Free thoughts upon the brute-creation ; or, an examination of Father Bougeant's Philosophical amusement, &c. ; in two letters to a Lady

h'

FREE THOUGHTS

UPON THE

BRUTE-CREATION:

OR, AN

EXAMINATION

O F

Fzthtr BO UGE A NTs

Fhilofophkal Amtife?nent^ &c
(Price One Shilling.")

BOOKS lately printed for R. Minors, t/i
S't. Clen:ient's Church-yard.

I. \ Letter to a Member of Parliament, contain-
£\ ing, A Propofai for bringing in a Bill to re-
vive, amend, or repeal certain obfolete Statutes, cal-
led the Ten Cotnmandmenis.

2. The Contempt of the Clergy confider'd : In,
a Letter to a Friend.

3. An ElTay for the better Regulatioa and Ini*
provement of Free- thinking.

4. An EfTay on Honour,

5. A Commentary upon the Second Pfalm.

^It. / r" ^ucAr J'.-til

FREE THOUGHTS

UPON THE

BRUTE-CREATION:

OR, AN

EXAMINATION

O F

Father BOUGEANTs
Philofophkal Amufement^^ &c.

In Two LETTERS to a Lady. ^

Job xii. 7, 8, 9, 10. But ask now the beqfis^ and

they Jh all teach thee; and the fcivls of the air^

and they Jh all tell thee.
Or /peak to the earth, and itjlmll teach thee ; and the

fijhes of the fea Jhall declare unto thee.
Who hioweth not in all thefe, that the hand of the

Lord hath 'wrought this ?
In ijohofe hand is the foul of every living things and

the breath {Jprit) of all mankind.

By JOHN HILDROP, M. A.
Redor of Wath, near Rippon in Torkfmre :
And Chaplain to the Right Honourable Charles
Earl of Ailesbury and Elgin.

LONDON:

Printed for R. Minors, Bookfeller and Stationer,

in St. Clement's Church-yard. M.DCC.XLII,

(O

FREE THOUGHTS

UPON THE

BRUTE-CREATIOm

O R,

An Examination of Father
BOUGEANT\ Philofofhical
Amufefnent^ &c.

Madam,

ID A R E fay you have made many a merry
Reflection upon the good Company and
Converfation we lately enjoyed at 5- — ton :
for my own part, I can never think of it with-
out laughing. Methinks I hear my little Doc-
tor pouring forth all his Rhetoric and Logic
upon an abftrufe Queftion, which I was fure
he had not Capacity enough to underftand,
I fee, and hear, and admire his modefl AfTu-
rance, uncapable of Contradiction, affirming
without Proof, and concluding without Premi-
fes, that all the Animal Fun5lions and Operations

B of

CO

of the Brute-Creation (which different Philofo-
phers had afcribed to different Caufes, fuch as
Mechanifm, Inflind:, Subflantial Forms, ^r.)
njoere entirely owing to the Operation of evil Spi^
rits, who are the moving Principle in every
one of them. As this Thought was quite new
to me, and perfectly oppofite to all the Senti-
ments I had ever entertained upon that Quef-
tion, I could not for my life imagine, where
he had pick'd up this new Philofophy, which
had almofl frighted fome of the Company out
of their Senfes. — I fhall never forget the puz-
zled afflided Face of the honefl Jufdce, who,
tho' a very good Protellant, and in all other re-
fped;s of blamelefs Life and Converfation, had
fpent fo many Years in following a Pack of
Devils, which he had innocently miffaken for
a Pack of harmlefs Beagles. — But the whimfi-
cal Diftreffes of the poor Ladies, gave me no
fmall Diveriion. Sweet Mifs fenn\\ who has
laviih'd away more Kiffes upon her favourite
Cat, than (lie would beflow upon the heft Man
in the Parifh, felt fome compun(5tion within
herfelf, that (he had been wantonly, and almoft
malicioufly, throwing away thofe Careffes upon
an evil Spirit, which many a good Chriilian
would have been glad of. Dear Mifs Harriot
had the fame regret for her beloved Moii key,
and poor Dolly for her Parrot j and refolved, cne-
and-all, never to hold commerce or correfpon-
dence with evil Spirits for the future, in what-
ever amiable Shape or Figure they might ap-
pear; which, I apprehended, could end in nothing

lels

(3 )
lefs than an intlre deftmdiion of all the favourite
Domefticks of the Family j whilft you, with a
chearful compofure of Mind and Countenance,
infeparable from good Nature and good Senfe,
fat fmiling at the empty Harangue of the Ora-
tor, and the fantaftical Sufferings of the Au-
dience.

Well ! home I went, full of this abfurd, un-
philofophical Scheme, wondering how my learn-
ed Friend, who, with very moderate Talents, af-
fects to be thought a very great Scholar, and
profound Philofopher, could ever fall into this
uncommon way of thinking. But as I chanced
a few days after to flrole into a Bookfeller's
Shop, I fpyed a little Pamphlet lying upon the
Counter, entitled, A Philofophical Amufemenfy
concerniJig the Language of Birds and Beajis,
Written originally in French by Father Bou-
geant, a learfied yefuif. Sec. I quickly per-
ceived where my learned Friend had pick'd up
his new Fhilofophy, from what Fountain all
this profound Erudition was drawn. The ho-
neft Man has a very prepofterous Ambition to
be famous j and as he is confcious that he has
no chance to attain any degree of Diftindion
from the proper and regular ufe of his intellec-
tual Faculties, he therefore attempts a nearer cut
to Fame, by engaging the Attention of the Un-
learned to fomething that has a new and mar-
vellous Appearance : This has given him an
itch after Novelty, and an affedtion for uncom-
mon Notions, more than common Senfe. No
wonder, therefore, he was immediately flrack
B 2 with

(4)

with this furprizing Sentiment, which he re-
folved to put off at the next Tea-table for his
own, affuring himfelf, that neither the Ladies,
nor myleif, (whofe Obfcurity he heartily defpifes)
fhould ever find him out, but admire him for
a molt profound Philofopher. I took my Pam-
phlet home with me, and read it over and
over, with the greateft Care and Candour ; and
upon the whole muft needs fay, that I fliould
never have fufpeded the Author (if he had not
told us fo himfelf) to be a Jejuity much lefs
a Famous yejiiit. He has done no credit to his
Order ; the Gentlemen of that Society owe him
but little Thanks -, they generally acquit them*
felves much better upon any Subjedl they un-
dertake. He has treated a noble Subjed loofe-
ly and fuperficially, to fay no worfe ; for I might
add, idly and profanely j and had I been his
proper Superiour, I fhould have changed his Con-
finement at La Flechej for a more proper Ha»
bitation at Moorjields.

But this (fay you) is libelling without Prooij
condemning at random : Let us come to
Particulars ; make good your Charge, fhew us,
if you can, the Defecfts of his Scheme, and try
if you can flrike us out a better.

With all my heart, Madam. But before I pro-
ceed to a more particular Examination of his
Scheme, I mufl: freely acknowledge, that there
are a great many juft and fprightly things fcat-
tered up and down through his whole Perfor-
mance ; but favouring more of the vivacity of the
Frenchman^ than the piety and folidity of a Chri-

lliaq

(5)

Aian Philofbpher. He juflly and fmartly ridi-
cules the unintelligible trumpery of Mechanifm,
Inftind:, Subftantial Forms, and what not of the
Arijlotelian and Cartefian Philofophy, which,
like occult qualities, are hard Words without a
Meaning, intended only as a thin difguife for
Ignorance and Affedlation : But what has he ad-
vanced in the room of them ? Why, fomething
equally abfurd, but not equally innocent ; fome-
thing {liocking to a Philofopher, and ofFcnlive
to a Chriftian, in diredt contradidion to Reafon
and Revelation, as I fhall endeavour to make ap-
pear. Nor is he lefs offenfive in point of Delica-
cy, his Ideas and Sendments are often fo low, his
Images fo indecent, his Expreffions fo coarfe, as
could hardly be expe(5led from a polite French-
man, and an Ecclefiaftic to a fine Lady, whom,
at the fame time, he feems to confider as a Per-
fon of Difcernment and Diftindiion. Let us now
follow him his own way. His lirfl Chapter is

Of the TJnderJlanding of Brutes,

He begins with this Queftion ; Have Brutes
any Underjianding f I am convinced (fays he)
that you will ?iot fo much as heft ate upon this
^ejtion : farely prefuming fhe would anfvv^er in
the Affirmative, and as I dare venture to affirm
that his fair Correfpondent had not a better
Underftanding than mine, I will venture to pre-
fume the fame for you. An XJndcrjianding they
certainly have of fuch a kind or degree, at leail
as is fufficient for their flate and rank in tlie

univerlal

(6)

unlverfal Syftcm, and the feveral duties and of-
fices for which they were intended by their
Creator. Lefs than this I think cannot be faid,
and who prefumes to fay more ? Though I have
known many an honefl Fellow that made a
good figure in his Neighbourhood, who yet has
hardly difcovered more Reafon, a better Under-
ftanding, or half fo much Virtue as the Beafl
he rode on. Take any Man of a plain, natural
good Underftanding without the prejudices of
Philofophy, and propofe the fame Queflion to
him : 1 dare fay he would flare at you, and think
you were bantering him -, or if he thought you
were in earneft, he would not fo much as de-
mur upon it. In fliort, however we may af-
fe(ft to puzzle ourfelves or others with learned
Objedlions proceeding from downright Igno-
rance, we all own it, we prefume upon it, as a
firfl Principle, we reafon upon it, and adi agree-
ably, as we make it an unerring Rule to di-
rect us in the Treatment and Management of
our domeflick Animals j this it is that guides us
in the education of our Dogs and Horfes, to
train them up by Corred:ion and Difcipline to
the feveral Offices for which they are intended,
and the Services which we exped: to receive
from them. This it is that directs us to careis
and reward them when they do well, and to
correct and punilh thsm, when they are vicious
tind difobedient. Did we confider them as meer
Machines, as Creatures that had no Senfe, Un-
derftanding, or Refled:ion ; this Conduft would
be as abfurd and ridiculous, as it would be to

carefs

(7)

carefs and reward your Clock or your Watch for
going well, or corredl and punifh them with a
Whip or Cudgel for going wrong. On the
other hand, we difcover in Brutes plain and evi-
dent marks of Senfe and Underftanding. They
are fenfible what we do to them, and what
they do to us. When for inftance I fee a Dog
haftening to me when I call him, carels me
when I ftroke him, tremble when I rate him,
run away from me when I beat him : nay, fur-
ther, when I fee him refleding and reafoning
upon my Condudt towards him, I muft con-
clude he is aded by fome higher Principle than
meer Mechanifm. Be pleafed. Madam, to try
this Experiment with your beloved ^^«v, (though
upon fecond Thoughts he has been too much
and too long a Favourite to apprehend any danger
from your Hands,) or call any other Dog of
the Family, whofe Hunger may make him leap
at a good Morfel, fhew him a Piece of Meat
in your Left Hand, and hide your Right Hand
behind you, and fee how he will behave ; efpe-
cially, if he knows he has been guilty of a
Fault, or been rated or punifhed for fome Mif-
demeanour. He will either not come near you
at all, unlefs urged by the violence of his Hun-
ger, or approach you with the utmoft Diffidence
and Caution : for thus I hear him reafoning with
himfelf ; Sttreh\ this is ?2ot the Hand that ufed
to feed me^ and ivhy is that other Hand hid from
me f That Uand^ from ivhich I have received
many a fore Stripe^ ivhen I have offended, has
now^ Ifear,fomefecret Vengeance^ fome Whip, or

Cudgel

(8)

Cudgelin fiore for me^ if 1 get within the reach
of it ', I will therefore prefer the Dogs Portion
of Hunger and Eafe^ before Lajhes and Stripes,
and broken Bones. Ay ! and he is much in the
right, he reafons well, and difcovers more Senfe
and better Logic than many a flupid Puppy
with two Legs, who lives at random, who pur-
fues every appearance of Pleafure, gratifies every
Appetite, fubmits to every demand of Luft or
Fancy, without Thought or Reflection, and ruihes
with his Eyes open into certain Difeafes, Beg-
gary and Damnation. Now then if the Senfes
and Perceptions of Brutes be fo quick and lively,
if from thofe Perceptions they never fail to draw
juft and rational Conclufions, and to make a prac-
tical Ufe of them for the preventing Pain, or
procuring Pleafure,. if by the different Motions
and Geftures of their Bodies, or Sound of their
Voice, they exprefs their different Sentiments of
Joy and Sadnefs, of Pain or Pleafure, of Fear and
Defire, of Love or Hatred j I cannot help con-
cluding from thence, that they have in them
fome Principle of Knowledge and Sentiment,
be it what it will. Now, were all the Philofo-
phers in the world to affert and maintain the
Cart ef an Opinion of their being Machines, there
is fome ftrong inward Convidion in every fenfible
unprejudiced Mind that gives them the lye, tho'
we were not able to confute their Affertion, nor
defend our ownj and furely nothing but the
Vanity of a Frenchman could ever exped that
fo abfur d a Scheme could pafs upon a learned
World for iound Reafon and true Philolophy.
3 f'or

(9)

For my own part, I could as foon exped to fee
Gallantries between a couple of amorous Clocks
or Watches, or a Battle betwixt two quarrel-
fbme Windmills.

The Notion of InfibiB^ though not fo pal-
pably abfurdjis equally obfcure, unneceffary, and
ufelefs for all the great ends and purpofes which
it is intended to ferve. They who ule it, do not
pretend to define it, to {hew us its real Nature,
or wherein it confills, they feem only to fpeak
of it as a blind Impetus, and unknown Impulfe;
a kind of Mechanical Neceffity, by which we
are in a manner compelled to perform fuch and
fuch Actions, without being able to know or ex-
plain the Reafbns for fo doing. By this, they
pretend to account for many wonderful Ope-
rations and Effects in the almofl inrinite Variety
of Species through the Brute-Creation, fuch as,
for inftance, all forts of Birds building their
Nefts in exa6t uniformity of Model and with
the fame Materials, all the various Methods of
Cure that both Birds and Beafts have recourfe
to when they are any ways indifpofed or wound-
ed J this it is, they fay, that teaches the Spar-
rows to purge themfelves with Spiders and other
Infedts j this teaches Birds to fwallow Gravel to
facilitate their Digeflion i this teaches the Dog
with a furfeited Stomach to run to a particular
kind of Grafs to procure a Vomit 5 to this we
owe all the excellent and wonderful Operations
to be found among Bealls and Birds, Reptiles
and Infeds j many of which llem to exceed the
C highell

( 10 )

higheft Improvements of human Reafon and
Invention. But why muft all this be owing to
Inflind; ? Since we cannot refufe them a know-
ing Faculty, why fhould we give them a need-
leS Inftind? Thefe wonderful Operations may be,
for ought we know, the fimple Efted:s of their
Underftanding : and fince it is folely in confe-
quence of a knowing Faculty, that Man performs
the fame Operations, why fhould not the fame
Principle alfo rule in the Brutes ? And where
would be the Herefy of believing or affirming, that
thofe Adions which Brutes are fuppofed to per-
form by meer InftincS, are performed in confe-
quence of their Underliandings, withUnderftand-
ing and Reafon ? Is fuch a thing impoffible ? Does
either Reafon or Revelation forbid it ? Are they
not equally poflible to their Omnipotent Creator ?
And can any reafonable Doubt be made, whe-
ther they were not endued with every Perfedion
that their Rank in the Scale of Beings required ?
And would it not be a great Imperfedion to
want the means of knowing and procuring what-
ever was requifite in the common Order of
Nature, for the Prefervation of the Individuals
and the Propagation of the Species ? And fince it
cannot be denied that every Species of Beings
have that power, I fee nothing abfurd or un-
philofophical in fuppofing, that the All-wife
and Omnipotent Author of Nature has given
each of them fuch Faculties as are proportion-
able to their Wants and Capacities, and the part
they fill in the univerfal Syftem. Is there ei-
ther Abfurdity or Herely in fjppofing, that the

fame

( JI)

fame infinite Power that could form the Body
of the moft minute Infed:, with fuch exquifite
Proportion and Beauty, could at the fame time,
with the fame eafe, provide a proper Inhabitant
to animate and govern it, and anfwer all the
purpofes of its Creation ? He that can think other-
wife, mull: have been either a very ignorant or
a very indolent Obferver of Nature. The Scrip-
tures diredly call this Knowledge by the name
of JVifdom, Prov. xxx. 24. There be four Things
that are little upon Earth, but they are ex~
ceeding wife. The Ants are a People notjlrongy
yet they prepare their Meat in the hummer. The
Conies are but a feeble Folk, yet they make their
Houfes in the Rocks, The Locujls have no King,
yet go they forth all of them by Bands. The
Spider taketh hold with her Hands, and is in
King's Palaces. Holy Job fuppofes the fame
thing, that the whole Brute- Creation adt by
Wifdom and Underflanding, of fuch a Kind and
Degree as is proper for their State and Condi-
tion in the Scale of Beings. Thus Ch. xxxix.
13, 14, 15, 16, 17. fpeaking of the OJirich,
he obferves, thatyZ^ leaves her Eggs in the
Earth, and warms them in the Duft^ and for-
gets that the Foot may crufi them, or that the
wild Beajl may break them. She is hardened
againfi her young o?ies, as though they were not
hers, her labour is in vain without fear, becaufe
God hath deprived her of Wifdom, neither hath
he imparted to her JJnderfianding. The Fadt
is afferted by all Travellers, that the Oftrich
leaves her Eggs in the Sand to be hatch'd by

C 2 tlie

( 12 )

the Sun, which unnatural difregard for her Off-
iJDring is fo remarkable, that when they fee a Mo-
ther who has little Tendernefs for her Chil-
dren, they compare her to an Oftrich j to which
the Prophet 'Jerc??iicib alludes in his Book of
Lamentations^ ch. iv. 3. T^he Daughter of my
People is become crtiel^ like the Ofirlches in the
Wildernefs, In fliort, the Olblch is allowed,
on all hands, to be a very ftupid foolifli Bird,
deftitute of tliat Prudence and Caution which
are vifible in every other Family of Infeds, Birds,
and Beafts ; for it is particularly obferved in her,
that when fhe is purfued by the Hunters, fhe
runs to hide her Head, and particularly her
Eyes behind a Tree, all the reft of her large
Body is expo fed to view \ but as flie no longer
fees the Hunter, flie wifely imagines he does not
fee lier, and that therefore fhe has no danger
to apprehend. Now this whole abfurd and
ridiculous Condud:, the infpired Writer afcribes
to her want of that PVifdoin, Underflandijig and
co?nmon Senft\ which are to be found in every
other Species of Beings, for the Produdion and
Prefervation of tlieir feveral Families. Becaiife
God hath deprived her of Wifdom, neither hath
he i?nparted to her Underftandifig, v. 17. Were
we now to extend our Enquiries to the Polity,
Architedlure, and Oeconomy of Bees and Wafps,
and all the other Tribes and Families of In-
fcdls, we Hiould find them in many refJDcdis
excellent Monitors to the Bulk of Mankind.
" * The Beehive, for inftance, is a School to

*' which

* Spcftacle de la Nature, Dial. ;. p 155.

( 13 )

" which numbers of People ought to be fent,
" Prudence, Induftry, and Benevolence, pub-
" lick Spirit, and Diligence, Oeconomy, Neat-
** nefs, and Temperance, are not only pracSifed
" by them in the mod exemplary manner, but
" flrongly recommended to us by their Ex-
*' ample. Look on a Swarm of Bees, and ob-
"= ferve the Diipofition that influences every In-
" dividual j they all labour for the general Ad-
" vantage j they are all fubmiffive to the Laws
'* and Regulations of the Community j there
" is no particular Intereft, and confequently
" no Emulations nor Competitions for Gain or
" Glory J no Diflincftions, but thofe which Na-
" ture and the Neceffities of the Family have
" introduced among them. We never fee them
" difTatisfied with their Condition, or inclinable
" to abandon the Hive, in Difguft to find them-
*' felves Slaves or Neceffitous. On the contrary,
" they think themfelves in perfe(5t Freedom,
'* and perfect Affluence, as indeed they are:
*' they are free, becaufe they depend only upon
*' the Laws 5 they are happy, becaufe the Con-
** courfe of their feveral Labours inevitably pro-
*' duce an Abundance, that conftitutes the Riches
" of each Individual. Let us compare Human
** Societies with this, and they will appear al«
" together monftrous. NecelTity, Reafon, and
" Philofophy, have eftablifhed them under the
" commendable Pretence of mutual Aids and
" Benefits; but a Spirit of Selfiflinefs deftroys
" all ; and one half of Mankind, to load them-
[[ felves with Superfluities, leave the other half
3 *' deflitute

( H )

«^ deftitute of the common NecefTarles of Life."
In fhort, upon the llridefl and clofeft Enqui-
ry we can make into the ieveral Tribes of
Families of the Brute-Creation, it will appear,
that they are all directed and a(5t by fome
Principle analogous at leall:, and equivalent to
what we call Underftanding in ourfelves ; and
why we fhould call it by any other Name in
them, I confeis I am at a lofs to determine.
If then the feveral Species of Brutes do by the
Strength of their own Underftandings, think,
reafon, projedl, contrive, and perform every Of-
fice within their proper Sphere of Life and
Action in ajuft and due proportion to what we
do in ours, they muft be allowed to have fome
immaterial Principle within them, in which
thefe Faculties are inherent, and by which they
are diredled. Now, to my poor Apprehenfion,
Underflanding without a Soul, and a Soul that
is not a Spirit, appears quite as abfurd as Light
without Flame, or Flame without Fire ; the
one I think naturally fuppofes and includes the
other.

T'he Great Mr. Locke^ in his EJfay on Human
Underftandings lib. 2. cap. 11. allows that Brutes
have Ideas, and that they reafon, tho* they are not
capable of comparing and comprehending thefe
Ideas, and reafoning abftradledly, as we do. Tet
(favs he) if they have any Ideas at all, and are not
mere Machine s^ as fome ivould have them, we cant
deny them to have fome Reafon. It feems to me as
evident, that they do in fome inftances rea-
fon, as that they have Senfe -, hut it is only in par-
ticular

( 15 )

ticular Ideas, juft as they received them from
their Senfes.—'^Jui): as they received them from
their Senfes !— -Why, how fhould it be elfe ?
What is the Foundation of our Reafon, but
thole particular Ideas we receive from our Sen-
fes? Ideas are Images, excited or impreifed
upon the Soul by external Objeds, thro* the
Mediation of the Senfes ; and the enlarging,
comparing, and combining thefe Ideas, and form-
ing practical Conclufions from them, is the whole
Province of Human Reafon. This philofophi-
cal Limitation of the Underftanding of Brutes,
founds a little aukwardly from this great Man,
becaufe he has allowed the mod exalted Hu-
man Underftanding no better Materials to work
upon. He has veryjuftly exploded the No-
tion of innate Ideas, and has by confequence left
us nothing but thofe which we receive by Sen-
fation, to be the Ground- work of our moft re-
fined Speculations. Why then will he not al-
low the fame uniform Effed to be produced
by the lame uniform Caufe in both ? Why does
he take fo much pains to perfuade himfelf and
us, that Rationality in Brutes muft proceed
from a quite different Caufe, from what it does
in ourfelves ? What is he afraid of ? What
would be the terrible Confequences of fuch a
ConcelTion ? For my own part, I think I fee
none, but what your own excellent Under-
Aanding will, with a little Recoiledion, eafily
evade, without the lead violence either to Rea-
fon or Revelation. He concedes, indeed, to
the main Point, and allows the Rationality of

Brutes 5

(i6)

Brutes 3 but, for fear of allowing them Imma-
terial, and confequently immortal Souls, he fre-
quently infinuates, that Thought, Rationality,
or Refledtion, is not the abfolute Privilege of
immaterial Beings, but may be communicated
by the Power of God to certain Portions of
Matter, differently modified, and confequently
that Matter exalted to a certain degree of Puri-
ty, may be as capable of Reafon and Refled;ion,
as an immaterial Spirit. And in his Difpute with
the Bi{hop of Worcejier, who juftly charged him
with this unphilofophical Notion, he was re-
duced to a neceflity of alTerting it in plain and
exprefs Terms, and of putting all his Philofophy
to the utmoft ftretch, to reconcile it to Reafon
and common Senfe 5 which, I humbly conceive,
is abfolutely impolTible. Yet he frequently and
diredly alTerts the Poffibility of Thinking Mat-
ter, allowing to his material Animal Senfe, Per-
ception, Reafon, fpontaneous Motion or Volition,
which, one v/ould imagine, that nothing but
Vanity, an Itch of Singularity, or a Defire of
Vidlory, could ever have extorted from fo great
and excellent a Perfon : and I cannot pafs it by
without fome little Examination, for which I
fhall offer at no Apology to a Lady of yourin-
quifitive Genius, and fnperior Underftanding, di-
rected folely by Reafon and the Nature of Things,
without the Prejudices of vulgar Errors, or the
Siibtilties of Philofophy, falfely fo called.

The moil obvious Idea we have of Matter, is
of an extended impenetrable^ jUid Sub/ia?2ce, iin-
capable of moving it/elf or of being moved ^ but

bv

(,>r)

h^ the Age?icy and ImpreJJion of fim'e fup'erior^
external^ aBive Caiife j from whence it will un-
avoidably follow, that mere Matter,, however
modified, exalted^ or purified, will be as un-
capable of Self-motion^ as., it was in its. loweft
Itate of Dsnfity, or DeprelTiori ^ and confequent-
ly cannot, by any Power, be trarifmuted, or fub-
limated into a living, felf-moving Sabftanee 5
from whence it follows, that all Gravity, At-
tradioUj Elaflicity, RepulfioUj and whatever
Tendencies to Motion are obferved in Matter^ and
commonly called natural Powers of Matter, are
not Powers implanted in Matter, or pofiible to
be made inherent in it j but are intirely owing
to fome Impulfe, or Force imprelTed upon it from
external Gaufes. And the moll: that can be laid,
is, that Matter is indeed fufceptible of Motion,
or capable of being moved, but that the Motion
itfelf mud proceed from fome external Caufe,
totally diftind from, and fuperior to Matter,
Mr. Locke J therefore, had very little Reafon to
be fo peremptory in his Difpute with the Bilhop
of Worcejier^ about the Poffibility of Thinking
Matter ; where, to prove it poflible, he fays,
Vol. 2. p. 144. Edit. 1^1$' for example, God
creates an extended Jblid Sub/lance, without fu-
peraddhig any thing elfe to it, and fo we may
confide r it at reft ; to fome parts of it he fuper-
adds Motion, hut it has fill the E fence of Matter,
Other paYts of it he forms into Plants, with all
the Excellencies of Vegetation, Life, and Beauty,
which is to be found in a Rofe or a Peach-tree,
above the EJfence of Matter in genera l^ but it is
D fill

( .8 ) •

Jiill but Matter ." To other parts he adds Senfe,
or fpontaJicoiis Motion^ and thqfe other Properties
that are to be found in an Elephant. Hitherto
it is not doubted but the Poicer of God may go -,
but ifive venture to go one Step further^ and fay y
God may give to Matter Thought^ Reafen, and
Volition., as ivell as Senfe andfpontaneous Motion^
there are Men ready to limit the Poicer of the
Omnipotent Creator ^ and tell us he cannot do it j
becaufe it dejlross the Ejejice, or changes the ef-
fential Properties of Matter^ &c. Well ! and a
very good Realbn it would certainly be ; for Om-
nipotence itlelf cannot produce ImpolTibilities,
cannot effe6t Contradictions, cannot make the
fame Thing to be, and not to be, at the
fame time ; cannot make a Subftance, which,
as folidly extended, muft refill all Change of
State, become (while it continues unadive and
dead) Life, Senfc, and fpontaneous Motion ; for
that is diredtly affiriiHng, that the fame Portion
of Matter, which is unadlive, dull, and dead,
may be at the fame time living, fenfible, and
fpontaneoufly moving. To fay the truth, his
Zeal to fupport his Argument, and confound
his Adverfary, has thrown him into fuch In-
confiftencies of Thought and Expreffion, as
could never have proceeded from cool and fo-
ber Reafon. For Inftance, where he fays above,
To fome parts of Matter., God fuper adds Motion^
but it has jiill theEffence of Matter . What does
he mean by faying. It has Jiill the Efjence of
Matter ? Does he mean, that Motion has the
Ellence of Matter, or is elTential to it, or a Mode

?- of

( 19 )

of It : Neither of thefe could be his MeaRingj.
he could only mean, tliat that Poriion of Mat-'
ter to which Motion is faperadded, has Aill the.
Elfence of Matter. Who douks it ? And
therefore is Intirely diftlncft from the Motion fa-
peradded, which is really and truly nothing lefs
than an Emanation or Imprellion from the Ofi-
girial and Eternal Fountain of Life and Power;
and, confequently, intirely diflincl: from Matter,
If Solidity, Inadivity, and Relilfince, be the
efTential Properties of Matter, it will unavoida-
bly follow, that all thole Eifeds commonly af-
cribed to certain natural Powers refidinp- in Mat-
ter, are immediately produced by the Power of
an immaterial Being, who firfl: created this dead
Subflance Matter, originally impreffed, and ftill
continues to imprefs Motion upon it. Now
whatfoever begins Motion where it was not, and
ftops it where it was, that eifeds a Change from
Reit to Motion, and from Motion to Reft, and
that arbitrarily, can never be Matter, whofe ef-
fential Property it is necelTarily to refill all
change of its State, either of Reft or Motion. I
therefore conclude, that whatever Principle or
Being can arbitrarily effecSt a Change of the pre-
fent State of Refl or Motion, in that Portion of
Matter which compofes the Body of any Ani-
^lal, cannot be the Matter of the Body itfelf,
which neceflarily refifts or oppofes all change of
.its prefent State, and therefore mufl be conclu-
ded to be an adlive, immaterial, and ipiritual
Subftance, which, without any violence to Phi-
Ipfophy, we may venture to call a Soul. Pardon

P 2 me.

( to )

me. Madam, for leading you into this intricate
dry Speculation ; my Subje(ft led me into it, and
requir'd fome little Examination in this place.
Some further Cbnfiderations upon this Subjedt,
and the Reverend Father's deviliili Contrivance
to account for all animal Fundtions and Opera-
tions, without allowing them to have Souls, we
fhall defer to a more proper Place, and proceed
to the next Head of Inquiry. '

IL Of the NeceJJity of a Language between
Brutes,

By Language we are not only to underfland
a Sequel of articulate Sounds, by which Meni
have agreed to express their Ideas and Sentiments
to each other, but any fort or kind of inarticu-
late Sounds, Geftures, or Motions, by which, in
the feveral Tribes and Families of the Brute-Cre-
ation, the Individuals communicate their Senti-
ments, their Wants, their Defires to each other :
and thefe are, no doubt, as different as the Spe-
cies themfelves, and as expreflive and ligniti-
cint to them as our moft articulate Sounds can
b: to us. Of this there can be no manner of
doubt, eipecially among thofe that live in for
ciety, as particularly Pigeons, Rooks, Swal-
• lows, and Storks among Birds; Bees and Ants
among Infedts ; and particularly the Beavers
among Beafts ; and no doubt but there muft be
the fame among Fifhes, thofe efpecially which at
certain Seafons remove in Shoals to different
parts of their Element. All, and each of theffe,

fpeak.

(21 )

fpeak, undoubtedly, a Language proper and pe-
culiar to their Species, which are as expreffive
and intelligible to them, as our Language is to
us J and may, not improperly, be called the dif-
ferent Dialed:s of the Language of Nature.

Our Author, in the midft of this Inquiry, has
dropp'd an ExprefTion which I cannot under-
■ftand, as having no apparent relation to his Sub-
ject, or any Connection with what goes before,
or follows after. Page 2^, Y{t{zyz^j4?7gelsjpcak
to each other, yet have no Voice. How bold,
how crude, how unphilofophical is this Expref-
lion ? Have Angels a Voice to fpeak to us, and
none to fpeak to one another ? Did he never read
of the Converfation of Angels with the Patriarchs
and Holy Men of the OldTeftament ? Of the
Angel Gabriel delivering a MefTage from God to
Zachanas, concerning the Birth of yohn the
Baptifl, Luke i. and another to the BlefTed Vir-
gin, concerning the Incarnation of our Lord
Jefus Chrift? Did he never read of the Voice of
the Archangel, i ThefT. iv. i6? If he only
means, that they have not a Voice like us, ardcu-
lated by the Organs of the Human Body, and
different Modulations of the Air -, who difputes
it ? But is this fufficient to juftify him in faying
they have no Voice ? Does he allow a Voice, or
fomething equivalent to it, to the loweft Orders
of Brutes and Infects, and will he allow none to
the higheft Orders of intelledhial Beings ? How
furprizing, how unaccountable is this ? Surely
he had as mean an Opinion of the good Scnfe of

the

(22 )

the fine Lady to whom he was writing, as Ik
had a good one of his own. But to return :

He obferves, veryjuftly, that we have a diou-
fand ways of exprelling our Paffions, our Senti-
ments, our Hopes and Fears, our Defires and
Wants, our Joys, or Sufferings, without the Me-
diation of Words. JVhen ive are pic a fed ((iiys
he, pag. 23.) everything in us /peaks : Do lue
not continually /peak by certain Looks, by a Mo-
tion of the Head, a Gejiure, nay the leaji Sign
in the JVorld? Ay ! and when we are diipleafed
or angry, we can as eafily make ourlelves under-
ilood by Looks and Geftures, as by the plainefl
and moft expreffive Language. How often have
I feen thofe, lovely Eyes of yours rebuking, with
unutterable Eloquence, the affuming Coxcomb,
and the malicious Prude, into Silence and good
Manners ? How many melting Addrefles have
you received from the Eyes of your languilliing
Admirers, who had neither Courage nor Merit
enough to addrefs themfelves in any other Lan-
guage ? In fhort, languifhing mode 11: Lovers re-
femble a Nation or Society of dumb People, who
are never at a lofs for a Set of flgnificant Looks,
Motions, and Geftures, to fupply the want of
Words, and Defett of other Expreffions; and
which form a Language as expreffive and intel-
ligible to them, as the moft articulate Language
in the World can be to other People. Now
can any one reafonably doubt, whether the Brute-
Animals have the Power and Means of doing
the fame ? It is, I think, undeniable, that they
have all a knowing Faculty 3 but to what pur-

pofe

- ( 23 ) "

po{e can wc fuppofe the all- wife Author of Na*:
ture has given them this Faculty, but to enable
them to provide for their Wants, their Preferva-
tion, and whatever is fit for their Condition, and
fuitable to the peculiar kind of Life he has ap-
pointed for them. Let us, moreover, confider
that many Species of Birds, Beafts, and Lifefe
are made to live in Society at large, and others'
to live in a kind of domeftic Society, Male and
Female cohabiting together, in a kind of Family,
for the Education of their Young-ones. Now,'
do but confider what Ufe could the firft Speciesf
make of their Underflanding, for the Prelerva-
tion and Welfare of their Society, and of courfd
for their own peculiar Good, arifing from the
publick Profperity, if the Members of that Soci-
ety have not among themfelves a common Lan-
guage perfecftly known to every one of them ?
What Ufe could they make of their Knowledge
and Underftanding, if they had not fome Me^
thod of communicating their Knowledge, Ad-
vice, and Affiftance, to each other? If they
could not underftand, or be underftood by each
other, they could neither give nor receive anf
Comfort, Affiftance, or Help from Society, and
without fuch a Communication it would be ab-
folutely impoffible for fuch a Society to fubfiit^
in a word, no more Communication, no more
Society.

For the better under-ftanding the Neceffit37

of this Communication,- let lis take a nearer

View of thofe particular "Families among : thfe

-Beafts, Birds, and Inle6ts, that feera moH to want

2 ■):.:< :.i : ■. and

( H)

and to ufe it, thofe I mean that Vive in So-
ciety. Among the Beafts, we will particularly
coniider the Beaver, who for his lingular Saga-
city, Patience, Induftry, and Skill in Architec-
ture, feems to excel all the quardruped Fami-
ly. * " The Beaver is a Creature particular-
" ly remarkable for the ufe made of his
" Skin, but moft of all, for the Dexterity with
" which he builds his Habitation. The Beaver,
*' whether Male or Female, has four Bags un-
*' der his Inteftines, impregnated with a reii-
" nous and liquid Subftance, which when it is
** ejected fettles into a thick Confidence, of which
** he makes a fingular ufe in the building his
*' Habitation. The Phyficians call it Ca/lor,
** and prefcribe it as an excellent Remedy a-
*' gainft Poifons, Vapours, and other Indifpo-
•* Stions ; when it grows old, it blackens and
** degenerates into a dangerous Poifon. He is
*' furnilli'd with three very ufeful Implements
*' for building, his Teeth, his Paws, and his
** Tail. His Teeth are flrong and deeply ri-
*' veted into his Jaws, with a long and crooked
*' Root ; with thefe he cuts, as well the Wood
** for his Building, as that which furnifhes him
*' with his Food. His fore Feet refemble thofe
** of fuch Animals as hold what they eat in
<* their Paws, as Apes for inftance, Rats, and
* Squirrels ; with thefe Feet, he digs, foften?,
** and works the Clay, which is extremely fer-
•* viceable to him. His hind Feet are accom-
<* modated with Membranes, or large Skins

[[ between

* Spedlale de la Nature, Dial. iz. f. •-;,

(25)

** between his Toes like thofe of Ducks, and
*' other Water-Fowl. His Tail is long, a little
*« flat, entirely covered with Scales, fupplied
" with Mufcles, and perpetually lubricated with
«^ Oil or Fat. This Animal, who is an Ar-
<« chited from his Nativity, ufes his Tail in-
" ftead of a Hod, for the Conveyance of his
*' .Clay or Mortar, and a Trowel to ipread and
«* form it into an incruftation ; the Scales pre-
" vent thefe Materials from penetrating the Tail
<« with their Cold and Moifture j but the Scales
" as well as the Tail would be injured by the
<* Air and Water, if it were not for the pre-
** vention of an Oil, which he diftributes all
" over them with his Snout j and the four Bags
** I have mentioned, are undoubtedly the Ma-
" gazine of this Fluid.

** The Beavers inhabit the fame Manfion
*' in great Numbers, unlefs violent Heats, or
" Inundations, the Purfuits of Hunters, Scar-
" city of Provifions, or an extraordinary Increafe
« of their Offspring oblige them to fepa-
*' rate. In order to fix their Settlement, they
" chufe a Situation that abounds with Provi-
" fions, and is wafh'dby aRivulet, where they
" may form a convenient Refervoir of Water
*' for their Bagnio. They begin with Build-
" ing a Mole or Caufey, in which the Water
" may rife to a level with the firft Story of
<' their Habitation. This Caufey at the Foun-
<* dation may contain ten or a dozen Feet in
« thicknefs : it defcends in a flopc on the Side
" next the Water, which in proportion to its
E ** Elevation

(26)

** Elevation gravitates upon the Work, and
*' prelTes it with a ftrong tendency towards the
" Earth. The oppofite Side is raifed perpen-
** dicular Hke our Walls, and the Slope, which
*' at its Bafis is twelve Foot broad, diminifhes
** tov/ards the top, whofe bread :h does not
" exceed two Feet. TheMaterialsoftliis Work
" are Wood and Clay. The Beavers with ad-
*' mirabk facility cut the Pieces of Wood as
** thick as one's Arm, others as large as one's
" Thigh, and from two to four, five, or fix
*' Foot in length j and fometimcs more, in pro-
** portion to the Afcent of the flope : They drive
<* the extremity of thefe very near each other
*« into the Earth, and take care to interlace them
<« with other Stakes more flender and fupple.
*' But as the Water without fome prevention
«* would glide through the Cavities, and leave
** the Refervoir dry, they have recourle to a
** Clay, which they prefently know how to
<* procure, and with it they clofe up all the
" Interfi:ices both within and without j and this
" entirely prevents all Evacuation ; they con-
*' tinue to raife the Dyke proportionable to the
<f Water's Elevation and Plenty. They are like-
'« wife very fenfible, that their Materials are not
*^ fo eafily tranfported by I^and as by Water,
" and therefore take the Opportunity of its
*' increafe to fwim with Mortar placed on their
*' Tails, and Stakes of Wood between their
« Teeth, to every Place where they have oc-
*' cafion for thofe Materials. If the Violence
** of the Water, or the Foot-fi:eps of Hunters,

" who

tc

«

«

( 27 )

who pafs over their Work, damage it in any
degree, they immediately repair the Fradture,
vifit all the Edifice, and with indefatigable
Application refit and adjuft whatever hap-
pens to be difconcerted 5 but when they are
too frequently perfecuted by the Hunters,
they only work in the Night, or elfe difcon-
tinue their Labours.

" When the Caufey or Dyke is compleated,
they begin to form their Cells, which are
round or oval Apartments, divided into three
Partitions, raifed one above another ; the firfl is
funk below the level of the Dyke, and gene-
rally full of Water ; the other two are formed
above it. They raife this Stru(flure in a very
iblid manner on the edge of their Caufey,
" and always in Stories, that in cafe the Wa-
*' ter fliould afcend, they may remove to a
" higher Situation ; if they find any little Ifland
*' near the Refer voir, they fix the Dwelling
" there, which is then more folid, and they
** lels incommoded with the Water, in which
'^ they are capable of continuing but a iliort
" time : but if they are not favoured with this
** Advantage, they drive Stakes into the Earth
** with their Teeth, to fortify the Building
" ao-ainft the Winds and Water. At the bot-
" torn they ftrike out two Openings to the
** Stream ; one conducts them to the Place where
" they bathe, and which they always keep very
*' decent ; the other is a Paflage to that quar-
'' ter, where they carry out every thing that
*' would foil or rot the upper Apartininis. There

E 2 *^ is

(<

( 28 )

is a third Aperture much higher, calculated
" to prevent their being fhut up, when the
'' Ice has clofed the Openings into the lower
" Lodgments. They fometimes build their
'' Houle intircly on the dry Land, and fink
*' Ditches five or fix Feet deep, in order to
'■ defcend to the Water. They employ the fame
*' Materials and Induftry in the Strucfhire of their
'' Dwelling, as they ufe for their Caufey. The
" Walls of the Building are perpendicular, and
" two Feet thick. As their Teeth are more
^' ferviceable than Saws, they cut off all the Pro-
*' je(5lions from the Wood, that ftand out beyond
*' the Perpendicular of the Wall, after which
*' they work up a mixture of Clay and dry Grafs,
'* into a kind of Mortar, with which, by the
*' Aid of their Tails, they rough-cafl the out
" and infides of the Work.

** The Edifice is vaulted within like the
" handle of a Balket, and generally rifes in an
" oval Figure. The Dimenfions are propor-
" tioned to the number of the intended In-
" habitants. Twelve Feet in length, and ten
" in breadth are fufficient for eight or ten
'' Beavers j if the number increafes, they en-
*' large the Place accordingly. It has been af-
'* ferted for a Truth, that there have been
" found above four hundred of thefe Creatures
** in different Lodgments communicating with
'* one another. But thefe popular Societies are
*•' very rare, becaufe they are too unmanage-
" able and tumultuous, and the Beavers are
" generally better acquainted with their own

'' Intertlls.

( 29 )

" Interefts. They afTociate to the number of
" ten or a dozen, and fometimes a few more :
" they are a fet of amicable and fagacious In-
'' habitants, in whofe mutual Society they may
*' propofe to fpend the Winter together in a
" very agreeable manner -, they are gifted with
*' a natural Arithmetick, which enables them to
" proportion the Place and Proviiions to the
" Neceffities of the Company ; and as it is cuf-
*' tomary for every Individual to continue in
*' the conftant PofTeffion of his own Cell, they
" never charge themfelves with unneceflary Ex-
*' pences for any accidental Guefts.

" There are fome Beavers called Terotirs,
" who make their abode in Caverns dug in a
'* rifing Ground, either on the Shore or at fome
" diftance from the Water, to which they fcoop
" out fubterranean Trenches from their Ca-
" verns, which defcend from ten to an hun-
** dred Feet in depth. Thefe Trenches furniili
*' them with retreats iituated at unequal heights,
" and wherein they enjoy a flielter from the
*' Water when it afcends. Tlieir Beds are
*' made of Chips, which ferve them inftead of
" a Quilt; and of Grafs, which accommodates
" them in the nature of a Feather- Bed.

" All thefe Works, efpecially in the cold Re-
" gions, are compleated in AugiiH or Septem-
** ber ; after which Period, they furniih them-
" felves with Provifions. During the Summer
*' Seafon they regale themfelves with all the
*' Fruits and Plants the Country produces. In
** the Winter they eat the V/ood of the Afh,

" the

( 3°)

" the Plane, and other Trees, which they fteep

" in Water, in Quantities proportionable to

*' their necefTary Confumption ; and they arc

** fupplied with a double Stomach, to facilitate

" the Digeftion of fuch a folid Food at two

" Operations. They cut Twigs from three to

** fix Feet in length ; the large ones are con-

" veyed by feveral Beavers to the Magazine,

" and the fmaller by a fingle Animal : but they

" take different ways, each Individual has his

'' Walk afligned him, to prevent the Labourers

" from being interrupted by their mutual Oc-

" cafions. The Dimenfions of their Pile of

*' Timber are regulated in proportion to the

** number of the Inhabitants ; and it has been

" obferved, that the Provifion of Wood for

, " ten Beavers, comprehended thirty Feet in a

^^ fquare Surface, and ten in thicknefs. Thefe

, ** Parcels of Wood are not piled up in one con-

" tinued Heap, but laid crofs one another, with

" Interfaces between them, that they .may the

*' better draw out what Qui^iuity they want,

*' and always take the Parcel at the bottom,

** which lies in the Water : they cut this Wood

" into fmall Particles, and convey it to their

'* Cells, where the whole Family come to re-

**^ ceive their particular Share. Sometimes they

" expatiate in the Woods, and regale their

" young with a new Collati-jn. The Hunters,
*' who are fenfible that thefe Creatures love

" green Wood better than old, place a Parcel

" of the former about their Lodge, and then

" have feveral Devices to enfiiare them. When

7 " the

( 31 )

*' the Winter grows fevere they fometimes break
" the Ice, and when the Beavers come to the
*' opening for the Benefit of the Air, they kill
** them with Hatchets, or make a large Aperture
" in the Ice, and cover it with a very ftrong Net,
*^ and then overturn the Lodge ^ upon which the
" Beavers, who think to efcape in their ufual way
" by flying to the Water, and emerging at the Hole
*' in the Ice, fall into the Snare, and are taken."

Among the Birds let us take a View of the
different Tribes of thofe which are particularly
called Birds of PafTage, who pafs in great Bo-
dies or Flocks from one Climate to another ;
fome feeking for a cold, others a hot, others a
temperate Region : fuch particularly as Quails,
Swallows, Wild- Ducks, Plovers, Woodcocks,
and Cranes *. In the Spring, the Quails pafs
from Ajrica into Europe, to £nd a more tole-
rable and moderate Summer than they could
enjoy in the Country from whence they came.
Toward the clofe of Autumn, they return over
the Mediterranean to obtain in Barbary and
Egypt a gende heat, correfpondent to the Cli-
mates they abandoned, when the Sun was on
the other fide of the Equator. They take their
flight in Troops, that fometimes refemble Clouds j
they frequently cover Ships, and the Sailors take
them without difficulty.

As for the Swallows, it was ufually thought
that they crolTed the Seas at the different Sealons
of the Year, but it is much more probable
that in thefe ISlorthern Countries, they conceal

themfelves

- • Spedacle de la Nature, Dial, ii. p. 4S, 49, 50.

( 32 )

themfelves in the Caverns of the Earth, riveted
to one another u'ith their Claws and Bills.
They flock to Places unfrequented by Men, or
even bury themfelves in the Water j the Precau-
tion they take to lubricate their Feathers with their
own Oil, and to roll themfelves up like a Ball,
preferves them in the Water, and even under
the Ice. They are there benumbed, and pafs
the whole Winter without Motion. The Heart
however has a conftant palpitation, and the
Warmth revives them at the return of the
Spring jthey then reviflt their former Habitations,
and each Individual finds out his own Country,
and even his particular City, Village, and Neft.

As to Wild-Ducks and Cranes, both the one
and the other, at the approach of Winter, fly
in queft of more favourable Climates : They
all aflemble at a certain Day, like Swallows and
Quails, they decamp at the fame time, and
'tis very agreeable to obferve their Flight ; they
generally range themfelves in a long Column like
an I, or in two Lines united like aV reverfed.
The Duck or Crane who forms the Point, cuts
the Air and facilitates a Paflage to thofe that
follow J but he is charged with this Commif-
fion, only for a certain time, at the conclufion
of which, he wheels about into the Rear, and
another takes his Poft. It is very common, but
yet a very furprizing Obfervation, to fee how
regularly the Swallows meet upon a certain Day,
in order to depart all together, and every Cir-
cumftance of their Journey has fomething in
it almofl: miraculous in their Progrefs over Seas

and

( 33 )

ahd Kingdoms, one knows not which to ad«
mire mofti the force that furtains them in fo
long a PalTage, or the order in which the whole
is accompUflied. Who acquainted their Young,
that it would foon be neceffary for them to
forfike the Land of their Nativity, and travel
into a ftrange Country ? Why do thofe who
are detained in a Cage, exprefs fo much Dif-
quietude at the Seafon for the ufual Departure^,
and feem to be AfiFlided at their Inability to
join the Company ? What particular Bird charges
himfelf with the Care of affembling a Council,
to fix the Day of their Removal ? Who founds
the Trumpet to inform the Tribe of the R^-
folution taken, that each Party may be pre-
pared ? Whence have they their Almanack to
inftru6l them in the Seafon and Day when
they are to be in motion ? Are they provided
with Magiftrates and Officers to preferve the
Difcipline which is fo extraordinary among them I*
For not one of them diflodges till the Procla-
mation has been publifh'dj and not aDeferter
is feen on the Day that fucceeds their Depar-
ture. Have they Charts to regulate their Voy-
age by ? Are they acquainted with the Illands
where they may reft, and be accommodated
with Refre£hments ? Are they furnifhed with
a Compafs to guide them infallibly to the Coatl
they would fleer to, without being difconcerted
in their Flight by Rains or Winds, or the dif-
mal Obfcurity of many Nights ? or are they
endued with a ReaJo?t Juperigu?- to that of Man ^
who has not Courage to attempt fuch a Paflage,

F without

( 34 )

without a Multitude of Machines, Precautions^
and Provifions ? Where would be the Danger o?
Ablurdity of afcribing all this to Rea/ou ^ A
Heafon limited and circumfcribed within the
narrow Bounds of their own Sphere. A Rea^
foil fufficient to direct them to the Means of
preferving and increafing their feveral Families,
and anfwering the feveral Ends of their Being,
and the Purpofes of their Creation. A Reafon
not fuperioitr to that of Man^ becaufe the Reajon
of Men is vaft and comprehenlive, taking in
the whole Compafs of Nature, looking forwards
and backwards into Eternity j whereas the Sphere
of Adion aiIo<-ted to Brutes, is contradted into
a very narrow Compafs, and confined to a few
Articles of Life and Adion ; in which too,
perhaps, the exquilite Strudure of their Organs^
and the Tenuity and Purity of their Juices and
animal Spirits, not corrupted, or impaired by Lux-
ury, and Intemperance, may, poliibly, give them
^ confiderable Advantage over the greater part
of the Human Species. But more of this \\\
its proper Place.

Let us next defcend to the various Tribes
of Infects, which, tho' vile and contemptible
in their Appearance, yet each of them in their
feveral Ranks and Stations proclaim aloud the
infinite Wifdom and Power of their Creator.
Their Variety, their Difpofitions, their Sagacity^,
their Policy, their Lidulhy, the wonderful Pro-
portion of their Organs, the Delicacy of their
Structure, and a thouland other Curiolities oh*
icrvable in every Species, are matter of infinite

Delight.

(25)

pelight and Plcafurc to a curious and inqiiifi-
tive Genius ; but were we able to examine them
in a nearer View, could we be caoable of know-
ing the diredl Pui-pofcs of iniinite Wifdo:n in
their Creation, the Pvclation they bear, and the
harmonious Proportion they ftand in to the uni-
verlal Syil:em, it Avould afford us inlinite .mat-
ter of Afioniiliment and Surprize, as well as of
relisiious Reverence and Adoration to their Om-
nipotcnt Creator. Small and contemptible as
they appear to us, they are really formed with
the moft exqiiilite Symmetry, the moft delicate
Proportion. ;Vulgar Prejudice may coniider tliem
as the Effeifr of Chance, and the Refufe of
Nature ; but an attentive Eye, aiTilted by the
help of Microfcopes, difcovers in them afion idl-
ing Marks of iniinite Wiidom, wliich, far from
neglecting them, has been particularly careful
to cloath, arm, and accommodate them with
all the Inilruments and Faculties necelfary to
their Condition. This it is ^ that has arrayed
them, even to a degree of Complaifince, by
laying out fach a Profufion of azure, green,
and Vermillion, Gold, Silver, and Diamonds,
Fringe, and Plumage, upon their Robes, their
Wings, and the Ornaments of their Heads. We
need only behold the Ichneumon, ^panijh Dra-
gon, and Butterfly, nay, a Caterpillar itfelf, to
alfonifh us with this Magniticencs. The lame
infinite Wifdom, which has been fo liberal in
their Ornaments, has completely armed them
for making War, and aifaulting their Eneniies,
* Spectacle de la Nature. Dial i. p. :, S.

Fa as.

(36)

as well as defending themfelves. The genera-
lity of them are provided with flrong Teeth^
a doable Saw, a Sting with two Darts, or vi2;o-
rous Claws, and a fcaly Coat of Mail, for the
Defence of their whole Body. The Safety of
the greateft: part of them confifts in the Agi-
lity of their Flight, by which they eafily avoid
the Danger that threatens them : Some by the
Affiftance of their Wings, others by a Thread
that fupports them, when from the Leaves on
xvhich they live, they throw themfelvcs at a di-
ftance from their Enemy ; and others by the
Spring of their Hind-feet, whofe Elafticity im-
mediately launches them out of the reach of
Danger, and when they are deftitute of Force,
Stratagem, and Cunning, fupply the want of the
common and ordinary Means of their Prefer^
vation.

This is very wonderful ; but our Wonder in-
creafeSj when we attentively confider the diffe-
rent Organs and Ini elements with which each
of them work in their feveral Profeilions : Some
fpin, and have a couple of Diftaffs, and Fingers
to form their Thread ; others make Nets and
Lawn, and for that purpofe are provided with
Shuttles, and Clues of Thread. There are fome
who build in Wood, and are therefore fup-
plied with two Bills for cutting their Timber.
Others make Wax, and have their Shops
furniili'd with Rakers, Ladles, and Trowels.
Moft of them have a Trunk, more wonderful
for its various Ufes than the Elephant's, and
which to fom.e ferves for an Alembic for the

diftillation

( 37 )

dlftlllatlon of a Syrup Man can never imitate j
to others it performs the Office of a Tongue ;
many employ it as a Drill for piercing, and the
generality of them ufe it as a Reed for Suction.
Several, whofe Heads are fortified with a Trunk,
a Saw, or a couple of Pincers, carry in the other
extremity of their Bodies an Augur, which
they lengthen and turn at difcretion ; and by
that means dig commodious Habitations for
their Families in the Heart of Fruits, under tlie
Bark of Trees, in the Subftance of Leaves or
Gems, and frequently in the hardeft Wood itfelf.
There are few who have excellent Eyes, but
have likewife an additional Benefit of a couple
of Horns, or Aiitennce^ that defend them j and
as the Animal moves along, efpeci.illy in the
dark, make a tryal of the V/ay, and difcover by
a quick and delicate Senfation, what would de-
file, drown, or endanger them ; and if they find
thefe Horns moiftened by any ofFenfive Liquor,
or bend by the Refi fiance of a folid Body, the
Animal is warned of the Danger, and turns
another way. Now all thefe Motions, even of
the minutefi: Animals, however accidental or
capricious they may appear to us, are as really
directed to a certain End, as thofe of the largeft
Beings : we fhall find all the Sagacity and Cun-
ning we admire in a Fox, for chuling himfelf
an advantageous Kennel, providing for himfelf
and his Family the Neceflaries of Life, and avoid-
ing the Snare of the Gin, and the Perfecution
of the Hunter : The fame Indufiry with which
we fee a Bird build itfelf a convenient Neft, pro-
vide

_ (38)

vide for the Subfiftence of itfelfand Young-ones>
and elude the Snares of the Fowler ; yon will
find the fame Care, the fame Sagacity, ailua-
ting the fmallefl Infc(5l for the Prefervation of
itfclf and its minute Pofterity. The Parent is
feldom, or never, deceived in the natural Choice
of Means for its own Prefervation, or the Se-
curity and Education of its Young-ones. Dif-^
folve a Grain of Pepper in Water, you may
difcover by the help of a JVlierofcope, Worms
of an incredible Smallnefs, fwlmming in the
Fluid. Tlie Parent, who knows this to be their
proper Nourifliment, never lays her Eggs in any
other Place. Look through a Microlcope at a
Drop of Vinegar, there you ■s\'ill difcover a num-
ber of little Eels, and never any other Animals,
becaufe one particular Creature knows, that Vi-
negar, or the Materials that compound it, is pro-
per for her Family, and therefore depofits them
either in that Matter, or in the Liquor itfelf,
and no where elfc. -f- In thofe Countries vsdiere
the Silk-worm feeds at large in the Fields, her
Eggs are only to be found on the Mulberry-
tree : 'tis eafy to fee what Interell determines
her to that Choice. You will never find up-
on a Cabbage any Eggs of the Caterpillar that
cats 'the Willow; noi fee upon the Willow the
Eggs of any Caterpillar who feeds upon Cab-,
bage. The Moth feeks for Curtains, Woollen
Scuff, drefs'-d Skins, or even Paper, becaufe its
M itcri^ds are Fragments of Cloth, which have
loft the bitter Flavour of Hemp, by the work-

•j- S'jeftaclc dc la Nature. Did. i. p. ly.

( 39)

ing of the Paper-mill. In fliort, eveiy Species
of Animals, from Man the Lord of the Creation,
to the minutefl Infedt that the naked Eye, or the
MicTofcope can difcover, ad: with Regularity and
Uniformity, with all the Marks of Wifdom, Sa-
gacity, and Prudence, within their feveral Spheres
of Action, for the Prefervation of their Beinc:,
the Propagation of their Species, and anfwering
the feveral Ends and Purpofes of Providence in
their Creation, and the Rank which they hold

in the Syftem of Nature. But what am I

doing ! ——Pardon me. Madam, my Purfuit of
this copious and delightful Inquiry, has led me
off from the main Queftion I propofed to con-
iider, which was, the Neceflity of Ibme Lan-
guage, fome Means of communicating the Sen-
timents, Wants, Inclinations, and Defires of
the Individuals of every Society and Family, in
order to confult and provide for the Safety and
Happinefs of the whole. The mutual Wants
of Society, the Care and Education of a Fa-
mily, muff be in fome fenfe, and to a certain
degree, the fame in ail Societies and Families
of Birds and Beafts, Reptiles and Infedls, as
well as of Men j and without fome kind of Lan-
guage, fome Method of Communication, thofe
Wants could never be known, nor thoie Ne-
cetiities effedually fupplied. All Creatures, there-
fore, that live in fociety, who divide the feveral
Duties and Offices of that Society among the In-
dividuals, who appoint to every Member their
diflind: Offices, their peculiar Pofts, tlieir parti-
cular Provinces, muff of neceffity have fonie Lan-
guage,-

( 43 )

guage, be it what it will, fince, without this
Help it is quite impoilible for any Society to iiib-
fift, Now, tho' all Animals do not incorporate
inllirge Societies, yet all have Families, domelHc
Engagements, Cares, and NeceiTities, which re-
quire mutual Help and Afliftance, and by con-
fequence a certain Language, by which their mu-
tual Wants, Inclinations, and Neeeffities may be
difcovered and made known to each odicr 3 ib
that every Species of Animals feem to haVe the
fame want of a Language, of fome kind or ano-
ther, as thofe which live in great Societies : for
as all Societies are but AfTociations of Families or
Individuals, whatever infers the NecefTity of a
Language in one cafe, infers it equally in all.

It would be hard to aflign a Reafon why Na-
ture, or rather the all-wile Author of Nature,
who always ad:s uniformly, fliould deny fome of
them a Privilege he has granted to the reft. It
is a general Obfervation that all the Produdions
of Nature are uniform, that as flie is fparing in
Superfluities, fo llie is rather profufe in things
necelfary, and upon the whole docs nothing in
vain : but is it not iiecefTary that a Couple of
Animals, joined to form a Houfliold and Fa-
mily together, a Couple of Birds for inftance,
fhouldbe able to underftand, and mutually to
impart their Sentiments and Tiioughts to each
other? Let us return to the old Suppofition of
two People abfolutely dumb, living together in
the fame Houfe, without the Afhftance of any
other Perlbn ; I defy the Union to fubfift, if
they have no means left of agreeing about their

Affairs.

( 41 )

Affairs, and exprefling their mutual Wants and
Neceffities. Two Sparrows, two Foxes, two
Whales, will lie under the fame Impoffibility
of living together ; and all the Inconveniencies
of the dumb Society I have mentioned, will be
feen in their refped:ive Families : In a word, the
Neceffity of a Language between a Husband
and his Wife, to enable them to live together,
upon which human Societies fublift, is, in due
degree, the fame in all the Species of Beings be-
low them, in every Tribe and Family of the
Brute-Creation/' Could it be fuppofed, that
there were any Race of Animals in the Um-
verfe capable of producing their Kind in abfo-
lute Solitude, without the Intervention of a dif-
ferent Sex, it mufl be confeffed the Faculty of
Speech to them would be quite a ufelefe Ta-
lent : but wherever tv/o Beafls, or two Birds,
fiiall ftand in an habitual Need of each other,
and form among them a lafling Society, they
mufl of neceffity fpeak to each other. How is
it to be conceived, that in the Gallantry of
their fiifl AddrefTes to each other, their mutu-
al Concern and Vigilance for each other's Wel-
fare, and the necefiary Cares that attend the
Education of their Families, they iliould not
have a thoufand things to fay to each other i*
It is impoffible in the order of Nature, that a
Sparrow, or a Turtle, that is fond of his Mate,
fliould be at a lols for proper Expreilions to dif-
cover the Tendernefs, the Jealoufy, the Angtr,
the Fears he entertains for her, in the feveral In-

* PHiilofoph. AmufeiTient, f- Vh ST') ^^•

G cidents

(42)

Cidents of Life that muft arife betwixt the
moil loving Couple, in the courfe of a long
Cohabitation. He muft fcold her when ihe
plays the Coquet, he mufl bully the Sparks that
make Attempts upon her Virtue, he muft be able
to underfland her when flie calls to him ; he
muff, whilft {lie is afikluoufly fitting upon her
Brood, be able to provide NecelTaries for her,
and know diilindtly what it is fhe wants or
calls for, whether it be fomcthing to eat, or
Materials to repair her Nell ; in all which, a
Language, of Ibme fort or ouier, is abfolutely
neceffary.

Our Author reafons fo pertinently and con-
fiftendy upon this Head, that I lliall chufe to
give you the two or three following Paragraphs
in bis own Language.

*' Many Bealfs, one will fay, have not a fet-
*' tied and permanent Houfhold like Birds, (for
*' by-the-bye. Birds are the moll perfed; Mo-
^* del of conjugal Conltancy and Fidelity:) this
'* I very well know, and their Number is
*' even very great. Such are Dogs,Horfes, Deer,
*' and almofl all Quadrupeds, Fifhes, and Rep-
" tiles. But I fliall always infift upon a Prin-
*' ciple, granted and acknowledged as certain ;
*', Nature is too much like herfelf in Productions
*^ of one and the fame Genus, as to have put
** between Beads fo elTential a Difference, as
*' that of Speaking, or not Speaking at all,
'^ would be. Upon this Principle it is, that
'* though we hardly know the Seeds of Coral,
*' of Muflirooms, of Trufles, or Fern, we are

" neverthelefs

(n)

*« neverthelefs perfuaded that thefe Plants pro^
*' ceed from Seeds, becaufe it is the manner
*' in which Nature produces all the reft. Let
" us then conclude, that if Nature has given
*' to Beafts (or Animals) living in Society, and
^' in a Family, the Faculty of Speaking j flie
*' has doubtlefs bellowed the fame Advantage
*' on all the reft. For we are not now upon
** thofe accidental Differences which Nature
*' loves to diverfify in the different Species of
" the fame Genus : there are not, perhaps, in
" the whole World two Faces perfedily alike ;
" but yet all Men have a Face. There are
" among the feveral Species of Animals Diffe-
** reaces ftill greater : fome have Wings, others
" have Fins, fome Feet and Legs j the Serpents
** have none of thefe : but all Animals have
" the Faculty of moving and tranfporting them*-
*' felves wherever they pleafe, according to
'' their Wants. Am^ong Animals there are fome
*' that fee and hear more or lefs perfciftly 5 but
*' yet they uli hear and fee. It is the fame thing
"' with the Faculty of Speech : this Faculty,
" perhaps, is more perfedt in the Beafts which
*' live in Societies and form Families 5 but it
" being in fome, we muft believe it to be in
" all of them, but more or lefs perfedl, accord-
" ing to their refpeClive V/ants.

'' It ir even obfervable, that the AnimaU
*« who live neither in Society, nor in a fettled
*' Family, yet have in each Species a fort of
" Commerce or Society among themfelves.
*' Such are the Quadruped?, the Fiihes, the
G 2 " Reptiles^

( 44 ) "
Reptiles, the Birds themfelves independently
of their Houfliold, as Starlings, Partridges,
Ravens, Ducks, and Hens. Now what Ad-
vantage could thefe Creatures have by endea-
vouring to live in Society one with another,'
if they did it not for mutual Affiihmce, and
reciprocally to have the Benefit of their Know-
ledge, Difcoveries, and of all the Helps they
can afford each other ; and how could they do
fo, if they do not underftand one another ?
All the Arguments I have already ufed to
prove, that the Creatures which live in So-
ciety muft have a Language, here again find
their Place and their whole Energy. All the
Difference muft be only in the Degrees of
Plus and Mimis--, and if we judge of this only
by Matters of Fads, perhaps there is no dif-
ference at all.

*' The Wolves, for inftance, hunt with great
Skill, and together contrive warlike Strata-
gems. A Man eroding a Frith, faw a Wolf
who ieemed to be watching a Flock of Sheep.
He informed the Shepherd of it, and advifed
him to caufe the Animal to be purfued by
his Dog : I flian't be fuch a Fool, replied the
Shepherd j the Wolf yonder is there only to
divert my Attention, and another Wolf who
is working on the other fide, only watches
the Moment when 1 fliall fet my Dogs upon
this to fnatch one of my Sheep from me.
The Man who was pafling by, willing to
be fatisfied of the Fadt, promifed to pay for
the Sheep j and the thing happened, jufl as

" the

( 45 )

*' the Shepherd faid it would. Does not a Stra-
*' tagem fo well concerted evidently liippofe
" that the two Wolves had agreed together,
'* one to fliew, and the other to hide himfelf ?
^' ,Now how is it polTible to agree in this man-
** ner without the help of Speech ?

.** A Sparrow finding a Neft that a Martin
" had juil built, {landing very convenient for
" him, pofleft himfelf of it. The Martin
" feeing the Ufurper in her Houf -, call'd for
" help to expel him. A thoufand Martins came
*' full fpeed and attacked the Sparrow : but the
** latter being covered on every fide, and pre-
" Tenting only his large Beak at the Entrance
'^ of the Neft, was invulnerable, and made the
" boldeft of them, who durft approach him,
" to repent their temerity. After a Quarter
" of an Hoar's Combat, all the Martins dif-
*' appeared. The Sparrow tliought he had
" got the better, and the Spectators jud2;ed
" that the Martins had abandoned their Un-
*' dertaking. Not in the leail. Immediately
*' we fav/ them return to the Charge ; and
*' each of them having procured a litde of that
■*' temper'd Earth, with which they make their
" Neils, they all at once fell upon the Spar-
^' row, and inclofed him in the Neil to perifh
** there, tho' they coukd not drive him thence.
*' Can you imagine. Madam, that the Martins
" could have been able to hatch and concert
•** this Defign all of them together, without fpeak-

ing to each other ?

** Wonders

( 46 )

'' Wonders are recounted by Travellers of
" the Monkeys, when they go a plundering;
*' a Troop of Soldiers when they go a For-
" raging, cannot march in greater Order, or
*' with more Precaution. I could mention, and
*' you can eafily recoiled: a thoufand other In-
**■ fiances of the fame Nature ) but this would
" require a Volume, and I aim only at fupport-
" ing my Argument, Men hitherto have al-
" ways made ufe of thefe Inflances to prove
" that Bealts have a knowing Faculty -, and they
" have been in the right fo to do, becaufe it
" is really inconceivable, that Beafts can do fuch
" fingulij- Adions withouL Knowledge, but we
*' have not futhciently examined into the Me-
" rits and Bottom of this Queftlon ; for if it be
" abfolutely impoihble for Beafls to perform
" thefe Actions without fpeaking, we are more-
" over obliged to conclude, that they have a
*' Faculty of fpeaking to each other. Now,
" Madam, I would beg of you here to ob-
" ferve, that this is not an Opinion or a Syllem
" founded upon meer Conjedure or probable
" Explications, but an Argument fupported by
" fenlible and palpable Fadts j I fay fenfible Mat-
" ters of Fad, fuch as thefe I have jull been
" alledging, and a thoufand others of every
♦" Kind. Enter into a Wood where there are
•' a Parcel of Jays, the firft then that fees you
" gives the Alarm to the whole Troop. Mag-
" pyes, Blackbirds, and almoft all the Feather-
" ed Kind do the fame. Let a Cat but fhow
" herfelf upon the top of a Houfe, or in a Gar-

1 " den.

( 47 )

^* den, the very firft Sparrow that perceives her,
*' exad:ly does what a Centinel does among us,
*' when he perceives an Enemy ; he by his
" Cries warns all his Companions, and ieems
" to imitate the Noile of a Drum beating a
" March. See a Cock near his Hen, a Dove
" near the Female he is courting, a Cat fol-
".lowing his Mate, there is no end of their
" Dilcourfes, till there is an end of their Court-
" fhip. B'-it there is one important Refled:ion
'' yet behind, which in my Opinion is little
" lefs than Demonftratipn. We every day
" fpealc to Beafts, and they underftand us very
" well. The Shepherd makes himfelf under-
" flood by his Sheep, but particularly by his
" Dog that attends him. The Cows under-
f' fland all the Milkmaid fays to them. Many
" a profound Converfation palfes between the
*' Sportfman and his Dogs ; the Groom and his
" Horfes ; the Lady and her Parrot ; Mifs and
" her Cat -, we fpeak to them all, and they
*' underfband us j they in their turn fpeak to
'' us, and we underftand them. How much more
*' probable is it,thuit they fpeak to and underfland
" each other ! for with regard to them, we can
'* fpeak no other than a foreign Language 5 and
" if Nature has enabled them to fpeak a foreign
f .Language, how can fhe have refufed them the
/^ Faculty of fpeaking and under {landing a Na-
" tural one ? This can hardly be conceived.

" But though we Ihould allow Understand*
" ing and Language to the feveral Species of
f Beafls, Birds, and Infedts j What llmll we do

*' with

tc

( 48 )

with the FiOies and Reptiles ; What can we
*^ fay for them? Has Nature been as boun-
" tiful to them as to the reft, muft we al-
** low them to have Speech and Underfland-
*' ing ? Clin they underftand and converfe with
" each other ? Can we imagine a Converfatiori
" betwixt two Fifhes, two Ants, or two
** Worms ? The Birds indeed fing, the Dogs
*' bark, the Wolves howl, Sheep bleat, Lions
*' roar, Oxen low, Horfes neigh ; this every
** body hears and knows : but who ever heard
** the Language of a Fifli, or the Converfi-
*' tions of Worms and Caterpillars? What-
" ever Difficulty there may be in hearing or
** explaining their Language, I think there can
'^ be but little in apprehending they have one,
" upon the fame general Principles laid down
" before j and fince there is a ftrong Prefump-
*' tion that all other Species have it, as arifing
*' from theNeceihty of their Nature j the Pre-
** fumption feems equally ftrong for them as
" for the reft. But the Difficulty lies in be-
" ing; able to know and diftinguifh it, part
** of them live in an Element forbidden to
" us, and mariy of the others efcape our Sight
'* by their fmallnefs. But how do we knov/
*' that Fiflies have not as many and perhaps
" more vocal Expreffions than the Birds them-
" felves ? They all of them feem to be form-
" ed upon the fime Model ? Some fly, others
'* fwim ; but flying and fwimming are one
" and the fame Motion, the Difi^erence is only
** in the Element. We are- told in the Book

" of

c<

<c

t(

ti

(C

<(

*c

a

(49)

of Genefis, ch. i. v. 20. that God created at
the fame time both Filhes and Fowls from
the Bofom of the Waters. Fidies have five
Senfes as v^ell as Birds and other Animals,
and why fhould they not have the Faculty
of Speaking as well as the reft ? It is true,
we cannot hear them fpeak or fing, but it
is perhaps for want of proper Organs to hear
them. The Water is throughly penetrated
with Air which the Fifties breathe, Why may
they not with that Air, and by means of
a Spring equivalent to the'Tongue and Throat,
form Vibrations and Sounds too nice and de-
licate for our Ears, but which are eaftly heard
and underftood by their own Species ? The
Ear of Man is extremely coarfe, which is
the refult of a neceftary Providence ; for were
our Ears fenfible of the minuteft Vibrations
of the Air we live in, we ftiould be for
ever ftunned with a thoufand confufed Noifes,
which would never permit us to diftinguifti
any one of them. There are then certainly
in the Air many Sounds which we do not
hear ; fuch as, for inftance, the Noife of a
Silk- Worm gnawing a Mulberry Leaf} if he
is alone, or there are but few of them to-
gether, no body can hear them : but put a
a certain Number of them in a Cabinet, and
then all thofe httle Noifes joined in unifon,
become mighty fenfible to our Ears. How
much more is it poftible, that there may be
in the Water Noifes infenfible to us, and that
Fifties may by that means ipeak, without
H ** being

( 5° )
'^ being audible to us : at lead: I dtlight in
*' thinking fo, not to rob any part of the Cre-
'* ation of thofe Perfections which Nature ufes
*' to beflovv on all : nor could I think, with-
'* out a kind of philofophical Melancholy,
*' that flie had doomed to eternal Silence, in-
" numerable Nations, which inhabit the Im-
*' menfity of the Seas and Rivers. Silence is
*' the Portion of the Dead ; Speaking enlivens
" the Living themfelves. You may laugh, and
" be as merry as you pleafe upon my fpeak-
*' ing Fifh, as doubtlefs he was laughed at that
" firfl mentioned a flying Fifh, and yet the
" one may chance to prove as true as the
*' other.

*' The Reptiles and Infe<5ls are jufi: in the
" fame Cafe. There are many kinds of Rep-
** tiles which have veiy diilind: vocal Ex-
*' preffions; fuch as Serpents, Frogs, and Toads :
*' and confequently, arguing upon the Principle
** of the Uniformity of Nature, we are inti-
<* tied to fuppofe an Equivalent in the reft;
*' not to mention fupplemental Miens, Looks,
" and Geftures. It is not quite fo with the
" Infe(^ls : there is no Species of them, that we
" know of, that has vocal Expreffion, pro-
" perly fo called : The Cry of the Cricket, the
" finging or chirping of the Grafhopper, the
*' Noife of certain Butterflies, and the hum-
*' ming of Flies, are not properly vocal Sounds,
*' but Noifes caufed by the trembling of a
*' Membrane. But what of all that ? h can-
*' not be doubted, but that the Cry of tl^e

*' Cricket

(5' )

" Cricket and Grafhopper, ferves them to call
** each other in order to meet, and, very hke-
** ly, to converfe. It may be thought that the-
** humming of the Fhes likewife lervcs them
*' to know each other in every Society, eidier
" by the Uniformity or Unifon of the Tone,
*'"or imperceptible Differences not within our
'' reach, which may be equivalent to vocal Ex-
" preluons, and is at the fame time a Proof, how
*.' Nature, always uniform as to what is gcne-
** ral and .eiTential, is, at the fame time,, ingeni-
" ous in varying the Means and Particulars of
" of her own Produdions. Now, what Nature
" has done for fome Infeds, flie has- certainly
" done for all.

*' There is, for Inf}:ance, a particular Sort of
** Spiders, which have a very fmgular Method
^'of teftifying to each other their Defire of
" being together. The Spider that Wtints Com.-
" pany, ftrikes, with I know not Vv^hat Inura^
" ment, againft the Wall or Wood where ihe
*' has fettled, nine or ten gentle biows^ nearly
" like the Vibrations of a Watch, (which ihere-
" fore the Ignorant and Superftitious call a Death-
** watch) but a little louder and quicker j after
** which flie fl:ays for an Anfwer : if ilie hears
**.none, (lie repeats the fame by Intervals for
** about an Hour or two, refuming this Exer-
" cife, and relling alternately Night and Day.
•^ After two or tinee Days, if fiie hears no-
^* thing, (hQ changes her Plabitation, till (he
<* finds one that anfwers her. It is another S[i^
*' der that anfwers her exadlly in the fan:je maii-
H 2 '' Dcr,

ic

( 52 )

ner, and, as it were, by Echo. If the lat-
ter likes the Propofal, the Converfation grows
brifker, and the beating becomes more fre-
quent. Give attention to it, and you will
find by the Noife that they gradually ap-
proach each other, and that the Beatings
*' come at lad fo clofe, that they are confound-
'* ed, after whicJi you hear no more Noife ;
** very likely the red of the Converfition is
*' whifper'd. I have oftentimes amufed my-
" felf in making the Echo of a Spider,
*' which I have heard beating, and whofe
*' Noife I imitated, and (he anfwered me punc-
*' tually ; fhe fometimes even attacked me, and
*' began the Converfation : I have often given
** that Diverfion to feveral People, and made
** them believe it was a familiar Spirit.

" How many like Difcoveries might we make
*' upon Infects, if our Organs were delicate
** enough to fee and perceive their Airs and
** Motions, to hear their Voices, or what Nature
*' has allotted them inftead of Voices, I make
*' no doubt, but we fhould find in Ants, Bees,
*' Worms, ScarabiEiis's, Caterpillars, Palmer-
" worms, Mite?, and all the Infeds, a Language
" defigned for their Prefervation, and the fup-
*' ply of their Vv^ants, And as there are certain
" Species of Infects, in which we obferve great-
•*' er Induftry and Knowlege than in large Ani-
*' mals, it is not improbable that they have like-
^' wife a more perfed: Language in proportion,
^■^^ahvavs confined however to the NccelTiu'ies of
" Life.'"

Thus

(53)

Thus far I have tranfcribed almoft intlrely
from the ingenious Author, who upon this Head
talks more like a Philofopher, than in any
other part of his Work. But were we now to
enter into a minute Examination of the various
Labours, the indefatigable Application, the pub-
lick Spirit, the regular Policy, the exadt Oecono-
my of the feveral Families of In feds, Bees,
Ants and Wafps in particular, of which you find
mo ft furprizing Accounts in SpeBacle de la Na-
ture, and other learned Writers, it would be
very hard to account for them, any otherwife
than by allowing fome mutual Means of Com-
munication betwixt the Individuals of each So-
ciety, which we may venture to call a Lan-
guage, or fomething analogous to it ; and why
Ihould we be afraid of allowing this, when we
confider, that even the moft inarticulate Sounds
are a kind of Language to fome part of the
Creation or other ; nay, I may venture to add,
even to ourfelves. Do not the Drum and Trum-
pet fpeak to the Soldier ? Does not every mu-
fical Sound fpeak to fome part of our Nature ?
How are we excited by fome to martial Rage
and Fury, foften'd by others into jovial Mirth
and Pleafures and dilTolute Luxuryj and melted
by others into the tendereft Sentiments of Pity
and Compaffion, and fometimes even into Tears?
Nay, the moft difcordant and grating Sounds
have a Power over us 5 they make difagreeable
Impreffions, and excite painful Senlations in us ;
they difcompofe and diffipate the Spirits, they
feem to curdle the Blood, like Acids thrown into

xMilk,

(54)
Milk, they enfeeble the whole nervous Syftem,
they fpread a Trembling through our Joints*
and Palenefs over our Faces, and make the flout-
eft Heart to tremble. Mr. Collier^ has fome-
where in his Effays, carried this Thought fo far
as to fancy, that fuch a Concert of difcordant
Sounds, or Anti-mufic, might be compofed, as
fhould fink the Spirits, fliake the Nerves, cur-
dle the Blood, and infpire Defpair, Cowardice,
and Conflernation into all that hear it. '-T/V pro-
bable (fiyshe, Part II. page 24.) that the roar-
ing of Lions, the warbling of Cats and Screech-
Owls, together with a Mixture of the honvling of
Dogs, (to which I could add fome other Sounds,
which I tremble to think of ) judicioujly imi-
tated and compounded, tnight go a great way
in this Invention : And propofes it as a very
ufeful Improvement for the military Service, to
ftrike a Terror and Panic into an Enemy 5
pot confidering, that the Performers in this in-
fernal Concert, and their Friends about them,
would be in more Danger than the Enemy,
who would be further removed from the dif-
cordant Sounds, and confequently from the terr
rible Impreirion.-r-This by-the-bye. — But in ge-
neral we may venture to affirm with the Apo-
ftle, lihat amongfi that almoji infinite Variety of
Sounds and Voices that are to be heard thro the
whole Creation, there is not fo much as one with-
out its Sig7iification. 1 Cor. xiv. 10.

Well ! Madam, thus iar, I think, our Au-
thor and we are pretty well agreed, that Brutes
have Under/landing to know and exprefs their

Wants,

( 55 )

Wants, and provide for their Neceffities ; and a
Language, or fomething equivalent to it, to de-
mand and give mutual Advice and Affiftance.
Here, I think, we mufi: make a Stand, we can
go no further : their Language, however known
to them, is quite unknown to us ; but could we
converfe with them in their own Language, as
our renown'd and ingenious Countryman Capt.
Lemuel Gulliver did with the Nation of the
HouhynnimSy we might then perhaps have Rea-
fon to p.gree with him, that they think and ad:
more rationally, have more Senfe, more Ho-
nour, and more Virtue, are better Philofophers,
and deeper Politicians, than fome of the fineft

Folks in Great Britain. The only Difference

now between us is, how to account for thefe
furprizing Faculties, that they are not the Ef-
feds of mere Matter and Motion ; that they vaft-
ly exceed all the Powers of Mechanifm, he rea-
dily confelTes, and fo I think muft you and I.
But fpiritual Powers and Faculties, without a
ipiritual Subjed to which they belong, and in
which they relide, is a fhocking Abfurdity.
Well, and how does he get rid of this Diffi-
culty ? You fhall hear him. Madam, in his
own Words, Page lo. Reafon (fays he) fiatu-
rally inclines us to believe that Beajis have a
fpiritual Soul ; and the only thi?jg that oppofes
this Sentiment^ is the Confequences that might be
inferred frorn it. If Brutes have a Soul, that
Soul mufi be either Matter or Spirit, it mufl
be one of the two ; and yet you dare afirm nei^
ther, 2'hu dare n^t fay it is Mattery becaufe

sou

( 56)

you mufi then necejfarily fuppofe Matter to be ca-
pable of Thinking ; nor will you fay that it is
Spirit y this Opifiion brijiging with it Confeqiie?!-
ces contrary to the Principles of Religion j and
this among others, that Men would differ from
Beajis, only by the Degrees of Plus and Minus,
which would demoUp^ the i)ery Foundations of all
Religion. T^herefore, if I can elude all thefe Confe-
quences, if I can affign to Beajis afpiritual Soul^
without firiking at the Doctrines of Religion, it
is evident that my Syjiem, bei?jg moreover the
tnofl agreeable to Reajbn, is the only warranta-
ble Hypothefis. Now iflmll, and can do it with
the greatejl Eafe imaginable. I even have means ^
by the fa?ne Method, to explain many very ob-
fcure Paffages in the Holy Scripture, and to re-
folve fonie very great Diffculties, which are not
well confuted. This wejhall unfold in a more par-
ticular Manner,

And, in good truth, Madam, you will find
the Matter as particular as the Manner. An
Hypothefis, fo wild and unphilofophical, fo con-
trary to Reafon and Scripture, fo ilnocking to
common Senfe, delivered with fuch an afTuming
Air, and fuch dogmatical Language, could
furely proceed from nothing but an Excefs of
Vanity, or Contempt of his fine Lady's Under-
ftanding. But I fhall detain you from it no lon-
ger, but give you as fhort and plain a View of it as
1 can J and, as near as poffible, in his ownWords.

Page II. Religion teaches us, that the De^

vih, from the very Moment they hadfnned, were

reprobate, and that they were doomed to burn for

3 ever

( S7)

ever in Hell ; hut the Church has not as yet de^
termined whether thev do a^lualh endure the Tor-
ments to which they are condemned: it may thcit
be thought they do not yet fuffer them^ and that
the Execution of the VerdiB brought a gain ft them
is referued for the Day of the final fudgment.—^
Page 13. Now what 1 pretend to infer fan hence
isj that till Dooni s-day comes ^ God^ in order not
to fufer fo many Legions of reprobate Spirits to be
of no ife, has diftributed them thro the fever al
Spaces of the Worlds to ferve the Defgns of his
providence, and make his Omnipotence to appear,
Some continuing in their natural State, bufy
themfelves in tempting Men, in feducini and tor-
menting them, either ijnmediately, as Job'j T)e-
vil, and thofe that lay hold on hnnan Bodies^
or by the mAnijirv of Sorcerers or Phantom's.
Thefe wicked Spirits are thofe whom the Scrip-
ture calls the Powers of Darknefs, or the Pow-
ers of the Air. God, with the others, makes
Millions of Beafts of all kinds, which ferve for
thefeveralUjesof Man, which fill the Univerfe,
and caife the Wifdom and Omnipotence of the
Creator to be admired : Bv that means I can ea^
fily conceive how, on the one hand, the Devils can
tempt us ; and on the other, how Beafis can think ^
know, have Sentiments, and a fpiritual Soul,
without any way firiking at the DoBrines of
Religion. I am no longer fur prized to fee them
have Dexterity, Forecaji, Memory^ and "Judg^
ment. . IJhould rather have occa/ion to wonder at
their having no more, fince their Soul, very like-
ly, is more perfeB than ours : But 1 df cover the
Re af on of this ^ it is becaufe in Beajis as well as in

I our

( j8 )

otir felvesy the Operations of the Mind are de-'
pendent on the material Organs oj the Machine
to which it is united j and thcfe Organs being
grqfjcr and lefs perfeci in Beajis than in iiSy it
folloijus^ that the Knowledge^ the T^hoiights^ and
the other fpiritual Operations of Beajis, inuft oj
courfe be lefs perjeB than ours : and if thej'e
proud Spirits know their own difmal State,
what an Humiliation muji it be to them, thus
to fee themfehes reduced to the Condition of
Beajis ! But whether they know it or no, fojhame-
ful a Degradation is flill with regard to them^
that primary RifeB oj^ the divine Vengeance I
ju/i mention d, it is an anticipated Hell. P.
17. Having mentioned the P?'ejudices againji
this Hypothefis, fuch as particularly the Flea-
fur e which People of Senfe and Religion take in
Beafts and Birds, efpecially all Jbrts of Dome-
flick Animals ; he proceeds : Do we love Beajis
for their own fakes F No. As they are alto-
gether Strangers to human Society, they can have
no other Appoint?nent, but that of being ujejul a?jd
amufmg. And what care we, whether it be a
Devil, or any other Creature, that ferves and
amujes us? 'The thought of it ^ far Jrom JJjock^
ing, pleajes me mightily. I with Gratitude ad-
viire the Goodnejs of the Creator, who gave ?ne
too many little Devils to ferve and amufe vie.
If I am told, that thcfe poor Devils are doofncd
to Jhffer eternal Tortures, I admire Goih De-
crees, but I have no inanner of Jhare in this
dreadful Sentence-, I leave the Execution of it to
■the Sovereign fudgey and notwithfanding this,
I live with my little Devils^ as 1 do with a Mul-
titude

( 59 }
titude of People y of wbom Religioii informs ?ne^
that a great Number fJjall be damned. But the
cure of a Prejudice is not to be cff'eBed in a
Moment y it is done by Tifne and Rcjic^iicn ; give
me leave then lightly to touch upon this Difncu:tx^
in order to obferve a very important Thing to \mi.
■ Perfuaded as we are, that Beajts have In-
tellige7ice^ have we not all of us a tboifa?id times
pitied them for the excefjive Evils, which the
7najority of them are expo fed to, ajid in reality
fuffer ? How unhappy is the Condition cf Horfcs,
w^ are apt to fay, feeing a Horfj whom an un-
merciful Car?nan is jnurdering with Blows / How
miferable is a Dog whom they are breaking for
Hunting ! How difmal is the Fate cf Beafts
living in Woods, they are perpetually expojcd to
the Injuries cf the Weather, always feized with
Apprehenfions of becoJJiing the Prey of Hunters,
or of fome wilder Animal, for ever obliged, after
long Fatigue, to look out for fome poor infpid
Food, often fuff'ering cruel Hunger, and jlibjeEl
?noreover to lllnefs and Death I If Men arefub-
jeSi to a multitude of Mijeries that overwhehn
them. Religion acquai?2fs us with the reafon of it.
Viz. their being born Si?mers : but what Crimes can
Beafts have conmiitted, by Birth to be fubjed
to Evils Jo very cruel f What are we then to
think (p. ■[().) of the horrible Excefes oj Miji:ries
undergone by Beafts : Miferies indeed, far grea-
ter than thoje of Men ? "This is in any other 6"v'-
fem an tnconiprehenfible M\fery ; whereas no-
thing is more eafy to be co?2ceivedfrom the Syftem
I propoje. Jhe rebellious Spirits deferve a Fu-
nifmeut fiill more rigorous, and. happy is it J or
I 2 tijcm

( 6o )

them that their Punifiment is deferred ; in a
word, God's Goodnejs is vindicated^ MaJi him-
Jelf is jujiified: for what Right can ive have
ijDithout Necefjity, and often in the way of nicer
Diver fion^ to take away the Life of Millions of
Beafls^ if God had not authorized him jb to do ^'
And Beafis being asfenfible as our f elves oj Pai?!
and Death^ how could a jufi and merciful God
have given Man that Privilege^ if they were not
fo many guilty ViElimsof the Divine Vengeance ?
But hear llill jbmething more convincing, and
of greater Confequcnce : Beajls, by Nature, are
extremely Vicious. We know well that they ne-
ver fin, becaufe they are not free ; but this is
the only Condition wanting to make them Sinners.
'The Voracious Birds aiidBcafls of Prey are cruel z
Many InfeBs of one and the fame Species devour
each other. Cats are perfidious and ungrateful.
Monkeys are mij'chievous. Dogs are envious. All
Bcajls in general are jealous and revengeful to
excefs J jiot to mention many other Vices we ob-
ferve in them \ and at the fame time that they
are by Nature fo very vicious, they have, fay
we, neither the liberty, nor any helps to rejiji
the Byafs that hurries them into Jo many bad
Aclions. They are, according to the Schools^ ne-
cefjitated to do Evil, to difconcert the general Or-
der, to commit whatever is in Nature mofl con-
trary to the Notion we have of natural yufiice,
and to thePrinciples of Virtue. What Monflers
are thefe, in a World origi?ially created for Order
and fujlice to reign in? This is iti good part
what formerly perfuaded the Manicheans, that
there were ofnecefjity two Orders of Things^ one

good.

( 6i )

good^ and the other bad; and that Bea/Is icere
not the JVork of the good Principle. A monftrous
Error ! But how then fiall lae believe that
Beajis came out of the h-ands of their Creator
with ^lalitiesf) 'very fir ange ? If Man is fo ve-
ry wicked and corrupt, it is becaufe he has htm-
f elf through Sin perverted the happy Nature God
had given him at his Formation. Of two things
then we muftfay one : either that God has taken de-
light in making Bea/ls fo vicious as they are,
and of giving us in them Models of what is moji
ff:amejul in the World ; or that they have like
Man Original Sin, which has perverted their
primitive Nature.

The frft ofthefe Fropofitions finds very difficult
accefs to the Mind, and is an exprefs Contradic-
tion to the Holy Scriptures^ which fay, that what-
ever came out of God's hands, at the time of the
Creation of the World, was good, yea very good ^
What good can there be in a Monkey s being fo
very mifchlevous, a Dog fo full of envy, a Catfo
malicious ? But then many Authors have pre-
tended, that Beafts before Mans Fall were diffe-
rent from what they are now -, and that it was
in order topunifh Man, that they are rendredfo
wicked : but this Opinion is a jneer Suppofition,
of which there is not the leaf Footflep in Holy
Scripture. It is a pitiful fiibterfuge to elude a
real Difiiculty ; this at inofi might be faid of the
Beafls with whom Man has a fort of Correfpon-
de?ice, but ?iot at all of the Birds, Fifi^es^ and In-
fers, which have no manner of relation to him.
We mu/i then have recourfe to the fecond Propofi-
tion, That the Nature ofBcafis has, like that of

Man^

( 62 )

Man, been corrupted by fome original Sin : Ano^
ther HypGtheJis void of Foundation^ and equally
inconfiftent "iJC'ith Reafbn and Religion, in all the
Syjlems 'which have been hitherto ejpoujed concern-
ing the Soul of Beafts. What party are we to
take f Why^ admit of my Syjlem and all is ex-
flained. The Souls of Beajis are refraBory Spi-
rits^ which have made themfelvcs guilty towards
God, The Sin in Bea/ls is no original Sin, it is
a perfonalCri?ne, which has corrupted and per-
verted their Nature in its whole Subjlance ; hence
all the Vices and Corruption we obferve in them,
tho^ they can be no longer criminal ; becaufe God by
irrecoverably reprobating them, has at the fame
time dlvefted than of their Liberty.

You have here, Madam, a full View of our
Author's Hypothefis, the reft being nothing but
flourifh and trifle, idle Anfvvers to idle Objec-
tion:;, upon a Suppolition that his Scheme is de-
nionilrably certain. And is it not a choice one,
to anfwer fo many Purpofes, and folve fo many
Difficulties in Philofophy and Scripture, and re-
concile fo many apparent Contradidions in Rea-
fon and Religion ! Does not your very Heart re-
coil at the monftrous Thought ? Can you view
it in any Light without Abhorrence and Aver-
lion. It was a juft Cenfure of a very great Man
upon T)efcartes\ Philofophy, that if he were at
a lofs for Reafons to oppofe his Dodrine, that
Brutes were mere Machines, this alone would be
a fufficient Proof to himfelf, that it was making
^ y^ft ff great a part of the Creation : but
this Author has exceeded him with a Ven:2:eance !
Inftead of maki?ig a Jef, he has made them De^

vils ',

( 63 )

inh ; and in the Management of his Argument
there is fuch a Confufion of Sentiments, fiich a
Jumble of Light and Darknefs, Truth and Er-
ror, Reafon and Imagination, that one knows not
where to begin, or in what Order to proceed,
how to difentanojle Truth from Error, to feoa-
rate the Precious from the Vile, to diftinguiili
the cool Dilates of R eafon and Philofophy, from
the wild Flights of Imagination and Fancy. To
follow him through all his Excurfions, would
be an endlefs and ufelefs Undertaking. Our befl
and ihorteft way will be to examine the Good-
nefs of the Foundation, and fee whether there
be any Ground in Scripture or Reafon to fupport
fo monftrous a Superftrudure ; if not, it muil fall
to the ground, and leave room for a jufl and uni-
form Strudiure upon folid and lafting Founda-
tions; which, (if you approve of this) fhall be
the Subjed: of a fecond Letter.

In the mean time, Madam, I alTure myfelf,
you will be in no pain about the Event. You are
too well acquainted with the Language and Ge-
. nius of that lively Nation, as not to know that they
have Gafconades in Philol'ophy, as well as in Gal-
lantry, Romance, and Politics : You are bleffed
with anUnderflanding too good to be im.pofed up-
on by vain Pretences to Reafon and Philofophy 5
you can eafily diflinguiih betwixt empty Sounds,
and folid Senfe -, betwixt the wanton Sallies of a
luxuriant Fancy, and the fevere Conclufions of
Truth and Juflice. You have a Firmnefs of Mind
too great to be mov'd by the vain Terrors of a
frighted Imagination, which are too often the
Curfe of weak and little Minds. Continue, there-
fore.

( 64 )

fere, your wonted Care and Afte^flion for your in-
nocent Domefticks; they look up to you for their
Support ; from your Hand they receive the (lender
Provi(ions of Life, without murmuring or repin-
ing, which they endeavour to repay with the lin-
cereft Gratitude, the moft faithful Services, and
unfeigned Affetlions that their Natures are capa-
ble of: If you are pleafed, they rejoice with you ;
Do you care is tl:em? They are tranfported with
Pleafure. Do you frown ? They tremble, Do you
chide or puniih them ? They endeavour toappeafe
you by the moft humble Proftration and Sub-
milfion. Do not many of them difcover more
Gratitude, Sincerity, nay, I had almoil: faid Vir-
tue, than many of their Mafters, who value them-
fclves upon the Retinements, upon their Reafon,
the Improvements of their Underflandings, and
nice Senfe of Honour? Are they wretched as well
as we ? Are they expofcd with us to the unavoid-
able Calamities of Life? They are not wretched
tl irough their own fiiults, they are not the Authors
of their own Mifery j they (as well as we) are
viade JiihjeB toVanity\ hut they not willingly^ by a
voluntary Abufe of their proper Faculties, but are
by aNeceffity of Nature involv'd in the Guilt and
Condemnation of their rebellious, attainted, natu-
ral Lord and Sovereign. Kom. viii. 20.

If you are not difpleafed with the Subje6l, ti-
red with the Length, or difgufted with the man-
ner of this tedious Epiftle, 1 lliall quickly do my-
felf the Honour to fend you fome further Confi-
derations upon the lame Subje(5t. I am, with
great Refpedt, Madam,

Your moft humble Servant.