a day pass’d in study. A slight irritation of the brain causes want of sleep; from one more considerable arise convulsions and drowsiness; from the greatest of all a mortal apoplexy, which disorder often puts an end to the lives of learned men. The reason is, that that part suffers which was guilty of the excess, and whilst the strength of the brain is relax’d by study, and fresh blood is forc’d into it, it must sooner or later be quite overwhelm’d, especially at the time that some new cause adds force to the blood that impells it; thence it has frequently come to pass, that learned divines in preaching, and learned professors in delivering their lectures, or disputing, as was the case with the celebrated CURTIUS at Leipsick, expir’d on their very chairs; and LIVY the historian has preserv’d to us the history of king ATTALUS, who died in the assembly at Thebes, whilst he was animating the Bœotians by an harangue to enter into an alliance with the Romans. I saw a reverend pastor, who on Whitsun-sunday, after having preach’d long and with vehemence, whilst he was distributing the host to the people, was first seiz’d with trembling, then stammer’d, then was delirious, then fell down in an apoplectic fit, and continuing delirious ever after, though in an advanc’d age, liv’d for some months in a state of infancy. The celebrated MORGAGNI likewise mentions a preaching monk, who was seiz’d with a violent apoplexy before his congregation, and quickly died; his vehemence of delivery conspiring with a plethora to destroy him[21]. A professor at Berne, deeply versed in the oriental languages, a man in the prime of life, but of indefatigable industry, not long since sunk into a second infancy, and a state of idiotism, his brain being overflow’d by water, which stagnated in it[22]. We must not forget, in enumerating the injuries suffered by the brain from this overflowing of the blood, that the disorder of the nerves which causes the hypochondriac disposition, is increased; their little tubes being dilated are constantly weaken’d, grow soft, and make less resistance to impressions, which is one of the chief causes of the hypochondriac disorder.