Produced by Andrew Gudgel
By
Wherein is demonstrated, by his own Example,
Translated from the Italian Original.
LONDON:
Printed for Benjamin White, at Horace's
Head, in Fleet-Street.
M.DCC.LXXIX.
The author of the following discourses, Lewis Cornaro, was descendedfrom one of the most illustrious families in Venice, but by the illconduct of some of his relations, had the misfortune to be deprivedof the dignity of a nobleman, and excluded from all honours andpublic employments in the state. Chagrined at this unmeriteddisgrace, he retired to Padua, and married a lady of the familyof Spiltemberg, whose name was Veronica. Being in possession ofa good estate, he was very desirous of having children; and aftera long expectation of this happiness, his wife was delivered of adaughter, to whom he gave the name of Clara. This was his onlychild, who afterwards was married to John, the son of FantiniCornaro, of a rich family in Cyprus, while that island belonged tothe republic of Venice. Though he was far advanced in life whenhis daughter Clara came into the world, yet he lived to see hervery old, and the mother of eight sons and three daughters. He wasa man of sound understanding, determined courage and resolution.In his younger days, he had contracted infirmities by intemperance,and by indulging his too great propensity to anger; but when heperceived the ill consequence of his irregularities, he hadcommand enough of himself to subdue his passion and inordinateappetites. By means of great sobriety, and a strict regimen in hisdiet, he recovered his health and vigour, which he preserved to anextreme old age. At a very advanced stage of life he wrote thefollowing discourses, wherein he acquaints us with the irregularityof his youth, his reformation of manners, and the hopes heentertained of living a long time. Nor was he mistaken in hisexpectation, for he resigned his last breath without any agony,sitting in an elbow chair, being above an hundred years old. Thishappened at Padua, the 26th of April, 1566. His lady, almost asold as himself, survived him but a short time, and died an earlydeath. They were both interred in St. Anthony's church, withoutpomp, pursuant to their testamentary directions.
These discourses, though written in Cornaro's old age, were pennedat different times, and published separately: The first, which hewrote at the age of eighty-three, is intitled, A Treatise on aSober Life, in which he declares war against every kind ofintemperance; and his vigorous old age speaks in favour of hisprecepts. The second treatise he composed at the age of eighty-six:it contains farther encomiums on sobriety, and points out the meansof mending a bad constitution. He says, that he came into theworld with a choleric disposition, but that his temperate way oflife had enabled him to subdue it. The third, which he wrote atthe age of ninety-one, is intitled, An Earnest Exhortation to aSober Life; here he uses the strongest arguments to persuademankind to embrace a temperate life, as the means of attaining ahealthy and vigorous old age. The fourth and last, is a letter toBarbaro, Patriarch of Aquileia, written at the age of ninety-five;it contains a lively description of the healthy, vigour, andperfect use of all his faculties, which he had the happiness ofenjoying at that advanced period of life.
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