27$ JTrtatife of BODIES. Chap. 14. 



Secondly, they fay that the cinbryon is a&ually formed in 

 the feed, though in fuch little parts as it cannot be dilcerned 

 untill eaeh part have enlarged and increa'ed it felf, by drawing 

 unto it from thecircumttant bodies more fubftance or their own 

 nature. But xve fay, that there is one homogeneall fubftancc, 

 made of the bloud, which hath been ir> all parts of the body ; 

 and this is the feed : which contained! not in it, any figure of 

 the animal from which it is refined 5 or of the animal into which. 

 it hath a capacity to be turned ( by the addition of other fub- 

 flances) though it have in it the vertues of ali the parts h harh 

 often run through* 



By which term of /pccifike vertues, I hope we have faid 

 enough in fundry places of this difcourfeto keep men from con- 

 ceiving that we do mean any fuch unconceiveable quality, as- 

 modern Philofbphcrs too frequently talk of, when they know 

 not what they fay -or think, nor can give any account o f . But 

 that it is fuch degrees and fuch numbers,of rare and denfc parts 

 mingled together, as conftitute a mired body of fuch a temper 

 and nature : which degrees and proportions ef rare and denfe 

 parts and their mixture together, and incorporating into one 

 homogeneall fubftance, is the effcdt resulting from the operati- 

 ons of the exteriour agent, that euttcth, imbibcth } kneadeth,and 

 boyleth it to fuch a temper : which exteriour agent in this cafe, 

 is each fcverall part of the animals body chat this juice or 

 Woud runneth through ; and that hath a particular temper be- 

 longing to it, refulting out of fuch a proportion of rare and 

 denfe p.arts, as we have even now fpoken of; and can no more 

 bewitheld from communicating its temper to the bioudthat 

 firft foaketh into it, and foon after draineth away again from it 

 (according as otherfuccecding parts of bloud drive it on;)then 

 a. minerall channcll can choofe but communicate its virtue un- 

 to a ft ream of water that runneth through it, and is continual- 

 ly grating of fbme of the fubiiance of the minerall earth, and 

 diflolring it into it fel 



But to go on with our intended difcourfe. The feed, thus im- 

 bued with the fpecificall virtues of all the fevcrall parts of the 

 parents body, meeting in a fit receptacle the other parents feed; 

 u<f. Ac'" and being there duly conco&ed, bccometh fuft a. heart : which 



heart 



