OfOXFO%T>^SHl%E. 
begotten children at fixty or eighty years old : for which he in- 
ftances in Volufiws Saturninu^^ who on Dame Cornelia^ of the 
lineage of the Scipio's^ begat Volufim Saturninm (who afterward 
was Consul) at fixty two years old and upwards, Cato Cenforim^ 
fays the fame Pliny (anceftor to Cato who fiew hinifelf ^tVrica) 
begat a fon on the daughter of Salonii^ his Vaffal, after he was 
paftSoyearsof age; Vind King Maf/fj? if/a ^ another^ whom he cal- 
led Methymathnu6^ when he was eighty fix. But as to women^ he 
i5 pofitive that they are paft child- bearing at fifty, and that for the 
moft part their cvflomary purgations fi:op at forty. 
8. But! met with an inftance at Shetford near Banbury^ that 
proves him plainly miftaken, where I faw and fpoke with one 
Catharine Tayler^ that had a fon then living and lufty, inthefixti- 
eth year of her age, which v/as tefi:ified alfo to me by many there 
about. And I have fince heard of one Good wife Harvey of Smit hen- 
green^ in the ParifFi of Leigh^ within three miles of IVorceJier^ 
that is now with child in her fixty third year, which are infl:ances 
wonderful rare, and fcarce heard of in other Countrys ; though 
we are informed indeed by 'Dv. Boat\ that amongft the v^omen 
in Ireland^ there are feveral found who do not only retain their 
Catamenia^ but even their fruiufulnefs, above the age of ///y,and 
fome till that of fmyyt2iXS^ whereof he tells us, his /"roz/^er knew 
fome, who being above three/core years old, did not only con- 
ceive and bring forth children, but nurfed them, and brought 
them up with their own milk : which alfo as we are acquainted by 
CuL Fife '^^ is very common in Brafil. 
9. As m the child-bearing of women^ and the jcczJew/j attend- 
ing it,! have met with alfo fomwhat extraordinary in their growth^ 
which muft be ranked among the accidents that have befallen the 
[ex during their courfe of life ; and fuch is the growth of one 
Philippa French^ born at Milcomh in this County^ nowfixorfeven 
and thirty years of age, and a marryed woman, having all her 
parts proportionable, and of good, fymmetry^ yet wanting half an 
inch of a yard in height : which is fomwhat lower than Maniu6 
Maximum, or M. Tullius^ who as Varro reports, were each but tvio 
cw^//5-high, and yet they were Gentlemen and Knights of Rome % 
but higher then Conopas the Dwarf of ^uUa^ Neece to Augvftu^^ 
' Natural Hiftory of Ireland-^ chap, l^.feii. 1. * Gul.Pifo, de India utriufquerc Nat, ^ Med.lib.i^ 
B b 2 who 
