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SIRIS:

A CHAIN of

PHILOSOPHICAL REFLEXIONS

AND

INQUIRIES

Concerning the VIRTUES of

TAR WATER,

And divers other Subjects connected together
and arifing one from another.

BY THE

Right Rev. Dr. GEORGE BERKELEY,

་་་

Lord Bishop of CLOYNE,

And Author of The Minute Philofopher.

As we have opportunity, let us do good unto all men. Gal. vi. 10.
Hoc opus, hoc ftudium, parvi properemus et ampli.

A NEW EDITION,

Hor.

With ADDITIONS and EMENDATIONS.

DUBLIN Printed,

LONDON Re-printed,

For W. INNYS, and C. HITCH, in Pater-nofter-rou
and C. DAVIS in Holbourn. MDCCXLIV.
[Price Two Shillings.]

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A Letter to T. P. Efq. from the Author of SIRIS. MONG the great numbers who drink Tar-water in

A

Dublin, your letter informs me there are feveral, that make it too weak or too ftrong, or use it in an undue manner. To obviate these inconveniences, and render this water as generally useful as poffible, you defire I would draw up fome rules, and remarks, in a small compafs; which accordingly I here fend you.

Norwegian tar being the most liquid, mixeth beft with water. Put a gallon of cold water to a quart of this tar, ftir and work them very ftrongly to gether, with a flat stick, for about four minutes. Let the veffel ftand covered forty eight hours, that the tar may fubfide. Then pour off the clear water, and keep it clofe covered, or rather bottled, and well stopped, for Use. This may do for a general rule; but as ftomachs and conftitutions are so various, for particular perfons, their own experience is the beft rule. The ftronger the better; provided the ftomach can bear it. Lefs water or more stirring makes it stronger; as more water, and lefs ftirring makes it weaker. The fame tar will not do quite fo well a fecond time, but may ferve for common uses. Tar water, when right, is not higher than French, nor deeper coloured, than Spanish white wine. If there be not a spirit very fenfibly perceived on drinking, you may conclude, the tar water is not good. If you would have it good, fee it made yourself. Those who begin with it, little and weak, may, by habit, come to drink more and stronger. According to the season of the year, or the humour of the patient, it may be taken, cold or warm.

As to the quantity, in chronical cafes, one pint of tar water a day may fuffice, taken on an empty stomach, at two, or four times; to wit, night and morning; and about two hours after dinner and breakfast. Alteratives, in general, taken little and often, mix beft with the blood. How oft, or how strong, each ftomach can bear, experience will fhew; nor is there any danger in making the experiment. Those who labour under old habitual illneffes, must have great patience and perfeverance in the use of this, as well as in all other medicines; which, if fure and safe, must yet be flow in chronical diforders; which, if grievous or inveterate, may require a full quart every day to be taken, at fix dofes, -one third of a pint in each, with a regular diet. In acute cafes, as fevers, of all kinds, it must be drank warm in bed, and in great quantity; perhaps a pint every hour, till the patient be relieved; which I have known to work furprizing cures.

My experiments have indeed been made within a narrow compass; but as this water is now grown into publick use (though it seems not without that oppofition which is wont to attend novelty) I make no doubt, its virtues will be more fully discovered. Mean while, I must own myself perfuaded, from what I have already feen and tryed, that tar water may be drank with great fafety and fuccefs, in the cure or relief of moft if not all difeafes, in ulcers, eruptions, and all foul cafes'; fcurvies of all kinds, diforders of the lungs, ftomach, and bowels; in nervous cafes, in all imflammatory diftempers; in decays, and other maladies: Nor is it of ufe only in the cure of fickness; it is also useful to preferve health, and a guard against infection and old age; as it gives lafting fpirts, and invigorates the blood. I am even induced, by the nature and analogy of things, and its wonderful fuccefs in all kinds of fevers, to think, that tar water may be very useful in the plague, both as a cure and prefervative.

But, I doubt, no medicine can withstand that execrable plague of distilled fpirits, which operate as a flow poifon; preying on the vitals, and wafting the health and ftrength of the body and foul; which peft of humane kind, is, I am told, by the attempts of our *Whisky patriots, gaining ground in this wretched country, already too thin of inhabitants. I am, &c.

*Whisky is a fpirit diftilled from malt, the making of which poifon, cheap and plenty, as being of our growth, is esteemed, by fome unlucky patriots, a benefit to their

country

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SIR IS:

A CHAIN of

PHILOSOPHICAL REFLEXIONS

AND

INQUIRIES, &c.

F

OR INTRODUCTION to the following piece I affure the reader, that nothing could, in my present fituation, have induced me to be at the pains of writing it, but a firm belief that it would prove a valuable present to the public. What entertainment foever the reasoning or notional part may afford the mind, I will venture to fay, the other part feemeth fo furely calculated to do good to the body, that both must be gainers. For if the lute be not well tuned, the musician fails of his harmony. And in our prefent ftate, the operations of the mind, fo far depend on the right tone or good condition of it's inftrument, that any thing which greatly contributes to preferve or recover the health of the body, is well worth the attention of the mind. Thefe confiderations have moved me to communicate to the public the falutary virtues of tar-waSter; to which I thought myself indifpenfably obliged, by the duty every man owes to mankind. And, as effects are linked with their caufes, my thoughts on this low, but useful theme led to farther inquiries, and thofe on to others remote, perhaps, and fpeculative, but, I hope, not altogether ufelefs or unentertaining.

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