married her to try an Experiment upon her; and at the fame Time grievously miftrusting the Continuance of my own Affection, after I had accomplished my Ends, I difmiffed that Project, and refolved, after much Perplexity, to hazard all upon a Chambermaid. Accordingly, having first perfuaded the Girl fhe was ill, I read Jacob Behmen five Times over; and then mixing up fome Animalcula in a Chymical Preparation, I adminiftered them to her as a Dofe of Phyfick. After which I discarded my Footman, and fuffered no Male Creature, in human Shape, to approach my Doors; nay, fo great was my Caution to have my Stratagem fucceed, that I hardly permitted a Dog of the mafculine Gender to enter my House. In about Six Months it was very vifible the Medicine had taken Effect; and let the Reader imagine, if he can, the Joy I felt, when first I perceived her begin to bourgeon: At the fame Time too a little Circumftance happened, which heightened my Joy, and put the manner of her Conception beyond all Poffibility of Doubt. As I was fitting alone one Morning in my Study, ruminating on this great Event, the Girl came in to me with Tears in her Eyes, and having obtained my Leave to ask a Queftion, entreated me earnestly to tell her, if it was poffible to breed after three Years? Though I guessed the Drift of her Queftion, yet, affecting an Air of Ignorance, and putting on a grave Physician's Afpect, I ordered her to be more explicit; whereupon the proceeded, with frequent Breaks of Crying, to tell tell me how much she was astonished at fome Symptoms; that Heaven above knew what was the Matter with her,, but she verily believed herself a breeding, and yet he could take her Bible Oath, he had not been been-been touched by a Man for these three Years [b]. So then, faid I, with a fterner Countenance, and a Tone of Severity, You confefs then that about three [6] When I wrote this, I had not seen a remarkable Cafe published in the Philofophical Transactions of September, of a Woman, from whom a Fœtus was extracted, that had been lodged thirteen Years in the Fallopian Tubes, fent from Riga by Dr. James Mounfey, Phyfician to the Czarina's Army, together with the Bones of the faid Fœtus, as a Prefent to the Royal Society of London. The Woman, as we are told in that ingenious Treatise, was a Soldier's Wife of Abo in Finland, of a middle Stature, who, being pregnant for the third Time in the Year 1730, was afflicted with violent Pains and Twistings of the Bowels, &c. and continued fickly for ten Years afterwards. In the Month of September 1741, she pierced her Navel with an Awl, out of which ran a yellow-coloured Water, &c. In the Month of June two fmall Bones came out, &c. and in October 1742, she was taken in hand by Dr. Mounfey, and Mr. Geitle, Surgeon, who thruft a grooved Probe into the Fiftula, and made an Incifion with a Biftory, upwards and obliquely, from the Linea alba, into the Cavity of the Abdomen; but the Woman being unruly (as well she might) and the Operation not going on according to the Doctor's liking, he proceeded no further till the next Day, &c. At the next Operation the Incifion was carried downwards; but Care taken not to make the external Wound larger than needful, left the Omentum and Guts fhould fall out, &c.-In fhort, the Fœtus was at length extracted Piece-meal at several difficult Operations. Now comparing all these Circumstances together, it seems reasonable to believe that this Fruit never was in the Cavity of the Womb, but that the impregnated Ovum was stopt in its Passage through one of the Fallopian Tubes, where it grew and was detained so many Years. Nothing therefore can be concluded from hence against the Cause I have affigned of my Maid's Pregnancy (as a certain learned Gentleman of the Royal Society, who communicated this Story to me, seemed to imagine) for the Cafes are very different; and the uncommon Delay of this Finland Woman's Delivery was owing to the præter-natural Situation of the Fatus, Years Years ago, you was guilty of Incontinency! - Yes Sir, replied the, to be fure it would be a Folly to deny it to a Man of your Learning to be fure I must confefs that about three Years ago-to be fure, Sir, I was not quite fo good, Sir, as I should have been, Sir.— My laft Mafter, Sir, who was a Parfon, Sir,-God forgive him and me too, I am sure I have repented it a hundred Times, and I hope he has done the fame.— The courteous Reader, I hope, will pardon my defcending to fuch low Particulars, which, I confefs, are beneath the Dignity of a Philofopher; but as it very much concerns me, in an Affair of such Moment and Importance to the World, to fhew how regularly and cautiously I proceeded, it was neceffary to describe the Girl's Simplicity as a Proof of her Honefty. Authors who write only for the Amusement of Mankind, may choofe and omit Circumftances at their own Pleasure, according to the Rule of Horace, Qua Defperes tractata nitefcere poffe, relinquas. But we who are unfortunately tied down to Truth, must write, as it were, in Fetters, and are obliged to keep on in the direct Road, without the Privilege of turning afide to entertain ourselves with Profpects. Be it fufficient, however, to fay, that at the nine Months End, the Girl was delivered of a chopping Boy, whom I have ever fince educated as my own, in fpite of all the Calumny of the Neighbourhood; and I cannot doubt, but, in Time, he will rife to be a Judge or an Alderman. Thus, Thus, Gentlemen of the Royal Society, I hope I have proved, in the moft inconteftable manner, that a Woman may conceive without any Commerce with Man; that the World has been in an Error for fix thousand Years, and, probably, would have continued in it fix thousand more, if I had not been born on purpose to break through filly Prejudices of Education, and undeceive Mankind in fo material a Point. Material I must call it; for how different is this from all the Discoveries of Ifaac Newton the Star-gazer! His, all of them, end in Speculation, but mine extend to Practice; his are only calculated for the Perufal of a few College-Pedants, but mine offer themfelves to the World in general: And I fhall fhortly publish a large Volume to fhew that this is the most natural Way of being born; grounding my Demonftration on the following infallible Argument, which I have drawn up fyllogistically, to prove my wonderful Talents in Logic. [] Nature (fay certain Authors of great Erudition) is a very frugal old Lady, and a prodigious good Oeconomift: She is obferved to give herself as little Trouble as fhe can, and to do every thing at the cheapest hand. But Animalcula may be hatched as completely in a Female Womb, as when they take the more tedious Progrefs through the Loins of the Males alfo. [<] This is a Method much practised by the learned Mr. W---rb---n, I fuppofe for the fame Reason, to fhew his Skill in chopping Logic. Ergo, Ergo, That is the right Road into Life, which is the fhorteft Road. And now what fhall I fay next? As it often happens that the Ufe and Practice of a Thing are known, before the Theory of it is difcovered, (for Inftance, Men of War could batter down Towns with Bombs, long before it was proved that Projec tiles describe a parabolic Curve; and little Boys had amused themselves with the Shadows of a magic Lanthorn many a Day ere fome great Philosophers undertook to explain the Myfteries of that wonderful Machine) fo has it fallen out in the Subject now under our Confideration: Hiftory has here and there furnished an Example, and some Physicians of Antiquity have accidentally glanced upon the Subject; but ftill I think I may challenge to myself the Merit of an original Invention ; and it would be very hard if a few Hints loosely dropt in old unfashionable Authors, which too I never faw till after I had establifhed my Theory, fhould prevail fo far as to fix upon me the odious Scandal of Plagiarifm. There are, I know, a Sort of malevolent Readers, who take an infinite Pleasure in telling you that all Authors have ftolen their Works fince the Days of one Orpheus; and how lucky it is for that old French Poet, that we know not the Names of any of his Predeceffors! but more especially they have recourse to this Device, whenever they find it not quite so easy to answer the Doctrine of a Book, and yet are determined to cry down its Reputation: Then we are fure to hear, Lord, 4 |