880 OF THE NISUS FORMAT1VUS. 



Homer, Demosthenes, P. Lumbard, P. Comestor, Bartholus, 

 Adrian the fourth Pope, &c. were bastards 3 and in almost every 

 kingdom the most ancient families have been at first princes' 

 bastards, the worthiest captains, best wits, greatest scholars, 

 bravest spirits in all our annals, have been base. Cardan, in his 

 subtleties, gives a reason, &c. — Corpore sunt et animo fortiores 

 spurii, plerumque ab amoris vehementiam, &c."* Were this 

 explanation satisfactory, the first fruits of wedded love would 

 still generally be on an equality with illegimate offspring. If 

 a greater proportion of illegitimate than of legitimate persons 

 have* really rendered themselves illustrious, their superior energy 

 may be attributed to the strength of their parents' constitutions, 

 it not being likely that the weak and delicate so frequently 

 become the prey of unlawful passions as the vigorous, and to the 

 necessity in which such individuals usually find themselves to rely 

 upon their own exertions. 



The vulgar are satisfied that mental impressions made upon 

 the mother may affect the offspring. If I profess the same 

 opinion, some will no longer wonder at my being a Christian, nor 

 others at my being an admirer of Gall and Spurzheim. Credulous, 

 however, as I may seem, I do confess that so many extraordinary 

 coincidences, both in the human and the brute subject, have 

 come to my knowledge, that I dare not affirm the common 

 belief to be altogether unfounded. That neither all nor most 

 mal-formations can be thus explained, that pregnant women are 

 frequently alarmed without such consequences even when most 

 dreaded, and that highly ridiculous resemblances are fancied to 

 preceding longings and alarms that were forgotten or may be 

 well suspected to have never existed, is incontestable. But, in other 

 matters, when a circumstance may proceed from many causes, 

 we do not universally reject any one because it is frequently al- 

 leged without reason. To argue from the non-appearance of 



• Burton, Anatomy of ^Ictanchvly. Vol. ii. p. 16 aq. 



