in Nature as they are in Place from the Terreftrial, and from each other. Whence it will follow that these must be much more infinite than the Stars: I do not mean absolutely according to Philofophick exactness infinite, but only infinite or innumerable as to us, or their number prodigiously great.

That the fix'd Stars are innumerable, may thus be made out: Thofe vifible to the naked Eye are by the leaft account acknowledg'd to be above a Thousand, excluding those towards the South Pole, which are not vifible in our Horizon: Befides thefe, there have been incomparably more detected and brought to light by the Telescope, the Milky-way being found to be (as was formerly conjectur'd) nothing but great companies or fwarms of minute Stars fingly invifible, but by reafon of their proximity mingling and confounding their Lights, and appearing like lucid Clouds. And it's likely that, had we more perfect Telescopes, many thousands more might be discovered and yet, after all, an incredible multitude remain, by reafon of their immenfe distance beyond all Ken by the best Telescopes that could poffibly be invented or polifh'd by the Wit and Hand of an Angel. For if the World be, as Des Cartes would have it, indefinitely extended; that is, so far as no human Intellect can fanfie any bounds of it; then what we fee, or can come to fee, muft be the leaft part of what is undiscoverable by us, the whole Universe extending a Thousand times farther beyond the C2.

utmost

utmoft Stars we can poffibly defery, than thofe be diftant from the Earth we live upon. This Hypothefis of the fix'd Stars being fo many Suns, &c. feems more agreeable to the Divine Greathefs and Magnificence. But that which induces me much to doubt of the Magnitude of the Univerfe, and immenfe Distance of the fix'd Stars, is the Stupendous Phenomena of Comets, their fudden accenfion or appearance in full Magnitude, the length of their Tails and swiftnefs of their Motion, and gradual diminution of Bulk and Motion, 'till at laft they difappear. That the Univerfe is indefinitely extended, Des Cartes upon a falfe ground [that the formal ratio of a Body was nothing but Extenfion into length, breadth and profundity, or having partes extra partes, and that Body and Space were fynonymous Terms] afferted It may as well be limited this way, as in the old Hypothefis, which places the fix'd Stars in the fame fpherical Superficies; according to which (old Hypothefis) they may also be demonftrated by the fame Mediums to be innumerable, only inftead of their diftance fubftituting their Smalnefs for the reafon of their Invifibility.

But leaving the Cæleftial Bodies, I come now to the Terreftrial, which are either inanis mate or animate. The inanimate are the Elements, Meteors and Foffils, of all forts, at the Number of which laft I cannot give any probable guess. But if the Rule, which fome confiderate Philofophers deliver, holds good, viz.

how

how much more imperfect any Genus or Order of Beings is, fo much more numerous are the Species contain'd under it: As for example; Birds being a more perfect kind of Animals than Fishes, there are more of thefe than of thofe ; and for the like reafon more Birds than Qua drupeds, and more Infects than of any of the rest, and so more Plants than Animals, Nature being more fparing in her more excellent Productions. If this Rule, I fay, holds good, then should there be more Species of Foffils, or generally of inanimate Bodies, than of e egetables, of which there is fome reafon to doubt, unlefs we will admit all forts of formed Stones to be diftinct Species.

Animate Bodies are divided into four great Genera or Orders, Beafts, Birds, Fibes and Infects.

The Species of Beafts, including alfo Serpents, are not very numerous; of fuch as are certainly known and defcrib'd, I dare fay not above 150. And yet I believe not many, that are of any confiderable bignefs, in the known Regions of the World, have efcap'd the Cognizance of the Curious. [I reckon all Dogs to be of one Species, they mingling together in Generation, and the Breed of fuch Mixtures being prolifick.]

The Number of Birds known and defcrib'd may be near 500; and the Number of Fishes, fecluding Shell-fifh, as many; but if the Shellfish be taken in, more than fix times the number. How many of each Genus remain yet undiscover'd, one cannot certainly nor very nearC 3

ly

ly conjecture; but we may fuppofe the whole fum of Beafts and Birds to exceed by a third part, and Fishes by one half, those known.

The Infects, if we take in the Exanguious both Terrestrial and Aquatick, may, in derogation to the precedent Rule, for number, vie even with Plants themfelves: for the Exanguious alone, by what that Learned and Critical Naturalift, my honour'd Friend, Dr. Martin Lifter, hath already obferv'd and delineated, Í conjecture, cannot be fewer than 3000 Species, perhaps many more.

The Butterflies and Beetles are fuch numerous Tribes, that I believe in our own native Country alone the Species of each kind may a mount to 150 or more. And if we should make the Catterpillers and Hexapods, from whence thefe come, to be diftinct Species, as.moft Naturalifts have done, the number will be doubled, and thefe 2 Genera will afford us 600 Species. But if thofe be admitted for diftinct Species, I fee no reafon but their Aurelia alfo may pretend to a specifick Difference from the Catterpillers and Butterflies, and fo we shall have 300 Species more; therefore we exclude both thefe from the degree of Species, making them to be the fame Infect under a different Larva or Habit.

The Fly-kind, if under that name we comprehend all other flying Infects, as well fuch as have four, as fuch as have but two Wings, of both which kinds there are many fubordinate Genera will be found in multitude of Species,

tq

to equal, if not exceed, both the formention'd kinds.

The creeping Infects that never come to be wing'd, tho' for number they may fall short of the flying or winged, yet are they also very numerous; as by running over the feveral Kinds I could easily demonftrate. Suppofing then there be a Thousand feveral forts of Infects in this Island and the Sea near it, if the fame proportion holds between the Infects native of England, and thofe of the reft of the World, as doth between Plants domeftick and exotick, (that is, as I guess, near a Decuple) the Species of Infects in the whole Earth (Land and Water) will amount to 10000, and I do believe they rather exceed than fall fhort of that fumm. Since the writing hereof, having this Summer, Ann. 1691, with fome diligence profécuted the History of our English Infects, and making Collections of the feveral Species of each Tribe, but particularly and especially of the Butterflies, both nocturnal and diurnal, I find the number of fuch of these alone as breed in our Neighbourhood [about Braintree and Noteley in Effex] to exceed the fum I laft Year affign'd to all England, having my felf obferv'd and defcrib'd about 200 Kinds great and small, many yet remaining, as I have good reafon to believe, by me undifcover'd. This I have, fince the writing hereof, found true in Experience, having every Year obferv'd not a few new Kinds: Nor do I think that, if I should live 20 Years longer, I should by my utmoft Diligence and Induftry in fearch