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OF THE LABORIOUS, THE SEDENTARY.

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No person can enjoy health who does not properly digest his food.Butintense thinking and inactivity never fail to weaken the powers ofdigestion. Hence the humours become crude and vitiated, the solidsweak and relaxed, and the whole constitution goes to ruin.

Long and intense thinking often occasions grievous head-acheswhich bringon vertigos, apoplexies, palsies, and otherfatal disorders.The best way to prevent these is, never to study too long at one time,and to keep the body regular, either by proper food, or taking fre-quently a little of some opening medicine.

Those who read or write much are often afflicted with sore eyes.Studying by candle-light is peculiarly hurtful to the sight. This oughtto be practised as seldom as possible. When it is unavoidable, the eyesshould be shaded, and the head should not be held too low. Whenthe eyes are weak or painful, they should be bathed every night andmorning in cold water, to which a little brandy may be added.

It has already been observed, that the excretions are very defectivein the studious. The dropsy is often occasioned by the retention ofthose humours which ought to be carried off in this way. Any per-son may observe, that sitting makes his legs swell, and that this goesoff by exercise ; which clearly points out the method of prevention,Fevers, especially of the nervous kind, are often the effect of studyNothing affects the nerves so much as intense thought. It in a man-ner unhinges the whole human frame, and not only hurts the vital mo-tions, but disorders the mind itself. Hence a delirium, melancholy,and even madness, are often the effects of close application to study.In fine, there is no disease which can proceed either from a bad stateof the humours, a defect of the usual secretions, or a debility of thenervous system, which may not be induced by intense thinking.

The most afflicting of all the diseases which attack the studious isthe hypochondriac. This disease seldom fails to be the companionof deep thought. It may rather be called a complication of maladiesthan a single one. To what a wretched condition are the best of menoften reduced by it ? Their strength and appetite fail; a perpetualgloom hangs over their minds; they live in the constant dread of death,and are continually in search of relief from medicine, where, alas ! itis not to be found. Those who labour under this disorder, thoughthey are often made the subject of ridicule, justly claim our highestsympathy aud compassion.

Hardly any thing can be more preposterous than for a person tomake study his sole business. A mere student is seldom a usefulmember of society. He often neglects the most important duties oflife, in order to pursue studies of a very trifling nature. Indeed, itrarely happens that any useful invention is the effect of mere study.The farther men dive into profound researches, they generally deviatethe more from common sense, and too often lose sight of it altogether.Profound speculations, instead of making men wiser or better, gene-rally render them absolute sceptics, and overwhelm them with doubtand uncertainty. All that is necessary for man to know, in order tobe happy, is easily obtained; and the rest, like the forbidden fruit,serves only to increase his miserv.