171 are they the most rare, being feldom feen, or only one, or a few in large Countries; enough to keep up the Species, but not to over-charge the World. Thus the Balance of the Animal World, is, throughout all Ages, kept even, and by a curious Harmony, and juft Proportion between the increase of all Animals, and the length of their Lives, the World is through all Ages well, but not over stored. One Generation paffeth away, and another Generation cometh (3) fo equally in its Room, to balance the Stock of the Terraqueous Globe in all Ages, and Places, and among all Creatures, that it is an actual Demonstration of our Saviour's Affertion, Matt. 10. 29. that the most inconfiderable, common Creature, even a Sparrow (two of which are fold for a Farthing) doth not fall on the Ground without our Heavenly Father. This Providence of God is remarkable in every Species of living Creatures: but that especial Management of the Recruits and Decays of Mankind, fo To this Account the Doctor (in a Letter to Mr Ray, Mar. 31. 1694. with other Papers of Mr. Ray's in my Hands) adds the Teftimony of Fof. Acofta, 1. 4. c. 37. and Garcilaff de la Vega, who 1. & c.19. faith, There are other Fowls, called Cuntur, and by the Spaniards corruptly Condor, Many of these Fowls having been killed by the Spaniards, bad their Proportion taken, and from end to end of their Wings measured 15 or 16 Feet.-Nature to temper and allay their Fiercenefs denied them the Talons, which are given to the Eagle; their Feet being tipt with Class like a Hen. However their Beak is ftrong enough to tear off the Hide, and rip up the Bowels of an Ox. Two of them will attempt a Cow or Bull, and devour him. And it bath often happened, that one of them alone hath affaulted Bogs of ten or twelve Years of Age, and eaten them. Their Colour is black and white like a Magpie. It is well there are but few of them, for if they were many, they would very much destroy the Cattle. They have on the forepart of their Heads a Comb, not pointed like that of a Cock, but rather even, in the form of a Razor. When they come to alight from the Air, they make fuch an bumming Noife with the fluttering of their Wings, as is enough to aftonish, or make a Man deaf. (3) Ecclef. 1. 4. (4) The fo equally all the World over, deferves our efpecial Obfervation. In the beginning of the World, and fo after Noah's Flood, the Longevity of Men, as it was of abfolute Neceffity to the more fpeedy peopling of the new World, fo is a fpecial Inftance of the Divine Providence in this Matter (4). And the fame Providence appears in the following Ages, when the World was pretty well peopled, in reducing the common Age of Man then to 140 Years, (Gen. 6. 3.) in proportion to the Occafions of the World at that time. And laftly, when the World was fully peopled after the Flood, (as it was in the Age of Mofes, and fo down to our prefent time) the leffening the common Age of eft Man (4) The Divine Providence doth not only appear in the Longevity of Man immediately after the Creation and Flood, but alfo in their different Longevity at those two times. Immediately after the Creation, when the World was to be peopled by one Man and one Woman, the Age of the greatpart of thofe on Record, was 900 Years and upwards, But after the Flood, when there were three Perfons, by whom the World was to be peopled, none of thofe Patriarchs, except Shem, arrived to the Age of 500; and only the three Art of Shem's Line, viz. Arphaxad, Salab, and Eber, came near that Age; which was in the first Century after the Flaad. But in the fecond Century, we do not find any reached the Age of 240. And in the third Century, (about the latter end of which Abraham was born,) none except Terab arrived to 200 Years. By which time, the World was fo well peopled, (that part of it at leaft where Abraham dwelt,) that they had built Cities, and began to be cantoned into diftinct Nations and Societies, under their refpective Kings; fo that they were able to wage War, four Kings againft five, Gen. 14 Nay, if the Accounts of Anian, Berofus, Manetbe, and others, yea Africanus be to be credited, the World. was fo well peopled, even before the times we speak of, as to afford fufficient Numbers for the great Kingdoms of Affyria, Egypt, Perfia, &c. But learned Men generally, with great reafon, reject thefe as legendary Accounts. If the Reader hath a mind to fee a Computation of the increafe of Mankind in the three firftCenturies after the Flood, he may find two different ones of the most learned Archbi thop 171 Man to 70 or 80 Years (5), (the Age mentioned by Mofes, Pfal. 90. 10; this, I fay,) is manifeftly an appointment of the fame infinite Lord that ruleth the World. For, by this means, the peopled World is kept at a convenient Stay, neither too full, nor too empty. For if Men (the generality of them, I mean) were to live now to Metbufalab's Age of 969 Years, or only to Abraham's, long after fhop Uber, and Petavius, together with a Refutation of the fo early beginning of the Affyrian Monarchy, as alfo Reas fons for placing Abraham near 1000 Years after the Flood, In our moft learned Bishop Stillingfleet's Orig. Sacr Book III, Chap 4 § 9: (5) That the common Age of Man hath been the fame in all Ages fince the World was peopled, is manifeft from prophane, as well as facred Hiftory. To pafs by others, Plato lived to the Age of 81, and was accounted an old Man. And thofe which Pliny reckons up, 1. 7. c.48. as rare Examples of long Life,may for the moft part be matched by our modern Hiftories, efpecially fuch as Pliny himself gave credit unto. Dr. Plot hath given us divers Inftances in his Hiftory of Oxfordshire, C. 2.03 and C.8. § 54. and Hiftory of Staffordshire, C. 8. § 91, & Among others, one is of twelve Tenants of Mr. Biddulph's, that together made 1000 Years of Age. But the moft confiderable Examples of aged Perfons among us, is of old Parre of Shropshire, who lived 152 Years 9 Months, according to the learned Dr. Harvey's ac count; and Henry Jenkins of Yorkshire, who lived 169 Years, according to the Account of my learned and ingenious Friend Dr. Tancred Robinson: of both which with others fee Lowth. Abridg. Phil. Tranf. V. 3. p. 306. The great Age of Parre of Shropshire, minds me of an Obfervation of the Reverend Mr. Plaxton, that in his two Parishes of Kinardfey and Dons ington in Shropshire, every fixth Soul was 60 Years of Age or upwards. Phil. Tranf. No. 310. And if we ftep farther North into Scotland, we fhall find divers recorded for their great Age. Of which I fhall prefent the Reader with only one modern Example of one Laurence, who married a Wife after he was 100 Years of Age, and would go out to Sea a Fishing in his little Boat, when he was 140 years old; and is lately dead of no other Diftemper, but meer old Age, faith Sir Rob, Sibbald Prodr. Hift. Nat. Scot. p. 44. & 1. 3. p.. 4. As Book IV. ter the Flood, of 175 Years, the World would be too much over-run. Or if the Age of Man was limited to that of divers other Animals, to ten, twenty, or thirty Years only, the Decays then of Mankind would be too faft. But at the middle Rate mentioned, the Balance is nearly even, and Life and Death keep an equal pace. Which equa→ lity is fo great and harmonious, and fo manifeft an Inftance of the Divine Management, that I fhall fpend fome Remarks upon it. It appears from our beft Accounts of these matters, that in our European Parts (6), (and I believe the As for Foreigners, the Examples would be endless, and therefore that of Job. Ottele fhall fuffice, who was as famous for his Beard, as for being 115 Years of Age. He was but two Brabant Ells high; and his long grey Beard was Ell long. His Picture and Account may be feen in Ephem. Germ. T3, Obf. 163. As for the Story Roger Bacon talls, of one that lived 900 Years by the help of a certain Medicine, and many other fuch Stories, I look upon them as fabulous. And no better is that of the Wandering Jew, named Job. Buttadans, faid to have been prefent at our Saviour's Crucifixion; although very ferious Stories are told of his being feen at Antwerp, and in France, about the middle of the laft Century but one; and before in Ann. 1542, converfed with by Paul of Eitfen, Bishop of Slefwick; and before that, viz. in 1228, seen and converfed with by an Armenian Archbishop's Gentleman; and by others at other times. If the Reader hath a mind to fee more Examples, he may meet with fome of all Ages, in the learned Hakewill's Apol p 181. where he will alfo find that learned Author's Opinion of the Caufes of the Brevity and Length of Hu mane Life. The Brevity thereof he attributeth to a too tender Education, fucking ftrange Narfes, too hafty Mar riages, but above all to Luxury, high Sauces, ftrong Liquors, &c. The Longevity of the Ancients he afcribes to Temperance in Meat and Drink, anointing the Body, the ufe of Saffron and Honey, warm Cloths, leffer Doors and Windows, lefs Phyfick, and more Exercife, (6) The Proportions which Marriages bear to Births, and Births to Burials in divers Parts of Europe, may be seen at an cafy View in this Table; Names 175 the fame is throughout the World; that, I fay,) there is a certain Rate or Proportion in the Propagation of Mankind. Such a number Marry (7), fo many are Born, fuch a number Die; in proportion to the number of Perfons in every Nation, County, or Parish. And as to Births, two things are very confiderable: One is the proportion of Males Names of the Places. England in general. Hantfaire from 1569 to 1658 Tiverton in Devon 1560 to 1649. Which Table I made from Major Graunt's Obfervations on the Bills of Mortality, Mr. King's Obfervations in the firft of Dr. Davenant's Effays, and what I find put together by my ingenious Friend Mr. Lowthorp, in his Abridgment, Vol 3. p. 668, and my own Register of Upminster. That from Ayubo Regifter in Northamptonshire, I had from the prefent Rector, the learned and ingenious Mr. Waffe and I was promited fome Accounts from the North, and divers other Parts of this Kingdom, but have not yet received them; only those of Leeds and Harwood in Yorkshire, from my curious and ingenious Friend Mr. Thoresby (7) The preceding Table fhews, that Marriages, one with another, do each of them produce about four Births, not only in England, but in other Parts of Europe alfo.. And by Mr King's Eftimate, (the beft Computations I imagine of any, being derived from the beft Accounts, fuch as the Marriage, Birth, and Burial-A, the Poll Books, &c. by |
