_Dr. Wren_ himself,
that he had given over his intentions of prosecuting it, and not finding
that there was any else design'd the pursuing of it, I set upon this
undertaking, and was not a little incourag'd to proceed in it, by the
Honour the _Royal Society_ was pleas'd to favour me with, in approving of
those draughts (which from time to time as I had an opportunity of
describing) I presented to them. And particularly by the Incitements of
divers of those Noble and excellent Persons of it, which were my more
especial Friends, who were not less urgent with me for the publishing, then
for the prosecution of them.

After I had almost compleated these Pictures and Observations (having had
divers of them ingraven, and was ready to send them to the Press) I was
inform'd, that the Ingenious Physitian _Dr. Henry Power_ had made several
_Microscopical_ Observations, which had I not afterwards, upon our
interchangably viewing each others Papers, found that they were for the
most part differing from mine, either in the Subject it self, or in the
particulars taken notice of; and that his design was only to print
Observations without Pictures, I had even then _suppressed_ what I had so
far proceeded in. But being further _excited_ by several of my Friends, in
complyance with their opinions, that it would not be unacceptable to
several inquisitive Men, and hoping also, that I should thereby discover
something New to the World, I have at length cast in my Mite, into the vast
Treasury of _A Philosophical History_. And it is my _hope_, as well as
_belief_, that these my _Labours_ will be no more comparable to the
_Productions_ of many other _Natural Philosophers_, who are now every where
busie about _greater_ things; then my _little Objects_ are to be compar'd
to the greater and more beautiful _Works of Nature_, A Flea, a Mite, a
Gnat, to an Horse, an Elephant, or a Lyon.

* * * * *

MICROGRAPHIA,

OR SOME

Physiological Descriptions

OF

MINUTE BODIES,

MADE BY

MAGNIFYING GLASSES;

WITH

OBSERVATIONS and INQUIRIES thereupon.

* * * * *

Observ. I. _Of the Point of a sharp small Needle._

As in _Geometry_, the most natural way of beginning is from a Mathematical
_point_; so is the same method in Observations and _Natural history_ the
most genuine, simple, and instructive. We must first endevour to make
_letters_, and draw _single_ strokes true, bef