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CHAP. II. Of what quality the seed is, whereof the male, and whereof the female is engendered.
MAle children are engendered of a more hot and dry seed, and women of a more cold and moist: for there is much lesse strength in cold than in heat, and likewise in moisture than in drynesse; and that is the cause why it will be longer before a girle is formed in the womb than a boy. * 1.1 In the seed lyeth both the procreative and the formative power: as for example; In the power of the Melon seed are situate the stalkes, branches, leaves, flowers, fruite, the forme, colour, smell, taste, seed and all. The like reason is of o∣ther seeds; so Apple grafts engrafted in the stock of a Pearetree, beare Apples; and we doe alwaies finde and see by experience, that the tree (by vertue of grafting) that is grafted, doth convert it selfe into the nature of the Sions wherewith it is grafted. But although the childe that is borne doth resemble or is very like unto the father or the mother, as his or her seed exceedeth in the mixture, yet for the most part it hap∣peneth * 1.2 that the children are more like unto the father than the mother, because that in the time of copulation, the minde of the woman is more fixed on her husband, than the minde of the husband on, or towards his wife: for in the time of copulation or conception, the formes, or the likenesses of those things that are conceived or kept in minde, are transported and impressed in the childe or issue; for so they af∣firme that there was a certain Queene of the Aethiopians who brought forth a white child, the reason was (as she confessed) that at the time of copulation with her King, she thought on a marvellous white thing, with a very strong imagination. Therefore Hesiod advertiseth all married people not to give them selves to carnall copulation when they return from burialls, but when they come from feasts and plaies, lest that * 1.3 their sad, heavie, and pensive cogitations, should bee so transfused and engrafted in the issue, that they should contaminate or infect the pleasant joyfulnesse of his life, with sad, pensive and passionate thoughts. Sometimes it happeneth, although very seldome, the childe is neither like the father nor the mother, but in favour resem∣bleth * 1.4 his Grandfather, or any other of his kindred, by reason that in the inward parts of the parents, the engrafted power and nature of the grandfather lieth hidden: which when it hath lurked there long, not working any effect, at length breakes forth by means of some hidden occasion: wherein nature resembleth the Painter, making the lively portraiture of a thing, which as far as the subject matter will permit, doth forme the issue like unto the parents in every habit; so that often times the diseases of the parents are transferred or participated unto the children, as it were by a certaine hereditary title: for those that are crooke-backt get crooke-backt children, those that are lame, lame; those that are leprous, leprous; those that have the stone, chil∣dren having the stone; those that have the ptisicke, children having the ptisick; and those that have the gout, children having the gout: for the seed followes the power, nature, temperature, and comnlexion of him that engendereth it. Therefore of those * 1.5 that are in health and sound, •…•…thy and sound; and of those that are weake and dis∣eased, weake and diseased children are begotten, unlesse happely the seed of one of •…•…ents that is sound doth correct or amend the diseased impression of the o∣•…•…t is diseased, or else the temperate and sound wombe as it were by the gen∣•…•… pleasant breath thereof.