FOR as the _Husband-Man_, who never _sowed_, can never expect to _reap_; or as the _Gardener_, who never _planted_, can never hope to _gather_; so neither can the _MIDWIFE_ who was never regularly qualified, ever justly hope or expect to effect a happy _DELIVERY_; especially not in _Cases_ of Difficult and _Preternatural BIRTHS_: Neither can the _Consequences_ of her Mistakes or Ignorance on the other Hand, ever detract from, or lessen, the _Divine Power_, which is still the SAME, and _can always do all Things that it will, but will not always do all that it can_. Besides _HE_, who has been pleased to lay such _Burthens_ upon us, to try the _Patience_ and _Constancy_ of _One_, and to exercise the _Industry_ and _Charity_ of _another_; _HE_, I say, often executes his _Judgments_ upon _some_, for the _Sins_ of _both Offenders_, that all Things may the more manifestly tend to his own eternal Glory. IV. I come now in the _fourth_ Place by certain _Demonstration_, to explain the Nature of a WOMB less _obliquated_, and to lay down the genuine Method of correcting any _Preternatural Situation_ whatsoever of the disorder’d or distorted WOMB. IN order to which, I would previously observe, that all such _Postures_ of the WOMB, whether more or less, either tending _aside_, or _prone_, or _supine_, are only best discover’d by the _TOUCH_: Because the _Orifice_ always answering in a _strait Line_ to the opposite _Situation_ of the _Bottom_ of the WOMB, can never fail to shew its _Posture_ to the judicious _MIDWIFE_. HENCE if the _MIDWIFE_ does but know exactly the _Natural Position_ of the _ORIFICE_, she may thence easily conceive by how much it differs in an _obliquated_ WOMB, and accordingly thereby readily judge whereabouts the _Bottom_ is seated: Which _Situations_ of _Bottom_ and _Orifice_ being known, she can consequently be at no loss to comprehend the _Disposition_ of the whole _Uterine Body_. And if she now remembers or recollects what has been said of _restoring_ and _replacing_ the most _extream_, or most _oblique_ WOMB, she will have no Difficulty in restoring any WOMB _less oblique_ to its _Natural Posture_; This depending entirely upon that Method, to which I refer[177], for Brevity’s sake. IN short, I shall here only add, that if the _INFANT_ offers itself _well turn’d_, in this _less oblique_ WOMB; the _MIDWIFE_, having restored the WOMB to its right Place and natural _Posture_, will find nothing more to do, but to take Care to facilitate and enlarge the _Passage_, and receive the _CHILD_ tenderly with the _Head foremost_. Whereas in _Case_ the _INFANT_ presents itself _ill-turn’d_ in this WOMB, it is to be very circumspectly extracted by the Feet; as by and by will more amply appear from what ensues, _Viz._—— [Illustration] CHAP. XXIII. _Of Preternatural BIRTHS, proceeding from complicated Causes, of both the INFANT and the WOMB._