nwards towards the inward orifice of the womb, tumbling as it
were over its head so that then the feet are uppermost, and the face
towards the mother's great gut; and this turning of the infant in this
manner, with its head downwards, towards the latter end of a woman's
reckoning, is so ordered by nature, that it may be thereby the better
disposed of its passage into the world at the time of its mother's
labour, which is not then far off (and indeed some children turn not at
all until the very time of birth); for in this posture all its joints
are most easily extended in coming forth; for by this means its arms and
legs cannot hinder its birth, because they cannot be bent against the
inner orifice of the womb and the rest of the body, being very supple,
passeth without any difficulty after the head, which is hard and big;
being passed the head is inclined forward, so that the chin toucheth the
breast, in which posture, it resembles one sitting to ease nature, and
stooping down with the head to see what comes from him. The spine of the
back is at that time placed towards the mother's, the head uppermost,
the face downwards; and proportionately to its growth, it extends its
members by little and little, which were exactly folded in the first
month. In this posture it usually keeps until the seventh or eighth
month, and then by a natural propensity and disposition of the upper
first. It is true there are divers children, that lie in the womb in
another posture, and come to birth with their feet downwards, especially
if there be twins; for then, by their different motions they do so
disturb one another, that they seldom come both in the same posture at
the time of labour, but one will come with the head, and another with
the feet, or perhaps lie across; but sometimes neither of them will come
right. But, however the child may be situated in the womb, or in
whatever posture it presents itself at the time of birth, if it be not
with its head forwards, as I have before described, it is always against
nature, and the delivery will occasion the more pain and danger, and
require greater care and skill from the midwife, than when the labour is
more natural.

* * * * *

CHAPTER IV

_A Guide for Women in Travail, showing what is to be done when they
fall in Labour, in order to their Delivery._

The end of all that we have been treating of is, the bringing forth of a
child into the