Another collection of philosophical conferences of the French virtuosi upon questions of all sorts for the improving of natural knowledg made in the assembly of the Beaux Esprits at Paris by the most ingenious persons of that nation / render'd into English by G. Havers, Gent. & J. Davies ..., Gent.

CONFERENCE CCXX. Whether it be better to go to bed late, and rise betimes in the Morning; or do the contrary. (Book 220)

THough it be a kind of recession from the common opinion, to prefer going to bed and rising late, before the oppo∣site; yet is it to be noted by the way, that most Persons of great affairs, and the more judicious sort, observing that course of life, are of that judgment; since that to approve a thing is to do it. Now we see that all the great Lords and Ladies about the Court, the most refin'd spirits, and such are best able to judge of all things, nay most men who have any thing more than an or∣dinary

burthen of affairs, for the most part go to bed late, and rise late; whereof several Reasons may be assign'd. The first and most ordinary, me-thinks, are the affairs themselves, which insensibly steal away the time from us; and that the more unperceivably, the more delightful that business is, about which we are employ'd; the time sliding away faster from him, who takes a pleasure in the do∣ing of a thing, then it does from another who is in some trouble of mind or body. Whence it comes, that a tedious Tale, and a bad Book, are ever thought too long. They therefore are to be thought the happiest, who, if they had their own wills, would go to bed la∣test; not only for that reason which made a certain King of this part of the World say, That he would be King as long as he could, inasmuch as when he slept, there was no difference between him & the meanest of his Subjects: but also for this, that night surprizing them before they had done all their business, the Supper or Col∣lation must be the later, and consequently the going to bed. The second reason is deduc'd hence, that there ought to be a correspon∣dence between the tranquillity of the mind and that of the body. It being therefore necessary, that he who would take a good sleep should not be subject to any disturbance of mind, & that indistur∣bancy being procured only by that order which every one hath taken in his affairs, it is to be imagin'd, that the later a man goes to bed, the more business he hath dispatch'd, and consequently there remains the less to be done. Upon this score is it, that Merchant's Suppers are accounted the most quiet, for having spent the whole day in trudging up and down about their Trade, they then enjoy themselves with greater serenity. In the third place, a man should not go to bed, till digestion be pretty well advanc'd; from the want or slowness whereof, hideous Dreams, Crudities, Ventosities, nay sometimes Apoplexies, do proceed. Now this digestion is so much the more advanc'd, the later a man goes to bed: which difference will be best observ'd by those, who go just from the Table to their beds, and lie down as soon as the meat is out of their mouths. Fourthly, that Custom is ever the best, from which it is in a man's power most easily to wean himself, and in the change whereof he will be subject to least inconvenience. Now he who hath contract∣ed a habit of going to bed late, will find it a less inconvenience to go to bed betimes, that so he may rise betimes, or upon some o∣ther Motive, then he shall, who hath accustomed himself to go to bed betimes, for he will be sleepy, and unfit for the doing of any thing, as soon as his bed-time is come. Fifthly, Hippocrates would not have a man enslave himself to an over-strict course of life, grounding his advice on this, that such regular persons find it the greater difficulty to support the miscarriages which often∣times cannot be avoided in the ordinary course of life; as those who walk upon ropes are more apt to fall, at least find it a har∣der matter to keep on, then those who walk on the plain ground. Now those who go to bed betimes are commonly more regular in the hours of Supper, and all the other actions of the day, up∣on the exact observance whereof that of their bed-time does

depend. Now it is obvious to any one, who shall consider the difference of professions, that there are but few that leave a man at liberty to observe so exact a rule as this is. So that being some∣times necessitated to make a breach of it, the consequence will be, that those who have the more strictly engag'd themselves to the observance of the rule of going to bed betimes, must needs receive a far greater inconvenience from the neglect of it, than they ordinarily do who go to bed late. Sixthly, the same reason that obliges phlegmatick persons, and such as are subject to Ca∣tarrhs, to content themselves with little sleep, which is this; that their humidity, joyn'd with that of sleep it self, augments their distemper; besides, that Sleeping which moistens and cools, is not so well procur'd in that part of the day which is most cold and moist, that is, from nine at Night till three in the Morning, but rather towards the Morning, at which time the Blood begins to be predominant, inasmuch as in so doing he abates somewhat of its Heat, and being to dilate it self till ten in the Morning, at which time Choler begins to be predominant, moderates its acri∣mony; as all those will acknowledge, which Sex soever they be of, who are subject to the Megrim, who find very great ease by that Morning sleep, which accordingly is found to be the most de∣lightful; and hath this further advantage attributed to it, that the Dreams thereof are prophetical, and will come to pass in a short time; whereas the others are accounted superfluous by those who have been Professors in that Art. Moreover, those who rise too early in Morning are subject to the Headach in the After∣noon, and more easily transported with Anger all the rest of the day; to effect which, the consideration of the Temperament does very much conduce. For, as sleeping in the day time is born with in Old Men and Children, and that in both, by reason of their weakness, and for the recruit of their Spirits, and, particu∣larly in Old Men, to take off somewhat of the acrimony of that serous phlegm which is predominant in them; so, the greater part of Men being subject to Choler, (whence haply proceeded the error of some Physicians, who talk of nothing but refrigera∣tion in all diseases) and the coolness and moisture of the Night correcting that hot and dry distemper, it is the more convenient, that Sleep should do as much in the Day time, by taking off then somewhat of their Choler.

The Second said, That the retrival and restauration of the Spirits obliges the Animal to sleep, which ought to continue at least for such a space of time as amounts to the third part of that a man hath been waking, and should never exceed the one half of it. Far is it therefore from being imaginable, that Nature should be able to endure what is affirmed of the seven Sleepers, or the long nap of Epimenides, which lasted fifty years. Nor are we to give any more credit to what is related to us concerning a Plant in the Low-Countries, which will keep people waking ma∣ny nights and dayes together, without any inconvenience; but the time when we should begin or end our sleep, being left to

our own discretion, 'tis requisite we should accommodate our selves to the order prescrib'd by Nature, which hath appointed the day to labour, and the night to rest in: Nay, it is also the advice of Hippocrates, Galen, and all Physicians, who think it not enough to direct rest in the night, and waking in the day, but also conceive very great hopes of those, who, in the time of their sickness, are so irregular therein. Add to this, that dark∣ness, silence, and the coldness of the night being fit to recruit the Spirits, and promote their retirement within; whereas light, noise, and the heat of the day, are more proper to occasion their egress for the exercise of actions; which granted, he who observes not this rule charges Nature with an erronious proceeding. And that this is her way, is apparent hence, that those Animals which are guided only by her motion, (which is as certain as our reason is ordinarily irregular) go that way to work. Cocks and other Birds go to their rest, and awake with the Sun; if any of our Domestick Creatures do otherwise, our irregularity is the cause thereof and that perversion is of no less dangerous consequence than that of the Seasons, which is ever attended by diseases. And who makes any doubt but that the greatest perfection of the Heavens consists in their regular motion, the principal cause of their duration? Which order since we are not able to imitate, it is but requisite we should come as near it as we can in our actions, among which sleeping and waking, being the hindges on which all the others of our life do hang, if there be any irregularity in these, confusion and disorder must needs be expected in all the rest, as may be seen in the lives of Courtiers of both Sexes, who turn night to day, and day to night, a course of life much dif∣ferent from that which is observ'd by the Superiours and Mem∣bers of regulated companies. Besides, it is the Morning that not only holds a stricter correspondence with the Muses, but is also the fittest time for the performance of all the functions of Bo∣dy and Mind. Then is it that Physicians prescribe exercises, in regard that the Body being clear'd of the Excrements of the first and second concoction, is wholly dispos'd for the distribution of Aliment, and evacuation of the Excrements of the third. So that he who spends that part of the day about his affairs, besides the expedition he meets with, does by that means maintain the vigour of his Body and Mind, which is commonly dull'd by sleeping in the day time, which fills the Head with va∣pours, and when exercise comes to succeed it in the warmest part of the day, the heat which is then commonly greatest makes it less supportable. Therefore Nature, who is a sure guide, inclines us to sleepiness in the Evening, there being not any thing but the multiplicity and distraction of Civil Affairs, which, depriving us of that Function, as it does of divers others, makes the Life of Man so much the less certain, the more he is involv'd in Affairs; whereas the duration of that of Animals, and, next to them of Country-people, and

such as comply with the conduct of Nature, is commonly of a greater length and more certain.