might, probably, esteem yourselves affronted, if you had not the Maidenhead of my Secret, and at the fame time difdaining to come in Competition with the lower Race of Philofophers, who write about Tides and Eclipfes, and Laws of Gravitation, the trivial Amusements of idle Speculatifts, and Almanack-makers! I fay, out of Reverence for your eminent Body, and fome Degree of Pride in Conjunction, I refolved to appeal at once to the Public, and more particularly to address myself to your Worships. Not to keep you any longer in Sufpense, I have found out, and am going to prove, by moft incontestable Evidence, that a Woman may conceive, and be brought to Bed, without any Commerce with Man. This, Gentlemen, I dare fay, you will allow to be a very wonderful Discovery; and though I might eafily fatisfy People of your penetrating Infight into the Works of Nature, with a mere phyfical Account of human Seed, and the Anatomy of a Female Womb; yet, as I am to combat the Simplicity of the Ignorant, and the Prejudices of the Perverse, I will defcribe at large what firft fuggefted this Thought to me, and how I proceeded afterwards from Conjecture to Demonftration.

The Lot which Providence affigned me in Life, was to practise Phyfick in a Country Town; to which I united the fifterly Science of Man-Midwifry. And though it ill becomes any one to boast of his own Merit, yet I will venture to affert, that, in the Course of my Practife, I have helped near as many People into the World as ever I helped out of it; which

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which rendered my Fame so great for obstetric Operations, that I engroffed the Custom of all the Breeding Women in the fruitful County of - But not to ouble you with more of my private History than is neceffary, as I was fitting alone one Afternoon, fmoking my Poftmeridian Pipe, I received a Meffage from a neighbouring Gentleman, informing me that his Daughter was dangerously ill, and defiring my immediate Attendance. When I was ar rived, and had examined the young Lady concerning her Complaints, I was surprised to find in her all the Symptoms of Pregnancy; but as I know very well how tenderly Ladies value their Reputation, even after they have loft them, I withdrew the Father afide into a separate Room, for the Sake of Privacy, and there, with great Concern, told him what my Office obliged me to declare; that his Daughter was apparently with Child, and very near the Time of her Labour. The old Gentleman was ftruck with Hor ror at the News; and immediately rushing into the Chamber, upbraided both his Wife and Daughter in the bittereft Terms, for concealing so important a Secret from him, and bringing such a Disgrace on the Family. The young Lady turned up a Face of inexpreffible Innocence and Amazement, and immediately fainted away into her Mother's Arms. 'Tis ufually obferved, I know, that all Profeffions, which delight in Blood, from the Phyfician down to the Butcher (who are employed to difburthen Nature of her Numbers, left the World fhould grow too populous) outlive the Senfations of Humanity, and never fuffer their Minds to be interrupted with Pity; VOL. L

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but

but though I had been long used to the Sight of Mifery, and had acquired a sufficient Conftancy of Features, there was fomething in the Scene before me too powerful for Cuftom; and I really found myself inclining to Compaffion. But the good old Lady foon put a Stop to these Womanish Emotions of my Spirit, falling upon me with the most outrageous Abuse, for daring to afperfe her Daughter's Reputation in that wicked ruffianly Manner, vowing it was a Lie, a damn'd Lie; and he wondered her Husband could hear it without Refentment. To all which I replied, with fome Acrimony, that I was not used to be treated with fuch Language, that I knew very well how disagreeable a Truth it must be to a Parent's Ear, but fince my Office could not protect me from Abufe, my Honour obliged me to take my Leave; and fo making a Bow, I left the Family to grow calm at leifure; not doubting but I fhould have a fecond Summons, when they had reasoned themfelves into Temper. Accordingly a Chariot came to fetch me the next Morning; and though the Mother could hardly bridle in her Paffion, and the young Lady protested every Moment fhe was innocent, Affairs were now too far advanced to be concealed; and about Five in the Afternoon, I conducted into the World the little malicious Witnefs, whofe Evidence was fo fatal to the young Lady's Character, and fo neceffary to the Vindication of mine. Yet ftill, after this seemingly conclusive Conviction, the continued to make the fame earnest Declarations to all who vifited her; and one Day, as I was fitting alone with her, after he was pretty well recovered

from

from the Shock of her Delivery, he caught me haftily by the Hand, and with many Tears, and many Affeverations of Innocence, begged of Heaven to blaft her immediately with Lightning, if ever she had known a Man. Such earneft Proteftations, delivered with fuch an Air of Truth, and accompanied with fo many moving Tears, wrought upon me so strongly, that, I knew not how, I found myself strangely inclined to believe her, even against the Remonftrances of Reason and Experience. Full of what she had faid, I returned Home in a very thoughtful Mood, and continued uneafy and perplexed for a great while; till one Day happening to take up Mr. Woollafton's Religion of Nature delineated, I fell accidentally upon a Paffage, which ftruck fuch a fudden Light on my Imagination, that I fhall beg Leave to quote it at large, as the Ground-work and Foundation of my whole System.

That great Philofopher difputing whether human Souls are traduced from Parents to their Children, or fupernaturally conveyed into the Foetus at the Time of its Birth (which is a very worthy Subject of philofophic Enquiry, because impoffible to be determined, and much a-kin to that learned Difquifition of old, [a] whether Eggs or the Chicken in them

[a] Cenforinus fays, many of the old Philofophers afferted the Eternity of the World upon this excellent invincible Argument, “ quod negent omnino poffe reperiri, avesne ante an ova generata fint; cum "et ovum fine ave, et avis fine ovo gigni non poffit." This interesting Queftion was once much agitated, as may be seen by Macrobius and Plutarch, who calls it τὸ ἄπορον καὶ πολλὰ πράγματα τοῖς ζηλητικοῖς παρέα και πρόβλημα.

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are

are first created) in the fifth Section of his incomparable Work, has the following remarkable Paffage: "If then the Semina, out of which Animals are pro

duced, are (as I doubt not) Animalcula already "formed; which being diftributed about, especially "in fome opportune Places, are taken in with Ali❝ment, or perhaps the very Air; being feparated in "the Bodies of Males, by Strainers proper to every "Kind, and then lodged in their feminal Veffels, do "there receive fome kind of Addition and Influence; "and then being transferred into the Wombs of the « Females, are there nourished more plentifully, and "grow too big to be longer confined: I fay, if this "be the Cafe, &c." And again, I cannot but "conclude that there are Animalcula of every Tribe "originally formed by the Almighty Parent, to be "the Seed of all future Generations; and it is cer❝tain the Analogy of Nature in other Instances, and

microscopical Obfervations, do ftrongly abet what "I have faid."--Thefe are the Words of the great and learned Mr. Woollafton; which I had no fooner read, than I was inftantly thrown into a Reverie, and began to reflect with myfelf, that if fuch little Embryos or Animalcula are so dispersed about, and taken in at the Mouth with Air or Aliment; and if nothing more is required than a certain hot Bed for them to dilate and expand themselves, till they grow too big to be longer confined, after the Manner of Seeds in a Cucumber-Frame: I fay, if this be the whole Myftery of Generation (and Experiment has fince fully convinced me that it is fo) I began to question, why might not the Foetus be as completely

hatched