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 CCXXV. Whether that Temperament of the Body which conduces most to Health, be also the most convenient for the Mind. (Book 225)

I Shall not here insist on the division of the Temperaments, as for instance, into Simple, to wit, when one Quality is pre∣dominant over its opposite, the other two remaining equal, as we affirm him to be of a hot Temperament, who shall be more hot than cold, humidity and drought remaining in an aequilibri∣um; and Compound, to wit, that which is the result of the same combination of qualities, which makes the four Elements: into the Ʋniversal, to wit, of the whole Body; and Particular, viz. that which is proper to each part: into that which is of Weight, wherein all those qualities are as it were in a balance, one not ex∣ceeding the other; and that of Justice, wherein those qualities bear a certain proportion one to the other: Not insisting, I say, on these Divisions, but presupposing them as common doctrines; I shall here think it sufficient to examine, in the first place, Which

of all these Temperaments is most convenient, in order to health, and in the second, whether the same will also be most convenient for the acquisition of a good mind, that is, for the better exercise of the functions of the rational Soul; in a word, whether the most healthy person shall always be the most wise? Galen hath writ an express Treatise, to prove that the Manners follow the Tempera∣ment of the body, and therefore since those manners are the effects of the Will, the noblest of all the faculties of the Soul, in regard it hath a Soveraignty over all the others, it should seem that the af∣firmative is to be maintain'd, especially if we lay this for a ground, that those persons who are subject to Melancholy are the most in∣genious, forasmuch as they are the most healthy; cold and drought making up a more solid and firm mass, then any other two qualities; and heat and moisture being too variable, and too much subject to corruption. Upon which consideration, Galen, in his first Book of the Temperaments, chap. 4. denies, That the Spring is hot and moist; on the contrary, saith he, it is the worst of all the Temperaments of the Air whereby we are encompass'd, and that is commonly the constitution observable in sickly and contagious seasons. In his eighth Book of the Method of curing Diseases, chap. 7. he adds, That a hot and moist distemper makes our health incline to corruption. The hot and dry is also too easily inclinable to be enflam'd, as the cold and moist is too much sub∣ject to defluxions; and withal to sharp Diseases, such as are pu∣trid Feavers, for the first; Burning Feavers, for the second; and Apoplexies, Palsies, and Dropsies, for the last. On the other side, cold and drought are enemies to corruption, and by those very qualities which are contrary thereto, they more pow∣erfully oppose external injuries, by reason of the solidity of the skin, and the density of its parts; as the dispositions of melan∣choly persons are not subject to the passionate disturbances of the Cholerick, the inconstancy of the Sanguine, the slothfulness of the Phlegmatick; and communicate the same Stability which is in them to the Spirits, which act answerably thereto. Of this Constitution were all those laborious and studious people, and all the great Persons, whose assiduous employments have made them famous in their own and subsequent Ages.

The Second said, That if we may believe the same Galen, in the sixth Book of the preservation of Health, the hot and moist Temperament is the most healthy, as being the most proper to man's nature; and he-further writes, That those who are very moist, are long-liv'd, and when their bodies are come to their full strength, they are more healthy then others, and are more robust and hardy then other men of the same Age, and so continue till they grow old. And thence it is, saith he, That all the Physicians and Philosophers, who have diligently examined the Elements of man's body have com∣mended that Temperament. For, as Aristotle affirms in his Book of a long and short life, Our life consists in heat and moisture, as cold and drought dispose us towards death, and the sooner the ani∣mal

grows cold and dry, the sooner it grows old and dies. But these two contrary sentiments of Galen may be reconcil'd well enough, by affirming his meaning to be, that exrernal heat and moi∣sture are enemies to health; whereas on the contrary, the na∣tural heat and radical moisture are friends to it; inasmuch as these are never chargeable with excess, but always moderate, one serving for aliment to the other; and they are so far from being capable of receiving any distemper, that, what results from them, serves for a rule whereto all the other Temperaments are referred; which the Vulgar improperly calls by the name of the four Humours, that are predominant in them; but that abuse being fortify'd by custom, we must follow it, though for no other reason then that we may be the better understood. Whence it follows, that the Sanguine Temperament is the most healthy, as being the most conformable to life. This Temperament is al∣so the likeliest to produce a good Wit, inasmuch as it exercises better then any other the functions of the Rational Soul, which being distributed between the natural, vital, and animal Facul∣ties, and these being better exercis'd when they most abound with clear and purify'd spirits, it is certain, that the Sanguine Temperament, the only treasury of the Spirits, supplies more plentifully, and with such as are more pure, those in whom it is predominant, then it can be imagin'd to do others, in whom that blood is either puffed up by an excessive froath of Choler, or drown'd in the waterishness of Phlegm, or bury'd in the mud of Melancholy. And this may be observ'd in the gentileness, and the singular sleight, nay the easiness, wherewith persons of a sanguine Constitution demean themselves in all things they un∣dertake, betraying such a smiling chearfulness in their eyes and countenance, as discovers their interiour joy and satisfaction; and is no less delightful to those that are present, then the impe∣tuous sallies of the Cholerick give distate, the sluggish delays of the Phlegmatick are tedious, and the profound reveries of the Melancholy hateful and importunate. But as for the incon∣stancy, the only Objection, which the other Temperaments make against the Sanguine, it is not to be accounted vicious in them, but look'd on as a divertisement, wherewith they are pleas'd, and which they put themselves upon, only that their labours may, by that ohange, be the more delightful to them. Which change is so much the more excusable in them, that they court it not, to the end they should be idle, but they may apply themselves to some other employment, which suits better with their humour, such as the over-long contemplation thereof might not dry up that noble blood which runs in their veins, and, by converting it into dregs, turn the sanguine into a melancholick Constituti∣on, to which the obstinacy, wherewith it persists a long time in the prosecution of one and the same design, is a greater dis∣commendation, than the inconstancy imputed to the sanguine is to that, inasmuch as the latter makes advantage of it, to wit

that of attempting, and many times executing several designs together, especially when it undertakes such as it is sure to master, such as may be Dancing, Musick, Courtship, well-con∣contriv'd Stories, and such other pleasant things. And indeed, it is impossible to exercise the functions of the mind well, when the body is indispos'd; as on the contrary, when the body is in perfect health, the mind acts its part so much the better.

The Third said, That it were very unjust to deprive of the honour due to them, the Heroes and Worthies of the World, whose temperament must needs have been cholerick, by attri∣buting to any of the others the great and noble actions of the mind, which belong to them. Now to demonstrate that the temperament of the Heroes consisted of heat and drought, we need bring in no further evidence, than the suddenness and expe∣dition wherewith they undertake and execute all their designs, as it were complying with the activity of Fire, which hath the supremacy among the Elements, as they have the preheminence amongst men. Nay it may be urged, that great enterprizes would never be executed without some degree of choler, which serves as it were for salt to all humane actions. This premis'd, as out of all dispute, we now come to consider whether the hot and dry Temperament be the most consistent with health. I affirm then, that it is more consistent with it, than the Phlegmatick, which abounds in excrements; then the Sanguine, which easily admits of alterations; nay also then the Melancholick, whose gross humours are more subject to obstruction, then Cho∣ler is, the vivacity whereof is to be seen upon all occasions; those of the Cholerick Constitution having always their Vessels large, and, as such, much more unlikely to be stopp'd up.

The Fourth said, that so far as the soul and body are different, so far are also their qualities such. From which consideration Aristotle took occasion to affirm, That robust bodies are design'd to obey, as the weak are to command, inasmuch as commonly they are the receptacles of a stronger soul. This rais'd a per∣suasion in some, that the most imperfect bodies have commonly the most perfect souls, alledging to that purpose, the example of the crooked and ill-shap'd Tree, which supplies us with the best of Liquors, Wine; whereas the strait and fair-spreading Oaks, bear nothing but acorns, for the feeding of Swine. Besides, as the word spirit or mind is sometimes taken for the Invention which principally consists in the Imagination; sometimes for the Judgment, or Understanding; and might be also taken for the Memory, among which this last requires a hot and moist tempe∣rament, as the first is pleas'd with a hot and dry; and the second, to wit the judgment, consists in the dry and cold, which makes men staid and settled: so is it accordingly requisite, that we should distinguish, of which of these three faculties the questi∣on is to be understood. But generally speaking, it is not easily imaginable, that there should be a well-fram'd mind in a much-indispos'd

body, inasmuch as there is the same proportion be∣tween them, as there is between the mold and the figure cast in it; a Palace, and him who dwells in it. The same thing may much more rationally be said of the humours, from which the spirits being drawn bring their quality along with them: so that the Temperament which is most convenient in order to health, will also be the most convenient for the functions of the Soul.