The Works of Sir Thomas Browne, Volume 3Browne, Thomas, Sir
Religion
The Works of Sir Thomas Browne, Volume 3
Browne, Thomas, Sir
Christianity; Ethics; Religion and medicine
The russet neck in young Lambs seems but adventitious, and may owe its
tincture to some contaction in the womb; But that if sheep have any
black or deep russet in their faces, they want not the same about their
legges and feet; That black Hounds have mealy months and feet; That
black Cows which have any white in their tayls, should not misse of some
in their bellies; and if all white in their bodies, yet if
black-mouth'd, their ears and feet maintain the same colour, are
correspondent tinctures not ordinarily failing in nature, which easily
unites the accidents of extremities, since in some generations she
transmutes the parts themselves, while in the _Aurelian Metamorphosis_
the head of the canker becomes the Tayl of the Butterfly. Which is in
some way not beyond the contrivance of Art, in submersions and Inlays,
inverting the extremes of the plant, and fetching the root from the top,
and also imitated in handsome columnary work, in the inversion of the
extremes; wherein the Capitel, and the Base, hold such near
correspondency.
In the motive parts of animals may be discovered mutuall proportions;
not only in those of Quadrupeds, but in the thigh-bone, legge,
foot-bone, and claws of Birds. The legs of Spiders are made after a
sesquitertian proportion, and the long legs of some locusts, double unto
some others. But the internodial parts of Vegetables, or spaces between
the joints, are contrived with more uncertainty; though the joints
themselves in many Plants, maintain a regular number.
In vegetable composure, the unition of prominent parts seems most to
answer the _Apophyses_ or processes of Animall bones, whereof they are
the produced parts or prominent explantations. And though in the parts
of plants which are not ordained for motion, we do not expect
correspondent Articulations; yet in the setting on of some flowers, and
seeds in their sockets, and the lineall commissure of the pulp of
severall seeds, may be observed some shadow of the Harmony; some show of
the _Gomphosis_ or _mortis_-articulation.
As for the _Diarthrosis_ or motive Articulation, there is expected
little Analogy, though long-stalked leaves doe move by long lines, and
have observable motions, yet are they made by outward impulsion, like
the motion of pendulous bodies, while the parts themselves are united by
some kinde of _symphysis_ unto the stock.
But standing Vegetables, void of motive-Articulations, are not without
many motions. For beside the motion of vegetation upward, and of
radiation unto all quarters, that of contraction, dilatation,
inclination, and contortion, is discoverable in many plants. To omit the
rose of _Jericho_, the ear of Rye, which moves with change of weather,
and the Magical spit, made of no rare plants, which windes before the
fire, and rosts the bird without turning.
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