoras prevailed to have the name of Wife Man changed into that of Admirer of Wifdom, by which he intended to take upon himself the character of a person affiduously employed in the fearch of knowledge, without ever pretending to have attained it compleatly. Thus he became the founder and father of philofophy, and his defcendants for a while preferved the fame tenour of conduct and temper of mind; always inquifitive, always improving, fenfible their greatest wifdom lay in the knowledge of their ignorance, and unfolicitous to conceal it. But, in procefs of time, another fet of perfons mingled among them, whether really of the family, but tainted with a corrupt mixture of foreign blood, or whether a fpurious iffue, gaining admittance through the negligence of the heralds. Thefe folks, finding how great fubmiffion had been paid to the ipfe dixit of the founder, and from thence fuppofing he delivered his doctrines as oracular truths never to be controverted or examined, thought to prove themfelves his offspring by an air of pofitiveness and felf-fufficiency: fo they fet up for oracles too, iflued their ipfe dixits like the edicts of an emperor, and realfumed that claim to wifdom which he had taken fo much pains to reject. "From thenceforward the family became parted into two branches, the Searches and the Knowalls. The former, retaining the fpirit of their ancestor, were perpetually fearching after knowledge, without ever thinking they had enough, purfuing always the ufeful rather than the curious, or regarding the latter only as it might be made fubfervient to the former. Diffident of their understanding, they examined their premiffes carefully before they built upon them, and fubmitted their de ductions to a review upon proper occafions: and though de fpairing of abfolute certainty in any thing, they wanted not moral affurance to keep them fteady in following the best lights of their judgment. In their intercourfe with others they were docible, humble, and modeft, willing to learn of any body, and ready to communicate what they had, were it ever so small: defirous of reputation only as it might gain them the better hearing, wishing to be believed no further than as they could offer reafons convincing to the hearer: lovers of unity and reconcilement rather than oppofition, ftriving to interpret a different opinion, fo as to bring it compatible with their own, rather than to overthrow it. "On the contrary, the Knowalls, confident in their abilities, foon thought themfelves matters of whatever they undertook they they fcorned to examine their principles minutely, as betraying a want of genius and penetration, fo they commonly took up their tenets at hap-hazard, and then pleafed themselves with fhowing how dexterously they could maintain them; more solicitous to gain the applaufe, than promote the benefit of mankind: affuming, peremptory, and overbearing, proving every thing by demonftration, or expecting their word fhould be taken in lieu of demonftration; impatient of contradiction themselves, and delighted to overthrow all who but feemed to differ from them. This branch produced the Sophifts of Greece, the academics after times who would maintain the pro and con upon any fubject propofed, the fchoolmen and popish doctors in the dark ages of Chriftianity. According to the humour of the times they lived in, they would brag of being fkilful in all arts whatever, even to making the fhoes upon their feet, and ring upon their finger; or of running ye off two hundred lines while they stood upon one leg; or of writing a-gallop, and furnishing fheets for the prefs fafter than they could be printed off. In modern days there have been offsets fprung out from them the Methodists, who pretend to know the fecrets of Heaven, and deliver all their fancies with a Thus faith the Lord and the Freethinkers, who, though fole mafters of reafon, do not use it for the information of mankind, but only to pick holes in the works of others, and, if they can make themselves laugh, efteem it the fame as making an adversary fubmit. "The Search branch, not fond of putting themselves forward, have fcarce ever compofed a vifible church, but lie difperfed up and down, minding their own business quietly, according to their feveral talents and ftations. To this branch. belong thofe who have made any real improvement, not only in philofophy, but in any art or fcience conducive to the benefit of mankind, and thofe who, wanting ability to ftrike out improvements of their own, endeavour fairly to understand and make a good ufe of thofe imparted to them by others. For many of the Searches have very moderate parts, but then they do the best that is to be done with them: on the other hand, we often find fhining talents among the Knowalls, but then they feek no more than to fhine with them, and it is well if they do not turn them to mischievous purposes. "As I was a Search myfelf, (continued the Philofopher) it is natural for me to favour my own relations, and I need not use flatjery to perfuade you of your being one: for it is not brightness of parts, nor extenfivenefs of learning, but an honeft induftrious temper, a cautious freedom of inquiry, a fobriety of mind, an humility of difpofition, that characterise our line. If I had found no other mark, I fhould have known you for a true Search by the pliableness of your neck. The Knowalls have a wonderful stiffness in the yertebra, vertebræ, therefore they judge of their fize by the noise they make, and, having most of them pretty loud voices, they defpife the rest of us as fo many pygmies." We fhall take leave, at prefent, of this original Writer, with obferving, that he has maintained the character of a Search through the whole of his performance, and proved himself a true defcendant and zealous admirer of Mr. Locke: fome of his readers, perhaps, will be of opinion, that he has difcovered too close an attachment to the principles and reafoning of that great mafter. [To be concluded in another Article.] KS. An Effay on Difeafes incident to literary and fedentary Perfons. With proper Rules for preventing their fatal Confequences, and Inftructions for their Cure. By S. A. Tiflot, M. D. Profeffor of Phyfic at Berne. The Second Edition *, with very large Additions. With a Preface and Notes by J. Kirkpatrick, M. D. 12mo. 3s. Nourfe. 1769. R. Tillot, on being appointed Profeffor of Phyfic in the univerfity of Berne, delivered before the members of that univerfity, an inaugural oration on the diseases incident to literary and fedentary perfons. Thefe difeafes are derived from two principal fources, the perpetual labours of the mind, and the conftant inaction of the body. That we may understand,' fays our Author, the influence the workings of the mind have upon the health of the body, we need only remember in the firft place, the fact I have already mentioned; and which every person who thinks, and takes notice of his thinking, must be fenfible of, viz. that the brain is in action during the time of thinking. 2dly, That every part of the body which is in action becomes weary; and that if the labour continues for any length of time, the functions of the part are difturbed. 3dly, That all the nerves proceed from the brain, and exactly from that part of it fuppofed to be the feat of thinking, and called the fenforium commune. 4thly, That the nerves are fome of the moft principal parts of the human frame; that they aflift in all its functions; and that whenever their powers are disturbed, the whole animal economy muft fuffer. Thefe evident principles being once eftablished, every one must be fenfible that when the brain is exhausted by the action of the foul, the nerves must of course be injured; in confequence of which, health will be endangered, and the conftitution will at length be destroyed without any other apparent caufe,' The parts first injured by the undue exercife of the mind, are, the brain itself, the nerves which arife from it, and the ftomach, which is furnished with many nerves of an exquifite fenLation; and by degrees indeed the whole body. See Review for February, Art. 39, of the Catalogue. The The following is a fingular inftance of the bad effects of an over exercife of the brain: My friend M. Zimmerman,' fays Dr. T. gives an inftance of a literary complaint of too interesting a nature to be omitted. A young gentleman of Switzerland, fays that learned phyfician, gave himself up entirely to metaphyfics; he foon perceived that his mind grew weary, which he endeavoured to conquer by clofer application: this increased his diforder; notwithstanding which he studied ftill more earneftly. This conteft lafted for fix months, and the disease increased to fuch a degree, that the body and the fenfes became injured. The health of his body was restored by medicines, but the mind and fenfes degenerated in a manner almoft imperceptible into a compleat ftupor. Although he was not blind, he appeared not to fee; although he was not deaf, he feemed not to hear; and altho' he was not dumb, he never fpoke a fyllable. He flept however, eat and drank, without taste, or without averfion; never asking for food, nor refusing it when offered. He was deemed incurable, and therefore no medicines were given to him; and he continued in this ftate during the space of a year. At the expiration of this term, a letter was read out loud in his prefence; he started, complained inwardly, and put his hand up to his ear. This being obferved, the perfon who was reading raifed his voice; he then began to cry out, and discovered fymptoms of exquifite pain: the experiment was repeated, and he recovered his hearing by excefs of pain. The other fenfes were restored one after another in the fame kind of way; and at the return of each fenfe, it was observed that he recovered gradually from his stupidity; but his pains were so acute, and his ftrength fo far exhaufted, that he was for a long time in great danger of dying. At length nature prevailed almoft without any affiftance of art; his health was entirely restored; and he is at prefent one of our most learned philofophers. It is impoffible to explain thefe phænomena otherwife, than by admitting the nerves to be affected, and by the influence the foul has upon them.' The injuries which the ftomach fuftains from immoderate labour of the mind, are evinced by daily experience. We know that one of the firft fymptoms of an injured brain, after a blow on the head, is a difordered ftomach, accompanied with vomiting. We likewife know, that thofe who are moft addicted to hard ftudy, perform their digeftion, cæteris paribus, with greater difficulty, A man of extraordinary genius, who has been extremely ftudious, told me not long ago, that after having applied very clofely for feveral hours together, as he found his imagination highly worked up, he perceived that his head became fuddenly weak, his ideas were all confufed, he loft his comprehenfion, became fick, and vomited feveral times. Mr. Pome speaks of a learned man who had fo far weakened his ftomach by ftudy, that he vomited after every meal. This unhappy confequence of intenfe application has been more conftantly obferved than any other. Ariftotle was obliged to wear upon the region of the ftomach a bladder filled with aromatic oil; and M. A. Antoninus had fo far injured this vifcus, by the continual state of extension in which his mind was kept, by the government of the em pire pire of the world, and the cultivation of literature, that, according to the report of his firft phyfician, Galen, he was fubject to indigef tions he could not get rid of, without fafting for four and twenty hours, and taking a glafs of warm wine, in which a few grains of pepper were infufed. The fame author has handed down to us the ftory of a woman, named Arria, whom he was very fond of, and who, by an affiduous application to Plato's philofophy, had fo weakened her ftomach, that he could not take any nourishment, and was fo debilitated, that he could not fupport herself any other way than by laying [lieing] on her back. M. Boerhaave, who lived long in a city where learning is much cultivated, fays, that ftudy begins by impairing the ftomach; and that if the complaint is not relieved, it may degenerate into a melancholy. A famous Portuguese phyfician ufed to fay, that a vitiated ftomach attends learned people, as furely as the fhadow follows the body. I have myself feen patients who have fuffered for this immoderate thirft of learning, firft by a lofs of appetite. an entire inability of the digefting powers, and a total debility which enfued; afterwards they have been tormented with fpafms, convulfions, and at length with a total privation of all their fenfes.' The firit fymptoms which indicate a weakness of the nervous system, are a kind of pufillanimity we were before trangers to; diffidence, fear, dejection and difpiritednefs: he who was the most intrepid man now becomes the molt timorous; the flightest undertaking frightens him, the most trifling unforeseen incident makes him tremble; the fighteft indifpofition appears to him a fatal difeafe; and the idea of death fills him with intolerable horrors. Some tyrants have condemned certain philofophers to death, but have never been able to make them fear it; how much more effectually would their cruelty have been exercifed, if by fuffering them ftill to live, they could have infpired them with thofe fears of death hypochondriacs are tormented with? We fee inftances every day of men of learning, who perceiving the first figns of this distemper, have been obliged to forfake their favourite ftudies; whofe nerves being weakened, they become incapable of attention; their memory fails; their ideas are confused; a fenfation of heat in the head, palpitations, a total dejection, and the apprehenfion of death makes the pen fall from their hands. Quiet, nourithing food, and exercise, foon restore them to their former health; but as foon as they return to their books, they are again obliged to quit them. The day paffes in thefe alternatives; at night they are fatigued and caft down; they go to bed, but their nights are much difturbed; the irritability of their nerves prevents them from fleeping, and oftentimes even from the power of thinking. I know young man, who after having ftudied very hard, could never open a book without being feized with convulfions of the muscles of the face and head, which then feemed as if it were bound tight with cords.' The bad effects of immoderate application of the mind are deduced from three laws of the animal oeconomy.-The first is, that when the foul has made too great an impreffion on the brain, it becomes unable to efface that impreffion; the action therefore continues involuntarily, and re-acting on the foul, filis |