well what is, and who will hardly be made to fce what is not ; tph0 
do not ftudy fo much to find things new, as to examine thofe well 
that are pretended to have been found ; and tot^hom the very 
affurance of having been deceived in fome Obfervation, gives 
little lefs fat isfaflion, than a curious and important Difcovery : 
So much, (jhef ajfure m) doth the Love of certainty prevail a- 
bove any other thing. Now this Love, (they add) is fo much the 
flronger, 3S n meets with no con bat from any other intereft ; for- 
afmuch as the vain glory, which the fuccefs of an ingenious illu- 
fionmightby a furprize have carried away , would be to them a 
very fmall thing, it being divided between fomany perfons that 
do all contribute to this work, either by the propofuious that each 
of them makes of new things which he difcovers , or by his clear- 
ing up of the Difcoveries made by orhers , in examining them as 
others do examine his, with fuch a watchful care as a little emu* 
lation never fails to ftir up amongft Philofophers: So that, in all 
appearance, fuch matters as havepafled fo ftrid a trial as ihefe, 
are exempt from all deceitand falfi y. 
Having thus introduced their labours, and intimated withal, 
that they have chiefly given an account of the hter»alpzns of the 
Animals here exhibited,now and then only adding fome Reflexions 
upon particularities that might deferve them , yet no otherwife 
;han an Efray,and the Firfl: fruits of thatCrop^ that one day may 
be reaped from a whole Magazeen of fuch Obfervations ; Having, , 
I fay, done this, they give us the Anatomical Defcriptions ihem- 
felvesof 13 fpecies of Exotic Animals ; of which Five (x'/^» 
Cameleon^ Caflor^ Dromedary^ Bear^ and Gazelle^) were formerly 
publifhed, and defcribed by the fame Perfons,ia a Book in qmrto^ 
printed at Paris 1669 ; which now are reprinted here in a more 
magnificent manner, and augmented with the number of Eight 
fpecies, which are, two hions and a Liomef^ a Chat Pard (fuppe- 
fed tobeengendred by a Leopard and a Sow-catt,) a Sea-f^^ a 
Luf'us Cervarius or Lynx^ an Otter^ a Civef cuty an Elke^ and a 
Caati ^!Mondi of Bra/il. 
Firfl, they difcourfe of two Lions and me Lhnne^; and,aroong 
other obfervations , they take notice from divers circumftances, 
that one of the two Male-Lions fickned oF a Surfet ; they having 
been informed, that fome months before he died he wouldnot only 
oot ceme out of his lodge, but hardly eat ; and that therefore fome 
rcmedies^^ 
