Great Island very fertile and well peopled; which was then govern'd by a
Prince of a Proud and Jealous Disposition: he had a Sister of exquisite
Beauty, which he confin'd and restrain'd from Marriage, because he could
not match her to one suitable to her quality He had a near Relation
whose Name was _Yokdhân_, that courted this Princess, and Married her
privately, according to the Rites of Matrimony then in use among them;
it was not long before she prov'd with Child, and was brought to Bed of
a Son; and being afraid that it should be discovered, she took him in
the Evening, and when she had Suckled him she put him into a little Ark
which she closed up fast, and so Conveys him to the Sea shore, with some
of her Servants and Friends as she could trust; and there with an Heart
equally affected with Love and Fear, she takes her last leave of him in
these Words, _O God, thou form'dst this Child out of nothing, and didst
Cherish him in the Dark recesses of my Womb, till he was compleat in all
his parts; I fearing the Cruelty of a Proud and unjust King, commit him
to thy Goodness, hoping that thou who art infinitely merciful, will be
pleas'd by thy gracious Providence to protect him, and never leave him
destitute of thy Care_.
§4. Then she set him afloat, and that very Night the Tide carried him
ashore on that Island we just now mention'd; it fortun'd that the Water
being high, carried the Ark a great way on shore, farther than it would
have done at another time, (for it rises so high but once a Year) and
cast the Ark into a little shady Grove, thick set with Trees, a pleasant
place, where he was secured both from Wind and Sun; when the Tide ebb'd,
the Ark was left there, and the Wind rising blew an heap of Sand
together between the Ark and the Sea, sufficient to secure him from any
future danger of such another Flood.
§ 5. The Violence of the Waves had loosned the Joints of the Ark; the
Boy was Hungry and Cry'd. It happen'd fortunately at that Juncture of
time, that a Roe wandring about the Island in search of her Fawn, which
straying was devoured by an Eagle, heard the Boy cry, and following the
voice (imagining it to have been her Fawn) came up to the Ark, which she
immediately attack'd, and what with her beating it with her hoofs
without, and the Boy's struggling within, at last between 'em both they
loosned a board: as soon as she saw him she shew'd the same natural
Affection to him as if he had been her own, Suckled him and took care of
him. This is the account which they give, who are not willing to believe
that a Man can be produced without Father or Mother.
§ 6. On the other hand, those who affirm that _Hai Ebn Yokdhan_ was
produced in that Island without Father and Mother[18], tell us, that in
that island, in a piece of Low ground, it chanc'd that a certain Mass of
Earth was so fermented in some period of Years, that the four qualities,
_viz. Hot, Cold, Dry, Moist_, were so equally mix'd, that none of 'em
prevail'd over the other; and that this Mass was of a very great Bulk,
in which, some parts were better and more equally Temper'd than
others,and consequently fitter for Generation; the middle part
especially, which came nearest to the Temper of Man's Body. This Matter
being in a fermentation, there arose some Bubbles by reason of its
viscousness, and it chanc'd that in the midst of it there was a viscous
Substance with a very little bubble in it, which was divided into two
with a thin partition, full of Spirituous and Aerial Substance, and of
the most exact Temperature imaginable. That the Matter being thus
dispos'd, there was, by the Command of God, a Spirit infus'd into it;
which was join'd so closely to it, that it can scarce be separated from
it even so much as in thought; which did as constantly influence this
Mass of matter as the Sun do's the World. Now there are some Bodies from
whence we perceive no Reflection of Light, as the thin Air: others from
which we do but imperfectly; such are thick Bodies which are not smooth
(but there is a difference in these, and the difference of their Colours
arises from the different manner of their Reception of the Rays); and
from others we receive the Reflection in the highest degree, as from
Bodies which are smooth and polish'd, as Looking-Glasses and the like;
so that those Glasses when ground after a particular manner will Collect
so much Light as to kindle a Fire. So that Spirit which comes by the
Command of God, do's at all times act upon all Creatures, in some of
which notwithstanding, there appears no Impression of it, but the reason
of that is, because of their Incapacity into whom it is infus'd; of
which kind are things inanimate which are fitly represented in this
similitude, by the thin Air. There are another sort again; in which
there does appear something of it, as Vegetables and the like, which are
represented by the thick Bodies we mention'd, which are not polish'd.
And then lastly, there are others, (represented by those Glasses, in our
last comparison) in which the impressions of this Spirit are visible,
and such we reckon all sorts of Animals. But then, as these smooth and
polish'd Bodies which are of the same figure with the Sun [i.e.
Spherical] do receive the Rays in a more plentiful manner than any other
whatsoever, so also do some Animals receive the Influence of that Spirit
more than others, because they are more like to that Spirit and are
form'd after his Image: such is Man particularly, which is hinted before
where 'tis said that _God made Man after his own Image_[19].
§ 7. Now, when this Form prevails to such a degree that all others are
nothing before it, but it remains alone, so as to consume, with the
glory of its Light, whatsoever stands; in it's way; then it is properly
compared to those Glasses, which reflect Light upon themselves, and burn
every thing else; But this is a degree which is peculiar to the
Prophets.
§ 8. But to return, and speak something more fully concerning the
Opinion of those who account for this kind of generation; They tell us,
that as soon as this Spirit was join'd to the Receptacle, all the other
powers immediately, by the Command of God, submitted themselves to it.
Now, opposite to this Receptacle, there arose another Bubble divided
into three Receptacles by thin membranes, with passages from one to the
other, which were fill'd with an aerial substance, not much unlike that
which was in the first Receptacle, only the first was something finer;
and in each of these three Ventricles,which were all taken out of one,
were plac'd some of those Faculties, which were subject to this
governing Spirit, and were appointed to take care of their respective
Stations, and to communicate every thing, both great and small, to that
Spirit, which we told you before was plac'd in the first Receptacle.
Right against this Receptacle, opposite to the second, there arose
another third Bubble, fill'd with an aerial substance, which was grosser
than that which was in the other two; this was made for the
Entertainment and preservation of some other of the inferior Faculties.
§ 9. Thus these three Receptacles were made in the same order which we
have describ'd, and these were the first part of that great Mass which
was form'd; now they stood in need of one another's assistance; the
first wanted the other two as Servants, and they again the assistance
and guidance of the first, as their Master and Director; but both these
Receptacles, tho' inferior to the first, were nevertheless superior to
all those Members which were form'd afterwards. The first Receptacle, by
the power of that Spirit which was joyn'd to it and its continual
flaming Heat, was form'd into a Conical figure, like that of Fire, and
by this means that thick Body, which was about it, became of the same
figure, being solid Flesh cover'd with a thick Membrane. This is what we
call the Heart. Now considering the great expence of Moisture, which
must needs be where there is so much Heat, 'twas absolutely necessary,
that there should be some part form'd, whose Office it should be
continually to supply this defect; Otherwise it would have been
impossible to have subsisted long. 'Twas also necessary that [this
forming Spirit] should have a Sense both of what was convenient for him,
and what was hurtful, and accordingly attract the one and repel the
other. For these Services there were two parts form'd, with their
respective Faculties, _viz_. the Brain and the Liver: the first of these
presided over all things relating to Sense, the latter over such things
as belong'd to Nutrition: both of these depended upon the Heart for a
supply of Heat, and the recruiting of their proper Faculties. To
establish a good Correspondence between all these, there were Ducts and
Passages interwoven, some bigger, some lesser, according as necessity
requir'd; and these are the Arteries and Veins.
Thus much for a Taste; they that tell the Story go on farther, and give
you a particular account of the Formation of all the parts, as the
Physicians do of the Formation of the _Foetus_ in the Womb, omitting
nothing till he was compleatly form'd, and just like an _Embryo_ ready
for the Birth. In this account they are forc'd to be beholding to this
vast Mass of Earth, which you are to suppose was of a most exact
mixture, and contain'd in it all manner of materials proper for the
making Man's Body, and those Skins, _&c._ which cover it; till at last,
when he was Compleat in all his parts, as if the Mass had been in
labour, those Coverings, which he was wrapp'd up in, burst asunder, and
the rest of the Dirt dry-d and crack'd in pieces. The Infant being thus
brought into the World, and finding his Nourishment fail him, cry'd for
want of Victuals, till the _Roe_ which had lost her Fawn heard him. Now,
both those who are of the other Opinion and those who are for this kind
of generation, agree in all the other particulars of his Education: and
what they tell us is this.
§ 10. They say that this _Roe_ liv'd in good Pasture so that she was
fat, and had, such plenty of Milk, that she was very well able to
maintain the Child; she took great care of him, and never left him, but
when hunger forc'd her: and he grew so well acquainted with her, that if
at any time she staid away from him a little longer than ordinary, he'd
cry pitifully, and she, as soon as she heard him, came running
instantly; besides all this, he enjoy'd this happiness, that there was
no Beast of prey in the whole Island.
§ 11. Thus he went on, Living only upon what he Suck'd till he was Two
Years Old, and then he began to step a little and Breed his Teeth. He
always followed the _Roe_ and she shew'd all the tenderness to him
imaginable; and us'd to carry him to places where Fruit Trees grew, and
fed him with the Ripest and Sweetest Fruits which fell from the Trees;
and for Nuts or such like, she us'd to break the Shell with her Teeth,
and give him the Kernel; still Suckling him, as often as he pleas'd, and
when he was thirsty she shew'd him the way to the water. If the Sun
shin'd too hot and scorch'd him, she shaded him; if he was cold she
cherish'd him and kept him warm; and when Night came she brought him
home to his old Place, and covered him partly with her own Body, and
partly with some Feathers which were left in the Ark, which had been put
in with him when he was first expos'd. Now, when they went out in the
Morning, and when they came home again at Night, there always went with
them an Herd of Deer, which lay in the same place where they did; so
that the Boy being always amongst them learn'd their voice by degrees,
and imitated it so exactly that there was scarce any sensible
difference; nay, when he heard the voice of any Bird or Beast, he'd come
very near it, being of a most excellent Apprehension. But of all the
voices which he imitated, he made most use of the Deers, which he was
Master of, and could express himself as they do, either when they want
help, call their Mates, when they would have them come nearer, or go
farther off. (For you must know that the Brute Beasts have different
Sounds to express these different things.) Thus he contracted such an
Acquaintance with the Wild Beasts, that they were not afraid of him, nor
he of them.
§ 12. By this time he began to have the Ideas of a great many things
fix'd in his mind, so as to have a desire to some, and an aversion to
others, even when they were absent. In the mean while he consider'd all
the several sorts of Animals, and saw that they were all clothed either
with Hair, Wool, or several sorts of Feathers: he consider'd their great
Swiftness and Strength, and that they were all arm'd with Weapons
defensive, as Horns, Teeth, Hoofs, Spurs, Nails, and the like. But that
he himself was Naked and Defenceless, Slow and Weak, in respect of them.
For whenever there happened any Controversy about gathering of such ripe
Fruits as fell from the Trees; he always came off by the worst, for they
could both keep their own, and take away his, and he could neither beat
them, off, nor run away from them.
§ 13. He observ'd besides that his Fellow-Fawns, tho' their Fore-heads
were smooth at first, yet afterwards had Horns bud out, and tho' they
were feeble at first, yet afterwards grew very Vigorous and Swift. All
these things he perceived in them, which were not in himself; and when
he had consider'd the Matter, he could not imagine what should be the
reason of this Difference; then he consider'd such Animals as had any
Defect or Natural Imperfection, but amongst them all he could find none
like himself. He took Notice that the Passages of the Excrements were
cover'd in all other Creatures besides himself: that by which they
voided their grosser Excrements, with a Tail; and that which serv'd for
the voiding of their Urine, with Hair or some such like thing. Besides,
he observ'd that their Privy parts, were more concealed than his own
were.
§ 14. All these things were matter of great Grief to him, and when he
had perplex'd himself very much with the thoughts of them, and was now
near seven Years Old, he despair'd utterly of having those things grow
upon him, the want of which made him so uneasy. He therefore resolv'd to
help himself, and thereupon gets him some Broad Leaves of Trees, of
which he made two Coverings, one to wear behind, the other before; and
made a Girdle of Palm-Trees and Rushes Twisted together, to Hang his
coverings upon, and Ty'd it about his waste, and so wore it. But alas it
would not last long, for the Leaves wither'd and dropt away; so that he
was forc'd to get more, which he doubled and put together as well as he
could, Plaiting the Leaves one upon another, which made it a little more
durable, but not much. Then having broke a Bough from a Tree and fitted
the Ends of it to his Mind, he stript off the Twigs and made it smooth;
with this he began to attack the Wild Beasts, assaulting the weaker, and
defending himself against the stronger. By this means he began a little
to know his own Strength, and perceiv'd that his Hands were better than
their Feet; because by the help of them, he had provided wherewithal to
cover his Nakedness, and also gotten him a Defensive Weapon, so that now
he had no need of a Tail, nor of those Natural Weapons which he had so
wish'd for at first.
§ 15. He was now above Seven Years Old, and because the repairing of his
Covering of Leaves so often, was very troublesome to him, he had a
design of taking the Tail of some Dead Beast, and wearing it himself;
but when he perceiv'd that all Beasts did constantly avoid those which
were Dead of the same kind, it made him doubt whether it might be safe
or not; at last, by chance he found a Dead Eagle, and observing that
none of the Beasts shew'd any aversion to that Carcass, he concluded
that this would suit his purpose: and in the first place, he cuts off
the Wings, and the Tail whole, and spreads the Feathers open; then he
drew off the Skin,and divided it into two equal parts, one of which he
wore upon his Back, with the other he covered his Navel and Secrets: the
Tail he wore behind, and the Wings were plac'd upon each Arm. This Dress
of his answer'd several Ends; for in the first place it cover'd his
Nakedness, and help'd to keep him warm, and then it made him so
frightful to the Beasts, that none of them car'd to meddle with him, or
come near him; only the _Roe_ his Nurse, which never left him, nor he,
her; and when she grew Old and Feeble, he us'd to lead her where there
was the best Food, and pluck the best Fruits for her, and give her them
to eat.
§ 16. Notwithstanding this she grew lean and weak, and continu'd a while
in a languishing Condition, till at last she Dyed, and then all her
Motions and Actions ceas'd. When the Boy perceiv'd her in this
Condition, he was ready to dye for Grief. He call'd her with the same
voice which she us'd to answer to, and made what Noise he could, but
there was no Motion, no Alteration. Then he began to peep into her Eyes
and Ears, but could perceive no visible defect in either; in like manner
he examin'd all the parts of her Body, and found nothing amiss, but
every thing as it should be. He had a vehement desire to find, if
possible, that part were the defect was, that he might remove it, and
she return to her former State, of Life and Vigour. But he was
altogether at a loss, how to compass his design, nor could he possibly
bring it about.
§ 17. That which put him upon this search, was what he observ'd in
himself. He took Notice that when he shut his Eyes, or held any thing
before them, he could see nothing at all, till that Obstacle was
removed; and so when he put his Fingers into his Ears, that he could not
hear, till he took 'em out again; and when he closed his Nostrils
together, he smelt nothing till they were open'd; from whence he
concluded, that all his Senses and Actions were liable to Obstacles and
Impediments, upon the removal of which, the same Operations return'd to
their former course. Therefore, when he had examined every External Part
of her, and found no visible defect, and yet at the same time perceiv'd
an Universal Cessation of Motion in the whole Body, not peculiar to one
Member, but common to them all, he began to imagine that the hurt was in
some part, which was most remote from the sight, and hidden in the
inward part of the Body; and that this Part was of such nature and use,
that without its help, none of the other External Parts could exercise
their proper Functions; and that if this Part suffer any hurt, the
damage was Universal, and a Cessation of the whole ensu'd,
§ 18. This made him very desirous to find that part if possible, that he
might remove the defect from it, that so it might be as it us'd to be,
and the whole Body might enjoy the Benefit of it, and the same course of
Actions follow as before. He had before observ'd, in the Bodies of Wild
Beasts and other Animals, that all their Members were solid, and that
there were only three Cavities, _viz_. The Skull, the Breast, and the
Belly; he imagined therefore that this Part which he wanted, must needs
be in one of these Cavities, and above all, he had a strong persuasion
that it was in the middlemost of them. He verily believ'd, that all the
Members stood in need of this part, and that from thence it must
necessarily follow, that the Seat of it must be in the Centre. And when
he reflected upon his own Body, he felt such a part in his Breast, of
which he had this notion, _viz_. That it was impossible for for him to
subsist without it, so much as the twinkling of an eye, tho' he could at
the same time conceive a possibility of subsisting without his other
parts, _viz_. his Hands, Feet, Ears, Nose, Eyes, or even his Head. And
upon this account, whenever he fought with any Wild Beast, he always
took particular care to guard his Breast; because of the Apprehension
which he had of that Part, which was contain'd in it.
§ 19. Having, by this way of reasoning, assur'd himself that the
disaffected Part lay in the Breast; he was resolv'd to make a search, in
order to find it out; that whatsoever the Impediment was, he might
remove it if possible; but then again, he was afraid on the other side,
lest his Undertaking should be worse than the Disease, and prove
prejudicial. He began to consider next, whether or no he had ever
remembred any Beasts, or other Animals, which he had seen in that
condition, recover again, and return to the same State which they were
in before: but he could call to Mind no such Instance; from whence he
concluded, that if she was let alone there would be no hopes at all, but
if he should be so fortunate as to find that Part, and find the
Impediment, there might be some hope. Upon this he resolv'd to open her
Breast and make enquiry; in order to which he provides himself with
sharp Flints, and Splinters of dry Cane almost like Knives, with which
he made an incision between the Ribs, and cutting through the Flesh,
came to the _Diaphragma_; which he finding very Tough and not easily
broken, assur'd himself, that such a Covering must needs belong to that
part which he lookt for, and that if he could once get through that, he
should find it. He met with some difficulty in his Work, because his
Instruments were none of the best, for he had none but such as were made
either of Flint or Cane.
§ 20. However, he sharpned 'em again and renewed his Attempt with all
the Skill he was Master of. At last he broke through, and the first part
he met with was the Lungs, which he at first sight mistook, for that
part which he search'd for, and turn'd 'em about this way and that way,
to see if he could find in them the cause of the Disease. He first
happen'd upon that Lobe which lay next the side [which he had open'd]
and when he perceiv'd that it did lean sideways, he was satisfy'd that
it was not the part he look'd for, because he was fully perswaded, that
that must needs be in the midst of the Body, as well in regard of
Latitude as Longitude. He proceeded in his search, till at last he found
the Heart, which when he saw closed with a very strong Cover, and
fastned with strong Ligaments, and covered by the Lungs on that side
which he had open'd; he began to say to himself. "If this part be so on
the other side as it is on this which I have open'd, then 'tis certainly
in the midst, and without doubt the same I look for; especially
considering the Conveniency of the Situation, the Comliness and
Regularity of its Figure, the Firmness and Solidity of the Flesh, and
besides, its being guarded with such a Membrane as I have not observ'd
in any part." Upon this he searches the other side, and finding the same
Membrane on the inside of the Ribs, and the Lungs in the same posture,
which he had observ'd on that side which he had open'd first, he
concluded the Heart to be the part which he look'd for.
* * * * *
[Illustration 4]
* * * * *
§ 21. Therefore he first Attacks the _Pericardium_, which, after a long
tryal and a great deal of pains, he made shift to tear; and when he had
laid the Heart bare, and perceiv'd that it was solid on every side, he
began to examin it, to see if he could find any hurt in it; but finding
none, he squeez'd it with his Hands, and perceiv'd that it was hollow.
He began than to think that what he look'd for, might possibly be
contain'd in that Cavity. When he came to open it, he found in it two
Cavities, one on the right side, the other on the left. That on the
right side was full of clotted Blood, that on the left quite empty.
"Then (says he,) without all doubt, one of those two Cavites must needs
be the Receptacle of what I I look for; as for that on this side there's
nothing in it but congealed Blood, which was not so, be sure, till the
whole Body was in that condition in. which it now is" (for he had
observ'd that all Blood congeals when it flows from the Body, and that
this Blood did not differ in the least from any other,) "and therefore
what I look for, cannot by any means, be such a matter as this; for that
which I mean, is something which is peculiar to this place, which I find
I could not subsist without, so much as the Twinkling of an Eye. And
this is that which I look'd for at first. For as for this Blood, how
often have I lost a great deal of it in my Skirmishes with the Wild
Beasts, and yet it never did me any considerable harm, nor rendred me
incapable of performing any Action of Life, and therefore what I look
for is not in this Cavity. Now as for the Cavity on the left side, I
find 'tis altogether empty, and I have no reason in the World to think
that it was made in vain, because I find every part appointed for such
and such particular Functions. How then can this Ventricle of the Heart,
which I see is of so excellent a Frame, serve for no use at all? I
cannot think but that the same thing which I am in search of, once dwelt
here, but has now deserted his Habitation and left it empty, and that
the Absence of that thing, has occasion'd this Privation of Sense and
Cessation of Motion, which happen'd to the Body." Now when he perceiv'd
that the Being which had inhabited there before, had left its House
before it fell to Ruine, and forsaken it when as yet it continu'd whole
and entire, he concluded that it was highly probable that it would never
return to it any more, after its being so cut and mangled.