a $$ A Treatifi o/BODIES. Chap. 24. 



growing; thefitpcrfl'ious nourifhmcnt fcttlcth it felf in fomcap* 

 pointed pJace of the body to {crve for the produftion of fome 

 other. Now it is evident that this fuperfluity comcth from all 

 parts of the body, and may be faid to contain in it after fome 

 fort the pe'rfe&ioivof the whole living creature. Be it how it 

 \villi it is manifeft that the living creature is made of this fupet- 

 fluous moytture of the parent : which, according to the opinion 

 of fome, being compounded of feverall parts derived from the 

 fevcrall limbs of the parent' thofe parts when they come to be 

 fermented in convenient heat and moyfture, do take their po- 

 Bure and fituation, according to the pofture and difpofition of 

 parts that the living creature had from whence they iflucd : and 

 then they growing daily greater and folider,(thceffe6ts of moy- 

 tfure and of heat; ) do at the length become fuch a creature as 

 that was, from whence they had their origine. 



Which an accident that I remember, feemcth much to con- 

 firm. It was of a cat that had its tail cut off when it was very 

 young: which cat happening afterwards to have young ones 

 half the killings proved without tails, and the other half had 

 them in an ordinary manner; as if nature could fupply but one 

 partners fide, not on both. And another particular that I faw 

 when I was at Argiers, maketh to this purpolc, which was of a 

 woman that having two thumbs upon the left hand j fourc 

 daughters that fhe had did all referable her in the fame accident, 

 and fb did a little child, a girl of her eldeft daughters; but none 

 of her fonnes. Whiles I was there I had a particular curiofity 

 to fee them allttnd though it be not eafjly permitted unto Chri- 

 ftians to fpeak familiarly with Mahometan womenjyet the con- 

 dition I was in there, and the civility of the BafTha, gave me 

 the oportunity of full view and difcourfe with them: and the old 

 woman told me, that her mother and grandmother had been in 

 the fame manner. But for them it refteth upon her credit: the 

 others I faw my felf. 



a. But the opinion which thefe accidents feem to fupport,though 



The former opi- at t j ie fi r fl. v j ew j t f ccmct h fmoothly to fatisfieour inquiry, and 



monrejtftcd. , i r r i 



fairly to compafle the making of a living creature : yet looking 

 further into it, we fhall find it fall exceeding fliortof itspromi- 

 fing; and meet with fuch difficulties, as it cannot overcome. For 

 let us caft about how this compound of fcycrall parts, that 



fcrycs 



