THat the first Riches of a Kingdom or Na­tion, is the Multitude of its Inhabitants, is a known Maxim in Politiques: whence several of the VVisest Legislators that An­tiquity can boast of, have made it a prin­cipal business in their Edicts, to endeavour the propagation and encrease of humane kind: Inflicting seve­ral Mulcts and penalties on those wanton Libertines, who neg­lecting to Inroll themselves at a convenient age under Hymans Banner, seem'd to take no care at all for posterity: and on the other side, Encouraged with Rewards and priviledges, those Laborious Husbandmen in Natures Vineyard, who Enrich'd their Country with a Numerous Off-spring.

Upon this Account Sterility or Barenness hath in all Ages and Countries been esteemed a Reproach, and Fruitfulness an Happiness and Honour: Of which latter kind, Nature to shew that she is not yet grown so weak and decripit, as some sneaking Doe-littles to excuse their own Impotency, would represent her, has just now given a very Pregnant Instance, in a person of very good Cre­dit and Reputation, of Kingstone upon Thames, in the County of Surry.

This Good Woman being lately with Child, found her self exceeding heavy and cumbersom, and appeared bigger then ordinary, especially when her Reckoning began to grow neer expiring: so that Neighbours began generally to imagine she would bring Twins [...]or were their Expectations herein frustrated, but surpas [...].

For behold! On Thursday the fifth of this Instant March, her appointed time approaching, she is seized with those terrible Child-bed-pangs, which Eves Trans­gression has unhappily entail'd on all her Daughters. In which tormenting Throws she continued all that day, and the next: In which space of time, she was [to the great admiration of all the Women present] delivered of no less than four Children, [to wit) three Sons and one Daughter, they being all born alive, of a handsome large size and proportion, and had all their Limbs compleat and [Page 5] perfect, nor was there any apparent cause to dispair of their Living, but they continued not long, for within four and twenty hours after such their respective births they were all snatcht away by Death, like early Flowers nipt in the Budd: passing, as it were, Post through this troublesom Stage of Mortality, from the Womb of their particular Parent, to that of our common Mother, the Earth.

The Woman, though much weakned with so hard and tedious a Labour, is like to do very well, but is much afflicted for the loss of her Children.

Aristotle (heretofore accounted the Philosophers Pope) whose Dictates pass'd for Infallible) tells us of VVomen in Aegypt, that usually brought five Children at a time, which both he and Solinus attribute to the fecundity of the River Nilus, whereof they used to Drink. And saith, that it was never known, that ever any was brought to Bed of more at once.

But herein we must crave leave to dissent from this great Secretary of Nature, Experience Evidencing the contrary, that some VVomen have had Seven at a Birth.

And the Learned Enstathius (an Author of sufficient judgement and credit) in his Notes upon Homer, asserts on his Veracity, That he knew a Noble Matron, who was at one birth Delivered of Nine Children in the absence of her Husband: but being a Person of Quality, and One in whom it seems Pride had over­powred Nature, and cruel fancy sway'd more than re­ligious duty, she took a conceit that her Husband would slight her henceforwards, and that she should loose some­thing of her Interest in his Affections by bringing forth such a Litter of Children; Hereupon she resolves to drown se­ven of them, and having given the Midwife a Bribe to look [Page 6] up her Tongue, she chooses out two of her nine Children which she fancied best, and gave the rest to the Nurse to go drown them in a River in the Evening, who most barbo­rously consented to do its but just when she was come down to the River and was standing upon the Bride, ready to put the S [...]ge design in Execution; Her Master the Father of t [...] [...]ldren returning homewards from a journey hapen­ed to Ride by, who knowing the Nurse and being much co [...]cerned to hear the cries of so many Children (for she had all the seven Children in a Hand basket) she at first endeavored to put him off by pretending they were onely a parcel of Kitlings which she was going to destroy, but he being a great lover of Cats, would needs see them to save the prettyest, which she seeming strongly loath to admit, he at last by force compelled her to shew him, when to his amazement falling on her knees and begging his pardon, she produced seven of his own Children devoted for death by her wicked hands, if she had not been thus miraculously prevented, and withal told him the whole story, and the rea­sons that prompted his Wife to this unnatural intention. vvhereupon makeing her haste home, he put them out seve­rally to Nurse immediately, & they all lived till they were grown to Maturity; but the Gentleman would never after­wards live or associate with his bloody inhumane Wife.

To this we might add a thousand the like strange Rela­tions, if we had the unity to make ostentation of Reading, such as that Erasmus mentions in Chiliade of a Woman na­med Combe that dwelt in Euboeia that had a hundred chil­dren by one Husband.

Or that which Ludovicas Vives asserts himself to have seen, viz. A Countrey-man in Spain (a place and people none of the fruitfullest) whose Children whilst he was li­ving [Page 7] had peopled a Town of above one hundred dwelling houses, and were spread so far that they had left off the Name of Relations, nor need this seem incredible, since there was (within this twelve months if not still) a Woman living in Lancashire, that has often been heard truly and properly to say, Do you hear daughter, run and tell your Grand-daughter that her Daughters Child cries.

What shall we say of Hieorom King of Arabia whom Justin tells us had above six hundred natural Sons by several Concubines, of Artaxerxes who had a hundred and fifteen, or that lusty Roman Bellswagger, Proculus Caesar, who (as Mizeldus an eminent Physitian assures us) got more than one hundred Virgins with-child in the space of fifteen days.

This is certain, Augustus Caesar saw his Grand-daughters Grand-son, M. Sillanus, and one Stetini an Italian Lady, dying in the 87th. year of her age, beheld with her own eyes sprung from her own body of Children and Grandchildren, &c. To the number of one hundred twenty and five. And the Illustrous John Count Nassaw in the last age in like man­ner eighty and five persons of his own and his Childrens begetting all alive at once before his death.

We might be tedious in such instances since every Posti­ler and Breivary can furnish us with such pocket Learning: These are more than enough to prove the matter of fact, and it might now perhaps be no more grateful and diverti­sing to the Reader if we would leave the steril road of Hi­story to take a walk or two in the more pleasing Gardens of Philosophy, inquiring how it comes to pass that such nu­merous births are produced; But these are Arcana Nature, not fit to be prostituted in a Pamphlet, some Anatomists, & not a few Physitians have done it too much to our Hand, we shall conclude with an Aphorism of Astrology on this [Page 8] Theme, from Guido Bonatus, part. 2. Cap. 5. VVhich we conceive very pertinent to our present Subject. Vide si fuerit ascendens Gemini, aut Virgo, Pisces, vel Sagitarius, aut si duo boni planetae fuerint in ascendente vel quinta, Concepit hi­nos; si autem fuerit ibi cum eis Caput Draconis, dic quod partet [...] utero plus quam duobus, & possibile est quod portet quatuor [...]; VVhen 'tis enquired how many children a VVoman goes with, see if Gemini, Virgo, Pisces, or Sagitary ascend, or if there be two good planets in the ascendant or 5th. house, then hath she conceived two, but if the Dragons head be there with them, say, she carries more than two, and that 'tis possible she may have Four.