PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. 231 



I fhall follow the philofophers no fur- 

 ther ; my defign being only to inquire 

 into the rife and progrefs of the dodlrine 

 concerning the fexes of vegetables among 

 botanifts ; and whether it is fupportable 

 by experiments, or a mere hypothelis. 



Sect. I. 

 Theophrastus, the greateft, as well 

 as the elded of the Greek botanifts whofe 

 works have been preferved, can beft ex- 

 plain, why fome plants of the fame kind 

 were called females, and others males, by 

 them. I know fome reckon Crateva more 

 ancient, and cotemporary to Hippocrates, 

 on the authority of fome epiftles fathered 

 on the old man, and annexed to his works. 

 But the learned have proven thefe letters 



to 



" rigidiufque, Icmellum debilios et fcEcundius ; quae- 

 •* rcnduna rurfus eft, inveniaturne haec duo genera fi- 

 '• mul commifta in plantis efle, ut Empedocues dicit. 

 " Id quod ego fane ita habere non arbitror," Thus 

 Aristotle de plantis, lib. i. c. i. et 2. See alfo 

 Fragmentura Gaieni in Platonis Timjeum, c, 2. Et 

 librum dchiftoria philofophica, Galbno adfcriptnai, fub 

 finem. 



