lib The Natural Hi/lory 



required to make out the poflibility of the bed of Oyfters coming 

 thither without a Deluge, but that Cats-grove was the place ap- 

 pointed for the Armies repaft. 



1 1 8. Secondly, Ihztthefe formed ftones are many of them in 

 allrefpedts like the Xiv'mg fiell-fifi ; thus fays Boccone, the Her if 

 fens Spatagi of Jlone { , the Cornua Ammonh or Nautili lapides rn , have 

 the very marks, characters, eminencies, cavities, and all other 

 parts alike, with the true living Nautili, and Heriffons /patagi, and 

 Briffi of Imperato, and Rondelet, which proves, fays he, the body 

 changed to have been the very fame thing, with that which k living. 

 But 1 muft tell him, it do's it but very weakly, all arguments 

 drawn a fimilitudine being the moft inefficacious of all others, 

 fuch rather illuftrating than proving , rather perfwading than 

 compelling an adverfaries affent i For how many hundred things 

 are there in the World, that have fome refemblance of one another, 

 which no body will offer to think were ever the fame, and parti- 

 cularly amongft fome other formed fiones hereafter to be mention- 

 ed. Such are the ftones Otites, ox Auricular es, feveral forts of 

 Cardites, Lapides Mammillares, Hyfterolithos, ipc. which though 

 they as exactly refemble thofe parts of Men from whence they 

 have their names, as any Concbites or Echinites dothofefiell-fft ; 

 yet no Man that lever heard of, fo much as dreamed thatthefe 

 were ever the real parts of Men, in procefs of time thus turned 

 into Hone. As well might we fay, that our Kettering-ftone in 

 Northamptonshire here in England , was once nothing elfe but 

 the fpawn of Lobfters ; than which, that I know of, there is no- 

 thing more like. 



119. But fhould it be granted that thefe ftone Herifons fyatagi 

 were fomtime real fiell-fijh, as reafonably enough perhaps we 

 may, they being found at Malta, as you come into the Port over- 

 againft St. Erme n , yet this by no means would conclude that all 

 others of the form muft needs be fo, that are attended with much 

 different, and indeed (in refpeel: of having once been fiells) in- 

 explicable circumftances. 



1 20. Thirdly and laftly, That itfeems quite contrary to the infir- 

 nite prudence of Nature, which is obfervable in all its works and 

 productions, to defign every thing to a determinate end, and for the 

 attaining that end, makes ufe of fuch ways as are (as far as the know- 



"Rtchmhes ^ obftrvat. Naturtllts, Lettrt 26. Libro citato, Lettre a8. Libro citato, Lettre $6- 



ledge 



