4 by the Consent and Harmony between the Parts thereof. Of which let us take St. Paul's Defcription in I Cor. 12. 8. But now hath God fet the Members every one of them in the Body, as it hath pleafed him. And (v. 21.) The Eye cannot say unto the Hand, I have no need of thee: Nor again, the Head to the Feet, I have no need of you. But fuch is the Confent of all the Parts, or as the Apostle wordeth it, God hath fo tempered the Body together, that the Members Should have the fame Care one for another, v. 25 So that whether one Member fuffer, all the Members fuffer with it; or one Member be bonoured, (or affected with any Good) all the Members rejoice [and fympathize] with it, v. 26. This mutual Accord, Confent and Sympathy of the Members, there is no Reason to doubt (1), is made by the Commerce of the Nerves (2), and their artificial Pofitions, and curious Ramifications throughout the whole Body, which is admirable and incomparable, and might deferve a Place in this Survey, as greatly and manifeftly fetting forth the Wifdom and Benignity of the great Creator; but that to give a Description thereof from the Origin of the Nerves in the Brain, the Cerebellum and Spine, and fo through every Part of the Body, would be tedious, and in (1) See Book 4. Ch. 8. (2) Tria propofita ipfi Natura in Nervorum diftributione fuerunt. 1. Ut fenforiis inftrumentis Senfum impertiret. 2. Ut motoriis Motum. 3. Ut omnibus aliis partibus] daret, ut quæ fi dolorem adferrent, dignofcerent. And afterwards, Si quis in diffe&tionibus fpectavit, confideravitque juftene, an fecus Natura Nervos non eadem menfura omnibus partibus diftribuerit, fed aliis quidem liberalius, aliis vero parcius, eadem cum Hippocrate, velit nolit, de Natura omnino pronunciabit, quod ea fcilicet fagax, justa, artificiofa, animaliumque provida eft. Galen, de uf. part. L 5. c. 9. intrench too much upon the Anatomift's Province: and therefore one Inftance fhall fuffice for a Sample of the whole, and that shall be (what was promifed before, (3), the great Sympathy occafioned by the Fifth Pair of Nerves; which I chufe to Inftance in, rather than the Par vagum, or any other of the Nerves; because although we may have lefs variety of noble Contrivance and Art, than in that Pair, yet we fhall find enough for our purpose, and which may be difpatched in fewer words. Now this Fifth Conjugation of Nerves is branched to the Ball, the Mufcles and Glands of the Eye; to the Ear, to the Jaws, the Gums, and Teeth; to the Mufcles of the Lips (4); to the Tonfils, the Palate, the Tongue, and the Parts of the Mouth; to the Pracordia alfo, in fome measure, by inofculating with one of its Nerves; and laftly, to the Muscles of the Face, particularly the Cheeks, whofe fanguiferous Veffels it twists about. From hence it comes to pafs, that there is a great Confent and Sympathy (5) between these Parts; fo that a Guftable Thing feen or finelt, excites the Appetite, and affects the Glands and Parts of the Mouth; that a Thing feen or heard, that (3) Book 4. Ch. 5. (4) Dr. Willis gives the Reafon, cur mutua Amafiorum ofcula labiis impreffa, tum præcordia, tum genitalia afficiendo, amorem ac libidinem tam facile irritant, to be from the confent of those Parts, by the Branches of this 5th Pair. Nerv. Defcr. c. 22. And Dr. Sachs judges it to be from the Confent of the La bia Oris cum Labiis Uteri, that in April, 1669. a certain breeding Lady, being affrighted with feeing one that had fcabby Lips, which they told her were occafioned by a Peftilential Fever, had fuch like Puftules brake out in the Labia Vieri. Ephem. Germ. T. t. Obf. 20. (5) Confult Willis ubi fupra. Book V that is fhameful, affects the Cheeks with modeft Blushes; but on the contrary, if it pleases and tickles the Fancy, that it affects the Pracordia and Muscles of the Mouth and Face with Laughter; but a thing caufing Sadnefs and Melancholy, doth accordingly exert it felf upon the Precordia, and demonftrate it felf by caufing the Glands of the Eyes to emit Tears (6), and the Mufcles of the Face to put on the forrowful Afpect of Crying. Hence alfo that torvous four Look produced by Anger and Hatred: And that gay and pleafing Countenance accompanying Love and Hope. And in fhort, it is by Means of this Communication of the Nerves, that whatever affects the Soul, is demonftrated (whether we will or no) by a Confentaneous Difpofition of the Precordia within, and fuitable Configuration of the Muscles and Parts of the Face without. And an admirable Contrivance of the great GOD of Nature this is: That as a Face is given to Man, and as Pliny faith (7), to Man alone of all Creatures; fo it fhould be (as he obferves) the Index of Sorrow and Cheerfulness, of Compaffion and Severity. In its afcending Part is the Brow, and therein a Part of the Mind too. Therewith we Deny, therewith we Confent. With this it is we fhew our Pride, which bath its Source in another Place, but bere its Seat: In the Heart it hath its Birth, but here it abides and dwells; and that because it could find no other Part throughout the Body higher or more craggy (8), where it might refide alone. Thus (6) Tears ferve not only to moiften the Eye, to clean and brighten the Cornea, and to express our Grief; but also to alleviate it, according to that of Ulysses to Andromache, in Seneca's Troas, v. 762. Tempus moramque dabimus, arbitrio tuo (1) Thus I have dispatched what I fhall remark concerning the Soul and Body of Man. There are divers other things which well deferve a place in this Survey; and thefe that I have taken notice of deferved to have been enlarged upon: But what hath been faid, may fuffice for a Taste and Sample of this admirable Piece of God's Handy-work; at leaft ferve as a Supplement to what others have faid before me. For which reafon I have endeavour'd to fay as little wittingly as I could of what they have taken notice of, except where the Thread of my Difcourfe laid a Neceffity upon me. CHAP. IX. Of the Variety of Mens FACES, VOICES, and HAND-WRITING. HERE I would have put an end to my Obfer vations relating to Man; but that there are three things fo exprefly declaring the Divine Management and Concurrence, that I fhall juft mention them, although taken Notice of more amply by others; and that is, The great Variety throughout the World of Mens Faces (1), Voices (2), and Hand-writing. Had Man's Body been (1) If the Reader hath a Mind to fee Examples of Men's Likeness, he may confult Valer. Maximus, (L. 9. c. 14.) concerning the Likeness of Pompey the Great, and Vibius and Pub licius Libertinus; as alío of Pompey the Father, who got the Name of Coquus, he being like Menogenes the Cook; with divers others. t (2) As the Difference of Tone makes a Difference between every Man's Voice, of the fame Country, yea, Family: So been made according to any of the Atheistical Schemes, or any other Method than that of the infinite Lord of the World, this wife Variety would never have been: But Mens Faces would have been caft in the fame, or not a very different Mould, their Organs of Speech would have founded the fame, or not fo great a Variety of Notes; and the fame Structure of Mufcles and Nerves, would have given the Hand the faine Direction in Writing. And in this cafe, what Confufion, what Disturbance, what Mifchiefs would the World eternally have lain under? No Security could have been to our Perfons; no Certainty, no Enjoyment of our Poffeffions (3); no Juftice between Man and Man; no Diftinction between Good and Bad, between Friends and Foes, between Father and Child, Husband and Wife, Male a different Dialect and Pronunciation, differs Perfons of divers Countries; yea, Perfons of one and the fame Country, fpeaking the faime Language. Thus in Greece, there were the Ionick, Dorick, Attick, and lick Dialects: So in GreatBritain, befides the grand Diverfity of English and Scotch, the different Counties vary much in their Pronunciation, Accent and Tone, although all one and the fame Language, And the way of the Gileadites proving the Ephraimites, Judg. 12. 6. by the Pronunciation of Shibboleth, with a Schin, or Sibboleth with a Samech, is well known. So a Lapide faith, the Flemings prove whether a Man be a Frenchman or not, by bidding him pronounce, Acht en tachtentich; which they pronounce, Act en tallentic, by reason they can't pronounce the Afpirate ch. nomine Arte uxor (3) Regi Antiocho unus ex æqualibus mon, perquam fimilis fuiffe traditur. Quem Laodice, Antiochi, interfecto viro, diffimulandi fceleris gratiâ, in lectula perinde quafi ipfum Regem agrum collocavit. Admissumq; uni, verfum populum, & fermone ejus & vultu confimili fefellis credideruntque homines ab Antiocho moriente Laodicem & natos ejus fibi commendari, Valer. Max. ib. (4) |