The whole secret of health, said my father, beginning the sentence
again, depending evidently upon the due contention betwixt the radical
heat and radical moisture within us;--the least imaginable skill had
been sufficient to have maintained it, had not the school-men confounded
the task, merely (as Van Helmont, the famous chymist, has proved) by all
along mistaking the radical moisture for the tallow and fat of animal
bodies.

Now the radical moisture is not the tallow or fat of animals, but an
oily and balsamous substance; for the fat and tallow, as also the phlegm
or watery parts, are cold; whereas the oily and balsamous parts are of a
lively heat and spirit, which accounts for the observation of Aristotle,
'Quod omne animal post coitum est triste.'

Now it is certain, that the radical heat lives in the radical moisture,
but whether vice versa, is a doubt: however, when the one decays, the
other decays also; and then is produced, either an unnatural heat, which
causes an unnatural dryness--or an unnatural moisture, which causes
dropsies.--So that if a child, as he grows up, can but be taught
to avoid running into fire or water, as either of 'em threaten his
destruction,--'twill be all that is needful to be done upon that head.--

Chapter 3.XXXVII.

The description of the siege of Jericho itself, could not have
engaged the attention of my uncle Toby more powerfully than the last
chapter;--his eyes were fixed upon my father throughout it;--he never
mentioned radical heat and radical moisture, but my uncle Toby took his
pipe out of his mouth, and shook his head; and as soon as the chapter
was finished, he beckoned to the corporal to come close to his chair,
to ask him the following question,--aside.--.... It was at the siege of
Limerick, an' please your honour, replied the corporal, making a bow.

The poor fellow and I, quoth my uncle Toby, addressing himself to my
father, were scarce able to crawl out of our tents, at the time the
siege of Limerick was raised, upon the very account you mention.--Now
what can have got into that precious noddle of thine, my dear brother
Toby? cried my father, mentally.--By Heaven! continued he, communing
still with himself, it would puzzle an Oedipus to bring it in point.--

I believe, an' please your honour, quoth the corporal, that if it had
not been for the quantity of brandy we set fire to every night, and the
claret and cinnamon with which I plyed your honour off;--And the