Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 3.djvu/65
THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 45
fo that it hath become proverbial — If you think you mall die. you mail die.
If a traveller finds, that he is as well after having been fome time in this country as he was before entering it, his bell way is to make no innovation in his regimen, further than in abating fomething in the quantity. But if he is of a tender conititution, he cannot acft more wifely than to follow implicitly the regimen of fober, healthy people of the country, without arguing upon European notions, or fubftituting what we conlider as fuccedaneums to what we fee ufed on the fpot. All fpirits are to be avoided; even bark is better in water than in wine. The ftomach, being relaxed by-pro fufe perfpiration, needs fomething to flxengthen, but not inflame, and enable it to perform digeftion. For this reafon (inftinct we mould call it, if fpcaking of beads) the natives of all eaflern countries feafon every fpecies of food, even the fimpleft, and mildelt, rice, fo much with fpices, ef- pecially pepper, as abfolutely to blifter a European palate.
These powerful antifeptics Providence has planted in thefe countries for this ufe ; and the natives have, from the earlieft times, had recourfe to them in proportion to the quantity that they can procure. And hence, in thefe dangerous climates, the natives -are as healthy as we are in our northern ones. Travellers in Arabia are difgufted at this feemingly inflammatory food; and nothing is more com- mon than to hear them fay that they are afraid thefe quan- tities of fpices will give them a fever. But did they ever feel themfelves heated by ever fo great a quantity of black pepper? Spirits they think, fubftituted to this, anfwer the fame purpofe. But does not the heat of your ikin, the
violent
