such abundant care for the propagation of it, that one
single seed grown into a Plant, is capable of bringing some hundred
thousands of seeds.

It were very worthy some able man's enquiry whether the intention of
Nature, as to the secundary end of Animal and Vegetable substances might
not be found out by some such characters and notable impressions as these,
or from divers other circumstances, as the figure, colour, place, time of
flourishing, springing and fading, duration, taste, smell, &c. For if such
there are (as an able _Physician_ upon good grounds has given me cause to
believe) we might then, insteed of studying Herbals (where so little is
deliver'd of the virtues of a Plant, and less of truth) have recourse to
the Book of Nature it self, and there find the most natural, usefull, and
most effectual and specifick Medicines, of which we have amongst
Vegetables, two very noble Instances to incourage such a hope, the one of
the _Jesuite powder_ for the cure of _intermitting Feavers_, and the other
of the juice of _Poppy_ for the curing the defect of sleeping.

* * * * *

Observ. XXXI. _Of _Purslane-seed_._

The Seeds of _Purslane_ seem of very notable shapes, appearing through the
_Microscope_ shap'd somewhat like a _nautilus_ or _Porcelane_ shell, as may
be seen in the XX. _Scheme_, it being a small body, coyl'd round in the
manner of a Spiral, at the greater end whereof, which represents the mouth
or orifice of the Shell, there is left a little white transparent
substance, like a skin, represented by BBBB, which seems to have been the
place whereunto the stem was join'd. The whole surface of this _Coclea_ or
Shell, is cover'd over with abundance of little _prominencies_ or buttons
very orderly rang'd into Spiral rows, the shape of each of which seem'd
much to resemble a Wart upon a mans hand. The order, variety, and curiosity
in the shape of this little seed, makes it a very pleasant object for the
_Microscope_, one of them being cut asunder with a very sharp Penknife,
discover'd this carved Casket to be of a brownish red, and somewhat
transparent substance, and manifested the inside to be fill'd with a
whitish green substance or pulp, the Bed wherein the seminal principle lies
_invelop'd_.

There are multitudes of other seeds which in shape represent or imitate the
forms of divers other sorts of Shells: as the seed of _Scurvy-grass_ very
much resembles the make of a _Concha V