- Of the Beard of a wilde Oat
This Beard of a wild Oat, is a body of a very curious structure, though to the naked Eye it appears very slight, and inconsiderable, it being only a small black or brown Beard or Bristle, which grows out of the side of the inner Husk that covers the Grain of a wild Oat; the whole length of it, when put in Water, so that it may extend it self to its full length, is not above an Inch and a half, and for the most part somewhat shorter, but when the Grain is ripe, and very dry, which is usualy in the Moneths of July, and August, this Beard is bent somewhat below the middle, namely, about 2/5 from the bottom of it, almost to a right Angle, and the under part of it is wreath'd lik a With; the substance of it is very brittle when dry, and it will very easily be broken from the husk on which it grows. - Of some Phænomena of Glass drops
These Glass Drops are small parcels of coarse green Glass taken out of the Pots that contain the Metal (as they call it) in fusion, upon the end of an Iron Pipe; and being exceeding hot, and thereby of a kind of sluggish fluid Confidence, are suffered to drop from thence into a Bucket of cold Water, and in it to lye till they be grown sensibly cold. Some of these I broke in the open air, by snapping off a little of the small stem with my fingers, others by crushing it with a small pair of Plyers; which I had no sooner done, then the whole bulk of the drop flew violently, with a very brisk noise, into multitudes of small pieces, some of which were as small as dust, though in some there were remaining pieces pretty large, without any flaw at all, and others very much flaw'd, which by rubbing between ones fingers was easily reduced to dust; these dispersed every way so violently, that some of them pierced my skin. I could not find either with my naked Eye, or a Microscope, that any of the broken pieces were of a regular figure, nor any one like another, but for the most part those that flaw'd off in large pieces were prettily branched. The ends of others of these drops I nipt off whilst all the bodies and ends of them lay buried under the water, which, like the former, flew all to pieces with as brisk a noise, and as strong a motion... - Of Peacocks, Ducks, and other Feathers of changeable colours
The parts of the Feathers of this glorious Bird appear, through the Microscope, no less gaudy then do the whole Feathers; for, as to the naked eye 'tis evident that the stem or quill of each Feather in the tail sends out multitudes of Lateral branches, such as AB in the Schem. 22. Fig. 3.third Figure of the 22. Scheme represents a small part of about 1/32 part of an Inch long, and each of the lateral branches emit multitudes of little sprigs, threads or hairs on either side of them, such as CD, CD, CD, so each of those threads in the Microscope appears a large long body, consisting of a multitude of bright reflecting parts, whose Figure 'tis no easie matter to determine, as he that examines it shall find; for every new position of it to the light makes it perfectly seem of another form and shape, and nothing what it appear'd a little before; nay, it appear'd very differing ofttimes from so seemingly inconsiderable a circumstance, that the interposing of ones hand between the light and it, makes a very great change, and the opening or shutting a Casement and the like, very much diversifies the appearance. And though, by examining the form of it very many ways, which would be tedious here to enumerate, I suppose I have discover'd the true Figure of it, yet oftentimes, upon looking on it in another posture, I have almost thought my former observations deficient, though indeed, upon further examination, I have found even those also to confirm them. - Of Moss, and several other small-vegetative Substances
Moss is a Plant, that the wisest of Kings thought neither unworthy his speculation, nor his Pen, and though amongst Plants it be in bulk one of the smallest, yet it is not the least considerable: For, as to its shape, it may compare for the beauty of it with any Plant that grows, and bears a much bigger breadth; it has a root almost like a seedy Parsnep, furnish'd with small strings and suckers, which are all of them finely branch'd, like those of the roots of much bigger Vegetables; out of this springs the stem or body of the Plant, which is somewhat Quadrangular, rather then Cylindrical, most curiously fluted or lining with small creases, which run, for the most part, parallel the whole stem; on the sides of this are close and thick set, a multitude of fair, large, well-shap'd leaves, some of them of a rounder, others of a longer shape, according as they are younger or older when pluck'd; as I ghess by this, that those Plants that had the stalks growing from the top of them, had their leaves of a much longer shape, all the surface of each side of which, is curiously cover'd with a multitude of little oblong transparent bodies, in the manner as you see it express'd in the leaf B, in the XIII. Scheme. - Of Cowage, and the itching operation of some bodies
There is a certain Down of a Plant, brought from the East-Indies, call'd commonly, though very improperly, Cow-itch, the reason of which mistake is manifest enough from the description of it, which Mr. Parkinson sets down in his Herbal, Tribe XI. Chap. 2. Phasiolus siliqua hirsuta; The hairy Kidney-bean, called in Zurratte where it grows, Couhage: We have had (says he) another of this kind brought us out of the East-Indies, which being planted was in shew like the former, but came not to perfection, the unkindly season not suffering it to shew the flower; but of the Cods that were brought, some were smaller, shorter, and rounder then the Garden kind; others much longer, and many growing together, as it were in clusters, and cover'd all over with a brown short hairiness, so fine, that if any of it be rubb'd, or fall on the back of ones hand, or other tender parts of the skin, it will cause a kind of itching, but not strong, nor long induring, but passing quickly away, without either danger or harm; the Beans were smaller then ordinary, and of a black shining colour. - Of a Plant growing in the blighted or yellow specks of Damask-rose-leaves
I have for several years together, in the Moneths of June, July, August, and September (when any of the green leaves of Roses begin to dry and grow yellow) observ'd many of them, especially the leaves of the old shrubs of Damask Roses, all bespecked with yellow stains; and the undersides just against them, to have little yellow hillocks of a gummous substance, and several of them to have small black spots in the midst of those yellow ones, which, to the naked eye, appear'd no bigger then the point of a Pin, or the smallest black spot or tittle of Ink one is able to make with a very sharp pointed Pen. Examining these with a Microscope, I was able plainly to distinguish, up and down the surface, several small yellow knobs, of a kind of yellowish red gummy substance, out of which I perceiv'd there sprung multitudes of little cases or black bodies like Seed-cods, and those of them that were quite without the hillock of Gumm, disclos'd themselves to grow out of it with a small Straw-colour'd and transparent stem, the which seed and stem appear'd very like those of common Moss (which I elsewhere describe) but that they were abundantly less, many hundreds of them being not able to equalize one single seed Cod of Moss. - ninth Sunday in ordiary time
ninth Sunday in ordiary time - Mother hen with her chicks
Mother hen with her chicks - Most Holy Trinity
Most Holy Trinity - Microscope
The Instrument is this. I prepare a pretty capaceous Bolt-head AB, with a small stem about two foot and a half long DC; upon the end of this D I put on a small bended Glass, or brazen syphon DEF (open at D, E and F, but to be closed with cement at F and E, as occasion serves) whose stem F should be about six or eight inches long, but the bore of it not above half an inch diameter, and very even; these I fix very strongly together by the help of very hard Cement, and then fit the whole Glass ABCDEF into a long Board, or Frame, in such manner, that almost half the head AB may lye buried in a concave Hemisphere cut into the Board ... - Man with horns
Man with horns - Man riding horse
Man riding horse - Man putting coins into a bag
Man putting coins into a bag - Man leading a horse
Man leading a horse - Man and horse outside a house
Man and horse outside a house - Male Lion
Male Lion - Long-nosed sheep looking through the hedge
Long-nosed sheep looking through the hedge - Lioness
Lioness - Lioness
Lioness - Lady driving in a horse and cart
Lady driving in a horse and cart - June 29 - Saint Peter and Saint Paul
June 29 - Saint Peter and Saint Paul - June 24th - Saint john the Baptist
June 24th - Saint john the Baptist - January 1
January 1 - Horse and Dog
`Horse and Dog - Horse and chickens
Horse and chickens - Holy Thursday
Holy Thursday - Good Friday
Good Friday - Going through the gate
Going through the gate - Gargoyles
Gargoyles - Fourth Sunday of Easter
Fourth Sunday of Easter - Fourth of Lent
Fourth of Lent - Fourth of Advent
Fourth of Advent - Fourteenth Sunday in ordinary time
Fourteenth Sunday in ordinary time - Flower and Thistles
Flower and Thistles - Flea
The strength and beauty of this small creature, had it no other relation at all to man, would deserve a description. For its strength, the Microscope is able to make no greater discoveries of it then the naked eye, but onely the curious contrivance of its leggs and joints, for the exerting that strength, is very plainly manifested, such as no other creature, I have yet observ'd, has any thing like it; for the joints of it are so adapted, that he can, as 'twere, fold them short one within another, and suddenly stretch, or spring them out to their whole length, that is, of the fore-leggs, the part A, of the Scheme, lies within B, and B within C, parallel to, or side by side each other; but the parts of the two next, lie quite contrary, that is, D without E, and E without F, but parallel also; but the parts of the hinder leggs, G, H and I, bend one within another, like the parts of a double jointed Ruler, or like the foot, legg and thigh of a man; these six leggs he clitches up altogether, and when he leaps, springs them all out, and thereby exerts his whole strength at once. - First Ordinary Sunday
First Ordinary Sunday - First of Lent
First of Lent - first of Advent
first of Advent - Fifth Sunday of Easter
Fifth Sunday of Easter - Fifteenth sunday in ordinary time
Fifteenth sunday in ordinary time - Feeding time
Feeding time - Feast of the transfiguration (6 August)
Feast of the transfiguration (6 August) - Feast of the Ascension
Feast of the Ascension - Feast of Pentecost
Feast of Pentecost - Feast of Corpus Christi
Feast of Corpus Christi - Feast of all saints (November 1)
Feast of all saints (November 1) - Exaltation of the cross (September 14)
Exaltation of the cross (September 14) - Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary time
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary time - Easter Vigil
Easter Vigil - Easter
Easter - Dragons
Dragons - Donkey
Donkey - Dog chasing a rabbit
Dog chasing a rabbit - Dog and Shoe
Dog and Shoe - Christmas Eve - Christmas Day
Christmas Eve - Christmas Day - child
child - Boy and girl feeding the horses
Boy and girl feeding the horses - Birds waiting for feeding time
Birds waiting for feeding time - Birds nest
Birds nest - Assumption of Mary (15 August)
Assumption of Mary (15 August)