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Journal of A Voyage to Lisbon-Part4_HENRY FIELDING(1707-1754)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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in Ireland, and the discovery that of the virtues of tar-water.



I then happened to recollect, upon a hint given me by the

inimitable and shamefully-distressed author of the Female



Quixote, that I had many years before, from curiosity only, taken

a cursory view of bishop Berkeley's treatise on the virtues of



tar-water, which I had formerly observed he strongly contends to

be that real panacea which Sydenham supposes to have an existence



in nature, though it yet remains undiscovered, and perhaps will

always remain so.



Upon the reperusal of this book I found the bishop only asserting

his opinion that tar-water might be useful in the dropsy, since



he had known it to have a surprising success in the cure of a

most stubborn anasarca, which is indeed no other than, as the



word implies, the dropsy of the flesh; and this was, at that

time, a large part of my complaint.



After a short trial, therefore, of a milk diet, which I presently

found did not suit with my case, I betook myself to the bishop's



prescription, and dosed myself every morning and evening with

half a pint of tar-water.



It was no more than three weeks since my last tapping, and my

belly and limbs were distended with water. This did not give me



the worse opinion of tar-water; for I never supposed there could

be any such virtue in tar-water as immediately to carry off a



quantity of water already collected. For my delivery from this I

well knew I must be again obliged to the trochar; and that if the



tar-water did me any good at all it must be only by the slowest

degrees; and that if it should ever get the better of my



distemper it must be by the tedious operation of undermining, and

not by a sudden attack and storm.



Some visible effects, however, and far beyond what my most

sanguine hopes could with any modesty expect, I very soon



experienced; the tar-water having, from the very first, lessened

my illness, increased my appetite, and added, though in a very



slow proportion, to my bodily strength. But if my strength had

increased a little my water daily increased much more. So that,



by the end of May, my belly became again ripe for the trochar,

and I was a third time tapped; upon which, two very favorable



symptoms appeared. I had three quarts of water taken from me

less than had been taken the last time; and I bore the relaxation



with much less (indeed with scarce any) faintness.

Those of my physical friends on whose judgment I chiefly depended



seemed to think my only chance of life consisted in having the

whole summer before me; in which I might hope to gather



sufficient strength to encounter the inclemencies of the ensuing

winter. But this chance began daily to lessen. I saw the summer



mouldering away, or rather, indeed, the year passing away without

intending to bring on any summer at all. In the whole month of



May the sun scarce appeared three times. So that the early

fruits came to the fullness of their growth, and to some



appearance of ripeness, without acquiring any real maturity;

having wanted the heat of the sun to soften and meliorate their



juices. I saw the dropsy gaining rather than losing ground; the

distance growing still shorter between the tappings. I saw the



asthma likewisebeginning again to become more troublesome. I

saw the midsummer quarter drawing towards a close. So that I



conceived, if the Michaelmas quarter should steal off in the same

manner, as it was, in my opinion, very much to be apprehended it



would, I should be delivered up to the attacks of winter before I

recruited my forces, so as to be anywise able to withstand them.



I now began to recall an intention, which from the first dawnings

of my recovery I had conceived, of removing to a warmer climate;



and, finding this to be approved of by a very eminentphysician,

I resolved to put it into immediate execution. Aix in Provence



was the place first thought on; but the difficulties of getting

thither were insuperable. The Journey by land, beside the



expense of it, was infinitely too long and fatiguing; and I could

hear of no ship that was likely to set out from London, within



any reasonable time, for Marseilles, or any other port in that




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