Now, because I have once or twice said, in my inconsiderate way of talking, That I was confident the following memoirs of my uncle _Toby's_ courtship of widow _Wadman_, whenever I got time to write them, would turn out one of the most complete systems, both of the elementary and practical part of love and love-making, that ever was addressed to the world----are you to imagine from thence, that I shall set out with a description of _what love is?_ whether part God and part Devil, as _Plotinus_ will have it----
----Or by a more critical equation, and supposing the whole of love to be as ten----to determine with _Ficinus_, "_How many parts of it--the one, --and how many the other_;" --or whether it is _all of it one great Devil_, from head to tail, as _Plato_ has taken upon him to pronounce; concerning which conceit of his, I shall not offer my opinion: --but my opinion of _Plato_ is this; that he appears, from this instance, to have been a man of much the same temper and way of reasoning with doctor _Baynyard_, who being a great enemy to blisters, as imagining that half a dozen of 'em at once, would draw a man as surely to his grave, as a herse and six--rashly concluded, that the Devil himself was nothing in the world, but one great bouncing _Canthari[di]s_.------
I have nothing to say to people who allow themselves this monstrous liberty in arguing, but what _Nazianzen_ cried out (_that is, polemically_) to _Philagrius_----
"!" _O rare! 'tis fine reasoning, Sir, indeed!_-- " "--_and most nobly do you aim at truth, when you philosophize about it in your moods and passions._
Nor is it to be imagined, for the same reason, I should stop to inquire, whether love is a disease, ----or embroil myself with _Rhasis_ and _Dioscorides_, whether the seat of it is in the brain or liver; --because this would lead me on, to an examination of the two very opposite manners, in which patients have been treated----the one, of _Atius_, who always begun with a cooling clyster of hempseed and bruised cucumbers; --and followed on with thin potations of water-lillies and purslane--to which he added a pinch of snuff of the herb _Hanea_; --and where _Atius_ durst venture it, --his topaz-ring.
----The other, that of _Gordonius_, who (in his cap. 15. _de Amore_) directs they should be thrashed, "_ad putorem usque_," ----till they stink again.

Now, because I have once or twice said that I was confident the following memoirs of my uncle Toby's courtship of widow Wadman, whenever I got time to write them, would turn out one of the most complete accounts of the practice of love and love-making that ever was addressed to the world - do you imagine that I shall set out with a description of what love is? whether part God and part Devil, as Plotinus puts it-
- Or supposing the whole of love to be as ten - as Ficinus does - 'How many parts of it are one, and how many the other' - or whether it is all one great Devil from head to tail, as Plato says: but Plato appears to have been a man of much the same temper as doctor Baynyard, who being a great enemy to blisters, imagined that half a dozen of 'em at once would draw a man to his grave, and rashly concluded that the Devil himself was nothing but one great bouncing blister beetle.
I have nothing to say to people who allow themselves this monstrous liberty in arguing, but what Nazianzen cried out to Philagrius-
'O fine reasoning, Sir! when you philosophize in your moods and passions.'
Nor should I stop to inquire whether love is a disease, or embroil myself with Rhasis and Dioscorides, whether the seat of it is in the brain or liver; because this would lead me on to an examination of the two opposite manners in which patients have been treated - the one, of Aertius, who always began with a cooling dressing of hempseed and bruised cucumbers, followed with thin potations of water-lilies and purslane - to which he added a pinch of snuff of the herb Hanea.
- The other, that of Gordonius (in Ch. 15 of De Amore), who directs they should be thrashed ad putorem usque - till they stink again.
