An entire body of philosophy according to the principles of the famous Renate Des Cartes in three books, (I) the institution ... (II) the history of nature ... (III) a dissertation of the want of sense and knowledge in brute animals ... / written originally in Latin by the learned Anthony Le Grand ; now carefully translated from the last corrections, alterations, and large additions of the author, never yet published ... by Richard Blome.

CHAP. XVIII. What the Souls of Brute Beasts are.

I. The Defi∣nition of a Brute Beast A Brute Beast is by the Peripateticks com∣monly defined to be an Irrational Animal, or an Animal endued with Sense. Yea, they make them almost Rational, as supposing that some plain Foot-steps of Reason are observable in Beasts. But we on the contrary are persuaded, that a Beast is a meer Automaton or Engin; that is, an Animal destitute of all Knowledge, and conse∣quently may be thus defined: A Beast is an Ar∣tificial Engin or Machin of GOD, furnish'd with a various and wonderful structure of Organs, containing in it self a material Principle of Life, Motion and Sense. For herein Beasts do differ from Men, that these have an Immaterial or In∣tellectual Substance joyned to Matter; which the former have not.

II. What ha•••• persuaded some, that Beasts make use of Reason. It cannot be deny'd, that there are some Actions in Brutes, which have a great resemblance with those that are in Men; whence some have con∣cluded, that they had the use of Reason, tho' in an inferiour degree, in comparison of Men. How comes it to pass, say they, that when a Dog in hunting comes to a place where 3 Ways meet, having laid his Nose to 2 of them, he immediately casts himself along the third? How can it be conceiv'd, that Birds should be able to build their Nests, with such extraordinary Artifice and con∣venience for themselves and their young, if they be wholly destitute of Discourse and Reason? These and other Actions of Animals, have racked the Brains of several, and forced them to allow some foot-steps of Reason to brute Beasts. But this Question will be easily determin'd, by supposing 2 things.

III. Brutes 〈◊〉〈◊〉 not expres their own Thoughts. First, That no brute Animals, how perfect soever they be, can express their Thoughts (if they have any) by Words: Which yet all Men, how dull and stupid soever they be, can do; neither are any of them so far distracted, but that they can discover their Affections by Words. The Reason of which difference doth not proceed from the Organs, seeing that several Animals, such as Parrots and Jackdaws, utter Articulate words, and yet for all that can never attain to our way of Speaking, that is, they can never manifest to others, that they understand what they pronounce. Whereas on the contrary, persons that are born Deaf, and to whom Nature hath deny'd the use of Speaking, can by signs discover their Concep∣tions to others, and make known what they desire or refuse, by their Gesture, Eyes, and the like. Now the want of this in Brutes, doth not only argue a less degree of Reason in them, but also strongly prove them to have none at all.

IV. There are no signs taken up at pleasure, to be found in Brutes. In the Second place, we must suppose that the Signs which have been invented by Men to repre∣sent their Conceptions, do differ very much from those Natural Voices and Signs, which are genuine Expressions of Bodily Affections: Wherefore seeing the former are not to be found in Beasts, and that they are not able any way to express their Minds: neither must we allow them to have any use of Reason.

V. Whether Beasit do Discourse together If any one will say, That Beasts do discourse and talk together; this they must prove before we can believe them: For seeing they have Or∣gans

that are much like ours, why should they not be able to communicate their Thoughts to us, as well as to one another? And tho' in some cases they act with extraordinary industry and exact∣ness; yet cannot we from thence infer, their act∣ing according to Reason, for otherwise they would excel us in many things; but only this, that Na∣ture works in them according to the disposition of Organs: In like manner as a well-wrought Watch, doth more certainly and exactly distinguish the Hours, than we possibly could do with all our Study and Endeavour.

VI. The Soul of Brutes consists in the Dispo∣sition of their Or∣gans. I conclude therefore, that there is no Soul in Brutes, besides the Disposition of their Organs, and the figure of their Bodies; and that all their motions depend only on the Influence of their Spirits, and the due Disposition of their Organs. Neither will this seem strange, if we consider, that even all our Actions, which we perform, without minding or giving heed to them, are produc'd by the same Cause, as Respiration, the Motion of our Heart, the Digestion of our Meat, and the like. For all these do not appear in the least different from those that are done by Engins. This is evident from one Instance, viz. that those who fall from on high, stretch forth their Hands to save their Heads, which they do without any assistance of the Soul; but only because the structure of our Body is such, that the sight of an imminent Fall, being convey'd to the Brain, drives the Animal Spirits into those Nerves, that move the Arms and Hands: Seeing all this is done without the least advertence in the Soul. And thus we see the Reason, why a Sheep flees at the sight of a Wolf, even because the Light reflected from the Body of a Wolf, doth so agitate the strings of the Sheeps Optick Nerves, and consequently the Brain, that thereby the Animal Spirits are so driven into the Nerves, as to put the Members destinated for running into motion.

VII. This con∣firmed by several places of Scripture. This Doctrin may be confirmed from several places of Scripture, which plainly asserts, that the Soul of Beasts is their Blood; Levit. 17. 14. For the Life, or Soul, of all flesh, is the Blood of it. Gen. 9. 4. But Flesh with the Soul thereof, which is the Blood thereof, shall ye not eat. Deut. 12. 23. Only be sure that thou eat not the Blood, for the Blood is the Soul. From whence we may evi∣dently conclude, That the Life of Animals con∣sists in the continual flowing of the Blood and Vital Spirits to the Brain, and other parts of the Body. And therefore, that we need not search for any other Cause of those motions we find in Beasts, but the Influence of Spirits, and the Dispo∣sition of their Organs.

VIII. How Dogs light upon the true Trace of the Hare. As to that Objection, That Dogs, after they have laid their Noses to two Ways, without any further haesitation, betake themselves to the Third; we say▪ that this is not done by them from any Reasoning. but only because in that third Way they meet with the Scent of the Beast, which they did not find in the two other. Neither doth the building of Nests argue any force of Reason to be in Birds; because all the Nests that are built by Birds of the same kind, are all of them built after one and the same manner, which would not be so, in case they acted according to the dictates of Reason: For we find that Men who act so, build their Houses with the greatest variety, according to the different Suggestions of their Rational Faculty.

IX. How Life and Sense may be allowed to Beasts. Neither do we altogether deny Life to brute Beasts, but freely allow them such an one; the Activity whereof proceeds from the disposition and structure of their Bodies. Nor Sense neither, if it be only taken for a Bodily Affection of the Members, out∣wardly and inwardly fitly disposed and aptly joyned, to perform this or the other motion. We grant also, that Beasts do many Actions by Nature, like to those which Men perform of Choice and deliberately; but withal assert, that the various and sudden motions of Beasts, do not argue them to have a Knowing Soul, but only a most curious and exactly proportionate composure of Parts, so as that the least thing is sufficient to put it in motion: And that this is possible, we prove by that Wooden Statue of Venus, which was so Artifi∣cially made by DAEDALUS, that it could walk up and down: And by the Wooden-Dove, made by ARCHYTAS of Tarentum, which did fly about in the Air.

X. Whether Apes are to be ac∣counted Rational Creatures. You'l say, that Apes do many things that mani∣festly prove them to have the use of Reason; as appears in that when they go out to fight, they observe exact Military Order, and range their Armies as Men do; as also, in that they bury their dead, and perform many other such like Actions, which demonstrate them to be, in some degree, Reasonable Creatures.

To this I Answer, That all these Actions are performed by Monkies naturally. For as Watches point the Hours, so Beasts perform their Actions by Instinct: Neither is it a matter of greater wonder, that Monkies do marshal their Armies, supposing it to be true what Historians relate of them, or bury their Dead; than that Dogs and Cats, after they have voided their Excrements, scrape up the Earth round about, to cover them from the Eyes of Men; tho' indeed they seldom do it to any purpose; that is to say, so as to hide them wholly. Whence it is evident, that they act meerly by Instinct, and without any advertency of what they do; and that there is nothing more in them, than there is in any curious Clock-work or Machin.

XI. If Brutes have a Soul, it must be Immortal. Conclude we therefore, that Beasts perform all their Actions, whether Sensitive or Motive, only by the Texture and Disposition of their Parts, without any thing of Thinking, tho' in the most imperfect degree imaginable. For if we allow Brutes to be endued with Understanding, be it never so mean and imperfect, then we cannot deny them the Priviledge of a Soul; and so shall be forc'd to own, that Monkies, Dogs, Foxes, &c. have Souls, as well as Men: And if we grant this, we must also allow, that this Soul is Spiritual and Immortal; because Thinking, wherein the Essence of the Soul consists, is not a Mode of the Body, neither doth in the least depend on it.

XII. If Brutes have Souls, they will not be di∣stinguish'd from Men. Moreover, supposing the Souls of Beasts to be Spiritual and Indivisible, it will follow that they are also Immortal: Neither is there any Argument drawn from the Light of Reason, whereby we can prove the Immortality of Human Souls, which will not as well prove the same concerning the Souls of Beasts. Besides, if we allow Knowledge to Brutes, we must also make them capable of Religion; for to imagin a Knowing or Thinking

Creature, without being under an Obligation to obey GOD, and pay Religious Duties to him, is repugnant. For if the Souls of Beasts be Know∣ing, they will in the first place know themselves; and it is impossible, but that by knowing them∣selves they should be led to the knowledge of their Creatour. Which Opinions would pave a ready way to Atheism.

This Question is discust more at large in my Dissertation, of the want of Sense and Knowledge in Brutes; to which the Reader may have re∣course.