e
changes in animals from imagination as in monsters. From the male. From
the female._ 5. _Miscarriages from fear._ 6. _Power of the imagination
of the male over the colour, form, and sex of the progeny. An instance
of._ 7. _Act of generation accompanied with ideas of the male or female
form. Art of begetting beautiful children of either sex._ VII.
_Recapitulation._ VIII. _Conclusion. Of cause and effect. The atomic
philosophy leads to a first cause._

I. The ingenious Dr. Hartley in his work on man, and some other
philosophers, have been of opinion, that our immortal part acquires during
this life certain habits of action or of sentiment, which become for ever
indissoluble, continuing after death in a future state of existence; and
add, that if these habits are of the malevolent kind, they must render the
possessor miserable even in heaven. I would apply this ingenious idea to
the generation or production of the embryon, or new animal, which partakes
so much of the form and propensities of the parent.

Owing to the imperfection of language the offspring is termed a _new_
animal, but is in truth a branch or elongation of the parent; since a part
of the embryon-animal is, or was, a part of the parent; and therefore in
strict language it cannot be said to be entirely _new_ at the time of its
production; and therefore it may retain some of the habits of the
parent-system.

At the earliest period of its existence the embryon, as secreted from the
blood of the male, would seem to consist of a living filament with certain
capabilities of irritation, sensation, volition, and association; and also
with some acquired habits or propensities peculiar to the parent: the
former of these are in common with other animals; the latter seem to
distinguish or produce the kind of animal, whether man or quadruped, with
the similarity of feature or form to the parent. It is difficult to be
conceived, that a living entity can be separated or produced from the blood
by the action of a gland; and which shall afterwards become an animal
similar to that in whose vessels it is formed; even though we should
suppose with some modern theorists, that the blood is alive; yet every
other hypothesis concerning generation rests on principles still more
difficult to our comprehension.

At the time of procreation this speck of entity is received into an
appropriated nidus, in which it must acquire two circumstances necessary t