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Part II. themfelves producing a Mortification or Syderation in the Parts of Plants on which they are laid; or laftly, by the Grubs or Maggots hatch'd of the Eggs laid there, making their way with their Teeth into the Buds, Leaves, or Fruit, or even the Wood itself, of fuch Plants on which their Eggs were laid. So at last he concludes, Erunt itaque Galle & reliqui plantarum tumores morbofa excrefcentia, vi depofiti ovi à turbata plantarum compage, & vitiato bumorum motu excitata, quibus inclufa ova & animalcula velut in utero foventur & augentur, donec manifeftatis firmatifque propriis partibus, qua fi exoriantur novam exoptantia auram. We cons clude therefore, that Galls, and other Tumors of Plants, are nothing else but morbofe Excrefcencies, raifed up by the Force of the Eggs there laid, di fturbing the Vegetation and Temper of the Plants, and perverting the Motion of their Humours and Juices; wherein the enclofed Eggs and Animalcules are cherished, nourished, and augmented, till their proper Parts being manifefted, explicated, and hardned, or strengthned, they are as it were new-born, affecting to come forth into the open Air. In the fame Treatife he defcribes the hol low Inftrument, (Terebra he calls it, and we may English it Piercer) wherewith many Flies are provided, proceeding from the Womb, with which they perforate the Tegument of Leaves, Fruits, or Buds, and through the hol low of it inject their Eggs into the Holes or Wounds which they have made, where, in procefs of Time, they are hatched and nourished.

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305 This he beheld one of these Infects doing, with his own Eyes, in the Bud of an Oak; the manner whereof he describes, p. 47. which I fhall not transcribe; only take notice, that when he had taken off the Infect, he found in the Leaf very Little and Diaphanous Eggs, exactly like to those which yet remained in the Tubes of the Fly's Womb. He adds farther, that it is probable that there may be Eggs hidden in divers Parts of Plants, whereof no Footstep doth outwardly appear, but the Plant remains as entire, and thrives as well as if there were no Infect there: Nay, that fome may be hidden and cherished in dry Places, (not wanting any Humour to feed them) as in Sear-Wood, yea, in Earthen-Veffels, and Marbles themselves.

Indeed to me it seems unreafonable, that Plants being of a lower Form or Order of Being, fhould produce Animals; for either they must do it out of indisposed Matter; and then fuch Production would amount to a Creation; or else they must prepare a fit Matter, which is to act beyond their Strength, there being required to the Preparation of the Sperm of Animals a great Apparatus of Veffels, and many Secretions, Concoctions, Reflexions, Digestions, and Circulations of the Matter, before it can be rectified and exalted into so noble a Liquor : And befides, there must be an Egg too; for we know ex ovo omnia, to the Perfection whereof, there are as many Veffels and as long a Process required. Now in Plants there are no no fuch Velfels, and confequently no fuch Preparation

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paration of Eggs or Sperm, which are the neceffary Principles of Animals.

Thirdly, That worthy Author of our own Country, I mean Dr. Lifter, in his Notes upon Geodartius Infect. Numb. 16. p. 47. hath thefe Words, Non enim inducor ut credam, hoc, vel aliud quodvis Animal, modo quodam fpontaneo è Planta produci, & alii caufa cuicunque originem fuam debere quàm Parenti Animali i. e. I cannot be perfuaded or induced to believe, that this or any other Animal is (or can be) produced out of a Plant in a Spontaneous manner, or doth owe its Original to any other Caufe whatever, than an Animal Parent of its own Kind. And in his third Note upon Infect. Numb. 49. thefe, Quoad fpontaneam Eruca bujus aliorumque Infectorum generationem pro parte negativa jam fententiam meam tradidi, &c. As to the Spontaneous Generation of this Eruca, and other Infects, I have already delivered my Opinion for the Negative. This is most certain, that thefe Coffi are produced of Eggs laid by Animal Parents: It is alfo alike clear, that thefe diminutive Caterpil lars are able by degrees to pierce or bore their way into a Tree; which very small Holes, after they are fully entred, do perchance grow together, and quite difappear; at least become fo fmall, that they are not to be difcerned, unlefs by Lynceus's Eyes. Add moreover, that perchance they undergo no Transformation, but continue under the Vizzard of [Eruca] Caterpillars for many Years, which doth very well accord with my Obfervations. Moreover, that this Caterpillar [Eruca] is propas

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gated by Animal Parents, to wit, Butterflies, after the common Origination of all Caterpillars. In all this I fully confent with the Doctor; only crave Leave to differ in his attributing to them the Name of Coffi, which were accounted by the Ancients a delicate Morfel, and fed for the Table; for I take those to have been the Hexapods from which the greater fort of Bee tles come; for that that fort of Hexapods are at this Day eaten in our American Plantations, as I am informed by my good Friend Dr. Hans Sloane, who alfo prefented me with a Glass of them, preferved in Spirit of Wine.

Having lately had an Opportunity more curiously to view and examine the great Fleshcolour'd, thin-hair'd English Caterpillar, (which is fo like that fent me by Dr. Sloane, that it dif fers little but in Magnitude, which may be ow. ing to the Climate) I obferved that it had a Power of drawing its eight hind Legsor Stumps fo far up in its Body, that they did altogether disappear, fo that the Creature feemed to want them, and of thrusting them out again at Pleafure: Whereupon I conjectured, that that Infect of Jamaica fent me by the Doctor, (which I took to be the Coffus or Hexapod, previous to fome large Beetle) had likewife the fame Power of drawing up its hind Legs, so that though to Appearance it wanted them, yet really it did not fo, but had only drawn them up, and hid them in its Body when it was immerfed in the Spirit of Wine, and confequently was not the Hexapod of a Beetle, but an

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Eruca,

Eruca, like to, or indeed fpecifically the fame with that of our own Country by me obferved; and being eaten at this Day by the Inhabitants of Jamaica, in all likelihood the fame with the Coffus of the ancient Romans, which was fed for the Table, as Pliny affures us: Especially, if we confider that Dr. Lifter found this Eruca in the Body of an Oak newly cut down, and fawed in Pieces; on which Tree, Pliny faith, they feed. Thus much I thought fit to add to Dr. Lifter, and do the Truth right, by retracting my former Conjecture concerning the Coffi.

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3. My third Argument against Spontaneous Generation, is, because there are no Arguments or Experiments, which the Patrons of it do or can produce, which do clearly evince it. For the general and vulgar Opinion, that the Heads of Children, or the Bodies of those that do not change their Linen, but wear that which is fweaty and fordid, breed Lice; or that Cheese of itself breeds Mites or Maggots, I deny, and look upon it as a great Error and Mistake; and do affirm, that all fuch Creatures are bred of Eggs laid in fuch fordid Places by fome wandring Loufe, or Mite, or Maggot. For fuch Places being most proper for the Hatching and Exclufion of their Eggs, and for the Maintenance of their Young, Nature hath endued them with a wonderful Acuteness of Scent and Sagacity, whereby they can, though far diftant, find out, and make towards them. And even Lice and Mites themselves, as flow as they

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