of all ages seem to have imagined, that the great world itself had
likewise its infancy and its gradual progress to maturity; this seems to
have given origin to the very antient and sublime allegory of Eros, or
Divine Love, producing the world from the egg of Night, as it floated in
Chaos. See l. 419. of this Canto.

The external crust of the earth, as far as it has been exposed to our
view in mines or mountains, countenances this opinion; since these have
evidently for the most part had their origin from the shells of fishes,
the decomposition of vegetables, and the recrements of other animal
materials, and must therefore have been formed progressively from small
beginnings. There are likewise some apparently useless or incomplete
appendages to plants and animals, which seem to shew they have gradually
undergone changes from their original state; such as the stamens without
anthers, and styles without stigmas of several plants, as mentioned in
the note on Curcuma, Vol. II. of this work. Such is the halteres, or
rudiments of wings of some two-winged insects; and the paps of male
animals; thus swine have four toes, but two of them are imperfectly
formed, and not long enough for use. The allantoide in some animals
seems to have become extinct; in others is above tenfold the size, which
would seem necessary for its purpose. Buffon du Cochon. T. 6. p. 257.
Perhaps all the supposed monstrous births of Nature are remains of their
habits of production in their former less perfect state, or attempts
towards greater perfection.]

[_Through all his realms_. l. 105. Mr. Herschel has given a very sublime
and curious account of the construction of the heavens with his
discovery of some thousand nebulae, or clouds of stars; many of which
are much larger collections of stars, than all those put together, which
are visible to our naked eyes, added to those which form the galaxy, or