Inclinations of their Nurses, as Anger, Malice, Fear,
Melancholy, Sadness, Desire, and Aversion. This
Diodorus, lib. 2, witnesses, when he speaks,
saying, That Nero the Emperors Nurse had been
very much addicted to Drinking; which Habit Nero
received from his Nurse, and was so very particular
in this, that the People took so much notice of
it, as instead of Tiberius Nero, they call’d
him Biberius Mero. The same Diodorus
also relates of Caligula, Predecessor to
Nero, that his Nurse used to moisten the Nipples
of her Breast frequently with Blood, to make Caligula
take the better Hold of them; which, says Diodorus,
was the Cause that made him so blood-thirsty and
cruel all his Life-time after, that he not only committed
frequent Murder by his own Hand, but likewise wished
that all human Kind wore but one Neck, that he might
have the Pleasure to cut it off. Such like
Degeneracies astonish the Parents, [who] not knowing
after whom the Child can take, [see [2]] one to incline
to Stealing, another to Drinking, Cruelty, Stupidity;
yet all these are not minded. Nay it is easy
to demonstrate, that a Child, although it be born
from the best of Parents, may be corrupted by an ill-tempered
Nurse. How many Children do we see daily brought
into Fits, Consumptions, Rickets, &c., merely by
sucking their Nurses when in a Passion or Fury?
But indeed almost any Disorder of the Nurse is a Disorder
to the Child, and few Nurses can be found in this Town
but what labour under some Distemper or other.
The first Question that is generally asked a young
Woman that wants to be a Nurse, [Why[3]] she should
be a Nurse to other Peoples Children; is answered,
by her having an ill Husband, and that she must
make Shift to live. I think now this very Answer
is enough to give any Body a Shock if duly considered;
for an ill Husband may, or ten to one if he does not,
bring home to his Wife an ill Distemper, or at least
Vexation and Disturbance. Besides as she takes
the Child out of meer Necessity, her Food will be
accordingly, or else very coarse at best; whence proceeds
an ill-concocted and coarse Food for the Child; for
as the Blood, so is the Milk; and hence I am very
well assured proceeds the Scurvy, the Evil, and
many other Distempers. I beg of you, for the Sake
of the many poor Infants that may and will be saved,
by weighing this Case seriously, to exhort the People
with the utmost Vehemence to let the Children suck
their own [Mothers, [4]] both for the Benefit of Mother
and Child. For the general Argument, that a
Mother is weakned by giving suck to her Children,
is vain and simple; I will maintain that the Mother
grows stronger by it, and will have her Health better
than she would have otherwise: She will find
it the greatest Cure and Preservative for the Vapours
and future Miscarriages, much beyond any other Remedy
whatsoever: Her Children will be like Giants,
whereas otherwise they are but living Shadows and