I thought this Account would be acceptable to you, both as it might give fome Light to Mankind into the Causes of Diftempers, and more particularly likewife, as it might be of great Ufe to confirm the Doctrines laid down by our late dear departed Friend.

April 4, 1719.

I am, Your's &c.

M2.

THE

THE

Life and Adventures

O F

Don Biliofo de L'ESTOMAC.

Tranflated from the Original Spanish into
French; done from the French into English.
With a Letter to the College of PHYSICIANS.
I fay whatever you maintain
Of Alma in the Heart or Brain,
The plaineft Man alive may tell ye,
Her Seat of Empire is the Belly;
From whence he sends out those Supplies
Which make us either flout or wife.
Anno 1719.

BOOO;*OOOORBORX*****✪✪✪BBESO

To the College of Phyficians in London.

Gentlemen,

W

DUBLIN.

E fo feldom trouble you with any of our Writings from this Side of the Water, that I hope the present will be the easier excus'd; for as we live in an Ifland which has very little Share in the Management of the grand Affairs in the World, we have the least Curiosity in prying into them; and this perhaps produces that Indolence of Temper in us, that we rarely make Noise enough to be heard by our neighbour Nations, and therefore

fcorn

fcorn to liften to their Secrets; if by chance an Improvement of any of the Arts or Sciences (that has flood the Teft of the English Criticks) appears here in publick, it is receiv'd with an entire Submiffion, and we reckon it as binding on us as your English Acts of Parliament: Indeed, if the Truth or Ufefulness of any fuch Improvement be controverted among you, we generally take the ftrongeft Side, and fo live in perfect Harmony and Peace among each other; whether it be that our Poffeffions being fmall and pretty much on a level, or whatever elfe may be the Reason, we religiously agree not to invade or disturb each other's Property. Gentlemen, if fome among you had follow'd thefe pacific Maxims, you had fav'd yourselves the Trouble of this Epistle, and me the Expence and Trouble of buying and reading Dr. W's State of Phyfick,

The Beginning of this ingenious Performance put me in Mind of Don Quixote's good Squire Sancho, whose favourite Maxim was, that the Belly kept up the Heart, and not the Heart the Belly. I won't fay the Doctor ftole this Notion from that merry Gentleman, because I believe I fhall prove prefently that the Author of Don Quixote was alfo the Author of the State of Phyfick; for upon dipping a little farther into the Book, I obferv'd fuch a romantick Air through the whole, and a manner of writing fo different from any Physician I ever read, that I immediately concluded Dr. W. muft be that young Phyfician, who enquiring of Dr. Sydenham what was the best Book in Phyfick, was told Don Quixote. Upon thefe Reflections, and reading a little farther, I recall'd to mind that I had read a great many Paffages of this State of Phyfick in fome Romance or other; and was fo prepoffefs'd of the Truth of it, that with infinite Labour, tho' with fome Pleasure,

M 3

Pleasure, I read over all Don Quixote's Library ; but to my great Grief in none of thefe cou'd I trace the Doctor; at laft, by pure Accident, I found an old French Manufcript tranflated from the Spanish: The Title is, Les Aventures Don Biliofo de L'Eftomac. I was as proud of this Difcovery as Thales or Pythagoras of theirs I cry'd Evenxe, and if I had not been a better Chriftian than either of them, wou'd have facrific'd an Hecatomb. In fhort, this is the very Book I fought for, and upon Examination I found the State of Phyfick to be a mere Tranfcript from it, excepting that the Author has broke the Thread of the History in feveral Places, and now and then miftaken (for want of Spanish) the Sense of the Author. When the Transports for my new Dif covery were a little abated, I began to reflect with the deepest Melancholy on the deplorable Condition of the State of Phyfick (not the Doctor's State of Phyfick) in these Kingdoms, if fuch Practices as thefe fhall go unpunifh'd. What in the name of Goodness cou'd poffefs this Gentleman to endeavour to impofe a Romance on us for a Treatife in Physick, unless he defign'd to banish this Science out of England, as Cervantes did Knight Errantry out of Spain? I have heard indeed that fome Chymical Enthufiafts have maintain'd that Homer's Iliad and Odyffes, nay the Bible itself, contain'd nothing but the Secret of making the Philofopher's Stone, and the Grand Elixir That Homer's Rules for Fighting, and the holy Precepts in the Scriptures for the Conduct of our Lives, were but so many Processes for making these grand Arcanums; but fure none of these Adepts were fo mad to attempt making Gold by one or t'other; and I'm plaguily mistaken if the Doctor makes any by my Manufcript; yet after all I confels I pity this poor. Gentleman's Cafe, he thirfting

after

after Knowledge, and from his Youth upward folicitous for the publick Good, earnestly and gravely defir'd Sydenham's Advice; Read Don Quixote, fays the jocole Doctor. The Biliofe Salts being very predominant both in Quantity and Quality in this poor Gentleman's Conftitution, and (unhappily for him} the Inftruments of Cogitation fo confounded the cogitative Faculty, that he did not diftinguish Jeft from Earneft; and his Paffion for his Author became fo exorbitant (curse on all Biliofe Salts) that he neglected all other Books but Romances ever after. these hellish Salts impofe on the Organs of Senfe, produce lufory Visions, and reprefent Actions, Perfons, and Things, that no where exift but in thefe delufive Operations and Impofitions, this unfortunate Gentleman is a melancholy Inftance,

How

But to return to my Manufcript, I really have not time to transcribe it, and am too fond of it to part with it; however, that you may not fufpect any Impofition, I have here fent you the Heads of the feveral Chapters, and refer you to the Pages in the State of Phyfick. The only Recompence I defire of you, Gentlemen, is, that you will reimburse me the Money I laid out in purchafing the Doctor's Tranflation, confidering I have the original Manuscript by me, and that the Money will be but a Trifle among you all; befides, I hope I shall not disoblige Dr.W. by thus publickly declaring the trueFather of this Child, which has been fo great a Reproach to him, fince it will fave him the Trouble of maintaining another Man's Brat; and I therefore expect he will fend me all the Novels, and Romances of his writing, which (I don't question) may be easily got.