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not better come up to his Intent, than to attempt aDemonftration of the Being and Attributes of God,in what I may call MrBoyle's own, that is a Phyfico-Theological, Way. And befides that it was for this very Service that I was called to this Honour, I mas the more induced to follow this Method, by reafon none of my learned and ingenious Predeceffors in thefe Lectures, have done it on purpose, but only cafually, in a tranfient, piece-meal manner; they having made it their Bufiefs to prove the great points of Christianity in another Way, which they have accordingly admirably done. But confidering what our Honourable Founder's Opinion was of Natural Knowledge, and that his Intent was, that thofe Matters by paffing through divers Hands, and by being treated of in different Methods, fhould take in most of what could be faid upon the Subject, I hope my Performance may be acceptable although one of the meaneft.

As for others who have before me done fomething of this kind, as Merfenne on Genefis; Dr. Cockburne in his Effays, Mr.Ray in his Wisdom of God, 'c. and I

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may add the first of Mr. Boyle's Lecturers, the most learned Dr. Bently in his Boyle's Lectures,the eloquent Arch-Bishop of Cambray (and I hear the ingenious Monf. Perrault bath fomething of this kind, but never faw it:) I fay, as to thefe learned and ingenious Authors, as the Creation is an ample Subject, fo I industriously endeavoured to avoid doing over what they before had done; and for that Reafon did not, for many Tears, read their Books until I had finished my own. But when I came to compare what each of us had done, I found my felf in many things to have been anticipated by fome or other of them, especially by my Friend, the late great Mr. Ray. And therefore in fome Places I fhortened my Difcourfe, and referred to them; and in a few others, where the Thread of my Difcourfe would have been interrupted, I bave made use of their Authority, as the beft Fudges; as of Mr. Ray's, for inftance, with relation to the Mountains and their Plants, and other Products. If then the Reader fhould meet with any thing mentioned before by others, and not accordingly acknowledged by me, I hope he will candidly think

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meno Plagiary, because I can assure him I have all along (where I was aware of it) citedmy Authors with their due Praife. And it is scarce poffible, when Men write on the fame, or a Subject near a-kin, and the ObJervations are obvious, but that they must often hit upon the fame thing: and frequently it happens from Perfons making obfervations about one and the fame thing, without knowing what each other have done; which indeed, fince my Book hath been nearly printed off, I find to be my own Cafe, having (for want of Dr. Hook's Micrography being at hand, it being a very scarce Book, and may Tears fince I read it) given Defcriptions of two or three things, which I thought had not been tolerably well obferved before, but are described well by that curious Gentleman. One is a Feather, the Mechanism of which we in the main agree in, except in his Re prefentation in Fig. 1. Scheme 22. which is famembat different from what I have reprefented in my Fig. 18, &c. But I can stand by the Truth, tho' not the Elegance of my Figures. But as to the other Differences, they are accidental, occafioned by our taking the Parts

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Parts in a different View, or in a different part of the Vane; and to fay the Truth (not flattering my felf or detracting from the admirable Obfervations of that great Man) I have hit upon a few things that escaped him, being enabled to do fo, not only by the Help of fuck Microfcopes as he made ufe of, but also by thofe made by Mr. Wilfon, which exceed all I ever fam, whether of English, Dutch, or Italian make; several of which Sorts I have seen and examined.

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The other thing we have both of us figur red and defcribed, is, The Sting of a Bee or Walp; in which differ more than in the laft. But by a careful Re-examination, I find, that although Dr. Hook's Obfervati ons are more critical than any were before, yet they are not Jo true as mine. For as to the Scabbard (as he calls it) I could never difcover any Beards thereon, and I dare be confident there are none, but what are on the two Spears. And as to the Point of the Scabbard, be baih reprefented it as tubular, or bluntifk at the Top but it really terminates in a fharp Point, and the two Spears and the Poyfon come out at a Slit, ar longish Hole a little below the Top or Point. And as to

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the Spears, he makes them to be but one,and that the Point thereof lies always out of the Scabbard. But by a strict Examination, they will be found to be two, as I have faid, and that they always lie within the Scabbard, except in flinging as I have reprefented them, in Fig. 21. from the transparent Sting of Wafp. And as to the Spear being made of Foynts, and parted into two, as his Fig. 2. Scheme 16. reprefents, Icould never upon a Reviem, difcover it to be fo, but imagine, that by feeing the Beards lying upon, or behind the Spears be might take them for foynts,and by Seeing the Point of one Spear lie before the other, he might think the Spear was parted in two. But left the Reader fhould think himself impofed upon both by Dr. Hook and my Self, it is necessary to be obferved that the Beards (or Tenterhooks as Dr. Hook calls them) lie only on one fide of each Spear,not all round them; and are and are therefore not to be feen,unless they are laid in a due Pofture in the Microfcope, viz. fideways, not under, or a-top the Spear. The last thing (which fcarce deferves mention) is the Mechanism of the Hair, which Dr.Hook found to be folid, like a long piece of

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