Nature than those things, whose Destruction was the Cause of
his Preservation: Of two Evils he resolved to chuse the least, and do
that which contain'd in it the least Opposition to the Creator; and
resolved to partake of any of these sorts, if those he had most mind to
were not at hand, in such quantity as he should conclude upon hereafter;
and if it so happen'd that he had them all at hand, then he would
consider with himself, and chuse that, in the partaking of which there
would be the least Opposition to the Work of the Creator: Such as the
pulp of those Fruits which were full ripe, and had Seeds in them fit to
produce others of the like kind, always taking care to preserve the
Seeds, and neither cut them, nor spoil them, nor throw them in such
places as were not fit for Plants to grow in, as smooth Stones, salt
Earth, and the like. And if such pulpy Fruits, as Apples, Pears, Plumbs,
&c. could not easily be come at, he would then take such as had nothing
in them fit to eat but only the Seed, as Almonds and Chesnuts, or such
green Herbs as were young and tender; always observing this Rule, that
let him take of which sort he would, he still chose those that there was
greatest Plenty of, and which increased fastest, but so as to pull up
nothing by the Roots, nor spoil the Seed: And if none of these things
could be had, he would then take some living Creature, or eat Eggs; but
when he took any Animal, he chose that sort of which there was the
greatest Plenty, so as not totally to destroy any Species.

Sec. 77. These were the Rules which he prescrib'd to himself, as to the
Kinds of his Provision; as to the Quantity, his Rule was to eat no more
than just what would satisfie his Hunger; and as for the time of his
Meals, he design'd, when he was once satisfied, not to eat any more till
he found some Disability in himself which hindred his Exercise in the
_second Conformity,_ (of which we are now going to speak;) and as for
those things which necessity requir'd of him towards the Conservation of
his Animal Spirit, in regard of defending it from external Injuries, he
was not much troubled about them, for he was cloath'd with Skins, and
had a House sufficient to secure him from those Inconveniences from
without, which was enough for him; and he thought it superfluous to take
any further Care about those things; and as for his Diet, he observ'd
those Rules which he had prescrib'd to himself, namely, those which we
have just now