314 ESSAYS AND OBSERVATIONS 



Sect. IV. 



57. Authors are fo much divided in 

 opinion, as to the primary ufe of this 

 duft, that it may be doubted whether it 

 be of any ufe to the plant which produces 

 it. And fince vegetables ferve only, or 

 at lead chiefly, for the ufe of animals ; 

 what the great Mr Boyle fays of the one, 

 may well be applied to the other*. And 



fince 



• " The whole animal is but a part of that greater 

 •' body the univerfe ; and threfore cannot eafily be fup- 

 '« pofed to have been framed and furniftied with the 

 •' parts it confifts of, intirely for its own fake, And, 

 «• when we fay, that all its parts are contrived for the 

 •' beft advantage for the animal, I conceive it to be un- 

 •• derftood in this limited fenfe, that the parts are «• 

 " cellently framed, for the welfare of the animal as far 

 *' forth as that welfare is confident with the general 

 •• ends of the Author of nature, in the conftitution and 

 " government of the univerfe. All which ends it is 

 •• not an eafy tafk to difcover, though fome of them 

 " may be inveftigable by us. And, it feems prefump- 

 *' tion to fuppofe, that the welfare cf particular animals 

 *« is any further defigned and provided for, than will 

 " confift tvith the cofmical ends of the univerfe, and 



•' the 



