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ters, to transport themselves at Pleasure after their Food, or other neceffary occafions of Life? And for a Clofe, let us take the Scriptural Inftance of the Spider, Prov. 36. 28. which is one of the four little things, which, v. 24 Agur fays, is exceeding Wife. The Spider taketh bold with her Hands, and is in Kings Palaces (21). I will not dispute the Truth of our English Translation of this Text, but fuppofing the Animal mentioned to be that which is meant; it is manifeft, that the Art of that Species of Creatures in fpinning their various Webs, and the Furniture their Bodies afford to that purpose, are an excellent Inftinct and Provifion of Nature, fetting forth its glorious Author.

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Reader may fee a Summary of, from Mr. Willughby, in Raii Method. Infect. p. 12. together with a good, though very brief Description of the Papilionaceous Fly, that comes from the Cod-bait Cadew. It is a notable architectonick Faculty thefe Animals have, to gather fuch Bodies, and then to glue them together; fome to be heavier than Water, that the Animal may remain at the bottom, where its Food is, (for which purpose they use Stones, together with Sticks, Rushes, &c.) and fome to be lighter than Water, to float on the top, and gather its Food from thence. Thefe little Houses look coarfe and fhew no great Artifice outwardly; but are well tunnelled, and made within with a hard tough Pafte; into which the hinder part of the Maggot is fo fixed, that it can draw its Cell after it any where, without danger of leaving it behind; as alfo thruft its Body out, to reach what it wanteth; or withdraw it into its Čell, to guard it againft Harms.

(21) Having mentioned the Spider, I fhall take this occafion (although it be out of the way) to give an Inftance of the Poyfon of fome of them. Scaliger, Exerc. 186. relates, that in Galcony, his Country, there are Spiders of that virulency, that if a Man treads upon them, to crush them, their Poyfon will pass through the very Soles of his Shoo. Boyl Subtil. of Effluv. c. 4.

Mr. Leewenhoek put a Frog and a Spider together into a Glafs, and having made the Spider fting the Frog divers times, the Frog died in about an Hours time. Phil. Trans. No.272.

And now from this fhort and tranfient View of the architectonick Faculty of Animals, especially the Irrationals, we may easily perceive fome fuperiour and wife Being was certainly concerned in their Creation or Original. For how is it poffible that an Irrational Creature fhould, with ordinary and coarse, or indeed any, Materials, be ever able to perform fuch Works, as exceed even the Imita

tion

In the fame Tranfaction is a curious Account of the manner how Spiders lay, and guard their Eggs, viz. they emit them not out of the hindermoft part of the Body, but under the upper part of her Belly, near the hind-Legs, &c. Alfo there is an Account t of t the Parts from which they emit their Webs, and divers other things worth Obfervation, with Cuts illuftrating the whole.

But in Phil. Trans. No. 22. Dr. Nath. Fairfax from S. Redi, and his own Obfervations, thinks Spiders not Venomous, fe veral Perfons, as well as Birds fwallowing them without hurt; which I my felf have known in a Perfon of Learning, who was advised to take them medicinally at firft, and would at any time fwallow them,affirming them to be sweet, and well tafted. And not only Innocuous, but they are very Salutiferous too in fome of the moft ftubborn Diseases, if the pleasant Story in Mouffet be true, of a rich London Matron, cured of a defperate Tympany, by a certain Debauchee, that hearing of her Cafe, and that the was given over by the Doctors, went to her, pretending to be a Physician, and confidently affirming he would cure her; which the being willing to believe, agrees with him for fo much Money, one half to be paid down, the other upon Cure. Upon which he gives her a Spider, promifing her Cure in three Days. Upon which (not doubting but he had poisoned her, and fearing he might be called to account for it) he gets out of Town as fast as he could. But instead of being poifoned, she foon recovered. After fome Months the Quack gets privately to Town, when he thought the Buftle might be over; and enquiring how his Patient did, was informed of her Cure; and thereupon vifiting her, and making an excufe for his Abfence, he received his Pay with great Ap plause and Thanks, Mouff. Infect. 1. 2 c. 15.

Having faid fo much of Spiders, I might here add their Flight: But of this, fee Book VIII., Chap. 4. Note 5..

Book IV. tion of a Rational creature? How could the Bodies of many of then (particularly the laft mentioned) be furnished with architective Materials? How could they ever difcover them to be in their Bodies, or know what Ufe to make of them? We muft therefore neceffarily conclude, that the Ir rationals either have Reafon and Judgment, not only Glimmerings thereof, but fome of its fupe riour Acts, as Wisdom and Forefight, Difcretion, Art and Care; or elfe, that they are only paffive in the Cafe, and act by Inftinct, or by the Reafon of fome fuperiour Being imprinted in their Nature, or fome way or other (be it how it will) congenial with them. That they are Rational, or excel Man in Art and Wifdom, none furely and will be fo foolish as to fay. And therefore we muft conclude that thofe excellent Ends they purfue, and that admirable Art they exert, is none of their own, but owing to that infinitely wife and excellent Being, of whom it may be faid, with reference to the Irrational, as well as Rational Creatures, as it is, Prov. 2.6. The Lord gis veth Wisdom; out of his Mouth cometh Knowledge and Understanding.

CHAP.

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Of Animals Self-Prefervation.

TAving thus confidered the Food, Cloathing, and Houfes of Animals; let us in this Chapter take á Glance of another excellent Provifion the wife Creator hath made for the good of the Animal World, and that is, the Methods which all Animals naturally take for their Self-Prefervation and Safety. And here it is remarkable (as in the Cafes before) that Man, who is endowed with Reafon, is born without Armature, and is deftitute of many Powers, which irrational Creatures have in a much higher Degree than he, by reafon he can make himself Arms to defend himself, can contrive Methods for his own Guard and Safety, can many ways annoy his Enemy, and ftave off the Harms of noxious Creatures.

But for others, who are deftitute of this fupereminent Faculty, they are fome way or other provided with fufficient Guard (1), proportionate to their place of Abode, the Dangers they are like to incur

(1) Callent in hoc cuneta animalia, fciuntque non fuá modo commoda, verum & hoftium adverfa; norunt fua tela, norunt occafiones, partefque diffidentium imbelles. In ventre mollis eft tenuifque cutis Crocodilo, ideoque fe, ut territi, mergent Delphini, fubeuntesque aluum illa fecant spina. Plin. Nat, Hift. 1. 8. c. 25.

incur there (2); and in a word, to their greatest occasions and need of Security. Accordingly fome are fufficiently guarded against all common Dangers by their natural Cloathing, by their Armature of Shells, or fuch like hard, and impregnable Covering of their Body (3). Others deftitute of this Guard,

(2) Omnibus aptum eft Corpus Anima moribus & facultatibus: Equo fortibus ungulis & juba eft ornatum (etenim velox & fuperbum & generofum eft animal.) Leoni autem, utpote animofo & feroci, dentibus & unguibus validum. Ita autem & Tauro & Apro; illi enim Cornua, huic exerti Dentes.----Cervo autem & Lepori (timida enim funt animalia) velox corpus, fed inerme. Timidis enim velocitas, arma audacibus conveniebant. ----Homini autem (Sapiens enim eft---) manus dedit, inftrumentum ad omnes artes neceffarium, paci non mi nus quam bello idoneum. Non igitur indiguit Cornu fibi innato cum meliora Cornibus arma manibus, quandocunque vo let, poffit accipere: etenim Enfis & Hafta majora funt Arma,

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ad incidendum promptiora.----Neque Cornu, neque Ungula quicquam nifi cominus agere poffunt; Hominum vero arma eminus juxta ac cominùs agunt : telum quidem & fagitta magis quam cornua.---Non igitur eft nudus, neque inermis, fed ipfi eft Thorax ferreus, quandocunque libet, omnibus Coriis difficilius fauciatu organum. Nec Thorax folùm fed & Domus, & Murus, & Turris, &c. Galen. de Uf. Part. 1. .

c. 2.

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(3) Shells deferve a Place in this Survey, upon the account of their great Variety, the curious and uncouth Make of fome, and the beautiful Colours and pretty Ornaments of others; but it would be endless to defcend to Particulars. Omitting others, I fhall therefore only take notice of the Tortoife-fhell, by reafon a great deal of Dexterity ap pears even in the Simplicity of that Animal's Skeleton. For, befides that the Shell is a ftout Guard to the Body, and affords a fafe Retreat to the Head, Legs, and Tail, which it withdraws within the Shell upon any Danger; besides this, I say, the Shell fupplicth the Place of all the Bones in the Body, except thofe of the extreme Parts, the Head and Neck, and the four Legs, and Tail. So that at firft fight, it is fomewhat furprizing to fee a compleat Skeleton confifting of fo fmall a number of Bones, and they abun dantly fufficient for the Creature's use,

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