But, to return from this Digression, if the Woman was actually in Labour of the fifteenth Rabbit, why should Mr. Howard leave her, and stay with Mr. St. André till they call’d him again, when she was said to be in one of her Labour Pains? Here a wise Man would have smelt a Rat instead of a Rabbit: And much more, when this Woman in Labour Pains, and who had been in Labour some time then, nay fourteen times before, was found dress’d in her Stays, and sitting on the Bed-side; and that not for want of Help to put her to Bed; for there were several Women near her. A Man must have a spritely Genius for swallowing Imposture that was not stagger’d at such an Appearance. This sure it was that prompted Mr. St. André to wave all such Reflections, and proceed immediately to examine her; when, tho’ by his own Confession, he did not find the Parts prepar’d for her Labour, (which was another plain Indication of the Roguery) yet he was weak enough to wait for the coming on of fresh Pains, and, in three or four Minutes after, to think he deliver’d her of the intire Trunk, strip’d of its Skin, of a Rabbit about four Months Growth (he meant to have said, of an Animal of the Size and Figure of a Rabbit of four Months Growth) in which the Heart and Lungs were contain’d, with the Diaphragm intire. Well, what does my Gentleman then? He instantly cut of a piece of them, and tried them in Water; in which they swam, and when they were press’d to the Bottom, rose again. Now, it being notoriously the Property of the Lungs of a Fœtus to sink, and of a Creature which has been some time brought forth alive to swim, in Water; what but an absolute Prepossession in favour of this filthy Miracle, or a consummate Ignorance in these Matters could have hinder’d any sober Inquirer from being determin’d in relation to this Cheat, by the foregoing Trial? Yet Mr. St. André never boggles at this, nor at the Impossibility of the Trunk of such a Creature’s (suppos’d but just before to be alive) being stript of its Skin, by the contractive Faculty of the Womb; nor at the Woman’s being chearful and easy, and walking by her self from the Bed-side to the Fire the Moment she was deliver’d: But goes on conjecturing in a yet more absurd manner, that these Creatures, (as big as Rabbits of four Months Growth, which must be within a Trifle as big as full grown ones,) were bred in the Fallopian Tubes; and came into the Uterus one after another, where they lay and kick’d, till they were press’d to Death, and flead, and all their Bones broken, in such a manner, that they were sensibly heard to snap, by the violent convulsive Motions of it.
I take the Liberty to inform my Readers, upon this Occasion, that the Fallopian Tubes are a Passage of Communication, of scarce three Inches long, between the Ovaria and Uterus; thro’ which the Embryo, after Conception, is convey’d from the one to the other. And tho’ at that End next the Uterus they open, somewhat like the Mouth of a Trumpet, yet, when stretch’d to the utmost, the general Canal of them scarce exceeds the Thickness of ones Finger: And therefore the Impossibility of any one such Creature being contain’d there, much less of eighteen, as this Gentleman suppos’d, must appear to every one of a common Understanding. He tells us, no Blood nor Water issued from the Vagina after this Delivery, and that her Pulse was regular. Monstrous! that none of these Indications should open Mr. St. André’s Eyes. If he thought at all, what could he be thinking of? It is notorious, that in Births of dead Children, Women suffer much more Pain than in those of Living ones; so as to be, during the Operation, in high Fevers, with irregular Pulses, and left in great Weakness afterwards. Yet this Woman is deliver’d of fifteen dead Rabbits, such as of four Months Growth, without any Alteration in her Pulse, without the least Inflammation or Laceration in her Vagina, walking from the Bed-side, sitting down in a Chair by the Fire, as well as if nothing had happen’d; and skilful Mr. St. André swallowing this foul Imposture, without the least Squeamishness or Reluctance.
In the Rectum of this Animal, which remain’d affix’d to the Body, Mr. St. André finds five or six Pellets, much of the same Colour and Consistence of the common Dung of a Rabbit. Strange! that this should not alarm him! (it being notorious that the Excrement of a Fœtus is always liquid) but this he swallows likewise; as he does the Skin roll’d and squeez’d up like a Ball, which he delivers her of some time after: And not long after that, of the Head, with the Fur on, Part of one of the Ears being torn off. Upon all which Occasions, I mean those of the Womb’s having the Faculty of skinning a Rabbit all but the Head, of rolling this Skin up like a Ball, and tearing off a Piece of an Ear; this Gentleman speaks as familiarly as if they were common Cases, which wanted not in the least to be accounted for, or wonder’d at.
In the Intervals between these notable Deliveries, Mr. St. André diverted himself and his Company, by examining the several Rabbits, which were kept separate, in distinct Pots, with Spirits of Wine, in the Order that they were brought away. Here likewise, I will do my self the Honour to attend him. And now, methinks, I see him expatiating, in a very genteel adroit manner, upon the general Resemblance, but particular and significant Difference between them and natural Rabbits.
“The first,” says he, “does not appear to be a perfect Rabbit, in all its Parts.” (Here one would suppose, the Difference lay in some one or two, at most, minute, not easily observable, Circumstances, in which this Creature varied from a Rabbit: But, on the contrary, it seems ’twas a perfect Cat in all its Parts, one or two only excepted.) “Three of the Feet being like the Paws of a Cat; the Stomach and Intestines like those in the same Animal; as also the Shape and Figure of the Thorax. Observe, the Lungs and Heart, how entirely they are out of their natural Situation; and squeez’d out between the upper Ribs, and Vertebræ of the Neck (doubtless by the convulsive Motion of the Uterus) to which Parts, observe how strongly they grow and adhere. The Lungs of this Creature, had they been plac’d in their natural Cavity, would not have fill’d above a sixth Part of it. The Bones of this Creature are likewise all so different in Substance and Structure from those of common Rabbits, that o’ my Conscience, the Head and one Paw only excepted, I think it has not the least Resemblance of them. All the other thirteen Animals I pronounce to be in every particular, like well-form’d, common, natural Rabbits, from the size of two Months Growth to four. These have been all broken to pieces much in the same manner; but when these several parts are put together in their proper order, they manifestly make up and appear to belong to the abovemention’d Animals. I confess the Viscera are wanting in four or five of them; but that is not very material; that Defect is amply supply’d by this one remarkable Circumstance, which is, that most of these Animals (for Rabbits I will not call them) as far as I can judge, are Females. The Flesh of these Creatures, particularly of that which I extracted, has the Smell of Rabbits just kill’d; and the Substance of their Bones are, in all respects, like the Bones of Fœtus Rabbits. (How particular, how dilucid, and exact is this part of his Lecture!) From all these Considerations (and many more too tedious and impertinent to be recited) with greater Assurance than Knowledge, I am fully convinc’d, that, at the same time that the external Appearance of these Animals is exactly like such Creatures as must inevitably undergo the Changes that happen to adult Animals, by Food and Air, they carry within them the strongest Marks of Fœtus’s, even in such Parts as cannot exist in an Adult, and without which a Fœtus cannot possibly be suppos’d to live. This, I think, proves in the strongest Terms possible, that these Animals are of a particular kind, and not bred in a natural way; nor will there be any Doubt remaining (even with the least knowing in these Matters) when these things come to be clear’d up by the Anatomy of these præternatural Rabbits (a præternatural Anatomist Thou art without Dispute) which I shall publish with all convenient Speed, with their Figures taken from the Life, and compar’d with the Parts of Rabbits of the same Growth (he would have said the same size) that the Differences before-mention’d may be fully understood.”
This therefore the publick has still just Reason to insist upon from Mr. St. André; for, however he may pretend to be impos’d upon by others in the Delivery of these Supposititious Rabbits, the learned anatomical Observations, recited above, are purely the Result of his own Skill and Judgment; and cannot with any Colour of Reason, be plac’d to the Account of Fraud and Imposture in others. Especially those Facts which he has the Assurance to say were verified, before his Majesty on Saturday, Nov. the 26th, by the anatomical Demonstration of the first, the third, fifth and ninth of these Animals.
However, not content with having sufficiently plac’d his Reputation at stake in this audacious manner (for such I must call it) on the wretched Observations abovemention’d, out he sets for Guildford again, being resolv’d to bring the Woman to Town if there was any Prospect of more Rabbits. What could this Creature, this Animal have in his Head to hinder him from concluding that a Woman in such a Condition (were it possible any Woman could be in such a Condition) should not be mov’d out of her Bed; much less out of her House, and much less from Guildford to London. Yet since he is resolv’d upon another Expedition, I am resolv’d once more to attend him thither, and observe his Motions.
And here he is again so keen upon this vile false Scent, that tho’ he finds Mr. Howard standing at his Door, who tells him that he hop’d all was over, because that he did not perceive in the Uterus any Motion as usual, yet he visited her several Times that Day, proceeded in every Respect, with the same Sagacity as before; and towards eight a Clock that Evening, deliver’d her of a Piece of one of the Membranes of a Placenta (admirable!) roll’d up like Parchment. This shews how well he is acquainted with the Texture of those Membranes. And his Deficiency in that Point was further confirm’d by a second Delivery of (what he took to be) another Piece of Membrane, in Structure, Shape and Size, exactly like the former.
Thus I have touch’d upon, and I hope abundantly expos’d the profound Observations contain’d in Mr. St. André’s short Narrative. Whenever he appears in Print again, upon this Occasion, as I find he threatens to do, I shall again be ready to guard the Public against being deluded by his pretended Discoveries. And, tho’ it is not my Nature to insult any Man upon Account of his Misfortunes, whether brought upon him by his own Folly, or the Malice of others; yet give me Leave to say, it is, of the two, a much more eligible Evil, that the Presumption of one ignorant Empiric, should undergo a public Chastisement, than the Understandings, of so many of his Majesty’s Loyal Subjects, be corrupted by such sham Demonstrations.
But, after all, as I am a no less strict Lover of Justice, than an indefatigable Searcher after Truth; now my Resentment of Mr. St. André’s ill Conduct in this Affair, is somewhat cool’d by the Liberty I have taken in censuring and exposing it, I shall offer something, by Way of Abatement of that severe Construction, the World will be apt to pass upon his Judgment in this Affair.