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as for the extraordinary attention I had paid to him during thecourse of his education at Cambridge. I was just then printingthe first two volumes of my Chemical Essays, and I had greatpleasure in dedicating them to His Grace.
On the 26th of July, 1781, I was seized with a dangerous fever,the peccant matter of which being probably locked up by an im-proper use of large doses of bark, reduced me in a few. weeksto the lowest state. When the faculty had given me over, and Iwas in a state of insensibility, my wife saved my life by boldlygiving me at once a whole paper of James’s Powder; it operatedas an emetic, I discharged a vast quantity of putrid bile, &c. andslept soundly for seven hours after the operation. I continued,however, still very weak, and went in October into Westmore-land, to try if my native air would re-establish my health: butneither air nor diet, nor the art of healing, nor a much betterthing than the art of healing, a good constitution, have enabledme to get the better of the original disorder, which Sir RichardJebb called a paralysis of the stomach. Our two principal phy-sicians at Cambridge showed the sagacity of their judgment, forProfessor Plumptree said, that' I should take a great deal of pull-ing down; and Dr. Glynne said, that I should never get thebetter of the disorder. I am not yet quite pulled down, nor haveI any prospect of getting well. It has been a great happinessto me during this long illness, that my spirits have never failedme. I have considered, during every period of my life, pain asa positive evil which every percipient being must be desirous ofescaping; but death is a door of entrance into a better life, whichmay, by a sincere Christian, be considered as a blessing— Thanks