duces our furprise and amazement in proportion as we pry into it. What have here faid of a human body, may be applied to the body of every animal, which has been the fubject of anatomical obfervations.

The body of an animal is an object adequate to our fenfes; it is a particular fyftem of Providence that. lies in a narrow compafs: the eye is able to command it, and, by fucceffive inquiries, can fearch into all its parts. Could the body of the whole earth, or indeed the whole universe, be thus fubmitted to the examination of our fenfes, were it not too big and difpropor tioned to our inquiries, too unwieldly for the management of the eye and hand, there is no question but it would appear to us as curious and well contrived a frame, as that of a human body. We fhould fee the fame concatenation and fubferviency, the fame beauty and harmony in all and every one of its parts, as we difcover in the body of every fingle animal.

The more extended our reafon is, and the more able to grapple with immense objects, the greater ftill are thole difcoveries which it makes of wildom and providence in the works of the creation. A Sir Iaac Newton, who ftands up as the miracle of the prefent age, can look through a whole planetary fyftem; confider it in its weight, number, and meafure; and draw from it as many demonftrations of infinite power and wisdom, as a more confined understanding is able to deduce from the fyftem of a human body.

But to return to our fpeculations on anatomy, I fhall here confider the fabric and texture of the 'bodies of animals in one particular view; which, in my opinion, fhows the hand of a thinking and all-wife Being, in their formation, with the evidence of a thousand demonstrations. I think we may lay this down as an incontested principle, that chance never acts in a perpetual uniformity and confiftence with itself. If one fhould always fling the fame number with ten thoufand dice, or fee every throw juft five times lefs, or five times more in number than the throw which immediately preceded it, who would not

F

imagine there was fome invifible power which directed the caft? This is the proceedings which we find in the operations of nature: every kind of animal is diverfified by different magnitudes, each of which gives rife to a different fpecies. Let a man trace the dog or lion kind, and he will obferve how many of the works of nature are published, if I may use the expreffion, in a variety of editions. If we look into the reptile world, or into thofe different kinds of animals that fill the element of water, we meet with the fame repetitions among feveral fpecies that differ very little from one another but in fize and bulk. You find the fame creature that is drawn at large, copied out in feveral proportions, and ending in miniature. It would be tedious to produce inftances of this regular conduct of Providence, as it would be fuperfluous to those who are verfed in the natural history of animals. The magnificent harmony is fuch, that we may obferve innumerable divifions running upon the fame ground. I might alfo extend this fpeculation to the dead parts of nature, in which we find matter difpofed into many fimilar fyftems, as well in our furvey of ftars and planets, as of ftones, vegetables, and other fublunary parts of the creation. In a word, providence has fhown the richness of its goodness and wifdom, not only in the production of many original fpecies, but in the multiplicity of defcants which it has made on every orignal fpecies in particular.

:

But to purfue this thought ftill farther every living creature, confidered in itself, has many very complicated parts, that are exact copies of fome other parts which it poffeffes, and which are complicated in the fame manner. One eye would have been fufficient for the fubfiftence and prefervation of an animal; but in order to better his condition, we see another placed with a mathematical exactnefs in the fame moft advantageous fituation, and in every particular of the fame fize and texture. Is it poffible for chance to be thus delicate and uniform in her operations? Should a million of dice turn up twice together the fame number, the wonder would be nothing, compar

ed to this; but when we fee this fimilitude and refemblance in the arm, the hand, the fingers; when we fee one half of the body entirely correfpond with the other in all thofe minute ftrokes, without which a man might have very well fubfifted; nay, when we often fee a fingle part repeated a hundred times in the fame body, notwithstanding it confifts of the most intricate weaving of numberlefs fibres, and thefe parts differing ftill in magnitude, as the convenience of their particular fituation requires; fure a man muft have a ftrange caft of understanding, who does not difcover the finger of God in fo wonderful a work. These duplicates in thofe parts of the body, without which a man might have very well fubfifted, though not fo well as with them, are a plain demonstration of an All-wife Contriver; as thofe more numerous copyings, which are found among the veffels of the fame body, are evident demonftrations that they could not be the work of chance. This argument receives additional ftrength, if we apply it to every animal and infect within our knowledge, as well as to thofe numberless living creatures that are objects too minute for a human eye and if we confider how the feveral fpecies in this whole world of life refemble one another in very many particulars, fo far as it is convénient for their refpective ftates of exiftence; it is much more probable that an hundred millions of dice fhould be cafually thrown a hundred millions of times in the fame number, than that the body of any fngle animal fhould be produced by the fortuitous concourse of matter. And that the like ch numerable inftances, requires a e of credulity that is not under the direction of c on fenfe. We may carry this confideration yet if we reflect on the two fexes in every living fpecies, with their refemblances to each other, and thofe particular diftinctions that were neceffary for keeping up this great world of life.

fhould arife in in

There are many more demonftrations of a fupreme Being, and of his tranfcendent wifdom, power, and goodness, in the formation of the body of a living

creature, for which I refer my reader to other writings, particularly to the fixth book of the poem entitled Creation, where the anatomy of the human body is defcribed with great perfpicuity and elegance. I have been particular on the thought which runs through this fpeculation, becaufe I have not feen it enlarged upon by others.

HORACE,

SPECTATOR, Vol. VII. No. 543. O.

ANCESTRY.

ORACE, Juvenal, Boileau, and indeed the greatet writers in almost every age, have expofed, with wit and good fenfe, the vanity of a man's valuing himfelf upon his ancestors, and endeavoured to thow that true nobility confifts in virtue, not in birth. With fubmiffion however to fuch very great authorities, I think they have pushed this matter a little too far. We ought, in gratitude, to honour the pofterity of thofe who have raifed either the intereft or reputation of their country, and by whofe labours we curfelves are more happy, wife, or virtuous, than we should have been without them. Befides, naturally fpeaking, a man bids fairer for greatness of foul, who is the defcendant of worthy ancestors, and has good blood in his veins, than one who is come of ignoble and obfcure parentage. For thefe reafons, I think a man of merit, who is derived from an illuftrious line, is very juftly to be regarded more than a man of equal merit who has no claim to hereditary honours: nay, I think those who are indifferent in them felves, and have nothing else to diftinguish them but the virtues of their forefathers, are to Le looked upon with a degree of veneration even upon that account, and to be more refpected than the common run of men who are of low and vulgar extraction.

After having thus afcribed due honours to birth and parentage, I must however take notice of those who arrogate to themfelves more honours than are due to them on this account. The firft are fuch who

are not enough fenfible that vice and ignorance taints the blood, and that an unworthy behaviour degrades and difennobles a man in the eye of the world, as much as birth and family aggrandize and exalt him.

The fecond are thofe who believe a new man of an elevated merit, is not more to be honoured than an infignificant and worthlefs man, who is defcended from a long line of patriots and heroes; or, in other words, behold with contempt a perfon who is fuch a man as the first founder of their family was, upon whose reputation they value themselves.

But I fhall chiefly apply myfelf to thofe whofe quality fits uppermoft in all their difcourfes and be-haviour. An empty man of a great family, is a creature that is fcarce converfable. You read his anceftry in his fmile, in his air, in his eye-brow. He has indeed nothing but his nobility to give employment to his thoughts. Rank and precedency are the impor tant points which he is always difcuffing within himfelf. A gentleman of this turn began a fpeech in one of king Charles's parliaments: Sir, I had the honour to be born at a time upon which a rough honeft gentleman took him up fhort: I would fain know what that gentleman means: Is there any one in this house who has not had the honour to be born as well as himself? The good fenfe which reigns in our nation, has pretty well deftroyed this ftar ched behaviour among men who have seen the world, and know that every gentleman will be treated upon a footing of equality. But there are many who have had their education among women, dependants or flatterers, that lofe all the refpect which would otherwife be paid them, by being too affiduous in procuring it.

My lord Froth has been fo educated in every punctilio, that he governs himself by a ceremonial in all the ordinary occurrences of life. He measures out his bow to the degree of the perfon he converfes with. I have seen him in every inclination of the body, from the familiar nod, to the low ftoop in the falutation. I remember five of us, who were acquainted with one another, met one morning at his lodgings, when a wag