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OF CURIOSITY. 177 
tional creature* As for mojfes , i grant we have 
not authority on our fide ; for till the end of 
the laft century, they were almoft wholly ne- 
glected *, but now within thefe fifty years their 
hiftory is very near compleat by the diligence 
of Dillenius, C. Bauhin knew very few mojfes ; 
. Dillenius has defcribed near 600. With unwea- 
ried pains he went through this very difficult, 
and extenfive branch of natural hiftory. But 
to what end ? it is alked. I will not take upon 
me to anfwer this queftion by fine wing the par- 
ticular ufe of every mofs^ that grows ; al- 
though i am certain the Lord of nature has 
made nothing in vain. But i will venture to 
afiert, that pofterity will, one time or other, 
find as many advantages arifing from mojfes , as 
from other vegetables. I afiert this with the 
greater confidence, becaufe fince our acquaint- 
ance with mojfes , we have many experiments, 
which fhew their ufefulnefs, a few inftances of 
which i fiiaii fubjoyn. The bog mofs covers 
deep bogs with its fpongy fubftance, and thus 
by degrees turns them into fertile meadows \ 
not to mention its repelling virtue in medicine j 
at prefent alfo its turf is ufed inftead of wood 
in many provinces, and it is a cuftom eftabliffi- 
ed among the workers in metals to burn it in- 
to 
