Chap. IX. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 229 



v^rere to multiply as much, the leller animals mufl: be ftarved ; and, T 

 imagine, the general rule will be found to be, that the larger the a- 

 nimal the lefs the multiplication. 



Among the large animals is Man, efpecially when he was of the 

 fize of Homer's heroes. The maintenance, therefore, of Ihcli men 

 muft coft Nature a great deal ; and, accordingly, we fee, from the 

 account that Flomer gives of the eating of his heroes, it was im- 

 pofTible that many of them could be maintained in the natural ftate. 

 It was therefore neceflary that Nature fhould ufe, with regard to 

 Man, the precautions that ilie has ufed with regaid to other animals ; 

 firft, that the female fhould not breed too often ; and, fecondly, that 

 fhe fhould not produce too many at a time. In which laft refpedt 

 the refemblance is ftill carried on betwixt Man and the horfe or 

 ox kind ; for thefe have very feldom more than one at a birth, 

 which is the cafe of our fpecies. And I am perfuaded that the third 

 method of prevention is alfo ufed, I mean the production of more 

 males than females. 



That this is the cafe at prefent all over Europe is acknowledged ; 

 And I think there is good reafon to believe that it was formerly 

 more fo than at prefent, when men were in a more natural flatc. 

 This I infer from the proportion entirely reverfcd in the Eaft, 

 where, as Mr Bruce informs us '*, inftead of more males being pro- 

 duced than females, there are jour females to one male. Now, if the 

 order of Nature in one country may be fo totally deranged by a dif- 

 orderly and unnatural way of living, it may be fo, in a Icflcr de- 

 gree, in other countries : And, as I have obferved, I believe it is fo 

 among the men of rank in Britain t. 



It 



* See page i8o. 

 t Ibid. 



