The next object worthy notice is, _the Golden Bowl broken_, by which some think is meant the Scull pan; or, as the Seventy translate it, the Repository of the Brain. The celebrated Dr. _Smith_ (to whom I am indebted for many of his ideas on Anatomy) says, there are two Membranes within the Skull, a thicker and harder, and a thinner and finer, which does more immediately encompass the Brain, and by an immediate contact, encircles the very Substance of it, which seems to me to be the Golden Bowl, so called, by way of eminence, which is broken. This is called Golden, for the same reason that the other is called the Silver Cord, in its colour. The Membrane is of a flavious colour, nearer to that of Gold; it is hidden, secret, and well defended; and requires much wisdom and time to find our all its secret caverns and mysterious branches, and also for its ductility; above all, it may be compared to Gold, for excellency and use. Now as long as man remains in his strength, this Golden Bowl is knit unto itself in all its parts, but in the event of extreme old age, when he is just giving up the ghost, it can no longer retain itself, by reason of its natural dryness, shrivelling into itself, or preternatural moisture, imbibing excrementitious humours, till it is over full, it often snaps asunder, and so recurs into itself, from whence the Brain must naturally subside, and all the parts cease from their several uses; upon this we perceive a change of the whole countenance; the nose appears very sharp, the eyes sunk into the head, the temples are pinched in, with all the other symptoms of approaching dissolution. This brings the house down indeed, when the animal faculty is so deeply affected. I think there is something very interesting in the idea of the body compared to a _Golden_ Bowl, not China, Earthenware, or Tin, but _Gold_, to shew how precious our bodies are in his sight who redeemed them; that he will take special care of them, collect all the various pieces together, and raise them up a glorious body by and by.