ersons, it seems as though the
one was made on purpose to remedy the Defects of the other, and that it
is truly the _Panacea_ of old Age.

Our Life, as a famous Physician[56] observes, is, as it were, a
continual growing dry; but yet this kind of natural Consumption is
imperceptible to an advanced Age: when the radical Moisture is consumed
more sensibly, then the more balmy and volatile Parts of the Blood are
dissipated by little and little, the Salts disengaging from the
Sulphurs, manifest themselves, the Acid appears, which is the fruitful
Source of Chronick Diseases. The Ligaments, the Tendons, and the
Cartilages have scarce any of the Unctuosity left, which render'd them
so supple and so pliant in Youth. The Skin grows wrinkled as well within
as without; in a word, all the solid Parts grow dry or bony.

One may say that Nature has formed Chocolate with every Vertue proper to
remedy these Inconveniences. The volatile Sulphur with which it abounds,
is proper to supply the Place of that which the Blood loses every day
through Age, it blunts and sheaths the Points of the Salts, and restores
the usual Softness to the Blood, like as Spirit of Wine united with
Spirit of Salt, makes a soft Liquor of a violent Corrosive. This same
sulphurous Unctuosity at the same time spreads itself in the solid
Parts, and gives them, in some sense, their natural Suppleness; it
bestows on the Membranes, the Tendons, the Ligaments, and the
Cartilages, a kind of Oil which renders them smooth and flexible. Thus
the _Equilibrium_ between the Fluids and the Solids is in some measure
re-establish'd, the Wheels and Springs of our Machine mended, Health is
preserved, and Life prolonged. These are not the Consequences of
Philosophical Reflections, but of a thousand Experiments which mutually
confirm each other; among a great Number of which the following alone
shall suffice.

There lately died at _Martinico_ a Counsellor about a hundred Years
old, who, for thirty Years past, lived on nothing but Chocolate and
Biscuit. He sometimes indeed had a little Soop at Dinner, but never
any Fish, Flesh, or other Victuals: He was, nevertheless, so
vigorous and nimble, that at fourscore and five, he could get on
horseback without Stirrups.

Chocolate is not only proper to prolong the Life of aged People, but
also of those whose Constitution is lean and dry, or weak and
cacochimical, or who use violent Exercises, or whose Employm