The best drink is water from the purest spring, mixed, equal parts, with a wine neither too heady nor too acid: the heady kinds sensibly irritate the nervous system, and produce in the humors a transient rarefaction, of which the effect is an extension of the vessels, that leaves them afterwards the laxer for it, and to augment the dissolution of the humors: the acid kinds weaken the digestions, irritate, and procure over-copious urines, which exhaust the patients. The best are those which have the least of spirit and of salt, the most of terrestrial and oily, which constitutes what is called racy, generous wines: such are the red wines of Burgundy, of the Rhône, of Neufchâtel, and a few kinds in this country, (Lausanne,) the old white wines of Grave, the choice ones of Pontac, the wines of Spain, Portugal, the Canaries, and, where procurable, those of Tockay, superior perhaps to those of all the world besides, both for salubrity and deliciousness to the taste. As to common use there are none preferable to those of Neufchâtel. In places where good water is not to be come at, it may be corrected by filtration, by a hot iron, or an infusion of some agreeable aromatics, such as cinnamon, aniseed, lemon-peel. Common beer is noxious. Mum which is properly an extract from grain, both nourishing and strengthening, may be of great use: rich of spirit, it enlivens as much as wine, and is more nutritious; it may serve for meat and drink. Among the useful drinks, may be ranked chocolate, which belongs perhaps more properly to the class of solid aliments; the cocoa contains a great deal of nutritious substance, and the mixture with it of sugar and aromatics corrects any detriment from its oiliness. “Chocolate made with milk (says M. LEWIS) in such quantities as to pass easy off the stomach, is an excellent breakfast for a tabid constitution. I knew a child twelve years old who was in the last stage of a consumption, when given over by a Physician, recovered by the mother’s giving her chocolate only, in small quantities, often repeated. Indeed it is an aliment that for weak constitutions cannot be too much recommended[111].” Be it, however, remarked, that there are some to whom it might prove very pernicious. One general attention to be observed is, that too great a quantity of any drink whatever should be avoided: it weakens the digestions by relaxing the stomach; by drowning the digestive juices, and by precipitating the aliments before they are well digested; it relaxes all the parts, it dissolves the humors; it disposes to urines and to sweats that exhaust the patients. I have seen disorders produced by an atony, considerably lessened, by no other means of assistence, than by a retrenchment of a part of the liquids for drinking. _SLEEP._ What is to be said of sleep, may be reduced to three points; its duration, the time of taking it, and the precaution necessary for a quiet undisturbed enjoyment of it.