The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-04-18
Tsmpdranee and Longevity. ISaturdav Review.l

Cornaro's regimen consisted of eggs, soups bread, pancakes, and such- like food, with wine--was, as he tells us, intended for himself alone. All people should live temperately, but tho temper ance of one man is the excess of another. Cornaro's method is the simple one that each man should find out for himself what is the suitable quantity ot food and drink for himself, and then live accord ingly. The charm of Cornaro's narrative consists in the garrulous naivete with which he sets ferth his simple creed and practice. Italy, he says, was suffering from three great evils-fvst, from dattery and ceremonies; secondly, from the effect of the Lutheran doctrines; thirdly, from debauchery. These three evils, or rather cruel monsters of human life," have de- streyed respectively, social sincerity :: secondly, the religion of the soul thirdly, the health of the body. The first two plaques he leaves to be dealt with by some gentii sbiy1ti," who will banish them from tke world the third he under takes to extirpste himself being con- vinced that Italy, before his death, will return to her former " fair and holy man. ners." To this end he gives his own practice as an example to be followed, at least in its aim and spiiit. His daily al- lowance of food was three rolls, the yolk of an egg, with meat and soup, the whole weighing twelve ounces his daily allow ance of wine was fourteen ounces. On one occasion, after he had slightly in- creased the quantities, he became in a few days "choleric and melancholy" and soon fell into a violent fever, from which he only recovered by returning to his former regimen. He never ate or drank to the extent of his appetite 1; avoided extremes of heat or cold was careful to have sufficient sleep. To keep clear of grief, melancholy, hatred, and other perturbation of the mind was also an essential part of the system, though temperance in eating and drinking will do much 10 counteract mental troubles, as well as to neutralize the effects of bodily hardships. Once when powerful enemies brought suit against him he kept his equanimity, and won his case in the end, while his brother, who had led an irregular life, died of anxiety while the case was still going on. If men were but temperate as he was himself. they would live to be hundred years old. He himself intended to do so, and to die at last, not of disease, but ot "bHra reso- l&sei.e." lf he hsd sc: Scca cc:::;- tution to start with he had reached one hundred and twenty years instead ot only one hundred. He did, in fact, die very nearly at the age of one hundred, if he did not surpass it. He is sure that, hav- ing on earth led a life pleasing to God, he will by his mercy enjoy the heavenly life after death. Until he adopted the temperate life he never knew that the world was fair" The temperate !" fanno 6rstto H nson O." Even the deaths of relations and friends troubled him little, so calm and equable had his temper be- come. These and other doctrines to the same effect he published in his first treatise, when he was at the age ofeighty- three three years later he followed it up by a second, the " Compendio della Vita Sobria;" five years later still he pub lished third and, finally, at the age of ninety-hve, he brought out his Loving Exhortation." urging his readers to do as he had done, and to enjoy the happiness he had found. Not little of it, he tells us, was due to the fact that many ofthem had followed his advice.