ANIMALS. 



imagination is then left to riot at large, and 

 to lead the understanding without an opposer. 

 Every incursive idea then becomes a reality; 

 and the mind, not having one power that can 

 prove the illusion, takes them for truths. As 

 in madness, the senses, from struggling with 

 the imagination, are at length forced to sub- 

 mit ; so, in sleep, they seem for a while sooth- 



ed into the like submission : the smallest 

 violence exerted upon any one of them, how- 

 ever, rouses all the rest in their mutual de- 

 fence ; and the imagination, that had for a 

 while told its thousand falsehoods, is totally 

 driven away, or only permitted to pass under 

 the custody of such as are every moment 

 ready to detect its imposition. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



OF SEEING." 



" HAVING mentioned the senses as cor- 

 recting the errors of the imagination, and as 

 forcing it, in some measure, to bring us just 

 information, it will naturally follow, that we 

 should examine the nature of those senses 

 themselves: we shall thus be enabled to see 

 how far they also impose on us, and how far 

 they contribute to correct each other. Let 

 it be observed, however, that in this we are 

 neither giving a treatise of optics or phonics, 

 but a history of our own perceptions : and 

 to those we chiefly confine ourselves." 



The eyes very soon begin to be formed in 

 the human embryo, and in the chicken also. 



Of all the parts which the animal has dou- 

 ble, the eyes are produced the soonest, and 

 appear the most prominent. It is true, indeed, 

 that in viviparous animals, and particularly in 

 man, they are not so large in proportion, at 

 first, as in the oviparous kinds; nevertheless, 

 they are more speedily developed, when they 

 begin to appear, than any other parts of the 

 body. It is the same with the organ of hear- 

 ing ; the little bones that compose the inter- 

 nal parts of the ear are entirely formed before 

 the other bones, though much larger, hare 

 acquired any part of their growth or solidity. 

 Hence it appears, that those parts of the body 

 which are furnished with the greatest quan- 



This chapter is taken from Mr. Buffbn. I believe 

 the reader will readily excuse any apology ; and, perhaps, 

 may wish that I had taken this liberty much more fre- 

 quently. What I add is marked, as in a former instance, 

 with inverted commas. 



tity of nerves, are the first in forming. Thus 

 the brain and the spinal-marrow, are the first 

 seen begun in the embryo ; and, in general, 

 it may be said, that wherever the nerves go, 

 or send their branches in great numbers, there 

 the parts are soonest begun, and the most com- 

 pletely finished. 



If we examine the eyes of a child some 

 hours, or even some days, after its birth, it 

 will be easily discerned that it as yet makes 

 no use of them. The humours of the organ 

 not having acquired a sufficient consistence, 

 the rays of light strike but confusedly upon 

 the retina, or expansion of nerves at the back 

 of the eye. It is not till about a month after 

 they are born, that children fix them upon 

 objects ; for, before that time, they turn them 

 indiscriminately every where, without appear- 

 ing to be affected by any. At six or seven 

 weeks old, they plainly discover a choice in 

 the objects of their attention ; they fix their 

 eyes upon the most brilliant colours, and seem 

 peculiarly desirous of turning them towards 

 the light. Hitherto, however, they only seem 

 to fortify the organ for seeing distinctly ; but 

 they have still many illusions to correct. 



The first great error in vision is, that the 

 eye inverts every object : and it in reality ap- 

 pears to the child, until the touch has served 

 to undeceive it, turned upside down. A se- 

 cond error in vision is, that every object ap- 

 pears double. The same object forms itself 

 distinctly upon each eye ; and is consequent- 

 ly seen twice. This error, also, can only be 



