120 pr: Goring oii the new Microscopes^ ^c^ 



blots ill the escutcheon of the Creator. The use of thes6 Httle 

 insects is, in my opinion, to teach man that most desirable, but 

 most difficult of all lessons, true humility. He is very apt 

 to consider himself as the very centre, the alpha,. and omega 

 of the creation, for whose use and satisfaction this planet and 

 every thing in it has been made. Now a very little consideration 

 ought to show him that this is by no means the case, and that 

 he only shares with other animals (according to the degree of 

 his force and cunning) the goods of the earth. Fleas, bugs, and 

 wasps, seem to have been intended to enjoy themselves in their 

 own way just as we do, without reference to the comforts, 

 feelings, misery, or happiness of men and other beings, or 

 as the lion and tiger can only exist by destroying weaker 

 animals. Each animated creature seems almost to stand by 

 itself, as much as if there had been no others to contend with 

 it for the produce of the earth, both animal and vegetable. 



I have frequently amused myself with imagining what would 

 be the reflections of a bug, if it could think or reason. I have 

 no doubt it would consider itself as the only being in the crea- 

 tion, of any real consequence, and be full of gratitude for the 

 munificent provision made for it by nature in our bulky per- 

 sons, which it would, doubtless, think had been created only to 

 prepare its habitation and supply its food. The wars we wage 

 against them, would be considered the most execrable cruelty 

 and tyranny, and a most unaccountable contradiction in the 

 order of nature, that the same being which supplied all their 

 comforts, should also be their bane and destruction. 



Upon the whole it seems quite as certain that bugs were 

 intended to prey on man, as that horses were made to ride on. 

 Pull in your horns a HUle, O ye lords of the creation ! ye are 

 but food for bugs while ye live, and for worms when ye are 

 dead. 



There are puerilities, pedantiy, and nonsense in all the sciences. 

 Even astronomy is not exempt from these flaws, nor is it by 

 any means difficult to apply the touchstone of ridicule and 

 derision to them, as has been done pretty successfully by Dr. 

 Swift, and others : if mere utility is to be made the standard 

 of excellence, how circumscribed are the merits of most of 



