Part 1 (1/2)
The Book of Curiosities.
by I. Platts.
INTRODUCTION.
”Ye curious minds, who roam abroad, And trace Creation's wonders o'er!
Confess the footsteps of the G.o.d, And bow before him, and adore.”
It was well observed by Lord Bacon, that ”It would much conduce to the magnanimity and honour of man, if a collection were made of the extraordinaries of human nature, princ.i.p.ally out of the reports of history; that is, what is the last and highest pitch to which man's nature, of itself, hath ever reached, in all the perfection of mind and body. If the wonders of human nature, and virtues as well of mind as of body, were collected into a volume, they might serve as a calendar of human triumphs.”
The present work not only embraces the Curiosities of human nature, but of Nature and Art in general, as well as Science and Literature. Surrounded with wonders, and lost in admiration, the inquisitive mind of man is ever anxious to know the hidden springs that put these wonders in motion; he eagerly inquires for some one to take him by the hand, and explain to him the curiosities of the universe. And though the works of the Lord, like his nature and attributes, are great, and past finding out, and we cannot arrive at the perfection of science, nor discover the secret impulses which nature obeys, yet can we by reading, study, and investigation, dissipate much of the darkness in which we are enveloped, and dive far beyond the surface of this multifarious scene of things--The n.o.blest employment of the human understanding is, to contemplate the works of the great Creator of the boundless universe; and to trace the marks of infinite wisdom, power, and goodness, throughout the whole. This is the foundation of all religious wors.h.i.+p and obedience; and an essential preparative for properly understanding, and cordially receiving, the sublime discoveries and important truths of divine revelation. ”Every man,” says our Saviour, ”that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” And no man can come properly to Christ, or, in other words, embrace the christian religion, so as to form consistent views of it, and enter into its true spirit, unless he is thus drawn by the Father through a contemplation of his works. Such is the inseparable connection between nature and grace.
A considerable portion of the following pages is devoted to Curiosities in the works of Nature, or, more properly, the works of G.o.d, for,
”Nature is but an effect, and G.o.d the cause.”
The Deity is the
”Father of all that is, or heard, or hears!
Father of all that is, or seen, or sees!
Father of all that is, or shall arise!
Father of this immeasurable ma.s.s Of matter multiform; or dense, or rare; Opaque, or lucid; rapid, or at rest; Minute, or pa.s.sing bound! In each extreme Of like amaze, and mystery, to man.”
The invisible G.o.d is seen in all his works.
”G.o.d is a spirit, spirit cannot strike These gross material organs: G.o.d by man As much is seen, as man a G.o.d can see.
In these astonis.h.i.+ng exploits of power What order, beauty, motion, distance, size!
Concertion of design, how exquisite!
How complicate, in their divine police!
Apt means! great ends! consent to general good!”
This work also presents to the reader, a view of the great achievements of the human intellect, in the discoveries of science; and the wonderful operations of the skill, power, and industry of man in the invention and improvement of the arts, in the construction of machines, and in the buildings and other ornaments the earth exhibits, as trophies to the glory of the human race.
But we shall now give the reader a short sketch of what is provided for him in the following pages. The work is divided into eighty-seven chapters. The Curiosities respecting Man occupy eleven chapters. The next four chapters are devoted to Animals; then two to Fishes; one to Serpents and Worms; three to Birds; eleven to Insects; six to Vegetables; three to Mountains; two to Grottos, Caves, &c.; one to Mines; two to the Sea; one to Lakes, Whirlpools, &c.; one to Burning Springs; one to Earthquakes; one to Remarkable Winds; one to Showers, Storms, &c.; one to Ice; one to Ruins; four to Buildings, Temples, and other Monuments of Antiquity; and one to Basaltic and Rocky Curiosities. The fifty-eighth chapter is devoted to the Ark of Noah--the Galley of Hiero--and the Bridge of Xerxes. The next six chapters detail at length the various Customs of Mankind in different parts of the World, and also explain many Old Adages and Sayings. The next five chapters exhibit a variety of curious phenomena in nature, such as the Ignis Fatuus; Thunder and Lightning; Fire b.a.l.l.s; Water Spouts; Fairy Rings; Spots in the Sun; Volcanoes in the Moon; Eclipses; Shooting Stars; Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights; &c. &c. The seventieth chapter is on Galvanism. The seventy-first on Magnetism. The next three chapters delineate the princ.i.p.al Curiosities respecting the Arts. Then follow five chapters on some of the princ.i.p.al Curiosities in History; three on the Curiosities of Literature; and five on Miscellaneous Curiosities. An Appendix is added, containing a number of easy, innocent, amusing Experiments and Recreations.
This is ”A New Compilation,” inasmuch as not one article is taken from any book bearing the t.i.tle of Beauties, Wonders, or Curiosities. The Compiler trusts the work will afford both entertainment and instruction for the leisure hour, of the Philosopher or the Labourer, the Gentleman or the Mechanic. In short, all cla.s.ses may find in the present work something conducive to their pleasure and improvement, in their hours of seriousness, as well as those of gaiety; and it will afford a constant source of subjects for interesting and agreeable conversation.
THE BOOK OF CURIOSITIES.
CHAP. I.
CURIOSITIES RESPECTING MAN.
_The Human Body--the Countenance--the Eye--the Ear--the Heart--the Circulation of the Blood--Respiration--the Hair of the Head--the Beard--Women with Beards--Sneezing._
”Come, gentle reader, leave all meaner things To low ambition, and the pride of kings.