CHAP. IXOf theMATURATIONof theINFANT.
NATURALISTSallow theInfant, for its ripening in theWomb, and to the legitimateTime of Birth, treble theSpacethatAnimationhad; asPhysiciansagree in allowingthistreble the Time that thefirst Motionhad fromConception: and from hence the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th,&c.are calledripening Months.
INthefourth Month, Astrologerswill have thePlanetSolto reign over theInfant; whosecalid Qualitygives it entireLife, fully perfecting theMembers, excavating theBones, and amplifying thePoresandPassagesof the Body.
AS, in theFifth,Venuspresides over theInfant; who, by herFrigidityandHumidity, mitigates theHeatandSiccityimpressed on it by thesuperiour Planets, absolutely perfecting theLineamentsof theexternal Members. According to which Principles, she, in a word, forms thePrivitiesof bothSexes; and adds Beauty and Ornament to theNose,Mouth,Hands,Fingers, and all the rest of thevisible Parts.
ASalso, in thesixth Month,Mercurytakes his Turn to assist theInfant, which puts the last finishing Hand to theWork; perfecting theOrgansof theVoice, enlarging theEyes,Eye-lids,Brows, andNails; promoting and confirming theInstrumentsofMotion; and at last, absolving and compleating whatever theothershave commenced.
I shall only fartherhypotheticallyobserve, that, if theInfantwas perfectlyform’dabout the 35thDay, it wasanimatedabout the 70th, and consequently will bebornabout the 210thDay, the last of the 7thMonth.
IFtheFormationwas perfected about the 40thDay, theAnimationhappen’d about the 80th, and theBIRTHwill (unluckily) happen towards the close of the 8thMonth.
IFFormationhappen’d the 45th,Animationfollow’d the 90thDay, and theBIRTHwill succeed about the close of 9Months.
IFFormationwas compleated the 50th,Animationfollow’d the 100th Day, and consequently theBIRTH[21]will appear about the last of 10Months; and so of any other certainTime, definiteDay, or statedHour.
ITis, in all the above-mentionedCases, to be farther animadverted, that theMale, as he proceeds from the morecalid,siccid, andspirituous Seed, arrives sooner to Perfection inFormationandAnimation; and is consequentlysooner bornthan theFemale, whoseNatureis morecold,flaccid, andweak, even in theWomb: Hence an Allowance of a few Days more or less[22], may be justly made, according to theSex.