a Comparison letween Animal and Vegetalle Life. 99 



into the plant that which is completed. This account would 

 fill volumes instead of a few pages, if thorough justice were done 

 to so beautiful and inimitable a contrivance. But what pen or 

 what tongue can properly display the works of Him who can con- 

 ceive and form such productions ! 



Between the skin or cutis, and the muscles or flesh, there is 

 interposed a loose oily substance. It is continued without inter- 

 ruption over the whole exterior of the muscles, and is called the 

 cellular substance, filling up their depressions, and affording a 

 smooth and regular surface for the skin to lie upon. This sub- 

 stance is composed of a cellular texture and Jat : the latter is 

 fluid in the body, and is deposited in cells in the former for fa- 

 cilitating muscular motion ; and though found in the greatest 

 quantity in the cells of the memhrane filling up the space le- 

 tween the most external muscles of the skin, yet it may be met 

 with in most other parts of the body. Just so is the vegetable 

 pith, composed of a cellular texture, filling up the depressions 

 the line of life frequently makes in its curious undulations, which 

 every other part is obliged to follow: the only difference is, that 

 it is not placed in the same situation, but owing to the softness 

 of its texture it admits of the wood in very vigorous trees in- 

 creasing both ways, and allowing also of the yearly swelling 

 of the line of life, when the bud passes up its cylinders, from 

 the root upwards. The pith serves also to contain'water, in- 

 stead of fat ; and by its quick growth supplies each vacancy till 

 the wood is able to fill its situation. 



Having now brought forward (though in so imperfect a 

 sketch) each different ingredient possible to compare together 

 in the human form and vegetable frame ; let me now see u'hat 

 results may le drawn from the comparison. First it proves, I 

 think, that the vegetable frame is a mere mutcular creature, 

 having life only, but no sensation — no sensibility, but possess- 

 ing alone the property of the muscles {irritability). The com- 

 parison proves also a matter of great consequence to the vege- 

 table, which is, that as the only part in the himan body possess- 

 ing self-motion (independent of all other parts) or vis insita is 

 the muscle, so the only part in the plant possessing the same 

 motion or vis insita is the spiral wire: that part therefore 

 must be the muscle of the vegetable, as I have long ago en- 

 deavoured to show by other arguments, as I never yet could find 

 motion in any part that did not possess the spiral wire, and that 

 the motion was always in proportion to the quantity or peculiar 

 formation of the muscle: as the tendril of the vine admirably 

 shows, which is composed of little else. We learn also that there 

 are no secretions either from bark -juice or sap, but that Nature 

 supplies them in the vegetable in a different way, drawing 



G 2 them 



