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nevertheless perfuaded that these Plants pro"ceed from Seeds, because it is the manner ic in which Nature produces all the rest. Let us then conclude, that if Nature has given to Beafts (or Animals) living in Society, and "in a Family, the Faculty of Speaking; the "has doubtless beftowed the fame Advantage

on all the reft. For we are not now upon "thofe accidental Differences which Nature "loves to diverfify in the different Species of "the fame Genus: there are not, perhaps, in "the whole World two Faces perfectly alike; "but yet all Men have a Face. There are

among the feveral Species of Animals Diffe"rences ftill greater: fome have Wings, others "have Fins, fome Feet and Legs; the Serpents "have none of these but all Animals have "the Faculty of moving and transporting them

felves wherever they pleafe, according to "their Wants. Among Animals there are some "that fee and hear more or lefs perfectly; but t yet they all hear and fee. It is the same thing "with the Faculty of Speech: this Faculty, "perhaps, is more perfect in the Beasts which 66 live in Societies and form Families; but it being in fome, we must believe it to be in "all of them, but more or less perfect, accord“ ing to their respective Wants.

"It is even obfervable, that the Animals "who live neither in Society, nor in a fettled Family, yet have in each Species a fort of Commerce or Society among themselves. "Such are the Quadrupeds, the Fithes, the

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"Reptiles,

Reptiles, the Birds themselves independently "of their Houfhold, as Starlings, Partridges,

Ravens, Ducks, and Hens. Now what Ad<6 vantage could thefe Creatures have by endea"vouring to live in Society one with another, "if they did it not for mutual Affiftance, and "reciprocally to have the Benefit of their Knowledge, Difcoveries, and of all the Helps they

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can afford each other; and how could they do "fo, if they do not understand one another? "All the Arguments I have already used to prove, that the Creatures which live in Society must have a Language, here again find "their Place and their whole Energy. All the "Difference must be only in the Degrees of "Plus and Minus; and if we judge of this only

by Matters of Facts, perhaps there is no dif"ference at all.

"The Wolves, for inftance, hunt with great Skill, and together contrive warlike Stratagems. A Man croffing a Frith, faw a Wolf "who seemed to be watching a Flock of Sheep. "He informed the Shepherd of it, and advised "him to cause the Animal to be pursued by "his Dog: Ifhan't be fuch a Fool, replied the "Shepherd; the Wolf yonder is there only to "divert my Attention, and another Wolf who "is working on the other fide, only watches "the Moment when I fhall fet my Dogs upon "this to fnatch one of my Sheep from mè. "The Man who was paffing by, willing to "be fatisfied of the Fact, promifed to pay for "the Sheep; and the thing happened, juft as

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"the Shepherd faid it would. Does not a Stratagem fo well concerted evidently suppose "that the two Wolves had agreed together, "one to fhew, and the other to hide himself? "Now how is it poffible to agree in this manner without the help of Speech?

A Sparrow finding a Neft that a Martin “had just built, ftanding very convenient for "him, poffeft himself of it. The Martin feeing the Ufurper in her Houfe, call'd for

help to expel him. A thousand Martins came "full speed and attacked the Sparrow but the "latter being covered on every fide, and pre

fenting only his large Beak at the Entrance "of the Neft, was invulnerable, and made the "boldest of them, who durft approach him, to repent their temerity. After a Quarter "of an Hour's Combat, all the Martins difappeared. The Sparrow thought he had got the better, and the Spectators judged "that the Martins had abandoned their Un"dertaking. Not in the least. Immediately

we faw them return to the Charge; and "each of them having procured a little of that temper'd Earth, with which they make their "Nefts, they all at once fell upon the Spar

row, and inclosed him in the Neft to perish "there, tho' they could not drive him thence. "Can you imagine, Madam, that the Martins " could have been able to hatch and concert "this Defign all of them together, without speaking to each other? "Wonders

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"Wonders are recounted by Travellers of the Monkeys, when they go a plundering; a Troop of Soldiers when they go a For"raging, cannot march in greater Order, or "with more Precaution. I could mention, and you can easily recollect a thousand other In"ftances of the fame Nature; but this would require a Volume, and I aim only at fupporting my Argument. Men hitherto have always made ufe of these Inftances to prove "that Beasts have a knowing Faculty; and they "have been in the right fo to do, because it "is really inconceivable, that Beasts can do fuch

fingular Actions without Knowledge, but we "have not fufficiently examined into the Me"rits and Bottom of this Question; for if it be "abfolutely impoffible for Beasts to perform "these Actions without fpeaking, we are moreover obliged to conclude, that they have a Faculty of fpeaking to each other. Now, Madam, I would beg of you here to ob"ferve, that this is not an Opinion or a System "founded upon meer Conjecture or probable

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Explications, but an Argument fupported by "fenfible and palpable Facts; I say fenfible Mat"ters of Fact, fuch as thefe I have just been

alledging, and a thoufand others of every "Kind. Enter into a Wood where there are

a Parcel of Jays, the first then that fees you "gives the Alarm to the whole Troop. Magpyes, Blackbirds, and almost all the Feather"ed Kind do the fame.. Let a Cat but show "herself upon the top of a House, or in a Gar« den,

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den, the very firft Sparrow that perceives her, exactly does what a Centinel does among us, "when he perceives an Enemy; he by his "Cries warns all his Companions, and feems

to imitate the Noife of a Drum beating a "March. See a Cock near his Hen, a Dove "near the Female he is courting, a Cat fol

lowing his Mate, there is no end of their "Difcourfes, till there is an end of their Courtfhip. But there is one important Reflection "yet behind, which in my Opinion is little "lefs than Demonftration. We every day

fpeak to Beafts, and they underftand us very "well. The Shepherd makes himself under"ftood by his Sheep, but particularly by his Dog that attends him. The Cows underftand all the Milkmaid fays to them. Many a profound Converfation paffes between the Sportsman and his Dogs; the Groom and his "Horfes; the Lady and her Parrot, Mifs and "her Cat; we fpeak to them all, and they "understand us; they in their turn speak to

us, and we understand them. How much more probable is it, that they speak to and understand "each other! for with regard to them, we can speak no other than a foreign Language; and "if Nature has enabled them to speak a foreign Language, how can the have refufed them the Faculty of speaking and understanding a Na"tural one? This can hardly be conceived.

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"But though we should allow Understand"ing and Language to the feveral Species of "Beafts, Birds, and Infects; What fhall we do