any Weight in the Cure, and People can with more Ease despair of Help, than struggle with Pain in hope of an uncertain Cure; so that in some Cases, it may be very well said of the Wise, the Rich, the Valiant, and the Mighty, as was formerly said of one of King _David_’s Generals; who, because he was kill’d upon a Surprize, (which yet no Humane Precaution can always prevent,) was lamented with that severe _Epicedium, Died ~ABNER~ as a Fool dieth_? THE APPENDIX. I did not design, either when I begun or when I ended this Treatise, to add the following Account of my own Distemper, which gave me the unhappy Occasion of many of these Observations, both because it is no new thing for Nervous Cases to vary extremely in their Anomalous Symptomes, and because the Rise of the Distemper was eminently owing to my own Rashness and Folly; but having since been importun’d by some of my Friends to make it Publick, I have been the more easily prevail’d with so to do, because I conceive there scarce ever was any Instance, either among the Ancients or in our days, which does so palpably illustrate the Power of my Subject. My Distemper was caus’d thus; I happen’d several Years ago to catch a Certain Cutaneous Infection, more troublesome than dangerous, and which I might easily have got rid of, if I had had but so much Prudence or Patience as to have submitted to the Common, tho’ not very agreeable Method of Cure; but I must needs take to a more cleanly, but desperate Course, by making an Application to my Skin of a Substance well charg’d with a dangerous Mineral, and which I us’d to such a Time, and after so extreamly Rash a manner, as I believe never one did before me; I wore it for several Months by times, keeping it on till the Humour disappear’d, and then leaving it off till it broke out again; thus I did till I began to consider that this would not last always, and so I quite laid it aside; but the Mischief was begun, tho’ I was not aware of it; for about a Month after I had left off that Pernicious Practice, I wak’d one Morning with an unusual Giddiness, and in a little time after, I found several Convulsions begin to come upon me, not only slight ones, in the Capillary Arteries of my Eyes and other Parts, but some deeper; as sometimes I should have one of my Hands drawn in, my Fingers brought to the Palm of my Hand involuntarily. When I found things thus, knowing what I had done, I was not a little terrifi’d, as any one may imagine, but by applying to a good Physician, by the Help of Bleeding and other proper Means, the Severity of the Symptomes went off, and I remain’d only with a Giddiness, which was very troublesome, but notwithstanding which, I might be said to be in pretty good Health, as having a good Habit of Body, and being more strong and robust, than many People that are free from such an Inconvenience; and thus I continued for several Years without any great Alteration happening, except that once upon