The Works of Sir Thomas Browne, Volume 2Browne, Thomas, Sir
Religion
The Works of Sir Thomas Browne, Volume 2
Browne, Thomas, Sir
Christianity; Ethics; Religion and medicine
Fourthly, They which proceed upon strict numerations, and will by such
regular and determined waies measure out the lives of men, and
periodically define the alterations of their tempers; conceive a
regularity in mutations, with an equality in constitutions, and forget
that variety, which Physitians therein discover. [SN: _Cholerick men
commonly shorter lived._] For seeing we affirm that women do naturally
grow old before men, that the cholerick fall short in longævity of the
sanguine, that there is _senium ante senectum_, and many grow old before
they arrive at age, we cannot affix unto them all one common point of
danger, but should rather assign a respective fatality unto each. Which
is concordant unto the doctrine of the numerists, and such as maintain
this opinion: for they affirm that one number respecteth Men, another
Women, as _Bodin_ explaineth that of _Seneca Septimus quisque annus
ætati signum imprimit_, subjoins _Hoc de maribus dictum oportuit, hoc
primum intueri licet, perfectum numerum, id est, sextum fæminas
septenarium mares immutare._
Fiftly, Since we esteem this opinion to have some ground in nature, and
that nine times seven revolutions of the Sun, imprints a dangerous
Character on such as arrive unto it; it will have some doubt behind, in
what subjection hereunto were the lives of our fore-fathers presently
after the flood, and more especially before it; who attaining unto 8 or
900 years, had not their Climacters Computable by digits, or as we do
account them; for the great Climacterical was past unto them before they
begat Children, or gave any Testimony of their virility; for we read not
that any begat children before the age of sixty five. And this may also
afford a hint to enquire, what are the Climacters of other animated
creatures; whereof the lives of some attain not so far as this of ours,
and that of others extend a considerable space beyond it.
Lastly, The imperfect accounts that Men have kept of time, and the
difference thereof both in the same and divers common Wealths, will much
distract the certainty of this assertion. For though there were a
fatality in this year, yet divers were, and others might be out in their
account, aberring several waies from the true and just compute, and
calling that one year, which perhaps might be another.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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