In response to Isaac de la Peyrere‘s theory of polygenesis, Hale, Chief Justice of the King’s Bench, advanced his own theory that the earth was not eternal, but rather had a spontaneous “beginning,” and defended “the Mosaic account of the single origin of all peoples.“ Hale also seems to have been the first to use the expression ‘Geometrical Proportion’ for the growth of a population from a single family” (Hutchinson). In this he anticipated Malthus (No. 215.4). He believed that in animals, especially insects, various natural calamities reduce the numbers to low levels intermittently, so maintaining a balance of nature. Digital facsimile from the Hathi Trust at this link.