A discourse concerning old-age tending to the instruction, caution and comfort of aged persons…

4. A Fourth Cause which hastens Old age, is Intemperance, that is, excess in Eating, or in Drinking, or in lustful Embraces. Any of these, especially the last, do bring Old-age into youthful years. Sad it is, that our Life being in its utmost extent so short, and our Bodies by nature so frail; we, that have a desire to live, and who for that end will be content to use the most irksome remedies, should yet so commonly invite distempers by our Luxury, and so shamefully dig our Graves with our Teeth, and deprive our selves of the residue of our years. In so much, that although in St. Hieroms time he affirmed, that there were reckoned five thousand Martyrs for every day in the Year, save one, yet we may sadly conclude, that Bacchus and Venus have had daily more Martyrs, if we may so call them, in one place or other of the World, than Jesus Christ. In this sense doth Seneca ⟨p. 29⟩^ytruly say, Non accepimus brevem vitam, sed fecimus. From whence come for the most part those pains of the Gout, Stone, Dropsy, Convulsions and Apoplexies, with such other Distempers, but from Intemperance in some of the foresaid Objects? A moderate use of Meat, Drink, and conjugal rights, as it doth tend much to the alacrity of the mind, so doth it no less to the Health of the Body: but excess in any of them, doth either suffocate Nature, or else impoverish and exhaust it; as it is observed of the more lecherous Creatures, that they are short-lived in comparison of others.

4. A Fourth Cause which hastens Oldage, is Intemperance, that is, excess in Eating, or in Drinking, or in lustful Embraces. Any of these, especially the last, do bring Old-age into youthful years. Sad it is, that our Life being in its utmost extent so short, and our Bodies by nature so frail; we, that have a desire to live, and who for that end will be content to use the most irksome remedies, should yet so commonly invite distempers by our Luxury, and so shamefully dig our Graves with our Teeth, and deprive our selves of the residue of our years. In so much, that altho in St. Hieroms time he affirmed, that there were reckoned five thousand Martyrs for every day in the Year, save one, yet we may sadly conclude, that Bacchus and Venus have had daily more Martyrs, if we may so call them, in one place or other of the World, than Iesus Christ. In this sense doth Seneca ⟨p. 29⟩