chievous and destructive of God's creatures. But the answer is eafy, that as to man thofe creatures are not without their great uses, particularly in the cure of fome of the most stubborn diseases; however,

at first only a parcel of small falts nimbly floating on the liquor; but in a short time the appearance was changed, and these faline ⚫ particles were shot out into crystals, of an incredible tenuity and sharpness, with fomething like knots here and there, from which they seemed to proceed; fo that the whole texture did in a man⚫ner represent a spider's web, though infinitely finer.' Mead of Poifons, p. 9.

As to the nature and operation of this poison, fee the fame ingenious author's hypothefis, in his following pages.

This poifon of the viper lieth in a bag in the gums, at the upper end of the teeth. It is feparated from the blood by a conglomerated gland, lying in the anterior lateral part of the os fincipitis, just behind the orbit of the eye: from which gland lieth a duct, that conveys the poifon to the bags at the teeth.

The teeth are tubulated, for the conveyance, or emiffion of the poifon into the wound the teeth make; but their hollowness doth not reach to the apex, or top of the tooth, (that being folid and fharp, the better to pierce;) but it ends in a long flit below the point, out of which the poifon is emitted. These perforations of the teeth, Galen faith, the mountebanks used to stop with fome kind of paste, before they fuffered the vipers to bite them before their spectators. Cuts of these parts, &c. may be seen in the laft cited book of Dr. Mead. Alfo Dr. Tyfon's Anat. of the RattleSnake, in Phil. Tranf. No. 144.

That vipers have their great uses in phyfic is manifeft from their bearing a great fhare in fome of our beft antidotes, such as theriaca Andromachi, and others; alfo in the cure of the elephantiafis, and other the like ftubborn maladies, for which I fhall refer to the me

however, if they were not, there would be no in

dical writers. But there is fo fingular a cafe in the curious collection of Dr. Ol. Wormius, related from Kircher, that I fhall entertain the reader with it. Near the village of Saffa, about eight miles from the city Bracciano in Italy, faith he, Specus feu caverna, vulgo La Grotta del Serpi, duorum hominum capax, fiftulofis quibufdam foraminibus in formam cribri perforata cernitur, ex quibus ingens quædam, principio veris, diverficulorum ferpentum, nulla tamen, ut dicitur, fingulari veneni qualitate imbuto rum progenies quotannis pullulare folet. In hac fpelunca elephantiacos, leprofos, paralyticos, arthriticos, podagricos, &c. nudos exponere folent, qui mox halituum fubterraneorum calore • in fudorem refoluti, ferpentum propullantium, totum corpus in• firmi implicantium, fu&tu lin&tuque ita omni vitiofo virulentoque 'humore privare dicuntur, ut repetito hoc per aliquod tempus me⚫dicamento, tandem perfectæ fanitati reftituantur.' This cave Kircher visited himfelf, found it warm, and every way agreeable to the description he had of it; he saw their holes, heard a murmuring hiffing noise in them; but although he miffed feeing the ferpents, it being the season for their creeping out, yet he faw great numbers of their exuviæ, or floughs, and an elm growing hard by laden with them.

The discovery of this cave was by the cure of a leper going from Rome to fome baths near this place; who lofing his way, and be ing benighted, happened upon this cave; and finding it very warm, pulled off his clothes, and being weary and fleepy, had the good fortune not to feel the ferpents about him till they had wrought his cure. Vide Museum Worm. I. 3. c. 9.

The before commended Dr. Mead thinks our phyficians deal too cautiously and fparingly, in their prefcribing only small quantities of viper's flesh, &c. in the elephantiafis, and ftubborn leprofies: but he recommended rather the jelly or broth of vipers; or, as the ancient manner was, to boil vipers and eat them like fish; or at least to drink wine, in which they have been long infused. Vide Mead, ubi fupra, p. 34.

juftice

juftice for God to make a fet of fuch noxious creatures, as rods and fcourges, to execute the divine chastisements upon ungrateful and finful men. And I am apt to think that the nations which know not God, are the most annoyed with thofe noxious reptiles, and other pernicious creatures. As to the animals themselves, their poison is, no doubt, of fome great and fpecial ufe to themfelves, ferving to the more eafy conqueft, and fure capture of their prey, which might otherwife be too refty and strong, and if once escaped, would hardly be again recovered, by reafon of their fwifter motion, and the help of their legs; befides all which, this their poifon may probably be of very great ufe to the digeftion of their

food.

AND as to the innocuous part of the reptilekind, they as well deferve our notice for their harmlefnefs, as the others did for their poifon. For as thofe are endowed with poifon, because they are predacious; fo thefe need it not, because their food is near at hand, and may be obtained without ftrife and conteft, the next earth afford

That earth-worms live upon earth, is manifeft from the little curled heaps of their dung ejected out of their holes. But in Phil. Tranf. No. 241. I have faid, it is in all probability earth made of rotted roots and plants, and fuch like nutritive things, not pure earth. And there is farther reafon for it, becaufe worns will drag the leaves of trees into their holes.

VOL. II.

H

ing

ing food to fuch as can terebrate, and make way into it by their vermicular faculty; and the next vegetable being food to others that can climb and reach y, or but crawl to it.

Snails might be in danger of wanting food, if they were to live only upon fuch tender plants as are near the ground, within their reach only; to impower them therefore to extend their pursuits farther, they are enabled, by the means mentioned in note q. p. 108. to ftick unto, and creep up walls and vegetables at their pleasure.

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CHAP. II.

OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE WATERS

I

HAVE now gone through that part of the animal world, which I propofed to furvey, the animals inhabiting the land.

As to the other part of the terraqueous globe, the waters, and the inhabitants thereof, not having time to finish what I have begun on that large fubject, I fhall be forced to quit it for the prefent, although we have there as ample and glorious a fcene of the infinite Creator's power and art, as hath been already fet forth on the dry land. For the waters themfelves are an admirable work of God, and of infinite ufe to that part of the globe already

Befides their abfolute neceffity and great ufe to the world, there are feveral topics, from whence the waters may be demonftrated to be God's work; as the creating fo vast a part of our globe; the placing it commodioufly therein, and giving it bounds; the methods

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