126 ESSAYS ann OBSERVATIONS 
animals ; and perhaps give fome ground for 
conjecturing, that anumber of animals, or 
a fyftem of thinking beings, may probably be 
conjoined together, under the form of one 
animal. We were formerly acquainted with 
inftances of two or more animals connected 
or adhering together, as in worms of differ- 
ent kinds, tho’ they do not grow or extend 
themfelves to any larger dimenfions upon fe- 
paration. Other animals were known, which, 
upon lofing a limb, had it regenerated again, 
as is the cafe of craw-fith and lobfters. May 
it nof then be fuppofed, that, in the polypus, 
both thefe cafes concur together ? 
He who allows, that the fyftem of the u- 
niverfe may proceed at prefent without any 
guidance or direction, will find it difficult 
to affign to himfelf any good reafon why it 
might not always, or from eternity, have 
done the fame. The excellency and perfe- 
Gtion of the material world, can be no evi- 
dence to him of an original archite& or con- 
triver of allthings: fince the higheft excel- 
lencies and perfections are acknowled, e- 
ven by every Theilt, to exift without a caufe. 
But the inftances of a wife adminiftration and 
fuperintendence, prefented every moment to 
our 
