Telliamed, or, The world explain'd : containing discourses between an Indian philospher and a missionary, on the diminution of the sea, the formation of the earth, the origin of men & animals : and other singular subjects, relating to natural history & philosphy ; a very curious work.

  • Maillet, Benoît de, 1656-1738. Telliamed. English
Date:
1797
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Telliamed, or, The world explain'd : containing discourses between an Indian philospher and a missionary, on the diminution of the sea, the formation of the earth, the origin of men & animals : and other singular subjects, relating to natural history & philosphy ; a very curious work. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

    12/280
    greateft ]penetration. He follows nature ftep by Hep, reprefents her moil ordinary, and fometimes her nioft rare and fingular productions. Is there any thing more pleaiing than an obfervation of what nature daily performs before our eves ? What is more agreeable than to catch her as it were at work, and force her to diiplay her mo ft fecret myiteries to us: The author could rot have chefen a fbbjecr. more capable of exciting the curiofity, not only of the learned, but of everv man who is at the pains to think. Nothing is more important to us, than to be acquainted with the nature of the Globe we iahabit, which our arieeftors inhabited before us, and which our pofterity will inhabit fo long as it mail fubfift in the abyfa of ages, the end of which is unknown to us ; to examine whence it proceeded, how it was formed, what revolutions it has undergone, what its prefent ftate is, and to what vicifiitudes it may be hereafter expofed.— If man is born to induftry, it is more reafonable that lie fliould be induitrious about that which nearly concerns him, tiian about tilings which do not affect him. The author of the new dialogues of the dead*, ingeniously rallies thofe philosophers, who by an unpardonable abufe of their time and talents, tread upon man, becaufe they do not know him, and often addia themfelves to ftudies, which only tend to render them more vain and ridiculous than they were before. This reproach is equally due to mofr. men of learning. But this perverfe ufe of the human powers is in no cafe more difcernable, than in what relates to man himfelf. I know the * Dialogue between Partcclfus and Moliere,