TOprove theLegitimacyof thisBIRTH, and thePossibilityof thisMonth’s producing avital Child, I need not confine myself to theJudgmentsof the most Wise and DivineHippocrates,Galen, andothers, nor to thePrinciplesofPhysickin particular: but may justly appeal to All the rest of theLiberal ArtsandSciences, which (as far as I am duly acquainted with them) generally agree inDefenceof This Position.
ITis (however) certain, that theChildbornbeforetheTwentieth Dayof thisMonthis commonlyweakandinfirm. And for that Reason thelatertheBIRTHhappens in theMonth, the morebriskandlivelyis theChild: As I have more than once observ’d, that theLatter Part(about the210thDayfromCONCEPTION) hath produced as sprightly vivaciousChildrenas any at All. Wherefore, in short, I cannot help having full as good an Opinion of such aChildborn about thelastof theSEVENTH, as of any such born in the beginning of theNinth Month, provided it be not expell’d by somepreternatural Cause.
TOexamine this nice Matter a little more clearly, let us inspect into theNatureandQualityof theMonth: In order to which, I hope, we may rationally observe,
I.THAT(according to the bestAstrologers) the latter of thePlanets, (theMoon) influentially presides over theInfantin thisMonth; whose frigid and humidQualitysare thought to afford the severalPartsof it a certainFatness, thereby relaxing and easily distending theMatrix: Which being done, and theChildnow perfected by the whole Body of thePlanets, that haveAllparticularly (in their order) duly discharg’d their respectiveFunctionstowards its Perfection; provided it has a Competency ofStrengthandVigour, it forwardly appears about the Close of thisMonthwith greatEaseandFacility, and may continue bothHealthyandLivelyafter itsBirth.
II.THISis universally acknowledged to be aperfectandcompleatNumber; from whenceCicerocalls itNODUS OMNIUM, or theKnot of all Things. As the WisePythagoreansjustly term it otherwise theVehicle of Man’s Life: Not only because that, according to theViolenceof anyDisease, and theStrengthof thePatient, aCRISIShappens either in theSeventh, or themultiply’d Seventh Day; but also because, asConceptionis certain uponSeven-Hours Retention; and the Work ofCoagulationperfected inSeven Days, so may That of fullMaturitybe inSeven Months, and accordingly thisMONTHmay very reasonably producevital Children. But by the way,
HOWEVERfictitious such things as savour ofAstrology, may be reckon’d bySome, yet who knows not that theSeventh Hour, andSeventh Dayafter itsBIRTH,determines theChildeither toLifeorDeath? Who does not well know, That in theSeventh Month, itsTeethbegin to break out and appear? That in theSeventh Year(according toPlutarch) it changes itsTeeth? Who does not find, That[115]theAge of Mandepends uponSEPTENARY Mutations? That theFirst Seven Yearsconclude hisInfancy; as theSecondfinish hisPueritia, orChildhood; and theThirdcompleat hisAdolescentia, orYouthful Growing Age? To which hisJuventus, or more vigorousYouthfulness, succeeds; which is absolv’d intwice Seven Yearsmore: For inThis JuvenileAge, theBodyattains to its fullStature; as theBones,Membranes, andFibresarrive to their due Solidity.
THISagain is succeeded by theFifth, call’dVirilitas, theVirileorManly Age; consisting oftwice Seven Yearsmore, being in allSeven times Seven Years: In whichManhood, theFacultysof theMind, as well as theStrengthof theBody, are most resplendent and perfect; tho’ in almost AllWomen, theGenerative Powerbegins to cease at thisAge, as theirTermscommonly do, however, not without a greatDisorderof the Motion of theBlood.
THESixth Ageof Man, or theSenectus, is compos’d oftwice Seven Yearsmore, and extends itself toSixty Three: InThis Old AgetheNatural VIGOURvery much declines, theBODYwaxes bothdryandlean, theMEMORYbegins to fail, and thePERSONgrows moreAnxious,CarefulandCovetous. As in theSeventhandLast Age, (orDotage, as it were) he becomesFeebleandDecrepit; which generally consists ofSeven Yearsmore. So that, in fine, according to this very rational and plausibleComputation, of the Learned and most Ingenious Dr.Sprengell, theAgeandLifeofManis commonly reckon’d to amount toSeven times Ten Years.
ITis also farther observable, that as theSoulof Man hassevendifferentAppellations, according to its sevenprincipalOffices, (as amply appears bySect.I.Chap.4.) so there areSEVEN Degreesin theBody, to compleat itsDimensions; viz.Marrow,Bone,Nerve,Vein,Artery,Flesh, andSkin: As there are alsoSEVENin Number, which (according toMacrobius) theGreekscallBLACK MEMBERS; viz. theTongue,Heart,Lungs,Liver,Spleen, andTwo Kidneys, to consummate theCompositum. Yea,Hippocrates[116]himself confirms theEfficacyandPræstancy,FulnessandPerfectionof this Number.
I have also remarkably observ’d, that the NumberSevenis most powerful and signally predominant inCœlestials; as theSeven Circlesin theHeavens, according to theLongitude of the Axle-Tree: TheSeven Starsabout theArtick-Pole, calledCharles’s-Wain: TheSeven Starsalso call’dPleiades: TheSeven Planets, giving Names to theSeven Days of theWeek: ThePeriodical Revolutionof theMooneverySeventh Day, running round the Compass of the wholeZodiackinFour Times Seven Days; that is, considering herPhasesas obverted to theSun. AndLinus, a most ancient celebrated Poet, sings thus:
“Septima cùm venit Lux, cuncta absolvere cœpit“Omnipotens Pater, atque bonis, & Septima, & ipsa,“Est etiam rerum cunctarum Septima Origo;“Septima prima eadem perfecta, & Septima Septem,“Unde etiam Cœlum stellis errantibus aptum“Volvitur, & Circ’lis totidem circum undique fertur.
“Septima cùm venit Lux, cuncta absolvere cœpit“Omnipotens Pater, atque bonis, & Septima, & ipsa,“Est etiam rerum cunctarum Septima Origo;“Septima prima eadem perfecta, & Septima Septem,“Unde etiam Cœlum stellis errantibus aptum“Volvitur, & Circ’lis totidem circum undique fertur.
“Septima cùm venit Lux, cuncta absolvere cœpit“Omnipotens Pater, atque bonis, & Septima, & ipsa,“Est etiam rerum cunctarum Septima Origo;“Septima prima eadem perfecta, & Septima Septem,“Unde etiam Cœlum stellis errantibus aptum“Volvitur, & Circ’lis totidem circum undique fertur.
“Septima cùm venit Lux, cuncta absolvere cœpit
“Omnipotens Pater, atque bonis, & Septima, & ipsa,
“Est etiam rerum cunctarum Septima Origo;
“Septima prima eadem perfecta, & Septima Septem,
“Unde etiam Cœlum stellis errantibus aptum
“Volvitur, & Circ’lis totidem circum undique fertur.
THISNumberseems likewise to be of the greatest Esteem inReligion; and from hence among theHebrews, to swear, is call’dSEPTENARE[117], (that is, toprotestbySeven:) SoAbrahammaking theCovenantwithAbimelech, appointedSeven Ewe-Lambsfor a Testimony: TheSeventh Daythe GreatCREATORrested from his Work:JacobservedSeven Years:Seven Daysthe People bewail’d the Death ofJacob:Elisha(the Prophet) said untoNaaman(theSyrianCaptain) Go and wash thyselfSeven TimesinJordan, and thou shalt be made whole, and thy Flesh become clean: And, in fine,Davidsaid,Seven Timesa day do I praiseTHEE, because of thy righteous Judgments.
THESE, and innumerable such likeSentencesare not only couch’d in theBooksofMoses, and the wholeVolumeof theOld Testament; but also expresly contain’d in theGospel, and interspers’d through the wholeBulkof theNew: As theSeven Beatitudes, theSeven Virtues, theSeven Vices, theSeven Petitionsof theLORD’s PRAYER, theSeven Wordsof ourSAVIOURupon theCross, &c. But besides, in theApocalypseorRevelationof St.JOHN, this mysteriousNUMBERis most frequently mention’d, to denote itsEfficacyandExcellencyof representing someÆnigmaticalTruth or Emblem.
MOREOVER, theDivine Apostlesignifies and sets forth there, thePersecutionof theCHURCH(under the Tyrants,Domitian,Trajan, &c. which began in thePrimitive CHURCHin his own Days, and continued for three hundred Years, even to the Reign ofConstantinethe Great) by theAllegoryof[118]SEVEN SEALS. He figures out theHeresysof theARIANS, &c. (from the Time ofConstantineto the Reign ofTheodosius, being three hundred Years more) by that of[119]SEVEN TRUMPETS. And, in fine, he mystically alludes to the futurePlaguesofANTI-CHRIST(from the Time ofPope Bonifacius, to these our present Days) by[120]SEVEN VIALS, according to the Interpretation of that most Learned Divine,Peter PalladiusBishop ofRochel.
I say, with Submission to wiser Heads, thatTheseand the whole Train of those SacredAllegorical Allusionsused in thisBook, might have been as pertinently express’d by anyother Number, as theSEPTENARY; were it not that, thisNumberbetter implies a certainFULNESSofSacred Mysterys: As I think thatNumberlikewise (in all rational probability) may properly portend here,PERFECTIONinMaturity, andCOMPLETIONinVitalityto everyFull Seven-MonthsChild.