Copy 1, Volume 1

The wonders of the little world: or, a general history of man, displaying the various faculties, capacities, powers and defects of the human body and mind / By Nathaniel Wanley.

  • Nathaniel Wanley
Date:
1806
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The wonders of the little world: or, a general history of man, displaying the various faculties, capacities, powers and defects of the human body and mind / By Nathaniel Wanley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    it with her hands. She, feeds both herself, and her child; and combs her hair, To, conclude, without trouble she doth all that, is sufficient for her own necessity, and to gratify others curiosity. ioe ‘ 6. There wasa Nobleman in Spain, the. younger brother of the Constable of Castile, born so deaf, that he could not hear .a gun shot,off close by his ear, and consequently dumb: Yet the loveliness. of his face, vivacity of his eye, comeliness, of his person, and the whole, composure, of his. body, were pregnant signs of a. well-tempered mind. The physicians and. help him, but in vain. At Jast a certain priest undertook to teach him to understand, others when. they spoke ; and to speak, himself, that others might understand him. This attempt was at first laughed at; but after some years, with great pains, he taught this young Lord to speak as distinctly as any man; and to understand so perfectly what others said, that he could converse all the. day .with them, King Charles the first, when, he was courting the Infanta of Spain, saw, and oft, made trial of him, not only with English words, but making. some Welchmen of his train to speak words of their language ; all which he perfectly repeated, only for want of his hearing bis tone was rather ve- hement and shrill, than pleasing. This art was brought to great perfection by. our countryman Dr, Wallis, whotaught several deaf and dumb persons to speak and con- verse and wrote a treatise on this subject. 7. Edward Bone, of Ladock in Corn- wal], was servant to Mr. Courtney of that county: he was deaf from his cradle, and consequently dumb, yet could learn and express to his master any news that. Was stirring in the country. If a sermor, _ Was preached within some miles distance;, ’ he would repair to the place, and settirig hiinself directly against the preacher, look him stedfastly in the face, while his sernaon lasted. To which religious zeal his ho nest life was also answerable. Assisted with a firm memory, he would not only know ~ any party, whom he had once seen, for ever after, but also make him known to any. other, by some special observation and difference. There was one Kemp, living, not far off, defected in the same. manner, in whose. meetings there were such em- bracings, such strange and earnest token- ings, such hearty laughter and other pas- sionate gestures, that their want of tongues. seemed rather an hinderance to others con- ceiving them, than to their understanding one another. ' Bota 8. We have at Nuremburg (saith Camerarius) .a young man and a yoring maid, born of one father and mother, (of a good house and well known), that arse of a singular guick conceit: for although they be deaf and dumb by nature, yet both of them read very-well, write, arid cast accounts. The young man coniceiveth at first, by signs that are made hira, what he is required to do. If his pen /be want- ing, by his countenance he showeth his cunningest at all games, both at cards and dice, that one can find amon gst the Gere mans, although they are very dexterous, — His sister passeth all othesr maids for working with her needle all kind of semps- try, tapestry and embroid:zry. But above all, this is the most remarkable in them, that for the most part 743 soon as they see peoples lips stir, they understand their meaning. They are oft entimes at sermons ; conceive with their ‘syes the words of the previcher, as others do with their ears. Wlaen the preacher nameth the name of Jesus, the young man is ready before any ot’ the hearers to lbow his knee. g. There,was one who was blind from the seventh year of his age, that from his youth had so accustomed himself to the making of organs, that with his own hands he made organs with pipes of wood and tin, of great price.. Frederick Duke of Wirtemburg showed me an organ of this blind man’s making; and 1 heard the. artist himself playing on it: looking upon his eyes, I could not discover: any spot therein ; but all those who had lived with him for many years together, affirmed that he was blind; and proved that he could do these. things, by a convincing argument, for that he worked in the dark, and he could discern the several sorts of wood by the touch only. . 10, Didimus of Alexandria, being wall.—(8.) Camerar. (p.) Plat. Obs, 1.2. p. 110, 112. . blind,