after which obliged the Man and his Wife to rise and take the Children to the Fire where they spewed and shit and within half an Hour fell fast asleep Gent. Truly I think this Cynocrambe is as bad as Papaver Corniculatum for those that took that had some sort of Pleasure in its Operation Transact Indeed upon second Thoughts I think 't is worse for they took the Children to Bed as they were asleep and they themselves went to Bed too and fell faster asleep too than ever they had done before The Man waked next Morning about Three Hours after his usual time went to his Labour at Mr. Newports but he says He thought his Chin had been all the Day in a Fire and was forced to keep his Hat full of Water by him all the Day long and frequently dipped his Chin in it as he was at Work Gent. Pray Sir Expatiate no more upon this Account for I think it no great matter whether his Hat was full of Water or not Transact What Would you have me give an Account of a Philosophical Transaction and not be exact in Relating Matter of Fact Gent. O good Sir Pardon me be as Circumstantial as you please It 's a very Philosophical Transaction indeed A Woman boiled Herbs and Bacon for Supper the Children Purged the good Man Slept longer than ordinary went to Work at Mr. Newports filled his Hat full of Water and was so discerning as to think his Chin was all the Day in the Fire tho' he dipped it often in Water A very Philosophical Relation I must needs say and very fine Circumstances to be particular in Transact Truly Sir we ought to be particular in the Circumstances of Things so Remarkable for this Herb is described and figured in several Authors and therefore we ought to take Notice of its Effects Gent. But pray what Inferences or what Consequential Use do you make of this Observation Transact Why from the Effects of this Plant I draw this Inference That whether the Quantity or Quality of this Herb were the Cause of its Effects I know not but think that every Body will do well to be cautious and wary in the use of it in such Quantities after such a Warning For if the Man and his Wife had Purged as well as the Children they would have been in a most dreadful nasty pickle Gent. Truly the Caution you give and the Reasons alleged for it are equally weighty But pray are these all the New Discoveries made by your Correspondents relating to the Virtues of Plants Transact No Sir Numb 231. We are informed One that would have changed a Cow for a Bagpipe That a certain Woman eating by mistake some Roots of common Hemlock amongst Parsnips was immediately seized with Raving and Madness talked Obscenely and could not forbear Dancing on which Exercise she was so intent that she would have given her Cow for a Bag-pipe Gent. Poor Woman it 's a pity she should have wanted Company Why did they not give some body a Dose of Papaver Corniculatum to Dance against her Transact I suppose they were in too much concern to see her so Obscene and so foolishly Merry But not to insist too long on one Subject I shall proceed to give you a fuller Account of the Products of my Correspondents and as soon as I have given you a couple of Instances of the Aetymology of Words and their Skill in Logick I shall proceed to their Medicinal and Chirurgical Observations Gent. Pray Sir use what Method you please It 's no great matter how they are ranged Transact Then the First thing I shall offer is an Account of the Aetimology of Ambergreise Ben's Name Of Ambergreise Ben. The whole Story runs thus Numb 232. I shall at the present let you know the Account I received from Ambergriese Ben for so the Man is called from the vast quantity of that Valuable Commodity he found Two Years ago near Ambergreise-Point Now who could ever have guess'd at the Reason of this Man's Name had it not been accounted for in the Philosophical Transactions Gent. Indeed I believe they would have been at a loss But pray proceed to the Logick Transact Yes Sir I was longing to let you hear that for you must know Numb 221. my Correspondent hath been able by close Arguing to tell that Old Jenkins was Older than Old Parre Gent. Pray how does he prove that Transact Thus Henry Jenkyns departed this Life Jenkyns Older than Parre the Eighth Day of December 1670. The Battel of Flowdenfield was Fought upon the Ninth Day of September in the Year of our Lord 1513. Henry Jenkyns was 12 Years Old wheu Flow denfield was Fought so he lived 169 Years Old Parry lived 152 Years Nine Months Ergo Henry Jenkyns out-lived Old Parre by Computation Sixteen Years Gent. Hah hah This out-liviving by Computation Admirable indeed Well Old Jenkyns is certainly proved Older than Parre Transact It 's undeniable Gent. Pray how came your Friend by a particular Account of all the Propositions included in the foregoing Argument Transact Take it in his own Words When I came first to live at Bolton in Yorkshire I have forgot my Landlord's Name but it was told me That there lived in that Parish a Man near 150 Years Old That he had Sworn as a Witness in a Cause in York to 120. Years which the Judges reproving him for he said he was Butler at that time to the Lord Conyers but truly it was never in my Thoughts to enquire of my Lord Darcy Whether this last Particular was true or no. Gent. Truly that was a great Oversight it would have given much Satisfaction to the Learned World had my Lord Darcy confirmed it Transact Indeed I should have been better satisfied my self for I believed little of the Story for a great many Years till one Day being in my Sister's Kitchin Henry Jenkyns came in to beg an Alms I had a mind to examine him I told him he was an Old Man Gent. Pray did not he know that before Transact What then He 'd be the apter to believe it Gent. You say true indeed Transact And therefore I desired him to tell me how Old he was He paused a little and said that to the best of his Remembrance he was 162 or 3 I asked him what Publick Thing he could remember He said Flowdenfield I asked whether the King was there He said No. I asked him how Old he might be then He said I believe I might be between Ten and Twelve for said he I was sent to Northallerton with a Horse-Load Load of Arrows but they sent a bigger Boy from thence to the Army Gent. You are very Circumstantial indeed in your Relations but pray of what use are they to the Advoncement of Knowledge Transact Advantage Any thing about Old Jenkyns or Old Parre is very acceptable to me and that 's enough to make it appear under the General Title of Philosophical Transactions for the
THE TRANSACTIONEER With some of his Philosophical Fancies IN TWO DIALOGUES 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Adag ap Erasm. LONDON Printed for the Booksellers of London and Westminster 1700. THE PREFACE BY the following Dialogues it is Apparent that by Industry alone a Man may get so much Reputation almost in any Profession as shall be sufficient to amuse the World tho' he has neither Parts nor Learning to support it The Person who makes the Chief Figure in them has certainly nothing but a bustling temper to recommend him and yet has gained so much upon many People that they will scarce believe the Evidence of their own Senses but 't is probable that those who are not past cure may now be undeceiv'd I have treated him under two Characters as an Author and an Editor In the former I have consider'd his own personal Capacity In the other his Judgment in the choice of his Friends and of the Discourses that he Publishes I know it may be said he Writes in Hurry and has not time to correct and finish it But then who obliges him to Write at all What occasion is there for it Or what is the use of it Besides he Publishes Notes forsooth and Peices of no more than 4 6 or perhaps 8 lines and what time can there be required for the Composal of such 'T is plain a Man that is himself once possess'd of any Subject can express it to another if he has but Language If his Head be clear and the Things rightly digested in it there can be no Difficulty in the conveying them thence But where a Man has no real Parts and is Master of only Scraps pick'd up from one and from another or Collected out of this Book or that and these all in confusion in his Head 't is obvious what a Writer he must needs make No our Transactioneer should have kept to his old way of bustling vying with Dr. Salmon at Auctions mustering up Books for a shew and of acting by Signs Scrapes and Wriggles Half-Sentences and broken Phrases with these Assistances pass'd pretty well upon some But he must appear in Print stript of them and now all 's out the World having got at length the true Measure of his Abilities Perhaps it may seem strange that I who am no Member of the R. S. should deal so freely with the Person and some Correspondents of one who is slipp'd into the Post of Secretary to that Illustrious Body But I am mov'd by the Respect I have for Natural Studies and a fear least those Men who have made such great Advances in it and thereby gain'd the Applause of all the Learned World should lose any part of it by the trifling and shallow Management of one who wants every Qualification that is requisite for such a Post. All who read his Tranactions either in England or beyond the Seas cry out that the Subjects which he writes on are generally so ridiculous and mean and he treats of them so emptily and in a Syle so confused and unintelligible that it is plain he 's so far from any usefull Knowledge that he wants even common Grammer This is so Notorious from every line he has published that his own Words will be the best Proof of what I say and I have been so carefull in producing them that I defie him to shew he is once Misrepresented Nay there is so little need of that that I challenge any Man with all his Art to imitate the Bulls and Blunders which he so naturally pours forth His Correspondents are most of them so like himself for Learning and Understanding that a Man may almost swear they were cast in the same Mold Indeed he has had a very lucky hit in the choice of them I am sorry to see that Excellent Society in any hazard of being Eclipsed by the wretched Gambols of these People Learned Men abroad have ever verry justly had a vast esteem for the English Society But I find that now like to decline they having no other way of judging of it but by the Philosophical Transactions The World every where looks on them as a kind of Journal of the R. Society tho' there 's no Ground for that Opinion for they were begun by Mr. Oldenburg who all along declar'd the R. Society were not concern'd in those Transactions but that they were a Work of his own and some Friends At that time they were carry'd on in such a manner that they met every where with Approbation and were of real use But since this new Secretary-ship all agree a more useless Paper no where appears and I was concern'd that such a one should pass for a Work of the R. Society 'T is their Vindication that has drawn me to undertake this and if I can but disabuse the World by it I have my end I can truely say that I have no personal Prejudice to the present Transactioneer or any of his Friends For I am but little known to any of them And if they now think I have no design to recommend myself to their Acquaintance I fancy the Reader will not believe they are mistaken The CONTENTS THE Present Compiler of the Philos. Transact Page 3 The Excellency of his Style 4 His Clearness and Perspicuity 5 Genius to Poetry 8 Verses on Jamaica Pepper ibid. Politicks in Gardening 9 Skill in Botanicks 10 Mr. Ray's Definition of a Dil oe 11 Ipecacuana harmless and helpful 12 Cynocrambe or Ratsbane not to be taken in too great Quantities ibid. Swallowing Pebles dangerous and why 13 A China Ear-Picker 15 Picking the Ears too much Dangerous ibid. Instruments for pairing of the Nails 17 A Curry-Comb for a Man 18 A pair of Brass Tweezers ibid. A wide tooth'd Comb. A small tooth'd Comb ibid. A sheet of Paper from China A Scarlet Butterfly ibid. A Fossile Mandible 19 A Description of the Great Irishman 20 of Posture-Master Clark 21 Beans that Travelled from Jamaica to Ireland 23 Drunkards not drowned by drinking 26 What drowning is ibid. That Men can't swallow when they 're dead 28 That a Shell is not a Crust 31 Mt. Pett rs specimens of Magnificence 35 20 Volumes in Folio filled with Trees 36 Blackmores teeth so call'd for their Whiteness ibid. Eyes of a Tortoise bigger than its Head ibid. Affrican Materia Meddica 37 Skill and Tallent in Compliments 38 Irish Makenboy purges not in the Pocket 39 Charles Worth his Man and Maid all merrily besh t ib. W. Matthews and his Family much in the same pickle 41 A Woman that talk'd Obscenely and offer'd her Cow for a Bag-pipe 44 Of Ambergreese Ben 45 Old Jenkins older than Old Patr by computation 46 Dr. Lister bit by a Porposs and how his Finger fell sick thereupon 48 A Medicinal Spring with an Oak over it 50 The Medicinal Qualities of Bread and Cheese 51 Scurvy Consequencies of Marrying too soon 53 54 A Head that was a Bag 56 A New way to preserve a Maidenhead ibid. Women in
great Character he hath given you and the Learned Passages of your own Writings which he hath Collected together to justify that Character have made me uneasie till I had the Happiness to pay my Humble Respects to you Transact Indeed I am very much obliged both to him and you Gent. Sir the chife end of my Visit now next to paying my Respects to you is to Communicate some Philosophical Matters which if you think fit to Publish in your Philosophical Transactions are at your service Transact Pray what may they be Gent. Sir at present I shall only offer you a Definition of a Shell and a Crust Transact I desire a sight of it Gent. Here it is Sir Transact A Shell properly is such a hard substance as covers an entire Animal N. 219. as an Oyster-shell A Crust is such a hard substance as covers only One particular Joynt of the included Animal Sir I am your Servant if you light of any thing of this Nature you will oblige me very much in communicating it and do the World a great deal of service Gent. I shall be glad if any thing I can offer may oblige one the World has such an Opinion of Transact Truly I am obliged to the World for their Opinion of me And if any thing I can do to promote Natural Knowledge may be of Service to them I shall not spare my Labour Gent. O Sir you have taken a great deal of Pains already for the Compiling so many Philosophical Volumes in Quarto must take up a great deal of Time nor could they be made fo Polite and Correct without as great Application Transact It is indeed a Laborious Work for besides Compiling of so many Volumes the great Correspondence which I am obliged to keep is no small trouble Gent. It cannot chuse but be troublesome but your Happy Choices and the Philosophical Returns they make you recompense the Trouble Transact If it were not for that it would be a meer peice of Slavery but as you say the Discoveries and Improvements which are Communicated by my Correspondents make me value the Trouble much less for I think for Weight Usefulness and other Circumstances the Papers I have Published in the Transactions are not inconsiderable Gent. Inconsiderable You have quite out-done Mr. Oldenburg for the World never thought he Published enough but you heap Philosophical Relations together at such a Prodigious Rate that you Publish Transactions as fast again as they desire you The World is quite over-powered with them Transact Why truly I have used my utmost Diligence and Care that not the least thing in Nature should escape my Notice And I am infinitely obliged to my Correspondents for their Industry Gent. Truly they are to be commended But methinks it would be of great use to the World if the most Considerable Passages in those Papers were Collected together and Published for the use of the Learned Transact I have done that already and if you please I will give you an Account of those which I have a more peculiar Relish for and value at the highest Rate Gent. Sir it will be a very great Favour and I shall be very much obliged to you Transact I can never be to seek where to begin then as long as there is such a Personage as Mr. J Pet r in the Philosophical World He 's a F. of the R. S. indeed I made him so 'T is my way of Rewarding my Friends and Benefactors We now begin to call it Our Royal-Society mus Pet. C. 5. One would never think it that looks upon him but he 's certainly the Darling of the Temple Coffee House Club. Gent. Pray what 's that Transact Oh lay Why don't you know Where can you have lived Why you must be an utter Stranger to Philosophy and all pretty Things never heard of the Temple Club Oh for shame let 's see you there a Friday Night I 'm President there and I 'll assure you there are many odd Things And Mr. Pet r is Gad he 's every thing He 's the very Muffti the Oracle of our Club. For my part I never saw any thing like him exactly Gent. No I believe not Transact Oh then I perceive you know Mr. James Gent. No indeed not I. Transact No I wonder at that you ought to be acquainted with him I 'll be the Instrument of bringing it about Sir he and I are all one You must know we club Notions laying them up in a kind of Joynt-Stock and have all things in common Sometimes he draws and sometimes I as we have occasion But he pays in most plenteously By my good-will I would never be without him I call him the Philosophick Sancho and he me Don. I own I have learnt more of him than ever I did at Orange or any where else Gent. Orange Sir Transact Yes I knew 't was quicker and cheaper than at Leyden or Padua so I was Dubb'd Doctor there En passant whip and away But for Mr. Pet r he 's an Author and has Treated on the same Topicks that I have Have you read the Musaeum Pettiverianum or his Treatises in my Transactions Gent. No really but I observe all People smile when they mention him I believe he 's mighty Diverting Transact The most of any thing in Nature But how should a Man of his Parts be otherwise Oh the Specimens of Modern Magnificence and Improvement he has given the Learned World Trans N. 236. His First Century consists of several Animals and Plants wholly New Trans N. 224. And pray mark how Considerable they are and how much Mankind are indebted to his Labour and Study The Animals are Snails and Beetles Caterpillars Spiders and others of the like sort The Plants Rushes Thistles Mosses with abundance more of equal worth But above all Butterflies are his main Delight He gives'em strange Cramp Names and values himself for being the first Catcher Papilos leucomelanos says he is not yet clearly Described by any Author Trans N. 224. And perhaps had never been Described wo the day had it not been for this Author He looks as big upon his Botanick Acquisitions Say he Be it known that I have this Year besides several before received near 20 Volumes in Folio filled with fair and perfect Specimens of Trees Mus Pet. But he 's most lucky in the assigning the Reasons of the Names of his Rarities He has Shells called BLACKMOORS TEETH I suppose says he from their WHITENESS Trans N. 224. Now we are on this Subject I ought to acquaint you he values nothing that has not as many Titles and Names as the King of Persia. He will find in one Author or other 20 Names for the same Thing And thinks it impossible to Enumerate the many Advantages that will occur from thus synomizing of Authors ib. and Elsewhere he speaks very big of the English that is himself and me as to their Critical Methods in their Discoveries of Non-descript Species and their Judicious
another way Gent Nay if they conceal their Weapons no Body knows how to deal with them I wonder how your Hero durst venture to stay so long in their Company Transact It is dangerous indeed Creatures that have set all the Physick in this Town in a Combustion or Ferment And truly since a great Man complained of Experientia being a fallax I think he did very impudently to meddle with them Gent. And are these all the Remarkable Passages in his painful Discourse Transact No Sir he tells us Hanging Mortal Since Death or no Circulation of the Blood is the Consequence of Poyson we must find as many Kinds of Poyson as there are ways of stopping the Bloods Motion Gent. Then Hanging is Poyson for that 's one way of Death or no Circulation of the â—â—ood Transact Truly my Correspondent never considered that Consequence Hold Now you talk of Hanging One of my Correspondents is of Opinion That Hanging is not Poyson for Numb 240. Hanging Appoplextical says he speaking of Men that are hanged The Remarkable lividness of their Faces with the extraordinary distortion of the Jugulars in the several Branches above the Ligature argue they dye in a great measure Apoplectick Gint Very Learnedly concluded Then I suppose hanging hereafter will not be accounted an Ignominious Death for 't is no disgrace to die of an Appoplexy But pray proceed to the rest of your Philosophical Relations Transact Numb 251. we have the following Account of a Child's Head I did take off the three upper Vertebre of the Neck before I could find the Medulla Spinalis The Tongue was fresh and doubtless had performed the Deglutition to make the Child swallow the Colliquamentum The Larynx and all the Parts of the Throat were as the rest of the Body were in a good and natural condition as can be I leave others to explain how this Child could live without Brains Gent. Oh dear Sir that should nevâ—â— have been omitted 't was the main thing in the Relation Besides The Explaining that would have solv'd a Problem at present much Debated in the World which is How most of your Correspondents can live under the very same Circumstances with that Child But pray what use did he make of the Bones Transact That Sir he tells you very expresly Says he I keep the Bones of that Skull in my House to convince any Body that they are Bones if they should Question it Gent. Truly I cannot Imagine for what other uses you should keep them But pray if the Child wanted Brains I understand not how the Larynx and all the Parts of the Body could be in a good and natural Condition Transact That is only as I told you before our way of expressing our selves for as amongst the Beauxs a careless Dress is the most admired so we Philosophers signalize our selves by a careless use of Language But to proceed I shall give you a short Account of what happened lately in Lapland Numb 251. we have the following Account of a small sort of Creature called Sable-Mice they are so fierce and angry that if a stick be held out at them they will bite it Gent. That 's very daring indeed Transact In their March they keep a direct Line and are innumerable Thousands in each Troop They March by Night and in the Twilight and sleep by Day As the Mouse in the Fable used to do If they meet any thing in their way that might stop them they avoid it not tho' it were Fire a deep Well a Torrent or a Lake and by that means Thousands of them are destroyed Gent. Mighty Resolute truly Transact When they are met in Woods or Fields and stopped The Language of a Sable Mouse they set themselves upon their hinder Legs like a Dog and make a kind of barking or squeaking noise defending their Line as long as they can and if at the last they are forced out of it they creep into holes and set up a cry sounding like biâ—bb biâ—bb Quarter Quarter Is not the Language of these Mice very Remarkable Gent. Very Remarkable and entertaining for a Philosopher It enriches a Man's Understanding much to know the Fury and Conduct of a Mouse and what Noise it makes when it is frightened But pray Sir let me beg the Favour of an Account of the Moors of West-Barbary and their Customs Transact Ay with all my heart Sir Numb 254. p. 248. we are told That the Barbary Moor when he rises in the Morning washes himself all over and dresses then goes to their Giama or Church says his Prayers and returns home where his Wife Concubine or Slave hath his Breakfast ready for him which is sometimes made of Barley or Wheat Gruel I have been often Treated with warm Bread fresh Butter and Honey in a Morning as also a Hasty-pudding with Butter In Sufe I had a Bag of Honey presented to me with Poppy Seeds in it it made me sleepy but I sound my self well and in good Temper of Body after it They seldom use a Knife and a Fork is a strange thing amongst them They are dextrous at this way of Carving and never flinch tho' they burn their Fingers for that would look mean when they have done they lick their Fingers as Plow-Men do in our Country After they have eat the Meat they dip the Bread in the Sauce or Broth and eat it For their Meat to be strongly seasoned is no great fault and if one should say it 's too high of Pepper they will reply It 's better to be Ah then Faugh They have good Capons Snipes Pipers and Antelopes They 'll eat a Fox if fat but not if lean whence the Proverb Hellel Deeb haram Deeb A Fox is lawful and a Fox is Unlawful i. e. Fat lawful Lean unlawful When the Moors have feasted every one washes his Hands and Mouth thanks God they talk a little or tell some Story and then lie down to rest where I shall leave them at the present and do beg your Pardonfor so firesome and frivolous a Discourse Gent. Upon my Word Sir I think your Friend concludes rightly Transact Concludes rightly Sir why all my Friends conclude so Gent. Ay to be Tiresome and Frivolous Transact O dear Sir no but if the length of this has been something tedious I will now entertain you with one which may make emends for Numb 249. we received the following Letter Herewith you will receive a Câ—rvus Velans divers sorts of Scarabs and three or four sorts of Lady-Buggs But not to pass too much Time away upon this I shall rather tell you That Jeremiah Skelton Ibid. observing a Storm coming said I think it will be Rain I will go and gather in some of the Corn While at this Work bringing in a Burden and casting it upon the Barn floor the Tempest begun as he came forth again whereupon he stept aside for shelter into the Barn Door and while there was struck with a dreadful flash of
Fire A Young Woman that lived with her Father in the House that belong'd to this Farm leaves the House and not seeing the Young Man about the Barn goes with speed and tells the Family he was related to That she feared he was slain They came to the Barn and found it even so a sad Spectacle His Clogs driven from his Feet one not to be found and the other cloven and his Hat not to be found after search This Young Man would have been 22 Years of Age next June is said to have been sober and hopeful was Buryed at Luddenden the Monday following To this I have but Two more Philosophical Matters to add the first is an Account of the Generation of Fleas See Numb 249. p. 2. At last is discovered by the Indesatigable Industry of Signior D'iacinto Cestone the true way of the Generation of Fleas their Worms and entire Metamorphoses which have hitherto been obscure tho' sought after The Fleas bring forth Eggs or a sort of Nits from these Eggs are hatched Worms these Worms make to themselves Bags like Silk-Worms and from out of these Bags come Fleas Having thus given you an Historical Account of the Generation of Fleas I shall proceed to a Discourse of Coffee Numb 256. p. 311. Of the Berries Boyled in Water is made a Drink and drank much amongst the Arabians and Turks and also now in Europe As for the manner of its being first made a Trade of in England I shall give you the following Account Anno 1652. One Edwards came over into England and Marryed the Daughter of one Alderman Hodges This Hodges setled to drink Coffee with Edwards with much delight After this Edwards set up one Pasqua for a Coffee-Man The Ale-house keepers fearing it would spoil their Trade Petitioned the Lord Mayor against him Upon this Hodges joined as a Partner with Pasqua one Bowman at the last Pasqua dyed and Bowman kept the Trade and when he dyed left his Wife who had been Hodges's Cook-Maid pretty Rich but she dyed Poor John Painter was Bowman's first Apprentice Bowman dyed and after a Year his Wife let the House to one Batler whose Daughter Marryed Humphrey Hodskins Bowman's second Apprentice And after some time the Trade grew universal but what was the Rise of Batsons Wills or Richards I cannot tell But this I have been told Coffee hath greatly encreased the Trade of Tobacco and Pipes Earthen Dishes Tin Wares News Papers Coals Candles Sugar Tea Chocolate and what not Coffe-hauses make all Sorts of People sociable they improve Arts and Merchandize and all other Knowledge And a Worthy Member of this Society has thought that Coffee-Houses have Improved Useful Knowledge very much I thought to have proceeded to give you an Historical Account of the most Remarkable Trades in England as Chimney-Sweping Tinkers Pedlars c. And what were the Names of those that were first of that Employment as also the Names of their Apprentices and who they Marryed But since I have pressed upon your Patience so long I shall force no more upon you than you are willing to bear But pray let me ask your Opinion of these Philosophical Transactions and what Thoughts you have 〈◊〉 my Friends are they not Men that take a great deals of Pains to Improve Knowledge and let nothing pass that 's worth Noting Gent. Much Pains it must be allowed ye have taken 't is pity ye had not consider'd to what Purpose Transact Why is there not a great deal of Natural Knowledge to be learned from what I have wrote and Published Gent. Sir one may learn how prettily You and your Correspondents are Employ'd But nothing that will make a Man wiser or more a Philosopher for what am I the wiser for knowing the Mice creep into holes or how nastily the Moors pull their Meat Nor is what you have acquainted me with of the Generation of Fleas any more than what a Lowzy Beggar could have told many Years ago And as for your Coffee Story I take it to be a Tale fit to be Related only amongst Old Women and Mechanicks Transact And is that all you can see in such Improvements Gent. No Sir it 's not all for your Correspondent tells us That Coffee promotes the Tobacco Trade and consumes Pipes and Candles But I suppose any Coffee-Woman knows that without the assistance of your Friend to inform her Transact Well since I see you are resolved not to think so well of my Correspondents as I could wish I beg your Pardon for entertaining you so long with such Philosophical Relations which I perceive instead of diverting have made you uneasie But yet I must tell you my Correspondents will not be discouraged from pursuing their Design though the whole World Laugh at them FINIS
is well described and ill figured by Clusius But now I come to the Navigation for How these several Beans should come to the Scotch Isles and one of them to Ireland seems very hard to determine Yet our Author says too It is easy to conceive Gent. How can that be Hard to determine and easie to be determined too Virtuos If you 'll have patience you 'll see it is hard to determine for they might be toss'd with Storms and driven out of the most Obvious Road but it is easie to conceive that growing in Jamaica in the Woods they may either fall from the Trees into the Rivers or be any other way conveighed by them into the Seas It is likewise very easie to conceive that being got to the Sea and floating in it and the Neighbourhood denying them the Liberty of Landing in their own Country they may take a Resolution of Transplanting themselves into another Country and meeting with a stop on the main Continent of America is forced mark the Grammar they is forced through the Gulph of Florida or Canal of Bahama going there constantly East and into the North American Sea But how they should come the rest of their Voyage I cannot tell for they could give no Account of themselves except the Beans being brought North by the Current of the Gulph of Florida are put in the westerly Winds way and may be supposed by this means at last to arrive in Scotland litle thinking that after so long and difficult a Voyage instead of Propagating their Species they should be turned into Snuff-Boxes and no otherwise regarded Gent. This it is to come into a strange Country without being able to give an Account of one's self Virtuos Phoo There was no need of giving an Account of themselves there was one in England that had given them a Visit in Jamaica that was able to do that sure Gent. Yes Indeed he 's a most Accomplished Gentleman Virtuos Gentleman He 's a Doctor of Physick and understands the Structure of a Mans Body so well that not the least Accident can happen in any Part of it but he presently gives you the Rationale of it To confirm what I have said in this Respect I need alledge no more than what he has offer'd concerning Suffocation for when the Point was Debated at Hartford Sizes about Mrs. Stout's being Drownned he very Learnedly delivered his Opinion of Drowning in the following words and says See Mr. Câ—â—per's Tryal Water swallowed by the Gullet will not Drown Gent. And does he prove it too Virtuos Prove it Therer's no need of proving it 't is self-evident nevertheless to convince those who do not use to swallow by the Gullet he adds Drunkards who swallow freely a great deal of Liquor and those who are forced by the Civil-Law to Drink a great quantity of Water have no Suffocation or Drowning upon them Gent. Truly those are Two Instances sufficient to convince any Reasonable Man that he may be Drunk or Drink Water without being Drowned But what 's this Learned Man's Definition of Drowning Virtuos He says He takes Drowning in a great measure to be thus viz. That tho' it is very likely when one struggles he may to save himself from being Choaked swallow some Quantity of Water yet that is not the cause of his Death but that which goes into the Wind-pipe and Lungs Gent. If swallowing Water is not the cause of his Death how does that which goes into the Wind-pipe cause it does not the Person swallow that Or does he swallow it to save himself from being choaked Virtuos Swallow it to prevent Choaking By no means he does not swallow it at all It goes into the Wind-pipe and tho' Water swallowed will not Choak yet when it goes into the Lungs it will which this Learned Physitian thus Demonstrates In Prescriptions when People are very weak or forced to take Medicines I have observed some Spoonfuls in that Condition if it went the wrong way to have Choaked or Suffocated the Person whence it appears that Choaking is not caused by swallowing Water but by its entrance the wrong way In which Case it may be said to go into the Lungs Gent. But what 's this to the Question first Debated Virtuos Why The Qustion being put Whether the Woman was Strangl'd and so Suffocated or whether she was Drowned Our Learned Evidence only offers to shew That if she was Suffocated or Choaked by Water it must get into her Lungs Whereas in those that are Choaked or Strangled nothing at all gets into them So that the Sum of our Doctor 's Evidence proves That if she was Strangled or Choaked before she was thrown into the Water she could not be Choaked again in the Water except Water went the wrong way as in Prescriptions c. And thus much might be sufficient to shew our Doctor 's great Skill in the Machanism of a Body One of the main Points necessary in an Accomplish'd Physitian But as a further Instance of his great Knowledge I shall add another Passage of his Evindence which is That without force after Death little Water will get into the Stomach because for that it should swallowing is necessary which after Death cannot be done In which Passage the Phrases not only come very Naturally from the Doctor as for that it should c. but he very Judiciously tells us that Men cannot swallow after Death and therefore those who would put Water into a Dead Man must use force to get it in Which I think is a demonstration of the Doctor 's great Skill in Anatomy Gent. Yes indeed and if all you have said of him be True he 's not only a great Physitian but a Botanist and a Naturalist and every thing Pray where does he live and what are his Hours I have something to communicate to him which perhaps may be acceptable Virtuos His Hour in an Afternoon is betwixt Six and Seven any Body will tell you where to find him pray if you light of him give my Service to him Gent. I 'll certainly do that Virtuos He 's a very Modest Civil Gentleman you must be sure to Compliment him and he 'll take it very kindly for the Envious World so seldom does it he 'll be both surpriz'd and mightily pleased at it Gent. I shall take care to Compliment as well as I can and I don't know well how I can fail for I can think of none of his Performances but I must either hold my Tongue or Compliment Virtuos I am glad you have so good an Opinion of him Gent. Sir I have no other Opinion of him but what he deserves and how good it is I shall leave to his Friends to judge Sir your Servant DIALOGE II. Between a Gentleman AND A TRANSACTIONEER Gent. SIR I am very glad I have the Happiness to meet with you so opportunely I have been just now Talking with a Friend of yours concerning some Passages in the Philosophical Transactions And the