40 MEMOIR OF SWAMMERDAM. 



perfect body, infinitely surpassing the utmost stretch 

 of human understanding. As for my part, I dare 

 boldly affirm, that the incomprehensible greatness of 

 the deity manifests itself in these mysterious opera- 

 tions in a particular manner, and affords us an 

 opportunity of examining, as it were, with our senses, 

 the divine nature."* 



Long before the period when these and other valu- 

 able investigations of a similar kind were undertaken, 

 a notable change had taken place in Swammerdam's 

 mind, which led him to regard such pursuits in a 

 very different light from what had been customary 

 to him. He had always been of a devotional frame 

 of mind, and this feeling was gradually deepened by 

 observing the wonderful instances of design, power, 

 and goodness, which his studies so abundantly sup- 

 plied. Hence his anxiety to direct the attention of the 

 reader, on all fitting occasions, to the Almighty Author 

 of all the wonders his penetration enabled him to re- 

 veal, and to awaken those sentiments of devout adora- 

 tion which they are so well fitted to inspire. But an 

 event happened, apparently in the year 1672, which 

 corrupted the source from which these feelings flowed, 

 diverted them into a wrong channel, and ultimately 

 brought his mind into a state of the most deplorable 

 fanaticism. The immediate cause of this was the 

 perusal of the works of Antoinette de la Porte 

 Bourignon, a wild enthusiast, who was then using 

 every effort to propagate her doctrines. She was a 



* Book of Nat. II. 51. 



