time: the refreshing river 



"When I had often discovered to His Majesties sight this 

 alteration in the Womb, and having Hkewise plainly shewed 

 that all this while no portion of seed or conception either was 

 to be found in the Womb, and when the King himself had 

 communicated the same as a very wonderful thing to diverse 

 of his followers, a great debate at length arose: The Keepers 

 and Huntsmen concluded, first, that this did imply, that their 

 conception would be late that year, and thereupon accused the 

 drought; but afterwards when they understood that the rutting 

 time was past and gone; and that I stood stiffly upon that, they 

 peremptorily did affirm, that I was first mistaken my selfe, and 

 so had drawn the King into my error; and that it could not 

 possibly be, but that something at least of the Conception must 

 needs appear in the Uterus: untill at last, being confuted by 

 their own eyes, they sate down in a gaze and gave it over for 

 granted. But all the King's Physicians persisted stiffly, that it 

 could no waies be, that a conception should go forward unless 

 the males seed did remain in the womb, and that there should 

 be nothing at all residing in the Uterus after a fruitfull and 

 effectual 1 Coition; this they ranked amongst their dSvpara. 



Now that this experiment which is of so great concern might 

 appear the more evident to posterity; His Majestic for tryal- 

 sake (because they have all the same time and manner of con- 

 ception) did at the beginning of October separate about a dozen 

 Does from the society of the Buck and lock them up in the 

 Course near Hampton Court. Now lest any one might affirm 

 that doubtlessly there did continue the seed bestowed upon 

 them in Coition (their time of Rutting being then not past) I 

 dissected divers of them, and discovered no seed at all residing 

 in their Uterus; and yet those whom I dissected not, did conceive 

 by the virtue of their former Coition (as by Contagion) and did 

 Fawn at their appointed time." 



And precisely parallel to this attitude was that of the preforma- 

 tionists in the following century, who, having decided, like Bonnet,^ 

 that epigenesis was inconceivable, only accepted such observations as 

 confirmed their a priori view. 



Preformationism as a manifestation of rationalism merits further 

 examination. The dogmatic manner in which preformationism was 



^ Considerations sur les corps organisees, 1762. 



