The LIFE of JOHN SWAMMERDAM. x1 
what he had difcovered. Nay, that nothing fhould be wanting to perfec 
his difcoveries, he ufed himfelf to hatch, in a manner found out by, and 
only known to himfelf, the little eges of infeéts, in order to difcover the 
obfcure manner of the exiftence of their firft rudiments, the progrefs of thefe 
rudiments to life, the firft motions of the infant animalcula, and by what 
endeavours they at laft broke their eggs, and opened themfelves a paflage 
into the world. While thus employed, he at length publifhed at Amfterdam 
the twelfth day of July mpcixxy, his hiftory of the Ephemerus,, or Day- 
Fly; which he began in France in the year tx1v, continued in Guelderland 
in the year txvit, but did not perfeét till this time, that he made it public. 
However even this, he did not attempt without Bourignon’s approbation. 
‘This was the laft offspring of our author’s great genius and application, after 
which he entirely renounced all thoughts of human affairs, to think of nothing 
but his fpiritual concerns, which he imagined he could not fo well promote 
in any other manner, as by going to confer perfonally with Bourignon. 
Accordingly, having firft obtained her leave for that purpofe, he fet out the 
autumn following from Amfterdam for Slefwick in Holftein, where the then 
refided, arrived there the thirtieth of September, and {pent fome time in her 
_ houfe. Mean while the Lutheran divines of that country, utterly averfe to 
Bourignon’s undertakings, were for making her quit Holftein, which made 
her think of afking the king of Denmark’s leave to take thelter in his regal 
dominions. Swammerdam having taken upon him to execute this commiflion, 
fet out for Copenhagen, in company with another of her difciples, the twenty- 
fifth of March, mpcuxxvi. Here he faw Steno’s mother, now far 
advanced in yeats, but reaped no other benefit by his journey, his Danith 
majefty not thinking proper to grant Bourignon’s requeft. After this our 
author made but a fhort ftay at Slefwick, from whence he fet out for 
Amfterdam the fixteenth of June following. On his coming home, he had 
the mortification of finding that his father’s difpleafure at his paft conduc, 
inftead of being appeafed, was grown more violent on account of his late 
undertakings. Another and greater fubject of affliction was, the marria 
of his fifter Joanna, who had hitherto kept houfe for her father fince he had 
buried his wife; for the father on this occafion had refolved to break up 
houfe-kceping, and to live for the future with his fon-in-law, Our author 
therefore now found himfelf under the fad neceflity of fhifting for himfelf 
by the month of May following. How great, alas! muft have been his 
diftrefs! He had neither money nor any thing of value except his mufeum, 
which he had already fo often endeavoured in vain to difpofe of ; and his 
father did not propofe to allow him more than two hundred florins a year. 
On this occafion he formed a defign of retiring into the country, and flattered 
himfelf with the hopes of being able to provide for himfelf that way. The 
moft noble John Ort of Nieuwentode Breukele, &c. had contracted a friend- 
fhip of a very long ftanding with our author, and had often entertained 
him at his pleafant country feat with the greateft hofpitality and_politenefs, 
and even invited him to remain there for good and all, and purfue his ftudies 
without interruption. But Swammerdam never till now found himfelf 
under a neceflity of putting his friend’s fincerity to the teft ; however he 
little expeéted the refufal he now met with, and which, as it convinced him 
of the little dependance to be had on the promifes of men, greatly con- 
tributed to increafe his former anxiety. But his father dying this year put 
an end to his troubles, by leaving him a fufficiency to live, in a manner 
fuitable to his own inclinations, for now he faw himflf freed from all 
bufinefs, 
