Sure Methods of Attaining a Long and Healthful Life: With the Means of Correcting a Bad Constitution

Sure Methods Of Attaining A Long And Healthful Life: With The Means Of Correcting A Bad Constitution by Lewis Cornaro. This collection presents Cornaro's lifelong program of temperance and disciplined living as a means to restore health and secure a long, vigorous life. The book blends biography, exhortation, and practical counsels: Preface and Introduction, a compendium showing how to correct an infirm constitution, and a sequence of discourses that argue that habitual excess weakens both body and mind, while a moderate diet and regular routine preserve vitality. Cornaro recounts his own transformation from a chronically ill youth to a centenarian who remained active well into old age, claiming that two simple rules—eat only what the stomach can digest and avoid foods that disagree with one’s constitution—yield enduring health. The text also includes a moral reflection on aging, a letter to a patron, a nun’s tribute, and authoritative commentary on Cornaro’s influence. Across its pages, the work advocates a life of plain food, restrained appetite, constant self-control, and meaningful work, offering historical testimony to the power of temperance to extend life and improve quality of living.