Extract of a Letter, Lately Written by Mr. Nathaniel Fairfax to the Publisher, Containing Observations about Some Insects, and Their Inoxiousness, &c

at Tangier, the Moon being very near the same place, where she was now. Extract Of a Letter, lately written by Mr. Nathaniel Fairfax to the Publisher, containing Observations about some Insects, and their Innoxiousness, &c. The Ingenious Author of this Letter, as he expresses an extraordinary desire to see the store-house of Natural Philosophy, more richly fraughted (a Work begun by the single care and conduct of the Excellent Lord Verulam, and prosecuted by the Joyn-undertakings of the R. Society) so he very frankly offers his Service in contributing some of his Observations, and begins in this very Letter to perform his Offer. For, Having taken notice of what was publish'd in Numb. 9. p. 161. out of the Italian Philosopher Redi, vid. That Creatures, reputed Venomous, are indeed no Poisons, when swallow'd, though they may prove so, when put into Wounds: He, for confirmation thereof, alledges Examples of several Persons well known to him (himself also having been an Eye-witness to some such Experiments) who have frequently swallow'd Spiders, even of the rankest kind, without any more harm than happens to Hens, Robin-red-breasts, and other Birds, who make Spiders their daily Commons. And having made mention of some men, that eat even Toads, he adds, that though a Toad be not a Poison to us in the whole; yet it may invenome outwardly, according to some parts so and so stirr'd; an instance whereof he alledges in a Boy, who stumbling on a Toad, and hurling stones at it, some Juice from the bruised Toad chanced to light upon his Lips, whereupon they swell'd, each to the thickness of about two Thumbs: And he neglecting to use, what might be proper to restore them, they have continued in that misshapen size ever since; the ugliness whereof, when the Relator saw, gave him occasion to inquire after the cause of it, which thereupon he understood to be, as has been recited. On this occasion, the same Gentleman relates, that once seeing a Spider bruised into a small Glass of Water, and that it tinged it somewhat of a Sky-colour, he was, upon owning his surprise thereat, informed, that a dozen of them being put in, they would dye it to almost a full Azure. Which is touch't here, that, the Experiment being so easy to make, it may be tried, when the season furnishes those Insects; meantime, it seems not more incredible, that this Creature should yield a Sky-colour, when put in water, than that Cachineel, which also is but an Insect, should afford a fine red, when steep'd in the same Liquor. An Account Of Some Books. I. Le Tome troisieme et dernier des Lettres de M. DES-CARTES. As the two first Tomes of M. Des-Cartes his Letters, contain Questions, for the most part of a Moral and Physiological Nature, proposed to, and answer'd by him, so this consists of the Contests, he had upon several Subjects with divers Men eminent in his time. To pass by that Sharp Contest, he was engaged in by some Professors of Divinity at Utrecht, who endeavoured to discredit his Philosophy, as leading to Libertinisme and Atheisme, notwithstanding he made it so much his business, as to assert the Existence of a Deity, and the Immortality of a Soul: We shall take notice of what is more to our purpose, vid. the Differences, he had touching his Dioptricks and Geometry. As for his Dioptricks, though a great part of the Learned World have much esteem'd that Treatise, as leaving little to be said after him upon that Subject; yet there have not been wanting Mathematicians, who have declared their disagreement from his Principles in that Doctrine. The first of them was the Jesuit Bourdin, Mathematick Professor in the Colledg of Clermont at Paris; but this difference was soon at an end. A second was Mr. Hobbs, upon whose account he wrote several Letters to Mersennus, containing many remarks conducing to the Knowledge of the Nature of Reflection and Refraction. But the Person, that did most learnedly and resolutely attack the said Dioptricks, was Monsieur Fermat, writing