THE QUINARY SYSTEM. 



liii 



etymology of the word seven signifies fulness and perfection.* We 

 accordingly read of "the seven churches," 4 4 the seven golden candle- 

 sticks," the 44 lamb with seven horns," the 44 seven animals," 44 the 

 seven spirits of God," &c. From this source, indeed, it is probable 

 that Pythagoras, who studied in Egypt and Phoenicia, f derived his 

 opinion that the number seven was 44 venerable, perfect, and accom- 

 modated to things sacred."J But with all these authorities in its 

 favour, and hundreds more which could easily be mustered, Mr. 

 MacLeay says, 44 the idea of this number is, however, imme- 

 diately laid aside, on endeavouring to discover seven primary di- 

 visions of equal degree in the animal kingdom ;§" one reason, 

 among many others, which would make me reject his number Jive^ 

 or any other invariable number, inasmuch as there has been shown 

 nothing to warrant this in nature. To use the words of Mr. Mac 

 Leay, 64 the interests of science, and that love of truth which every 

 scientific man ought to possess, require that we should not allow 

 ourselves to be dazzled by the seeming simplicity of rules, so far 

 as to overlook the cases where these rules interfere with the evident 

 order of nature." || The Quinary system, though lauded as a 

 system, the 44 groups" of which, as well as 44 the arrangement of 

 these groups," 44 are almost mathematically proved to be natural,"5[ 

 appears to me to be no less artificial than any of the numerous 

 other systems erroneously called natural. Mr. MacLeay, 

 speaking of the French systematists, says, that, 44 by suppos- 

 ing nature to have been absolutely governed by a set of 

 rules, which they themselves laid down, they have done little 

 more by their innovations, than given to the world an addi- 

 tional artificial system"** — a remark which applies, I think, 

 forcibly to the Quinary system. 44 According to Linnaeus," 



* To fxvsriKov tup 'airavTaxri 'eKKArjcriwv arjfxaivctip . Andreas Cccsariensis on 

 Apoc, ch. i. v. 4. Unum Spiritum dicit Septiformem, quae est perfectio et 

 plenitude Beda on Apocalyp. ch. iv. v. 5. Philo styles the Number Seven, 

 T€\e<r(f>opos. 



t Porphyrius, Vit. Pythag. ; Jamblichus, Vit. Pythag. ; and Shuckford, Con. 

 Sacr. and Prof. Hist. Pref. 



X Woodhouse, Annot. p. 13. § Linn. Trans, xiv. 57, Note. 



|| Horae Entomologicae, p. 6. 

 % Dying Struggle, p. 128. See also Annulosa Javanica, p. 1. 

 ** Horse Entomologies, p. 12. 



