lucky inheritance that has descended to us unfortunate children from the sin of our first parents. There is no one in this world who is altogether free from these evils. Even princes, kings, emperors—all men, no matter who they are, have their share in them, or at least have to live in constant dread of them. The poor and needy who have to suffer hunger and thirst, servants and laborers who have to work from morning till night for their daily bread until their bodies are worn out with fatigue, the rich and prosperous with all their wealth and treasures—all have enough care and trouble to occupy them during the day, and even to interfere with their rest at night. The heat of summer, the cold of winter, the darkness of the night, the harshness of the air, the damp of the rains, the turmoil of the winds, the disagreeable change of the seasons, the increase and decrease of the bodily strength are common to all.
All the members of the body are subject to countless defects and diseases. There is no limb of the body that is not subject to its special and even manifold ailments and shortcomings. Galen, the prince of physicians, discovered a hundred and twelve different ailments that attack the eye alone. Pliny is of the opinion that the illnesses that the different members of the body are liable to cannot be counted. Headaches, vertigo, noises in the ears, cancer and polypus in the nose, intolerable toothaches, swellings in the neck, apoplexy, palpitation of the heart, congestion of the liver, aches in the stomach and bowels, spleen, neuralgia, pains in the back and shoulders, gout in the hands and feet, dropsy, jaundice, arthritis, and a host of different fevers that attack the whole body, some of which are ordinary and rooted in the blood, while others come now and then at unforeseen intervals; some of these bring death suddenly, others wear away the body slowly; all of them, no matter what they are, bring discomfort, pain, and sorrow. And even if one is for a time free from all these illnesses, how easy is it not for him to meet with an accident, to stumble and break an arm or leg, and thus be thrown on his bed suffering horrible pain in his whole body? Moreover there are wasps, flies, gnats, and countless other insects that plague and torment us in spite of all our efforts to get rid of them, and, as it were, grow up with us.
Even pleasures may cause discomfort.
Nay, even the few small pleasures and joys that this mortal life affords for our recreation and encouragement are themselves very frequently the cause of chagrin and trouble. No matter how carefully and expensively food and drink are prepared, if
