else an Hyperbola ,—and that the parameter, or latus rectum , of the conic section of the said path, was to the quantity and amplitude in a direct ratio , as the whole line to the sine of double the angle of incidence, formed by the breech upon an horizontal plane;—and that the semiparameter,⸺stop! my dear uncle Toby ⸺stop!—go not one foot farther into this thorny and bewildered track,—intricate are the steps! intricate are the mazes of this labyrinth! intricate are the troubles which the pursuit of this bewitching phantom Knowledge will bring upon thee.—O my uncle;—fly—fly, fly from it as from a serpent.⸺Is it fit⸺good-natured man! thou should’st sit up, with the wound upon thy groin, whole nights baking thy blood with hectic watchings?⸺Alas! ’twill exasperate thy symptoms,—check thy perspirations—evaporate thy spirits—waste thy animal strength,—dry up thy radical moisture, bring thee into a costive habit of body,⸺impair thy health,⸺and hasten all the infirmities of thy old age.⸺O my uncle! my uncle Toby .
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