[ i87 ] 



vegetable part of the creation likewife, na- 

 ture in that refpect has endu'd, in an in- 

 ferior fenfe, with paffion of eager love and 

 averfion. 



With fo little flock of philofophy as I 

 have, if it would not look too much like 

 my pretending to be a compleat fyjlematick 

 writer 5 not only on the apparent, but like- 

 wife on the invilible caufes, and the manner 

 of the vegetation of this miraculous plant ; 

 I fhould take this occ^^fion, with more be- 

 coming prefumption, to fay, that immedi- 

 ately after an acorn has been entirely in- 

 dependent of it's fubliftence from the two 

 lobes ; the future encreafe thereof, is occa- 

 lion'd by alien, but withal homogeneous par- 

 ticles brought thereto, by the means of water ; 

 and that as the fame does abound more, or 

 lefs therewith, the growth of fuch plant is 

 liiore, or lefs only. 



Accordingly that if water were ftridly 

 fimple and devoid of all foreign principles ; 

 it felf only would promote little, or no ac- 

 cretion of a plant. And that altho' water, 

 on accurate probations, is allowed to be no 

 where a Jimpk element in the whole fublu- 



nary 



