Burton, William (1703-1753)

An Account of the Life and Writings of Herman Boerhaave

London

Henry Lintot

1743, 1746

"What most diverted these torments, which kept him awake many nights and days successively, was the review of those treasures of science reposited in his memory."

But from this pleasing scene our eyes must now be turned to one of horror; it is no small mortification to find, that even this superlative pitch of virtue and knowledge, which one in a million, who aspired after it, would hardly attain, will not secure the body from the severest tortures it is capable of enduring: In the middle of August 1722, by exposing himself to the morning dews before sun rising, Boerhaave was seized with excruciating arthritic pains, which at length terminated in a paralytic affection, depriving him almost of the sense of feeling, and entirely of the power of moving his lower limbs, insomuch that he was obliged to lie whole months on his back without attempting to turn himself, because of the acute pain, threatned upon the least inflection. What most diverted these torments, which kept him awake many nights and days successively, was the review of those treasures of science reposited in his memory. There never was a person possest of a more tenacious memory with so sound a judgment. Consul Sherrard declared his astonishment at the following instance; whilst he was with Boerhaave, a visitor entered, who excelled only in an acquaintance with the Spanish poets; our professor who sucked honey from every flower, soon turning the conversation to that topic, repeated a page or more out of one of their celebrated authors, which he afterwards assured the Consul (upon expressing surprize at his finding time to converse with such Books) he had not looked into for twenty years past. Unless in chemistry, and his public lectures, he used no notes, and could by dint of memory quote not only authors, but frequently the very pages and sections, introducing, on all occasions, especially in botanical lectures, the beautiful descriptions of the poets, particularly of *Virgil, Ovid, Rapin, Cowley, nay could even repeat some whole chapters of Van Helmont almost verbatim. But to return from this digression. After languishing five months without any relief, by the plentiful use of the exprest juices of the lactescent, and pappescent plants chiefly, assisted with the serulaceous gums, he wonderfully recovered, and opened his private college again January 11, 1723. The evening was celebrated with public rejoycing and illuminations.
(I.iii, pp. 65-7)

Container::Treasures

Reading Paul Fussell's Samuel Johnson and the Life of Writing (New York: Norton, 1971), p. 106.

Text from William Burton, An Account of the Life and Writings of Herman Boerhaave, 2nd ed. (London: Henry Lintot, 1746). <Link to Google Books>

01/23/2013