TO prove the Legitimacy of this BIRTH, and the Possibility of this Month’s producing a vital Child, I need not confine myself to the Judgments of the most Wise and Divine Hippocrates, Galen, and others, nor to the Principles of Physick in particular: but may justly appeal to All the rest of the Liberal Arts and Sciences, which (as far as I am duly acquainted with them) generally agree in Defence of This Position.
IT is (however) certain, that the Child born before the Twentieth Day of this Month is commonly weak and infirm. And for that Reason the later the BIRTH happens in the Month, the more brisk and lively is the Child: As I have more than once observ’d, that the Latter Part (about the 210th Day from CONCEPTION) hath produced as sprightly vivacious Children as any at All. Wherefore, in short, I cannot help having full as good an Opinion of such a Child born about the last of the SEVENTH, as of any such born in the beginning of the Ninth Month, provided it be not expell’d by some preternatural Cause.
TO examine this nice Matter a little more clearly, let us inspect into the Nature and Quality of the Month: In order to which, I hope, we may rationally observe,
I. THAT (according to the best Astrologers) the latter of the Planets, (the Moon) influentially presides over the Infant in this Month; whose frigid and humid Qualitys are thought to afford the several Parts of it a certain Fatness, thereby relaxing and easily distending the Matrix: Which being done, and the Child now perfected by the whole Body of the Planets, that have All particularly (in their order) duly discharg’d their respective Functions towards its Perfection; provided it has a Competency of Strength and Vigour, it forwardly appears about the Close of this Month with great Ease and Facility, and may continue both Healthy and Lively after its Birth.
II. THIS is universally acknowledged to be a perfect and compleat Number; from whence Cicero calls it NODUS OMNIUM, or the Knot of all Things. As the Wise Pythagoreans justly term it otherwise the Vehicle of Man’s Life: Not only because that, according to the Violence of any Disease, and the Strength of the Patient, a CRISIS happens either in the Seventh, or the multiply’d Seventh Day; but also because, as Conception is certain upon Seven-Hours Retention; and the Work of Coagulation perfected in Seven Days, so may That of full Maturity be in Seven Months, and accordingly this MONTH may very reasonably produce vital Children. But by the way,
HOWEVER fictitious such things as savour of Astrology, may be reckon’d by Some, yet who knows not that the Seventh Hour, and Seventh Day after its BIRTH, determines the Child either to Life or Death? Who does not well know, That in the Seventh Month, its Teeth begin to break out and appear? That in the Seventh Year (according to Plutarch) it changes its Teeth? Who does not find, That[115] the Age of Man depends upon SEPTENARY Mutations? That the First Seven Years conclude his Infancy; as the Second finish his Pueritia, or Childhood; and the Third compleat his Adolescentia, or Youthful Growing Age? To which his Juventus, or more vigorous Youthfulness, succeeds; which is absolv’d in twice Seven Years more: For in This Juvenile Age, the Body attains to its full Stature; as the Bones, Membranes, and Fibres arrive to their due Solidity.
THIS again is succeeded by the Fifth, call’d Virilitas, the Virile or Manly Age; consisting of twice Seven Years more, being in all Seven times Seven Years: In which Manhood, the Facultys of the Mind, as well as the Strength of the Body, are most resplendent and perfect; tho’ in almost All Women, the Generative Power begins to cease at this Age, as their Terms commonly do, however, not without a great Disorder of the Motion of the Blood.
THE Sixth Age of Man, or the Senectus, is compos’d of twice Seven Years more, and extends itself to Sixty Three: In This Old Age the Natural VIGOUR very much declines, the BODY waxes both dry and lean, the MEMORY begins to fail, and the PERSON grows more Anxious, Careful and Covetous. As in the Seventh and Last Age, (or Dotage, as it were) he becomes Feeble and Decrepit; which generally consists of Seven Years more. So that, in fine, according to this very rational and plausible Computation, of the Learned and most Ingenious Dr. Sprengell, the Age and Life of Man is commonly reckon’d to amount to Seven times Ten Years.
IT is also farther observable, that as the Soul of Man has seven different Appellations, according to its seven principal Offices, (as amply appears by Sect. I. Chap. 4.) so there are SEVEN Degrees in the Body, to compleat its Dimensions; viz. Marrow, Bone, Nerve, Vein, Artery, Flesh, and Skin: As there are also SEVEN in Number, which (according to Macrobius) the Greeks call BLACK MEMBERS; viz. the Tongue, Heart, Lungs, Liver, Spleen, and Two Kidneys, to consummate the Compositum. Yea, Hippocrates[116] himself confirms the Efficacy and Præstancy, Fulness and Perfection of this Number.
I have also remarkably observ’d, that the Number Seven is most powerful and signally predominant in Cœlestials; as the Seven Circles in the Heavens, according to the Longitude of the Axle-Tree: The Seven Stars about the Artick-Pole, called Charles’s-Wain: The Seven Stars also call’d Pleiades: The Seven Planets, giving Names to the Seven Days of the Week: The Periodical Revolution of the Moon every Seventh Day, running round the Compass of the whole Zodiack in Four Times Seven Days; that is, considering her Phases as obverted to the Sun. And Linus, a most ancient celebrated Poet, sings thus:
THIS Number seems likewise to be of the greatest Esteem in Religion; and from hence among the Hebrews, to swear, is call’d SEPTENARE[117], (that is, to protest by Seven:) So Abraham making the Covenant with Abimelech, appointed Seven Ewe-Lambs for a Testimony: The Seventh Day the Great CREATOR rested from his Work: Jacob served Seven Years: Seven Days the People bewail’d the Death of Jacob: Elisha (the Prophet) said unto Naaman (the Syrian Captain) Go and wash thy self Seven Times in Jordan, and thou shalt be made whole, and thy Flesh become clean: And, in fine, David said, Seven Times a day do I praise THEE, because of thy righteous Judgments.
THESE, and innumerable such like Sentences are not only couch’d in the Books of Moses, and the whole Volume of the Old Testament; but also expresly contain’d in the Gospel, and interspers’d through the whole Bulk of the New: As the Seven Beatitudes, the Seven Virtues, the Seven Vices, the Seven Petitions of the LORD’s PRAYER, the Seven Words of our SAVIOUR upon the Cross, &c. But besides, in the Apocalypse or Revelation of St. JOHN, this mysterious NUMBER is most frequently mention’d, to denote its Efficacy and Excellency of representing some Ænigmatical Truth or Emblem.
MOREOVER, the Divine Apostle signifies and sets forth there, the Persecution of the CHURCH (under the Tyrants, Domitian, Trajan, &c. which began in the Primitive CHURCH in his own Days, and continued for three hundred Years, even to the Reign of Constantine the Great) by the Allegory of[118]SEVEN SEALS. He figures out the Heresys of the ARIANS, &c. (from the Time of Constantine to the Reign of Theodosius, being three hundred Years more) by that of[119]SEVEN TRUMPETS. And, in fine, he mystically alludes to the future Plagues of ANTI-CHRIST (from the Time of Pope Bonifacius, to these our present Days) by[120]SEVEN VIALS, according to the Interpretation of that most Learned Divine, Peter Palladius Bishop of Rochel.
I say, with Submission to wiser Heads, that These and the whole Train of those Sacred Allegorical Allusions used in this Book, might have been as pertinently express’d by any other Number, as the SEPTENARY; were it not that, this Number better implies a certain FULNESS of Sacred Mysterys: As I think that Number likewise (in all rational probability) may properly portend here, PERFECTION in Maturity, and COMPLETION in Vitality to every Full Seven-Months Child.