126 On the Existence of the XJnicorn. 



liorn of a quadruped, it was thence concluded that the unicorn had 

 never existed, and consequently that it was only a fabulous animal, 

 whose nonexistence was mechanically demonstrated by Kamper. 

 Without detracting from the celebrity of this great anatomist, we do 

 not cite his demonstration, persuaded that the beauties of nature and 

 her admirable secrets cannot be explained by the laws of mechanics 

 only. 



Nevertheless, we may remark that Wormius, cautious in his infer- 

 ences, is always in doubt ; that he speaks of the unicorn as he had 

 heard it described before the king of Denmark, by an embassador 

 from Congo ; that Graelin is not sure that the fossil unicorn, which 

 is sometimes found in the earth, is the defense of the narwal ; that, 

 finally, if the narwal were unknown till of late, the unicorn, after be- 

 ing seen by the ancients, may not yet have been discovered by us. 



Finally, is it not the bight of error and blindness to maintain the 

 nonexistence of our quadruped by the existence of the narwal ? It 

 must be confessed that this would be to disguise the process of na- 

 ture, that seems to delight in repeating the particular animals in each 

 class, and that it is to regard as favorable to an opinion that, which is 

 almost sufficient to overthrow it. Thus, as the ostrich among birds, 

 and the highbunched cofFre, among the inhabitants of the seas, are. 

 the representatives of the camel, and the fish zebra is of the quad- 

 ruped zebra, so the unicorn of the sea seems to prove the existence 

 of the land unicorn. 



We conclude, therefore, that we have satisfactory evidence, to 

 say the least, that this animal may have existed, that it is possible 

 that he exists still, and close by saying with the immortal BufFon : 

 " It is not by contracting the sphere of nature and confining her with- 

 in a narrow circle that we shall be able to understand her ; it is not 

 by making her act according to some preconceived ideas that we 

 shall be able to judge of her or comprehend her ; and we shall not 

 be able to fathom the designs of the Creator by furnishing him with 

 our ideas ; instead of confining the limits of his power it is neces- 

 sary to extend them even to immensity ; it is necessary to consider 

 nothing as impossible, to look for every thing, and to suppose that 

 whatever can exist, really does." 



