to it.  When they lifted it up, they turn’d over the whole Heap, towards the Breast of the Deceas’d Person, and then they had some Apprehension that the shapeless Mass was a Child:  At first View they doubted it, because ’twas found out of the Womb, but their Doubts were quickly dispell’d, when they put a Knife into it and felt the Bones, and saw Nails and Toes upon one of the Feet, that they separated from the Mass.

Before they meddled further with the Mass, they had a mind to see what Condition the parts of the Abdomen were in, and particularly the Womb, upon which they found a Body, which being hard like a Stone, enclos’d a great Ulcer that spread its self over the Bottom of the Womb.  Upon the Womb side it had a Cavity full of white and thick Pus, without any noisome Smell.  On the Opposite Side ’twas hollow, and resembled the convex Side of an Oister.  The rest of the Womb was in its Natural State, and they met with no considerable Accident in the Neighbouring parts.

They cut out the Mass, and carried it to the Surgeon’s House, to be view’d at their leisure.  The whole Mass was encompass’d with a callous Matter, under which they found all the Parts of a Child harden’d and half putrified; and these weigh’d Eight Pound.  They cut up all the Viscera in the three Cavities, the particulars whereof may be read in Mr. Baile’s Book of Anatomy.  This is the Account given by Mr. Baile.  I come now to extraordinary Conceptions.

Some Authors affirm, that a young Man having spilt some Seed in a Bath, a Girl afterwards Bathing in the same Water, the Seed was suck’d in by the Girls Womb, and she became with Child.  But Monsieur Dionis is not of this Opinion:  He will not allow the Womb an attractive Faculty, so as to suck up from the outer Extremity of the Neck, and oblige it to repair to its Cavity.  And the Seed being a Liquor, would be so blended with the Water, that ’tis impossible all its particles should rally, and continue their Activity and prolifick Quality, till their Arrival in the Womb.

And the History reported by Riolanus favours the Opinion against those who maintain that Generation may be perform’d by shedding of the Seed on the Cabia of a Woman’s Privities.  The Vagina of the Woman mention’d by this Writer, was shut up with Scars after a troublesome Child-birth, to such a Degree as only to leave a small Hole for the passage of the Terms and Urine, through which also pass’d the Husband’s Seed that got her with Child; this might not hinder these two Persons from Copulating strictly; nay, there must have been a strict Alliance and the Womb, by contracting of the Passage, must in this Case have drawn the Seed as greedily as an hungry Stomach attracts the Victuals by the Mouth.

Some Persons have believ’d that a Woman may Engender, without the Application of a Man’s Privities.  They tell us of a Woman that was got with Child in the Embraces of her She-Companion, who but a little before came from her Husband’s Arms:  And of a young Woman that was found Breeding by no other Cause than her Father’s having by chance Polluted himself in the same Bed where she was:  But these Stories seem to be contriv’d to cover the Lasciviousness of Women, and conceal the Vice of an impure Love.