§ 75. Now when he was assur'd that the utmost Bound of all his Desires consisted in this _third_ Conformity, and that it was not to be attain'd, without being a long time exercis'd in _the second_; and that there was no continuing so long as was necessary for that Purpose, but by means of the _first_; (which, how necessary soever, he knew was an Hindrance in itself, and an Help only by Accident.) He resolved to allow himself no more of that first Conformity than needs must, which was only just so much as would keep the Animal Spirit alive. Now, in order to this, he found there were two Things necessary; The former, to help it inwardly, and supply the Defect of that Nourishment which was wasted; The latter, to preserve it from without, against the Extremities of Heat and Cold, Rain and Sun, hurtful Animals, and such like; and he perceiv'd, that if he should allow himself to use these things, though necessary, unadvisedly and at Adventure, it might chance to expose him to Excess, and by that means he might do 'himself an Injury unawares; whereupon he concluded it the safest way to set Bounds to himself, which he resolv'd not to pass; both as to the Kind of Meat which he was to eat, and the Quantity and Quality of it, and the Times of returning to it.
§ 76. And first he consider'd the several Kinds of those things which were fit to eat; and found that there were three sorts, _viz_. either such Plants as were not yet come to their full Growth, nor attained to Perfection, such as are several sorts of green Herbs which are fit to eat: Or _secondly,_ the Fruits of Trees which were fully ripe, and had Seed fit for the Production of more of the same Kind (and such were the kinds of Fruits that were newly gathered and dry): Or _lastly_, Living Creatures, both Fish and Flesh. Now he knew very well, that all these things were created by that _necessarily self-existent Being_, in approaching to whom he was assur'd that his Happiness did consist, and in desiring to resemble him. Now the eating of these things must needs hinder their attaining to their Perfection, and deprive them of that End for which they were design'd; and this would be an Opposition to the working of the Supream Agent, and such an Opposition would hinder that Nearness and Conformity to him, which he so much desir'd. Upon this he thought it the best way to abstain from eating altogether, if possible; but when he saw that this would not do, and that such an Abstinence tended to the Dissolution of his Body, which was so much a greater Opposition to the _Agent_ than the former, by how much he was of a more excellent Nature than those things, whose Destruction was the Cause of his Preservation: Of two Evils he resolved to chuse the least, and do that which contain'd in it the least Opposition to the Creator; and resolved to partake of any of these sorts, if those he had most mind to were not at hand, in such quantity as he should conclude upon hereafter; and if it so happen'd that he had them all at hand, then he would consider with himself, and chuse that, in the partaking of which there would be the least Opposition to the Work of the Creator: Such as the pulp of those Fruits which were full ripe, and had Seeds in them fit to produce others of the like kind, always taking care to preserve the Seeds, and neither cut them, nor spoil them, nor throw them in such places as were not fit for Plants to grow in, as smooth Stones, salt Earth, and the like. And if such pulpy Fruits, as Apples, Pears, Plumbs, &c. could not easily be come at, he would then take such as had nothing in them fit to eat but only the Seed, as Almonds and Chesnuts, or such green Herbs as were young and tender; always observing this Rule, that let him take of which sort he would, he still chose those that there was greatest Plenty of, and which increased fastest, but so as to pull up nothing by the Roots, nor spoil the Seed: And if none of these things could be had, he would then take some living Creature, or eat Eggs; but when he took any Animal, he chose that sort of which there was the greatest Plenty, so as not totally to destroy any Species.