Book IV. Waters, nay our very Putrefactions, and moft naity Places about the Globe as they are inhabited by fome or other Animal, so they produce fome proper Food or other, affording a comfortable Subfiftence to the Creatures living there. I might for Inftances (11) of this, bring the great variety of Herbs, Fruits and Grains on the Earth, the large Swarms of Infects in the Air, with every other Food of the Creatures refiding in the Earth, or flying in the Air. But I fhall ftop at the Waters, because the Pfalmift, in the fore cited 104th Pfalm, fpeaks with relation to the efpecial Provifion for the Inhabitants of the Waters; and also by reason that many Land Animals have their chief Maintenance from thence. Now 1 que agris Veftrogothorum, parte objecta Meridionali plage, Hordeum fpatio 36 Dierum à femine projecto maturum colligi, boc eft à fine Funii ufque medium Augufti, aliquando celerius. Ea namque maturitas ex foli natura, aerifque clementia, ac bumore lapillorum fovente radices, Soleque torrente, neceffario provenit, ut ita nafcatur, ac maturetur, talefque fpica fex ordines in numero arifta babent. Ol. Mag. Hift. I. 15. c. 8. Prata & pafcua tanta luxuriant graminum ubertate, ac diverfitate, ut neceffum fit inde arcere jumenta, ne nimio berbarum efu crepent, &c. Id. ib. 1. 19. c. 36. (11) Among the many noble Contrivances for Food, Icannot but attribute that univerfal Aliment, Bread, to the Revelation, or at leaft the Inipiration of the Creator and Confervator of Mankind; not only because it is a Food ufed in all, or moft Parts of the World; but efpecially because it is of incomparable Ufe in the great Work of Digeftion, greatly affifting the Ferment, or whatever caufes the Digestion of the Stomach. Of which take this Example from the noble Mr. Boyle. "He extracted a Menftruum from Bread "alone, that would work on Bodies more. Compact than many hard Minerals, nay even on Glafs it felf, and do "many things that Aqua-fortis could not do--- Yet by no means was this fo corrofive a Liquor as Aq. Fort. or as "the other acid Menftruum". Vid, the ingenious and learned Dr. Harris's Lex. Tech. verbo Menftruum, where the way of preparing it may be met with. 66 (12) Pfal. Now one would think, that the Waters were a very unlikely Element to produce Food for fo great a Number of Creatures, as have their Subfiftence from thence. But yet how rich a Promptuary is it, not only to large multitudes of Fifhes, but also to many amphibious Quadrupeds, Infects,Reptiles, and Birds! From the largeft Leviathan, which the Pfalmift faith (12), playeth in the Seas, to the smalleft Mite in the Lakes and Ponds, all are plentifully provided for; as is manifeft from the Fatness of their Bodies, and the Gaiety of their Afpect and Actions. And the Provifion which the Creator hath made for this Service in the Waters is very obfervable; not only by the Germination of divers aquatick Plants there, but particularly by appointing the Waters to be the Matrix of many Animals, particularly of many of the Infect-kind, not only of fuch as are peculiar to the Waters, but also of many appertaining to the Air and the Land, who, by their near Alliance to the Waters, delight to be about them, and by that means become a Prey, and plentiful Food to the Inhabitants of the Waters. And befides thefe, what prodigious Shoals do we find of minute Animals, even fometimes discolouring the Waters (13)! Of these (not only in the Water, but in the Air and on Land) I have always thought there was fonie more than ordinary (12) Pfal. 104. 26. (13) The Infects that for the most part difcolour the Waters, are the fmall Infects of the Shrimp-kind, called by Swammerdam, Pulex aquaticus arborefcens. These I have often feen fo numerous in ftagnating Waters in the Summer Months, that they have changed the colour of the Waters to a pale or deep Red, fometimes a Yellow, according to the Colour they were of. Of this Swammerdam hath a pretty Story told him by Dr. Florence Schuyl, viz. Se aliquando Studiis intentam, magno quodam & horrifico rumore fuisse Book IV. nary Use intended by the All-wife Creator. And having bent many of my Obfervations that way, I have evidently found it accordingly to be. For be they never fo numberless or minute, thofe Animals ferve for Food to fome Creatures or other. Even thofe Animalcules in the Waters, difcoverable only with good Microscopes, are a Repaft to others there, as I have often with no lefs admiration than pleasure seen (14). But turbatum, & fimul ad caufam ejus inquirendam excitatum ; verum fe vix eum in finem furrexisse, cum Ancilla ejus pœne exanimis adcurreret,& multo cum fingultu referret, omnem Lugduni [Batavorum] aquam effe mutatam in fanguinem. The cause of which upon Examination he found to be only from the numerous Swarms of those Pulices. V. Swamm. Hift. Infect. P. 70. The Caufe of this great Concourfe and Appearance of thofe little Infe&ts, I have frequently obferved to be to perform their Coit; which is commonly about the latter end of May, and in June. At that time they are very venereous, frisking and catching at one another; and many of them conjoined Tail to Tail, with their Bellies inclined one towards another. At this time also they change their Skin or Slough; which I conceive their rubbing against one another mightily promoteth. And what if at this time they change their Quarters? Vid. Book VIII Chap. 4. Note 6. Thefe fmall Infects, as they are very numerous, fo are Food to many Water Animals. I have feen not only Ducks fhovel them up as they fwim along the Waters, but divers Infects alfo devour them, particularly fome of the middlefized Squille aquatica; which are very voracious Insects. (14) Befides the Pulices laft mentioned, there are in the Waters other Animalcules very numerous, which are scarce visible without a Microscope. In May, and the Summer Months, the green Scum on the top of ftagnating Waters, is nothing elfe but prodigious Numbers of thefe Animalcules: So is likewife the green Colour in them, when all the Water feems green. Which Animalcules, in all probability, ferve for Food to the Pulices Aquatici, and other the minuter Animals of the Waters. Of which I in one of the Nympha of Gnats, to my Friend the late adgave a pregnant Inftance mirable Mr. Ray, which he was pleafed to publish in the laft Edition of his Wifdom of God in the Creation, p. 430. (15) 189 But now the ufual Objection is, that Neceffity maketh Use (15). Animals must be fed, and they make ufe of what they find: In the defolate Regions, and in the Waters, for inftance, they feed upon what they can come at; but, when in greater plenty, they pick and chufe. But this Objection hath been already in fome measure answered by what hath been faid; which plainly (15) Nil adeo quoniam natum'ft in Corpore, ut uti Propterea capitur Cibus, ut fuffulciat artus," Per membra ac venas ut amorem obturet edendi. And after the fame manner he difcourfeth of Thirft, and divers other things. Vid. Lucret. 1. 4. v. 831, &c. Against this Opinion of the Epicureans, Galen ingeniously argues in his Difcourfe about the Hand. Non enim Manus ipfe (faith he) hominem artes docuerunt, fed Ratio. Manus autem ipfa funt artium organa; ficut Lyra mufici -----Lyru muficam non docuit, fed eft ipfius artifex per eam qua pradisus eft, Rationem: agere autem non poteft ex arte abfque organis, ita & unaqualibet anima facultates quafdam à fua ipfous fubftantia obtinet, ----Quod autem corporis particula animam non impellunt, manifeftè videre licet, fi animalia recens nata confideres, quæ quidem priùs agere conantur, quam perfectas babeant particulas. Ego namque Bovis vitulum cornibus petere conantem fæpenumero vidi, antequam ei nata ef Jent cornua: Et pullum Equi calcitrantem, &c. Omne enim animal fue ipfius Anime facultates, ac in quos ufus partes fue polleant maximè, nullo doctore, præfentit. Qua igitur 110 ratione dici poteft, animalia partium ufus à partibus doceri, cum & antequam illas habeant, hoc cognofcere videantur? Si igitur Ova tria acceperis, unum Aquila, alterum Anatis, reliquum Serpentis, & calore modico foveris, animaliaque excluferis; illa quidem alis volare conantia, antequam volare poffint; boc autem revolvi videbis, & ferpere affectans, quamvis molle adbuc & invalidum fuerit. Et fi, dum perfecta e· runt, in una eademque domo nutriveris; deinde ad locum fubdialem ducta emiferis, Aquila quidem ad fublime; Anas autem in paludem; ---Serpens verò fub terra irrepet --- Animalia quidem mibi videntur Ñatura magis quam Ratione artem aliquam [Txing artificiofa] exercere : Apes fingere alveolos, &c. Galen de ufu Part. 1. c. 3. (16) plainly argues Delign, and a fuper-intending Wisdom, Power and Providence in this fpecial bufinefs of Food. Particularly the different delight of divers Animals in different Food, fo that what is Naufeous to one, fhould be Dainties to another, is a manifeft Argument, that the allotment of Food is not a matter of meer Chance, buc entailed to the very Conftitution and Nature of Animals; that they chufe this, and refufe that, not by Accident, or Neceffity, but because the one is a proper Food, agreeable to their Conftitution, and fo appointed by the infinite Contriver of their Bodies; and the other is disagreeable and injurious to them. But all this Objection will be found frivolous, and the Wisdom and Design of the great Creator will demonstratively appear, if we take a Survey, 5thly, Of the admirable and curious Apparatus in all Animals, made for the Gathering, Preparing and Digeftion of their Food. From the very firft Entrance, to the utmoft Exit of the Food, we find every thing contrived, made and difpofed with the utmost Dexterity and Art, and curioufly adapted to the Place the Animal liveth in, and the Food it is to be nourished with. Let us begin with the Mouth. And this we find, in every Species of Animals, nicely conformable to the Use of fuch a Part; neatly fized and shaped for the catching of Prey, for the gathering or receiving Food (16), for the formation of Speech, and (16) Alia dentibus prædantur, alia unguibus, alia roftri aduncitate carpunt, alia latitudine [ejufdem] ruunt, alia acumine excavant, alia fugunt, alia lambunt, forbent, mandunt, verant. Nec minor varietas in Pedum minifterio, ut rapiant, diftrabant, teneant, premant, pendeant, tellurem fcabere non effent. Plin. Nat. Hift. 1. 10. c. 71. (17) Bes |