8 



i he Hiftorj of Life and Leak 



the Kernels oftZ\its,which after they are dried,are too little for the Shcl$;Cr in Beams & 

 Planthers of Howies, which at firfi lay clofe together, but after they are- dried-, gave; And 

 likewife in Bow\zs,which through Drought grow full of CraniesfY he f arts of the bowls 

 contratlingthemfelves together^ after Contracts mttfi needs be emptie Spaces. Second- 

 ly, it appears by the Wrinkles of Bodies Dried. For the Endeavour of Conua£kin° it felf 

 isfitchytnat by the Contraction,?'? brings the Parts nearer together, & fo lifts them up; 

 For whatfoever is Contracted on the fides, is lifted up in the Midft;And this is to be feen 

 inPapers^nd old Parchments; And in the Skins of Living Creatures ; And in the Coats 

 o/Sctt Cheefesjex*/? which with Age; gather wrinkles. T hirdly,this Contract ion Jhews 

 it felfe Mo(V» thofe things, which by Heat, are • not onely wrinkled j>ut rufffed,and plight- 

 ed,and as it were -fowled togtther;As it is in Papei s,and Parchments,**^ htw^brought 

 neere the Fire. For Contraction, by Age, which is more Slow, commonly cau[tth wtin- 

 kJes.But Contraction,^/ ths Vne,which more fpeedy,caufeth P lightiug. How in moft 

 Things, where it comes not to Wrinkling, , or Plighting ; there is fimple Con:ra-etion, 

 and Angu'l 'mion,crStraitning,and Induration or Hafdntng, and Deficcation; As was 

 fhewedintbe firfi Place: But if the Ifluing forth of the 'Spirit : and Abliirripticn,<T waft, 

 of the MoiUure, be fo nreat, That there is not left T>odie fufficient to unite and cor.tratt 

 tt felf\ Then, of ' Neccffitte , Contraction mufi ceafe : And the boiie become putride, 

 And nothing elfe, but a little Dul\i -leaving together ..which with a light toy.chjs differ 

 fed, andftllcth afunder'As it is in Bodies that are Rotten,<W in Piper burnt: a, J Lm 

 nen made into Tinder: And (farkafes Embalmed,after many ages. And i his is the Third 

 A&ion : The Contraction of the G roller Pat zs,#fter tb'e Sp'i ic iffi.sa forth. 



Is is to be noted,That Fire, and Heat drie onely by Accident. For their proper Worke is, \ 

 to attenuate, and delate the Spi nt,and Mpifture : And then ip follows by Accident*, that 

 the other Tarts fhould contraEi the.nf elves; Either for the Flying of Vacuum alone f Or 

 for /owe other Motion withal s Whereof we nowfpeakjiot. 



It it certain that Pun election , takes his Original , from the Native Spii it, noleffe 

 than Afcfaction*.5»f it goeth on afar different way;For m Putrefaction. zi>i? Spirit, n net 

 (imply vapoured forth: But being detained in Part, worlds ftrange Garboiles ; And the 

 Grofter Pztts y *re not fo much locally contracted , as they conj^reate themfelves to Tans 

 of the fame Nature, 



Length, and Sbortneffe of Life in living Creatures. 



The Hiftory. 



PuchingtheVtrtph-, and Skertnefie of Life in Living Creatures, theinfor- 

 mation,whichmaybehad,is but fiender; Obfervation is Negligent; And 

 T raditionf abulotti,In Tame Creatures, their Degenerate Life,corrupteth 

 them;In wild Creatures-, their Sxfofing to all weathers , often interceptcth 

 them. Neither doe thofe Things which may fern Cone omit ant s.give any Furtherance ,to 

 this fnformation,(The GreatnefTe of their BodiesjT/?f//Tjme of Bearing in the Womb; 

 The Number of their Young ones; The Time cf their Gxo-mh;<tAndthe Reft;) In Re- 

 gard that^hefe Things are Intermixed,a;:d fometimesjhey concur,fcmetimes they fever. 



Mans Age (as farre as can be gathered by any certain Narration,) doth exceed the 

 Age, of all other Living Creatures ; Except it be, of a very few onely. And the Co»- 

 comitants in fiim, are very equally difpofed ; His Stature ," and Troportion, large ; His 

 Bearing in the Womb, mnz Moneths; His Fr«/>,commonly,one,ata Bmh ; HisPuber- 

 tieat the Age of Fourteen yeares ; HisT ime of Growing,ti\\ Twenty. . 



The Elephant, by undoubted Relation , exceeds the Ordinary Race of Manshfc: 

 But his Bearing in the Womb , the (pace of ten yeares is fabulous ; Of two yeares , or at 

 leaft, above one,is certaine : Now his Bulks * s great ; His Timeoi Growth , untill the 

 thirtieth yeare ; HisTeeth exceeding hard ' Neither hath it been obferved : That his 

 Bloud is the colder! of all Creatures : His Agp, hath fometimes reached to two hundred 

 yeares. 



Ueniztz accounted long Livers, becaufe many of them , have been found Tooth- 

 leffe ; A figne not lb certain^; For that may be caufed by their ftrong Breath. 



The Bear is a grca: Sleeper ; A DbII Bead , and given to eafe ; And yet not noted 



for 



