Having thus consider’d the Food, Cloathing, and Houses of Animals; let us in this Chapter take a Glance of another excellent Provision, the wise Creator hath made for the Good of the animal World; and that is, the Methods which all Animals naturally take for their Self-Preservation and Safety. And here it is remarkable, (as in the Cases before,) that Man, who is endow’d with Reason, is born without Armature, and is destitute of many Powers, which irrational Creatures have in a much higher Degree than he, by Reason he can make himself Arms to defend himself, can contrive Methods for his own Guard and Safety, can many Ways annoy his Enemy, and stave off the Harms of noxious Creatures.
But for others, who are destitute of this super-eminent Faculty; they are some Way or other provided with sufficient Guard[a], proportionate to their Place of Abode, the Dangers they are like to incur there[]; and in a Word, to their greatest Occasions, and Need of Security. Accordingly, some are sufficiently guarded against all common Dangers, by their natural Cloathing, by their Armature of Shells, or such like hard, and impregnable Covering of their Body[c]. Others destitute of this Guard, are armed, some with Horns[d], some with sharp Quills and Prickles[e], some with Claws, some with Stings[f]; some can shift and change their Colours[g]; some can make their Escape by the Help of their Wings, and others by the Swiftness of their Feet; some can screen themselves by diving in the Waters, others by tinging and disordering the Waters[h], can make their Escape; and some can guard their Bodies, even in the very Flames, by the Ejection of the Juice of their Bodies[]; and some by their accurate Smell, Sight or Hearing, can foresee Dangers[k]; others by their natural Craft, can prevent or escape them[l]; others by their Uncouth Noise[m]; by the horrid Aspect, and ugly Gesticulations of their Body[n]; and some even by the Power of their Excrements, and their Stink[o], can annoy their Enemy, and secure themselves; and against some[p], the divine Providence it self hath provided a Guard.
By such Shifts and Means as these, a sufficient Guard is ministred to every Species of Animals, in its proper respective Place; abundantly enough to secure the Species from Destruction, and to keep up that Balance, which I have formerly shew’d, is in the World among every, and all the Species of Animals; but yet not enough to secure Individuals, from becoming a Prey to Man, or to other Creatures, as their Necessities of Life require. To which Purpose, the natural Sagacity and Craft of the one intrapping[q], and captivating, being in some Measure equivalent to that of the other in evading, is as excellent a Means for the maintaining the one, as preserving the other; and if well consider’d, argues the Contrivance of the infinitely wise Creator and Preserver of the World.
FOOTNOTES:
[a] Callent in hoc cuncta animalia, sciuntque non sua modò commoda, verum & hostium adversa; nôrunt sua cela, nôrunt occasiones, partesque dissidentium imbellis. In ventre mollis est tenuisque cutis Crocodilo: ideoque se, ut territi, mergent Delphini, subcuntesque alvum illâ secant spinâ. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 25.
[] Omnibus aptum est Corpus Animæ moribus & facultatibus: Equo fortibus ungulis & juba est ornatum (etenim velox & superbum & generosum est animal.) Leoni autem, utpose animoso & feroci, dentibus & unguibus validum. Ita autem & Tauro & Apro; illi enim Cornua, huic exerti Dentes.—— Cervo autem & Lepori (timida enim animalia) velox corpus, sed inerme. Timidis enim velocitas, arma audacibus conveniebant——Homini autem (sapiens enim est——) manus dedit, instrumentum ad omnes artes necessarium, paci non minùs quàm bello idoneum. Non igitur indiguit Cornu sibi innato cùm meliora Cornibus arma manibus, quandocunque volet, possit accipere: Etenim Ensis & Hasta majora sunt Arma, & ad incidendum promptiora.——Neque Cornu, neque Ungulæ quicquam nisi cominùs agere possunt; Hominum verò arma eminùs juxtà ac cominùs agunt: telum quidem & sagitta magis quàm cornua.——Non igitur est nudus, neque inermis.——sed ipsi est Thorax ferreus, quandocunque libet, omnibus Coriis difficilius sauciatu organum.——Nec Thorax solùm sed & Domus, & Murus, & Turris, &c. Galen. de Us. Part. l. 1. c. 2.
[c] Shells deserve a Place in this Survey, upon the Account of their great Variety; the curious and uncouth Make of some, and the beautiful Colours, and pretty Ornaments of others; but it would be endless to descend to Particulars. Omitting others, I shall therefore only take Notice of the Tortoiseshell, by Reason a great deal of Dexterity appears, even in the Simplicity of that Animal’s Skeleton. For, besides that the Shell is a stout Guard to the Body, and affords a safe Retreat to the Head, Legs and Tail, which it withdraws within the Shell upon any Danger; besides this, I say, the Shell supplieth the Place of all the Bones in the Body, except those of the extreme Parts, the Head and Neck, and the four Legs and Tail. So that at first Sight, it is somewhat surprizing to see a compleat Skeleton consisting of so small a Number of Bones, and they abundantly sufficient for the Creature’s Use.
Dente timentur Apri: defendunt cornua Tauros:
Imbelles Dame quid nisi præda sumus!