20 



Microscopical Essays. 



The microfcope, nearly at the fame period, gave rife to M„ 

 Buffon's famous fyftem of organic molecules, and M. Need- 

 ham's incomprehenfible ideas concerning a vegetative force 

 and the vitality of matter. M. Buffon has drefled up his fyftem 

 with all the charms of eloquence, prefenting it to the mind in 

 the moft agreeable and lively colours, exerting the depths of eru- 

 dition in the moft interefting and* feducing manner, to eftablifh 

 his hypothecs, making us a] moft ready to adopt it againft the 

 dilates of reafon, and the evidence of fa&s. But whether this 

 great man was milled by the warmth of his imagination, his 

 attachment to a favorite fyftem, or the ufe of imperfecl inftru- 

 ments, it appears but too evident, that he was not acquainted 

 with the objects whofe nature he attempted to investigate ; and it 

 is probable, that he never faw * thofe which he fuppofed he^was 

 defcribing, continually confounding the animalculas produced 

 from the putrifying decompofition of animal fubftances, with the 

 ipermatic animalcule, although they are two kinds of beings, 

 differing in form and nature ; fo that the beautiful fabric attempt- 

 ed to be raifed on his hypothefis, vanilhes before the light of 

 truth and well conducted experiments. 



After this period, the mind, either fatisfied with the difcoveries 

 already made, (which will be particularly defcribed hereafter) 

 or tired by it's own exertions, fought for repofe in- other purfuits.; 

 fo that for feveral years this inftrument was again, in fome mea- 



fure* 



i Porro B'uffonius, ut cum illuftris viri venia dicafn omniho non videtur, ver- 

 micubs feminales vidiiTe, Diuturnitas enim vitse quam fuis corpufculis tribuit^ 

 oftendit non effe noftra animalcula (id eft, fpermatica) quibus brevis et- paucawm, 

 norarpm vita eft. Haller Phyfiol. tarn. 7. 



