98 
The Natural Hiftory of the Book IY, 
find every Individual repleté with unerring Defign, Elegancy, and Wif. 
dom, each contributing to. the Harmony of the Whole. 
The Eye is ravifhed with beholding the majeftic Height, and agreeable 
Verdure, of fome ; whilft the Flowers of others delight us with their Pro. 
fufion of Sweets, and varied Beauties: ‘‘ And, (6) could our Eyes attain 
“to the Sight of the admirable Texture of the Parts, on which the {pe- 
“ cific Difference in Plants depends, what an amazing and beautiful Scene 
-“ of inimitable Embroidery fhould we behold! What Variety of mafterly’ 
“ Strokes of Machinery! What evident Marks of .confummate Wifdom 
“ fhould we be entertained with! The little that we do know of their 
“* Make and Structure is furprifing !”’ 
What Power lefs than Divine could provide them with fuch Number 
and Variety of Veffels, endued with dilating and contraéting Qualities, 
capable, by Expanfion, to give room to the excrementitious Juices to fly 
off, and by Contraétion to force back their remaining unconcoéted: Parts 
to be purified by a farther Circulation and Secretion ! 
How greatly are we at a Lofs, even to conjeGture, much more explain, 
how an Aloe-Plant, and a Sugar-Cane, tho’ planted in the fame Tub of 
Earth, and abforbing the fame common Juices; yet each fhall concod 
thefe Juices, fo as to render them fuitable to their refpective Natures ; 
the one producing a very fweet, the other the moft bitter of Juices ! 
If from the amazing Structure, and inimitable Beauty, of Plants, we 
explore their other Ufes, we fhall find their great Author’s Bounty, not, 
like the Patriarch’s, confined to one Bleffing, but as boundlefs as the 
World: Thefe are not only pleafant to the Eye, but good for Food,. 
The Delicacy and Poignancy of their Fruits, the Fragrancy of their Gums, 
Oils, and Balfams, their healing Qualities, and the grateful Tafte of their 
Juices in Liquors---all proclaim, that thefe are thy Works, O God! and 
convince us, that in Wifdom thou haft made them all. 
As this Treatife, with regard to Vegetables, is confined within a narrow 
Sphere, it cannot be fuppofed to comprife Rules for a regular Syftem of 
Botany ; nor doth it therefore require me to defcend to every minute Cir-. 
cumftance neceffary, and expeéted only to be expatiated upon by thofe 
who undertake to write Botanic Syftems. ct. 
The Method I have taken, in clafling the Plants by their Fruits, is; I 
hope, the fhorteft and plaineft, and confequently the eafieft to be under- 
ftood by common Readers. 
It would perhaps feem an invidious Task every-where to particularize 
many of thofe lefler Circumftances, wherein I am obliged to differ from 
other Authors. Mr. Miller, of Chelfea, as far as he hath feen our W oft- 
India Plants, hath defcribed them with great Judgment and Accuracy. 
As to my We/f-India Readers 3 when thefe thall compare my Delfcrip- 
tions with the Originals, they muft do me and themfelves the Juftice to 
choofe Specimens from perfeé Plants, growing in fuch a Situation as they 
naturally love : For the fame Species of Plants, which would flourith, and 
grow 
(6) Vide Dr. Hale’s Veget. Stat. 
