Creation A Philosophical Poem. Demonstrating the Existence and Providence of a God. In Seven Books. By Sir Richard Blackmore. The Second Edition |
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| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. | BOOK VI. |
| VII. |
 | Creation |  |
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BOOK VI.
The ARGUMENT.
The fabulous Account of the first Rise of Mankind
given by the ancient Poets. The Opinions of
many of the Greek Philosophers concerning
that Point not less ridiculous. The Assertion
of Epicurus and his Followers, that our first
Parents were the spontaneous Production of
the Earth, most absurd and incredible. The
true Origine of Man enquired into. He is
prov'd to be at first Created by an Intelligent,
Arbitrary Cause; from the Characters and Impressions
of Contrivance, Art, and Wisdom,
which appear in his Formation. The wonderful
Progress of it. The Figure, Situation
and Connexion of the Bones. The System of
the Veins, and that of the Arteries. The
manner of the Circulation of the Blood describ'd.
Nutrition how perform'd. The System of the
Nerves. Of the Animal Spirits, how made,
and how employ'd in Muscular Motion and Sensation.
A wise Intelligent Cause inferr'd from
these Appearances.
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The Pagan World, to Canaan's Realms unknown,
Where Knowledge reign'd, and Light Celestial shone,
Lost by degrees their Parent Adam's Name,
Forgot their Stock, and wonder'd whence they came.
Unguided in the Dark they strove to find,
With fruitless Toil, the Source of human Kind.
Where Knowledge reign'd, and Light Celestial shone,
Lost by degrees their Parent Adam's Name,
Forgot their Stock, and wonder'd whence they came.
Unguided in the Dark they strove to find,
With fruitless Toil, the Source of human Kind.
The Heathen Bards, who idle Fables drest,
Illusive Dreams in Mystic Verse express'd;
And Foes to Natural Science and Divine,
In beauteous Phrase made impious Notions shine:
In Strains sublime their diff'rent Fictions sung,
Whence the first Parents of our Species sprung.
Illusive Dreams in Mystic Verse express'd;
And Foes to Natural Science and Divine,
In beauteous Phrase made impious Notions shine:
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Whence the first Parents of our Species sprung.
Prometheus, so some elder Poets say,
Temper'd and form'd a Paste of purer Clay,
To which, well mingled with the River's Stream,
His artful Hand gave human Shape and Frame:
Then, with warm Life his Figures to inspire,
The bold Projector stole Celestial Fire.
Temper'd and form'd a Paste of purer Clay,
To which, well mingled with the River's Stream,
His artful Hand gave human Shape and Frame:
Then, with warm Life his Figures to inspire,
The bold Projector stole Celestial Fire.
While others tell us how the human Brood
Ow'd their Production to the fruitful Wood.
How from the Laurel and the Ash they sprung,
And Infants on the Oak, like Acorns, hung:
The crude Conceptions prest the bending Trees,
'Till cherish'd with the Sun-beams, by degrees,
Ripe Children dropp'd on all the Soil around,
Peopled the Woods, and overspread the Ground.
Ow'd their Production to the fruitful Wood.
How from the Laurel and the Ash they sprung,
And Infants on the Oak, like Acorns, hung:
The crude Conceptions prest the bending Trees,
'Till cherish'd with the Sun-beams, by degrees,
Ripe Children dropp'd on all the Soil around,
Peopled the Woods, and overspread the Ground.
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Great Jupiter, so some were pleas'd to sing,
Of fabled Gods the Father and the King,
The moving Pray'r of Æacus did grant,
And into Men and Women turn'd the Ant.
Of fabled Gods the Father and the King,
The moving Pray'r of Æacus did grant,
And into Men and Women turn'd the Ant.
Some tell, Deucalion and his Phyrrha threw
Obdurate Stones, which o'er their Shoulders flew,
Then shifting Shape receiv'd a vital Flame,
And Men and Women, wondrous Change! became.
And thus the hard and stubborn Race of Man
From animated Rock, and Flint began.
Obdurate Stones, which o'er their Shoulders flew,
Then shifting Shape receiv'd a vital Flame,
And Men and Women, wondrous Change! became.
And thus the hard and stubborn Race of Man
From animated Rock, and Flint began.
Now to the Learned Schools of Greece repair,
Who Chance the Author of the World declare:
Then judge if wise Philosophers excell
Those idle Tales, which wanton Poets tell.
Who Chance the Author of the World declare:
Then judge if wise Philosophers excell
Those idle Tales, which wanton Poets tell.
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They say, at first to living Things the Earth
At her Formation gave spontaneous Birth.
When youthful Heat was thro' the Glebe diffus'd,
Mankind, as well as Insects, she produc'd.
That Genial Wombs by Parent Chance were form'd
Adapted to the Soil; which after warm'd
And cherish'd by the Sun's enlivening Beam,
With human Offsprings did in Embryo team.
These nourish'd there a while imprison'd lay,
Then broke their yielding Bands, and forc'd their Way.
The Field a Crop of reas'ning Creatures crown'd,
And crying Infants grovell'd on the Ground.
A milky Store was by the Mother Earth
Pour'd from her Bosom, to sustain the Birth.
In Strength and Bulk encreas'd, the Earth-born Race
Could move, and walk, and ready change their Place:
O'er ev'ry Hill and verdant Pasture stray,
Skip o'er the Lawns, and by the Rivers play:
Could eat the tender Plant, and by degrees
Brouse on the Shrubs, and crop the budding Trees;
The fragrant Fruit from bending Branches shake,
And with the Crystal Stream their Thirst at Pleasure slake.
At her Formation gave spontaneous Birth.
When youthful Heat was thro' the Glebe diffus'd,
Mankind, as well as Insects, she produc'd.
That Genial Wombs by Parent Chance were form'd
Adapted to the Soil; which after warm'd
And cherish'd by the Sun's enlivening Beam,
With human Offsprings did in Embryo team.
These nourish'd there a while imprison'd lay,
Then broke their yielding Bands, and forc'd their Way.
The Field a Crop of reas'ning Creatures crown'd,
And crying Infants grovell'd on the Ground.
A milky Store was by the Mother Earth
Pour'd from her Bosom, to sustain the Birth.
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Could move, and walk, and ready change their Place:
O'er ev'ry Hill and verdant Pasture stray,
Skip o'er the Lawns, and by the Rivers play:
Could eat the tender Plant, and by degrees
Brouse on the Shrubs, and crop the budding Trees;
The fragrant Fruit from bending Branches shake,
And with the Crystal Stream their Thirst at Pleasure slake.
The Earth by these applauded Schools, 'tis said,
This single Crop of Men and Women bred;
Who grown adult, so Chance it seems enjoin'd,
Did Male and Female propagate their Kind.
This wise Account Lucretian Sages give,
Whence our first Parents their Descent derive.
This single Crop of Men and Women bred;
Who grown adult, so Chance it seems enjoin'd,
Did Male and Female propagate their Kind.
This wise Account Lucretian Sages give,
Whence our first Parents their Descent derive.
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Severely on this Subject to dispute,
And Tales so wild, so senseless to confute,
Were with inglorious Labour to disgrace
The Schools, and Reason's Dignity debase.
But since, with this of Man's Original,
The Parts remaining of their Scheme must fall:
(Yet farther to pursue the present Theme;)
Behold how vain Philosophers may dream.
And Tales so wild, so senseless to confute,
Were with inglorious Labour to disgrace
The Schools, and Reason's Dignity debase.
But since, with this of Man's Original,
The Parts remaining of their Scheme must fall:
(Yet farther to pursue the present Theme;)
Behold how vain Philosophers may dream.
Grant, Epicurus, that by casual Birth
Men sprung Spontaneous from the fruitful Earth.
When on the Glebe the naked Infants lay,
How were the helpless Creatures fed? You say,
The Teaming Soil did from its Breasts exclude
A soft and milky Liquor for their Food.
I will not ask what this apt Humour made,
Nor by what wondrous Channels 'twas convey'd.
For if we such Enquiries make, we know
Your short Reply, It happen'd to be so.
Without assigning once a proper Cause,
Of solving Questions by Mechanic Laws,
To ev'ry Doubt your Answer is the same,
It so fell out, and so by Chance it came.
Men sprung Spontaneous from the fruitful Earth.
When on the Glebe the naked Infants lay,
How were the helpless Creatures fed? You say,
The Teaming Soil did from its Breasts exclude
A soft and milky Liquor for their Food.
I will not ask what this apt Humour made,
Nor by what wondrous Channels 'twas convey'd.
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Your short Reply, It happen'd to be so.
Without assigning once a proper Cause,
Of solving Questions by Mechanic Laws,
To ev'ry Doubt your Answer is the same,
It so fell out, and so by Chance it came.
How shall the New-born Race their Food command,
Who cannot change their Place, or move a Hand?
Grant that the Glebe beneath will never drink,
Nor thro' its Pores let the soft Humour sink;
Will not the Sun with his exhaling Ray
Defraud the Babe, and draw his Food away?
Who cannot change their Place, or move a Hand?
Grant that the Glebe beneath will never drink,
Nor thro' its Pores let the soft Humour sink;
Will not the Sun with his exhaling Ray
Defraud the Babe, and draw his Food away?
Since for so long a Space the human Birth
Must lye expos'd, and naked on the Earth;
Say, could the tender Creature, in despight
Of Heat by Day, and chilling Dews by Night,
In spite of Thunder, Winds, and Hail and Rain,
And all inclement Air, its Life maintain?
Must lye expos'd, and naked on the Earth;
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Of Heat by Day, and chilling Dews by Night,
In spite of Thunder, Winds, and Hail and Rain,
And all inclement Air, its Life maintain?
In vain, you say, in Earth's primæval State,
Soft was the Air, and mild the Cold and Heat.
For did not then the Night succeed the Day?
The Sun as now roll thro' its annual Way?
Th'Effects then on the Air must be the same,
The Frosts of Winter, and the Summer's Flame.
Soft was the Air, and mild the Cold and Heat.
For did not then the Night succeed the Day?
The Sun as now roll thro' its annual Way?
Th'Effects then on the Air must be the same,
The Frosts of Winter, and the Summer's Flame.
In the first Age, you say, the pregnant Ground
With human Kind in Embryo did abound,
And pour'd her Off-spring on the Soil around.
But tell us, Epicurus, why the Field
Did never since one human Harvest yield?
And why we never see one ripening Birth
Heave in the Glebe, and struggle thro' the Earth?
With human Kind in Embryo did abound,
And pour'd her Off-spring on the Soil around.
But tell us, Epicurus, why the Field
Did never since one human Harvest yield?
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Heave in the Glebe, and struggle thro' the Earth?
You say, that when the Earth was fresh and young,
While her prolific Energy was strong,
A Race of Men she in her Bosom bred,
And all the Fields with Infant People spread.
But that first Birth her Strength did so exhaust,
The Genial Mother so much Vigour lost,
That wasted now by Age, in vain we hope
She should again bring forth a human Crop.
While her prolific Energy was strong,
A Race of Men she in her Bosom bred,
And all the Fields with Infant People spread.
But that first Birth her Strength did so exhaust,
The Genial Mother so much Vigour lost,
That wasted now by Age, in vain we hope
She should again bring forth a human Crop.
Mean time she's not with Labour so much worn,
But she can still the Hills with Woods adorn.
See, from her fertile Bosom how she pours
Verdant Conceptions, and refresh'd with Show'rs
Covers the Field with Corn, and paints the Mead with Flow'rs.
See, her tall Sons, the Cedar, Oak, and Pine,
The fragrant Myrtle, and the juicy Vine,
Their Parent's undecaying Strength declare,
Which with fresh Labour, and unwearied Care,
Supplies new Plants, her Losses to repair.
Then since the Earth retains her fruitful Pow'r
To procreate Plants, the Forest to restore;
Say, why to nobler Animals alone
Should she be feeble, and unfruitful grown?
After one Birth she ceas'd not to be Young,
The Glebe was succulent, the Mould was strong.
Could she at once fade in her perfect Bloom?
Waste all her Spirits, and her Wealth consume
But she can still the Hills with Woods adorn.
See, from her fertile Bosom how she pours
Verdant Conceptions, and refresh'd with Show'rs
Covers the Field with Corn, and paints the Mead with Flow'rs.
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The fragrant Myrtle, and the juicy Vine,
Their Parent's undecaying Strength declare,
Which with fresh Labour, and unwearied Care,
Supplies new Plants, her Losses to repair.
Then since the Earth retains her fruitful Pow'r
To procreate Plants, the Forest to restore;
Say, why to nobler Animals alone
Should she be feeble, and unfruitful grown?
After one Birth she ceas'd not to be Young,
The Glebe was succulent, the Mould was strong.
Could she at once fade in her perfect Bloom?
Waste all her Spirits, and her Wealth consume
Grant that her Vigour might in part decrease
From like Productions must she ever cease?
To form a Race she might have still inclin'd
Tho' of a monstrous, or a dwarfish Kind.
Why did she never, by one crude Essay,
Imperfect Lines and Rudiments display?
In some succeeding Ages had been found
A Leg or Arm unfinish'd in the Ground:
And sometimes in the Fields might ploughing Swains
Turn up soft Bones, and break unfashion'd Veins.
From like Productions must she ever cease?
To form a Race she might have still inclin'd
Tho' of a monstrous, or a dwarfish Kind.
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Imperfect Lines and Rudiments display?
In some succeeding Ages had been found
A Leg or Arm unfinish'd in the Ground:
And sometimes in the Fields might ploughing Swains
Turn up soft Bones, and break unfashion'd Veins.
But grant the Earth was lavish of her Pow'r,
And spent at once her whole prolific Store:
Would not so long a Rest new Vigour give,
And all her first Fertility revive?
Learn, Epicurus, of th' experienc'd Swain,
When frequent Wounds have worn th'impoverish'd Plain,
Let him a while the Furrow not molest,
But leave the Glebe to heav'nly Dews and Rest;
If then he Till and Sow the harrow'd Field,
Will not the Soil a plenteous Harvest yield?
And spent at once her whole prolific Store:
Would not so long a Rest new Vigour give,
And all her first Fertility revive?
Learn, Epicurus, of th' experienc'd Swain,
When frequent Wounds have worn th'impoverish'd Plain,
Let him a while the Furrow not molest,
But leave the Glebe to heav'nly Dews and Rest;
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Will not the Soil a plenteous Harvest yield?
The Sun, by you, Lucretians, is assign'd
The other Parent of all human Kind.
But does he ever languish or decay?
Does he not equal Influence display,
And pierce the Plains with the same active Ray?
If then the Glebe warm'd with the Solar Flame
Men once produc'd, it still should do the same.
The other Parent of all human Kind.
But does he ever languish or decay?
Does he not equal Influence display,
And pierce the Plains with the same active Ray?
If then the Glebe warm'd with the Solar Flame
Men once produc'd, it still should do the same.
You say, the Sun's prolific Beams can form
Th' industrious Ant, the gaudy Fly and Worm
Can make each Plant, and Tree, the Gard'ner's Care,
Beside their Leaves, their proper Insects bear;
Then might the Heav'ns in some peculiar State,
Or lucky Aspect, Beasts and Men create.
But late Enquirers by their Glasses find,
That every Insect of each diff'rent Kind,
In its own Egg cheer'd by the Solar Rays,
Organs involv'd, and latent Life displays:
This Truth discover'd by Sagacious Art,
Does all Lucretian Arrogance subvert.
Proud Wits, your Frenzy own, and overcome
By Reason's Force, be now for ever dumb.
Th' industrious Ant, the gaudy Fly and Worm
Can make each Plant, and Tree, the Gard'ner's Care,
Beside their Leaves, their proper Insects bear;
Then might the Heav'ns in some peculiar State,
Or lucky Aspect, Beasts and Men create.
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That every Insect of each diff'rent Kind,
In its own Egg cheer'd by the Solar Rays,
Organs involv'd, and latent Life displays:
This Truth discover'd by Sagacious Art,
Does all Lucretian Arrogance subvert.
Proud Wits, your Frenzy own, and overcome
By Reason's Force, be now for ever dumb.
If, learned Epicurus, we allow
Our Race to Earth Primæval Being owe,
How did she Male and Female Sexes frame,
Say, if from Fortune this Distinction came?
Or did the conscious Parent then foresee
By one Conception she should Barren be,
And therefore, wisely provident, design'd
Prolific Pairs to propagate the Kind;
That thus preserv'd, the Godlike Race of Man
Might not expire e'er yet it scarce began.
Our Race to Earth Primæval Being owe,
How did she Male and Female Sexes frame,
Say, if from Fortune this Distinction came?
Or did the conscious Parent then foresee
By one Conception she should Barren be,
And therefore, wisely provident, design'd
Prolific Pairs to propagate the Kind;
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Might not expire e'er yet it scarce began.
Since by these various Arguments 'tis clear
The teaming Mould did not our Parents bear;
By more severe Enquiries let us trace
The Origine and Source of human Race.
The teaming Mould did not our Parents bear;
By more severe Enquiries let us trace
The Origine and Source of human Race.
I think, I move, I therefore know I am;
While I have been, I still have been the same,
Since from an Infant, I a Man became.
But tho' I am, few circling Years are gone,
Since I in Nature's Roll was quite unknown.
Then since 'tis plain I have not always been,
I ask, from whence my Being could begin?
I did not to my self Existence give,
Nor from my self the secret Pow'r receive,
By which I reason, and by which I live.
I did not build this Frame, nor do I know
The hidden Springs from whence my Motions flow.
While I have been, I still have been the same,
Since from an Infant, I a Man became.
But tho' I am, few circling Years are gone,
Since I in Nature's Roll was quite unknown.
Then since 'tis plain I have not always been,
I ask, from whence my Being could begin?
I did not to my self Existence give,
Nor from my self the secret Pow'r receive,
By which I reason, and by which I live.
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The hidden Springs from whence my Motions flow.
If I had form'd my self, I had design'd
A stronger Body, and a wiser Mind,
From Sorrow free, nor liable to Pain;
My Passions should obey, and Reason reign.
Nor could my Being from my Parents flow,
Who neither did the Parts, or Structure know:
Did not my Mind or Body understand,
My Sex determine, nor my Shape command.
Had they design'd and rais'd the curious Frame,
Inspir'd my branching Veins with vital Flame,
Fashion'd the Heart, and hollow Channels made,
Thro' which the circling Streams of Life are play'd;
Had they the Organs of my Senses wrought,
And form'd the wondrous Principle of Thought;
Their artful Work they must have better known,
Explain'd its Springs, and its Contrivance shown.
A stronger Body, and a wiser Mind,
From Sorrow free, nor liable to Pain;
My Passions should obey, and Reason reign.
Nor could my Being from my Parents flow,
Who neither did the Parts, or Structure know:
Did not my Mind or Body understand,
My Sex determine, nor my Shape command.
Had they design'd and rais'd the curious Frame,
Inspir'd my branching Veins with vital Flame,
Fashion'd the Heart, and hollow Channels made,
Thro' which the circling Streams of Life are play'd;
Had they the Organs of my Senses wrought,
And form'd the wondrous Principle of Thought;
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Explain'd its Springs, and its Contrivance shown.
If they could make, they might preserve me too,
Prevent my Fears, or dissipate my Woe.
When long in Sickness languishing I lay,
They with compassion touch'd did mourn and pray:
To sooth my Pain and mitigate my Grief,
They said kind Things, yet brought me no Relief.
But whatsoever Cause my Being gave,
The Power that made me, can its Creature save.
Prevent my Fears, or dissipate my Woe.
When long in Sickness languishing I lay,
They with compassion touch'd did mourn and pray:
To sooth my Pain and mitigate my Grief,
They said kind Things, yet brought me no Relief.
But whatsoever Cause my Being gave,
The Power that made me, can its Creature save.
If to my self I did not Being give,
Nor from immediate Parents did receive;
It could not from my Predecessors flow,
They, than my Parents, could not more bestow.
Should we the long depending Scale ascend
Of Sons and Fathers, will it never end?
If 'twill, then must we thro' the Order run
To some one Man, whose Being ne'er begun.
If that one Man was Sempiternal, Why
Did he, since Independent, ever dye?
If from himself his own Existence came,
The Cause, that could destroy his Being, name.
Nor from immediate Parents did receive;
It could not from my Predecessors flow,
They, than my Parents, could not more bestow.
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Of Sons and Fathers, will it never end?
If 'twill, then must we thro' the Order run
To some one Man, whose Being ne'er begun.
If that one Man was Sempiternal, Why
Did he, since Independent, ever dye?
If from himself his own Existence came,
The Cause, that could destroy his Being, name.
To seek my Maker, thus in vain I trace
The whole successive Chain of human Race.
Bewilder'd I my Author cannot find,
'Till some first Cause, some Self-existent Mind,
Who form'd, and rules all Nature, is assign'd.
The whole successive Chain of human Race.
Bewilder'd I my Author cannot find,
'Till some first Cause, some Self-existent Mind,
Who form'd, and rules all Nature, is assign'd.
When first the Womb did the crude Embryo hold,
What shap'd the Parts? what did the Limbs unfold?
O'er the whole Work in secret did preside,
Give quick'ning Vigour, and each Motion guide?
What kindled in the Dark the vital Flame,
And e'er the Heart was form'd, push'd on the red'ning Stream?
Then for the Heart the aptest Fibres strung?
And in the Breast th' impulsive Engine hung?
Say, what the various Bones so wisely wrought?
How was their Frame to such Perfection brought?
What did their Figures for their Uses fit,
Their Number fix, and Joints adapted knit;
And made them all in that just Order stand,
Which Motion, Strength and Ornament demand?
What for the Sinews spun so strong a Thread,
The curious Loom to weave the Muscles spread?
Did the nice Strings of tender Membranes drill
And perforate the Nerve with so much Skill,
Then with the active Stream the dark Recesses fill?
The purple Mazes of the Veins display'd,
And all th' Arterial Pipes in Order laid,
What gave the bounding Current to the Blood,
And to and fro convey'd the restless Flood?
What shap'd the Parts? what did the Limbs unfold?
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Give quick'ning Vigour, and each Motion guide?
What kindled in the Dark the vital Flame,
And e'er the Heart was form'd, push'd on the red'ning Stream?
Then for the Heart the aptest Fibres strung?
And in the Breast th' impulsive Engine hung?
Say, what the various Bones so wisely wrought?
How was their Frame to such Perfection brought?
What did their Figures for their Uses fit,
Their Number fix, and Joints adapted knit;
And made them all in that just Order stand,
Which Motion, Strength and Ornament demand?
What for the Sinews spun so strong a Thread,
The curious Loom to weave the Muscles spread?
Did the nice Strings of tender Membranes drill
And perforate the Nerve with so much Skill,
Then with the active Stream the dark Recesses fill?
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And all th' Arterial Pipes in Order laid,
What gave the bounding Current to the Blood,
And to and fro convey'd the restless Flood?
The living Fabrick now in pieces take,
Of ev'ry Part due Observation make;
All which such Art discover, so conduce
To Beauty, Vigour, and each destin'd Use;
The Atheist, if to search for Truth inclin'd,
May in himself his full Conviction find,
And from his Body teach his erring Mind.
Of ev'ry Part due Observation make;
All which such Art discover, so conduce
To Beauty, Vigour, and each destin'd Use;
The Atheist, if to search for Truth inclin'd,
May in himself his full Conviction find,
And from his Body teach his erring Mind.
When the crude Embryo careful Nature breeds,
See how she Works, and how her Work proceeds;
While thro' the Mass her Energy she darts
To free and swell the complicated Parts;
Which only does unravel and untwist
Th' invelop'd Limbs, that previous there exist.
And as each vital Speck, in which remains
Th' entire, but rumpled Animal, contains
Organs perplext, and Clues of twining Veins;
So ev'ry Fœtus bears a secret Hoard,
With sleeping, unexpanded Issue stor'd;
Which num'rous, but unquicken'd Progeny,
Clasp'd and inwrap'd within each other lye:
Engendring Heats these one by one unbind,
Stretch their small Tubes, and hamper'd Nerves unwind;
And thus when Time shall drain each Magazine
Crowded with Men unborn, unripe, unseen,
Nor yet of Parts unfolded, no Increase
Can follow, all prolific Power must cease.
See how she Works, and how her Work proceeds;
While thro' the Mass her Energy she darts
To free and swell the complicated Parts;
Which only does unravel and untwist
Th' invelop'd Limbs, that previous there exist.
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Th' entire, but rumpled Animal, contains
Organs perplext, and Clues of twining Veins;
So ev'ry Fœtus bears a secret Hoard,
With sleeping, unexpanded Issue stor'd;
Which num'rous, but unquicken'd Progeny,
Clasp'd and inwrap'd within each other lye:
Engendring Heats these one by one unbind,
Stretch their small Tubes, and hamper'd Nerves unwind;
And thus when Time shall drain each Magazine
Crowded with Men unborn, unripe, unseen,
Nor yet of Parts unfolded, no Increase
Can follow, all prolific Power must cease.
Th'Elastic Spirits which remain at rest
In the strait Lodgings of the Brain comprest,
While by the ambient Womb's enliv'ning Heat
Cheer'd and awaken'd, first themselves dilate;
Then quicken'd and expanded ev'ry way
The Genial Lab'rers all their Force display.
They now begin to work the wondrous Frame,
To shape the Parts, and raise the vital Flame.
For when th' extended Fibres of the Brain
Their active Guests no longer can restrain,
They backward spring, which due Effort compels
The lab'ring Spirits to forsake their Cells;
The Spirits thus exploded from their Seat,
Swift from the Head to the next Parts retreat,
Force their Admission, and their Passage beat.
Their Tours around th' unopen'd Mass they take,
And by a thousand Ways their Inroads make:
'Till there resisted they their Race inflect,
And backward to their Source their way direct.
Thus with a steady and alternate Toil
They issue from, and to the Head recoil:
By which their plastic Function they discharge,
Extend their Channels, and their Tracks enlarge.
For by the swift Excursions which they make,
Still sallying from the Brain, and leaping back,
They pierce the Nervous Fibre, bore the Vein,
And stretch th' Arterial Channels, which contain
The various Streams of Life, that to and fro
Thro' dark Meanders undirected flow:
Th' inspected Egg, this gradual Change betrays,
To which the brooding Hen expanding Heat conveys.
In the strait Lodgings of the Brain comprest,
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Cheer'd and awaken'd, first themselves dilate;
Then quicken'd and expanded ev'ry way
The Genial Lab'rers all their Force display.
They now begin to work the wondrous Frame,
To shape the Parts, and raise the vital Flame.
For when th' extended Fibres of the Brain
Their active Guests no longer can restrain,
They backward spring, which due Effort compels
The lab'ring Spirits to forsake their Cells;
The Spirits thus exploded from their Seat,
Swift from the Head to the next Parts retreat,
Force their Admission, and their Passage beat.
Their Tours around th' unopen'd Mass they take,
And by a thousand Ways their Inroads make:
'Till there resisted they their Race inflect,
And backward to their Source their way direct.
284
They issue from, and to the Head recoil:
By which their plastic Function they discharge,
Extend their Channels, and their Tracks enlarge.
For by the swift Excursions which they make,
Still sallying from the Brain, and leaping back,
They pierce the Nervous Fibre, bore the Vein,
And stretch th' Arterial Channels, which contain
The various Streams of Life, that to and fro
Thro' dark Meanders undirected flow:
Th' inspected Egg, this gradual Change betrays,
To which the brooding Hen expanding Heat conveys.
The beating Heart demanded first for Use,
Is the first Muscle Nature does produce.
By this impulsive Engine's constant Aid
The tepid Floods are ev'ry way convey'd:
And did not Nature's Care at first provide
The active Heart to push the circling Tide,
All progress to her Work would be deny'd.
Is the first Muscle Nature does produce.
By this impulsive Engine's constant Aid
The tepid Floods are ev'ry way convey'd:
285
The active Heart to push the circling Tide,
All progress to her Work would be deny'd.
The Salient Point, so first is call'd the Heart,
Shap'd and suspended with amazing Art,
By Turns dilated, and by Turns comprest,
Expels, and entertains the purple Guest.
It sends from out its Left contracted Side
Into th' Arterial Tube its vital Pride:
Which Tube, prolong'd but little from its Source,
Parts its wide Trunk, and takes a double Course;
One Channel to the Head its way directs,
One to th'inferior Limbs its Path inflects.
Both smaller by degrees, and smaller grow,
And on the Parts, thro' which they branching go,
A thousand secret, subtle Pipes bestow.
From which by num'rous Convolutions wound,
Wrapt with th' attending Nerve, and twisted round,
The complicated Knots and Kernels rise,
Of various Figures, and of various Size.
Th' Arterial Ducts, when thus involv'd, produce
Unnumber'd Glands, and of important Use.
But after, as they farther Progress make,
The Appellation of a Vein they take.
For tho' th' Arterial Pipes themselves extend
In smallest Branches, yet they never end:
The same continu'd circling Channels run
Back to the Heart, where first their Course begun.
Shap'd and suspended with amazing Art,
By Turns dilated, and by Turns comprest,
Expels, and entertains the purple Guest.
It sends from out its Left contracted Side
Into th' Arterial Tube its vital Pride:
Which Tube, prolong'd but little from its Source,
Parts its wide Trunk, and takes a double Course;
One Channel to the Head its way directs,
One to th'inferior Limbs its Path inflects.
Both smaller by degrees, and smaller grow,
And on the Parts, thro' which they branching go,
A thousand secret, subtle Pipes bestow.
286
Wrapt with th' attending Nerve, and twisted round,
The complicated Knots and Kernels rise,
Of various Figures, and of various Size.
Th' Arterial Ducts, when thus involv'd, produce
Unnumber'd Glands, and of important Use.
But after, as they farther Progress make,
The Appellation of a Vein they take.
For tho' th' Arterial Pipes themselves extend
In smallest Branches, yet they never end:
The same continu'd circling Channels run
Back to the Heart, where first their Course begun.
The Heart, as said, from its contracted Cave
On the Left Side, Ejects the bounding Wave.
Exploded thus, as splitting Channels lead,
Upward it springs, or downward is convey'd.
The Crimson Jets rais'd with Elastic Force
Swift to the Seats of Sense pursue their Course;
Arterial Streams thro' the soft Brain diffuse,
And water all its Fields with vital Dews.
From this o'erflowing Tyde the curious Brain
Does thro' its Pores the purer Spirits strain;
Which to its inmost Seats their Passage make,
Whence their dark Rise th' extended Sinews take.
With all their Mouths the Nerves these Spirits drink,
Which thro' the Cells of the fine Strainer sink.
These all the channel'd Fibres ev'ry way
For Motion and Sensation still convey.
The greatest Portion of th' Arterial Blood,
By the close Structure of the Parts withstood,
Whose narrow Meshes stop the grosser Flood,
By apt Canals and Furrows in the Brain,
Which here discharge the Office of a Vein,
Invert their Current, and the Heart regain.
On the Left Side, Ejects the bounding Wave.
Exploded thus, as splitting Channels lead,
Upward it springs, or downward is convey'd.
287
Swift to the Seats of Sense pursue their Course;
Arterial Streams thro' the soft Brain diffuse,
And water all its Fields with vital Dews.
From this o'erflowing Tyde the curious Brain
Does thro' its Pores the purer Spirits strain;
Which to its inmost Seats their Passage make,
Whence their dark Rise th' extended Sinews take.
With all their Mouths the Nerves these Spirits drink,
Which thro' the Cells of the fine Strainer sink.
These all the channel'd Fibres ev'ry way
For Motion and Sensation still convey.
The greatest Portion of th' Arterial Blood,
By the close Structure of the Parts withstood,
Whose narrow Meshes stop the grosser Flood,
By apt Canals and Furrows in the Brain,
Which here discharge the Office of a Vein,
Invert their Current, and the Heart regain.
288
The shooting Streams, which thro' another Road
The beating Engine downward did explode,
To all th'Inferior Parts descend, and lave
The Members with their circulating Wave.
To make th' Arterial Treasure move as slow,
As Nature's Ends demand, the Channels grow
Still more contracted, as they farther go.
Besides the Glands, which o'er the Body spread,
Fine complicated Clues of nervous Thread,
Involv'd and twisted with th' Arterial Duct
The rapid Motion of the Blood obstruct:
These Labyrinths the circling Current stay
For noble Ends, which after we display.
The beating Engine downward did explode,
To all th'Inferior Parts descend, and lave
The Members with their circulating Wave.
To make th' Arterial Treasure move as slow,
As Nature's Ends demand, the Channels grow
Still more contracted, as they farther go.
Besides the Glands, which o'er the Body spread,
Fine complicated Clues of nervous Thread,
Involv'd and twisted with th' Arterial Duct
The rapid Motion of the Blood obstruct:
These Labyrinths the circling Current stay
For noble Ends, which after we display.
Soon as the Blood has past the winding Ways,
And various Turnings of the wondrous Maze,
From the entangled Knot of Vessels freed,
It runs its vital Race with greater Speed:
And from the Parts and Members most remote
By these Canals the Streams are backward brought,
Which are of thinner Coats and fewer Fibres wrought;
Till all the confluent Rills their Current join,
And in the ample Porta Vein combine.
This larger Channel by a thousand Roads
Enters the Liver, and its Store unloads.
Which from that Store by proper Inlets strains
The yellow Dregs, and sends them by the Veins
To the large Cistern, which the Gall contains.
Then to the Vein, we Cava name, the Blood
Calls in the scatter'd Streams, and recollects the Flood.
And various Turnings of the wondrous Maze,
289
It runs its vital Race with greater Speed:
And from the Parts and Members most remote
By these Canals the Streams are backward brought,
Which are of thinner Coats and fewer Fibres wrought;
Till all the confluent Rills their Current join,
And in the ample Porta Vein combine.
This larger Channel by a thousand Roads
Enters the Liver, and its Store unloads.
Which from that Store by proper Inlets strains
The yellow Dregs, and sends them by the Veins
To the large Cistern, which the Gall contains.
Then to the Vein, we Cava name, the Blood
Calls in the scatter'd Streams, and recollects the Flood.
290
As when the Thames advances thro' the Plain,
With his fresh Waters to dilute the Main;
He turns and winds amidst the flowry Meads,
And now contracts, and now his Water spreads.
Here in a Course direct he forward tends,
There to his Head his Waves retorted bends.
See, now the sportive Flood in two divides
His Silver Train, now with uniting Tides
He wanton clasps the intercepted Soil,
And forms with erring Streams the Reedy Isle;
At length collecting all his Watry Band,
The Ocean to augment he leaves the Land.
So the red Currents in their secret Maze
In various Rounds thro' dark Meanders pass,
Till all assembled in the Cava Vein
Bring to the Heart's right Side their Crimson Train;
Which now comprest with Force Elastic drives
The Flood, that thro' the secret Passes strives.
The Road that to the Lungs this Store transmits
Into unnumber'd narrow Channels splits.
The venal Blood crowds thro' the winding Ways,
And thro' the Tubes the broken Tyde conveys:
Those num'rous Streams, their Rosy Beauty gone,
Poor by Expence, and faint with Labour grown,
Are in the Lungs enrich'd, which reinspire
The languid Liquors, and restore their Fire.
With his fresh Waters to dilute the Main;
He turns and winds amidst the flowry Meads,
And now contracts, and now his Water spreads.
Here in a Course direct he forward tends,
There to his Head his Waves retorted bends.
See, now the sportive Flood in two divides
His Silver Train, now with uniting Tides
He wanton clasps the intercepted Soil,
And forms with erring Streams the Reedy Isle;
At length collecting all his Watry Band,
The Ocean to augment he leaves the Land.
So the red Currents in their secret Maze
In various Rounds thro' dark Meanders pass,
Till all assembled in the Cava Vein
Bring to the Heart's right Side their Crimson Train;
291
The Flood, that thro' the secret Passes strives.
The Road that to the Lungs this Store transmits
Into unnumber'd narrow Channels splits.
The venal Blood crowds thro' the winding Ways,
And thro' the Tubes the broken Tyde conveys:
Those num'rous Streams, their Rosy Beauty gone,
Poor by Expence, and faint with Labour grown,
Are in the Lungs enrich'd, which reinspire
The languid Liquors, and restore their Fire.
The large Arterial Ducts that thither lead,
By which the Blood is from the Heart convey'd
Thro' either Lobe ten thousand Branches spread.
Here its bright Stream the bounding Current parts,
And thro' the various Passes swiftly darts:
Each subtle Pipe, each winding Channel fills
With sprightly Liquors, and with purple Rills:
The Pipe, distinguish'd by its gristly Rings,
To cherish Life Aerial Pasture brings;
Which the soft breathing Lungs with gentle Force
Constant embrace by Turns, by Turns divorce:
The springy Air this nitrous Food impells
Thro' all the spungy Parts and bladder'd Cells,
And with dilating Breath the Vital Bellows swells.
Th' admitted Nitre agitates the Flood,
Revives its Fire, and referments the Blood.
Behold, the Streams now change their languid Blue,
Regain their Glory, and their Flame renew.
With Scarlet Honours re-adorn'd the Tide
Leaps on, and bright with more than Tyrian Pride,
Advances to the Heart, and fills the Cave
On the Left Side, which the first Motion gave.
Now thro' the same involv'd Arterial Ways,
Th' exploded Jets th' Impulsive Engine plays.
By which the Blood is from the Heart convey'd
Thro' either Lobe ten thousand Branches spread.
Here its bright Stream the bounding Current parts,
And thro' the various Passes swiftly darts:
Each subtle Pipe, each winding Channel fills
With sprightly Liquors, and with purple Rills:
292
To cherish Life Aerial Pasture brings;
Which the soft breathing Lungs with gentle Force
Constant embrace by Turns, by Turns divorce:
The springy Air this nitrous Food impells
Thro' all the spungy Parts and bladder'd Cells,
And with dilating Breath the Vital Bellows swells.
Th' admitted Nitre agitates the Flood,
Revives its Fire, and referments the Blood.
Behold, the Streams now change their languid Blue,
Regain their Glory, and their Flame renew.
With Scarlet Honours re-adorn'd the Tide
Leaps on, and bright with more than Tyrian Pride,
Advances to the Heart, and fills the Cave
On the Left Side, which the first Motion gave.
Now thro' the same involv'd Arterial Ways,
Th' exploded Jets th' Impulsive Engine plays.
293
No Sons of Wisdom could this Current trace,
Or of th' Ionic, or Italic Race:
From thee, Democritus, it lay conceal'd,
Tho' yielding Nature much to thee reveal'd.
Tho' with the curious Knife thou didst invade
Her dark Recesses, and hast oft display'd
The Crimson Mazes, and the hollow Road,
Which to the Heart conveys the refluent Blood.
It was to thee, great Stagyrite, unknown,
And thy Preceptor of Divine Renown.
Learning did ne'er this secret Truth impart
To the Greek Masters of the healing Art.
'Twas by the Coan's piercing Eye unview'd,
And did attentive Galen's Search elude.
Or of th' Ionic, or Italic Race:
From thee, Democritus, it lay conceal'd,
Tho' yielding Nature much to thee reveal'd.
Tho' with the curious Knife thou didst invade
Her dark Recesses, and hast oft display'd
The Crimson Mazes, and the hollow Road,
Which to the Heart conveys the refluent Blood.
It was to thee, great Stagyrite, unknown,
And thy Preceptor of Divine Renown.
Learning did ne'er this secret Truth impart
To the Greek Masters of the healing Art.
'Twas by the Coan's piercing Eye unview'd,
And did attentive Galen's Search elude.
Thou, wondrous Harvey, whose Immortal Fame,
By thee instructed, grateful Schools proclaim,
Thou, Albion's Pride, didst first the winding Way,
And circling Life's dark Labyrinth display.
Attentive from the Heart thou didst pursue
The starting Flood, and keep it still in view,
Till thou with Rapture saw'st the Channels bring
The Purple Currents back, and form the Vital Ring.
By thee instructed, grateful Schools proclaim,
294
And circling Life's dark Labyrinth display.
Attentive from the Heart thou didst pursue
The starting Flood, and keep it still in view,
Till thou with Rapture saw'st the Channels bring
The Purple Currents back, and form the Vital Ring.
See, how the Human Animal is fed,
How Nourishment is wrought, and how convey'd
The Mouth with proper Faculties endu'd
First entertains, and then divides the Food.
Two adverse Rows of Teeth the Meat prepare
On which the Glands fermenting Juice confer.
Nature has various tender Muscles plac'd,
By which the artful Gullet is embrac'd:
Some the long Funnel's curious Mouth extend
Thro' which ingested Meats with Ease descend
Other confederate Pairs for Nature's Use
Contract the Fibres, and the Twitch produce
Which gently pushes on the grateful Food
To the wide Stomach, by its hollow Road.
That this long Road may unobstructed go,
As it descends, it bores the Midriff thro'.
The large Receiver for Concoction made
Behold amidst the warmest Bowels laid.
The Spleen to this, and to the adverse Side
The glowing Liver's Comfort is apply'd.
Beneath, the Pancreas has its proper Seat,
To cheer its Neighbour, and augment its Heat.
More to assist it for its destin'd Use,
This ample Bag is stor'd with active Juice,
Which can with Ease subdue, with Ease unbind
Admitted Meats of ev'ry diff'rent Kind.
This pow'rful Ferment mingling with the Parts,
The leven'd Mass to milky Chyle converts.
The Stomach's Fibres this concocted Food
By their Contraction's gentle Force exclude;
Which by the Mouth on the right Side descends
Thro' the wide Pass, which from that Mouth depends.
In its Progression soon the labour'd Chyle
Receives the confluent Rills of bitter Bile,
Which by the Liver sever'd from the Blood,
And striving thro' the Gall-pipe, here unload
Their yellow Streams, more to refine the Flood.
The complicated Glands, in various Ranks
Dispos'd along the neighb'ring Channel's Banks,
By constant weeping mix their watry Store
With the Chyle's Current, and dilute it more.
Th' intestine Roads inflected and inclin'd
In various Convolutions turn and wind,
That these Meanders may the Progress stay,
And the descending Chyle by this Delay
May thro' the milky Vessels find its way:
Whose little Mouths in the large Channel's Side
Suck in the Flood, and drink the cheering Tide.
These num'rous Veins, such is the curious Frame,
Receive the pure insinuating Stream;
But no corrupt or dreggy Parts admit
To form the Blood, or feed the Limbs unfit.
Th' Intestine spiral Fibres these protrude,
And from the winding Tubes at length exclude.
How Nourishment is wrought, and how convey'd
The Mouth with proper Faculties endu'd
First entertains, and then divides the Food.
Two adverse Rows of Teeth the Meat prepare
On which the Glands fermenting Juice confer.
Nature has various tender Muscles plac'd,
By which the artful Gullet is embrac'd:
Some the long Funnel's curious Mouth extend
Thro' which ingested Meats with Ease descend
295
Contract the Fibres, and the Twitch produce
Which gently pushes on the grateful Food
To the wide Stomach, by its hollow Road.
That this long Road may unobstructed go,
As it descends, it bores the Midriff thro'.
The large Receiver for Concoction made
Behold amidst the warmest Bowels laid.
The Spleen to this, and to the adverse Side
The glowing Liver's Comfort is apply'd.
Beneath, the Pancreas has its proper Seat,
To cheer its Neighbour, and augment its Heat.
More to assist it for its destin'd Use,
This ample Bag is stor'd with active Juice,
Which can with Ease subdue, with Ease unbind
Admitted Meats of ev'ry diff'rent Kind.
This pow'rful Ferment mingling with the Parts,
The leven'd Mass to milky Chyle converts.
296
By their Contraction's gentle Force exclude;
Which by the Mouth on the right Side descends
Thro' the wide Pass, which from that Mouth depends.
In its Progression soon the labour'd Chyle
Receives the confluent Rills of bitter Bile,
Which by the Liver sever'd from the Blood,
And striving thro' the Gall-pipe, here unload
Their yellow Streams, more to refine the Flood.
The complicated Glands, in various Ranks
Dispos'd along the neighb'ring Channel's Banks,
By constant weeping mix their watry Store
With the Chyle's Current, and dilute it more.
Th' intestine Roads inflected and inclin'd
In various Convolutions turn and wind,
That these Meanders may the Progress stay,
And the descending Chyle by this Delay
May thro' the milky Vessels find its way:
297
Suck in the Flood, and drink the cheering Tide.
These num'rous Veins, such is the curious Frame,
Receive the pure insinuating Stream;
But no corrupt or dreggy Parts admit
To form the Blood, or feed the Limbs unfit.
Th' Intestine spiral Fibres these protrude,
And from the winding Tubes at length exclude.
Observe, these small Canals conspire to make
With all their Treasure one capacious Lake,
Whose common Receptacle entertains
Th' united Streams of all the Lacteal Veins.
Hither the Rills of Water are convey'd
In curious Aquæducts by Nature laid
To carry all the limpid Humour strain'd
And from the Blood divided by the Gland;
Which mingling Currents with the milky Juice
Makes it more apt to flow, more fit for Use.
These Liquors, which the wide Receiver fill,
Prepar'd with Labour, and refin'd with Skill,
Another Course to distant Parts begin,
Thro' Roads that stretch along the Back within.
This useful Channel, lately known, ascends,
And in the Vein near the left Shoulder ends;
Which there unloads its Wealth, that with the Blood
Now flows in one incorporated Flood.
Soon by the Vein 'tis to the Heart convey'd,
And is by that Elastick Engine play'd
Into the Lungs, whence, as describ'd before,
It onward springs, and makes the wondrous Tour
With all their Treasure one capacious Lake,
Whose common Receptacle entertains
Th' united Streams of all the Lacteal Veins.
Hither the Rills of Water are convey'd
In curious Aquæducts by Nature laid
To carry all the limpid Humour strain'd
And from the Blood divided by the Gland;
298
Makes it more apt to flow, more fit for Use.
These Liquors, which the wide Receiver fill,
Prepar'd with Labour, and refin'd with Skill,
Another Course to distant Parts begin,
Thro' Roads that stretch along the Back within.
This useful Channel, lately known, ascends,
And in the Vein near the left Shoulder ends;
Which there unloads its Wealth, that with the Blood
Now flows in one incorporated Flood.
Soon by the Vein 'tis to the Heart convey'd,
And is by that Elastick Engine play'd
Into the Lungs, whence, as describ'd before,
It onward springs, and makes the wondrous Tour
Now all the Banks the branching River laves
With dancing Streams, and animated Waves;
New florid Honours and gay Youth bestows,
Diffusing vital Vigour, where it flows;
Supplies fresh Spirits to the living Frame,
And kindles in the Eyes a brighter Flame.
Muscles impair'd receive new fibrous Thread,
And ev'ry Bone is with rich Marrow fed:
Nature revives, cheer'd with the wealthy Tide,
And Life regal'd displays its purple Pride.
With dancing Streams, and animated Waves;
299
Diffusing vital Vigour, where it flows;
Supplies fresh Spirits to the living Frame,
And kindles in the Eyes a brighter Flame.
Muscles impair'd receive new fibrous Thread,
And ev'ry Bone is with rich Marrow fed:
Nature revives, cheer'd with the wealthy Tide,
And Life regal'd displays its purple Pride.
But how the wondrous Distribution's made,
How to each Part its proper Food convey'd;
How fibrous Strings for Nourishment are wrought;
By what Conveyance to the Muscles brought;
How rang'd for Motion, how for Beauty mix'd;
With vital Cement how th'Extreams are fix'd;
How they agree in various Ways to join,
In a transverse, a straight, and crooked Line;
Here lost in Wonder we adoring stand,
With Rapture own the wise Director's Hand,
Who Nature made, and does her Works command.
How to each Part its proper Food convey'd;
How fibrous Strings for Nourishment are wrought;
By what Conveyance to the Muscles brought;
How rang'd for Motion, how for Beauty mix'd;
With vital Cement how th'Extreams are fix'd;
How they agree in various Ways to join,
In a transverse, a straight, and crooked Line;
300
With Rapture own the wise Director's Hand,
Who Nature made, and does her Works command.
Let us howe'er the Theme as far pursue,
As learn'd Observers know, or think they do.
As learn'd Observers know, or think they do.
Mixt with the Blood in the same circling Tide
The Rills nutritious thro' the Vessels glide:
Those Pipes still less'ning as they further pass,
Retard the Progress of the flowing Mass.
The Glands, that Nature o'er the Body spreads
All artful Knots of various hollow Threads,
Which Lymphæducts, an Art'ry, Nerve and Vein
Involv'd and close together wound contain,
Make yet the Motion of the Streams more slow,
Which thro' those Mazes intricate must flow.
And hence it comes the interrupted Blood
Distends its Channels with its swelling Flood.
Those Channels turgid with th' obstructed Tide
Stretch their small Holes, and make their Meshes wide,
By skilful Nature pierc'd on ev'ry Side.
Mean time the labour'd Chyle pervades the Pores
In all th' arterial perforated Shores.
The liquid Food, which thro' those Passes strives,
To ev'ry Part just Reparation gives:
Thro' Holes of various Figures various Juice
Insinuates, to serve for Nature's Use.
See, softer Fibres to the Flesh are sent,
While the thin Membrane finer Strings augment.
The tough and strong are on the Sinews laid,
And to the Bones the harder are convey'd.
But what the Mass nutritious does divide,
To diff'rent Parts the diff'rent Portions guide;
What makes them aptly to the Limbs adhere,
In Youth augment them, and in Age repair,
The deepest Search could never yet declare.
The Rills nutritious thro' the Vessels glide:
Those Pipes still less'ning as they further pass,
Retard the Progress of the flowing Mass.
The Glands, that Nature o'er the Body spreads
All artful Knots of various hollow Threads,
Which Lymphæducts, an Art'ry, Nerve and Vein
Involv'd and close together wound contain,
Make yet the Motion of the Streams more slow,
Which thro' those Mazes intricate must flow.
301
Distends its Channels with its swelling Flood.
Those Channels turgid with th' obstructed Tide
Stretch their small Holes, and make their Meshes wide,
By skilful Nature pierc'd on ev'ry Side.
Mean time the labour'd Chyle pervades the Pores
In all th' arterial perforated Shores.
The liquid Food, which thro' those Passes strives,
To ev'ry Part just Reparation gives:
Thro' Holes of various Figures various Juice
Insinuates, to serve for Nature's Use.
See, softer Fibres to the Flesh are sent,
While the thin Membrane finer Strings augment.
The tough and strong are on the Sinews laid,
And to the Bones the harder are convey'd.
But what the Mass nutritious does divide,
To diff'rent Parts the diff'rent Portions guide;
302
In Youth augment them, and in Age repair,
The deepest Search could never yet declare.
Nor less Contrivance, nor less curious Art
Surprize, and please in ev'ry other Part.
See, how the Nerves with equal Wisdom made,
Arising from the tender Brain, pervade
And secret pass in Pairs the channell'd Bone,
And thence advance thro' Paths and Roads unknown.
Form'd of the finest complicated Thread,
These num'rous Cords are thro' the Body spread.
A thousand Branches from each Trunk they send,
Some to the Limbs, some to the Bowels tend.
Some in strait Lines, some in Transverse are found,
One forms a Crooked Figure, one a Round.
The Entrails these embrace in spiral Strings,
Those clasp th' arterial Tubes in tender Rings:
The Tendons some compacted close produce,
And some thin Fibres for the Skin diffuse.
Surprize, and please in ev'ry other Part.
See, how the Nerves with equal Wisdom made,
Arising from the tender Brain, pervade
And secret pass in Pairs the channell'd Bone,
And thence advance thro' Paths and Roads unknown.
Form'd of the finest complicated Thread,
These num'rous Cords are thro' the Body spread.
A thousand Branches from each Trunk they send,
Some to the Limbs, some to the Bowels tend.
Some in strait Lines, some in Transverse are found,
One forms a Crooked Figure, one a Round.
303
Those clasp th' arterial Tubes in tender Rings:
The Tendons some compacted close produce,
And some thin Fibres for the Skin diffuse.
These subtle Channels, such is ev'ry Nerve,
For vital Functions, Sense, and Motion serve.
Included Spirits thro' their secret Road
Pass to and fro, and thro' the Veins the Blood.
Some to the Heart advancing take their way,
Which move and make the beating Muscle play.
Part to the Spleen, part to the Liver flows,
These to the Lungs, and to the Stomach Those.
They help to labour and concoct the Food,
Refine the Chyle, and animate the Blood:
Exalt the Ferments, and the Strainers aid,
That by a constant Separation made,
They may a due Oeconomy maintain,
Exclude the noxious Parts, the good retain.
For vital Functions, Sense, and Motion serve.
Included Spirits thro' their secret Road
Pass to and fro, and thro' the Veins the Blood.
Some to the Heart advancing take their way,
Which move and make the beating Muscle play.
Part to the Spleen, part to the Liver flows,
These to the Lungs, and to the Stomach Those.
They help to labour and concoct the Food,
Refine the Chyle, and animate the Blood:
Exalt the Ferments, and the Strainers aid,
That by a constant Separation made,
304
Exclude the noxious Parts, the good retain.
Yet we these wondrous Functions ne'er perceive,
Functions, by which we move, by which we live:
Unconscious we these Motions never heed,
Whether they err, or by just Laws proceed.
Functions, by which we move, by which we live:
Unconscious we these Motions never heed,
Whether they err, or by just Laws proceed.
But other Spirits govern'd by the Will
Shoot thro' their Tracks, and distant Muscles fill.
This Sov'raign by his arbitrary Nod
Restrains, or sends his Ministers abroad.
Swift and obedient to his high Command,
They stir a Finger, or they lift a Hand;
They tune our Voices, or they move our Eyes;
By these we walk, or from the Ground arise:
By these we turn, by these the Body bend;
Contract a Limb at Pleasure, or extend.
And tho' these Spirits, which obsequious go,
Know not the Paths, thro' which they ready flow,
Nor can our Mind instruct them in their Way,
Of all their Roads as ignorant, as they;
Yet seldom erring they attain their End,
And reach that single Part, which we intend.
Unguided they a just Distinction make,
This Muscle swell, and leave the other slack.
And when their Force this Limb or that inflects,
Our Will the Measure of that Force directs,
The Spirits which distend them, as we please
Exert their Pow'r, or from their Duty cease.
Shoot thro' their Tracks, and distant Muscles fill.
This Sov'raign by his arbitrary Nod
Restrains, or sends his Ministers abroad.
Swift and obedient to his high Command,
They stir a Finger, or they lift a Hand;
They tune our Voices, or they move our Eyes;
By these we walk, or from the Ground arise:
305
Contract a Limb at Pleasure, or extend.
And tho' these Spirits, which obsequious go,
Know not the Paths, thro' which they ready flow,
Nor can our Mind instruct them in their Way,
Of all their Roads as ignorant, as they;
Yet seldom erring they attain their End,
And reach that single Part, which we intend.
Unguided they a just Distinction make,
This Muscle swell, and leave the other slack.
And when their Force this Limb or that inflects,
Our Will the Measure of that Force directs,
The Spirits which distend them, as we please
Exert their Pow'r, or from their Duty cease.
These Out-guards of the Mind are sent abroad,
And still patrolling beat the neighb'ring Road:
Or to the Parts remote obedient fly,
Keep Posts advanc'd, and on the Frontier lye.
The watchful Centinels at ev'ry Gate,
At ev'ry Passage to the Senses wait.
Still travel to and fro the Nervous way,
And their Impressions to the Brain convey,
Where their Report the Vital Envoys make,
And with new Orders are remanded back.
Quick, as a darted Beam of Light, they go,
Thro' diff'rent Paths to diff'rent Organs flow,
Whence they reflect as swiftly to the Brain,
To give it Pleasure, or to give it Pain.
And still patrolling beat the neighb'ring Road:
306
Keep Posts advanc'd, and on the Frontier lye.
The watchful Centinels at ev'ry Gate,
At ev'ry Passage to the Senses wait.
Still travel to and fro the Nervous way,
And their Impressions to the Brain convey,
Where their Report the Vital Envoys make,
And with new Orders are remanded back.
Quick, as a darted Beam of Light, they go,
Thro' diff'rent Paths to diff'rent Organs flow,
Whence they reflect as swiftly to the Brain,
To give it Pleasure, or to give it Pain.
Thus has the Muse a daring Wing display'd,
Thro' trackless Skies ambitious Flight essay'd,
To sing the Wonders of the Human Frame;
But oh! bewails her weak, unequal Flame.
Ye skilful Masters of Machaon's Race,
Who Nature's mazy Intricacies trace,
And to sublimer Spheres of Knowledge rise
By manag'd Fire, and late-invented Eyes;
Tell, how your Search has here eluded been,
How oft amaz'd and ravish'd you have seen
The Conduct, Prudence, and stupendous Art,
And Master-strokes in each Mechanic Part.
Tell, what delightful Mysteries remain
Unsung, which my inferior Voice disdain.
Thro' trackless Skies ambitious Flight essay'd,
To sing the Wonders of the Human Frame;
But oh! bewails her weak, unequal Flame.
307
Who Nature's mazy Intricacies trace,
And to sublimer Spheres of Knowledge rise
By manag'd Fire, and late-invented Eyes;
Tell, how your Search has here eluded been,
How oft amaz'd and ravish'd you have seen
The Conduct, Prudence, and stupendous Art,
And Master-strokes in each Mechanic Part.
Tell, what delightful Mysteries remain
Unsung, which my inferior Voice disdain.
Who can this Field of Miracles survey,
And not with Galen all in Rapture say,
Behold a God, Adore him, and Obey!
And not with Galen all in Rapture say,
Behold a God, Adore him, and Obey!
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