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NAture hath ordained that a woman shoul•• con••eive but one child•• in these and oth•••• Countri••s especially, and that every year; yet in many pl••ce•• s••e hath more, one had five at e∣very birth, twenty at four lyings in. A Mar••••∣ret the Countess of Holst••rne, in the time of th•• ••mperor H••nry the seventh, had three hunder•••• sixty four at one labor. And another Count•••• in the time of Fred••ri•••• the eleventh, had ••iv••
hundered and fourteen children at once, being Boys: these are so seldom, that they seem incredible.
I speak nothing of the Causes of such mon∣st••uous* 1.1 productions, but of Twins, or Three, or Four. It is certain they are got at one time: and this differs from Superfoetation, which is at ma∣ny times. And you must not impute it to the di∣vers Cells of the womb, for women have no such Cells, but onely a Line that divides the le••t side from the right; but it comes from the division of the seed into divers parts, and the least forming force in the side is compleat, and makes a child of every part of it. And because the cavity of the womb cannot admit so many parts of seed, being no bigger then a Bean; and if it do admit them, how can the seed be divided at one copulation into so many parts? I suppose that such women have naturally a larger womb, so that much seed is divided. A••d as Twins are begot at the same time, so they have but one Placenta, or part tha•• receives the navel-vessels of both, but they have their several Coats.
It is hard to know whether a woman have con∣ceived* 1.2 Twins, onely thei•• belly is not even, but divided with seams and wrinkles; and the weight is commonly greater, and the motion is not one nor alike.
If a woman have two children, a••d be weak,* 1.3 ••••e is in danger in her travel. Twins of one Sex ••••e mo••e lively th••n of both Sexes. And one is 〈◊〉〈◊〉 exp••••ience we••ker and shorter lived then the 〈◊〉〈◊〉
The Caus••s
The Sig••••.
The Pro∣g••ostic••.