AS it is an Auspicious Crisis which happens any Time of the Critical Day, whether anticipated or postponed by a few Hours: And as the Fruit of Trees have their constituted Time of Maturity, which notwithstanding some are perfected sooner, and some later; so (I think) it may be also in the present Case of Births.
HOWEVER yet, to go a little further, without Offence: As to the Legitimacy of BIRTHS, I don’t see any Reason why every Birth, producing a vital Child, may not be justly esteemed timely lawful, whether it be of the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, or eleventh Month: But because few of our antient and learned Predecessors have been inclined to admit any standing RULE of such a large Extent, in this CASE we shall be far from desiring to establish any New One, or advance any Paradox.
I SHALL therefore (in this Place) only touch upon That which most Authors seem to have agreed upon, and reckon the most common Legitimate Birth; namely, which happens (at the soonest) about the 260th Day from CONCEPTION, being the first of the 38th Week, or the 20th of the ninth Month; as it doth also sometimes fall out (ten Days later) about the 270th, when it is neither too soon, nor too late; and which likewise (at the latest) happens before the 280th Day; that is, the last of the 40th Week, or the 10th Day of the 10th Month.
BUT This (if I may be permitted to speak my Mind) depends much upon the Time of Conception; it being my Opinion, that if the Woman did conceive when recently purged, I mean shortly after the natural Flux, she may bring forth in the beginning[[111]] of the 9th Month; whereas, if when the Menstrua were almost ready to flow, towards its Close, or later: And if in the Interval betwixt these Times, she may produce her Child in the middle of the Month: Because as Plants or Corn arrive much sooner to Maturity after the New than after the Full-Moon, so it may be also with the Fœtus, because of the more or less Vigour of the Womb.
HOWEVER, in short, it is to be observed, that in all these Cases, we may commonly allow a few more Days for the GIRL than the BOY, as appears from Sect. I. Chap. 9.
AND, in fine, according to the Opinion of the most Learned and Curious Practisers in MIDWIFERY, this BIRTH happens always[[112]] at the self-same Hour of the Day or Night, in which the Woman Conceiv’d: So that from hence it is, that most BIRTHS happen in the Night, or Dawning of the Day; wherefore they All agree, that a Legitimate BIRTH requires not only a certain definite Number of Days, but also of Hours, &c. To proceed therefore to
CHAP. XXXII.
Of an ILLEGITIMATE BIRTH.
AS an Illegitimate BIRTH also respects TIME, so That is only to be call’d so, which happens before or after the TIME instituted by the Law of Nature. Hence all unhappy ABORTIONS belong to this Head; which being largely handled (apart) in the Chapter just aforegoing, I shall only here cursorily touch upon That, which (in a distinct sense) is accounted an Illegitimate BIRTH.
THAT I may the better define This Sort of BIRTH, I shall first observe, that Nature has instituted Nothing rashly, nor in vain, neither does it ever act by Chance. She having then limited a certain Time (however at large) within which all Legitimate BIRTHS happen, and all vital Children are born; of consequence, whatever happens before or after that Time, is an Illegitimate BIRTH, and seldom or never produces a Living or Lively Child.