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Show prudent mans Eye, To fet himfelf an ; example, in what he doth, ‘unto others, ® And in fo doing, he looks upon himJ felf as accountable, in fomefort, to all Men, To thofe therefore, who may either exprefly, or tacitly,’ expect the Reafons, upon which I firft undertook the Azatomy of Plants, and al- fo made the after-progrefs therein; I hall fummethem up as follows. The firft occafion of direéting my Thoughts this way, was in the Year 1664, upon réading fome, of the many and curious Inventions of Learned Men, in the Bodies of Animals. For confidering, that both of them came at firft ott of the fime Hand and were therefore the Contrivances of the fame Wifdom: I thence fully affured my felf, that ic could not be a vain Defign; to feck itin both. And being then newly furnifhed with a good ftock of Seeds, in order to raife a Nurfery of Plants; ¥ refolved, befides what I firft aimed at, to make the utmoft ufe of them for tha purpofe: that fo I might put formewhat uponthat fide the Leaf which the belt Botanicks ‘had left bare and empty. And in which, norwithftanding fome other Learned Men had ’inferted foméwhat of this nature; as Dr. Highmore in his Book of Generation, Dr. Sharrock of the Propagation of Plants, and Mr. Hook in his Micrography': yet but collaterally, and whithout fhewing any putpofe of managing this Part of Na- tural Hiftory. And although ic feemed at firft an Oba jection |