190 History of Nature. [BooK VII. 



Citizen of Tisdrita, was turned from a Woman to a Man 

 upon the very Marriage-day. If a Woman bring Twins, it 

 is rare for them all to live, but either the Mother dieth, or 

 one of the Babes, if not both. But if the Twins be of both 

 Sexes, it is rare for both of them to escape. Women grow 

 old sooner than Men ; and they grow to their Maturity more 

 speedily than Men. It is certain that a Male Child stirreth 

 oftener in the Womb, and lieth commonly more to the right 

 Side ; whereas Females incline to the left. 1 



CAP. V. 



De Hominis Generando, et Pariendi Tempore per illustria 

 Exempla a Mensibus septem ad undecim. 2 



C^TERIS animantibus statum, et pariendi, et partus 

 gerendi tempus est ; homo toto anno, et incerto gignitur 

 spatio. Alius septimo mense, alius octavo, et usque ad initia 

 decimi undecimique. Ante septimum mensem baud unquam 

 vitalis est. Septimo non nisi pridie posterove plenilunii die, 

 aut interlunio concept! nascuntur. Translatitium in ^Sgypto 

 est et octavo gigni. Jam quidem et in Italia tales partus 

 esse vitales, contra priscorum opiniones. Variant hsec plu- 

 ribus modis. Vestilia C. Herditii ac postea Pomponii atque 

 Orfiti, clarissimorum civium, conjunx, ex his quatuor partus 

 enixa, Sempronium septimo mensi genuit, Suilliuni Rufum 

 undecimo, Corbulonem septimo, utrunque Consulem : postea 

 Caesoniam Caii 3 principis conjugem, octavo. In quo men- 

 sium numero genitis, intra quadragesimum diem maximus 



1 No signs are known by which the sex of the child before birth is in 

 the least indicated. Wern Club. 



2 The term of pregnancy natural to the human female is 280 days ; 

 by the Prussian laws, 300 days ; by the French, 301 days are considered 

 to mark the extreme limit. From physiological reasons it is extremely 

 improbable if the usual term of nine calendar, or ten lunar months, is 

 ever exceeded by more than one lunar month. Wern. Club. 



3 The emperor so named is better known by the name of Caligula, 

 which was imposed upon him on account of the military shoe which, 

 when a child, he wore in the camp. The wife's father here spoken of 

 was the Emperor Augustus. Wern. Club. 



